Acupuncture... Ancient Medicine or Sophisticated Neurological Therapy?
"So tell me doc, how does acupuncture work anyway?" This is a question that I get an awful lot as an acupuncturist. I have also written about it in the past from a Traditional Chinese Medical perspective, but there are newer models for the mechanisms at work with acupuncture and other physical medicines that I think need a revisit. Read on and get better acquainted with my thoughts on how this all works.
As acupuncturists we can get very graphic with our detailed descriptions of the meridians, Qi, and the interconnectedness of the energetic organ systems. We will use symbolism adopted from the environment around us like wind, heat, cold, damp or dryness as ways of understanding the pathology in our bodies. I would venture to say that it would be rather foolish in these modern times to believe literally that there is wind blowing around in our bodies. But I will hold firm in the use of this type of symbolism as a tool of defining, understanding, and treating various disharmonies that come up with our health. After all, the system does work for most things. But all this beautiful imagery aside, how does it work? People, including myself, have an innate curiosity to know what mechanism is involved in the insertion of a needle in the hand and the relief of neck pain for example. How that occurs exactly is still a bit uncertain but I would like to offer a very plausible mechanism that I hope will transform the hocus-pocus of acupuncture into something that is easily understood and respected as a valuable and legitimate medical modality.
The first thing to understand about our health is that our brain is everything. Without healthy brain function we could not walk, talk, digest or enjoy our food, appreciate the arts, feel or control our pain, etc. You name it, the brain is everything. Unfortunately in both mainstream and alternative medicines alike we tend to separate the head from the rest of the body. Medicine has ended up getting chopped up into separate systems and rarely, even in alternative medicine, is the whole body, brain included, taken into consideration. This came about from the start of medical thought where all they had was gross anatomy, or what they could see with their eyes. Each system was described and studied as separate concepts and specialists were created in each area. But it was the ancient Chinese that began to really put the pieces together, however archaic their system may seem to some. The Traditional Chinese Medical model does not distinguish between mental, emotional, or physical disharmonies. And they understood that stimulation of points on the hand or foot could have dramatic affects on the head for example. What they did not understand is that by stimulating these points they were actually stimulating pathways in the brain that had positive downstream consequences elsewhere in the body. This has since been shown to be the case in modern brain imaging studies.
The most plausible mechanism for an acupuncture needle that is placed in the hand to create a change elsewhere in the body can be found in small muscle and nerve bundles called golgi tendon receptors. These nerve-like bundles are located in the areas of the tendons and muscles and fire directly into the brain. The primary function of these receptors are to protect the muscle from over strain. For example if you try to lift a very heavy object the golgi receptors will recognize the strain and send a message to your brain to tell the involved muscle to relax. I first learned of these areas many years ago through my Ju-Jitsu training. It came in handy when immobilizing my opponent's limb. Pressure applied directly to the golgi tendon receptor can render an arm powerless. So when inserting an acupuncture needle in a specific area it is plausible that the acupuncturist is stimulating one or many of these golgi tendon receptor areas and stimulating the part of the brain that controls a specific part or system of the body. This gets much more intricate than what I was doing in martial arts. Acupuncture uses combinations of points to create a specific outcome. These patterns of stimulation to particular areas of the body directly stimulate the brain.
The same concept can be applied to any of the physical medicines like chiropractic, massage therapy, aromatherapy, or even music therapy. You will find that one of these modalities will generally work better for certain people. There are certainly the chiropractic loyalists who want to turn everyone they know onto chiropractic because it works so well for them. The same goes for acupuncture and the rest. Each individual has a unique brain/body connection and therefore will respond to different stimuli. This is why certain people will gravitate to the certain modalities. The bottom line here is that it isn't the particular modality that is more valid than the next. It has all to do with the person's unjique brain/body connection that is receiving the treatment.
But what we do know is that the current literature clearly demonstrates dramatic changes in both brain and organ activity with things like acupuncture which can be easily reproduced. We know that the electrical potential across the skin in the area of the acupuncture points is greater than the area adjacent. That means that there is more potential for electrical conductivity at the acupuncture points vs. the areas where no acupuncture points exist. We have seen the immediate stimulation and contraction of the gall bladder for example by the stimulation of a sole acupuncture point on the lateral part of the knee. We have measured increases in the neurotransmitters of the brain from acupuncture and massage. And we can easily see with real time functional MRI imaging that the firing rate of the brain changes immediately with the stimulation of true acupuncture points that is in contrast to sham acupuncture points. That means that the tester is trying to trick the patient with acupuncture points that are not real. The real ones make the appropriate changes in the brain and the fake ones do not.
