Recently in Healthy Thinking Category

Makeup Basics Advice from A Holistic Aesthetician

Time and again, I'm asked for my opinion about the ideas surrounding beauty and whether it is a question of conforming to societal pressure, selfish vanity or, as I choose to believe: the desire to look and feel healthy. As a holistic practitioner, I believe in the connection of mind, body and spirit and so, how we look and how we feel are connected and add to our sense of worth, joy, happiness, self confidence, and self esteem.

Too often, I hear women express themselves in a way that seems as if they are embarrassed to take care of themselves - thinking that this is a selfish thing to do. (Yes, we all know people who are fixated on appearance, but we're focusing on beauty in balance!)

Caring for ourselves contributes to our quality of life. It alters the way that we feel about ourselves, boosting our self respect, self image and concept of ourselves. What we wear, how we carry ourselves and how we feel becomes who we are - which begs the question, "How do I see myself?"

It's not about whether you color your hair, or you don't; whether you wear makeup, or not - it's about how you feel about yourself and the choices that you make. I know women who look absolutely gorgeous who allow their natural hair color to shine; women who don't wear makeup and are beautiful; women who do wear makeup and are beautiful. It's personal choice and what makes you feel good about yourself.

Having said this, I am motivated to talk a bit about makeup, since I see a lot of faces! These days, I see many cases of rosacea, broken capillaries, the result of too many chemicals, too much sun, too many irritants, too little vitamins and a lack of knowledge based upon myth and commercials. Amazingly, though this can sound a bit grim, it's not difficult to change. Our skin's health is resilient and can be helped. In fact, one of the statements I hear that makes me so happy is when clients say, "This is the best that my skin has ever been!" Yes, it's possible to better the condition of your skin with good home care, the right product and professional care. So, back to makeup!

Choosing the healthy path.

What I mean by "healthy" is makeup that doesn't contain parabens or other preservatives known or suspected to be harmful; and does contain beneficial ingredients like anti-oxidants and vitamins. And, while you can find these types of products at specialty stores, don't be fooled by the words "natural" or "mineral" - which don't necessarily mean what you may think. The best thing to do is take a look at the ingredients if you are so motivated, or buy from a licensed professional who can do all this legwork and knows what to look for in products.

Today, there is makeup available that is called "treatment" makeup. That means that the ingredients in the makeup actually aid your skin. Many times this makeup is found at a spa, your skin care provider's office or through a dermatologist. This product is generally no more costly than that which you would find at a department store counter or specialty store. Since this product is sold by skin care professionals, the quality and quantity of active, beneficial ingredients are usually higher.

While I understand the difficulty and expense of replacing all your makeup with healthy choices, I'd recommend that if you can't do it all at once, you make better choices as you replace your old makeup.

What works best? The basic how-to:

In most cases, when it comes to makeup less is more. The most common mistakes I see are: the wrong color foundation, the wrong type of foundation and too much bronzer. The wrong type of foundation will cake in your pores or make your skin look either too dry or too oily. The right makeup blends with and into your natural tones producing more even color and a smoother look. Generally, liquid makeup is better for more mature and dryer skin; powder works well for those with oilier complexions. You should test foundation color along the jaw line making sure that it blends closely to your own shade.

To cover more difficult areas, like scars or sun damage, camouflage-type concealers work best to even out color, rather than loading up the foundation. Under eye concealers, which are great for dark circles, should blend with the skin tone and be a shade or so lighter than the overall face color, but not so light as to stand out and detract from the overall enhancement.

It is generally best to choose one area to have more color - eyes or lips, not both. So, for daytime wear, my recommendation is the following: concealer if needed, foundation if desired, blush, lip color and eyeliner; shadow if wanted. For evening, a heavier look has a more formal, dressy look.

For those who want a nice light dusting of makeup, there are tinted foundations which afford less coverage, while still evening out skin tone.

As always, moisturizer and sunscreen are very important, as are the right skin care products.

Makeup doesn't have to be overpowering or frightening. Once you find a beneficial treatment makeup line, you can work with a professional to find the right colors. It's important to express the kind of look you want to achieve, so that you are comfortable and confident. Best of all - have some fun!

Questions? Feel free to ask me or schedule an appointment for a skin analysis and consultation!

