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Step 9: Watch Your Stress
Editor's Note: This is the ninth of a ten part series on Dr. Noe's "10 Steps to Optimal Health." See below for a recap of all 10 steps.
Stress can be acute or chronic. Acute stress is an adaptive mechanism that can save our lives such as the classic "running from a saber tooth tiger." In acute stress blood is diverted away from the digestive tract to the muscles. Blood sugar is increased to create more energy for the muscles, as is blood pressure. Non essential functions such as digestion, immune function, growth, and reproduction are temporarily suppressed. All of these same things happen in chronic stress as well, except the adaptive mechanisms of stress become maladaptive. Suppressing immune function and digestion and increasing blood sugar and blood pressure over an extended period of time, unfortunately, can lead to a wide variety of diseases.
Chronic stress can cause high blood pressure, depression, anxiety, headaches, insomnia, substance abuse, and poor appetite. It also suppresses immune function and can increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, some cancers, and some gastrointestinal diseases such as ulcers.
As chronic stress progresses, the production of adrenal hormones (our stress hormones) such as cortisol and DHEA tend to decrease over time. As the adrenal glands become more fatigued and produce less of these hormones, fatigue tends to set in and allergic or inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, heart disease, and auto-immune diseases can begin or worsen.
The human stress response is a combination of the degree of exposure to stressful situations and an individual's response to those situations. Stressful situations can include trauma, loss, major life events, and financial, job, family, or relationship stress among others. To measure the degree of stressful events in your life, go to www.webmd.com/hw-popup/life-change-stress-test. Different people respond differently to the same situations, however. A useful and widely used measure of one's response to stressful situations is the Perceived Stress Scale. This 10-item questionnaire can be taken online at www.roadtowellbeing.ca/questionnaires/perceived-stress.html.
There are many ways to help manage your stress response. The two most important are reducing your exposure to stress and increasing physical activity. In addition to reducing the stress response, physical activity reduces nearly all of the stress risks identified above. For more information on the importance and appropriate forms of physical activity, see Step 1 of Dr. Noe's 10 Steps to Optimal Health. Other effective stress reduction techniques include:
· Meditation - mindfulness meditation is one of many forms for which information and resources are readily available. For a video on this technique, go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nwwKbM_vJc. For CDs and tapes by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn go to www.mindfulnesstapes.com/.
· Low glycemic eating (see Step 2 of Dr. Noe's 10 Steps to Optimal Health)
· Yoga, tai-chi
· Deep abdominal/diaphragmatic breathing - Put one hand on your chest and the other hand on your belly button. When you breathe, try to move the hand on your belly button and not the one on your chest. Practice this frequently until it becomes your natural way of breathing.
· Progressive relaxation - Muscle groups are progressively tensed and relaxed. For a sample of this technique, go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFwCKKa--18.
· Neurofeedback - Using an EEG to provide biofeedback of brain wave patterns/states can allow the individual to gain control over these states.
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Dr. Noe's 10 Steps to Optimal Health
1. Be physically active (at least 45-60 minutes, 6 days per week)
2. Don't eat sugar or white flour (this includes maple syrup and honey)
3. Eat a rainbow each day (at least 8-10 servings of fruits or vegetables in a variety of colors)
4. Don't smoke
5. Avoid your food allergens
6. Consume omega 3 oils daily (fish, fish oil, flax oil)
7. Take vitamin D daily (2000-4000 IU)
8. Avoid excessive alcohol (7 drinks or less per week for women, 14 for men)
9. Watch your stress
10. Engage (with other people) |
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Allergies
Allergies, which are also known as allergic rhinitis or hay fever, are a common problem afflicting millions of Americans, particularly in the spring, summer, and fall. Common symptoms include runny nose, sneezing, watery/itchy eyes, itchy nose or throat, and sinus symptoms including headache and pressure behind the eyes.
The primary trigger for this kind of allergic reaction is airborne allergens such as pollen, animal dander, mold, dust, and dust mites. For those that have symptoms mostly in the spring, the usual trigger is tree pollen. Symptoms in the summer usually mean a grass pollen allergy, and fall symptoms are usually ragweed or other weed pollen. Dust, dust mites, mold, and animal dander most often cause year-round symptoms.
Another very common trigger for these allergic symptoms is food allergies. While immediate allergic reactions such as difficulty breathing after eating a peanut or strawberry is well understood by patients and physicians alike, most people, including even allergists, are unaware of the connection between food allergies and hay fever.
