Blog About Health & Medicine

Holistic medicine means paying attention to the mind and spirit as well as the body. Stress reduction, meditation, and faith or spiritual focus are all proven risk-factor reducers for a range of health concerns, and despite a lack of specific studies on the topic, I see no reason why bone density wouldn’t be among them. One study showed that women in their 40s (when they should still be near peak bone mass) with clinical depression had bones that looked like they belonged to 70-year-olds. It was a small study, but the dramatic results at least hint at the powerful interconnection between your bones and your brain. It should be no surprise, after all we’ve learned about the role of emotions, stress, social support, faith, prayer, beliefs, and attitude toward heart disease and cancer, and a host of other disorders. Bones are no different from any other part of your body when it comes to being affected by whatever is going on anywhere in the body.

Stress triggers the release of stressor hormones that (among other things) greatly accelerate bone loss. The unrelenting nature of chronic stress makes it particularly important to reduce the constant stresses we’ve come to think of as almost normal, as well as the intermittent, specific stresses that are bound to come into your life. The emotions stirred up by your car’s breaking down, for example, are stressful, and you’ll feel better in general if you find a way to manage them effectively. But constant worry about whether your old clunker will make it all the way to the office each morning, and about how you’ll pay the bill next time it does give out, are more serious in the long run. By all means, switch to public transportation or get a more reliable car if you can, and set aside some money out of each paycheck to cover any necessary repairs to try to set your mind at ease. But beyond that, try some of the techniques here to ease the inevitable stresses of day-to-day living. Do away with as many sources of stress as you can, but learn how to manage what does come your way.

You (and in all likelihood your bones) will benefit from guided imagery, meditation, focused walking, and anything that elicits “the relaxation response”—the term coined by Harvard scientist Herbert Benson, M.D., to describe the calm state of the body without the rush of “fight or flight” messages stress-crazed Americans seem to subsist on. Stress raises hormone levels that can interfere with bone remodeling, so lowering stress takes one more obstacle out of the way of healthy bones.

The simplest approach is simply being present in the moment. Unless you are a Zen monk, you’ll probably find this difficult to do in the midst of your daily life (though that is the ultimate goal), so start by taking some time out specifically to practice it.

Relax in a comfortable position, breathing slowly and quietly. As you listen to your breath go in and out, pay attention to your inner self as well as your immediate surroundings. Focus on how you feel. If you notice tension anywhere in the body, focus on it and what it represents. Focus your breath and thoughts in the tense area, maintaining your focus until you can let the tension go. Relax and breathe and focus on any other tense spots. Keep going until you find no more tension. End quietly.

Benson provides a simple two-step process to help you achieve the relaxation response. First, select a word, short phrase, or sound, and repeat it to yourself. Choosing something meaningful to you is a good idea. For example, you might pick one line of a favorite prayer (“the Lord is my shepherd”), or something from an affirmation you’ve used (“I am healing”), or just a positive thought (“peace”). (For believers, prayers seem to be an especially powerful entree to the relaxation response, and spiritual feelings on their own have been associated with being healthier overall.) Even just repeating a number (like “one”) will work. Dr. Benson jokes that some of his studies were done with Harvard medical students who couldn’t handle anything more complicated than that! A repetitive physical activity, including walking or even knitting, can serve a similar purpose, on its own or together with a repetitive phrase. The second step is to determinedly let go of any other thoughts trying to horn in on your quiet mind, going back to focusing on your repetition. Pausing once or twice a day to do this for ten to twenty minutes will undo the harmful effects of essentially living in a constant state of “fight or flight” arousal. Even five minutes will help, so don’t discard this idea if you feel you don’t have enough time. The continual presence of stress-induced hormones is itself a stressor, and one we would all be better off without.

Focused walking, also known as prayer walking or walking meditation, is a concept rapidly gaining in popularity, and an excellent practice for mind, body, and spirit all in one. It may be finally the vehicle that brings meditation into the mainstream, since Americans already recognize the importance of exercise and like the feeling of being busy—not “just sitting there.” Here the benefit to your bones is more obvious: if meditation doesn’t help you out, you can be sure walking does.

