Category Archives: Weekly Health Tips

The Importance of Gratitude

A grateful mind is a great mind which eventually attracts to itself great things. — Plato

There is no question that Americans seek a magic bullet to achieve wellness—a single thing that will make all the difference. Rarely do I offer such magical bullets, but I can give you something that can make all the difference.

Achieving wellness requires a beautifully constructed web of interrelated factors. Each day our thoughts, actions, practices and habits weave together the canvas upon which our lives are painted. This undeniable fact allows us great opportunity to almost daily be able to create a life filled with a greater level of passion and interest, and a higher level of well-being.

The art of grace

Some time ago I read an inspiring story about Stan “The Man” Musial, one of the most beloved baseball heroes of all time. His life is a beautiful expression of how living in grace enriches the lives of those around you as well as your own. Also dubbed the “Perfect Knight,” Stan Musial embraced the importance of being a role model, and lived his life accordingly. His life is a testament to the idea that a sincere appreciation for what you have in life creates a lifetime of not only happiness, but also the love and admiration of those you touch by your graciousness.

This story got me thinking of the people in my life who were “long lived” (aka old) whom I respected, admired and loved. I realized that they all shared this common feature of living with grace—freely acknowledging people with appreciation and thanks. That realization made me ask an important question: “I wonder if there has been any research on the effect of gratitude on people’s lives?”

Scientific investigation

What I soon discovered is that there is a large body of recent scientific work showing that people who are more grateful have higher levels of well-being and are happier, less depressed, less stressed and more satisfied with their lives and social relationships. In fact, researchers from the School of Psychology at the University of Manchester in England have shown that gratitude appears to be the strongest link to health (and happiness) of any character trait.

OK, I know what you are thinking: “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” Maybe healthier people have more things to be grateful for, and that is the reason for the association. For several reasons, I don’t think that is the case.

Gratitude exercises

Perhaps the best evidence that feelings of gratitude promote health are studies in which gratitude exercises are used as an intervention. One of the leading experts in the importance of gratitude as a therapy is Martin Seligman, PhD, former president of the American Psychology Association and one of the major thought leaders in the discipline of positive psychology.

In a 2005 review article published in the journal American Psychology, Seligman described a study in which participants were randomly assigned to one of six therapeutic interventions designed to improve their overall quality of life. Of these six interventions, it was found that the biggest short-term effects came from a “gratitude visit” in which participants wrote and delivered a letter of appreciation to someone in their life. This simple gesture caused a significant rise in happiness scores and a significant fall in depression scores. This positive effect lasted up to one month after the visit.

In other studies, the act of keeping “gratitude journals,” in which participants wrote down three things they were grateful for every day, had even longer-lasting effects on happiness scores. The greatest benefits usually occurred around six months after journal keeping began. Similar practices have shown comparable benefits.

Takeaway message

While many may argue that the need to feel loved is the greatest emotional need we have, I believe there is no greater emotional need than appreciation. The funny thing is that the things we really want in life are usually best obtained by giving more. In other words, if you want to feel more appreciation in your life, begin with expressing more appreciation.

I would like you to challenge yourself with the following assignment: Create a gratitude visit in your life. We all have had people touch our lives in profound ways. Pick a worthy recipient and figure out a way to make a special acknowledgment, and watch the magic unfold. The more special you make it for the recipient, the more special it will be for you.

That is Assignment A, but I want you to also do Assignment B and C. For Assignment B, I want you to be more aware in your daily life of opportunities to acknowledge people. Seize chances to say thank you. And lastly, Assignment C is simply putting yourself to sleep by giving thanks in your mind and heart for at least three wonderful things you have in your life.

If you make these three assignments a daily habit, the impact on your life, your relationships and your health can be absolutely incredible. Gratitude is the most powerful magic bullet for a better life that I know. It’s simple, safe, has no side effects and yet is still very powerful medicine.

Are You Riding The Blood Sugar Roller Coaster?