There is a concept in allergies known as "Total allergic load" which says that the body reacts to the sum of all its allergic exposures, and when a certain threshold is reached, the allergic reaction occurs. Both airborne and food allergens can add to this total load, and in some people toxic/chemical exposures as well. In many people, the airborne allergens are not enough to trigger the allergic reaction by themselves, but when the food allergens are added to the allergic load the reaction occurs. For this reason, identifying and eliminating food allergies can be a very effective strategy for many people with hay fever.
Reducing one's exposure to airborne allergic triggers can likewise be very helpful in alleviating hay fever symptoms. Different methods are required for different allergens, however. For dust mites, putting covers on bed pillows, mattresses, and comforters and treating or removing carpets can be very effective. For pollen, running the air conditioner or a HEPA filter can be effective. For mold, the source of the moisture leading to mold growth should be identified and corrected. For animal dander, keeping the animal out of the bedroom and running a HEPA filter can be effective.
Knowing what one's allergies are is crucial to effective hay fever treatment. In the case of airborne allergies, skin scratch tests done by an allergist or blood testing are equally effective. In the case of food allergies, however, skin scratch testing is not an accurate method to diagnose the type of allergic reaction that causes hay fever. Elimination/challenge diets or blood testing for IgG or IgA antibodies can be very useful, on the other hand. Blood food allergy tests are now available that accurately test for 100 or more foods and are covered by most insurance plans.
Unfortunately I have not seen any test that can accurately test for reactions to chemicals/toxins. Wood smoke, perfumes, cleaning agents, and solvents are chemicals that many people react to. If you have a history of exposure to chemical toxins or know that you develop a headache, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, runny nose, or other symptoms upon exposure to these or other toxins, reducing exposure to all toxins may be beneficial.
When reducing allergic and chemical exposures don't adequately resolve hay fever symptoms, a variety of natural medicines can be safe and effective. In contrast to anti-histamines such as Benadryl and Zyrtec, these herbal medicines do not cause drowsiness, nor do they cause the headaches or weight gain that can occur with Claritin. These herbal and nutritional medicines include:
· Bioflavonoids such as bromelain, quercetin, hesperidin, and rutin
· Green tea
· Freeze dried nettles
· Pancreatic enzymes
My favorite from the above list is the bioflavonoids, for which I use a product called Aller-C. Response to these natural medicines, however, is highly individualized, and any given person may respond better to one or the other.
Call the office at 802-229-2038 if you'd like to schedule a food allergy test to find out what you are allergic to. |
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You Might Have a Thyroid Problem
It's estimated that 27 million Americans suffer from thyroid disease. That's about the same number as those who have diabetes and cancer combined. And about half of them - more than 13 million - don't yet know they have a thyroid problem.
Your thyroid gland has two sides and is butterfly shaped. It's located at the base of your neck, in the front of your windpipe, just under your Adam's apple. It produces hormones that regulate your metabolism. These hormones regulate how much energy you have, how quickly your heart beats, and whether your feel hot or cold.
TSH
The pituitary gland (in your brain) controls your thyroid gland by producing thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) that tells the thyroid gland how much hormone to produce. It functions somewhat like a thermostat, keeping the thyroid production within acceptable ranges.
A simple blood test measuring TSH levels helps doctors determine whether your thyroid is functioning within normal ranges, or is overactive (hyperthyroidism) or underactive (hypothyroidism). The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) recently narrowed the range for acceptable thyroid function from .5 to 5.0 microunits per milliliter (mu/ml) to .3 to 3.04 mu/ml.
Undiagnosed Thyroid Disease
"The prevalence of undiagnosed thyroid disease in the United States is shockingly high - particularly since it is a condition that is easy to diagnose and treat," said Hossein Gharib, MD, FACE, in a January 2003 AACE press release. "The new TSH range from the AACE guidelines gives physicians the information they need to diagnose mild thyroid disease before it can lead to more serious effects on a patient's health - such as elevated cholesterol, heart disease, osteoporosis, infertility, and depression."
AACE believes the new range will result in proper diagnosis for millions of Americans who suffer from a mild thyroid disorder, but have gone untreated until now. The lowered range helps health care providers more easily identify and treat patients with early-stage or mild thyroid disease.
When to Get Tested
The symptoms for thyroid disease are often subtle. Many people don't realize they have a problem until they begin treatment and start feeling more energetic. For this reason, the AACE recommends routine TSH checks for all women age 35 and older and men over age 60. In addition, anyone with a family history of thyroid disease or other autoimmune disease such as diabetes or arthritis, and women who are considering pregnancy should be tested. Certainly, you should be tested if you have any of the symptoms for Thyroid Disease.
