Many People Would Rather Receive Electric Shocks than Engage in this Healthy Habit

"Holistic medicine" does not just mean substituting herbs for prescription drugs; it means looking at the whole person -- body and mind.  Stress has a powerful impact on our mental/emotional health, as well as our physical health (via the neurologic and endocrine systems).  To that end, I often teach people techniques such as quiet breathing exercises to improve stress management.

Quiet breathing, meditation -- these fall along the continuum of being alone with our thoughts, which is something most modern Americans are not accustomed to.  This has always been the case, but it seems to have gotten worse lately, with the 24/7 accessibility of technology.  Being alone with our thoughts has been proven to help decrease the stress response, which can improve our health in a variety of ways.  These techniques fall under the category of what I call "simple, but not easy:"  simple in concept, but not easy to perform.  A lot of people find that their mind rebels when faced with a lack of constant input.

Though I know from personal experience how challenging it can be to sit quietly with one's thoughts, researchers at the University of Virginia recently investigated this phenomenon through an interesting experiment.  They recruited adults to sit quietly alone in a room for about 15 minutes.  The volunteers were asked not to fall asleep.  The only activity they were allowed, other than just thinking, was to press a button that would administer a mild electric shock.

Now one would think that people would avoid this painful stimulus.  I mean, how hard can it be to just sit for 15 minutes?  The researchers were surprised, therefore, when 25% of female subjects and fully two-thirds of male subjected shocked themselves at least once.  Yes, most people preferred deliberately self-inflicted pain to sitting quietly for 15 minutes.

The researchers concluded that the conscious human mind is designed to engage with the world, which may be why this exercise is so difficult for many people.  That's why I recommend a variety of techniques to help people enjoy the benefits of quieting the mind:

• Focus on the feeling of the breath moving in and out of the lungs.
• Use visualizations, such as light moving in and out of your body.
• Use a mantra (repetitive word, with or without meaning) to engage the cognitive mind while allowing the rest of the mind to settle down.
• Use the techniques of Mindfulness Meditation:  actually focusing on the sensory input around you (rather than tuning it out), but without judgment or evaluation.
• Engage in "moving meditation," such as walking a labyrinth.

You might need to experiment to find which methods work best for you, but it is definitely worthwhile to make this a part of your daily routine.

1.  Just think: The challenges of the disengaged mind.  Science 4 July 2014: Vol. 345 no. 6192 pp. 75-77.
2.  What’s So Bad About Being Alone With Your Thoughts?  Science Friday, July 11, 2014.

Another Secret to a Smaller Waistline

There has been a lot of speculation about the increasing rates of obesity over the last few decades.  Many of the causes of this phenomenon are well known, and I have covered them in past articles: the move from whole foods to more processed foods, a decrease in physical activity with the rise in technology, and the increasing intake of both regular and diet soda pop.  One factor that often gets overlooked in this equation is the importance of a good night's sleep.

Researchers in the UK (1) recently published the results of a survey of over 100,000 women covering a 10 year period.  They found that light exposure at night disrupted the normal circadian rhythm (day-night cycle), and led to increased body mass index, and increased waist circumference.

If you are trying to shed pounds by increasing exercise, then bravo!  Just don't exercise late in the evening.  Night should be a time for winding down, decreasing activity, and definitely minimizing exposure to light (no falling asleep with the TV on).  The infographic below is a handy reminder of what's known as good sleep hygiene.  Use it to optimize your sleep, and maintain a healthier body weight.

1.  McFadden E et al.  The Relationship Between Obesity and Exposure to Light at Night.  Am J Epidemiol. 2014;180(3):245-250.

More Good News for Coffee

By now, you've probably heard that coffee is not the no-no that natural health experts used to think it was.  True, if you drink a lot of it, it can have negative effects such as disrupting sleep, increasing anxiety, and over the long term, exhausting your adrenal reserves.  In fact, you may recall that researchers have even found the cut-off for how much is too much:  more than four cups (32 fluid ounces) per day increases the risk of death.