I personally find this all to be amazing and fascinating. I do very much appreciate the beauty and imagery that Traditional Chinese Medicine has offered me as a tool to understand and treat a vast complexity of different medical disorders. This type of medicine truly is an art form. But the western scientist in me wants to know, like the rest of us, what I am actually doing to help my patients when I perform acupuncture. The answer appears to be really quite simple. Our bodies are not individual systems separate from one another. Our bodies are complex interconnected working systems that support one another and everything is controlled by our brains. By stimulating key points on the body we are directly stimulating the brain which will tend to have an immediate and positive downstream affect on the various systems of our body. Hence a successful and scientifically realistic acupuncture treatment.
A final thought and a little teaser for the next entry would be to pose the question, "Why do physical modalities like acupuncture, chiropractic or massage work better for some people and not others or work better on certain days and not others?" Could it have to do with the health and firing rate of the individual brains perhaps? Look out for my next newsletter for some explanation of this very important concept. But in the mean time keep coming in for acupuncture. Or if you are not currently doing so, go get some acupuncture for crying out loud! Your body and brain alike will be the better for it.
As acupuncturists we can get very graphic with our detailed descriptions of the meridians, Qi, and the interconnectedness of the energetic organ systems. We will use symbolism adopted from the environment around us like wind, heat, cold, damp or dryness as ways of understanding the pathology in our bodies. I would venture to say that it would be rather foolish in these modern times to believe literally that there is wind blowing around in our bodies. But I will hold firm in the use of this type of symbolism as a tool of defining, understanding, and treating various disharmonies that come up with our health. After all, the system does work for most things. But all this beautiful imagery aside, how does it work? People, including myself, have an innate curiosity to know what mechanism is involved in the insertion of a needle in the hand and the relief of neck pain for example. How that occurs exactly is still a bit uncertain but I would like to offer a very plausible mechanism that I hope will transform the hocus-pocus of acupuncture into something that is easily understood and respected as a valuable and legitimate medical modality.
The first thing to understand about our health is that our brain is everything. Without healthy brain function we could not walk, talk, digest or enjoy our food, appreciate the arts, feel or control our pain, etc. You name it, the brain is everything. Unfortunately in both mainstream and alternative medicines alike we tend to separate the head from the rest of the body. Medicine has ended up getting chopped up into separate systems and rarely, even in alternative medicine, is the whole body, brain included, taken into consideration. This came about from the start of medical thought where all they had was gross anatomy, or what they could see with their eyes. Each system was described and studied as separate concepts and specialists were created in each area. But it was the ancient Chinese that began to really put the pieces together, however archaic their system may seem to some. The Traditional Chinese Medical model does not distinguish between mental, emotional, or physical disharmonies. And they understood that stimulation of points on the hand or foot could have dramatic affects on the head for example. What they did not understand is that by stimulating these points they were actually stimulating pathways in the brain that had positive downstream consequences elsewhere in the body. This has since been shown to be the case in modern brain imaging studies.
The most plausible mechanism for an acupuncture needle that is placed in the hand to create a change elsewhere in the body can be found in small muscle and nerve bundles called golgi tendon receptors. These nerve-like bundles are located in the areas of the tendons and muscles and fire directly into the brain. The primary function of these receptors are to protect the muscle from over strain. For example if you try to lift a very heavy object the golgi receptors will recognize the strain and send a message to your brain to tell the involved muscle to relax. I first learned of these areas many years ago through my Ju-Jitsu training. It came in handy when immobilizing my opponent's limb. Pressure applied directly to the golgi tendon receptor can render an arm powerless. So when inserting an acupuncture needle in a specific area it is plausible that the acupuncturist is stimulating one or many of these golgi tendon receptor areas and stimulating the part of the brain that controls a specific part or system of the body. This gets much more intricate than what I was doing in martial arts. Acupuncture uses combinations of points to create a specific outcome. These patterns of stimulation to particular areas of the body directly stimulate the brain.
