Tag Archives: whole person health

Leaky Gut Syndrome

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We don’t often see analogies between our organ function and building maintenance but “Leaky Gut Syndrome” is one familiar exception.

A “leaking gut” is similar to a leaking pipe in our home. It means our gut or intestines have a leak in the wall of the tube that takes our foods, nutrients and wastes from our upper digestive system and moves it along to it’s natural conclusion. This is very similar to having a pipe in our home that is leaking waste materials from inside the plumbing system.

We intuitively know this can’t be a good thing if the intestinal lining or inner tubing is leaking materials into the blood stream that don’t belong there. Incompletely digested fats, proteins and starches that pass through these “leaks” in the lining are recognized by the body as foreign substances. All foreign substances in the body trigger immune responses that can effect organs, tissues, the nervous and any all areas of the body.

In the case of Leaky Gut Syndrome symptoms such as ongoing diarrhea, abdominal pain, weight loss, fever, rash, exhaustion insomnia, irritability and more can be, and often are, non-diagnosed or a wrongly diagnosed conditions that can progress to disabling stages of illness.

How does it occur that the walls of our insides can “spring a leak”, potentially poison our blood streams or creating potentially life threatening scenarios? The physiology of this is fascinating and also liberating as once we understand the cause of such a malfunction, we are able to correct for it and prevent it.

Here’s the how and why of Leaky Gut Syndrome –

Imagine a series of cells lined up one next to the other that have tiny, flexible rubber bands connecting one cell to the other at the top middle and bottom. These little “rubber bands” are called desmosomes and their job is too bind the cells together tightly so there are no spaces or leaks where materials inside the “tubing” of the intestines can pass through and make their way into the blood stream.

In Leaky Gut Syndrome, irritation by various materials which include alcohol, antibiotics, aspirin, drugs, lack of fiber, food allergies, processed foods, tobacco, extreme stress and other influences can significantly weaken these strong “rubber bands”. They can become lax and allow for spaces to be created between cells, which in turn allow food particles and debris to cross into the blood stream, creating a toxic effect in the body.

By understanding the specifics of this condition and how an individual can take charge of their body can make an enormous difference in recovering from and controlling Leaky Gut Syndrome.

Improving our diet by removing processed foods; adding more fiber; eating more living food adding probiotics; eliminating or reducing the use of over the counter drugs and replacing them with homeopathics or herbs; increasing exercise and activities; reducing stress and supplementing with whole food supplements are all ways to heal and, over time, eliminate this condition by allowing the desmosomes to heal and strengthen and be able to protect and support the intestinal wall cells once again.

With all good wishes,
G

© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved

Heart of the Matter

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There are two books, “Heart and Soul”by Bruno Cortis, MD, and “The Heart’s Code”, by Paul Pearsall, PhD, which were among the first popular books to explore the subject of the function of the human heart from a perspective other than the heart being simply a pump which moves blood from one part of the body to another. While there is no question that the human heart is a muscular pump of sorts that moves our nutrient rich blood throughout our bodies, this function is just the physical aspect of the heart’s function.

Paul Pearsall’s book discusses the emotional function of the heart and its “L” energy. Dr. Pearsall beautifully describes and scientifically explains the impact and affect loving has on the heart which loves, as well as the affect that this love has on the recipient of heart’s “L” energy. The human heart has its own independent electrical system (the Bundle of His – also known as the AV bundle or atrioventricular bundle) which appears to give the heart muscle an emotional life of its own.

The latest research on heart disease shows that the single greatest factor to whether or not an individual is likely to have a heart attack or die of heart disease is not the factors we might suspect or guess. Not high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, high fat and sodium diets, Type A personality, anger or rage – all of which most of us would say is the perfect storm for heart disease and a heart attack.

Statically documented, the single most predictive factor of death by heart malfunction is –

HOPELESSNESS

Broken-heartedness is when the “heart’s desire” has been thwarted or eliminated and the heart is left without hope of fulfilling its desire. “Where there is life there is hope” – and without hope our dreams perish and our heart “breaks”.