Sources: 1) January is Thyroid Awareness Month. Thyroid Imbalance. American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. 2) Thyroid disease. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. © Wellsource, Inc, used with permission
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The Research Says...
Non-Alcoholic Liver Disease Poised for Epidemic Status
A study projects that new cases of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) will soon push this type of chronic liver disease (CLD), one of the major worldwide causes of morbidity and mortality, into epidemic status. (NAFLD is a spectrum of disease in people who do not drink alcohol excessively and ranges from excess fat in the liver, to fat in combination with inflammation and liver cell injury, to cirrhosis and its complications, particularly liver cancer.) During the first cycle of statistics studied (1988-1994), NAFLD accounted for 46.8 percent of all CLD; but by the third cycle studied (2005-2008), NAFLD accounted for 75.1 percent of all CLD cases. At this rate, prevalence will increase a further fifty percent by 2030. The researchers concluded that it is urgent to alert the public to the importance of exercise, proper diet and avoiding obesity, all of which lower NAFLD risk. The study may also suggest a need to prevent the underlying causes of NAFLD, which in addition to obesity, include: metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance associated with diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. This not-yet-published study was presented in Berlin, April 2, 2011, at the International Liver Congress.
Periodic Fasting Reduces Cardiovascular Risk
A 24-hour fast lowers blood levels of triglycerides and sugar, reducing the risk of both cardiovascular disease and diabetes. (Previous research linked people who fast with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease; but this link could have resulted from other lifestyle factors among people inclined to fast. The new study, however, measured various factors during a 24-hour fast, and then measured those factors in the same group during an additional 24 hours on their regular diet - assuring no other lifestyle factors were involved.) Fasting also raised blood levels of human growth hormone (HGH) by 1300 percent in women and 2000 percent in men; this metabolic protein protects lean muscle and metabolic balance. Also, 24-hour fasting did raise total blood cholesterol by increasing LDL or bad cholesterol by 14 percent, and HDL or good cholesterol by six percent; this indicates that, instead of utilizing blood sugar for fuel, the fasting body releases stored cholesterol to burn fat for fuel. This reduces fat cells, further reducing diabetes risk. This study was presented April 4, 2011 in New Orleans at the annual sessions of the American College of Cardiology but has not yet been published.
Study Reveals How Meditation Relieves Pain
Although research has suggested meditation reduces the experience of physical pain, this has not been confirmed by identifying the mechanism, especially among individuals taught to meditate for this purpose. However, a new study has confirmed this process by measuring pain without and with meditation, exclusively among people who learned meditation during four 20-minute classes. Activity in the brain was measured by use of imaging known as arterial spin labeling magnetic resonance imaging (ASL MRI), which captures longer duration brain processes, such as meditation, better than a standard MRI. When heat, high enough to be experienced generally as painful, was applied, meditating subjects reported a reduction in pain by 11 to 93 percent. Confirming this, meditation blocked the otherwise high activity in the primary somatosensory cortex - an area that is crucially involved in creating the feeling of where and how intense a painful stimulus is - and increased activity in the anterior cingulate cortex, anterior insula and the orbito-frontal cortex areas, which are used to build the experience of pain. This study was released April 6, 2011 by the Journal of Neuroscience and is now available online at http://bit.ly/i3h0Bg with subscription or fee.
Citrus Peel Flavonoid Fights Diabetes, Heart Disease and Obesity
Researchers have discovered that the flavonoid nobiletin, found in peels of citrus fruits such as tangerine, reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity and atherosclerosis, the underlying cause of most heart attacks and strokes. Two years ago, the same scientists discovered that the grapefruit flavonoid naringenin fights obesity and metabolic syndrome but the new study found that nobiletin is about ten times more potent than naringenin in its particular protective effects. Rats were fed a diet similar to the typical Western diet but some were also given nobiletin. In contrast to the control group, the nobiletin group experienced higher expression of genes that prevent the manufacture of fat and its accumulation in the liver; experienced no increase in cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin, glucose, or weight gain; became much more sensitive to the effects of insulin; and in the long term, was protected against a buildup of arterial plaque, known as atherosclerosis. (Nobiletin was previously linked to anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects.) This study was released April 6, 2011 and will be published in a future issue of the journal Diabetes. It is available online now at http://bit.ly/h1VSLH with subscription or fee.
