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In a high paced society of fast food, super-sized fries, and instant breakfasts, we've been trained to not only get the most out of our money, but also out of our time. Most people eat at least one meal a week while driving in their car, working, or doing other various efficiency-oriented routines. It is this multi-tasked mindset which turns our food and dining experience into just another item to check off from our overextended to-do list. However, could this shifting of a biological need into a check off item have repercussions on people's overall health? Science says it might.
On February 22, 2010, New York Times reported, "Researchers have found evidence over the years that when people wolf their food, they end up consuming more calories than they would at a slower pace. One reason is the effect of quicker ingestion on hormones."
The hormones the researchers are speaking of are insulin and glucogon-like peptides. Both of these enzymes are vital in the regulation of satiety and cell nutrient absorption. Another problem not mentioned in this study is that with fast eating comes fast foods. Fast foods contain high amounts of fructose and fructose further downregulates insulin, leptin, and ghrelin. This suppresses appetite signals even more and causes the body to store fuel as fat. A viscous cycle.
Another problem with eating too quickly, or on the go, is that your body enters a fight-or-flight stress response. This is the exact opposite nervous system response you wish to ignite for healthy digestion. In fact, stress hormones down-regulate all the enzymes mentioned above and instead activate catecholamines and stress hormones. High stress hormones can lead to insulin resistance and cause an increase in glutamate receptors in your brain. Glutamate increases anxiety and down-regulates serotonin, this may further contribute to the viscous cycle of weight gain, especially for emotional eaters.
So the equation of stress + chocolate chip cookie while driving = increased PROBABLITY of weight gain (and probably inflammation from stress) is one reason to learn to slow down and enjoy your food. A further reason is that with all this rushing and doing in life, there's no time to smell the roses, bond with family and friends, and enjoy a good meal. This leaves us feeling empty, depleted, and lacking of true social connections. This is not good for our heart-literally. Studies cited by Dr. Dean Ornish show that social isolation is the NUMBER ONE predictor of heart disease holding all other risk factors constant.
It's time for a food revolution America! Not just what we eat, but HOW we eat. This means, we need to change our priorities and do as the Europeans do- remember to pause, rest, bond, and enjoy delicious real food with loved ones.
Scientific journal links:
For more information on fitness, check out my website with a contributing article by the founder of menopause360, Gail Edgell.
Coming to the conclusion that you've made a bad decision doesn't mean you can't trust yourself.
Yet another week zoomed by.
Meeting saratoga.com's own Jennifer Van Scoy of Mannix Marketing, web genies of saratoga.com (amongst a host of others!), was a highlight of this week. She is smart and helpful and beautiful. She absolutely shines.
I enjoyed spending time with (and finally meeting!) the very pregnant and effervescent Lizzie Sorensen, co-creator of Saratoga Mama. Wishing her a wonderful delivery!
A big thank you to Elizabeth Woodbuy Kasius, who gifted me with her cd Water Music. It's beautiful and I've been enjoying listening to it in my treatment room.
There was a wolf moon this week, though I haven't had a chance to look that up yet. What in the world did we ever do before the web and sites like wikipedia? Yes, I'm old enough to remember begrudgingly going to the library for school projects... And who remembers encyclopedia salesmen? Yikes!
On a different note, I find that I am more and more drawn to working with product that is entirely natural, if not organic. So many of us have sensitivities; I myself am dealing with an allergy issue -- so my feeling is: why add more chemicals to the mix when we have so many other stressors to our systems in our food, air, water, etc.? I want to thank Living Well's own Dr. Sarah, who is tirelessly working with me to break the flare-up cycle.
So, here I sit, with coffee in hand and a few minutes of time to write and reflect before I start work on a busy Saturday filled with lash extension touchups, facials and waxing.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Besides cells and nutrients...the answer may surprise you- toxins! A recent study conducted by the CDC tested 212 chemicals in a cross section of Americans. They found common, widespread chemicals in most. The top six included the flame retardant, PDBE, Bisphenol A (found in plastic), PFOA (from teflon), acyralamide (from friend foods and chips), mercury, and the gasoline byproduct MTBE. The Environmental Working Group has a detailed description of various chemicals and what harm they can cause to the body.
How does this effect our health? Our detoxification pathways are not only overburdened by chemical foods, but also by chemicals in the environment. We simply aren't made to deal with all the chemicals that we are up against. This is why using safe, organic, and environtmally sound products are essential for your health. They not only limit the hormone mimicking exposure, but decrease burden to our immune system and excretory organs.
Too many times we pay attention to what we look like on the outside without thinking about what goes on inside. Our skin is our largest organ. We can absorb more water in a 10 minute (chlorinated) shower than we drink in a day. To think that our environment isn't contributing to our health is not a sane idea anymore.