This is basically the relaxation response in motion. Walking outdoors is ideal, as it gives you more immediate access to a sense of the divine than, say, a treadmill facing a blank wall in the gym with the television blaring. As you walk, notice your breath, counting how many steps fill the time of each inhalation and exhalation. Label them with numbers or phrases (“one, two, three” or “breathe, breathe, breathe,” for example) to keep time. As you get more advanced, you’ll be able to use any calming, repetitive phrase you like, as above, but keep it simple for starters. Again, your goal is to stay in the present moment and let any intruding thoughts of the past or future slip right on by. Keep breathing consciously, even if you pause to admire the scenery. As long as you feel calm and centered, you’re doing it right.

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Answer: Although this plan is beautifully balanced among the macronutrients, there is no way you can receive the amount of micronutrients you need on a diet that is less than several thousand calories a day. Obviously this menu plan does not fit that category. More and more studies are proving what many of us have known for years: We need supplemental nutrition, given our stress levels, our poor dietary history (past deficiencies), the diminished quality of the food items we purchase in the supermarkets, environmental pollutants, and the other side effects of civilization.

This is particularly true for those individuals who have dieted frequently over the years. Reducing diets are so lacking in the micronutrients that are essential for human health that significant health challenges accompany those long-standing deficiencies. They simply will not be resolved by wishful thinking or adding a synthetic one-a-day vitamin.

I put all my clients on a comprehensive supplement program to meet their current needs and to correct past deficiencies. When I meet face-to-face with a client, I can write a program that is specific to his or her needs, but in this forum I will need to make some generalizations. Please keep in mind that this program may need to be fine-tuned to meet your personal needs.

You’re probably saying, “I’m going to be spending a lot of money on supplements!” Yes, you will. I wish there were an easier, cheaper way to bring your body into nutritional balance, but there isn’t. The truth is grim: Most Americans are seriously undernourished, and no group is at greater risk than dieters. You have been slowly starving your body to death over the years; you cannot recuperate overnight, even with the most perfect diet and the most perfect lifestyle.

You do not need to spend hundreds of dollars per month in supplements, however. Some inferior products are extremely expensive; others are extremely inexpensive. However, follow this one rule: High-quality supplements can seldom be found in a grocery, drugstore, discount store, or mail-order house. They are seldom found in the multilevel market industry. You will be told from time to time: “Just buy the cheapest vitamin on the market; they’re all the same.” That simply isn’t true. While you don’t need to pay megabucks, you can’t pay microbucks either. You need to educate yourself on the subject of supplemental nutrition. Use the recommendations in this section to evaluate your products. Develop a relationship with the staff at your local health food store, and read, read, read! Purchase some reference books on nutrition and study the subject. Learn how to nourish your body!

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While reading this chapter, you may have decided that your own personality reflects certain traits socially labeled as “masculine” and others viewed as “feminine.” If so, you are like many other people; relatively few individuals are 100 percent one or the other.

In the recent past, as psychologists have discarded some older assumptions about the nature of masculinity and femininity, the concept of androgyny has attracted considerable attention. Androgyny refers to the combined presence of both stereotypical feminine and masculine characteristics in one person. The word itself comes from two Greek roots: andro-, meaning male, and gyn-, meaning female.

Just what does it mean to say a person is androgynous? There is no firm agreement on this point among researchers. First, masculine and feminine traits could coexist but be expressed at different times. Kaplan and Sedney explain this dualistic model of androgyny as follows: “She or he might disagree forcefully and assertively with a colleague on a major issue of program development, but act comfortably and caringly toward that same person’s distress over a personal problem.” In other words, he or she acts typically male, then female. Or, feminine and masculine traits may exist in a fully integrated way within a person. Instead of alternating between feminine and masculine characteristics, the individual blends the two together. For example, an androgynous woman may initiate sexual activity (traditionally regarded as a “masculine” role) but do so in a style that is warm and sensitive (traditionally viewed as “feminine” traits). Thus, becoming androgynous does not imply losing the qualities associated with one’s gender and taking on those associated with the opposite sex. It involves developing those opposite-sex qualities that already exist within us and manifesting them in ways determined by our own-sex qualities.

Several recent studies by psychologists show that about one-third of college and high school students are androgynous. Spence and Helmreich found that androgynous individuals display more self-esteem, achievement orientation, and social competence than people who are strong in either masculinity or femininity, or those who have low scores in both areas. Furthermore, Bern’s research has shown that androgynous individuals seem to have more flexible behavior than people with more traditional masculine or feminine patterns. Likewise, there is evidence that androgynous females may have fewer psychological problem than masculine- or feminine-stereotyped persons.