The same concept can be applied to any of the physical medicines like chiropractic, massage therapy, aromatherapy, or even music therapy. You will find that one of these modalities will generally work better for certain people. There are certainly the chiropractic loyalists who want to turn everyone they know onto chiropractic because it works so well for them. The same goes for acupuncture and the rest. Each individual has a unique brain/body connection and therefore will respond to different stimuli. This is why certain people will gravitate to the certain modalities. The bottom line here is that it isn't the particular modality that is more valid than the next. It has all to do with the person's unjique brain/body connection that is receiving the treatment.
But what we do know is that the current literature clearly demonstrates dramatic changes in both brain and organ activity with things like acupuncture which can be easily reproduced. We know that the electrical potential across the skin in the area of the acupuncture points is greater than the area adjacent. That means that there is more potential for electrical conductivity at the acupuncture points vs. the areas where no acupuncture points exist. We have seen the immediate stimulation and contraction of the gall bladder for example by the stimulation of a sole acupuncture point on the lateral part of the knee. We have measured increases in the neurotransmitters of the brain from acupuncture and massage. And we can easily see with real time functional MRI imaging that the firing rate of the brain changes immediately with the stimulation of true acupuncture points that is in contrast to sham acupuncture points. That means that the tester is trying to trick the patient with acupuncture points that are not real. The real ones make the appropriate changes in the brain and the fake ones do not.
I personally find this all to be amazing and fascinating. I do very much appreciate the beauty and imagery that Traditional Chinese Medicine has offered me as a tool to understand and treat a vast complexity of different medical disorders. This type of medicine truly is an art form. But the western scientist in me wants to know, like the rest of us, what I am actually doing to help my patients when I perform acupuncture. The answer appears to be really quite simple. Our bodies are not individual systems separate from one another. Our bodies are complex interconnected working systems that support one another and everything is controlled by our brains. By stimulating key points on the body we are directly stimulating the brain which will tend to have an immediate and positive downstream affect on the various systems of our body. Hence a successful and scientifically realistic acupuncture treatment.
A final thought and a little teaser for the next entry would be to pose the question, "Why do physical modalities like acupuncture, chiropractic or massage work better for some people and not others or work better on certain days and not others?" Could it have to do with the health and firing rate of the individual brains perhaps? Look out for my next newsletter for some explanation of this very important concept. But in the mean time keep coming in for acupuncture. Or if you are not currently doing so, go get some acupuncture for crying out loud! Your body and brain alike will be the better for it.
Vascular Disease: A Holistic Endeavor
The term Holistic Medicine refers to the view that the whole body system must be analyzed in order to properly address any one particular concern. Much in the mainstream theory of medicine works to cut the focus of treatment down to the one key factor believed to be the major player in the problem. Millions of dollars are spent finding this one key factor. Eventually someone will indeed find what they believe to be the one key factor. Usually they are the ones that have the bigger budget. But our bodies don't really work in that way. Life is complex. It is a mish mash of millions of contributing factors. We can't just look at health as a coexisting bundle of singular systems. I feel that doing so is missing the point of our wonderful complexity. Indeed we need to take account for the many variables involved in any given system and how they interplay and depend on one another. When it comes to vascular disease, we can't just blame the dreaded cholesterol. Just like every other system in our body the vascular system depends upon many different variables to remain healthy. I hope through this short article to describe other players involved in vascular disease and help the reader gain more information to protect both themselves and the people in their lives.
So what goes into creating vascular disease? The basic story goes like this... Plaque begins to build up in along the artery walls which gets to a critical point and then rips off causing a downstream blockage. This leads to death of the blood starved tissues and you have your heart attack, stroke, pulmonary embolism, peripheral vascular disease, or something of the like. This is not good. Major debility and death often result. For the most part the mainstream focus has been on lowering cholesterol since cholesterol in part makes up the plaque in our arteries. (So does Calcium mind you, but we aren't told to lower Calcium intake now are we?) But one thing that they don't really address is why the plaque is building up in the first place! The key here is inflammation of the arterial wall. If the lining of the arteries are smooth and slippery the cholesterol will slip right on by without bothering anything. I really don't care if you have a total cholesterol of 150 or 250. If you are not inflamed you probably will not develop vascular disease.