To understand that while exercise, a healthy diet, an ideal body weight and having a purpose in life are all part of being heart healthy – it now appears that the number one most important factor is to keep our hopes alive and not give up our dreams, for without them we lose our purpose and the joy for living.

A healthy heart is a HOPEFUL heart ~ When you smile, you cannot be sad or hopeless. Try it – think a horrible thought, the really smile and see if you can think that same thought wile you are smiling. When we smile we tell our heart and our brain that life is good and very worth living. As the saying goes, “be happy be healthy”.

With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved

Stress and Obesity – Part II

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Causes of Stress

Prior to the early 1970’s, the majority of family units were structured as a one wage earner household where the male worked and the female stayed at home taking care of the house and family. Driven largely by social and socio-economic factors, all of that has changed. Now, the overwhelming majority of families include both parents working and we find ourselves on a treadmill of more work, more responsibilities, more demands and non-stop scheduling that has many of us in a state of physical and, at times, emotional exhaustion.

Added to the mix is our competitive culture, which often lends to isolation or “them against us”, thinking. Isolation of this nature causes additional “hidden” stress. The perennial truth is that the whole world is one family. It is said that there is only one disease, the disease of separateness; separating oneself from the awareness that as a member of the human family, we are one living collective organism. The drama created by a “one up” or “one down” dynamic, which we find in competitive societies, can lend to the exhaustion and the psycho-social behavioral issues that contribute to overeating.

Understanding Exhaustion
and it’s Effect on Obesity

The tipping point at which our bodies can no longer compensate for or adapt to the stress they are under is based in large part on the threshold of nutritional competency and the state of integrity of our nervous systems. When our central nervous system, which governs every cell in our body and makes life possible, is not working efficiently, we have a decrease in bodily function and a decrease in the ability to adapt to the world we live in.

Chronic fatigue syndrome, CFS, is rampant in our culture today and growing at an alarming rate because of the over stimulation and increased demands placed on our nervous systems. Add to this inadequate nutrition and a decreased ability of our bodies to digest and absorb properly because of the stress, and we see the building blocks of the epidemic of chronic diseases being currently reported.

What is so shocking for us as American’s, is that while we live in one of the most affluent societies ever to exist on earth and have one of the most technologically advanced medical systems; we are ranked at approximately 26th in the “World Health Olympics”.

This is not the failure of our medical system but, in fact, our collective societal failure to live in our bodies mindfully and respectfully, taking time for rest, proper nutrition, reflection, intimacy with self and others and serving the common good of all. It is this imbalance that leads us to chronic stress, which leads to physical and, if you will, spiritual exhaustion that is producing the levels of chronic disease and rampant obesity we see today.

Next Installment – Self Esteem and Health

With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved

Stress and Obesity

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This topic is complex, important and requires much discussion. This will be the first of several installments on the topic. This material is in part excerpted from an article I wrote several years ago for Well Being Journal on the subject of Morgan Spurlock’s movie Super Size Me.

A Precursor to Obesity

A groundbreaking study, reported in 2003 by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, found that between 1977 and 1996, portion sizes for key food groups grew markedly in the United States. This was not only found at fast food restaurants but also in homes and at conventional restaurants. In particular, portion sizes for salty and sugary foods, essentially “comfort foods”, experienced the most dramatic portion size increases. For example, the USDA’s recommended serving size for a cookie is half and ounce, while the average cook sold in restaurants was found to be 700% larger.

The by-products of our affluent American society, envied by many around the world, have a definite dark side – our obesity rates for starters. In a culture here more is better and disposable income is abundant, when it comes to eating we have developed a “more food, more conveniently and more often” attitude.

Certainly, no one forces us to eat more than our body needs, so what is driving this “hunger” for more? Over the last two decades, almost proportionally to the dramatic increase in food consumption and chronic disease diagnoses, the amount of stress in our society and on each of us individually has increased significantly. Stress the term medical researcher Hans Selye, MD, PhD, gave to the experience our bodies go through when we have to adjust or adapt to various changes in our environment, either externally or internally.