There is no specific memory storage area in the brain, instead information is bundled in different association areas of the cerebral cortex. This means that different parts of the brain will be activated related to different aspects of learning. For example, memorizing math computations activates a different area of the brain than remembering the steps to the samba. What most people are concerned about is not so much how information is stored in memory, but how to use it more effectively and prevent deterioration.
There are a a variety of theories that relate to memory decline. These include misuse, cellular damage, mitochondrial damage, free radicals, and genetics. Let's take a look at how we can empower ourselves for better memory retention based on these theories:
It has been suggested the best way to keep your brain young is to engage in a variety of activities that activate different aspects of our cerebral cortex. Analytical and thinking exercises such as card games, crosswords, math computations, and map reading are examples of different activities which exercise different "brain muscles." What you don't use, you loose!
If one believes that genetics are the main predictors of health, please see my many articles on nutrigenomics on my webpage. This new science proves how certain phytochemicals in foods can modulate genetic expression and aid cellular repair.Even water can help the body's healing process and decrease cellular damage.
Currently, scientists are reseraching how what we don't eat-calorie restriction-can affect cell signaling molecule CBP. The reason behind this affect isn't necessarily due to calories but the fact that food effects our biochemistry. With food restriction, glucose utilization may be optimized and oxidative stress released. However, eating real, healthy foods can produce the same results and signal your genes to use that glucose more wisely!
What we think about becomes our beliefs. If we continually think that aging will lead to deterioration, dependency, and physical illness, we will act in different ways than one who subscribes to healthy aging.
According to Dr. Amen, psychiatrist and brain imaging specialist, different behavioral patterns can be predicated by dominant brain activity. For example, those with active anterior-cingulate are less able to shift out of routines and can become argumentative when overworked. However, they make wonderful computer analysts and provide stability in rocky situations. Dr. Amen has used SPEC scans to show how different nutrients and behavior patterns can calm down an overactive angerior cingulate and help this predominant pattern shift to other others.
The same can be said for all of us with different overactive brain areas, if we remember to "cross train" our brain, eat healthy foods, and think positively, there's no reason to succumb to the belief that we are doomed to a life decaying in a wheel chair drooling!
Sources:
The Aware Show. Daniel Amen Interview. 12/8/2009. Ufberg, S. The Way We Think: Maintaining a Healthy and Active Mind. Integrative Practitioner. December 2009. Gahles, N. Healthy Aging: The Happiness Principle. Integrative Practitioner. December 2009. Capodice, J. Acupuncture, Aging, and Memory. Integrative Practitioner. December 2009. Curtis, D. Water: Nature's Elixir for Healthy Aging and Brain Health. Integrative Practitioner. December 2009. Medpage Today. Scientists Find Molecular Trigger That Helps Prevent Aging and Disease. December 19, 2009.
A recent article in the Associated Content featured the super food/ super herbal Garlic. Garlic has been studied for its anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties, cardiovascular promoting effects (lowering blood pressure, thinning blood, lowering cholesterol), and immune boosting properties. It may be for all these wonders that garlic's use has been spread from ancient India, China, and the Mediterranean to worldwide! The general agreement is that it takes 1-2 cloves of breath odoring garlic a day to help keep doctors (like me) away!
Garlic Biochem 101 The component, allicin has been attributed as the main player to garlic's many wonders. Allicin is an insolable and reactive compound formed by intermediate enzymes made when garlic is cut or chopped. However, research is showing that due to allicin's unstable nature, it rapidly reverts to ajeone or dithiins. According to Dr. Block, a forerunner in the research of garlic, ajeone may be the unsung hero for garlic's anticlotting, antitumor, antifungal, antioxidant, and lipid lowering properties.
So, what's the conclusion behind all the science? Garlic is a great food to consume when one wants to increase sulfuration and methylation pathways to help the body detoxify and build immunity. However, for therapeutic heart effects, (and to save your sweethearts nose) one would need to purchase a high quality herbal supplement that meets therapeutic standards, preferably from their Naturopathic or Integrative practitioner.
For other heart healthy facts, tune into my webpage.
Sources: Associated Content. Garlic: Our Super Food and Herbal Medicine. December 19, 2009. Passwater, R. The Chemistry of Garlic Health Benefiits. Reprinted by permission of WholeFoods Magazine and Richard A. Passwater (copyright owners), WholeFoods, June 1992.
Recently, Dr. Mercola posted an article on the link between sugar and mood disorders. In the past few months, I presented a series to practicioners on the connection of mood disorders to a variety of systemic imbalances. The topics included hormonal dysfunction, inflammation, malaborsption of nutrients, permeability of the gastrointestinal mucosa, acid-base balance, and neurotransmitter imbalance. As you can see, mood disorders can arise from a variety of issues, sugar consumption is one piece of the puzzle that can be linked to creating nutritional gaps and increasing inflammation in the body.