So what then leads to inflamed arteries? The process usually begins when there is poor blood sugar balance. This sets in motion a large cascade of inflammatory processes which works to inflame not only the arteries, but the entire body. The once slick and smooth artery soon becomes rough and abrasive. At some point a small tear opens in the lining of the artery and a small pocket is formed. It is here where cholesterol begins to collect and form a plaque. But that's not all. This plaque stays there and as it builds it becomes rancid and subject to oxidative stress (damage from free radicals) which weakens it and makes for a very dangerous condition. It isn't long until that clot, or a piece thereof breaks free and blocks something downstream. The more free radical damage, or oxidative stress you have, the more likely that you will end up intimately aware of the fallout of vascular disease. So that's the short story. Heart disease is still the leading cause of death in the U.S. despite the ever increasing amounts of cholesterol lowering medications. Not much is really being done to address the increasing oxidative stress our bodies are being forced to manage, or the raging blood sugar epidemic we are witnessing in our country. Statin therapy, as much as they want you to believe, does not address the inflammation in any significant way. Much better to stick to good old fish oil and a well balanced blood sugar!
So what then can be done? How should we be managing these vascular health concerns if we decide to rethink our "need" for medication? Well to do it right you need to consider all of the factors involved:
• Blood sugar regulation
• Oxidative stress (or free radical damage)
• Inflammation
• Cholesterol (both total cholesterol and ratios)
• Hormone balance
• Poor diet/lifestyle
• Lack of cardio exercise
• And yeah, there's more
Considering all of these different pathways associated with vascular disease together makes for a much more powerful treatment protocol than treating just one alone as is seen with Statin drug therapy. For this I turn to the practitioner only formula Triplichol from a leading Nutraceutical company called Ortho Molecular Products. Triplichol contains different compounds like pharmaceutical grade fish oil, niacin and plant sterols which work to balance the cholesterol. It contains the compounds Quercetin and Grape Seed Extract to address blood vessel health. And it contains the compounds Resveratrol and Green Tea Extract which are powerful antioxidants to address any oxidative damage. You just don't find that kind of broad spectrum therapy in many other products. Along with proper diet and lifestyle modifications as well as a cardio exercise program I am confident that this approach will blow the doors off of the mainstream therapies. Remember, according to the Centers for Disease Control roughly 52% of the people who die of heart disease die with normal to low cholesterol. A lot is getting missed if you ask me. I think the numbers speak for themselves.
So call me today and ask me more about how I can help you manage your cardiovascular health and avoid the harsh medications aimed solely on lowering only one type of cholesterol. There are certainly a lot of alternatives out there for you and I look forward to helping you understand ALL of your options. Remember, you are in charge of your own health. I urge you to gather all the information that you can and make the most educated decisions possible.
So what goes into creating vascular disease? The basic story goes like this... Plaque begins to build up in along the artery walls which gets to a critical point and then rips off causing a downstream blockage. This leads to death of the blood starved tissues and you have your heart attack, stroke, pulmonary embolism, peripheral vascular disease, or something of the like. This is not good. Major debility and death often result. For the most part the mainstream focus has been on lowering cholesterol since cholesterol in part makes up the plaque in our arteries. (So does Calcium mind you, but we aren't told to lower Calcium intake now are we?) But one thing that they don't really address is why the plaque is building up in the first place! The key here is inflammation of the arterial wall. If the lining of the arteries are smooth and slippery the cholesterol will slip right on by without bothering anything. I really don't care if you have a total cholesterol of 150 or 250. If you are not inflamed you probably will not develop vascular disease.
So what then leads to inflamed arteries? The process usually begins when there is poor blood sugar balance. This sets in motion a large cascade of inflammatory processes which works to inflame not only the arteries, but the entire body. The once slick and smooth artery soon becomes rough and abrasive. At some point a small tear opens in the lining of the artery and a small pocket is formed. It is here where cholesterol begins to collect and form a plaque. But that's not all. This plaque stays there and as it builds it becomes rancid and subject to oxidative stress (damage from free radicals) which weakens it and makes for a very dangerous condition. It isn't long until that clot, or a piece thereof breaks free and blocks something downstream. The more free radical damage, or oxidative stress you have, the more likely that you will end up intimately aware of the fallout of vascular disease. So that's the short story. Heart disease is still the leading cause of death in the U.S. despite the ever increasing amounts of cholesterol lowering medications. Not much is really being done to address the increasing oxidative stress our bodies are being forced to manage, or the raging blood sugar epidemic we are witnessing in our country. Statin therapy, as much as they want you to believe, does not address the inflammation in any significant way. Much better to stick to good old fish oil and a well balanced blood sugar!
