Does stress cause depression and anxiety? 

I love this topic because people often wonder how they ended up with depression. Hopefully this will shed a little light on the subject.

Each of us has a group of hormones that act on our nervous systems. They’re called neurotransmitters. The entire group keeps itself in balance. I picture it like a teeter-totter. One one side you have all of your calming, happy, feel-good hormones. On the other side you have all of your excitatory hormones. The system has been around since the dawn of time and was originally designed for the “fight or flight” response. Back then, while you were going about your day collecting berries, or whatever you did back then, if you came around a corner and were face-to-face with a bear all of your excitatory hormones would have shot up, tipping that teeter-totter completely to one side. This would have given you the almost super-human ability to either run or fight off the bear. By doing one of those two things, you would use up most of that surge of energy, bringing the teeter-totter almost back to balance. Your calming neurotransmitters then increase their production just a bit to bring perfect balance back to the system. Now, realistically, how often do you think that happened? Once a month? Twice a year? The point is that it didn’t happen that often so you system had plenty of time to recover after each incident.

Now, zoom forward to today. Every time you have stress, no matter how little, your excitatory hormones still shoot up as if your body is sensing danger. Of course, they don’t shoot up nearly as much as they would if you actually ran across a bear, nevertheless they still go up. The problem is that you usually don’t run or fight anything off. So you don’t use up that surge of neurotransmitters. Well, your body really dislikes anything out of balance. So those calming hormones will try to increase their production even more to bring the system back into balance. The first problem is that we have stresses numerous times each and every day. And your body responds the same way each time. Unfortunately, your poor little calming hormones just weren’t designed to work so hard. Over time, you basically use them up to the point that there is no one left to help bring those excitatory guys back down.

The two main calming neurotransmitters are serotonin and GABA. To simplify, serotonin can be seen as your anti-depressant hormone and GABA can be seen as your anti-anxiety hormone. When they have both been depleted by years of stress, you can end up with depression and anxiety. If you have either of these symptoms, be sure to get your neurotransmitters tested.

The moral to this story is: If you ever feel anxious when you meet a bear, think of your Gaba and calmly walk away from his lair. If your escape does not work and he catches up with you, be sure to increase your serotonin and smile wide as he devours you.

Pertussis: It’s not just for kids.

Have you or someone you know had a cough that just wouldn’t go away? Then did you end up on antibiotics that didn’t help or only helped a little? Then did it finally go away after weeks and weeks of coughing? Well, there is a good chance you had pertussis.

Here are 3 things you should know about pertussis:
Vaccines do not make you immune for life
You’re only contagious before you start coughing
Antibiotics won’t treat pertussis once you’ve started coughing

Many people are under the impression that once you receive a vaccine for something, you no longer have to be concerned about catching that bug, or at least you don’t have to worry about it for a very long time. When the pertussis vaccine is given to children, it is only effective for 4-10 years. For adults, the effect last for 7-10 years. Just to be clear, I am not advocating going out and getting a booster vaccine. I just want you to be aware that you may be susceptible.

Unfortunately, pertussis looks like any regular cold for the first couple of weeks, so the diagnosis is often missed. The worst part of is that this is the time that you are the most contagious. So you can pass Pertussis on before you know you have it and before you even start coughing. The good news is that the only way to spread this bug is through direct contact with the respiratory droplets. You almost have to cough in someone’s face. The bug doesn’t live on surfaces like silverware or toys. And while it is easy for adults to avoid coughing on other people, consider keeping a closer eye on children who are still learning to cover their mouths when they cough.

The reason you start coughing is that you are having a reaction to the toxins that these little bugs produce. It isn’t actually the bug itself that causes all of the havoc. These toxins cause damage to the cilia in your trachea. What this means is that you won’t be able to move mucus out of your lungs. You may feel like you keep coughing and coughing, but just can’t get that ‘gunk’ out. It is at this stage that many people seek medical attention because they’ve now been sick for over 3 weeks. The reason antibiotics don’t help at this point is that the bacteria are mostly gone and, as I mentioned above, it’s the toxins that are causing the problem. Antibiotics don’t treat toxins. This is when naturopathic medicine, homeopathic medicine and other complimentary medicines like acupuncture can be extremely helpful in individualizing a treatment plan for you to help your body clear out the toxins.

If you do get to this point, there are a few things you can try. Try taking a hot bath in epsom salts, or gargle with it. The toxin can be inactivated by heat and the gene that produces the toxin can’t survive in Epsom salts. You can also drink hot tea to get heat directly into your throat. Consider echinacea, elderberry or green tea.

Unfortunately the answer to this is a little murky, pun intended.

When you buy bottled water, there are a couple of things to consider. First is the water itself. Is it just tap water that’s been put into a bottle? Is it tap water that’s been filtered and then put into a bottle? Or is it actually mountain spring water taken straight from the spring and put into the bottle? Tap water has a high risk of containing chemicals, pesticides, heavy metals and even toxins like arsenic. If it’s been filtered with something like reverse osmosis, most of these things will be removed and I would consider it safe. But if it’s distilled, all of the good minerals will have been removed as well as the bad stuff; and this water can then leach minerals from you. If the water is straight from the spring, and the spring is clean, it should be free of contaminants and still contain all of the good minerals.

Secondly, you need to consider the bottle. Soft plastic can leach estrogen-like compounds into your water, especially if the bottles have been shipped from somewhere far away and have spent any time in the heat. Hard plastic bottles tend to leach a little less, but nothing plastic is ‘leach-free’. Currently there is a lot of hype about bottles that are “BPA free”. BPA is a compound that was put into plastic to make it clear. It has been shown to have deleterious effects on your health, so many companies are removing it. I just wonder what new chemical they’ve replaced it with, since the bottles are still clear. You’re better off using a glass bottle that has no risk of leaching anything into your water.

So, ideally you filter your own water at home and carry it around in a clean, glass bottle. When you’re out and about, you can look for water in glass bottles and check the source of the water. Otherwise, it may come down to picking the lesser of two evils, which I am not sure what that would be; tap water with all of the contaminants or water that’s been sitting in and soaking up chemicals from a plastic bottle.

What’s the deal with gluten?

If you look too closely, “gluten-free” seems to be the latest fad. Unfortunately it’s not a fad, but a choice that can really benefit the health of most Americans.

Gluten is the protein in grains like wheat, rye, barley and spelt. It’s purpose in baking is to give bread it’s form and consistency. However, there are a couple of problems with it. One problem is that gluten is a very difficult protein to digest, even if you have the perfect digestive system. Now, the interesting thing that I’ve observed is that this seems to be exclusive to the gluten in the U.S. I’ve had patients who are incredibly gluten-sensitive who then go to Italy and basically live on pasta without any problems. It’s just an observation, but I do wonder what exactly we’ve done to our wheat to make it so intolerable.

Another problem with gluten is that we have put it into virtually everything! If you look at any food in a box, I’ll bet it has gluten added to it. Soy sauce even has gluten in it. Our bodies simply weren’t designed to be bombarded with the same thing over and over and over again. We were designed for variety.

Overall, I’m certainly not saying that gluten is evil. But after years of ingesting this difficult protein at almost every single meal, sometimes your body simply can’t take it any more and it may rebel against you. As an experiment, consider trying to be gluten-free for two weeks and just see how you feel. Then let me know your thoughts!

Okay, here’s one for the men.

First of all, did you know that if your waist size is bigger than your hips, you have almost TWICE the risk of developing erectile dysfunction? (1.94 times the risk, to be exact) Does that give you a little bit more motivation to make some changes in your life?

Secondly, did you know that if you do develop ED, you have TWICE the risk of having a heart attack?

The same way that plaque develops in the arteries to your heart, it develops in every other artery in your body. And in the same way that this decreases blood flow to the heart, it decreases blood flow to the penis. No blood flow means no erection. Some simple things you can do to prevent or decrease that plaque formation are, of course, eating more vegetables, exercising and having a great outlet for your stress.

Another reason for ED is hormonal imbalance. Believe it or not, the answer is not always testosterone, and the answer is never testosterone by itself. Men have estrogen and progesterone as well as testosterone and all 3 must be in balance in order for the entire sexual system to function correctly. For example, if a man has a high saliva estrogen level, or a low saliva progesterone level this will inhibit the testosterone from doing its job, no matter how much testosterone a man has. By throwing the balance further off, adding more testosterone can actually make the entire situation worse instead of better.

We commonly treat men who have been taking testosterone, but are still unhappy. It helps for a while, then it stops, so they are prescribed more testosterone. This also helps for a while, then it stops, so they are prescribed more testosterone and on and on. It stops working because the receptors become desensitized to the testosterone. Receptors are like little gate-keepers. Testosterone can not enter a cell without meeting with the gate-keeper, then being escorted into the cell to do its job. When you have ‘normal’ amounts of testosterone, the gate-keepers can easily perform their duties. When you start bombarding those little receptors with more and more and more testosterone, they will actually run and hide. Then it doesn’t matter how much testosterone you have, no one is available to escort it into the cell. Sorry guys, but more is not always better.

You can start by getting your saliva hormone levels checked and balanced. And the bottom line is that if you thought you had to lower your cholesterol, lose weight and manage your stress just to make your doctor happy, think again. You need to lower your cholesterol, lose weight and manage your stress to make you (and your partner) happy.

Can Green Tea Help you Lose Weight?

Most weight loss plans today use low calorie diets. While decreasing your caloric intake is a key to losing weight, a little caution is advised. With lowered calories going in, there is less energy for your cells. This can cause your body to slow your metabolism down so that your cells can survive on fewer calories. You can counteract this by doing things like exercising, using saunas to increase your body temperature and by taking certain supplements like green tea extract. Green tea has been shown to have thermogenic properties. This means it increases heat in your body which can help you to burn more fat.

A study done in 2009 by DiPierro et al showed that by decreasing caloric intake, people definitely lost weight. However when combining the low calorie diet with a green tea extract, people lost 7% more body fat and men lost 14% more around their waistlines. On top of that, their cholesterol, blood sugar and cortisol levels made dramatic improvements. This study used a form of green tea extract that was complexed with phospholipids. All this means is that it was much more absorbable, so may have had an even better impact than green tea extracts that are not complexed with phospholipids.

The bottom line is that green tea extract can help you to burn fat. You can look for a standardized extract or simply start drinking more green tea.

How to take Vitamin C when you’re sick/have the flu…

Vitamin C has so many health benefits, but for today let’s focus on using it when you get sick. Everyone’s need for vitamin C is different, and everyone’s needs change based on his or her state of health. For example, when you are perfectly healthy you may need only 1 gram of vitamin C, but when you are sick, you may need up to 10 times this amount. How do you know how much to take? While there isn’t a definitive way to test for this, there is a great way to estimate it based on bowel tolerance.

Here’s what you do:
Begin by taking 500mg of vitamin C
Each subsequent day, you can increase your dose by 500mg
Continue increasing your dose until it starts to give you loose stools
Once you reach this point, decrease your dose by 500mg
If loose stools subside, this is the dose you can continue
If loose stools continue, decrease your dose until they stop
Notes:
If you are like me and can’t stand being sick, I increase my dose more frequently. Sometimes I’ll increase my dose every few hours. This is okay if you are actually sick and if you have a good understanding of how you respond to Vitamin C. I don’t recommend doing this the first time you try it.
Again, keep in mind that your need for Vitamin C is much higher when you are sick. So, as you start to recover, your need for the higher dose will decrease and it will start to give you loose stools. Simply decrease your dose as quickly as you need to.

There are quite a few foods that are high in Vitamin C. Try incorporating some of these delicious fruits and veggies into your diet when you are sick:

1. Red and Green hot chili peppers – 242.5mg per 100g serving
2. Guavas – 228mg per 100g serving
3. Bell peppers – 184mg per 100g serving
4. Thyme – 160mg per 100g serving
5. Raw kale – 120mg per 100 g serving
6. Broccoli – 89mg per 100g serving
7. Kiwi fruits – 93mg per 100g serving
8. Papayas – 62mg per 100g serving
9. Oranges – 59mg per 100g serving
10. Strawberries – 59mg per 100g serving

What additives should you avoid in your food?

There are a few “biggies” when it comes to additives to avoid in your food.

1. Artificial Sweeteners

Aspartame is also known as Nutrasweet or Equal. Aspartame is a neurotoxin and carcinogen. It can affect your intellect and your memory. It has been linked to brain tumors, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, fibromyalgia, depression, anxiety attacks, migraines and seizures. Acesulfame-K, a newer artificial sweetener is found in baking goods. It hasn’t been thoroughly tested, but has already been linked to kidney tumors.

Found in: diet or sugar free sodas, diet coke, coke zero, jello (and other gelatins), desserts, sugar free gum, drink mixes, baking goods, table top sweeteners, cereal, breathmints, pudding, kool-aid, ice tea, chewable vitamins, toothpaste

2. High Fructose Corn Syrup

High fructose corn syrup is a highly-refined artificial sweetener. It is known to cause weight gain, increase your LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels, and contribute to the development of diabetes and tissue damage.

Found in: most processed foods, breads, candy, flavored yogurts, salad dressings, canned vegetables, cereals

3. Monosodium Glutamate

MSG is an amino acid used as a flavor enhancer in soups, salad dressings, chips, frozen entrees, and many restaurant foods. MSG is a substance that overexcites cells to the point of damage or death. Regular consumption of MSG can cause depression, disorientation, eye damage, fatigue, headaches, and obesity. MSG affects the pathway in your brain that tells you you’re full, so you keep eating…and gaining weight. Be careful of anything with the word “glutamate” in the ingredients.

Found in: Chinese food, many snacks, chips, cookies, seasonings, most Campbell Soup products, frozen dinners, lunch meats

4. Trans Fat

Trans fat is used to enhance and extend the shelf life of your food. Trans fat increases LDL cholesterol levels while decreasing HDL (“good”) cholesterol, increases the risk of heart attacks, heart disease and strokes, diabetes and more. Denmark has actually banned foods that contain minute amounts of trans fats.

Found in: margarine, anything with partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, chips and crackers, baked goods, fast foods

5. Common Food Dyes

These can contribute to behavioral problems in children and even reduce their IQs. Some of the worst are Blue#1, Blue #2. These are even banned in Norway, Finland and France. And, did you know that even though Red #3 was banned in 1990, it will still be in your food until the supply runs out? Yellow #6 and Tartrazine have been linked to kidney and adrenal tumors. They are also banned in Norway and Sweden.

Found in: candy, cereal, soft drinks, sports drinks, pet foods, fruit cocktail, maraschino cherries, cherry pie mix, ice cream, candy, bakery products, american cheese, macaroni and cheese, candy and carbonated beverages, lemonade and more!

6. Sodium Sulfite

This is a preservative most know in wine-making. There is a possible link between asthma and sulfites. Individuals who are sulfite sensitive may experience headaches, breathing problems, and rashes. In severe cases, sulfites can actually cause death by closing down the airway altogether, leading to cardiac arrest.

Found in: Wine and dried fruit

7. Sodium Nitrate/Sodium Nitrite

Sodium nitrate/nitrite is used as a preservative in processed meats. When this compound gets into your digestive tract it forms a bunch of nitrosamine compounds that now have easy access to your blood stream. Once in your blood they target your organs, but mainly your liver and pancreas. It is used because it makes meat look red, so old meat can look like its fresh…ewwww!

Found in: hotdogs, bacon, ham, luncheon meat, cured meats, corned beef, smoked fish or any other type of processed meat

8. BHA (Butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydrozyttoluene)

BHA and BHT are preservatives used to keep foods from changing color, changing flavor or becoming rancid. They can also form cancer-causing compounds in your body, alter your neurological system and alter your behavior.

Found in: Potato chips, gum, cereal, frozen sausages, enriched rice, lard, shortening, candy, jello

9. Sulfur Dioxide

This is another preservative used to make food look fresh. It can cause things like bronchial problems especially if you are prone to asthma, hypotension (low blood pressure), flushing tingling sensations or anaphylactic shock.

Found in: beer, soft drinks, dried fruit, juices, cordials, wine, vinegar, and potato products.

10. Potassium Bromate

This is an additive used to increase volume in some white flour, breads, and rolls. Potassium bromate is known to cause cancer in animals and the bromine can significantly damage your thyroid.

Found in: breads

Please read labels when you are shopping. Try to eat whole, natural foods as much as possible!
Stay Healthy!!

If you have any interest in weight loss, you’ve likely heard of red raspberry ketones. The question is whether or not they are the miracle to weight loss that they are being touted as. The answer is yes and no.
As with anything that claims to melt fat away without any effort on your part, you should be a little skeptical. The way I understand raspberry ketones to work is by affecting other hormones in your body. They increase your levels of norepinephrine and adiponectin.
Norepinephrine is an excitatory neurotransmitter. It can increase your metabolism, so can definitely help you burn fat. Just keep in mind that it is normally kept in balance with all of your other neurotransmitters and increasing it can upset this balance. If you have a tendency for depression, anxiety or adrenal fatigue, changing your levels of norepinephrine could worsen your condition.
Adiponectin helps regulate blood sugar by affecting insulin sensitivity. And when you have higher adiponectin levels, you tend to have a lower percentage of fat. This effect can not only help you lose fat, but can be part of a plan to prevent or reverse insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome.
Because the effect of raspberry ketones can be stimulating, you should take them earlier in the day so they don’t affect the hormones that help you sleep. The product we use to help boost patients’ metabolisms does contain red raspberry ketones. It also contains a combination of other natural things that promote thermogenesis, fat-burning and increased metabolism.
By far, the best effects I ever see for weight loss are from a combination of eating well, exercise and, possibly, metabolism-boosting supplements.

If you want the short answer to the question, it’s Yes. Now, if you want a little more information, here’s the scoop.

Before anything is done to it, a grain of rice has the little piece in it that you think of as rice. A bran layer, a germ layer and finally a husk then cover the tiny grain. To make brown rice, the only thing that is removed is the husk. To make white rice the bran layer and the germ layer are also removed.

From a nutritional standpoint, most of the nutrients in rice are imbedded in the bran and germ layers. So when you eat brown rice, you are getting part of your daily B-vitamins, minerals and fatty acids. You are also getting a tiny amount of fiber. This is definitely a step up from white rice.

The other thing to consider is the glycemic index of the rice. This is the impact that the rice is having on your blood sugar. White rice averages about 60-80 (with 100 being the highest, and least desirable). Brown rice averages about 50-60. While brown rice clearly has an advantage over white rice, keep in mind that a grain like quinoa has a glycemic index of about 25. Nuts and beans also run around 20 or below.

So, the bottom line is still Yes. Brown rice is better for you than white rice. Now you can challenge yourself to find things that are even better for you than brown rice! If you haven’t tried it, give quinoa a whirl. Here’s how to cook it:

1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 ¾ cup water
Put them both in a pot and bring the water to a boil
As soon as it boils, turn the heat to low, cover the pot and don’t touch it for 15 minutes.
That’s it! Enjoy!