Early Spring 2010 Newsletter
CONTENTS:
THANKS to all who participated in the 2010 survey. The feedback was very helpful and the quotes of confidence for nice to hear!
SQUASH!
There’s not much in season right now, so our family is just finishing our winter supply of squash. Ever wonder if it has any nutritional value? Here are some of its benefits: Winter squash is loaded with beta carotene, the plant form of Vitamin A. This is true of many orange-colored veggies, like carrots. Beta carotene is a powerful antioxidant, helps promote healthy skin, healthy vision, and immune function, and recently has been found to reduce the risk of lung cancer. Squash is also rich in vitamin C. [Can we get enough vitamin C in the winter?] Vitamin C helps fight colds and flus, and is also an antioxidant, and is essential for wound repair and youthful skin.
Potassium, also found in high amounts in squash, is an essential mineral in all cellular activities, helps reduce high blood pressure and helps muscle tone and function. Winter squash also has compounds that helps fight other cancers, and prostate enlargement. It’s a food that is rarely found to be allergenic and has small amounts of omega 3 fatty acids and the trace mineral manganese. One caveat: Eat it organic. Conventional squash contains high amounts pesticide residues.
The Vitamin D Story: Swine flu and other lesser-known actions of Vitamin D.
The wonder drug of 2010 may not be a drug at all, but a vitmain. In the last decade, Vitamin D has been found to have links not just to bone growth and calcium absorption, but to immune function, cancer growth, seasonal mood disorders, heart disease, inflammatory disease, and skin functions. Most recently this fall and winter, I experienced how strongly vitamin D levels affect susceptibility to swine flu. In my practice, almost all the patients I saw in October and November who were taking Vitamin D did not get a flu-like illness, or had mild symptoms; and almost everyone who presented with a severe flu-like illness were not taking Vitamin D. My observations were confirmed by several research studies which found the same trend in a variety of clinical practices. Does this mean that swine flu is a symptom of vitamin D deficiency?
Vitamin D is a small, fat-soluble hormone that regulates many functions in the body. It is produced by the skin cells when they are exposed to sunlight, which is why it is sometimes called the “sunshine vitamin.” This is also why more than 50% of Portlanders are vitamin D deficient. In my practice, the only people that have tested within normal range for vitamin D in the last 6 months were taking supplementation. I would recommend that everyone take it all winter, but…
In excess dose, it can be toxic to the kidneys and liver. Being a fat-soluble vitamin means that it can accumulate in the cells to toxic levels, and then wreak serious havoc. Yet, in a deficiency state, it has been found that high doses are necessary to bring the levels back up to normal. Blood testing can help determine an accurate dose to take that will take the risk out of supplementation, and is relatively inexpensive and fast.
What you can do:
1.
Get tested to determine a good dosage for winter supplementation.
Get tested to determine a good dosage for winter supplementation. 2.Get sunshine, midday, on exposed skin, during those few sunny winter days.
Get sunshine, midday, on exposed skin, during those few sunny winter days. 3.Eat foods rich in vitamin D. These foods are either animal products or fortified. Below is a list:
Eat foods rich in vitamin D. These foods are either animal products or fortified. Below is a list: Cheese, butter, cream, fortified milk (all milk in the U.S. is fortified with vitamin D), fish, oysters, fortified cereals, and sun-exposed mushrooms. Nordic Natural makes a great Cod Liver Oil with Vitamin D.
Upcoming Talks
Thanks to all those who attended my last two talks. At both events, the room was filled, and many questions were asked and answered. I will be holding two more talks in the next two months. Please forward these talks to anyone you think might be interested.
Naturopathic Addiction Treatment: When willpower isn’t enough.
Wednesday, March 10th, 6:30pm at the Herb Shoppe
3327 SE Hawthorne.
Monday, April 5th, 5:30pm at People’s Community Room
3029 SE 21st.
Free to the public!
Summary: Our minds, brains, and bodies crave certain substances to try to correct neurochemistry that is imbalanced. These cravings can devastate the best of intentions to make a healthy change. These talks will focus on which substances can be masking or exacerbating neurotransmitter imbalances. I’ll talk about the neurotransmitter patterns of different kinds of addictions, and how these imbalances can be corrected through safe supplements, nutrition, and behavior and lifestyle changes, making change easier that you might think.
Chocolate, Coffee, and Sugar – how they affect your brain
This article is a sneak preview of the lectures coming up.
It amazes me that I can go to the grocery store and buy a little snack, eat it, and within minutes, feel an abrupt mood and energy shift. Even sometimes one small bite will go a long way. There is no doubt to me that many foods act as drugs, but the question I hope to answer is, how?
Chocolate has its strengths and weaknesses. Cacao is exceptionally high in magnesium, which is often deficient on the American diet (perhaps part of why the cravings are so intense at times!) It’s also a powerful antioxidant. But, it is the source of caffeine and other stimulants, and when made into chocolate, is high in sugar. There is something a little magical about how chocolate can alter so much within us.
Cacao contains the chemicals phenylethylamine (PEA) and anandamide. PEA is an adrenal-related chemical that we create naturally when we're excited. It also plays a role in feeling focused and alert, as well as loving. Anandamide is in our brain when we feel great. Anandamide is also called "chocolate amphetamine" as it causes changes in blood pressure and blood-sugar levels, leading to feelings of excitement and alertness. Anandamide works like an amphetamine to increase mood and decrease depression. Anandamide closely resembles THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), a chemical found in marijuana.
Chocolate also contains significant amounts of caffeine. Dark chocolate may have less sugar and other unwanted additives, but also contains more caffeine. On the subject of caffeine…
Coffee is a difficult substance to research. Everyone seems to have a bias when it comes to the facts: for or against; medical researchers included. Believe me, there is an abundance of faulty research on both sides. For example, some studies show that coffee may be protective against Alzheimer’s and heart disease.
One thing we do know that caffeine increases levels of circulating dopamine. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that in linked to the feeling of motivation. Low dopamine levels can cause addictions and compulsive gambling (although drinking coffee doesn’t seem to stop gamblers!) Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system by blocking adenosine, a neurotransmitter that normally causes a calming effect in the body. The resulting neural stimulation due to this blockage causes the adrenal glands to release adrenaline, the "fight or flight" hormone, and also increase cortisol, the adrenal hormone that regulates sleep and metabolism. It is these effects that causes jitteriness. Coffee, for most people, induces quick high and then a crash a few hours later, both in adrenal hormones and in blood sugar (in short, mood and energy).
The content of coffee seems to vary quite a bit depending on how it’s prepared. Different roasts and extracting processes (dark roast versus light, fine grind versus coarse, and filter/espresso/French/cold brewing) all affect both the acidity and the caffeine levels. Different people may not respond well to acidity, or caffeine. To make matters more complicated, there are dose-dependant responses as well. As always, the individual response is what’s most important.
Sugar is a ubiquitous drug in our culture. Most of you won’t be surprised to hear that I think it can be one of the most harmful substances to people who are dealing with mental and emotional issues. You might know already that is causes blood sugar imbalances and that can cause anxiety and emotional swings. You might also know that it can cause overgrowth of yeast in the gut which can cause all manner of bad moods and cravings. But do you know what it does to your brain?
Sugar-sensitive people have a naturally low level of beta-endorphin. Endorphins are what make us feel good when we exercise, and what our body releases to help block pain. Endorphins are our body’s opiates. Their biochemical response to foods (like alcohol) that cause the release of beta-endorphin can be significantly greater than that of people with an ordinary body chemistry. People who are sugar-sensitive tend to be more sensitive to emotional or physical pain.
Whether you are sugar-sensitive or not, sugar, like alcohol, causes a release of beta-endorphin. If you don’t have enough to endorphin to start with, this can make you feel high and can reduce both physical and emotional pain. People with normal body chemistry can enjoy this without ill effects. But sugar-sensitive people respond to the beta-endorphin effect of sugar in a bigger way because their brain cells have far more beta-endorphin receptors than ordinary people. Sugar can make you funny, relaxed, silly, inappropriate, talkative, and temporarily self-confident. You feel great -- and you long to feel this way again and again. An opiate-like food can, of course, cause a psychological AND physiological addiction. Withdrawal can happen, and cravings can be intense, especially if you are sugar-sensitive. For some people, sugar is an all-or-nothing food; you’re either on the wagon or off, there is no moderation possible, and the effects of indulgence are severe. Fortunately, naturopathic medicine has a lot of ways to address this issue.
In summary, that’s the Great Triad of food-drugs most popular in midwinter in Portland. Wow. You may never look at a mocha the same way again.
It also amazes me how I can affect a dramatic change in my own mood and energy; by taking a short run, by altering my pattern of breath, by thinking about someone who loves me, or even sometimes by smelling a flower. Rarely do these activities come with negative metabolic or brain consequences afterward. We, as Marianne Williamson said so eloquently, are powerful beyond measure. We do not serve anyone by playing small. As each of us is liberated, so we liberate others. We can take charge of our moods, minds, and brains.
The Water Report
I always thought Portland had exceptionally good tasting water, but I still used a water filter, just in case. Recently, the bad news rolled in. The Environmental Working Group recently released a multi-year study on 100 America cities drinking water quality. Portland ranked at 59/100 (100 being the lowest ranking). The primary contaminates are: chlorine and bromine byproducts, used to disinfect the water, but are known to cause cancer, arsenic, naturally occurring but highly linked to stomach cancers, phthalates, one of the problematic components of plastics that are linked with reproductive cancers and radium, naturally occurring but radioactive. In summary: I recommend filtering your water or buying prefiltered water, and make sure that those filters remove these substances. Not all filters are created equally. So, filter well, and drink plenty!
The report can be found at:
http://www.ewg.org/tap-water/whatsinyourwater/OR/Portland-Water-Bureau/4100657/
Increasing the medicinary prices
At the close of our fiscal year, we have needed to come to terms with the fact that our medicinary is not currently financially sustainable. Increases in the cost of shipping in 2009 affects our ability to keep our costs low. We will not be increasing the price of tinctures, but we will be increasing the markup of the rest of our supplements. Our prices have been consistently lower than the retail medicinaries in Portland. This will still be true much of the time. We decided to continue to keep a medicinary at the Sellwood clinic, though, because it is so helpful for our patients, and ensures ease of treatment and quality of supplements for patients. Prices will gradually increase as we get new shipments. I appreciate your understanding.
New Prescription Abilities
As of January 1, 2010 naturopathic physicians in the state of Oregon can prescribe and manage all medications.* This is good news for the naturopathic profession. In the past, NDs have had a limited drug formulary which was based on the drugs being classified as “naturally-derived,” or a derivative of a naturally-derived substance. This meant that NDs could legally prescribe prescription narcotics, but not safe, synthetic high blood pressure medications. It wasn’t very useful for a primary-care practice. The new legislation and abilities allow NDs to practice in a much more safe and effective manner.
*with the exception of anti-cancer chemotherapy drugs, and atypical antipsychotics.
Credit Card Processing, coming soon
I am hoping to have the ability to process debit and credit cards at both of my offices in the next week. It feels good to finally come into the 21st century world of technology!
In wellness,
Dr. Elissa