So what then can be done? How should we be managing these vascular health concerns if we decide to rethink our "need" for medication? Well to do it right you need to consider all of the factors involved:
• Blood sugar regulation
• Oxidative stress (or free radical damage)
• Inflammation
• Cholesterol (both total cholesterol and ratios)
• Hormone balance
• Poor diet/lifestyle
• Lack of cardio exercise
• And yeah, there's more
Considering all of these different pathways associated with vascular disease together makes for a much more powerful treatment protocol than treating just one alone as is seen with Statin drug therapy. For this I turn to the practitioner only formula Triplichol from a leading Nutraceutical company called Ortho Molecular Products. Triplichol contains different compounds like pharmaceutical grade fish oil, niacin and plant sterols which work to balance the cholesterol. It contains the compounds Quercetin and Grape Seed Extract to address blood vessel health. And it contains the compounds Resveratrol and Green Tea Extract which are powerful antioxidants to address any oxidative damage. You just don't find that kind of broad spectrum therapy in many other products. Along with proper diet and lifestyle modifications as well as a cardio exercise program I am confident that this approach will blow the doors off of the mainstream therapies. Remember, according to the Centers for Disease Control roughly 52% of the people who die of heart disease die with normal to low cholesterol. A lot is getting missed if you ask me. I think the numbers speak for themselves.
So call me today and ask me more about how I can help you manage your cardiovascular health and avoid the harsh medications aimed solely on lowering only one type of cholesterol. There are certainly a lot of alternatives out there for you and I look forward to helping you understand ALL of your options. Remember, you are in charge of your own health. I urge you to gather all the information that you can and make the most educated decisions possible.
Wind Invasions and Other Funny Business
Ever wonder what in the world us acupuncturists are thinking when we tell you that you have some kind damp heat accumulation in your lower jiao, or that your liver qi is attacking your spleen? Well how about a wind invasion?
I hope to help you understand a bit better where we are coming from by talking today about wind invasions. After all, it is the time of year for them. By wind invasion I am really talking about colds and flu. So how does what we do for a cold differ from what you might otherwise accomplish at the drug store? Simply put, the methods and herbs prescribed for these illnesses work to both address the symptom as well as fight off the infection. And it does this with specificity in mind as to the particular type of infection. A cold pill only gets you through the week.
Now we all know the basic symptoms of a cold or flu, but not every infection will present the same. Take for example what we call a wind heat invasion. This is the type of cold that creates hot type symptoms such as fever, cough, red/swollen throat, sweats and perhaps a thick green or yellow mucus. This is in sharp contrast to the type of cold that produces chills, headache, stiff neck, and a clear runny nose as seen in a wind cold invasion. Therapy for the two in our system would be different.
Now the over-the-counter treatment for all this would generally be the same. You might reach for a cold pill containing acetaminophen for a pain killer and fever reducer, a cough suppressant even though you may not even have a cough, an expectorant to clear out the mucus and an antihistamine to help you sleep. Everything here is strictly symptom based, and often treats symptoms that you do not even have.
Now something like a flu shot is designed to build immunity to the influenza virus responsible for giving you the flu. But unless you want to inject mercury, aluminum, formaldehyde, and other nasty stuff into yourself when you are trying to stay healthy, I would advise against going that route. There is just too much evidence indicating that flu shots are more dangerous than they are worth. There may be a time for them, but probably not about 95% of the time. But that is really another article.
From the Chinese Medical perspective we reach for herbs that address the particular condition of the patient. For example if there are the cold type symptoms we would prescribe warming herbs like ginger, cinnamon, and some other fun Chinese named herbs that not only warm the system, but have anti-viral properties to address the infection. If there is a heat type infection we would reach for herbs that are cooling in nature like mint for example. We can effectively treat the symptoms by balancing out heat and cold and address the infection by mixing in herbs that have anti viral and/or bacterial properties.