While many of us limit our thinking about stress to emotional states, many other factors can exert an equally detrimental effect on our bodies. When we do not get enough sleep or rest, work or exercise too much, neglect our nutritional needs, have an infection, have allergies, injuries or trauma, undergo dental or surgical procedures, have emotional upsets or deal with any aspect of reproductive function, our bodies must chemically and neurologically adapt in order to survive. Part of this adaption process relies heavily on the nutrition that is available for the kidney’s adrenal glands to produce adaptive hormones. It is often this aspect of stress that can lead to overeating, and what’s more, over eating the types of foods that cause unhealthy weight gain.

How it Works – the next installment.

With all good wishes,
G
© By NIWH 2010 all rights reserved

Relationships and Health

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Recently, I attended a grief support group for adults who have experienced a significant loss over the past year. All the attendees were at various stages of grief and loss, from a wide range of life altering experiences.

What was so important to me about having the privilege of hearing their stories is that each and every person talked about how being in relationship and or belonging to their family or loved ones was, in the end, the most important aspects of their life and the their loss was devastating, no matter how much success in other parts of their lives they had experienced.

Many of the attendees had excellent incomes, owned high end homes and lived what would be called abundant, successful lives. But what each of them discovered through the sudden loss of a spouse or family member, or through an unexpected divorce, is that Freud hit the nail on the head when he coined “we are never so hopelessly unhappy as when we lose love.”

When it comes to our health, we often do not connect how imperative the experience of loving, being loved and belonging are to our overall well being and immune function. Leaving the support meeting, it felt important that from time to time we remind ourselves about what really matters in our lives, as our health and our relationships are intimately intertwined.

Many of the attendees also suffer from chronic headaches, fibromyalgia, asthma, irritable bowel syndrome or ulcers. All of these conditions can be traced back to the stress they experience from the loss and subsequent grief that comes from the loss of relationship.

Do something good for your self today, and for those you are in relationship with. Take a moment of gratitude for the gift of family, friends, spouse, partner, peers who enrich your life and keep you healthy.

Without the gift of sharing love, our lives and our health suffer.

With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease – GERD

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GERD, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, is one of the top 5 most prevalent gastrointestinal conditions in adults. Considering that digestive complaints comprise the number one emergency room complaint, that is a lot of tummy aches! GERD is typified by heartburn, nausea and regurgitation and is most common when a GERD sufferer lies down at night.

The cause of GERD is the failure of the lower esophageal sphincter or LES mechanism, meaning it does not close properly to keep stomach acid from regurgitating into the upper esophageal region. When acid finds its way there (we’ve all burped up stomach acid and it hurts!) burning, sometimes nausea and even vomiting can occur. Unfortunately, if it becomes chronic a wide number of conditions can occur, including esophageal ulcer and cancer.

Why do people get this? From a medical perspective it’s a condition caused by a mechanical failure of the LES and the diaphragm (there can be a hiatal hernia involved) to keep the pressure on the esophageal sphincter; or there is “slow stomach emptying” that can be the cause. Using antacids, Prilosec, anti-histamines, eliminating foods that can provoke the GERD (chocolate, mint, alcohol and coffee) or reducing the amount the patient eats and the times they eat are all treatments for GERD. In severe cases, surgery is often recommended.

From a Whole Person Health perspective how would a practitioner support a client with GERD? Let’s look at the mechanisms involved to give us clues to the cause and effect of this condition:

> esophageal sphincter is not working properly
> diaphragm is not working properly
> acid is escaping into the upper esophageal area
> obese or significantly overweight individuals have a higher occurrence of GERD

These symptoms suggest that the enervation’s of nerve stimulation of the esophagus and diaphragm may be under functioning due to either structural/neurological causes or that stress, which constricts the diaphragm and decrease internal muscle function.

