Natural Health
Back Clinic Natural Health Functional Medicine Team. This is a natural approach to health care. It is a natural healing practice or a branch of alternative medicine that looks at nature for answers and explanations. There are a few Western forms of alternative medicine that NCCAM has classified as Biologically Based Therapies, as well as, Mind and Body Interventions used in stress management.
There is nothing magical about it. It is about natural healing therapies for prevention and healthy lifestyles. This means eating natural whole foods, nutritional supplements, physical exercise. This is nothing new, but it has evolved over the years within certain prevention parameters, and healthy lifestyles have proven to work repeatedly. There is nothing anti-intellectual or anti-scientific about it. All health, wellness, illness, and healing can be positively affected by simple and inexpensive natural therapies.
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Fitness, Natural Health, Wellness
If you’re thinking about adding a dog to the family, you have two good reasons to say “yes,” say researchers from the University of Alberta. Their study found that babies from families with pets � 70 percent were dogs � had higher levels of two microbes that protect against allergies and obesity.
There Is A Catch
“There’s definitely a critical window of time when gut immunity and microbes co-develop, and when disruptions to the process result in changes to gut immunity,” said pediatric epidemiologist Anita Kozyrskyj.
Her team’s research found that exposure to pets in the womb or up to three months after birth increases the amount of two bacteria, Ruminococcus, which has been linked to a reduced risk of childhood allergies, and Oscillospira, which has been linked to a lower risk of obesity.
“The abundance of these two bacteria were increased twofold when there was a pet in the house,” said Kozyrskyj, adding that the pet exposure was shown to affect the gut microbiome indirectly � from dog to mother to unborn baby � during pregnancy as well as during the first three months of the baby’s life. In other words, even if the dog had been given away for adoption just before the woman gave birth, the healthy microbiome exchange could still take place.
The study also found that the immunity-boosting exchange occurred even in three birth scenarios known for reducing immunity: C-section versus vaginal delivery, antibiotics during birth, and lack of breastfeeding.
In addition, the study suggested that pets in the house reduced the likelihood of the transmission of vaginal GBS (group B Strep) during birth, which causes pneumonia in newborns and is prevented by giving mothers antibiotics during delivery.
Kozyrskyj theorizes that one day there may be a “dog in a pill” to help prevent allergies and obesity.
“It’s not far-fetched that the pharmaceutical industry will try to create a supplement of these microbiomes, much like was done with probiotics,” she said.
Previous research has also found that children raised in homes with pets have fewer allergies. A study published in Clinical & Experimental Allergy found that children who were exposed to pets before the age of six months had fewer allergy-related conditions such as asthma, hay fever, eczema, and upper respiratory infections as they grew older. Another study found that babies who lived in homes with pets had fewer colds and ear infections during their first year of life than babies living in homes without pets.
Pets are also good for mom and dad. Dogs have been found to lower the risk of heart disease, stress, depression, and chronic pain.
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Natural Health, Veterans, Wellness
Hundreds of thousands of veterans of the Persian Gulf War returned home with puzzling health issues that doctors couldn’t explain. Now, 25 years later, Gulf War Illness (GWI) continues to affect 25-32 percent of the 700,000 U.S. veterans who served in the 1990-1991 war.
The condition is characterized by symptoms such as chronic headache, cognitive difficulties, debilitating fatigue, widespread pain, respiratory problems, sleep problems, gastrointestinal problems, and other unexplained medical abnormalities.
Twenty years of scientific research has traced these symptoms to Gulf War chemical exposures and the drugs taken during deployment that were meant to prevent or counteract these exposures. However, the vast majority of these studies have focused on neurological effects, but none have fully explained the body’s pathways GWI uses to affect the brain.
Now, a study from the University of South Carolina has found a gastrointestinal link that could not only help explain the health issues facing veterans, but may also point to new treatment options.
Researchers found that the chemicals, etc. that veterans were exposed to altered the microbiome — the bacteria that inhabit the gut. The affected microbiota then produce endotoxins, which pass through a thinned lining of the gut (called a leaky gut) and into the blood where they circulate throughout the body.
These compounds trigger an inflammatory response that, in turn, initiates several neurological abnormalities commonly observed in GWI.