If you drink coffee in moderation, add to its benefits a decreased risk of metabolic syndrome and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).  This was reported in a new meta-analysis (a study of studies), though the mechanism of protection is not clear.

Metabolic syndrome is a spectrum of health problems associated with our modern poor diet and sedentary lifestyle habits, including at least 3 of the following 5 conditions:

• Fasting blood sugar (glucose) ≥100 mg/dL
• Blood pressure ≥130/85 mm Hg
• Triglycerides ≥150 mg/dL
• HDL-C ("good cholesterol") < 40 mg/dL in men or < 50 mg/dL in women
• Waist circumference ≥40 inches in men or ≥35 inches in women

Your liver is the major organ of detoxification, as well as the master of regulating nutrition and metabolism in the body.  NAFLD, as its name implies, refers to the accumulation of fat in the liver that impairs its function, caused by unhealthy diet rather than alcohol intake.

As always, be sure to consume that coffee in moderation, and minimize (or skip altogether) the milk and sugar.

Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2013;38(9):1038-1044. 

The Skinny on Fat

In the 1970s and 80s, fat was the bad boy of nutrition.  Since then, research has reminded us of so many of the “forgotten” good things about fat -- from the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, to absorbing our fat-soluble vitamins and beyond.  As research goes on, more facts come to light to dispel our fears of this nutrient.

A few months ago, I reported that a Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil and nuts decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease by 30% compared to a low-fat diet.  Further analysis (1) of the data from this study (the PREDIMED study from Spain) found that the monounsaturated fat-rich Mediterranean diet also decreased diabetes risk by a third.  This is huge:  cardiovascular disease and diabetes are two of the biggest causes of death and morbidity in this country.  Focusing on low glycemic index foods like whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables, as well as losing our fear of healthy fats like extra-virgin olive oil, can spell out huge health benefits.

Furthermore, a meta-analysis (a study of studies) published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2010 (2) tore down one of the most sacred cows of nutrition and health research:  the "evil" of saturated fat.  The authors found no association of saturated fat intake with cardiovascular disease or stroke in the best-designed nutritional studies available to date.  This is mind-boggling, since everyone "knows" that chomping on a cheeseburger will instantly make your arteries clog up.  The jury is still out. but it appears that the ratio of unsaturated fat (from sources like olive oil, fish oil, or nuts) to saturated fat is more important than the absolute amount of saturated fat.  Translated into English, this means that at least half of your dietary fat should come from these healthier sources.  One word of caution, though, is that omega-6-rich fats such as vegetable oil might actually be bad for the heart.

As we sort through all of this evidence. it looks like the best recommendations we have to date are:

• Overall, a low-fat diet is not healthier for most people.
• Balance saturated fat intake (meat, dairy, coconut oil) with healthier fats (olive oil, nuts, avocados).
• Use vegetable oils sparingly (canola, corn, peanut oil).
• Do all of this in the context of a varied, fiber-rich, low glycemic index eating pattern, such as the Mediterranean Diet.

1.  Ann Intern Med. 2014;160(1):1-10-10. doi:10.7326/M13-1725
2.  Am J Clin Nutr 2010;91:535–46.

For Clear, Healthy Skin, Take Care of the Gut

Eczema is a troubling skin condition that affects millions of Americans.  The itchy rash of eczema is due to an atopic reaction: an inappropriate inflammatory response by the immune system.  One thing that has long been known to help eczema, especially the type associated with food allergies, is the use of probiotics supplements (those beneficial bacteria).  Sometimes we think of probiotics as only helping with digestive problems, but their beneficial effects extend throughout the body.  These effects range from helping with obesity to depression to autism.

A new review study (1) clarified the effects of probiotics in eczema and food allergies.  The author clarified that probiotics taken orally have a balancing effect on our immune system (immunomodulation).  This is because most of our immune tissue is located along the lining of our digestive tract.  The interaction of probiotic bacteria with these immune cells sends chemical signals to the immune system in the rest of the body, to make sure it's not overactive or under-active.  Think of it as a toning workout for our immune system.

Probiotic supplementation seems to be most effective at preventing and treating eczema from ages 0 to 2.  Prenatal probiotic supplementation by the mother can also have a strong preventive effect.