It's no secret that most of us want to remain youthful. In order to do so, we make changes to our lifestyle to accommodate health and vigor with exercise, healthful diet, proper rest and maintaining the health and beauty of our facial skin.

As a busy aesthetician who sees clients from Ballston Spa, Saratoga Springs, Glens Falls, Malta and surrounding towns, I see a lot of skin, and one of the main concerns of those clients is stemming the flow of time.

So, here are a few of my suggestions:

Good home care amounts to about 40% of your skin care needs. I recommend using product that is natural or organic to minimize the amount of inflammation and harmful ingredients. Good home care will exfoliate, stimulate new cell, collagen and elastin growth, and add much needed moisture. And serums, like vitamin C, are excellent. Retinols work well to slough off that dead skin too! But remember, for everything there is a season... and over exfoliation can be harmful during times when your skin is exposed to a lot of sun.

And speaking of our good 'ol sol, remember to use sunscreen as sun damage is responsible for about 85% of the signs of skin's aging!

Good eating and drinking habits will also help your skin to look its best. That means leafy green and colorful fruits and veggies along with plenty of water. These days, I rarely drink soda and have substituted bubbly waters with a touch of juice for flavor.

Professional skin care, like having facials, comprises 60% of excellent healthy skin care. How often? Well, for those who are conscientious, every 4 - 8 weeks. One great benefit is that by having professional care, your skin care specialist can recommend products designed for your skin type saving you time, money and the problems associated with using improper, inefficient and possibly harmful products. Deeper solutions to problems associated with aging, like wrinkling, sun damage, skin discoloration, loss of elasticity and plumpness, can be achieved with peels, microdermabrasion and laser treatments.

Eyelash extensions can add lift and oomph, framing the eye and creating abundance and length to the natural lash. They are safe to wear and clients say that they look and feel years younger. An added benefit is that they save time since you will most likely not need to apply mascara.

Adding or updating your makeup can help as well. Mineral makeup foundation, which usually contains some sun screening properties, helps to correct and even out skin tone and comes in liquid, pressed and loose powder. I like to use a cream blush for a dewy, youthful appearance. Concealer, used carefully, works wonders under the eyes and to reduce redness or patchiness in skin tone - again, creating a more youthful look.

Overall, there are a lot of tools we can use to achieve a healthy, lasting glow!

Sometimes what looks like a curse, is actually a blessing.

There's love and power in all the little things.

There is a new women's movement emerging. A wave in which women are moving -- one that is uniting us in the way that we care about ourselves and our world.

Many clients have been asking my opinion about the seasonal flu shots. It's understandable. Everywhere you turn, you see a sign to "protect yourself and get your shot." Heck, why not? They've made it quite convenient. You can go to Wal-Mart, pick up your organic, gluten-free cereal, non-toxic personal care products, and then, since you're there, inject your pure, healthy veins with a vaccination.

Now, before you peacefully and mindfully make your way to the line as you practice your deep breathing stress reduction techniques, let's review some key, basic facts on this venipuncture endeavor.

1.       HIN1 is included in the vaccine...and by the way, it's the same strain as LAST YEAR!

According to the CDC HINI Questions & Answers Page:

Will the vaccine against 2009 H1N1 influenza virus (also called "swine flu") be the same vaccine in 2010? Yes, the vaccine to protect against the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus will be the same for the entire 2009-2010 influenza season, which extends into the spring of 2010

Other facts highlighted on this page are that more doses should be given to children and that people who are allergic to eggs should be aware of a potential negative interaction, as the vaccine contains eggs from chick embryos.

Let me tell you why this is worth mentioning:

According to the CDC e updated site (August 2010)

 Situation Update: The U.S. Public Health Emergency for 2009 H1N1 Influenza expired on June 23, 2010. On August 10, 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committee declared an end to the 2009 H1N1 pandemic globally. For information about CDC's response to the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, visit The 2009 H1N1 Pandemic: Summary Highlights, April 2009-April 2010.  Internationally, 2009 H1N1 viruses and seasonal influenza viruses are co-circulating in many parts of the world.  It is likely that the 2009 H1N1 virus will continue to spread for years to come, like a regular seasonal influenza virus.