“Humans and animals have specific types of bacteria that help aid various physiological processes, including digestion, absorption, immunity and gut integrity, and when external factors change the bacterial composition in our digestive systems, we have problems,” says researcher Saurabh Chatterjee. “Obesity, metabolic syndrome, inflammatory bowel syndrome, and liver disease have already been linked with changes in bacterial composition of the gut.”
The study showed that not only did exposures to the suspected causes of GWI lead to inflammation in the intestines, they also lead to inflammation in the brain.
“Usually, the gut is very selective about letting only certain elements from what we eat and drink into our blood — thanks to good bacteria,” Chatterjee explained. “But when the composition changes due to an increase in certain bad bacteria, this causes disruption to the mucosal lining of the intestinal walls — leading more intestinal contents to leak into the blood.”
Once in the blood, the toxins travel throughout the body and affect different organs, including the brain. Once in the brain, the toxins cause the inflammation and neurological symptoms that previous studies have extensively linked to GWI.
“We know that many diseases like obesity, liver disease, and inflammatory bowel syndrome can be cured or at least decreased by consuming good bacteria, like probiotics,” Chatterjee said. “Now that this connection has been established, it opens the door to new studies where GWI patients take probiotics for a longer period of time and, hopefully, see improvement in symptoms connected with metabolic syndrome, gastrointestinal disturbances, and maybe even neuroinflammation.”
Recent studies have indicated that gut bacteria have an impact on a wide range of health issues. UCLA researchers found that mice fed beneficial bacteria produced microbes known to prevent cancer. Researchers suggested ingesting probiotics like yogurt or probiotic supplements could help prevent cancer from developing.
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Natural Health, Wellness
Surgery is a common approach to treat carpal tunnel syndrome. But, physical therapy may work just as well, a new study indicates.
Researchers found that physical therapy — particularly so-called manual therapy — improved hand and wrist function and reduced pain as effectively as a standard operation for the condition.
Moreover, after one month, physical therapy patients reported better results than those who underwent surgery.
“We believe that physical therapy should be the first therapeutic option for almost all patients with this condition,” said lead study author Cesar Fernandez de las Penas.
“If conservative treatment fails, then surgery would be the next option,” said de las Penas, a professor of physical therapy at King Juan Carlos University in Alcorcon, Spain.
Also, one extra benefit of therapy over surgery may be cost savings, he noted.
Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the median nerve, which runs from the forearm into the palm of the hand, becomes squeezed at the wrist. It often arises from repetitive motions required for work, such as computer use or assembly line work.
Symptoms usually start gradually, with patients noticing numbness and weakness in the hand and wrist.
Surgery for the condition generally involves cutting a ligament around the wrist to reduce pressure on the median nerve, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
For this study, de las Penas and his colleagues followed 100 women from Madrid who had carpal tunnel syndrome. Half were treated with physical therapy and half underwent surgery.
For three weeks, the therapy patients received weekly half-hour manual therapy sessions — meaning therapists only used their hands. The therapists focused on the neck and the median nerve. They also applied manual physical therapy to the shoulder, elbow, forearm, wrist and fingers. On their own, patients performed neck-stretching exercises at home.
After one month, the therapy group reported greater daily function and greater “pinch strength” between the thumb and forefinger compared to the surgery patients. After three, six and 12 months, however, improvements were similar in both groups. All participants experienced similar reductions in pain.
Study co-author Joshua Cleland is a professor with the physical therapy program at Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, N.H. “Manual physical therapy may be just as beneficial in improving function and symptom severity as surgery despite the severity of their condition,” he said, noting that 38 percent of those in the therapy group had “severe” carpal tunnel syndrome.
“These manual physical therapy techniques are commonly used here in the United States as well and should become a standard of practice for physical therapists working with patients who have carpal tunnel syndrome,” Cleland said.
Dr. Daniel Polatsch is co-director of the New York Hand and Wrist Center at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. He treats several hundred cases of carpal tunnel syndrome each year, of which 15 to 20 percent require surgery.
Treatment should be decided on a case-by-case basis, Polatsch said. Mild cases may be treated with conservative approaches that can include splinting, injections, therapy and activity modification, he added.
“Surgery is necessary when there is muscle weakness or atrophy from the nerve being compressed at the wrist,” he said.
Polatsch added that this type of surgery is generally safe and effective.