The type of probiotic matters, also.  The most beneficial effect was seen with Lactobacillus rhamnosus, but the author emphasized that the chief consideration for immunomodulation is the diversity of microbes in the gut.  For this, it's important to maintain a high fiber diet, to provide the prebiotic nutrients necessary to feed these helpful critters.  Another key to microbial diversity is to declare a truce in the "war on bugs:"  let your kids play in the dirt.  Get rid of the antibacterial hand soaps.  Take it easy on the Clorox wipes.  By decreasing our exposure to germs, this kind of over-attention to hygiene may actually be one of the big contributors to the increased incidence of allergies and eczema over the last couple of decades.

1.  Kuitunen M.  Probiotics and Prebiotics in Preventing Food Allergy and Eczema.  Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. 2013;13(3):280-286. 

Another Key to Childhood Behavioral Problems: Avoid This at All Costs

Aggression.  Inattention.  These issues just seem to be getting more and more prevalent in kids all the Time these days.  Last month, I told you how inadequate sleep can greatly increase the risk of aggressive behavior in children.  Recent research has uncovered another culprit in this growing problem:  soft drinks.

Researchers at Columbia University in New York examined almost 3000 children, looking at the average soda consumption and behavioral habits of five-year-olds.  They used maternal reports of the amount of soda consumed, and an assessment called the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL).  The results?  Even one soda per day significantly increased problem behaviors.  And with higher soda consumption, the aggression just gets worse.  Four soft drinks per day doubled the score for inattention and withdrawn behavior, and almost quintupled the aggression score, compared to kids who drank no soda.  These differences remained significant even after controlling for other factors, such as intake of other sweets, level of physical activity, and maternal depression.

Interestingly, the researchers did not differentiate among types of soft drinks: regular versus diet, caffeinated versus decaffeinated.  So it is unclear whether this is an issue with sugar, caffeine, or just a marker of an overall poor diet.  Not surprisingly, the American Beverage Association capitalized on this uncertainty to state that this study does not prove that soft drinks cause any problem behaviors.  Sure.  Just like they have said that artificial sweeteners are a good alternative to sugar, when science has shown that diet soda is linked to dangerously increased stroke risk and diabetes risk in adults.

To me, this is just another reason to say that pop is an unnecessary health risk, no matter what your age.

Sugila S et al.  Soft Drinks Consumption Is Associated with Behavior Problems in 5-Year-Olds.  J Peds 21 August 2013.

Are You Missing This Important Supplement for Childhood Behavioral Problems?

Behavioral problems in children often start during the preschool years.  Making sure that kids have a healthy, balanced diet, as well as plenty of physical activity, can make a big difference in kids' behavior.  One "supplement" that is becoming more overlooked these days is one of the foundations of health in naturopathic medicine: sleep.

Recent research from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City (1) examined almost 9000 preschool aged children, and looked at the relationship between sleep and behavior.  They found that kids who average fewer than 9.44 hours of sleep per night have a 30 to 40% higher rate of anger, impulsivity, overactivity, and tantrums.  Significantly, these kids were also 80% more likely to be aggressive.  More than two hours of television viewing per night was also associated with worse overall behavior.

Inadequate sleep for adults may result in mood problems, increased pain sensitivity, and even a greater risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.  Now, we have further evidence of just one more way that sleep is critical for kids as well.  Follow these guidelines to ensure a good nights rest for your little ones:

• Stick with a scheduled bedtime and wake-up time.  Aim for at least 10 hours of sleep per night.  So if the kids have to be up at 7 AM, make sure they're in bed by 9 PM.
• Turn off all screens (TV, computer, smartphone, tablet, etc.) at least one hour before bedtime.
• Keep the bedroom cool and dark to make falling asleep easier.
• If your child is having trouble falling asleep, consult your naturopathic physician before trying any sleep aid -- even natural ones.

1.  Scharf RJ et al.  Nighttime Sleep Duration and Externalizing Behaviors of Preschool Children.  J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2013;34:384-391.