However, androgyny may also have some disadvantages. A recent study of college assistant professors found that being androgynous was associated with greater personal satisfaction but an increased amount of work stress. Other researchers found that masculine males, rather than androgynous males, showed better overall emotional adjustment. Androgynous males had more drinking problems, while masculine males were more creative, less introverted, more politically aware, and felt more /in control of their behavior. Furthermore, androgyny does not necessarily lead to more effective behavior or problem-solving. In fact, a recent study of 236 college students found that androgyny does not help a person to be more versatile or adaptable; instead, it was found that for both sexes, the presence of “masculine personality characteristics, rather than the integration of masculinity and femininity, appears to be critical”

Confusing the issue even more is the fact that depending on how one measures self-esteem, different results may be obtained in studies of androgyny. With this research still in its infancy, it is too early to know if androgyny is a desirable goal for the future or a potential source of trouble. However, it does provoke many interesting questions about “traditional” male/female roles.

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Our hormones certainly have a powerful impact on the way we feel. Anyone who has suffered pre-menstrual tension, and that includes most women at one time or another, don’t need to be told that. In fact the list of so-called ‘menopausal’ symptoms bears a remarkable similarity to those associated with PMS.

•   lack of self-esteem,

•   less energy and motivation,

•   lack of self-confidence,

•   mood swings,

•   irritability,

•   forgetfulness,

•   depression,

•   anxiety,

•   feeling of losing control,

•   feeling unable to cope,

•   loss of sex drive,

•   feeling close to tears,

•   vulnerability,

•   lack of concentration.

These symptoms can be due to a hormonal imbalance, which can be experienced by women at any point in their lives from the time they have their first period. They can also be due to stress, for example, as both men and women can suffer equally from them. There is nothing specifically ‘menopausal’ about them at all. It reminds me of one patient who had suffered several of these symptoms quite severely all her life. When she was young she was told that everything would be all right once she had babies. After that she was told that things would sort themselves out once she had the menopause…

Women who suffer from PMS can find their symptoms getting much worse at the time of the menopause. Others who have not had PMS may suddenly find they have some of these symptoms. Some of the emotional changes may simply be due to broken sleep caused by night sweats. Experiencing even a few of these would be enough to turn most of us into a caricature of an emotional woman, driving her family mad with depression and mood swings. There is of course an entire industry devoted to convincing middle-aged women that they are suffering from the menopause – and that taking HRT to ‘top up’ their hormones is the best solution to the problem. Middle-aged women suffering these symptoms may also be prescribed anti-depressants and tranquillizers by their doctors, which are rarely beneficial. Most of these drugs are potentially addictive. The correct way to look at these psychological symptoms is as a continuum of hormonal imbalance, not as something directly caused by the menopause. And the correct way to cope with them is to restore the proper balance of mind as well as body through the natural measures.

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160/95. 120/80. Systolic. Diastolic. What does it all mean?

Essentially, blood pressure is the force that blood exerts against the walls of your arteries as it is being pumped by the heart to the different parts of the body. The two numbers in a blood pressure reading are recordings of two different kinds of pressure that your doctor takes using an inflatable cuff wrapped around your arm. One is taken when the heart is pushing blood out into the body through its two major arteries (the pulmonary artery and the aorta) and they are fully distended while the  heart itself contracts. This is the maximum pressure of the heartbeat (or “systolic” pressure as it is called) — the higher number in the reading.

The second reading is taken when the heart relaxes between beats. This is the minimum (or “diastolic”) pressure — the lower number in the reading. Blood pressure, in other words, is expressed as systolic pressure over diastolic pressure.

What is a normal reading? Though it is not possible to have a fixed, immutable number that’s “normal” for everybody, some kind of standard is obviously needed. For young and middle-aged persons, a reading of 120/80 mmHg (millimeters of mercury) is considered ideal. High blood pressure, requiring treatment, is generally defined as starting at 140/90. That leaves a large grey area in between that doctors call “borderline hypertension”.

The higher your blood pressure, the greater your risk. However, one high reading does not make you a hypertensive. That is because blood pressure can vary from hour to hour even in healthy people. So most doctors will not make the diagnosis of hypertension unless your blood pressure is high on at least three separate occasions.

Is your doctor’s clinic the best place to have your blood pressure measured? Possibly not. Some people’s b.p. readings go up perhaps because they’re anxious in a medical environment —a phenomenon known as “white-coat hypertension”. Today do-it-yourself kits are available, which enable you to measure your blood pressure at home. If your doctor agrees that’s a good idea in your case, ask what type of equipment to buy. And be sure that you and a family member are both taught how to take your blood pressure; a doctor or nurse is usually the best person to show you.