Still, operations can have complications, said Cleland. He cited a previous research finding that “approximately 25 percent of individuals undergoing surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome experience treatment failure with half of those requiring an additional surgical procedure.”
According to the researchers, almost half of all work-related injuries are linked to carpal tunnel syndrome. And, more than one-third who undergo surgery for the condition are not back at work eight weeks later.
Because this was a small study focusing only on women, the study authors said that future studies need to examine men.
The study results were published in the March issue of the Journal of Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy.
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Natural Health, Wellness
Health advice has changed drastically during the past decade, and modern science has proven that some “truths” you’ve been told and believed all of your life are completely wrong. The bad advice comes from well-meaning parents (“Drinking coffee will stunt your growth.”) to doctors (“Drink skim milk; it’s healthier.”). Take a look at six common myths you may still believe are gospel.
Napping in the afternoon means you’re lazy. An afternoon nap isn’t just for babies and toddlers, and it certainly doesn’t mean you’re lazy. About a third of American adults enjoy a daily nap and studies show that a brief 10- to 20-minute nap can boost your alertness and creativity as well as help keep you healthy.
Just make sure you don’t nap too long. During a brief nap, you only enter the lightest stage of sleep, but during a 30- or 60-minute nap your body will enter a deep level of sleep that may leave you feeling even more tired than before.
Long naps are also bad for your health. Scientists at the University of Tokyo found that napping for 40 minutes or longer increased the risk of developing metabolic syndrome by as much as 50 percent. Short naps of less than 30 minutes, however, lowered the risk.
A Greek study presented at a meeting of the European Society of Cardiology found that those who took midday naps had lower systolic blood pressure than those who didn’t nap.
Coffee will stunt your growth. In past years, coffee was blamed for everything from heart disease and premature death to stunting growth, but it turns out that the experts didn’t know beans. Recent research shows that drinking even up to six cups a day won’t increase your risk of heart problems, cancer, or dying prematurely from any disease. In fact, a study found that Americans get more health-promoting antioxidants from coffee than anything else, because our bodies absorb antioxidants found in coffee better than those in fruits and vegetables.
Coffee has been linked to a lower risk of all of the following health issues: depression, retinal degeneration, heart failure, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some cancers.
Drink skim milk, it’s healthier. Americans have been on a low-fat craze for decades, but recent research found that full-fat milk may be healthier than low-fat or no-fat milk. Tufts University conducted a 15-year study of people between the ages of 30 and 75, and found that those who ate the most full-fat dairy products had a 46 percent lower risk of diabetes. Another study, which was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that women who ate the most high-fat dairy products were more likely to weigh less and to resist gaining weight over time than those who ate low-fat dairy products. Experts believe that when people cut down on fat, they increase their intake of high-calorie foods, such as sugar and carbs.
Eggs are bad for you. For more than 50 years, health experts advised people to limit their consumption of eggs because they believed the cholesterol in eggs raised the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and obesity. New studies, however, found that eggs only have a slight effect on cholesterol levels, and in fact, actually enhance brain function.
A new Finnish study, which was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that a diet relatively high in cholesterol, such as eating an egg every day, didn’t raise the risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s. It found no association between a high intake of dietary cholesterol and the risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, even among people who carried the APOE4 gene which affects the metabolism of cholesterol and increases the risk of memory disorders. On the contrary, the consumption of eggs was associated with better results in certain tests measuring cognitive performance.
The Finnish study followed several recent studies showing that eggs don’t increase the risk of coronary heart disease, including a 2016 study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition which found that eating an egg a day actually reduced the risk of stroke by 12 percent.
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Natural Health
Middle-age white Americans with limited education are increasingly dying younger, on average, than other middle-age U.S. adults, a trend driven by their dwindling economic opportunities, research by two Princeton University economists has found.
The economists, Anne Case and Angus Deaton, argue in a paper released Thursday that the loss of steady middle-income jobs for those with high school degrees or less has triggered broad problems for this group. They are more likely than their college-educated counterparts, for example, to be unemployed, unmarried or afflicted with poor health.
“This is a story of the collapse of the white working class,” Deaton said in an interview. “The labor market has very much turned against them.”
Those dynamics helped fuel the rise of President Donald Trump, who won widespread support among whites with only a high school degree. Yet Deaton said his policies are unlikely to reverse these trends, particularly the health care legislation now before the House that Trump is championing. That bill would lead to higher premiums for older Americans, the Congressional Budget Office has found.