Vaccination: CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccination as the first and most important step in protecting against the flu. The U.S. 2010-2011 seasonal influenza vaccine will protect against an H3N2 virus, an influenza B virus, and the 2009 H1N1 virus that emerged last year to cause the first global pandemic in more than 40 years and resulted in substantial illness, hospitalizations and deaths. Seasonal 2010-11 vaccine has begun shipping from manufacturers and CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older get a 2010-2011 flu vaccine for the upcoming season as vaccine is available. 

Wait, wait, and wait.......if it's not a pandemic anymore why is it included in our flu vaccine? Remember hormesis--the dose effect. Why put something extra in your body if you don't really need to? Now, we know the side effects from one vaccine can occur, what about 3 in one??  And what about Antigenic drift?? In English, the CDC itself explains this phenomenon:

The Influenza (Flu) Viruses

There are two main types of influenza (flu) virus: Types A and B. Influenza A and B viruses that routinely spread in people (human influenza viruses) are responsible for seasonal flu epidemics each year. The emergence of a new influenza virus causing illness in people can result in an influenza pandemic , as occurred in the spring of 2009 when a new influenza A (H1N1) virus emerged to cause illness in people and spread worldwide.

Influenza A viruses can be broken down into sub-types. Over the course of a flu season, different types (A & B) and subtypes of influenza A viruses can circulate and cause illness. In addition, influenza viruses are constantly changing through a process called "antigenic drift."

Does anyone sense any double meaning here??

"TRANSLATION, DR. SARAH!!!"

 Ok, ok.....see, they are guessing that the flu virus you get in the vaccine is actually the one that's causing the flu this year...it can't be guaranteed. In other words, you could be putting antibodies in your system that may not even cause a problem to begin with, then if they are wrong, still get the flu! See, the basic immunology concept of viruses are smart critters and mutate to survive, holds true.

"Well, maybe we still need the H1N1? After all, your quotes from the CDC above do infer this, Dr. Sarah."

Now, in my fervor to provide accurate information, here is my perfectionist attitude put to good use, I have provided a summary of the link itself by the CDC of how it came to such a conclusion:

Details of Extrapolations and Ranges: United States,

Emerging Infections Program (EIP) Data

5/14/2010 Not for distribution until cleared: May 14, 2010

a. For EIP data covering period Weeks 35 (Aug 29 - Sept. 04) to Week 14(April 4

- 10, 2010). EIP data for that time period has been updated as of 4/30/2010

b. The totals presented here cover the entire period of the 2009 H1N1 influenza

pandemic in the U.S., from April, 2009 up until April 10, 2010. For the period

April through July 23, 2009, we used estimates of cases and hospitalizations as

reported by Reed et al. (Emerg Infect Dis, Dec, 2009: available at:

http://cdc.gov/eid/content/15/12/pdfs/09-1413.pdf). From August, 2009

onward we estimated cases, hospitalizations and deaths based on reports of

laboratory-confirmed hospitalizations reported, extrapolating and correcting for

under-reporting as described in the footnotes below.

¶ EIP extrapolation: Calculate rate per 100,000 per EIP site. To "balance" for

different levels of influenza activity, each reporting week, we divide EIP sites,

based on rates of hospitalization, into 3 equal groups - low, medium, high. We

then take average rate of hospitalization of each of these 3 groups. We divide the

50 States, based on reported percent of visits that are for ILI, into 3 equal groups

- low, medium, high. We then, using groupings of EIP sites by hospitalization

rates and groupings of states by ILI activity, match EIP hospitalization rates to

States (low-to-low, etc). We then extrapolate the EIP hospitalization rate from

EIP group to the populations in those states similarly categorized. We repeat as

needed to provide median, low and high estimates for each group. For example,

median number of hospitalizations for a given week and state was calculated as

follows: Median (point) estimate of number of hospitalizations in a state

categorized as having "mid" level of influenza activity = (Median rate of

hospitalization from EIP sites categorized as "mid" level of hospitalization

rates.)* Population of the state categorized as having mid level of influenza

activity/ 100,000. This calculation is repeated for each state, using the

appropriate categorizations of "low," "mid" and "high" categories of

hospitalizations and levels of influenza activity. Finally, the estimates for each

state are then added up to provide a total median (point) estimate for all 50 states

for that week.