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When we are looking for the various causes of disease we are inclined to overlook the fact that stress and the strain resulting from it are perhaps the most important.   For most people the strain of life is essentially a mental one. The body is equipped to deal with the ordinary physical labour and, as is well known, it is not very easy to overwork the system by using the muscles. It is far easier to wear down the resistance of the whole body and mind by the stresses on the mental and emotional plane. In this way we build up tension within the system and constantly dissipate the precious nervous energy.

Of recent years it has been shown that there is a much more direct relationship between the disorders of the skin and the nervous system than many people formerly imagined, so much so that the pendulum has swung almost in the other direction, and we now hear of these cases being referred to the psychiatrist rather than to the dermatologist. This means that instead of using the old-fashioned remedies to allay the eruptions on the skin the practitioner tries to release the nervous tension from which so many of these cases are suffering. There seems to be little doubt that the results have been worth while, and it confirms the Nature Cure contention that we build our diseases through our habits and our way of living.

In trying to explain the nature of the various forms of disease including, of course, skin disease, the adherents of Nature Cure have propounded their theory of toxaemia, and if this theory is properly understood it helps us to realize the importance of the mind both in the making of disease and in the effective treatment of it. Unfortunately the Nature Cure theory has been open to a great deal of misinterpretation, and it has suffered more from its friends than from its opponents. Those who have tried to make it into a little system of diet or of a few cold packs or some such two by-four system have rendered to it a great disservice.

It may be well, therefore, if we go briefly into the Nature Cure explanation of disease, because it will help us to apply it to the subject under discussion. We have already described the “sea-water,” that great fluid medium of the body which bathes the cells in the system and governs the last and most important of the digestive processes. In this medium, too, lies the secret of elimination, because here all the waste products of cell activity are deposited. This fluid is constantly on the move, using the blood and the lymph vessels as its great carrying system. It is in this fluid that the first step towards disease is taken.

So long as the contents-the nutriments and the waste products-of this fluid are maintained, the functions of the body proceed apace; but let this balance be disturbed, and the most vital of life’s processes will be hindered. It is in this delicate and highly charged mechanism that all the stresses of the system, physical, mental and emotional, is registered.

All stress produces strain in the nervous system, no matter what its nature may be. If it is overwork it leads to fatigue, and this depletes the nervous energy. The same happens if it is mental strain in which the sedentary worker tires out his mind. Grief, worry, anxiety, shock, fright and fear will do the same. The emotional disturbances, which have been so carefully and extensively studied in recent times, reduce the nervous energy of the system more drastically than many people imagine. In short, modern living is a very strenuous affair, and the less fit to stand the strain find themselves and their ailments the concern of the public medical and health service authorities.

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I wake up sad and sick feeling as though I had an ulcer on my soul.

Ethan, in The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck

I believe that the most important part of our total well-being is the harmony of body and soul, our spirit, higher self, inner child, God spark or however you see it. The Divine that is in every human being, the part of us that is with us before we incarnate and the part of us that we return to after death. Keeping in touch with our essence while we go through our lessons on this earth is often very difficult. This is not about religion or how many times we go to church. It is much wider than that. It’s about our personal relationship with the Divine, and with ourselves, no matter how we see the Infinite – as God, Allah, Universal Energy or Unconditional Love.

I believe that life is only the ‘nursery slopes’ for a life greater than we can imagine after death. If you are sceptical about this, perhaps it would help to read the wealth of scientific information or even popular books on near-death experiences. Overwhelmingly people who have had this experience say that they saw a quality of light and felt loved in a way that was totally new to them. Some skeptical scientists say this is just some chemical reaction in the brain causing euphoria. I’m afraid this does not really ‘hold water’. It does not explain how people who have been ‘out of body’ can give a detailed account of what has happened while they were in this state. For example the man in hospital who said the missing false teeth of the man in the end bed were behind the heating pipes and that when nurse J was in the kitchen making tea she left the fridge door open after taking out the milk. Both these statements were correct. One hospital in the south has symbols on top of the lights in the operating theatre. Patients who have been ‘brought back’ can describe these symbols. It has also to be said that most people who have this experience are very unwilling to ‘come back’ because of the joy they are experiencing. Many talk of a total acceptance and lack of fear, and how normal it feels to be with loved ones who are already there.