In the medical literature, GERD appears to be more related to structure and function than to pathology. Unfortunately, the traditional treatment for GERD is Prilosec, which by suppressing the stomach acid also reducing the body’s immune function as stomach acid is a front line immune defense against bacteria and viruses entering the body. This medication comes with a caution for many unpleasant side effects, including cancer, which is a result of the decreased immune function of the stomach acid which kills micro-organisms that can make us sick or even kill us.

How would a Whole Health Practitioner facilitate their client’s recovery from GERD?

> educate the patient about HOW GERD occurs and invite them to identify what could be the causes for their dysfunctional digestive system. If you ask most individuals what they think is wrong; 9 times out of 10 they have the answer.

If they understand the role their stress plays in this condition they can do something about it and take greater control over their health.

> provide information about how to relax the diaphragm both manually and through breathing exercises to assist is reducing the GERD symptoms

> assist the person in identifying how various known foods and over eating of these foods can contribute to the problem

> providing information about calcium as a natural anti-acid

> identify how yoga postures can make a marked difference in GERD symptoms

> offer information about acupuncture, chiropractic and osteopathic as options to treating the neurological component of GERD rather than only relying on drugs

> explain how losing weight can greatly enhance recovery

> share exercise information that can help strengthen their diaphragm

> most importantly, let them know they are in charge of their body and they can take control over their symptoms

Even if a person is taking medication, there are many things they can do to improve and even eliminate GERD. I have seen this happen almost miraculously once a person is fully engaged with clear, demystified health information and is empowered to take control, feel better, be healthier and happier.

With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved

The Passion Diet

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One of the frustrating aspects of health information that we hear the most from consumers is that just when you think you’ve got a handle on what you are supposed to do to be healthy – the information changes.

For example, not long ago those of us who were over 50 were assured that if we moderately cut back our portions, decreasing our calories and exercised for a half hour 4-5 times a week, we could keep the extra body fat that creeps in after menopause, at bay.

How many women dutifully reduced their calories and did their daily half hour exercise routine, only to feel that there was “something wrong with them” because this formula didn’t work for their body, even though the “experts” said it was the right way to control weight after the age of 50.

The weight loss wisdom has now shifted for women past the age when our estrogen is dramatically lower than pre-menopause. Estrogen, as every woman knows, is that amazing hormone that is a metabolic calorie burner as well as a reproductive hormone. It keeps us heart healthy; keeps our skin healthy and it produces “pheromones” for attraction, among other amazing and important body functions

No longer is a half hour of exercise deemed adequate to increase the metabolic furnace that is slowed down by the loss of estrogen and the creeping weight gain around the middle. We now have to exercise a minimum of one hour per day and really watch everything we put in our mouths, especially carbohydrates, which we want more than ever for the serotonin surge they give us. This new information comes from the simple fact that women over 50 generally do not lose the weight they want with just a half hour of exercise.

What is important regarding losing weight and keeping it off after 50 is what our individual body tells us is right for our metabolism and body type. We need to ask ourselves what do we know about ourselves , and our own weight loss and weight gain pattern, that should be more important than the “weight loss expert’s” advice?

The big question is, now that we are past the age of reproduction and our body no longer is protecting us against many of the maladies that come with getting older, what are we willing to make the priority in our lives and what do we know about our own metabolic profile and how food and exercise affects our body weight? What also happens past 50 that can liberate us from this body syndrome and how can we harness it for our health and well being?

After 50, we lose our inhibitions, accept ourselves for who we are more, surprise ourselves with finding new interests and passionsand throw off the yoke of being so concerned with success and achievement. We may lose some physical passion, but mentally and spiritually we are “off and running” in a whole new way.

Important questions to ask ourselves about what we know about how to lose weight~

1- What do I know about how I gain weight?
2- What do I know about how I lose weight?
3- Do I eat when I’m stressed?
4- Do I lose weight when I’m stressed?
5- Do I use food for emotional soothing?
6- Does eating play a dominant role in my daily routine?
7- Is losing weight more important than eating what I like when I like it?
8- What am I willing to give up, to get the body weight I want?
9- Do I feel my food choices need to improve?
10- What is my personal experience with exercise?
11- What works best for me, what kind of exercise do I enjoy?
12- What do you know about how my body responds to exercise?
13- Am I willing to make the time to take care of myself?
14- What are my health priorities?
15- What are my ego priorities?
16- What keeps me from being the weight I want to be- REALLY?