§ Ranges calculated using the same system as calculating the median (point)

estimate, except instead of using the median rate of hospitalization we used

either the low or high estimate of rates of hospitalization. For example, the low

number of hospitalization for a given week and state was calculated as follows:

Low estimate of number of hospitalizations in a state categorized as having "mid"

level of influenza activity = (Low rate of hospitalization from EIP sites

categorized as "mid" level of hospitalization rates.)* Population of the state

categorized as having mid level of influenza activity/ 100,000. This calculation is

repeated for each state, using the appropriate categorizations of "low," "mid," and

"high" categories of hospitalizations and levels of influenza activity. Finally, the

estimates for each state are then added up to provide a total low estimate for all

50 states for that week.

Huh????!!!!!%%%%%%%$$$$$$$

Translation: They are still using estimates of estimates, and estimations that would make any certified statistician squirm.  

National Vaccine Information Center and Dr. Mercola do not agree with this statistical science, and after reading that mumbo jumbo, I think it might be for a good reason.

Want more?? I did a long blog in 2009 updating facts and figures. Here's a highlight:

Dr. Mercola explains the reported 36,000 deaths a year from flu from the CDC in the following excerpt: However, the truth is that less than 1,000 people actually died from type A or type B influenza. The other 35,000 died from pneumonia. This is actually clearly listed on the CDC's own website, yet virtually everyone ignores this fact. Dr. David Rosenthal, Director of Harvard University's Health Services, brings further clarity to this confusion. Most of these so-called influenza deaths are in fact bacterial pneumonias -- not even viral pneumonias -- and secondary infections. Furthermore, a study in the Journal of the American Medical Academy shows that many of these deaths are a result of pneumonias acquired by patients taking stomach acid suppressing drugs.

2.       There has been evidence of contamination of the H1N1 vaccine and side effects. The NVIC explains this with references in the above link.

3.       They also provide a link to calculate how much aluminum is in various vaccines. http://www.vaccine-tlc.org/calc.html#calc, which is one ingredient among many. Here's a tasty treat of more information on what is contained in the vaccination from NVIC website:

What is the flu vaccine? 
The flu vaccine is prepared from the fluids of chick embryos inoculated with a specific type(s) of influenza virus. The strains of flu virus in the vaccine are inactivated with formaldehyde and preserved with Thimerosal, which is a mercury derivative.
Every year, federal health agency officials try to guess which three flu strains are most likely to be prevalent in the U.S. the following year to determine which strains will be included in next year's flu vaccine. If they guess right, the vaccine is thought to be 70 to 90 percent effective in temporarily preventing the flu of the season in healthy persons less than 65 years old. For those over 65 years old, the efficacy rate drops to 30 to 40%  but the vaccine is thought to be 50 to 60% effective in preventing hospitalization and pneumonia and 80% effective in preventing death from the flu.
However, sometimes health officials do not correctly predict which flu strains will be most prevalent and the vaccine's effectiveness is much lower for that year.

4.       This link also provides outside links of manufacturers' ingredients and side effects.

5.       The concept of vaccinations in general?  Well here's an expert opinion I posted a few months back:

Inside Expert on H1N1: (Dr Shiva's interview with Dr. Mercola)

The position of vaccine ineffectiveness- Key points from the interview:

1. The portal of entry is unnatural: You don't naturally contact viruses through injection. It is the mucosa of the respiratory system that initiates the initial secretary antibodies to mount the immune response from respiratory infections. Vaccines can increase blood levels of antibodies, but that doesn't make them effective in the correct ratio balance of immune regulators to kill the virus. It simply boosts antibody titers. (BTW-what is septicemia or cellulitis? Answer: when bacteria enter the bloodstream causing a massive immune deregulation and potential death. So...Why do we shoot up with viruses, even at a lower dose? Are they less harmful? Are there side effects?)

2. The foreign protein: Our bodies aren't meant to handle straight foreign proteins injected in vivo from chick embryo and live tissue cultures, much less the antigen which is the "active" portion of the vaccine. Proteins in the blood stream that aren't fully digested can cause...gasp...auto-immune reactions and autism! This is because the body sees foreign "like" proteins.... Hmmmm.......