I encourage you to read my 3 part series on mood imbalances at my website. These blogs also provide references for studies on the newer concepts widely accepted and utilized in integrative medicine.
Highlight on the Role of Inflammation and Mood Disorders: in 2002, the Molecular Psychiatry Journal stated that "neurodegenerative diseases correlate with the existence of a local ongoing inflammatory reaction." Furthermore, in the 2008 edition of the Neuro Clinical Endocrinology Letters, the authors concluded that pro-inflammatory cytokines and were linked to depression and that these cytokines were thought to be a result of gastrointestinal permeability from translocated microbes. This journal was one of many which linked the gut as the cause of immune imbalance creating systemic inflammation.
A leading immunology researcher, Aristo Vojdani, PhD, traced the pathway between mucosa permeability of the gut to mood disorders. He postulated that mucosal degeneration in the gastrointestinal tract resulting from various toxins, food sensitivities, genetics, and environmental factors, triggers systemic release of partially digested foods and microbes. This causes the immune system to attack these foreign invaders. The result is systemic inflammation causing a break in the blood brain barrier, creating neurodegeneration and brain disorders.
The gastrointestinal tract has a few very important links to immune function. First of all houses powerful immune regulators called probitoics which fight off infections and help with detoxification and absorption of nutrients. Also, it is in charge of producing various immune cells from its gastrointestinal associated lymphoid tissue, called the GALT. It is also directly related to mood disorders for the fact that serotonin is mostly produced in the gut, over 95% in fact by some estimates.
Therefore, one of the first places I start with a mood disorder is looking at the gastrointestinal tract. This will lead me to investigate every area mentioned above for a complete, individualized, whole body approach to mood imbalances.
3 Cups Popcorn Kernels
3 Dozen Eggs
7 Lemons
2 Cups Sugar
2 Ringing Phones
8 Spinning Plates
Directions: Measure out the popcorn kernels and cook. Answer phone during popping. Put out fire. Gather and juggle eggs, lemons and spinning plates. Lose control. Maintain balance. Laugh while you enjoy the sugar.
The Importance of Sleep
Sleep has been associated with greater mental acuity and cognitive performance, appetite regulation, hormonal balance, and emotional health. Recently, Dr. Northrup wrote an article on how adequate sleep affects blood pressure. Dr. Northrup proposed that sleep is a potent stress reducer, which has a positive effect on blood pressure.
The Biochemistry of Sleep: It has been theorized that when someone enters the fourth phase of sleep, REM, consolidation of cognitive processes and memories occur. Furthermore, adequate sleep allows the two hormones leptin and ghrelin to communicate more effectively. (Leptin is a hormone secreted by adipose cells that is responsible for the feeling of satiety and ghrelin is its counter hormone released by the stomach which signifies hunger). Sleep is also important in maintaining the proper balance between growth hormone and cortisol as well as regulating the thyroid hormone.
References:
Dr. Northrup. Women's Health Wisdom. December 2009. Bio-genesis. December Newsletter 2009. volume 5 issue 12. CDC.gov
To view my latest posting on EMFs and its link to health issues, visit my webpage.
Chocolate Can Be Good For You!! :)
Dr. Mercola's article on dark chocolate was good news for many sweet tooth health junkies.Organic dark chocolate (70% or higher) doesn't contain the lead, HFCS, added sugar, MSG, milk, soy, or the artificial ingredients other chocolate bars contain and it is good for you!
Real chocolate, made from cacao beans, actually contains high levels of resveratrol, a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound. It is also being studied as a protective factor in obesity. Dark chocolate also contains high levels of the polyphenols catechin and epicatechin which are important anti-inflammatory compounds. These compounds have been found to boost immunity and help lower cholesterol.
So, make sure you find some nice dark chocolate and enjoy a few squares to get your recommended dose of resveratrol and polyphenols this weekend. There's only one caution for eating large quantities of dark chocolate, if you are hypertensive (dark chocolate contains theobromine and caffeine), you may want to be cautious with eating dark chocolate on a regular basis because dark chocolate can be stimulating. However, one or two squares on a holiday should be safe.
Really, this is no trick, just a treat! Have a wonderful and safe holiday!
Happy Halloween!
My best,
Dr. Sarah
Source: Dr. Mercola. How to Actually Choose Health Treats for Halloween. (online). October 29, 2009 David Wolfe. Longevity Now. (website). Hyman, Mark. MD. Ultra-Metabolism.
This link will lead you to a vitamin D calculator for how much sunshine you need for your optimal vitamin D levels. It also reviews how Vitamin D status in expected mother's is related to decreased risk of preterm births, birth defects, and low for gestation weight.
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Reisa Mehlman
Dr. Sarah Lobisco
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