The issue of weight loss is intimately connected with our relationship with our mental, emotional and physical energy. Rarely do we see an energetic, productive, organized individual (man or woman) who struggles with weight issues, even after 50 because they are often focused on their external interests and passions. Ironically, these folks often suffer from not taking the time to eat when or as much as they should.

One of the weight loss “secrets” I have learned over the years from my patients is that when they are excited, creative, interested and passionate about their work, their relationships, learning, doing or being, the issue of a naturally right body weigh solves itself. We are often over focused on the sensory experience and pleasure of food as a main stay for satisfaction and fulfillment.

However, when something else captures our attention and energy, the issue of fulfillment and gratification can come from a totally unexpected and different source. Something to consider ~ Let’s find our passion and joyfully burn those calories!

With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved

Food As Pharma

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Ran across an article that anyone could read and “get it” about what the food we eat can do to prevent disease and enhance our well-being. Functional food; what an appropriate name for food that is good for the function of our bodies.

Food As Pharma
By Alice Park

“Hippocrates once said, “Let food be thy medicine and let thy medicine be food,” and doctors now believe that ancient Greek healer may have been onto something. We need food for nourishment, of course. Without it, our cells and tissues would wither away from starvation. But what’s becoming clearer is that food is more than just fuel. What you eat can determine how elastic your blood vessels are, how easily you resist cancer-causing toxins and whether or not you will barrel down the road toward heart disease.

“There is an overwhelmingly strong database of studies suggesting that the quality of calories we eat has a huge impact on our well-being and our risk of chronic disease and longevity,” says Dr. David Ludwig, director of the Optimal Weight for Life Program at Children’s Hospital Boston.

But does food have real power to prevent disease? That’s the claim behind functional foods — products that are enhanced or otherwise designed to do much more than simply supply us with needed calories and nutrients.

And the early evidence suggests that the kitchen may indeed contain potent disease-fighting agents, just as the medicine cabinet does. In a groundbreaking 2002 study, researchers found that people at risk of diabetes could delay or in some cases even prevent the disease from developing by eating fewer calories, getting them from the right kinds of foods and exercising more than two hours a week. Even more intriguing, the study revealed that people who were genetically predisposed to diabetes benefited most. In essence, diet and other lifestyle factors altered their genetic destiny.

But before you eat to treat, say experts, remember that not every health claim on a label makes the food a functional food — and not all functional foods help prevent or reverse disease. The Food and Drug Administration does not recognize functional foods as a category, which means that a product’s promise to control cholesterol, tame inflammation or protect you from fractures may not be supported by studies. Experts don’t even agree on the exact definition of a functional food, but many go by the simple guide that it’s something that’s often good for you to begin with and that has some added benefit not found in the food’s natural state.

Other-than-butter spreads enhanced with plant oils, for example, qualify as functional foods, since they are less likely than animal fats to contribute to plaques in blood vessels, and the added plant sterols help reduce cholesterol even further. Soft drinks with extra vitamins and minerals don’t make the cut, however, since soda isn’t nutritious to start with.

It’s confusing, yes. But the best advice, according to experts: stick with foods that are naturally nutritious, and consider adding functional foods where you can. You have to eat anyway, so you might as well make it count. ”

With all good wishes,
G

Hot Flashes and Weight Loss

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As someone who has suffered through hot flashes, I found the following article from Web MD to be of great interest. As it is well written and well sited, I thought you might enjoy reading it and possibly it could be of some help to you or to other women you know going through the “power surges” of menopause.

Comments are welcomed!

Intense Diet and Exercise Program Lessened Symptoms in Menopausal Women in Study
By Katrina Woznicki

Web MD Health News Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
July 12, 2010 — Losing weight may help modestly reduce hot flashes in menopausal women, researchers say.