Regular Apple Consumption Lowers Cholesterol
Researchers have determined that eating 75 grams of dried apples a day for six months results in a 23 percent reduction in LDL, or bad, cholesterol, which may result in long-term protection against cardiovascular disease; and a modest four percent bump in HDL, or good, cholesterol. (Earlier research suggested that the pectin and polyphenols in apples improve certain elements of lipid metabolism, the process of creating and breaking down lipids, a chemical group that includes triglycerides.) The study also found that, despite the extra 240 daily calories, those given dried apple showed no weight gain and in fact, experienced an average weight loss of 3.3 pounds in six months. The reason for weight loss may have been pectin, which produces a satiety, or full-feeling, effect. Also, apples reduced lipid hydroperoxides, high levels of which are linked to cardiovascular problems; and lowered C-reactive protein levels, which are indicators of inflammation. The study was presented April 12, 2011 at the Experimental Biology meeting in Washington, DC. Details are not yet available but will be published in a future issue of the FASEB journal.
Broccoli Compound Considered for COPD Therapy
Scientists seeking a new therapeutic strategy for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have shown that lung inflammation can be decreased, and lung immune function increased, after treatment with sulforaphane, a compound for which a precursor is found in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables. (The lung disease COPD, which encompasses conditions such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema, is the third leading cause of death in the US and Canada. Its symptoms are exacerbated by frequent bacterial lung infections.) Researchers found that, when targeted at specific pathways, sulforaphane could improve the activity of certain receptors and in turn, boost the performance of macrophages, which are a type of white blood cell capable of binding with, and destroying, bacteria. The study findings suggest that this antibacterial action is compromised in COPD sufferers and that sulforaphane could get the bacteria-absorbing process to work more fully again. Determining whether a sulforaphane-rich diet could be an effective COPD treatment will require further research. Published April 13, 2011 in the journal Science Translational Medicine, this study is available online at http://bit.ly/eSh0TM with subscription or fee.
Retail Meat Widely Contaminated
Researchers conclude that drug-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), a bacterium linked to many human diseases including pneumonia and sepsis, should be added to the list of drug-resistant bacteria known to be prevalent in meat and poultry products, a list which currently includes antibiotic-resistant E. coli and Enterococcus. While it is expected that bacteria found in meat would be resistant to antibiotics used in food animal farming, there was a high contamination of S. aureus that was resistant to drugs that have never been approved for farming, including vancomycin and daptomycin, leading to the disconcerting conclusion that some contamination of meat may be coming from sources other than domestic farm animals themselves. Meat samples included ground beef, chicken breasts and thighs, ground pork chops, and ground turkey cutlets, which were collected from 26 grocery stores in Chicago, Washington DC, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, and Flagstaff. Ninety-six percent of the S. aureus collected were resistant to at least one antibiotic, with many resistant to several, especially the turkey and pork samples. Released April 15, 2011, this study will appear in a future print issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases and is available online at http://bit.ly/g6sNtJ without fee.
Immune System Response May Cause Diabetes 2
A study shows diabetes type 2, long believed to be a metabolic disorder caused by lifestyle factors, may in fact be caused by the immune system reacting to the inflammation that results from an excess of fat accumulated around the abdomen. Researchers placed mice on a high-fat diet and gave some a drug that kills certain immune cells called B cells. All mice developed insulin resistance except the group that was given the drug. The researchers suggest that when too much fat accumulates in the body, especially around the mid-section, fat cells eventually begin to run out of room, causing them to become inflamed, and in the case of some, to die. The immune system reacts by sending in B cells, which attack the fat cells, causing them to become insulin resistant - a condition that is the very definition of diabetes 2. The study also found that only half of 32 obese people tested showed insulin resistance, implying heredity plays a role in immune response to fat. Released April 17, 2011, this study will appear in a future issue of Nature Medicine and is available online now at http://bit.ly/eW512V with subscription or fee.
Peppermint Shown to Alleviate IBS Pain
Researchers have finally provided conclusive clinical proof that peppermint relieves the pain of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and have explained the exact underlying mechanism by which it works, confirming its long-standing use by natural health practitioners. (IBS is a gastrointestinal inflammatory disorder involving bloating, abdominal pain, constipation, and diarrhea, and depending on the patient, it can be triggered by fatty or spicy foods, coffee, alcohol, food poisoning, or stress. IBS is sometimes debilitating, is twice as common in women as men, and has no known cure. The true peppermint plant is a not a species and does not produce seeds; it is a hybrid of the spearmint and watermint plants, and has a long history of medicinal use.) The researchers showed that peppermint activates TRPM8, a specific anti-pain channel in the colon, and reduces the sensitivity of pain sensing fibers in that area. It particularly reduces the sensitivity of pain fibers activated by chili peppers and mustard. This just-released study will not be published until a future issue of the journal, Pain. Its full-text version can currently be read at http://bit.ly/gTnP4S without fee.