My thoughts: To weigh the benefits and risks of each vaccine based on bio-individuality, effectiveness and efficacy, safety, and the right to choose. I am not anti-vaccination. I am pro-decision and factual based decision making.

I reserve the right to add that some vaccinations, in a different form, can be effective and should be used in certain cases.

So, in summary.....

Mark Hyman, MD, a functional medicine specialist, posted a very informative article on the importance of rest. You are probably aware of my disagreement of society's obsession on how production and effects are more important than being and allowing joy in. I'm not a big fan of the pursuit of happiness being related to how much we do versus how much we are comfortable in our own skin. Still, it's hard not to get sucked into the message predominant in society-- that you are your work, your appearance, your weight, or your specific role in a group or family

On the physical level, when one is caught up in this loop of do or die, the first thing that usually goes in the schedule is sleep. I can relate to Dr. Hyman's reference to MD meaning Medical Deity.

As an early Naturopathic Doctor, I was so passionate about helping my patients and having a successful practice, I pushed myself and tried to biochemically manipulate my body with supplements with 4-5 hours of sleep. The result- lots of great things (and great patients!) ,but lack of peace. What I've found is that it's possible to learn a lot, help people, and still accomplish your passion in a career/work, while enjoying life! I couldn't keep up the 12-14 hour days.

Sleep is important. Dr. Amen, a neurologist and psychologist, studies brain functioning using SPECT scans, and has found how the brain loses optimal functioning with less than 7 hours of sleep.

One of my favorite quotes in the recent film, Eat, Pray, Love, is "you Americans don't know pleasure, you know entertainment. You work hard all week, exhaust yourself, and then collapse on the couch at the end of the week, spacing out to TV. That is not pleasure, you confuse entertainment for pleasure!"

The famous holistic OBGYN, Dr. Christiane Northrup, focuses on the importance of pleasure and how it releases the feel good chemical, nitric oxide which is beneficial for your heart, mood, sexuality, and overall well-being; similar to the benefits of sleep.

Sleep has many benefits. Mark Hyman discusses this:

Your biological rhythms that keep you healthy produce cyclic pulses of healing and repair hormones, including melatonin and growth hormone.  When those rhythms are disturbed by inadequate or insufficient sleep, disease and breakdown get the upper hand.

Most of us need at least 8 hours of restful sleep a night.

But meeting this goal has become more and more difficult.

We evolved along with the rhythms of day and night.  They signal a whole cascade of hormonal and neurochemical reactions that keep us healthy by repairing our DNA, building tissues and muscle, and regulating weight and mood chemicals.

The advent of the light bulb changed all that.

In fact, when I learned that shift work (like I did in when I worked in the emergency room) leads to a shortened life expectancy, I quit.

Sleep can also help High Blood Pressure, according the Archives of Internal Medicine

Conclusion:  Reduced sleep duration and consolidation predicted higher BP levels and adverse changes in BP, suggesting the need for studies to investigate whether interventions to optimize sleep may reduce BP.

Sleep has many benefits, and the lack of it can cause negative health effects. In the following reference, Tori Hudson, ND makes reference on how sleep deprivation can create an elevation of the chronic flight and fight response. This elevates the hormone cortisol and catecholamines. This results in anxiety, immune disruption, and pain.

Elevated brain NE levels and CRH have been implicated in sleep disturbances, including primary insomnia.3,4 NE levels have also been shown to directly correlate to CRH levels, whereby elevated NE results in elevated CRH and low NE results in low CRH.5,6 Along with its numerous actions in the body, cortisol has feedback inhibition on the PVN and anterior pituitary to decrease CRH and ACTH production and release, respectively.

Furthermore, the following study highlights how sleep deprivation is linked to overall all cause earlier mortality.

Results indicate that the adjusted hazard ratio for all-cause mortality was three times higher in people with chronic insomnia (HR = 3.0) than in people without insomnia. When examining individual subtypes of insomnia, the risk of death was elevated, regardless of which subtype people reported.

For more information on the many benefits of sleep, and further references, see my previous blogs:

How Sleep Can Help Headaches

Brain Health = Body Health

How Inactivity Decreases Belly Fat

References:

Mark Hyman. Ultrawellness. http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/get-more-sleep?utm_campaign=3502-09092010&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=default

Hudson, T & Bush, B. The Role of Cortisol in Sleep. NMJ June 2010.

Science Daily. Long-Term Study Links Chronic Insomnia to Increased Risk of Death
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100607065559.htm

Kristen L. Knutson, PhD; Eve Van Cauter, PhD; Paul J. Rathouz, PhD; Lijing L. Yan, PhD; Stephen B. Hulley, MD, MPH; Kiang Liu, PhD; Diane S. Lauderdale, PhD . Association Between Sleep and Blood Pressure in Midlife:  The CARDIA Sleep Study. Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(11):1055-1061. (abstract at: http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/169/11/1055)

Christiane Northrup. Sleep: A Surprising Way to Lower Blood Pressure. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christiane-northrup/sleep-a-surprising-way-to_b_431845.html

Dr. Amen. 12 Prescriptions for Creating a Brain Healthy Life. http://www.amenclinics.com/cybcyb/brain-health-club/12-prescriptions-for-creating-a-brain-healthy-life/

I recently had an emotional experience that most women can relate to, although not too happily during some times of the month. I cried, laughed, sighed, and got angry-- in a matter of a two hour span. Thankfully, this wasn't related to a hormonal shift, but rather my virtual transportation into Julie Robert's world on the big screen. That's right ladies; I saw the latest film, "Eat, Pray, Love".  (Ok, men, stay with me here, it will give you some insight into the inner workings of the women you love, including your sisters, nieces, and mom).

The movie portrayed a stereotypical relationship-addicted female who ends up finding her true self through a one year excursion to re-igniting pleasure in Italy, finding peace and faith in India, and balance in Bali. I know, many of you are thinking, "I'd be able to find pleasure, peace, faith and balance if I could get away for a year and travel the world too."  In fact, many of you may have heard me make reference to an all expense Sandals Resort get-away as a cure?  I'm not joking when I say this. See, here's the deal, you don't have to travel the world; although it can helpful, in order to find what is already inside your body-the most powerful chemical producing factory that affects your health.

Our body releases an inordinate amount of chemical mediators to run our functions daily. In fact, it is estimated that number of one form of enzymes, protein kinases which are involved in biochemical pathways to signal changes in gene expression, protein activity, and various biological responses, is 518, about 1.7% of all known human genes. This is only one class of enzymes that make up your body! There are many others. Furthermore, your cells are exposed and interact with dozens of substances everyday including nutrients, sex and stress hormones, inflammatory mediators, and neurotransmitters.

How does this subject relate to Naturopathic and Functional Medicine, and what happened to Dr. Sarah's long list of references (don't worry, scroll down)? The more time I spend with people, and the more I study the effects of stress, the more I am convinced that stress is not just a contributor to many disease processes or symptomology, but also triggers and potentiates various issues.

According to last year's gallup poll, the percentage of Americans experiencing happiness without significant worry declined slightly from an average of 48.2% in 2008 to 47.4% in 2009. Furthermore, the inverse increased, meaning more Americans are stressed and less happy. What does this entail?

We know that obesity is at an all-time high. Stress has been shown to contribute to insulin resistance, the precursor of diabetes and a major contributor to weight gain. Stress causes an increase in catecholamines, such as adrenaline, which prolong the effects of the stress hormone cortisol, down-regulating hormonal response and affect the emotional center of the brain, leading to mood disorders.

According to webmd, depression can contribute to various physical symptoms from low libido to insomnia. Furthermore, "Major depression may directly damage the part of the brain associated with learning and memory via inflammation or the release of stress hormones."  This can lead to the snippy, irritable, impatient, angry road rager who has a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure.

Furthermore, we know that chronic stimulation of the stress response, down-regulates the immune system, making you more susceptible to infection, affects the digestive processes by affecting absorption and toxin removal, and can cause weight gain! (Remember the non-stressful eating paradigm of the French)?

So, back to my take on the movie....women and men are affected by stress and emotions differently, and for women who have more hormonal pathways at play, mood ups and down can be overwhelming at times of stress. Still, it's vital for us to be aware of how stress affects us and use tools to modulate its effect.

I like to incorporate EFT, emotional freedom technique, deep breathing, and self-care practices in my protocols with my patients. However, the most important thing about stress to keep in mind, that this film summarized well, is that when our problem rests manly in our perception, and we lose our perspective, it's important to come back to center and realize that ultimately, we hold the key to our own choices for health, including emotional, and spiritual.        

References:

Jones, D. Textbook of Functional Medicine. 2005. WA. IFM

Witters, D. http://www.gallup.com/poll/124904/americans-less-happy-stressed-2009.aspx. January 2010.

Wales. Diabetic Medicine. Volume 12 (2):109-112. Published Online: 30 Jul 2009.

Hudson, T & Bush, B. The Role of Cortisol in Sleep. NMJ June 2010.

Webmd

http://www.webmd.com/depression/how-depression-affects-your-body?ecd=wnl_dep_052110

http://www.webmd.com/depression/news/20100706/late-depression-linked-alzheimers?page=2

Horm Behav. 2010 Mar;57(3):276-83. Epub 2010 Jan 4. PMID: 20045413 

 Ok, now, after all that sweating over trying to make a decision on which technique to choose (see my previous blog), your poor brain is fried. So, now you are trying to decide what your next move (pun intended) should be to alleviate this annoying brain fog. (Darn information overload!)

Pausing between your racing thoughts, you remember your last consult with Dr. Sarah, "Are you eating protein, carbs, and fats together to balance your blood sugar? That will help with everything, you know. See, high blood sugar raises insulin, and insulin modulates cortisol, blah, blah, blah..... affect your hormones and weight." Ok, you didn't get it completely the first time with those scientific pathways, but you got the idea.

So, feeling pretty proud of yourself, you walk at a fast pace (holding your pulse, of course), to the refrigerator and smiling, pull out your organic, PLAIN (ughh), Stonyfield yogurt. You put a scoop of organic almond butter in it, and top it off with a fresh handful of organic berries. Then, you sit at your computer content. To top off your excitement, you find that Dr. LoBisco's latest blog was just posted. Imagine your feeling of serendipity when you read the following:

Great news for helping the brain! As most of you are aware, a healthy diet and healthy mind go together. A recent article from Science Daily reports how the polyphenolics in berries can help make your brain new and shiny!

In the new research, Poulose and Joseph focused on another reason why nerve function declines with aging. It involves a reduction in the brain's natural house-cleaning process. Cells called microglia are the housekeepers. In a process called autophagy, they remove and recycle biochemical debris that otherwise would interfere with brain function.

"But in aging, microglia fail to do their work, and debris builds up," Poulose explained. "In addition, the microglia become over-activated and actually begin to damage healthy cells in the brain. Our research suggests that the polyphenolics in berries have a rescuing effect. They seem to restore the normal housekeeping function. These findings are the first to show these effects of berries."

Poulose said the study provides further evidence to eat foods rich in polyphenolics. Although berries and walnuts are rich sources, many other fruits and vegetables contain these chemicals ― especially those with deep red, orange, or blue colors. Those colors come from pigments termed anthocyanins that are good antioxidants. He emphasized the importance of consuming the whole fruit, which contains the full range of hundreds of healthful chemicals. Frozen berries, which are available year round, also are excellent sources of polyphenolics, he added.

Another reason for the powerful effects of berries on the brain could be due to their ability to act as antioxidants, which in turn regulates inflammation and blood sugar. In fact, resveratrol, an antioxidant compound found in many berries, was shown to increase cerebral blood flow, according to the American Journal of Nutrition:

Results: Resveratrol administration resulted in dose-dependent increases in cerebral blood flow during task performance, as indexed by total concentrations of hemoglobin. There was also an increase in deoxyhemoglobin after both doses of resveratrol, which suggested enhanced oxygen extraction, that became apparent toward the end of the 45-min absorption phase and was sustained throughout task performance. Cognitive function was not affected. Resveratrol metabolites were present in plasma throughout the cognitive task period.

Conclusion: These results showed that single doses of orally administered resveratrol can modulate cerebral blood flow variables.

How does this relate to blood sugar? Well, according to Vitalchoice, "The Greek scientists also noted the well-established fact that higher intakes of food-borne antioxidants are linked to lower markers of inflammation. Furthermore, in the same article, it is reported that:

Recent studies suggested that oxidative stress - that is, excessive free radical production - appears to promote diabetes. Pancreatic cells, which produce insulin, are particularly susceptible to free radicals due to their low levels of antioxidant enzymes.

By damaging the mitochondria (energy centers) of pancreatic beta cells, oxidative stress can kill these critical cells, thereby blunting insulin secretion and allowing blood sugar levels to stay chronically high.

.....So, now you're feeling pretty good about yourself, or at least you're not hiding when you walk in front of a mirror. Satisfied with your snack, content with your "workout", and ready to relax, you do your deep breathing exercise and looking forward to another helpful blog which further portrays just how much you already know!

References:

Science Daily: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100823142927.htm?osadcampaign=PRFFF082710&leadsource=PRFFF082710

Webmd: http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/news/20100823/berries-may-slow-mental-decline-from-aging?ecd=wnl_hrt_083110

Am J Clin Nutr (March 31, 2010). doi:10.3945/ajcn.2009.28641

Vital Choice: http://newsletter.vitalchoice.com/e_article001687290.cfm?x=bgDM4hs,b1h0JlRD

I've written in the past of the many important benefits of exercise. Exercise plays a pivotal role in brain health, mood balance, stress relief, heart health, weight control, blood sugar balance, and joint health.  

Here's the simple fact: almost everyone knows that diet and exercise increase longevity and aid in overall health, yet very few people actually adapt these practices that encourages the body's innate healing response (see my website for the latest research on food constituents and health).

I think one of the main reasons for this discrepancy of knowledge and follow through is that people are already stretched for time and trying to figure out the correct exercise for you can become a headache waiting to happen--I mean it's information overload, people! 

Sigh... all these "trends" in exercise. First in the 80s, it's Jane Fonda, high tops, big hair, and sweat bands. In the 90s, were told that's not enough and we start to inch our way into the intimidating weight bearing machine exercises, which look like contraptions derived from outer-space! Then, in the age of technology,  who can keep up....it's burst training and bare foot, it's walking and yoga, it's running a marathon then falling down with joint pain, it's.......ughhh!!!

If you weren't stressed out already, boy would you be by the time you get to the gym and start to analyze the scene. You try to determine if you should hit the pool (good for the joints, right?), join the kick boxing class vs. spinning class, or push that muscle head out of the way for the thigh cruncher and....didn't your naturopath say to do some burst training and to burn fat with weight lifting, and isn't the pool filled with toxic chlorine that kills your thyroid??!!

You haven't even taken a step, and your heart rate has already gone through the roof. Your heads spinning enough to make you turn around, sweat bands and all, and stomp out the gym door (of course you're measuring that your heart rate doesn't exceed maximum fat burning capacity as you do this!).

Furthermore, now, not only do you have to worry about what to do, but what to do after. Exercise, can increase oxidative stress, according to some studies , and by now you are sweating from your venture forth and forgot to remember  to take your gogi berry juice and alpha lipoic acid after you've burst trained. Great, now your muscles are eating themselves, you're hungry and irritable and were you supposed to drink that whey pro before or after?? Do you add the fat and peanut into the shake or where you supposed to just do strict carbs to increase insulin resistance sensitivty, or was that protein?  What increased fat burning vs. weight gain....AUGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. 

Then, this whole thing with adrenal stress! You consider yourself definitely burned out, so you are advised now to do gentle stretching and breathing exercises to get rid of that pot belly insulin resistance stomach, when what you really want to do is grab your running shoes and sprint around the block pushing away any innocent bystander who happens to get in your way!!

Ok, ok, enough with the detailed description. Here's where your trusty Naturopathic Doctor and Integrative Medical Specialist comes in. Good news. It's about bio-individuality, what works for you, what your body is signaling, and the results you're getting!

Recent research has showed that even light activity aids in overall health:

CONCLUSION: Being physically active reduces the risk of all-cause mortality. The largest benefit was found from moving from no activity to low levels of activity, but even at high levels of activity benefits accrue from additional activity.

So, at least move your buns around the block, maybe throw in a few sprints, and then run (maintaining your fat burning threshold heart rate) to your nearest integrative practitioner that can help you decode your body's signals, bio-chemistry, and what is optimal for you...if that doesn't cause more stress....which increases weight....which.....

Hope I made you smile!!

In health,
Dr. Sarah J

References:

Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. Volume 222, Number 3 Pp. 283-292.