Vitamin D and you! March 12, 2009

Winter in the Pacific NW generally means very little opportunity for sun exposure.  When you’re talking about a nutrient that is made in the body when skin gets exposed to UV light, the lack of rays can be a problemo grande.

I’ve been checking my patients’ Vitamin D levels this winter with surprising results.  I have yet to get a normal result back.  The normal range isn’t even all that high.  People still have symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency at the “normal” level.  Symptoms like: lethargy, decreased mood, body aches, soreness, headaches, decreased libido.  Any of this sound familiar?

When I was in medical school, a family member called me with what sounded like a classic case of fibromyalgia.  She was having difficulty sleeping, had lots of pain in her body, and was tired all the time.  One of my mentors at the time suggested Vitamin D.  She got her levels checked and they were extremely LOW.  She started taking 1000 IU/day.  Her levels have been in the optimum range now for years AND she doesn’t feel like she has fibromyalgia.

Aside from feeling good in the winter, Vitamin D is important for long-term health issues.  Check out this article in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  It talks about how Vitamin D appears to delay aging and diseases of aging by slowing the turnover rate of white blood cells.

Taking a high quality Vitamin D supplement daily is a good idea if you live somewhere gray.  It’s also a good idea to get your nutrients from food sources whenever possible.  The best sources of Vitamin D are:

• Herring, 85 g (3 ounces (oz)) provides 1383 IU
• Catfish, 85 g (3 oz) provides 425 IU
• Salmon, cooked, 100 g (3.5 oz]) provides 360 IU
• Mackerel, cooked, 100 g (3.5 oz]), 345 IU
• Sardines, canned in oil, drained, 50 g (1.75 oz), 250 IU
• Tuna, canned in oil, 85 g (3 oz), 200 IU
• Eel, cooked, 100 g (3.5 oz), 200 IU
• One whole egg, provides 20 IU

*amounts provided by Wikipedia.*

Women of childbearing age and children should not eat mackerel  or more than 6oz of tuna per week due to mercury content.

There are rare cases of people overdosing on Vitamin D.  You should always consult with your doctor before adding anything new to your daily intake of nutrients.  It is advisable to have your Vitamin D levels checked to assess the proper dosage for your body.

Beat the Blues, naturally. February 25, 2009

It’s that time of year when Seasonal Affective Disorder rears its ugly head here in the Pacific NW.  Fear not, this doesn’t have to mean hopping on the Prozac train, the Zoloft bus, or the Wellbutrin boat.  There are a number of natural alternatives that are effective to help with mood during these months of cloudy weather.  Check out this article by Dr. Mercola for some ideas.  Each person responds to the weather differently.  To tailor a treatment plan to specifically address your needs, think about coming in for an appointment.

The Probiotics Way July 7, 2008

Probiotics have gotten a lot of press in the past year.  Traditional cultures have long known the benefits of eating foods containing probiotics.  Most of these foods are fermented at least partially. A short list of probiotic food choices includes miso soup, some soft cheeses, yogurt products like kefir, sauerkraut and many pickles. 80% of our immune system is in our GI tract, and an imbalance of bacteria in the GI system causes a host of health issues.

This article from Mercola.com goes into a bit more detail about probiotics and their role in healthy living and Naturopathic medicine.  It’s important to seek these little guys out in your daily diet or as part of your supplementation as food processing has changed so much in the last several decades.  We simply don’t get dosed routinely, and as a result allergies, digestive diseases, food intolerances, and auto-immune conditions are on the rise.

Individuality April 29, 2008

I work with several patients who have arthritis, and it seems like there is no one “right” way to treat this condition.  In fact, I’m finding that to be true about many conditions.  It would be nice if everyone who came to my office with joint pain could be given the same 3 treatment ideas and sent on their happy way.

It just isn’t usually the case.  Each of us has our very own story of how we got to where we are and why our symptoms manifest the way they do.  Since none of us arrive at the same destination for the same reason, why is it then assumed that two people with the same condition need the same intervention?    One patient may have arthritis because  they have played soccer for 30 years and the joint is shot.  Another patient may have arthritis because they have a constant level of inflammation in their body due to food sensitivities.  Through trial, time, and patience, the solutions become clear. The time spent learning the root cause of why someone develops arthritis pays off in achieving healing at a much deeper level.

I marvel at the individuality of each person.  Why are we all the same and all so different?  It makes my job a real challenge and a real joy.

Evidence-based medicine? April 7, 2008

I went to a naturopathic medicine conference this past weekend.  One of the keynote speakers was John Abramson, MD.  Dr. Abramson took a sabbatical from his busy Massachusetts practice to write a book on the medical research community, trends in U.S. healthcare, and how big drug companies are paying for the evidence to get skewed in their favor.  He scoured drug research, and he also poured through research on diet, exercise, and lifestyle modifications and their effectiveness against heart disease, weight management, and mood disorders.  Guess what he found?  Changing diet, nutrition, and exercise was more effective than taking medication in almost all cases.  We’re not even talking just a little bit more effective.  In most cases, taking prescription meds was less than half as effective compared to making lifestyle changes.  We as a nation spend twice as much as any other nation on healthcare and yet we are the second sickest nation in the industrialized world when it comes to preventable disease.