Overall Chinese herbal formulas are a very well balanced and safe way to address many medical conditions. The beauty of such an approach is that it allows the practitioner to take into account not only the patient, but the environment in which the patient is living. The more we can relate to what is affecting us the better we can exist harmoniously with our environment and allow for a healthier experience. Now let me be the first to admit here that it is important to look specifically and scientifically into some issues, but let me also suggest that it is equally as important to be willing and able to take a step back and simplify things a bit. Sometimes it is just easier to call it a wind invasion and treat it with acupuncture points and herbs indicated for wind invasions. There is a lot of wisdom in the Traditional Chinese approach to medicine. The actual science is wrapped up in the symbolism. You would be surprised to know all the things we can treat effectively, even when we do call them something a little odd like "Phlegm Fire Misting the Orifices," for example.
Allow yourself to have an open mind and the world becomes a much bigger place. Allow yourself to contact me and who knows how much better you may feel!
I hope to help you understand a bit better where we are coming from by talking today about wind invasions. After all, it is the time of year for them. By wind invasion I am really talking about colds and flu. So how does what we do for a cold differ from what you might otherwise accomplish at the drug store? Simply put, the methods and herbs prescribed for these illnesses work to both address the symptom as well as fight off the infection. And it does this with specificity in mind as to the particular type of infection. A cold pill only gets you through the week.
Now we all know the basic symptoms of a cold or flu, but not every infection will present the same. Take for example what we call a wind heat invasion. This is the type of cold that creates hot type symptoms such as fever, cough, red/swollen throat, sweats and perhaps a thick green or yellow mucus. This is in sharp contrast to the type of cold that produces chills, headache, stiff neck, and a clear runny nose as seen in a wind cold invasion. Therapy for the two in our system would be different.
Now the over-the-counter treatment for all this would generally be the same. You might reach for a cold pill containing acetaminophen for a pain killer and fever reducer, a cough suppressant even though you may not even have a cough, an expectorant to clear out the mucus and an antihistamine to help you sleep. Everything here is strictly symptom based, and often treats symptoms that you do not even have.
Now something like a flu shot is designed to build immunity to the influenza virus responsible for giving you the flu. But unless you want to inject mercury, aluminum, formaldehyde, and other nasty stuff into yourself when you are trying to stay healthy, I would advise against going that route. There is just too much evidence indicating that flu shots are more dangerous than they are worth. There may be a time for them, but probably not about 95% of the time. But that is really another article.
From the Chinese Medical perspective we reach for herbs that address the particular condition of the patient. For example if there are the cold type symptoms we would prescribe warming herbs like ginger, cinnamon, and some other fun Chinese named herbs that not only warm the system, but have anti-viral properties to address the infection. If there is a heat type infection we would reach for herbs that are cooling in nature like mint for example. We can effectively treat the symptoms by balancing out heat and cold and address the infection by mixing in herbs that have anti viral and/or bacterial properties.
Overall Chinese herbal formulas are a very well balanced and safe way to address many medical conditions. The beauty of such an approach is that it allows the practitioner to take into account not only the patient, but the environment in which the patient is living. The more we can relate to what is affecting us the better we can exist harmoniously with our environment and allow for a healthier experience. Now let me be the first to admit here that it is important to look specifically and scientifically into some issues, but let me also suggest that it is equally as important to be willing and able to take a step back and simplify things a bit. Sometimes it is just easier to call it a wind invasion and treat it with acupuncture points and herbs indicated for wind invasions. There is a lot of wisdom in the Traditional Chinese approach to medicine. The actual science is wrapped up in the symbolism. You would be surprised to know all the things we can treat effectively, even when we do call them something a little odd like "Phlegm Fire Misting the Orifices," for example.
Allow yourself to have an open mind and the world becomes a much bigger place. Allow yourself to contact me and who knows how much better you may feel!
Breakfast: Why The Morning Meal Is So Important
“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!” Really… no kidding. Then why is it that for so many of us breakfast is perhaps the least respected? As our daily life stresses mount with work projects, getting the kids to school, and trying to squeeze in that last minute of sleep the most important meal quickly becomes a questionable meal at best. Yet we still expect the same success out of our days and thedays of our children. So why is this age old adage so accurate and what should we be feeding ourselves and our kids so that we all can get the most out of our day? I hope to answer these questions for you and perhaps inspire you to take breakfast perhaps just a little more seriously.