“The policies that you see, seem almost perfectly designed to hurt the very people who voted for him,” Deaton said.
Case and Deaton’s paper, issued by the Brookings Institution, follows up on research they released in 2015 that first documented a sharp increase in mortality among middle-aged whites.
Since 1999, white men and women ages 45 through 54 have endured a sharp increase in “deaths of despair,” Case and Deaton found in their earlier work. These include suicides, drug overdoses, and alcohol-related deaths such as liver failure.
In the paper released Thursday, Case and Deaton draw a clearer relationship between rising death rates and changes in the job market since the 1970s. They find that men without college degrees are less likely to receive rising incomes over time, a trend “consistent with men moving to lower and lower skilled jobs.”
Other research has found that Americans with only high school degrees are less likely to get married or purchase a home and more likely to get divorced if they do marry.
“It’s not just their careers that have gone down the tubes, but their marriage prospects, their ability to raise children,” said Deaton, who won the Nobel prize in economics in 2015 for his long-standing work on solutions to poverty. “That’s the kind of thing that can lead people to despair.”
It’s not entirely clear why these trends have affected whites much more than they have African-Americans or Hispanics, whose death rates are improving.
Case and Deaton note that many Hispanics are “markedly better off” than parents or grandparents who were born abroad, enabling a greater sense of optimism. African-Americans, they add, may have become more resilient to economic challenges given their long-standing disadvantages in the job market.
The data is clear, though: In 1999, the death rate for high school-educated whites ages 50 through 54 was 30 percent lower than the death rate for all African-Americans in that age group. By 2015, it was 30 percent higher.
The educational split is also growing. Even while the death rate for whites without a college degree is rising, the rate for whites who are college graduates is falling, Case and Deaton found.
Americans with less education are also faring much worse when compared with adults in other countries, Case and Deaton concluded. Death rates in Europe for people with limited education are falling — and in most countries, they’re falling faster than death rates for those with more education.
For those reasons, Case and Deaton discount the notion that government disability benefit programs are responsible for some of these problems by enabling more Americans to stop working. Social welfare programs in Europe are typically more generous yet haven’t caused a rise in death rates.
Given the long-running nature of these trends, many of which stem from the 1970s, reversing them could take years, Case and Deaton write. But there are immediate steps that could be taken, Deaton said in the interview. Routine prescriptions for opioids should be cut back.
And, “Europe has a much better safety net than we do, and they’re not seeing the same sort of problems as we are,” he said.
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Natural Health
With spring right around the corner, chances are you�ll begin to show symptoms of the “Spring Fever.” It�s not an actual disease in a conventional sense, say experts, and you won�t be bed ridden. But you may experience biological problems and physical symptoms that actually do exist.
�While it�s not a recognized medical condition, people do experiences changes in mood and energy level as spring approaches,� Dr. Sharad Paul, author of �The Genetics of Health: Understand Your Genes for Better Health,� tells Newsmax Health.
�This is definitely a disorder of wealthy nations who pay more attention to the changes in weather as opposed to parts of India and Asia for example where people can�t afford to dwell on the weather. We tend to hibernate and become depressed during the dark winter months and then come to life as the temperatures soar.
One way to minimize the effect of Spring Fever is to maintain exercise levels throughout the winter even if you have to work out indoors and make sure you keep your vitamin D levels stable, Paul says.
�You may need to take supplements if you simply can�t get enough sunshine,� he adds. �You should also try to maintain a similar diet year round so you don�t gain too much weight in winter and then have to shed pounds in the spring.�
Here are six symptoms of Spring Fever to watch for:
You have a surge of energy. Maybe it�s that extra dose of vitamin D from springtime sunshine that gives folks the extra energy to start jogging after work or taking lunch hour walks. Dr. Miguel Smolensky, Ph.D., professor at the University of Texas-Houston School of Public Health, says it may be the image of the body �springing to life� after winter doldrums that gives us the urge to move more.
You�ve got romance on the brain. This is partly because both men and women are wearing less clothing say experts, but it�s also because sunlight helps us release endorphins. A study conducted by the University of Tromso in Norway showed that these extra endorphins put us in a better mood and increase physical attraction.