Blood sugar levels play an important role in how we feel and if we will be at risk of developing certain chronic and potentially deadly illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes. A lack of or an excess of blood sugar (glucose) can be devastating to body processes. For this reason, the body strives to maintain blood sugar levels within a narrow range through the coordinated effort of several glands and their hormones.

Insulin resistance

The body responds to the rise in blood glucose levels after meals by secreting insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas. Insulin lowers blood glucose by increasing the rate that glucose is taken up by cells throughout the body. Declines in blood glucose can cause the release of adrenalin and cortisol by the adrenal glands. If there is a chronic imbalance in blood sugar, it can cause a state of insulin resistance. This is when insulin is being constantly released, but it’s just not able to do its job.

Insulin resistance is the key underlying factor that leads to weight gain and the inability to lose weight. As fat cells in the abdomen grow in size or number, they secrete a number of compounds that dampen the effect of insulin, impair glucose utilization in skeletal muscle, and promote glucose production by the liver. The net effect of all of these actions is that they severely stress the body’s blood sugar-control mechanisms

Do you have insulin resistance?

I’ve developed this simple, yet effective, test to help you determine if you may be in an insulin-resistant state. To determine if blood sugar issues may be a factor in your life, choose the correct response and add up your total.

Sign or Symptom	No	Mild	Moderate	Severe
Waist circumference is larger than your hips	0	1	2	3
Difficulty losing weight	0	1	2	3
Difficulty sleeping throughout the night	0	1	2	3
Craving sweets	0	1	2	3
Irritability if a meal is missed	0	1	2	3
Feeling tired or weak if a meal is missed	0	1	2	3
Dizziness when standing suddenly	0	1	2	3
Frequent headaches	0	1	2	3
Poor memory or concentration	0	1	2	3
Feeling tired an hour or so after eating	0	1	2	3
Heart palpitations	0	1	2	3
Feeling shaky at times	0	1	2	3
Afternoon fatigue	0	1	2	3
Vision blurs on occasion	0	1	2	3
Depression or mood swings	0	1	2	3
Frequently anxious or nervous	0	1	2	3
Numerous skin tags	0	1	2	3
Slow healing of sores	0	1	2	3
Frequent infections	0	1	2	3

Total scoring:

Less than 5: Blood sugar issues are not likely a factor.

6-15: Blood sugar issues are a likely factor.

More than 15: Blood sugar issues are extremely likely.

Glycemic volatility

Using a continuous glucose monitoring system, Canadian researcher Michael Lyon, MD, was the first to document that most people with weight problems go through their days with remarkably fluctuating blood sugar levels, which can lead to insulin resistance. Lyon and I call this “increased glycemic volatility,” but we most often refer to it as being on the blood sugar roller coaster.

When Lyon and I started working with people with type 2 diabetes, we discovered that stabilizing blood sugar levels was the key to not only improving their diabetes, but also is a safe and effective weight loss method. Together, we wrote a book about this concept called Hunger Free Forever (Atria Publishing, 2008).

Lyon has since published more than a dozen papers in peer-reviewed journals documenting the positive effects of using a unique fiber known as PolyGlycoPlex (PGX). This ingredient, which is available in capsules or in granular form, is produced from natural, soluble plant fibers (xantham gum, alginate and glucomannan). Via a special process, these fibers bind together in a way to make PGX the most viscous and soluble fiber ever discovered. What that means is that all of the health benefits linked to soluble dietary fibers—including stabilizing blood sugar levels—are significantly magnified with PGX.

In addition to using PGX, to correct glycemic volatility, it is important to avoid foods that cause a rapid rise in blood sugar levels. Refined sugars, white flour products, junk foods and other sources of simple sugars are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, causing a rapid rise in blood sugar and severely stressing blood sugar control.

Coenzyme Q10: The Body’s Spark Plug

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) the spark plug of the human body: Just as a car can’t run without that initial spark, the human body can’t get going without CoQ10. It is an essential component of the mitochondria, which produce the power that cells need to divide, move, contract, and perform all their other functions. CoQ10 also plays a critical role in the manufacture of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy that drives all body processes. What’s more, CoQ10 is a very important antioxidant that protects the cells against damage.

Although our bodies can produce CoQ10, we don’t always make enough. Because the brain and heart are among the most active tissues in the body, CoQ10 deficiency affects them the most and can lead to serious problems with those organs. A number of things can cause CoQ10 deficiency—poor diet, a genetic or acquired defect, or increased tissue needs, for example. Heart and vascular diseases, including high cholesterol and elevated blood pressure, require increased tissue levels of CoQ10. In addition, because CoQ10 levels decline with age, people over the age of 50 may need more. Many studies have shown a number of drugs (most notably lipid-lowering agents like statins) that decrease CoQ10 levels.

Given the central role of CoQ10 in mitochondrial function and cell protection, it is useful in a number of health issues. CoQ10 offers benefits in so many health conditions that there’s no question it should be considered an essential nutrient. Aside from being a general antioxidant, CoQ10 also may help the following conditions:

• Cardiovascular disease: high blood pressure; congestive heart failure; cardiomyopathy; protection during cardiac surgery; high cholesterol that is treated by drugs, especially statins

•Cancer (to boost immune function and/or offset chemotherapy side effects)

• Diabetes mellitus

• Male infertility

• Alzheimer’s (prevention)

• Parkinson’s disease (prevention and treatment)

• Periodontal disease

• Macular degeneration

Scientific research

Studies on both animals and humans have confirmed CoQ10’s usefulness for all the conditions listed above—particularly for cardiovascular disease. In fact, research has shown that 50 to 75 percent of people with various cardiovascular diseases have a CoQ10 deficiency in their heart tissue. Correcting that deficiency can often produce dramatic results in patients with any kind of heart disease. For example, CoQ10 deficiency has been shown to be present in 39 percent of patients with high blood pressure. This finding alone suggests a need for CoQ10 supplementation. However, CoQ10 appears to provide benefits beyond correction of a cardiovascular deficiency.

A 2009 study featured in the journal Pharmacology & Therapeutics noted that the effect of CoQ10 on blood pressure is usually not seen until after four to 12 weeks of therapy, and the typical reductions in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in patients with high blood pressure are modest—in the 10 percent range.

Statin drugs like Crestor, Lipitor, and Zocor work by inhibiting the enzyme that the liver needs to manufacture cholesterol. Unfortunately, they also block the manufacture of other substances necessary for body functions, including CoQ10. That could explain the drugs’ most commonly reported side effects—especially fatigue and muscle pain. One large study, the ENDOTACT study published in the International Journal of Cardiology in 2005, showed that statin therapy significant decreased CoQ10 plasma levels, but that decrease could be prevented entirely by supplementing with 150 mg of CoQ10. Additionally, CoQ10 supplements significantly improved the function of the blood vessel lining—one of the key goals in the treatment and prevention of atherosclerosis.

In double-blind studies, CoQ10 supplementation has been shown to be quite helpful in some patients with Parkinson’s disease. All of the patients in these studies had the three primary features of Parkinson’s—tremor, stiffness, and slowed movements—and had been diagnosed with the disease within the last five years.

A 2005 study featured in Archives of Neurology also showed a slowing of functional decline in Parkinson’s patients who took CoQ10. After an initial screening and baseline blood tests, the patients were randomly divided into four groups. Three of the groups received CoQ10 at different doses (300 mg a day, 600 mg a day, or 1,200 mg a day) for 16 months, while a fourth group received a placebo. The group that took the 1,200 mg dose had less decline in mental function, motor function, and ability to carry out activities of daily living like feeding or dressing themselves. The greatest effect was on activities of daily living. The groups that received 300 mg a day and 600 mg a day developed slightly less disability than the placebo group, but the effects were less dramatic than in those receiving the highest dosage. These results indicate that the beneficial effects of CoQ10 for Parkinson’s are achieved at higher dosages. No significant side effects were seen in any of the patients.

Safety and dosage

Coenzyme Q10 is very safe—no serious adverse effects have ever been reported, even with long-term use. Because safety during pregnancy and lactation has not been proven, CoQ10 should not be used during these times unless a physician determines the potential clinical benefit outweighs the risks. I typically recommend between 100 and 200 mg of CoQ10 per day. For best absorption, I suggest soft gelatin capsules taken with meals. At higher dosage levels, it is best to take it in divided dosages rather than as a single dosage (200 mg three times daily is better than 600 mg all at once).

For more information about CoQ10, click here.

Trouble Sleeping? Here’s Some Sound Sleep Advice

A shortage of nightly Z’s has been linked to depression and weight gain, and now a new study has found that insomnia may also increase the risk of heart attacks.

Researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology tracked 52,610 men and women who enrolled in a national health survey between 1995 and 1997. During the 11-year follow-up period, 2,386 of the participants had a myocardial infarction (heart attack). After adjusting for heart attack risk factors—age, sex, marital status, education, shift work, blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, body mass index, physical activity, smoking and alcohol consumption—researchers found that the study participants who reported that they had insomnia had more heart attacks than those who got regular shuteye.

In particular:

Participants who had trouble falling asleep most nights had a 45 percent higher risk for heart attacks
Participants who had trouble staying asleep most nights had a 30 percent higher risk
Participants who woke up feeling unrefreshed more than once a week had a 27 percent higher risk

The study, which was published in the October 2011 issue of the journal Circulation, was also the subject of an editorial in the same issue. For more information about how lack of sleep can harm heart health, click here.

“Although sleep disturbances have not been identified as specific targets in current cardiovascular prevention guidelines, research over the last decade provides increasing evidence that poor sleep and sleep disorders significantly contribute to the development of heart disease,” wrote Susan Redline, MD, and JoAnne Foody, MD, in the editorial “Sleep Disturbances: Time to Join the Top 10 Potentially Modifiable Cardiovascular Risk Factors?”

The Norwegian study “provides further evidence supporting the importance of sleep disorders in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease,” they added. “Furthermore, because of their prevalence, sleep disturbances ranging from sleep apnea to sleep curtailment may serve as important novel targets for cardiovascular disease risk reduction.”

Get your Zzzz’s

There are important dietary and dietary supplement strategies to consider to help you fall asleep and stay asleep.

Eliminate caffeine. It is essential that the diet be free of natural stimulants such as caffeine and related compounds. Coffee, as well as less obvious caffeine sources such as soft drinks, chocolate, coffee-flavored ice cream, hot cocoa, and tea, must all be eliminated. Even small amounts of caffeine such as those found in decaffeinated coffee or chocolate, may be enough to cause insomnia in some people.

Other food compounds that can act as stimulants include some food colorings. Adverse food reactions such as food sensitivities and allergies can also cause insomnia. Although not considered a stimulant, sugar and refined carbohydrates can interfere with sleep. Eating a diet high in sugar and refined carbohydrate and eating irregularly can cause a reaction in the body that triggers the “fight or flight” part of the nervous system, causing wakefulness.

Eliminate alcohol. Alcohol causes the release of adrenaline and disrupts the production of serotonin (an important brain chemical that initiates sleep).

Avoid nocturnal hypoglycemia. In my clinical experience I have found nocturnal hypoglycemia (low nighttime blood glucose level) is an important cause of sleep-maintenance insomnia. When there is a drop in the blood glucose level, it causes the release of hormones that regulate glucose levels, such as adrenaline, glucagon, cortisol, and growth hormone. These compounds stimulate the brain. They are a natural signal that it is time to eat. Good bedtime snacks to keep blood sugar levels steady throughout the night are oatmeal and other whole grain cereals, whole grain breads and muffins, and other complex carbohydrates. These foods will not only help maintain blood sugar levels, they actually can help promote sleep by increasing the level of serotonin within the brain.

Foods high in the amino acid tryptophan, such as turkey, milk, cottage cheese, chicken, eggs, and nuts, especially almonds, may help to promote sleep. In the brain, tryptophan is converted to serotonin and melatonin, which are natural sleep-inducing compounds.

From a dietary supplement standpoint, you may want to try melatonin, 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), L-theanine, and the herb valerian (Valeriana officinalis).

It’s important for people to utilize natural measures to treat insomnia as there are such major problems with sleeping pills. The two primary classes of drugs used in the treatment of insomnia are antihistamines and benzodiazepines. Antihistamines, like Benadryl and Nytol, are available over the counter, while benzodiazepines, like Valium and Halcion, are available by prescription. While both antihistamines and benzodiazepines are effective in the short term, they cause significant problems in the long term. Benzodiazepines, in particular, are not designed to be used for the long term, as they are addictive, have numerous side effects, and cause abnormal sleep patterns. Antihistamines also interfere with normal sleep patterns. As a result, people who take sleeping pills enter a vicious cycle. They take the drug to induce sleep, but the drug causes further disruption of normal sleep. In the morning, in an attempt to “get going,” they will typically drink large quantities of coffee, which further worsens insomnia. As with many health conditions, the natural approach makes better sense.

Are Sleeping Pills a Dream-Come-True or Nightmare?

It’s 2 a.m. and you’re staring at the ceiling, begging sleep to come. Again. “Has anyone ever stayed awake forever?” you wonder. And then the advertisements for sleeping pills start dancing through your head. Those people look so well rested! Should you jump out of bed now and run to the pharmacy? What wouldn’t you give for just one good night’s sleep? And how bad can these magical pharmaceuticals be for you, anyway?

Worse than you think.

Most sleeping pills belong to the class of drugs known as sedative hypnotics—a class also used to treat anxiety and stress that includes alprazolam (Xanax), diazepam (Valium), eszopiclone (Lunesta) and zolpidem tartrate (Ambien), among others.

These drugs tend to be quite effective, but those effects come at a price—they carry significant risks. First of all, they are highly addictive and not suited for long-term use. Then there’s the fact that they can cause dizziness, drowsiness and impaired coordination, making them incompatible with activities like driving and other potentially dangerous activities. Combining them with alcohol could be fatal.

Their most serious immediate side effects involve memory and behavior. Because these drugs act powerfully on brain chemistry, they can cause significant changes in brain function, including severe memory impairment, amnesia of events, nervousness, confusion, hallucinations, bizarre behavior and extreme irritability and aggressiveness. They have also been shown to increase feelings of depression, including suicidal thinking.

The dark side of sleeping pills

Daniel F. Kripke, MD, physician and professor of psychiatry emeritus at the University of California, San Diego, worked for more than 30 years assessing the risk of sleeping pills. His findings are stunning. Most shocking: People who take sleeping pills die sooner than people who do not. According to Kripke’s latest study published in the February 2012 British Medical Journal Open online edition, sleeping pills may have been associated with 320,000 to 507,000 excess deaths in the U.S. in 2010 alone.

You read that right. Kripke and colleagues obtained medical records for 10,529 people who were prescribed hypnotic sleeping pills and 23,676 who were not. Over an average of 2.5 years, the death rate for those who did not use sleeping pills was 1.2 percent, compared with 6.1 percent for people with sleeping pill prescriptions. Sleeping pill users also had a 35 percent higher risk of cancer.

Kripke’s research began when he examined data from the very large Cancer Prevention Study I (CPSI), in which more than one million Americans answered questionnaires between October 1959 and February 1960 and were followed up with six years later. The people who had reported taking sleeping pills often were more than 50 percent more likely to have died by the time of follow-up than those who never took sleeping pills.

Follow-up studies showed similar results. In a February 2009 review published in Sleep Medicine, 15 population studies from Scandinavia to Japan found that use of sleeping pills increased mortality risk. Three of these studies specifically found use of sleeping pills predicted increased risk of death from cancer. Preliminary data suggests sleeping pills can increase the risk of certain cancers.

However, the increased risk may have as much to do with the people who take sleeping pills as the medicines themselves: The strongest explanation for the increased risk of mortality with sleeping pill use is that it is associated with an increased frequency of depression. Considerable evidence shows that depression is also associated with an increased risk for an early death, particularly due to heart disease.

Do sleeping pills impair sleep quality?

A likely explanation for the potential negative effects of sleeping pills on longevity is that they actually interfere with normal sleep patterns. Although all of the benefits of sleep are still a mystery, we do know that one of the ways in which sleep recharges the energy within our cells is by removing harmful chemicals from the body—particularly the brain. Sleep functions to enhance antioxidant mechanisms in order to reduce the damage from highly reactive compounds known as free radicals, which can damage our cellular components, including our DNA.

Disturbing the normal rhythm of sleep, as well as impairing the ability to reach the deeper stages of non-REM sleep, have long been known to be a problem with many sedative hypnotic drugs. It’s the main reason these drugs will often produce a morning “hangover” feeling. In contrast, natural sleep enhancers like melatonin, 5-HTP and L-theanine appear to actually increase the time spent in the deeper levels of non-REM sleep, allowing for the brain and body to get fully recharged. In other words, the natural approaches can significantly improve sleep quality.

Given the problems with sedative hypnotics, every effort should be made to avoid their use. Certainly they are not suitable for long-term use for insomnia.

Improving sleep quality naturally

Like other health conditions, insomnia is most effectively treated by identifying and addressing factors that cause it. For example, let’s take a look at the most common form of insomnia: sleep maintenance insomnia. In this form, people are able to get to sleep, but they awaken three to five hours later and have a really tough time falling asleep again. What I have found is that most people with sleep maintenance insomnia suffer from faulty blood sugar control. Basically, these people are on what I refer to as the “blood sugar roller coaster,” and nighttime fluctuations in blood sugar levels cause them to wake up.

Other common causes of insomnia are stress, depression, anxiety, sensitivity to caffeine and certain medications (well over 300 drugs are known to interfere with normal sleep). Elimination of the cause is by far the best treatment.

A number of natural products can help improve sleep quality. The product I often recommend provides a combination of melatonin (3 mg), 5-HTP (30 mg) and L-theanine (200 mg). These three ingredients work together to decrease both the time required to get to sleep and the number of nighttime awakenings. It works extremely well in most people.

In terms of herbal medicine, there is no question that valerian (Valeriana officinalis) is the most popular remedy for insomnia. Recent scientific studies have substantiated valerian’s ability to improve sleep quality and relieve insomnia. As a mild sedative, valerian may be taken 30 to 45 minutes before bed time.

For more additional information on dealing with insomnia naturally, see my article on insomnia and the sleep-wake cycle by clicking here.

Two Natural Ways to Reduce Blood Pressure

Want to lower your blood pressure without the harmful side effects of pharmaceuticals? Boost your intake of black tea and magnesium.

An Australian study published in January 2012 in the Archives of Internal Medicine analyzed the effect of black tea on 95 men and women with normal to high-normal blood pressure levels. Half of the participants drank 3 cups of black tea daily for six months, and the other half drank a placebo drink with a similar flavor and caffeine content. At the end of the study, the black tea–drinking group had an average reduction of two to three points in their systolic (the top number in a blood pressure reading) level, and about two points in their diastolic (the bottom number) level. Although this doesn’t sound like much, the researchers said it’s enough to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke by 7 to 10 percent. The researchers believe black tea’s hypertension benefits may be due to several reasons: Recent studies have shown that the beverage improves the function of the endothelial cells that line the interior of blood vessels and affect blood pressure. Other research suggests that the flavonoids in black tea can improve the tone of blood vessels, helping them channel blood more efficiently.

Meanwhile, a British analysis of 22 studies found that boosting your magnesium intake may decrease your blood pressure reading even more than black tea. The research, published in February 2012 in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that taking at least 370 mg of magnesium per day reduced systolic blood pressure by three to four points and diastolic pressure by two to three points in 1,173 study subjects. This is key because research shows that many adults don’t get the recommended dietary allowance of at least 320 mg of magnesium for women and 420 mg for men, and that for every 100 mg increase in magnesium intake, the risk of stroke is reduced by about 9 percent.