Low-Carb Diet Reverses Diabetes-Caused Kidney Disease
Although intensive diabetic therapy along with a protein-restricted diet have been shown to delay the development of diabetes-related nephropathy (kidney disease), a new study has found that the ketogenic diet can actually reverse this serious complication in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes patients. (The ketogenic diet is a low-carbohydrate, moderate protein, and high-fat diet, used to treat epilepsy. It causes body cells to get their fuel not from glucose but from ketones, molecules produced when the blood is high in fat and low in glucose; glucose metabolism is switched off.) The researchers theorized that since high glucose metabolism causes nephropathy in diabetics, the ketogenic diet may block the toxic effects of glucose for diabetics. The ketogenic diet is an extreme one that definitely should not be pursued long-term nor without the supervision of a health practitioner. However, the study found that only one month on this diet appears sufficient to reset the gene expression and process that normally leads to diabetic kidney failure. This study was released April 20, 2011 and will be published in a future issue of the PLoS One. It is available online now at http://bit.ly/gUdoXp without fee.
Vitamin C Lowers Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in Women
Researchers have found that, compared to those in the lowest fifth of vitamin C intake, women who rank in the highest fifth show a 30 percent reduced risk of stroke, a 37 percent lower risk of coronary heart disease, and a 21 percent lower risk for total cardiovascular disease, but they found only a weak and statistically insignificant risk reduction for men. Also, they found no reduced mortality risk from higher intakes of vitamin A or E for either men or women. (Vitamins A, C, and E are called antioxidant vitamins because they collect and neutralize electrons transferred by other molecules to an oxidizing agent, and can terminate the potentially damaging chain reaction.) Few studies have examined the link between antioxidant vitamins and cardiovascular risk, but this research included a median 16.5-year follow-up on 23,119 men and 35,611 women, aged 40 to 79, who had no history of cardiovascular disease or cancer at the outset of the survey. This study was released April 22, 2011 but will not appear in print until a future issue of the journal, Stroke. It is available online at http://bit.ly/e5rsA4 with subscription or fee.
Adequate Vitamin D Levels Protect Against Type 2 Diabetes
A study has concluded that avoidance of vitamin D deficiency may protect against type 2 diabetes, at least for elderly people but that further research will be required to assess whether supplementation might help prevent this disorder. Vitamin D deficiency may be a risk factor for developing diabetes type 2, suggesting that elderly people in northern latitudes may be at risk. Researchers followed 668 people who were 70 to 74 years of age to determine their blood levels of vitamin D and glycated hemoglobin and whether they had or developed diabetes type 2. They allowed for potentially confounding factors, including gender, body mass index (BMI), blood levels of triglycerides and cholesterol, PCB levels, smoking status, and month of sampling. The team still found that those with lower blood levels of vitamin D (below 50 nmol/L) had double the risk of being diagnosed with diabetes 2; they also had increased glycated hemoglobin concentrations, which indicate poorer control of blood glucose levels and greater cardiovascular risk. Released April 22, 2011, this study will appear in a future print issue of Diabetes Care and is available online now at http://bit.ly/fY36Ld with subscription or fee.
Thiamine and Riboflavin Lower the Risk of PMS
Researchers have concluded that women who, for 2-4 years before diagnosis, regularly ranked in the highest one-fifth of thiamine intake from food, and women who ranked in the highest one-fifth of riboflavin intake from food, had a risk of developing premenstrual syndrome (PMS) that was lower by 25 percent, and 35 percent, respectively. Supplemental sources of thiamine or riboflavin did not generate this effect, which may have been due to the fact that B vitamins are often recommended for PMS; in other words, some subjects may already have been gained some benefit from taking B supplements while still not consuming sufficient food sources. No link was found between previous intakes of niacin, vitamin B6, folate or vitamin B12 and the risk of developing PMS. These findings suggest that PMS-prone women may benefit from a healthy diet that includes a wide variety of foods that contain high levels of thiamine and riboflavin, such as legumes, and green leafy vegetables. This study was published in the May 2011 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and is available online now at http://bit.ly/m3Xq06 with subscription or payment of an access fee.
©2011 ChooseNewsDaily, used with permission |
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