To understand the importance of breakfast you must first understand that our brains need a steady supply of blood sugar to work optimally. As we fast, such as when we sleep, our brains require a tremendous amount of sugar to keep us going. Since we are not eating in our sleep (hopefully!) we produce the hormone cortisol to keep our blood sugar stable. Cortisol allows us to liberate the stored sugars which we have put away from our daytime eating and use them when we aren’t getting new food. When our cortisol levels are low so is our blood sugar. And when our blood sugar is low so is our energy, and brain power! Just ask any teacher which children she thinks ate a good breakfast that morning. It is usually apparent. Many problems in the classroom (and work place?) can be traced back to the quality of the morning meal. The rub is that if we continue to disregard a stable blood sugar our cortisol levels will decline making the whole business of being awake a real mess! So how can we help to ensure that we start our day off on the right foot?
In the morning our stored sugars are at their lowest and need to be restocked. Certain foods do this better than others. The easy things to reach for are the simple carbs. They are usually quick, easy, and yummy! They can be found in most breakfast cereals, bagels, pancakes and heaven forbid doughnuts! These types of things are BAD for your day. Carbs like this create an immediate spike in the blood sugar which rapidly triggers a spike in the hormone insulin. Insulin then crashes your blood sugar down to very low levels leaving you in a low blood sugar state all over again. Often times this leaves you lower than before the meal. I’m sure you have witnessed a sugar crash. Halloween is coming guys! This kind of thing leaves your brain short on fuel and can have a tiring or foggy headed result. Not at all good for schoolwork or breadwinning!
If on the other hand you serve some ham and eggs with a side of whole grain toast you are allowing for a slow and steady raise in blood sugar with a much longer duration. This gives the brain plenty of blood sugar to work efficiently throughout longer periods of the day. Productivity and attention span go up dramatically. And there have been studies on kids who have eaten protein for breakfast vs. simple carbs having higher test scores. Long term this can lead to better schools and better opportunity for your children. And think of performance in the work place. Will promotions go to the guy who is on top of his game or the guy playing spider solitaire all day? Remember promotions mean more security for your family so this little concept is very important.
The bottom line here is that what we eat can have a dramatic affect on how we behave throughout the day. Take my advice and forget the simple carbs for breakfast. Incorporate higher protein and fiber containing foods first thing and you will be creating favorable conditions for optimum performance. Leave some sweet stuff in the mix for treats and rewards, but not as a mainstay for your morning.
Good luck, good health and happy eating!
To understand the importance of breakfast you must first understand that our brains need a steady supply of blood sugar to work optimally. As we fast, such as when we sleep, our brains require a tremendous amount of sugar to keep us going. Since we are not eating in our sleep (hopefully!) we produce the hormone cortisol to keep our blood sugar stable. Cortisol allows us to liberate the stored sugars which we have put away from our daytime eating and use them when we aren’t getting new food. When our cortisol levels are low so is our blood sugar. And when our blood sugar is low so is our energy, and brain power! Just ask any teacher which children she thinks ate a good breakfast that morning. It is usually apparent. Many problems in the classroom (and work place?) can be traced back to the quality of the morning meal. The rub is that if we continue to disregard a stable blood sugar our cortisol levels will decline making the whole business of being awake a real mess! So how can we help to ensure that we start our day off on the right foot?
In the morning our stored sugars are at their lowest and need to be restocked. Certain foods do this better than others. The easy things to reach for are the simple carbs. They are usually quick, easy, and yummy! They can be found in most breakfast cereals, bagels, pancakes and heaven forbid doughnuts! These types of things are BAD for your day. Carbs like this create an immediate spike in the blood sugar which rapidly triggers a spike in the hormone insulin. Insulin then crashes your blood sugar down to very low levels leaving you in a low blood sugar state all over again. Often times this leaves you lower than before the meal. I’m sure you have witnessed a sugar crash. Halloween is coming guys! This kind of thing leaves your brain short on fuel and can have a tiring or foggy headed result. Not at all good for schoolwork or breadwinning!
If on the other hand you serve some ham and eggs with a side of whole grain toast you are allowing for a slow and steady raise in blood sugar with a much longer duration. This gives the brain plenty of blood sugar to work efficiently throughout longer periods of the day. Productivity and attention span go up dramatically. And there have been studies on kids who have eaten protein for breakfast vs. simple carbs having higher test scores. Long term this can lead to better schools and better opportunity for your children. And think of performance in the work place. Will promotions go to the guy who is on top of his game or the guy playing spider solitaire all day? Remember promotions mean more security for your family so this little concept is very important.