Hot flashes, also known as hot flushes, are common in menopausal women. They typically cause sweatiness and redness in the face and can be disruptive and last for five or more years. Past research suggests that a higher body mass index (BMI) — a measurement of height and weight — is associated with more severe hot flashes, but whether losing weight could make a difference has remained unclear.

Study author Alison J. Huang, MD, of the University of California at San Francisco and colleagues randomly assigned 338 overweight or obese women to either an intense, behavior-oriented weight loss program or to a health education program. The women were taking part in a study on urinary incontinence. Participants in the intensive weight loss program had a goal to lose 7% to 9% of their body weight in 6 months. They met with experts weekly and were encouraged to exercise for 200 minutes per week, such as brisk walking, and follow a 1,200 to 1,500 daily calorie diet. The health education program required women to attend four one-hour sessions that addressed nutrition and healthy living.

The women’s average age was 53, they had a BMI of 25 or higher, and had urinary incontinence. At the beginning of the study, 154 women reported that they were bothered by hot flashes. Among this group, a total of 141 provided data about their hot flash symptoms six months after the start of the study.

Sixty-five of the 141 women said they were less bothered by their hot flashes six months after participating in the weight loss program, 53 reported no change, and 23 women reported a worsening of symptoms. Compared with those in the health education program, women who were in the weight loss program and were bothered by hot flashes had more than twice the odds of reporting a measurable improvement after six months.

Improvements were associated with decreases in weight, BMI, and waist size. However, there were no significant associations between changes in flashing symptoms and exercise, calorie intake, blood pressure, and overall physical and mental function.

The findings are published in the July 12 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

“Among women who were at least slightly bothered by flushing at baseline, the intensive lifestyle intervention was associated with significantly greater decreases in weight, body mass index, abdominal circumference, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure relative to the control group,” Huang and her team write. “No statistically significant effect of the intervention on self-reported physical activity, total calorie intake or overall physical or mental functioning was observed. Our findings indicate that women who are overweight or obese and experience bothersome hot flushes may also experience improvement in these symptoms after pursuing behavioral weight loss strategies; however, improvements in weight or body composition may not be the only mediators of this effect.”

With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved

Autism and the Amish

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An important health article was sent to me yesterday and even though this week’s blog has been about the endocrine glands, this information felt compelling enough that it should be shared with you while it’s fresh. The following quoted information regarding the Amish and Autism was provided by Thomas Corriher who hosts The Health Wyze Report, an Internet radio program. Please note: I have made editorial changes indicated with [ ] to keep the tone of the piece as non-political as possible.

“People outside the alternative health community are often confused by the lack of autism in the Amish people. The Amish do not experience autism, or any of the other learning disabilities that plague our technological society. The Amish live in a society that consists of outdated technologies and ideals, by contemporary standards. Their diet consists of eating organic, fresh, locally-grown produce, and they do not follow the established vaccination routines.

This has resulted in a healthier people who are void of our [most common]chronic diseases. Heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are virtually non-existent in Amish villages. Equally non-existent are modern, chemically-engineered medicines, chemically-engineered foods, G.M.O. foods, and of course, vaccines. How is it that those who are without modern orthodox medicine are healthier? The truth about health, medicine, and how they both relate to the Amish is becoming [ever more important].

There have been 3 verified cases of autism in the Amish, and at least two of those children were vaccinated. No information is available for the third. The strong correlation between vaccinations and autism [appears] undeniable, unless you work for [vaccine vested interests]. Proponents [of vaccination] claim that the Amish have a special super gene that makes them immune to autism.”

The subject of autism and vaccination is highly controversial and there are many families (you may belong to one of them) who are trying to sort out the facts in order to make the important decision of whether or not to vaccinate or how much and how many vaccines to allow.

I would like to offer, if this is a concern for your family, that you may want to explore this subject of autism in the Amish, as well as autism in those who live within specific communities which follow an organic, natural lifestyle and do not use synthetically produced medications as part of their health care. This information may possibly assist you in making a more informed decision regarding this important matter.

With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved