Monday, June 22, 2015
Friday, April 17, 2015
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Hibernation Hints at Dementia Therapy
By Dr. Mercola
Download Interview Transcript You Probably Need to Go to Bed Earlier Than You Think
View the Original article
When animals hibernate, their body temperatures drop and their metabolism slows significantly (in some cases to just 2 percent of normal). In this state of virtual suspended animation, the animals’ brains show signs of changes akin to early-stage Alzheimer’s, and some even lose their memories.
Specifically, when animals hibernate the cooling induces a loss in synapses, which are the connections between brain cells. Synapses are also lost in the early stages of certain neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease.
In humans the early loss of synapses typically progresses to the point that whole brain cells begin to die – and memories go along with them. Hibernating mammals may lose up to 30 percent of their brain’s connections during hibernation.
The connections are restored come spring, which has caught the attention of researchers wondering if restoring lost memories in humans might someday be possible.
Cold-Shock Proteins May Help Prevent Memory LossA new study published in Nature unraveled more clues about how hibernation might give clues to preventing dementia.1 When mice were artificially cooled, a number of cold-shock proteins, including RNA-binding protein (RBM3), were induced in the brain – a process that also occurs during hibernation.
Cold-shock proteins exist to help your body survive low temperatures (they’re at the other end of the spectrum from heat-shock proteins, which are induced by heat to help protect your body from heat stress).
All of the mice lost synapses during the study, but while older mice were not able to reestablish them when warmed up, young mice with neurodegenerative diseases regained their lost connections.
The difference was attributed to levels of RBM3, which “soared” in the young mice during cooling but not in the older mice. The researchers believe enhancing cold-shock pathways could offer potential protective therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, but they’re looking into ways of doing this other than cooling your body (which wouldn’t be practical for chronic treatment).
Interestingly, rapidly cooling the body has been suggested as a plausible medical treatment for a variety of conditions, from traumatic injuries to preventing brain damage from strokes.
Sleeping May Help You Enhance Your MemoryResearch from Harvard indicates that people are 33 percent more likely to infer connections among distantly related ideas after sleeping,2 but few realize that their performance has actually improved.
Sleep is also known to enhance your memories and help you "practice" and improve your performance of challenging skills. In fact, a single night of sleeping only 4 to 6 hours can impact your ability to think clearly the next day.
The process of brain growth, or neuroplasticity, is believed to underlie your brain's capacity to control behavior, including learning and memory. Plasticity occurs when neurons are stimulated by events, or information, from the environment. However, sleep and sleep loss modify the expression of several genes and gene products that may be important for synaptic plasticity.
Furthermore, certain forms of long-term potentiation, a neural process associated with the laying down of learning and memory, can be elicited in sleep, suggesting synaptic connections are strengthened while you slumber.
To be clear, sleeping is not the same as hibernating. Hibernation would be more akin to resting in a coma than sleep, and research shows that animals often show signs of sleep deprivation upon waking from hibernation. As reported by Popular Science:3
“When a mammal is in torpor [a short period of hibernation], it gets less rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and less slow wave sleep, because good sleep involves some physiological processes that require warmer body temperatures. Animals sleep a lot when they emerge from torpor, with brain activity patterns demonstrating signs of sleep deprivation.”
So while hibernation may hold clues to restoring memories related to lost synapses, hibernation does not appear to give the body the benefits of proper sleep, which are separate and equally important.
Naps Help Babies and Adults Retain MemoriesThere’s a reason why babies nap and, perhaps, why you should, too. Research shows that naps can give a boost to babies' brainpower. Specifically, infants who slept in between learning and testing sessions had a better ability to recognize patterns in new information, which signals an important change in memory that plays an essential role in cognitive development.4
New research also shows that napping for 30 minutes or more within 4 hours of learning a new behavior helps infants retain their memories.5 The results suggest that infants rely on frequent naps to help form long-term memories, and there's reason to believe this holds true for adults, too.
Even among adults, a mid-day nap was found to dramatically boost and restore brainpower.6 Dr. Rubin Naiman -- a clinical psychologist, author, teacher, and the leader in integrative medicine approaches to sleep and dreams – believes that humans are biologically programmed to nap, so if you feel the urge to nod off in the afternoon, don’t fight it.
The “ideal” nap time appears to be around 20 minutes (any longer and you’ll enter the deeper stages of sleep and may feel groggy when you wake up). According to the National Sleep Foundation:7
“Sleeping for a short time can make you more alert and energetic--this might be critical to your work or school productivity, or to your ability to take care of a child during the day. Most people feel refreshed after a nap that lasts approximately 20 minutes.”
At Nighttime You Should Strive for Uninterrupted Sleep While many animals engage in torpor, which is basically shorter periods of interrupted hibernation, humans need uninterrupted sleep to function properly. It makes sense that interruptions to your sleep would result in much the same damage as lack of sleep, because sleep occurs in phases.
Ideally, you should progress from slow-wave sleep back up to REM sleep in 60- to 90-minute cycles. Any interruptions to this make your body start over in a sense, which means you might never reach the most restorative, deeper phases of sleep.
You might as well not be sleeping at all, which is likely one reason why lack of sleep and interrupted sleep result in such similar damage. In a healthy night’s sleep, you should progress through the following sleep stages (though not necessarily in this order):8
Stage One, when you’re preparing to drift off Stage Two, during which your brain wave activity becomes rapid and rhythmic while your body temperature drops and heart rate slows Stage Three, when deep slow brain waves emerge (this is a transition from light sleep to deep sleep) Stage Four, also known as delta sleep, this is a deep sleep stage Stage Five, or rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, is when most dreaming occursAs reported by Psych Central:9
“Sleep does not progress through all of these stages in sequence, however. Sleep begins in Stage One and progresses into stages 2, 3, and 4. Then, after Stage Four sleep, Stages Three, then Two are repeated before going into REM sleep.
Once REM is over, we usually return to Stage Two sleep. Sleep cycles through these stages approximately 4 or 5 times throughout the night. We typically enter REM approximately 90 minutes after falling asleep. The first cycle of REM often lasts only a short amount of time, but each cycle becomes longer.
This is why we need long periods of sleep each night as most of the REM sleep occurs in the hours before awakening. If we get short periods of sleep, we can’t really get through the stages we need to heal and stay healthy. REM can last up to an hour as our sleep progresses. In case you are wondering, if you feel like a dream is taking a long period of time, it really is. Contrary to what was once believed, dreams take as long as they actually seem.”
Keep Your Phone and Tablet Out of Your BedroomOne of the greatest plights of modern-day sleep is the introduction of light-emitting electronic devices to the bedroom. Research shows that 90 percent of Americans use an electronic device within an hour of going to bed, and this is associated with poor sleep.10 A new study also compared the use of an iPad for 4 hours before bed (for five consecutive nights) to reading a print book for the same period.11 There were significant biological effects of iPad use before bed, including:12
Reduced secretion of melatonin, a hormone that induces sleepiness Delayed circadian rhythm of more than an hour Feeling less sleepy before bedtime Feeling sleepier and less alert the following morning, even after 8 hours of sleep Spending less time in REM sleepOne of the study’s authors noted: "We found the body's natural circadian rhythms were interrupted by the short-wavelength enriched light, otherwise known as blue light, from these electronic devices.” The blue light emitted from electronics such as cell phones, tablets, TVs and computers suppresses your melatonin production, thereby preventing you from feeling sleepy. What you may not realize is that even if you don't feel sleepy, you need sleep. You've simply artificially disrupted your body clock; you have not in any way altered your body's biological needs. Last year I interviewed Dan Pardi on the topic of how to get restorative, health-promoting sleep.
Pardi is a researcher who works with the Behavioral Sciences Department at Stanford University and the Departments of Neurology and Endocrinology at Leiden University in the Netherlands.In addition to avoiding blue light at night, Pardi recommends getting at least 30-60 minutes of outdoor light exposure during daylight hours in order to "anchor" your master clock rhythm. The ideal time to go outdoors is right around solar noon but any time during daylight hours is useful. Once the sun has set, the converse applies. After sunset you want to avoid light as much as possible in order for your body to secrete melatonin, which helps you feel sleepy.
Download Interview Transcript You Probably Need to Go to Bed Earlier Than You Think
You may be surprised at how little sleep you’re actually getting. If you go to bed at 10 pm and get out of bed at 7 am, you might say you’ve slept for nine hours. In reality, you probably spent at least 15-30 minutes falling asleep and may have woken during the night one or more times. With the advent of fitness-tracking wristbands such as Jawbone’s UP, however, it’s now possible to track your actual sleep time. When I first started using a fitness tracker, I was striving to get 8 hours of sleep, but my Jawbone UP typically recorded me at 7.5 to 7.75.
I have been using an UP tracker for the last six months and just the last month have finally been able to restructure my schedule so that I am getting close to 9 hours of sleep. Quite a contrast from when I was seeing patients, as it would typically be far closer to an unhealthy 5 hours or less. I have since increased my sleep time, not just time in bed, but total sleep time to over 8 hours per day. The fitness tracker helped me realize that unless I am asleep, not just in bed, but asleep by 10 pm I won’t get my 8 hours. Gradually I have been able to get this down to 9:30 pm.
The tracker also differentiates between sound and light sleep, and through trial and error, I was able to use the device to figure out I can get 6 hours of deep sleep if I maintain my air temperature around 66-68 degrees F with only a light sheet on. If it is much warmer or I use a blanket, my sound sleep can drop to 2-3. Pardi recently shared how having a baby has helped to improve his overall sleep because it got him in the habit of going to sleep earlier, and importantly, getting into bed prior to feeling sleepy. He explains:13
“Yes, having a baby has improved my overall sleep practice. Because of my son, we wind our evening down earlier than normal in order to get him to bed at a good time for him. Since we must initiate these activities earlier than what we would do for ourselves, it has gotten us into the habit of thinking of sleep earlier than normal.
Specifically, I get into bed earlier than I used to. Now, I will read my kindle, with dim backlight, in a room with amber-toned environmental light, and as soon as the urge for sleep strikes, all I have to do is put down the book. Most people, on the other hand, initiate their going-to-bed ‘program’ once they start to feel sleepy.
So, instead of being able to actually allow sleep to happen at this instance, you need to do a list of things – like brush your teeth, move yourself into bed, etc. – before you’re able to close your eyes. Because you’re sleepy, you’re likely to move slowly to accomplish this list, and it’s easy to see how maintaining this latter pattern cuts into total sleep time; even 30 minutes of less sleep per night on a regular basis matters! You don’t have to have a young child to benefit from this lesson: get into bed prior to when you want to be sleeping so you can give into the impulse as soon as it hits.”
Longing for a Good Night’s Sleep? Try These TipsTo achieve more restful, restorative sleep, I suggest you read through my full set of 33 healthy sleep guidelines for all of the details, but to start, consider implementing the following changes:
Avoid watching TV or using your computer in the evening, at least an hour or so before going to bed. These devices emit blue light, which tricks your brain into thinking it's still daytime. Normally, your brain starts secreting melatonin between 9 pm and 10 pm, and these devices emit light that may stifle that process.Even the American Medical Association now states:14 “…nighttime electric light can disrupt circadian rhythms in humans and documents the rapidly advancing understanding from basic science of how disruption of circadian rhythmicity affects aspects of physiology with direct links to human health, such as cell cycle regulation, DNA damage response, and metabolism.”
Make sure you get BRIGHT sun exposure regularly. Your pineal gland produces melatonin roughly in approximation to the contrast of bright sun exposure in the day and complete darkness at night. If you are in darkness all day long, it can't appreciate the difference and will not optimize your melatonin production. Sleep in complete darkness, or as close to it as possible. The slightest bit of light in your bedroom can disrupt your body’s clock and your pineal gland's melatonin production. Even the tiniest glow from your clock radio could be interfering with your sleep, so cover your radio up at night or get rid of it altogether. Move all electrical devices at least three feet away from your bed. You may want to cover your windows with drapes or blackout shades. If this isn’t possible, wear an eye mask. Install a low-wattage yellow, orange, or red light bulb if you need a source of light for navigation at night. Light in these bandwidths does not shut down melatonin production in the way that white and blue bandwidth light does. Salt lamps are handy for this purpose. You can also download a free application called F.lux that automatically dims your monitor or screens.15 Keep the temperature in your bedroom no higher than 70 degrees F. Many people keep their homes too warm (particularly their upstairs bedrooms). Studies show that the optimal room temperature for sleep is between 60 to 68 degrees F. Take a hot bath 90 to 120 minutes before bedtime. This increases your core body temperature, and when you get out of the bath it abruptly drops, signaling your body that you are ready to sleep. Avoid using loud alarm clocks. Being jolted awake each morning can be very stressful. If you are regularly getting enough sleep, you might not even need an alarm. Get some sun in the morning, if possible. Your circadian system needs bright light to reset itself. Ten to 15 minutes of morning sunlight will send a strong message to your internal clock that day has arrived, making it less likely to be confused by weaker light signals during the night. More sunlight exposure is required as you age. Be mindful of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) in your bedroom. EMFs can disrupt your pineal gland and its melatonin production, and may have other negative biological effects as well. A gauss meter is required if you want to measure EMF levels in various areas of your home. Ideally, you should turn off any wireless router while you are sleeping. You don’t need the Internet on when you are asleep. ]]>View the Original article
A Nation Running from Pain: What Can Be Done About It
By Dr. Mercola
According to the most recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), lethal heroin overdoses nearly quadrupled between 2000 and 2013 in the US, escalating from 0.7 to 2.7 deaths per 100,000 during this timeframe.
Heroin-related deaths were nearly four times more prevalent among men than women in 2013, and lethal overdoses were highest among Caucasians between the ages of 25 and 44. The greatest increase in heroin-related deaths was seen after 2010.
As noted by Medical News Today:1
"During the period investigated, the researchers found an average increase in heroin-related drug-poisoning deaths of six percent per year from 2000 through to 2010.
From 2010 through 2013, the average increase was a staggering 37 percent per year..."
Prescription Painkillers Are the New Gateway DrugsWhat many fail to realize is that this trend is actually fueled by legal drug addiction. The reason for the resurgence of heroin is in large part due to it being less expensive than its prescription counterparts.
Addictive prescription drugs such as Vicodin, OxyContin, Percocet, codeine, and Fentora, all of which are opioids (derivatives of opium) are widely overprescribed for pain.
Many painkiller addicts also turn to heroin when their tolerance level surpasses their allotted prescription dosage, or when they're no longer allowed to refill their prescription.
According to previous statistics, prescriptions for opioid painkillers have risen by a staggering 300 percent over the past decade.2 As of 2012, 259 million prescriptions for opioids and other narcotic painkillers were written3 in the US, and these drugs actually claim far more lives than heroin does.
In 2010, prescription painkillers were responsible for 16,600 deaths; heroin was involved in about 3,000.4 By 2013, the number of heroin deaths had increased to 8,257,5 but as noted in the featured article:6
"Although heroin-related drug-poisoning deaths have increased sharply in recent years, the overall rate is still considerably lower than that for opioid analgesics.
In addition, NIDA [National Institute on Drug Abuse] suggest that the abuse of prescription opioids such as Oxycontin and Vicodin could be the first step toward heroin abuse for many people."
Dr. Andrew Kolodny, chief medical officer at a drug treatment center called Phoenix House has also previously spoken out on this issue, noting that:7
"Heroin use is increasing because we have an epidemic of opioid addiction (caused by overexposure of our population to painkillers) and not enough has been done to expand access to treatment in communities hit hardest."
Financial Conflicts of Interest Fuel Narcotic Prescription RatesDespite dramatic increases in prescriptions, two recent papers assert that no solid evidence can be found in the medical literature supporting the long-term safety and effectiveness of narcotic painkillers.
Many suffering from chronic pain end up using painkillers for years on end, yet there are no studies longer than one year on record. Most trials do not go past six weeks.
There's also a lack of standardized trials evaluating the side effects of opioid use, which is the "golden standard" of medical science-based evidence. With such blatant lack of safety and effectiveness backing their use, why are so many people getting prescriptions for narcotic painkillers?
Even pregnant women are being prescribed these highly addictive and dangerous drugs! According to one recent study8,9 more than 14 percent of pregnant women were prescribed opioid drugs during their pregnancy, despite the risks for birth defects and other pregnancy-related problems.10
Not surprisingly, financial conflicts of interest appear to be part of the answer. As reported by Reading Eagle:11
"The two papers,12,13 published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, highlight a key issue in one of the major medical controversies of the last decade: how America got thrust into an opioid epidemic...
The stories... revealed that behind that surge in opioid prescribing was a network of pain organizations, doctors, and researchers that pushed for expanded use of the drugs while taking in millions of dollars from the companies that made them."
Antidepressants Are Also Widely OverprescribedA recent article in The New York Times14 penned by Psychiatrist Julie Holland highlights another disturbing trend, namely that of medicating away our emotional pain. While men tend to be more prone to get hooked on painkillers, women are more apt to fall into the antidepressant drug trap. Dr. Holland writes:
"Sales of antidepressants and antianxiety meds have been booming in the past two decades, and they've recently been outpaced by an antipsychotic, Abilify, that is the No. 1 seller among all drugs in the United States, not just psychiatric ones. As a psychiatrist practicing for 20 years, I must tell you, this is insane..."
According to Dr. Holland, one in four American women is on a psychiatric drug, as is one in seven men. And, while some are helped by these drugs, many are not. In fact, most simply do not need them, and are needlessly placing their health at risk, as these drugs come with a laundry list of serious side effects.
It's also well worth noting that researchers have concluded there is very little evidence that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs, such as Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, and others) have any benefit to people with mild to moderate depression, and that they actually do not work any better than a placebo.
"People who don't really need these drugs are trying to medicate a normal reaction to an unnatural set of stressors: lives without nearly enough sleep, sunshine, nutrients, movement and eye contact, which is crucial to us as social primates..." Dr. Holland writes.
The new, medicated normal is at odds with women's dynamic biology; brain and body chemicals are meant to be in flux. To simplify things, think of serotonin as the 'it's all good' brain chemical. Too high and you don't care much about anything; too low and everything seems like a problem to be fixed.
In the days leading up to menstruation, when emotional sensitivity is heightened, women may feel less insulated, more irritable, or dissatisfied. I tell my patients that the thoughts and feelings that come up during this phase are genuine, and perhaps it's best to re-evaluate what they put up with the rest of the month, when their hormone and neurotransmitter levels are more likely programmed to prompt them to be accommodating to others' demands and needs."
Being Emotionally Numb Is Hardly Healthy...Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) enhance serotonin transmission in your brain, but as Dr. Holland notes, higher serotonin levels does not necessarily equate to improved emotional health... While SSRIs can remove feelings of anxiety, they can also numb you both emotionally and physically—in fact, reduced libido is a common side effect. Also, antidepressants do not actually boost positive emotions; they merely blunt the negative ones. At first glance, this may sound appealing, but there's a price to pay for numbing your emotional repertoire across the board. As noted by Dr. Holland:
"Some people on SSRIs have also reported less of many other human traits: empathy, irritation, sadness, erotic dreaming, creativity, anger, expression of their feelings, mourning, and worry... At higher doses, SSRI's make it difficult to cry. They can also promote apathy and indifference... If the serotonin levels of women are constantly, artificially high, they are at risk of losing their emotional sensitivity with its natural fluctuations...
Change comes from the discomfort and awareness that something is wrong; we know what's right only when we feel it. If medicated means complacent, it helps no one. When we are overmedicated, our emotions become synthetic. For personal growth, for a satisfying marriage, and for a more peaceful world, what we need is more empathy, compassion, receptivity, emotionality, and vulnerability, not less. We need to stop labeling our sadness and anxiety as uncomfortable symptoms, and to appreciate them as a healthy, adaptive part of our biology." [Emphasis mine]
Spike in Suicide Rate Blamed on RecessionSuicide rates among middle-aged Americans have also risen sharply over the past few years. According to a recent paper15,16 published in of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, stress from job, financial, and/or legal problems played a role in nearly 38 percent of suicides committed by middle-aged Americans in 2010. According to lead author Katherine Hempstead,17 director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Center for State Health Policy at Rutgers University in Princeton:
"The middle-aged bear the brunt of economic stress associated with a downturn. They're the bread-winner groups who are raising kids, paying for college, planning for their retirement, and supporting their elderly parents."
The study urges employers to become more aware of the impact layoffs can have on their employees, particularly middle-aged employees who do not have very many years left in the job market. As noted by MedicineNet.com:
"Human resources departments and managers should be aware that layoffs can trigger suicides, and be prepared to get people the help they need. 'When somebody is facing termination from their job, that would be a key time to understand those individuals may be at risk for suicide,' [Dr. Christine Moutier, chief medical officer of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention] said. Friends and family of a person undergoing financial problems should also be on the lookout for warning signs of suicide -- talking about suicide, giving away prized possessions, withdrawal and isolation -- and reach out if they believe the person needs help..."
Red Flags: Is Someone You Know Suicidal?If someone close to you has recently endured a hardship, or you have noticed a change in their behavior, how can you tell when ordinary stress or sadness has progressed to a potentially suicidal level? Besides straightforward or "sideways" comments about not wanting to live any longer, some of the red flags that a person has a high risk for self-harm include:
Acquiring a weapon Hoarding medicationNo plan for the future Putting affairs in orderMaking or changing a willGiving away personal belongings Mending grievancesChecking on insurance policiesWithdrawing from peopleIf you think someone is suicidal, do not leave him or her alone. A person who appears suicidal needs immediate professional help. Help the person to seek immediate assistance from their doctor or the nearest hospital emergency room, or call 911. Eliminate access to firearms or other potential suicide aids, including unsupervised access to medications.
If you are feeling desperate or have any thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, a toll-free number 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or call 911, or simply go to your nearest Hospital Emergency Department.
A Nation Running from Pain...When you start looking at the big picture, it becomes rather evident that Americans are running from pain—both emotional and physical—and have bought the lie that happiness and comfort can be induced by chemical substances... All of the statistics covered in this article point to the fact that the US is a nation in crisis, and we're looking for solutions in the wrong places. Instead of facing our pains and dissatisfactions head on, we're suppressing them in order to keep going "as usual." The only ones getting ahead right now is the drug companies. Most everyone else is getting a raw deal...
Depression and physical pain often go hand in hand; the good news is that by addressing depression, you can oftentimes achieve pain reduction as well, and vice versa (if you happen to suffer from both). Another piece of good news is that there are many non-drug alternatives out there that are far safer, and often as or more effective than drugs, and this applies both to pain reduction and depression. For a list of non-drug alternatives specifically for pain relief, please see my previous article, "For Back Pain or Headache, Painkillers Do More Harm Than Good." I'll also close with a brief section on medical cannabis, below, which is a viable option for increasing numbers of people these days, in states that have legalized its use. Following is a list of mind-body techniques that can help ease both pain and depression.
Diet Foods have an immense impact on your body and your brain, and eating whole foods as described in my optimized nutrition plan will best support your mental and physical health. Avoiding sugar (particularly processed fructose) will help normalize your insulin and leptin levels, which is another important aspect of depression. Sugar causes chronic inflammation, which disrupts your body's normal immune function and can wreak havoc on your brain.Sugar also suppresses a key growth hormone called BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic factor), which promotes healthy brain neurons. BDNF levels are critically low in people with depression, which animal models suggest may actually be causative.
I also recommend taking a high-quality, animal-based omega-3 fat, like krill oil. This may be the single most important nutrient for optimal brain function, thereby preventing depression. Exercise Getting regular exercise is one of the "secret weapons" to overcoming depression. It works by helping to normalize your insulin levels while boosting the "feel good" hormones such as serotonin and endorphins in your brain. Optimize your vitamin D Getting safe sun exposure, which allows your body to produce vitamin D, is great for your mood. One study even found that people with the lowest levels of vitamin D were 11 times more prone to depression than those who received adequate vitamin D. The Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) EFT is a form of psychological acupressure. Gentle tapping with the fingertips is used to transfer kinetic energy onto specific meridians on your head and chest while you think about your specific problem and voice positive affirmations. This works to clear the "short-circuit"—the emotional block—from your body's bioenergy system, thus restoring your mind and body's balance, which is essential for optimal health and healing. Massage Massage affects your nervous system through nerve endings in your skin, stimulating the release of endorphins, which are natural "feel-good" chemicals. Getting a massage has been shown to relieve pain from migraines, labor, fibromyalgia and even cancer; reduce stress, anxiety, and depression; decrease symptoms of PMS; and can provide arthritis relief by increasing joint flexibility. Mindfulness and other forms of meditation Practicing "mindfulness" means that you're actively paying attention to the moment you're in right now. Mindfulness training has been found to reduce levels of stress-induced inflammation, which could benefit people suffering from chronic inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and asthma. Practicing mindfulness meditation for just four days can decrease pain responses in your brain. Biofeedback Biofeedback allows you to monitor your biological changes, thereby helping you achieve a deeper state of relaxation and teaching you to control your heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle tension through your mind. Biofeedback is often used for stress-related conditions, such as migraines and tension-type headaches, fibromyalgia, back pain, depression, and anxiety. Progressive muscle relaxation Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is achieved by tensing and relaxing all the major muscle groups, one at a time, from head to toe. By learning to feel the difference between tension and relaxation, you can more actively disengage your body's fight-or-flight response, which underlies most pain, depression, and stress. Tai Chi While practicing tai chi, your mind is meant to stay focused on your movements, relaxation and deep breathing, while distracting thoughts are ignored. Part of the allure is that it's so gentle, it's an ideal form of activity for people with pain or other conditions that prevent more vigorous exercise. You can even do tai chi if you're confined to a wheelchair. The medical literature shows tai chi helps reduce depression, anxiety, and stress. Breathing techniques Deep breathing activates your parasympathetic nervous system, which induces the relaxation response. Dr. Weil's 4, 7, 8 breathing technique works as a natural tranquilizer for your nervous system. The Buteyko Breathing Method helps improve oxygenation of your tissues and organs, including your brain, and can be particularly helpful to quell a panic attack or control anxiety. Hypnosis Hypnosis, which is a trance-like state in which you experience heightened focus and concentration, can help decrease pain by altering your emotional responses to your body's pain signals and your thoughts about the pain. Contrary to popular belief, you do not relinquish control over your behavior while under hypnosis, but it does render you more open to suggestions from the hypnotherapist. In addition to managing pain, cognitive hypnotherapy has been shown to lessen depression and anxiety better than cognitive behavioral therapy. Music therapy Music triggers activity in the nucleus accumbens, a part of your brain that releases the feel-good chemical dopamine and is involved in forming expectations. At the same time, the amygdala, which is involved in processing emotion, and the prefrontal cortex, which makes possible abstract decision-making, are also activated. Studies18,19 reveal listening to music results in less anxiety and lower cortisol levels among patients about to undergo surgery than taking anti-anxiety drugs. Yoga Yoga has been proven to be particularly beneficial if you suffer with back pain, and can also be of tremendous benefit for your mental health.20 According to recent findings, yoga appears to have a positive effect on mild depression, sleep problems, schizophrenia (among patients using medication), and ADHD (among patients using medication). Some studies21,22 suggest yoga can have a similar effect to antidepressants and psychotherapy, by influencing neurotransmitters and boosting serotonin. Visualization and guided imagery Visualization techniques or guided imagery can serve as an important tool to combat both physical pain and depression by imagining being in "a better place" and promoting a state of relaxation. Ideally, you'll want to immerse yourself as fully as you possibly into your visualization, using all your senses: seeing, smelling, tasting, hearing, and feeling, as using all your senses changes levels of brain chemicals, such as serotonin, epinephrine, and endorphins. Mantra The repeated incantation of a mantra—a soothing or uplifting word or phrase of your choice—in a rhythmic fashion can help you relax in a similar way as mindfulness training. The focused repetition, also called autogenic training, helps keep your mind from wandering and worrying, and engages your body's relaxation response. In one study, migraine sufferers were able to decrease the frequency and intensity of their headaches using autogenic training. Other research suggests it may provide helpful longer-term effects on symptoms of depression. Neurostructural Integration Technique (NST) Using a series of gentle moves on specific muscles or at precise points on your body creates an energy flow and vibrations between these points. This allows your body to rebalance itself. The main objective is to remove pain and dysfunctional physiological conditions by restoring the structural integrity of the body. In essence, NST provides the body with an opportunity to reintegrate on many levels, and thus return to and maintain normal homeostatic limits on a daily basis. Medical Cannabis—Another Option for Pain Relief
Certain forms of cannabis are potent medicine with few or no psychoactive effects. Even the US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has spoken out about its potential benefits, saying: "We have some preliminary data showing that for certain medical conditions and symptoms, marijuana can be helpful." His statement echoes a growing sentiment in the medical and scientific communities that the health benefits of marijuana should no longer be ignored. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has also given strong support for research and development as well as a "review of policies promoting research on the medical use of these compounds."
At present, 23 states have legalized medical marijuana.23 Another 11 states have pending legislation for 2015.24 On a federal level, however, the herb is still considered a Schedule 1 controlled substance (other Schedule 1 drugs include heroin, LSD, ecstasy, methaqualone, and peyote). Ironically, oxycodone, fentanyl, and meperidine (Demerol), which are among the most commonly abused opioids and leading causes of opioid overdose deaths, are Schedule II drugs, meaning they should technically be less dangerous than marijuana. Meanwhile, until recently certain opioid prescription drugs such as Vicodin were classified as Schedule III substances, which are defined as "drugs with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence."
A wealth of research shows marijuana does have outstanding promise as a medicinal plant, largely due to its cannabidiol (CBD) content. Cannabinoids interact with your body by way of naturally occurring cannabinoid receptors embedded in cell membranes throughout your body. There are cannabinoid receptors in your brain, lungs, liver, kidneys, immune system, and more. Both the therapeutic and psychoactive properties of marijuana occur when a cannabinoid activates a cannabinoid receptor.
Research is still ongoing on just how extensive their impact is on our health, but to date it's known that cannabinoid receptors play an important role in many body processes, including metabolic regulation, cravings, pain, anxiety, bone growth, and immune function. To learn more about the legal parameters of using medical cannabis in your state, check out ProCon.org's website.25 I also recommend listening to my interview with Dr. Allan Frankel, a board-certified internist in California, who has treated patients with medical cannabis for the past eight years.
Download Interview Transcript ]]>
View the Original article
Inside the Garbage of the World
By Dr. Mercola
While you may not directly feel the impact of garbage while going about your day to day life, it's quite literally choking the life out of our ecosystem, and the situation is getting worse with each passing day.
Eventually, we will all suffer the very real consequences as the world dies around us. As stated in the featured documentary, Inside the Garbage of the World, "we're going to create an environmental catastrophe that we may not be able to recover from."
Many take for granted that their garbage "magically disappears" once it's picked up by the garbage truck, but nothing could be further from the truth. Most garbage does not disappear. It's simply relocated to a landfill or a recycling center. Trash also makes its way down storm drains and into nearby waterways.
The Abomination That Is Plastic...Our throwaway mentality has created a pollution problem that now threatens the future of humanity itself. Plastic trash is of particular concern, as bits and pieces of plastic are mistaken for food by birds and sea animals.
Debris in the ocean also blocks sunlight from which plankton and algae sustain themselves, and this has negative implications on up the food chain as it eventually becomes micronized and winds up in some of the seafood you eat.
Also, once in the waterways, plastic particles also act like sponges for waterborne contaminants such as PCBs, pesticides like DDT, herbicides, PAHs, and other persistent organic pollutants.
This phenomenon makes plastics far from benign, and scientists have yet to determine the full extent of the dangers posed by their consumption, or the effects higher up the food chain—which is where you are.
Plastic pollution is an enormous problem, worldwide. According to the documentary, an estimated 4.7 million tons of plastic ends up in our oceans each year, where wave action turns them into a plastic soup that damages sea life and marine ecosystems.
Eighty percent of this plastic comes from land; the rest is litter from ships, boats, and industrial platforms.
Rivers and streams are equally affected by plastic trash. For example, as noted by Dan Glaser with the Surfrider Foundation, 30-75 percent of all pollution found in the Ventura River in California is plastic.
In Hawaii, there are remote beaches where you cannot even see the sand for all the plastic washed ashore. An estimated 17 tons of debris is collected on Kamilo Point and adjacent beaches each year.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind—Oceans Turning into LandfillsPlastics such as polycarbonate, polystyrene, and PETE sink to the bottom, where they smother and kill marine life on the ocean floor. Other plastics such as LDPE, HDPE, polypropylene and foamed plastics float.
Partially broken down plastic particulate also fills the water column between the ocean floor and the surface. The largest landfill in the world is in fact not located on land but in the Pacific Ocean, in the North Pacific Gyre. Ninety percent of the trash making up this "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" is plastic.
The North Pacific gyre contains two sub-gyres (Eastern and Western) where trash collects as a result of rotating currents. The Eastern Garbage Patch covers an area equal to half the size of the continental United States, and the Western Garbage Patch is somewhat smaller.
Contrary to the image publicized by the media, these are not solid floating "islands" of trash. The pollution is dispersed; not only on the surface, but also throughout the water column and across the ocean floor, but the rotating currents do gather and concentrate the trash into these great swaths of ocean covering thousands of miles.
As noted by Anna Cummins, co-founder of 5 Gyres Institute:1
"If it were an island of garbage, it would actually be a better thing, because we'd be able to really, truly communicate this issue to the public.
One of the difficulties with this plastic issue is that it's so hard to engage the public in feeling the urgency... People want to see an island of garbage, and when they see images of blue waters, they think that it's not really a big deal.
The reality... is that it's more like a plastic soup... It's this plastic soup of "confetti" that is very diffuse. The difficulty is that it covers so much ground..."
Plastic Particles Outnumber Plankton 36 to 1According to one United Nations report,2 there are 46,000 pieces of plastic in every square mile of ocean. But larger pieces of plastic do not remain intact. It breaks up into increasingly smaller pieces, which make their way into the food chain.
An estimated 300,000 animals die each year either from ingested plastic, or getting tangled in plastic. One young sperm whale that washed ashore dead in California was found to have 400 pounds of plastic in its stomach.
In Midway Island, where 20 tons of plastic wash ashore each year, deceased albatrosses have been found with lighters, bottle caps and other chunks of plastic in their bellies. Ditto for birds, turtles, dolphins, seals, fish, and more.
Disturbingly, the plastic to plankton ratio in the North Pacific is increasing rapidly and exponentially. Tests in 1999 found a plastic to plankton ratio of six to one. By 2007, that ratio had jumped to 36 to one! So it got six times worse in a matter of about eight years.
Now another eight years have gone by, so that ratio is undoubtedly even higher today, and will continue to rise until we change our ways... The question is how long will our oceans continue to sustain life at this pace?
Research3 shows that biodegradable plastics aren’t all they’re cracked up to be either. Biodegradable plastics are treated with additives that are supposed to help the plastic break down faster. But a recent study found that biodegradable plastics degraded no faster than untreated, non-biodegradable plastic, so this really isn’t a viable alternative either.
ALL of the World's Oceans Are Clogging Up with PlasticThere are a total of five subtropical gyres: the Indian, North and South Atlantic, and North and South Pacific. All of them trap and collect trash in their rotating currents, and as noted by Anna Cummins, whose 5 Gyres Institute has now collected water samples from all five gyres, mankind has altered the constitution of our oceans on a global scale.
All but two of the 500 water samples the Institute has gathered contained plastic. The two that did not were collected in an area off of Chile. Plastic chemicals are an added concern. The potential for catastrophic biological consequences for every species on the planet is growing with every discarded bottle and bag.
Plasticizing chemicals like BPA disrupt embryonic development in both animals and humans, and are linked to heart disease and cancer. As reported in this film, one seafood test done in Singapore revealed BPA in every single seafood sampled. This is a real concern—the fish are eating plastic and swimming in plastic chemicals, and we're at the top of the food chain eating them...
Phthalates—another plastic chemical—dysregulate gene expression and cause genital anomalies, especially in baby boys, that may pass down several generations. Prenatal phthalate exposure has also been linked to reduced IQ in children, and DEHP may lead to multiple organ damage.
By altering the composition of our oceans with plastic, we're ruining the building blocks of life, including carbon, oxygen, and food production. So, whether you look at environmental or biological effects, our careless use of plastics has created a rapidly encroaching nightmare.
We Can No Longer Afford the Price of ConvenienceAt the heart of the waste problem is a materialistic society that encourages buying more and more "stuff." Acquiring things you don't really need can take a massive toll on the environment, in more ways than you may realize. The Western penchant for single-use items is particularly destructive. If you have not seen it yet, I highly recommend you watch The Story of Stuff, as it does a phenomenal job of illustrating the real effects of over-consumption and over-production.
All of this "stuff" -- the electronics, the toys, the single-use conveniences, the clothes and all the other material goods that we use to express our status and "personal value" -- carry a hefty price tag, not just for your wallet but also for the planet and the people who live on it. The Story of Stuff details what goes into the making of all these products; the processes of extraction (trashing the planet), production (adding in toxic chemicals), distribution, consumption, and ultimately disposal. The impact all of this has on communities at home and abroad are hidden from your view, yet it is immense.
Adding to the problem is planned obsolescence, on a functional, design, and even aesthetic level, which makes perfectly good products obsolete or just plain "undesirable." It is because of built-in obsolescence that you've probably traded in your perfectly good computer or smartphone just to get a newer model. It's also the reason why certain products break after a number of uses and have to be repeatedly replaced.
How to Cut Down on Your WasteBottled water is perhaps one of the most environmentally unfriendly industries there is. Americans alone go through and ultimately discard about half a billion bottles of water every week. The environmental ramifications of this practice are enormous, so becoming more responsible about what we buy and how we discard our waste is not just a "nice idea." I believe it is an absolute necessity.
Recycling responsibly is one step in the right direction, but I believe it's even more important to reduce and reuse what we have first, as much as possible. It's worth remembering that mankind had a zero waste lifestyle up until about 100 years ago. There were no plastic wraps around the foods and items you bought, and virtually every scrap, be it fabric, paper, wood, or metal, was repeatedly reused; creatively refashioned into new products.
We need to rethink our throwaway culture and become more sustainably creative. Ideally, seek to purchase products that are not made from or packaged in plastic. Another important point is to choose reusable over single-use, which is possible in most instances. Here are a few ideas:
Use reusable shopping bags for groceries Take your own leftovers container to restaurants Bring your own mug for coffee, and bring drinking water from home in glass water bottles instead of buying bottled water Request no plastic wrap on your newspaper and dry cleaning Store foods in glass containers or mason jars rather than plastic containers and plastic freezer bags Avoid disposable utensils and buy foods in bulk when you can Opt for non-disposable razors, washable feminine hygiene products for women, cloth diapers, handkerchiefs instead of paper tissues, rags in lieu of paper towels, and infant toys made of wood rather than plastic Avoid processed foods (which are stored in plastic bags with chemicals). Buy fresh produce instead, and forgo the plastic bags Where Will Your Descendants Live, if Not on Earth?These are just a few ideas — I'm sure you can think of many more. Please do take care to recycle and repurpose products whenever possible, especially ones that are not available in anything other than plastic. This includes giving your clothes or gently used household items to charities, and frequenting second-hand stores instead of buying new. Make use of online sites like Freecycle.org that allow you to give products you no longer need away to others instead of throwing them away.
In general, purchasing locally sourced and locally crafted goods will be best for the environment and your local economy. You may need to pay more for such items, but chances are they'll far outlast mass-produced versions, which means you won't need to throw it away and acquire a new one. For items you cannot get made locally, seek out responsible companies that do not exploit people or the environment to make your purchases from.
Last but not least, consider asking yourself more often: "Do I really need this?" Overconsumption in general is an issue for most people in Western societies; the problem is, all this buying and throwing items away is like borrowing life from our children that we can never pay back. Once the Earth is too clogged with plastic to sustain life, where will our children and grandchildren live?
]]>View the Original article
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)