Friday, July 31, 2009
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Being a (dark) chocoholic, I always experience a twinge of pleasure when I read about another research study demonstrating the health benefits of dark chocolate. These health-promoting properties stem, in part, from chocolate’s astonishingly high flavonoid levels and its antioxidant activity.
Flavonoids are a diverse group of plant compounds occurring in fruit, vegetables, tea, red wine, and dark chocolate or cocoa. Diets rich in these compounds have been associated with a reduced risk for cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases. Cocoa and chocolate are rich sources the subclass of flavonoids known as procyanidins.
Recently, a number of nutraceutical manufacturers have been boosting chocolate’s flavonoid levels even higher, creating new products that are very rich in total procyanidins.
In one of the latest chocolate-related studies to be published, Spanish researchers found that a procyanidin-enriched cocoa powder significantly lowered blood pressure in rats with hypertension. In fact, the cocoa product worked just as well for lowering the rats’ blood pressures as the commonly used anti-hypertensive medication, Captopril. You can read the abstract here: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf804045b
Other studies using various forms of dark chocolate and cocoa, including some studies in humans, have shown how chocolate helps protect against cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease and stroke. It works through various actions, including blood-clot prevention, protection against oxidative stress, and blood pressure-lowering.
If you’re ready to start adding chocolate to your diet to improve your health, you don’t need to be consuming a flavonoid-enriched version to benefit, just make sure you’re eating just an ounce or two of at least 70% dark chocolate, cocoa powder, or cocoa nibs daily. Enjoy!
Friday, July 17, 2009
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The number of studies looking at what is known as low-grade, systemic, or chronic inflammation has skyrocketed over the last few years. This growing body of research has strengthened its association with a number of chronic diseases, such as atherosclerosis, obesity, diabetes, cancer, and even Alzheimer's disease.
On July 15, another study, this one published in the American Journal of Cardiology, demonstrated the association between low-grade inflammation and poor fitness in overweight and obese people.1 The researchers also showed that the relation between obesity and inflammation is attributable specifically to deep belly fat, or visceral adipose tissue, rather than to excess body weight overall.
What is Visceral Adipose Tissue?
The fat that accumulates around our midsections (“belly fat”) is composed of two types. One is the more superficial fat, known in medical terms as “subcutaneous adipose tissue”. The other is deeper, located in the abdominal cavity underneath the abdominal muscles. This second type is known as “visceral adipose tissue” or “visceral fat”.
Recent research has proven that both types of belly fat act as actual organs, releasing hormones and other substances that affect the immune system and metabolism. The deeper fat, or visceral adipose tissue, has the greatest effects.
The cause of increased visceral adipose tissue and the degree by which it causes disease is related to excess calories and lack of adequate exercise, combined with genetic predisposition, age and environmental influences (e.g. drugs, dysfunction of other body organs, toxins, etc.).2
The Risks of Increased Visceral Adipose Tissue
As this study shows, visceral adipose tissue is especially adept at expressing substances that increase the overall level of inflammation inside the body. As their levels of deep belly fat increased, so did the subjects’ levels of inflammation, as did their risk of being resistant to insulin (a precursor to diabetes).
It’s important to remember that you don’t have to be considered overweight by conventional standards (including the widely used Body Mass Index (BMI)) in order to have increased levels of deep belly fat. You still may have alarmingly high levels of low-grade inflammation, and you’re still at higher risk for metabolic diseases such as insulin resistance and diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.2
References
1. Arsenault BJ, Cartier A, Côté M, et al. Body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, and low-grade inflammation in middle-aged men and women. Am J Cardiol 2009; 104:240-246. Abstract.
2. Bays HE, González-Campoy JM, Henry RR, Bergman DA, Kitabchi AE, Schorr AB, Rodbard HW; Adiposopathy Working Group. Is adiposopathy (sick fat) an endocrine disease? Int J Clin Pract. 2008 Oct;62(10):1474-83.
Monday, July 13, 2009
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The link between poor oral health, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes has been known for years, especially among dental researchers, but the conventional medical establishment is widely dismissive of the association.
To further educate physicians about the risks, a group of British researchers examined all the research conducted over the last five years and found a definitive link between periodontal disease and increased risk of heart disease. In addition, the researchers found an association between periodontal disease and poor blood sugar control in people with diabetes. (The term “periodontal disease” is used by the researchers to generally describe diseases that affect the gums.)
In their published report, the researchers acknowledge that it is not yet known whether periodontal disease is a direct cause of heart disease and poor blood sugar control. They do know, however, that these increased risks are at least partially caused by the high level of body-wide inflammation that accompanies periodontal disease. Bacteria and their products, as well as molecules produced by the immune system to mediate inflammation, pass through the damaged gum lining into the body’s general circulation.
The studies reviewed by the researchers also showed that improved oral hygiene, plaque reduction, and treatment of periodontal disease offer great health benefits, assisting in diabetes control and decreasing overall levels of inflammation.
As a naturopathic physician, the first treatments I consider for patients with periodontal disease include folic acid, vitamin C, bioflavonoids, coenzyme Q10, and hyaluronic acid. A liquid solution of folic acid used as a mouth rinse has been shown in double-blind clinical trials to reduce gum inflammation and bleeding in people with gingivitis. Other double-blind studies have indicated positive results using oral Vitamin C plus bioflavonoids, oral and/or topical coenzyme Q10, and topical hyaluronic acid.
Herbal treatments have also been studied and shown to be effective. Herbs such as neem, chamomile, echinacea, and myrrh, in various toothpastes, gels, and mouth rinses, for instance, can be safe and effective treatments for gingivitis.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
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Dozens of scientific studies are published every month showing that natural medicine works! Here are my quick summaries of just a few of the most recent studies validating naturopathic medicine:
Probiotics Treat Eczema
The probiotic lactobacillus treats childhood eczema. The conventional medical community is finally recognizing what naturopaths have known for years: that childhood eczema is linked to food allergies and increased gut permeability. And probiotics like lactobacillus can help heal the gut AND treat the skin condition, or eczema, that’s related to it. See Lactobacillus Digestive Aid May Speed Relief of Atopic Dermatitis Symptoms for more information.
Eat Low on the Glycemic Index to Lose Weight
Low glycemic index diets are best for weight loss and lowering cholesterol. A scientific review of six randomized controlled trials found that diets with a low glycemic index or glycemic load, compared to other diets, lead to more weight loss and better cholesterol levels. I’ve covered the concepts of glycemic index and glycemic load in my previous articles, but the basic concept is this: a diet full of sugar, white flour, white potatoes, and other foods that convert rapidly to sugar in your bloodstream is NOT the diet you want to be eating if you want to lose weight and lower your risk for heart disease and strokes. See Low GI Diets Better for Weight Loss, Lipid Profiles, Finds Cochrane Review for more information.
Low Vitamin D Levels May Be Raising your Blood Pressure
The American Journal of Hypertension just reported that low vitamin D levels are linked to high blood pressure. I like to test the Vitamin D levels of most of my patients—the majority of them have levels well below optimum. Low Vitamin D has been linked not just to hypertension, but to many other conditions as well, such as depression, autoimmune disorders, and osteoporosis. And it’s so easy to treat! See Low Vitamin D Levels Linked to Elevated Blood Pressure for more information.
Friday, February 09, 2007
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Did you know that strength training exercises are actually more critical for long term weight control than aerobic exercise? While we all know regular exercise is a major key to good health, it may surprise you that your ability to lose weight with exercise is a direct reflection of your muscle mass. Your muscle mass is your body’s fat burning furnace. The more muscle mass you have, the more fat you burn. Muscle cells burn up to 15 times more calories per day than fat cells.
Sarcopenia comes from a Greek word meaning “poverty of the flesh.” It is the term used to describe the loss in muscle mass and strength that occurs as we age, beginning in our late 20’s. Just like osteoporosis, the degree of sarcopenia as we age is a direct predictor of disability. In order to keep your weight down and preserve your health, you must fight sarcopenia and preserve your muscle mass.
Besides inactivity, one of the major causes of sarcopenia is silent inflammation, the underlying feature in virtually every chronic disease. Silent inflammation is measured by determining CRP levels in the blood. The higher the CRP level, the greater the rate of muscle loss. High CRP levels are also associated with a significantly greater risk of insulin resistance and Type II Diabetes. It’s important to get your CRP level checked annually. Ideally, it should be below 1.0 mg/L.
A regular strength training program – lifting weights or engaging in resistance exercises, is the most important thing you can do to prevent sarcopenia. You don’t have to use barbells or big weight machines to strength train. You can easily and effectively do it at home using resistance bands. If you need help getting started and staying motivated, come in to see us to learn a simple at-home resistance exercise program.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
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One of the best ways each and every one of us can take charge of our health is by detoxifying our minds and bodies. We all know, intuitively, that living a healthier lifestyle and taking a more proactive approach to our wellness is the greatest gift we can give ourselves and others. Science is currently proving that for most of us, nutrition and lifestyle, not genes, play the largest role in our health and disease patterns.
Despite this, many of us just can’t seem to make the commitment. A physician- supervised detoxification program may be the answer. By helping to make health and wellness a daily priority, this type of detoxification program sets the stage for a new way of healthy living.
We all have a low-grade accumulation of toxins in our bodies from a polluted environment, excessive alcohol or caffeine, smoking, faulty diet, medications, stress, and too little exercise. At the Center for Health Awareness, we incorporate the latest scientific and clinical understanding of detoxification in order to decrease this toxicity and reduce common symptoms such as fatigue, low energy, digestive complaints, and muscle aches and pains.
The program is a “nutritionally based” metabolic detoxification program and not a quick-fix fad or a drastic fast. This type of nutritionally based detoxification has been demonstrated to reduce the muscle pain of fibromyalgia, improve sleep, and decrease migraines in many studies. I’ve seen patients in our program reduce their cholesterol, lose weight, break their food addictions, and overcome digestive difficulties.
As a naturopathic physician, my goal is to empower my patients with the knowledge, motivation, and appropriate tools to reach optimal wellness. Choosing to detoxify and make the right kinds of diet and lifestyle changes can help overcome the effects of living in a toxic world. Never before has there been such in-depth understanding of detoxification and its power in bringing about a state of radiant optimal wellness.
Cleansing toxins from your body can add vitality, wellness, and energy to your life. Detoxification provides a one-of-a-kind opportunity to achieve a higher level of health. You’ll feel better, look better, and learn how to incorporate new healthy habits into your daily life in a sustainable way.
I highly recommend finding a naturopathic physician or a holistic, nutritionally-minded MD who can help design a safe, effective detoxification program that is right for you.
The terms “sugar high” and “sugar addiction” used to be trite expressions mostly scorned by the medical community. Medical research in the last three years, however, has been continuously finding that dependence on sugar is actually a very real phenomenon. More and more evidence is accumulating that the brain and body can develop an actual addiction to sweet foods.
Researchers have found that some people have a genetic predisposition to become overly dependent on sugar. This sugar dependence is more likely to happen when we periodically stop eating and then “binge” on sweets. The trigger that gets the addiction started, in other words, is fasting and binging. Scientists have found that a cycle of deprivation and excessive sugar intake reinforces binging. The starve-binge cycle catches up with us and makes us dependent. True sugar addiction quickly develops. In rats, the addiction happens in less than ten days.
The reason sugar becomes addictive is related to two of our most powerful types of brain chemicals: dopamine and opioids. The taste of sugar makes the brain release natural opioids, and the binging causes the release of dopamine. Dopamine is the brain’s motivational “reward system” chemical. Opioids are endorphins and other brain chemicals that affect pleasure, appetite, and cause euphoria when released in large amounts (think heroin).
The brain’s receptors for these chemicals become sensitized, and addiction develops so that without the increased amounts of these neurotransmitters, we begin to feel anxious and have a strong need to eat sweet food again. In rat studies, the rats showed common withdrawal symptoms including anxiety, teeth chattering, and tremors. They binged on sugar as soon as they were given the chance.
In addition to the opioid and dopamine connection, sugar addiction has a number of other possible causes, including poor blood sugar regulation, other brain chemical imbalances, and hormonal imbalances. Stress, lack of sleep, and insufficient exercise all have roles in sugar cravings as well.
So, how do we recover from sugar addiction? As with any addiction, recovery is not easy, and there is no magic pill. But it is possible! I’ve seen many, many patients get off the sugar rollercoaster. As a naturopathic physician, I am committed to uncovering the individual underlying causes of my patients’ sugar cravings.
First, we need to do more of the activities that release our natural feel-good chemicals without creating addiction and harming our health: smiling, laughing, exercising, getting massaged, meditating, singing, listening to our favorite music, and having organisms (to name a few)!
We also need to look at other diet and lifestyle factors that contribute to sugar addiction. Medical researchers have shown that withdrawal symptoms and dips in dopamine levels do not occur when meals are “moderate” and regularly scheduled. I explore what this means with each of my sugar-addicted patients and work with them to develop their own personalized sugar craving tool-kit. I help my patients implement diet and lifestyle therapies that work for them, and I use selective botanical compounds and nutritional supplements to help curb cravings, balance brain chemicals, and regain health.
Please join me at the Center for Health Awareness on November 7th at 7:30, where I will be giving a “Kick the Sugar Habit” talk.
Friday, October 13, 2006
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Most of what we eat is converted to the sugar glucose in the body. Glucose is used by the cells (via the hormones insulin and cortisol) in our body for energy to perform daily functions. Glucose is “blood sugar.” When our blood sugar function is normal, our glucose levels gently rise and fall as food is digested. Proper blood sugar function means maintaining a good insulin/glucose/cortisol balance in the body. This is primarily accomplished by eating what is called a "low glycemic load diet."
In the last five years or so, evidence has continued to build that the glycemic load of the diet is an extremely important factor in health. Recent studies have shown that high glycemic diets cause poor blood sugar regulation and can ultimately lead to dementia, heart attacks and strokes, metabolic syndrome (also called insulin resistance or Syndrome X), diabetes, and cancer.
What is glycemic load?
The glycemic load is a relatively new way to assess the impact of eating carbohydrates. The glycemic load takes into account not only how fast a particular carbohydrate turns into sugar, but also how much of that carbohydrate is in your serving of food. Combining these two measurements allows us to measure a food's true effect on our blood sugar. Foods containing a high concentration of sugar or white flour typically have high glycemic loads.
(For a more in-depth description of glycemic load, plus actual values for the glycemic load of particular foods, one place to visit is David Mendosa's website.)
Who is most negatively affected by a high glycemic load diet?
Those of us who:
- are obese
- have a history of eating disorders
- have a history of chronic dieting
- are vegetarians that regularly eat refined sugar and refined grains
For various reasons, these different groups of people seem to have the most problems with balancing blood sugar; high glycemic load diets seem to be more dangerous and damaging in these individuals. With obesity, the problem is usually that blood sugar levels remain chronically high. For people with a history of anorexia, bulimia, or chronic dieting, and for vegetarians that eat too much sugar and refined carbs, the problem is usually due to a condition called "reactive hypoglycemia," in which blood sugar levels fluctuate between extremely high and extremely low.
Symptoms of blood sugar imbalance
The symptoms of unbalanced blood sugar are varied, but usually include increased appetite, food cravings, and fatigue and drowsiness after eating a meal. Those with chronically high blood sugar levels may not notice any symptoms at all. But those with reactive hypoglycemia, in which blood sugar plunges dangerously low, may experience a wide range of symptoms affecting the whole body. Since the brain is most sensitive to changes in blood sugar levels, the first signs of hypoglycemia are typically nervousness, faintness, dizziness, and weakness. Other signs and symptoms commonly experienced by those with hypoglycemia include:
- Irritability
- Unexplained exhaustion
- Tremors
- Cold Sweats
- Depression
- Vertigo
- Headaches
- Digestive disturbances
- Forgetfulness
- Insomnia
- Constant worrying
- Anxiety
- Confused thinking
- Palpitations
- Muscle pain
- Indecisiveness
- Numbness
- Crying spells
- Lack of sex drive
- Allergies
- Lack of coordination
- Muscle cramps or twitching
- Poor concentration
- Sighing and yawning
Basic guidelines for reducing glycemic load
Research shows that all of us, whether we experience blood sugar imbalances or not, can benefit tremendously by eating a low glycemic load diet. The basic guidelines to follow include:
- Increasing consumption of whole grains, nuts, legumes, fruits and nonstarchy vegetables
- Decreasing consumption of starchy high-glycemic index foods like potatoes, white rice and white bread
- Decreasing consumption of sugary foods like cookies, cakes, candy and soft-drinks
A big part of my naturopathic practice involves educating and coaching patients on how to decrease cravings for high glycemic foods, and how implement these guidelines in a way that is realistic and achievable.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
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Facing our fears. Taking risks. Making changes. In order to grow and move forward in our lives, we are constantly called upon to overcome our fears by taking risks and making changes. This process is what brings about enlightenment and empowerment, allowing us to improve our lives. When we accept our fear instead of pulling back from it, we experience it as an clarifying energy. We are then able to move forward to fulfill our missions. If instead we choose to pull back from those same fears, we become victims and our personal power is decreased. We get stuck, anxious. We start to despair and get pulled into a cycle of pessimism, boredom, confusion, and helplessness. This is unharnessed, undirected fear; and it's destructive.