The bottom line here is that what we eat can have a dramatic affect on how we behave throughout the day. Take my advice and forget the simple carbs for breakfast. Incorporate higher protein and fiber containing foods first thing and you will be creating favorable conditions for optimum performance. Leave some sweet stuff in the mix for treats and rewards, but not as a mainstay for your morning.
Good luck, good health and happy eating!
Food Sensitivities: Humbling Yet Empowering!
I have been in private practice now for more than six years and I can’t avoid it any longer. For a long time now I have been helping people streamline their diets to suit particular disharmonies in their body based upon the nutrition of the foods, but I have done very little to screen for foods that might be contributing to the problem at hand. I have recently teamed up with Immuno-Laboratories who are leaders in food sensitivity testing. I believe this new addition to my spractice will launch me to the next level in patient care. Read on and learn some basic concepts in food sensitivity and how it is an important consideration for all health concerns.
When talking about reacting to a food it is important to understand the difference between food allergy and food sensitivity. I am primarily talking today about sensitivity. A food allergy will produce an immediate reaction which can be mild like numb lips, or mild itchiness to sever as in your throat is closing and you may die without immediate medical intervention. Peanuts and shellfish are known for these types of reactions, and people who are in this category are usually already aware of this personal reality. Sensitivity on the other hand is a much more common problem than you might think. It is thought that up to 95% of the population has some amount of food sensitivity. These types of reactions are delayed. You can literally eat something one day and not notice anything for many days later. But there is a cumulative effect that goes on with sensitivity. The idea is that more you eat of an offending food the more you will notice and suffer chronic and seemingly unrelated medical conditions.
Consider this list of potential symptoms that are directly associated with food sensitivities:
Digestion: nausea, diarrhea, constipation, bloating, belching, passing of gas,
Emotions: mood swings, anxiety, anger, depression, binge eating
Energy: fatigue, sluggishness, drowsiness, apathy, hyperactivity, restlessness
Eyes, Ears & Nose: watery/itchy eyes, ear infections, sinus problems
Heart & Lungs: irregular heartbeat, chest pain, asthma, bronchitis, congestion
Mind: poor memory/concentration, speech problems, learning disability, ADD
Muscles & Joints: general weakness, muscle/joint pain, stiffness
Skin: hives, rashes, dry skin, acne, hair loss, irritation around the eyes
Throat & Mouth: coughing, sore throat, hoarseness, sores on tongue/gums/lips
Other: excess weight, dizziness, water retention, insomnia, headaches, genital itch
Any of these sound familiar? Can you add them up and come up with one or more in each category? If so there is quite easily a food sensitivity concern for you. Finding out which foods you are sensitive to is the first step in feeling much better. If you are suffering any chronic condition I urge you to consider taking the steps to finding out what you are sensitive to in your diet. It could make a huge difference in your quality of life and may just be that one thing that finally gets you over the hump with your pain and suffering.
From my point of view as a clinician I see all kinds of chronic problems where some sort of stress on the body is contributing to the root of the problem. I often write about the interaction of the adrenal glands and the stress hormone cortisol with other systems of the body such as sex hormones. Indeed when the body is stressed all kinds of nasty things can happen with your hormones for example. Chronic pain is another mainstay in an acupuncture clinic and often has its root in chronic stress to the system. It is my obligation as a practitioner of Functional Medicine to find the hidden sources of this underlying stress and fix them so that the hormone problem or the pain can be fixed as well. Without finding the source of the stress success of the therapy will often be diminished and treatment ends up being a matter of chasing the symptoms. That becomes expensive and draining and ultimately leads to failure.
The above title mentions feeling both humbled and empowered through this process. It is humbling to find out that wheat for example may be causing you harm. Our reward centers in our brain kick in and say things like, “But I love my bagels, and my muffins! What will I do without them?” But it is important to know that when we eat these foods we release natural opiates in our brain. The poison is actually rewarding the drug addict within us. So yes, it is humbling to overcome an addiction. We are addicted to the foods that make us sick. How’s that for tough luck? But this process is also empowering because it is important for us to take control of our lives. There is power in that ability. And once you start to feel the benefits there is more enjoyment in life. This is the type of thing that can change your daily experience. You will be more inclined to exercise and spend time with your family, take vacations, etc. All it takes is the courage and follow through to create the change. Allow me to help you through this process and let’s see what changes we can make happen for you!