You are eating lighter. If you start to crave fresh salads and fruit, you�re not alone. Paul says that typically, people eat more and exercise less during the cold winter months. That�s partly because our ancestors used to experience a period of famine during the winter months and to plan for it, they would eat heavier foods just like bears who stock up for winter hibernation. Also in many parts of the country, it�s harder to get reasonably priced fresh fruits and veggies during the off season.
You�re sleeping less. In spring, you may find it harder to sleep at your usual time and that�s not just because we switch to daylight saving time. The additional sunlight tells our bodies to produce less melatonin, a hormone secreted by the pineal gland that regulates our circadian rhythm and natural wake-sleep patterns.
Your general mood brightens. Paul says that the onset of more sunshine in spring and the abundance of color bring us out of our �winter blues� and puts us in a more positive place. You find yourself feeling happier and more sociable. We also experience an increase in production of the �happy hormone� serotonin during the transition to spring.
You may become obsessed with cleaning. The urge to clean the house from top to bottom, and spruce up the yard are sure signs of Spring Fever. Although spring cleaning is probably not caused by biology, it has been so ingrained in our Western culture that our subconscious mind takes over, urging us to get out the cleaning supplies and scrub away winter grime. Cleaning services and products are known to boost their advertising during springtime, cashing in on our natural urge to purge away the old and make way for the new.
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Integrative Functional Wellness, Integrative Medicine, Natural Health
The practice of yoga coupled with deep breathing eased the symptoms of individuals suffering from depression without the use of potentially harmful medication, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.
Major depressive disorder or MMD, or depression, is a common mood disorder causing sadness and serious mental health issues. Depression affects about 16 million Americans each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Researchers from Boston University Medical Center who conducted the latest study concluded that twice weekly yoga classes in addition to home practice helped brighten the mood of participants not taking antidepressants and for those who claimed their medication wasn�t working.
Since antidepressants come with common side effects such as nausea and insomnia, experts say that this new study offers an exciting and safe alternative treatment to the treatment of this common disorder.
Dr. Delia Chiaramonte, director of education, at the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, tells Newsmax Health that this new study solidifies the research that�s already been done examining the benefits of yoga not only for the body, but for the mind as well.
�There are multiple studies that suggest the benefits of yoga in people suffering from depression,� she says. �Exercise has also shown to have significant benefit in alleviating depression as well as meditative practices. Since the practice of yoga combines both physical exercise and meditation, in my opinion, it should be considered as an adjunct treatment for depression.
�It can be used alongside other forms of exercise, cognitive strategies, meditation, guided imagery and in severe cases, antidepressant medication.�
While the participants in the Boston University study practiced two to three 90 minute sessions of Iyengar yoga along with their home practice, experts say that a few minutes of daily practice can produce powerful results.
Iyengar yoga is a style that incorporates precise movements and alignments to balance the body and mind. Kundalini yoga, on the other hand, works on the energy systems of the body and can create equanimity in minutes to help battle depression, says Dr. Gregg Biegel, a certified Kundalini instructor, so you get more bang for your buck.
�People who are diagnosed with depression are almost always prescribed either short term or long term medication to combat their symptoms. But the harmful side effects of these drugs can sometimes make those symptoms worse,� he tells Newsmax Health.
�That�s like putting a Band-Aid on a severed artery. Scientists are now exploring alternative approaches to a healthier lifestyle without medication, and yoga, an ancient art that�s enjoying quite a revival in this stressful society, is a valuable tool.
�Human beings are complex emotional animals. Our behavior is directly controlled by the central nervous system, the autonomic nervous system and our glandular system. When these control systems are out of balance, you experience a wide range of emotions from nervousness to anger to anxiety and depression.�
The practice of yoga, says the expert, can help regulate and balance the body�s control systems by incorporating breathe and movement.
�Within minutes of practicing these physiologically powerful series of movements we call kriyas we can banish the blues and stave off depression,� he says.
While Kundalini yoga is considered to be the �fast track� to establishing equanimity between body and mind, it is important to study with a certified teacher, says Biegel. Since there as many styles of yoga as there are flavors of ice cream, find a class that suits your needs and preferences.
�Practicing yoga on a regular basis combined with eating a healthy diet and enjoying a positive lifestyle provides a natural alternative to medication in battling depression,� says Biegel.