I was recently introduced to a wonderfully simple and useful tool to help me get out of this stuck state that we all fall prey to at certain times (some of us more than others). The tool is referred to by different names: The Trask Triangle, The Triangle of Fear, or, The Triangle of Change. It was developed by Bob Trask, a popular keynote speaker, teacher, and personal coach. The triangle is a training and self-coaching tool for understanding how our feelings and attitudes influence our ability to overcome our fears and make necessary changes in our lives. On the outside of the triangle is a progression of standard feelings and attitudes that lead to personal growth and constant rewards. On the inside, another standard progression of feelings and attitudes robs our power and self-esteem, leaving us feeling utterly helpless and alone. It takes courage and clarity to stay outside the triangle; self-doubt easily drives us inside, where our fears drag us through a predictable series of feelings that eventually end in shame and despair.
Here is my version of the triangle:
Inside or outside the triangle? That is the choice we continuously must make. At each of the three corners of the triangle we have the chance to be inside or outside.
Choosing to stay on the outside takes courage: we face our FEARS and take risks in order to make the changes we need to make to accomplish our visions. The process may be overwhelming, and we may not even end up where we were wanting to go, but, no matter what, we WIN, simply because we've dared to make a change. Because we've chosen to "take the win", we affirm our self-worth and follow the path of loving ourselves as we are. Following this path on the outside then allows us to truly REST, knowing we have risked and loving ourselves because we have faced our fears, no matter what the outcome. From that place of stillness, we give ourselves the space for self-exam, discovery and decision-making. What will we choose to do, be or have next? What change can we make that will empower us and bring us closer to our vision? What fear does this arouse?
For many of us, it's easy to let our self-doubts pull us inside the triangle, where fear overwhelms us, pulling us into a state of ANXIETY. Overwhelmed and anxious, we choose not to risk and instead become paralyzed. We feel alone, helpless. Before long, we're so threatened that we move into a serious state of AVOIDANCE. Hiding from the truth, we become numb, bored. If we don't take the win, we don't feel we deserve love and respect, digging ourselves into UNWORTHINESS. Soon, guilt and shame make us feel as though we're not enough, and we blame ourselves and others.
Until we choose to break out, we get sucked deeper and deeper inside the triangle - into this cycle of avoidance, boredom, unworthiness, shame, anxiety, paralysis, and then even deeper avoidance. Our lives feel small, flat, and isolated. Only we have the power to decide to change, face our fears and take the risks necessary to pull ourselves out.
The original, more detailed version can be found at Bob Trask's organization's website.
Friday, October 06, 2006
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Natural food markets, restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops, and even the conventional supermarkets are carrying an expanding array of baked goods made with alternative, gluten-free grains. It seems that more and more of us are becoming increasingly aware of bothersome symptoms that improve when we remove gluten-containing foods from our diets. In fact, recent research backs this up by indicating that immune sensitivity to gluten is exceedingly common.
Gluten is a protein that is a component of sticky, stretchable grains: wheat, barley and rye. Gluten sensitivity implies that a person's immune system is intolerant of gluten and is forming antibodies or displaying some other evidence of an inflammatory reaction. When these reactions cause small intestinal damage visible under a microscope, the syndrome is called celiac disease. This intestinal damage can also be measured via two blood tests, anti-endomysial antibodies and tissue transglutaminase.
In the past, celiac disease was thought of as a relatively rare . However, based on recent research, we now know that it is entirely possible for people to be forming antibodies to gluten, but still have negative blood tests and intestinal biopsies. New tests can measure antibodies to gluten in the stool; these often show up before they are detected in the blood. People with stool antibodies to gluten may have IBS-type symptoms, such as abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, gas, and heartburn. Even symptoms that seem completely unrelated to digestion, such as joint pain, anxiety, canker sores, anemia, osteoporosis, fatigue, and frequent illness can be caused by gluten intolerance.
The new stool test allows identification of clinically important gluten sensitivity before significant intestinal damage has developed. This is the ideal scenario for gluten sensitivity because by the time the small intestine becomes damaged, malnutrition has been present for years often causing irreversible osteoporosis. In addition, autoimmune syndromes occur more commonly the longer a gluten sensitive person eats gluten. As common as gluten sensitivity seems to be we all must begin thinking in a more preventive health way about gluten sensitivity and should take strides to identify it and treat it before it becomes full-fledged celiac disease.