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Although goat milk is rich in fat, it must be used with caution in infant feeding as it lacks folic acid and is low in vitamin B12, both of which are essential to the growth and development of the infant. Inclusion of nutritional yeast to provide folic acid is essential. To compensate for low levels of vitamin B12, add 2 teaspoons frozen organic raw chicken liver, finely grated to the batch of formula. Be sure to begin egg-yolk feeding at four months.

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon acerola powder

Simmer liver gently in broth until the meat is cooked through. Liquefy using a hand held blender or in a food processor. When the liver broth has cooled, stir in remaining ingredients. Store in a very clean glass or stainless steel container. To serve, stir formula well and pour 6 to 8 ounces in a very clean glass bottle. Attach a clean nipple and set in a pan of simmering water until formula is warm but not hot to the touch, shake well and feed to baby. (Never heat formula in a microwave oven!)

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Scientists have developed clever little instruments that are able to determine, precisely, how much glucose is present in a drop of blood. These instruments are called blood glucose meters, and they can show you just how many millimoles of glucose are present in a liter of blood.

The reading is presented on the meters display panel in numbers ranging from 0.5 to 27.7 millomoles per liter (mmol/1).

Many blood glucose meters now available include a memory that records your blood glucose reading and then plays them back when you or your doctor want to see how well you were doing last week or last night.

These palm-sized units are relatively inexpensive and are both accurate and reliable. Some of the more expensive models have voice synthesizers that call out the measurements.

Along with the meter, monitoring requires a drop of blood for analysis. You stick your finger with a sharp needle called a lancet to get this drop of blood and then place the drop on a pad that has been infused with chemicals. The blood triggers a chemical reaction in the pad, which indicates the concentration of glucose, and the meter can read this reaction and convert it into numerical values you see on the display panel.

All this complication reaction, reading and conversion into numbers takes place in seconds -usually about sixty seconds. To make things easier, manufacturers have developed finger sticking devices that reduce pain and discomfort some people feel when they stick their own fingers.

Many of the newer meters are practically foolproof. But none is fully automatic; you must learn to prick your finger and apply the drop of blood to a pad and then follow the meter manufacturer’s instructions on how to use the instrument.

Your diabetes educator or doctor can advise you about meter choices – there are many on the market – and teach you how to use the proper procedures to ensure accurate measurements.

Many health insurance companies will reimburse subscribers for meters and blood glucose measuring strips – with written orders from a doctor. This reimbursement, of course, is subject to the deductible and co-insurance restrictions of your health plan.

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Antimalarials

Like many other drugs used for rheumatoid arthritis, this class of drugs was first used for another illness, in this case malaria. No one knows why antimalarials are effective in treating rheumatoid arthritis. The most commonly used antimalarial is hydroxychloroquine sulfate (Plaquenil). About 70% of rheumatoid arthritis patients respond to this drug, at least to some extent. Hydroxychloroquine’s most feared risk is vision loss due to retinal injury. Serious retinal damage occurs in less than 1% of those who use it, but blindness is a frightening possibility, and it sometimes occurs months after the drug is discontinued.

Gold Salts

Gold salts, whether taken by injection or orally, are one of the most effective but toxic treatments for rheumatoid arthritis. Various gold compounds, administered orally or by injection, can suppress synovial inflammation, bring about partial or full remission, and perhaps slow joint damage. However, disturbing side effects develop in about one-third of patients who take gold, including changes in taste sensation, intense skin rashes that can be dangerous, and severe inflammation of mucous membranes. Less common but even more serious toxic effects include bone marrow injury, liver toxicity, and kidney damage.

D-Penicillamine

D-penicillamine is another dual-use drug also employed to treat certain forms of metal poisoning. It is about as effective as gold injections; but because it causes a high rate of serious reactions (up to 50%), it is usually only tried when gold fails. Common problems include fever, rash, itching, nausea and stomach pain, loss of appetite, mouth ulcers, and altered taste sensation. Serious injury to the bone marrow or kidneys is not infrequent.

Sulfasalazine

Sulfasalazine (Azulfidine EN-tabs), long used for inflammatory bowel disease, was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for rheumatoid arthritis as well. Although usually less effective than gold or penicillamine, it is also less toxic. Nonetheless, it can cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness, and oversensitivity to the sun. Most seriously, sulfasalazine can sometimes cause a dangerous drop in a type of white blood cell known as neutrophils. To ward against this reaction, white count must be checked frequently during treatment.

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