It’s easy to place the blame on MD’s and say that they should be reading the research and limiting the amount of drugs they prescribe.  However, there were a number of MD’s at this conference who explained that they had been indoctrinated into the world of pharmaceuticals as soon as they began medical school.  Some even explained that their professors had been paid to discuss certain drugs during lectures.  The MD’s rely very heavily on the research to guide their prescribing.  This in itself is not a problem.  The problem lies in the fact that large drug companies are paying to have certain research published and other research pushed to the back burner.  It all comes down to money, and very little of it has to do with patient care.

Dr. Abramson’s book Overdosed America covers these statistics and others.  This week there was an article in the Willamette Week about the same topic.  It seems that MD’s are getting fed up with prescribing drugs that aren’t necessarily warranted and aren’t making their patients better.  As a naturopathic physician, I feel fortunate in knowing that the treatments I use really work and really help people become healthy individuals.  I have a newfound gratitude for being able to use whatever medicines I want to use in my practice, not the ones I have been paid to promote.  I commend the MD’s who are starting to question big pharmacy.  It’s time to bring the balance back to patient care.

Where is happiness? February 26, 2008

I’m going to stray just a bit from the straight up health tips today and talk about a book I just finished: The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner.  Mr. Weiner begins by accessing the World Database of Happiness (yes, such a thing does exist—in Denmark).  He learns which countries are the happiest in the world and sets out to discover exactly what makes us happy.

One of the facts Mr. Weiner uncovers is the Swiss eat a higher than average amount of Chocolate, and Switzerland is one of the happiest countries in the world.  It turns out that according to the CHUMP study (Chocolate Happiness Undergoing More Pleasantness) you don’t even have to eat 72% cacao nibs to get the happy buzz from chocolate.  People reported increased happiness from both dark and milk chocolate.  The study was considered a failure because it set out to prove that only dark chocolate would have mood-enhancing effects.  The only people who didn’t get happy in the study were the ones who didn’t get any chocolate!

All this being said, dark chocolate does have additional health benefits beyond happiness—so it’s still your best bet when the choice is yours.

Happiness is responsible for maintaining our sense of well-being.  I feel that a good sense of well-being, no matter how sick someone is, can be one of the most important factors in determining their healing process.

This study shows the very likely correlation between increased happiness and lowered blood pressure.  In fact, if you visit PubMed, an online medical journal database, and type in “happiness” you’ll find that there have been 2820 studies recently on the subject. Lower blood pressure, lower overall inflammation, better detoxification and digestion are some of the examples of the direct benefits of finding happiness.

The Geography of Bliss suggests that it may not be found where we’re looking (well, maybe some of us were looking at chocolate).   The book shows the happiest places and some of the least happy places and cross- references the experiences to divulge the patterns of what makes people happy.  You don’t have to travel to these places to understand the lesson, but if you do, I’d recommend Thailand…and take some chocolate.

Is weight gain costing you money? January 28, 2008

You bet.  This study from the Center for Health Research shows a yearly increase in healthcare costs up to $700 more in patients with a greater than 20lb weight gain in 3 years or under.  The average was $561.  Preventing weight gain and/or reversing weight gain seems to bring those numbers right back down.  So hop off the laptop, lace up your shoes, get some fresh air, and bask in the pleasure of cutting costs.

Catastrophizing and the power of positive thought. January 18, 2008

I went to a peer review in medical research the other day that really got me inspired.  The presenters were Dr. Beth Darnall and Dr. Heather Zwickey, and they presented research they had conducted on catastrophizing pain, and it’s effect on the immune system.  Catastrophizing is a cognitive distortion where an individual tends to focus on the worst possible outcome in any given situation.  It turns out that thinking about our pain, particularly thinking about it getting worse actually DOES make it worse.   There are certain signaling compounds that get stimulated just by thinking about pain that feedback into pain cycles.

A handful of my patients deal with ongoing pain issues, and although many health professionals now believe that there is a connection between what we think and how we feel, we’re now seeing the proof of the fact that the connection exists.  Patients have been told for years that their symptoms are all in their head.  In a way, the doctors have been correct, but what we need to account for now is the reality of these thoughts producing real symptoms.

It seems that people are either prone to catastrophizing or they’re not.   Women are more likely to catastrophize than men it seems.  In addition, women are more prone to pain and (lucky us!) have more pain receptors than men.  Also, as the amount of Estrogen decreases in the system (naturally during our menses and during menopause), the number of pain receptors actually increases.

The way that naturopathic medicine can be helpful in working with mind-body pain issues is via body work, lifestyle counseling, diet, and stress management, all helping the body to decrease inflammation .   Homeopathy and flower essence therapy can also be extremely beneficial to help reprogram our thoughts to focus on healing and positivity.  I urge anyone who has chronic pain to pay close attention to their thoughts around pain, health, and healing.  Your mind may be the key to achieving wellness!