Pavlov's Dogs

Remember Pavlov and the dogs he trained to salivate and drool in response to a bell?  His work paved the way for the study of learned responses and what’s called objective behavior.  This research demonstrated that in a very real way we are all trained and our behavior is largely learned.  It’s very fascinating work, but what I really want to write about is how we train our kids and the behavior we help them learn.

We all know that Parenting 101 teaches the principle that we should reward the behavior we want.  Likewise, we all want our kids to really know that we love them and we want them to love us back so we give them tokens of our affection – treats to show them how we feel.  I’m great with that!  My question is why do we believe these treats always need to be in the form of ice cream, sugary snacks, pizza and other processed, fake, junk foods?  I’m asking this because I’ve been known to do this myself.  Rewarding our kids for good grades or good behavior with a milkshake is quick, cheap and easy and it supplies that instant gratification.  But when obesity rates have more than tripled in youth since 1970 and the leading causes of death (heart disease, cancer, and diabetes) are all linked to lifestyle and diet, is this really how we want to reward our kids?  Remember the research I shared that showed measuring lifestyle habits before the age of 15 was a frighteningly accurate predictor of disease later in life?  The flip side of this is true as well!  Sugary and fatty junk foods release dopamine (the feel good chemical) in the brain that can counteract serotonin (the feel bad chemical in the brain).  When our kids have had a rough day, a sugary snack truly will make them feel better temporarily.  But what are they going to do later in life when they’ve had a rough day at work, or their kids are stressing them out, and so on, and so on?  Just like Pavlov and his pups, the behavior we lay down at an early age in the brain sticks with us, and is very hard to overcome later in life.  These are the exact behaviors that are linked to chronic disease.

What I’m proposing you do with me over the next month is try to find a different reward for your kids.  Find a cheap toy, a couple ITunes songs, or just give them time doing something they love to do as a reward for the behavior we want.

“The Invisible Illness”

In the last several years, many people I know have been afflicted with Lyme disease.  This disease is has been called the invisible illness because early on, people with Lyme look normal and many times their blood work will return o.k., but internally their body is under attack.  Many doctors tend to downplay the incidence of Lyme disease and some believe it doesn’t even occur around here.  However, after speaking with a doctor out of Indianapolis who specializes in the treatment of Lyme, I’ve learned the Kentuckiana region is one of the new hotbeds for this disease.

Since 1982, Lyme disease has been known to be caused by the Borrelia bacterium that enters the blood from a tick bite.  About 40,000 cases are recorded each year, but the C.D.C. reports that this number may actually be about 12 times higher (480,000) since many cases go undetected or are misdiagnosed.  Lyme is known as the great imitator because it is often mistakenly diagnosed as chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, A.L.S., ADHD, and even Alzheimer’s.  Traditionally, the disease is thought to be transmitted by a black-legged tick, but research done by a Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt has shown that the disease can be spread by a bite from other insects including spiders, mosquitoes, fleas, and mites.  The traditional sign from one of these bites that needs to be taken seriously is a “bull’s-eye rash”.  Once you’ve seen this, you cannot miss it.  Unfortunately, less than 50% of the people who have Lyme disease ever noticed this rash or even recall being bit!  Other symptoms of Lyme disease may include flu-like symptoms, fever, chills, headache, stiff neck, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, neurological problems, heart problems, vision and hearing disorders, migraines and facial drooping or Bell’s palsy.  Blood tests are the typical method of detecting the disease, but they are famously unreliable as the antibodies from the bacteria won’t show up for around six weeks after the initial bite and even then it often takes more than one blood test attempt to get a positive result.  If left untreated, this disease can debilitate you quickly.  Paralysis and death are not uncommon outcomes of Lyme disease.  The only good news is that a two week round of antibiotics is usually effective if the bacterial infection is diagnosed quickly and appropriately. 

My experience is that many doctors do not give Lyme disease any credit as they’ve been taught that it doesn’t happen in the Midwest.  However, times have changed.  If you’re worried about this disease and experience many of the symptoms, check out Dr. Klinghardt’s website and look for doctors in the area that specialize in the treatment of Lyme.

Extra Parts

After teaching Anatomy and Physiology for nearly ten years one concept I’ve come to own is that the body is very smart and nothing happens accidentally and no part is without its purpose.  For this reason, it’s always bothered me when body parts are treated as inconsequential and removed without much consideration of the purpose or importance of that part.  A recent study has brought new respect to one of these parts – the tonsils and researchers are not only questioning the trend of tonsillectomy but also the importance of these organs in treating and preventing disease.

Researchers have found evidence showing that T-lymphocytes are found to develop in the human tonsils.  T-lymphocytes are white blood cells whose purpose is largely on fighting off viruses and producing natural killer t-cells and cytotoxic cells that seek out and destroy tumors.  Until now, these extremely important immune cells were thought to develop only in the thymus gland.  This new research is of particular interest to doctors focused on treating and preventing autoimmune diseases as well as cancer.  Researchers at Ohio State University have been running preliminary studies to see if the tonsils can be temporarily removed, then be “supercharged” with T-cells and put back into a patient fighting cancer.  Early testing shows that this therapy may be effective.

The physiology textbooks have reported for years that T-lymphocytes are present in the human

tonsils.  This study is the first evidence that the cells mature or develop anywhere outside of the thymus gland.  Want to know another place where T-lymphocytes are known to be prevalent?  They are also found in the vermiform appendix.  My point to you is to take care of all your parts and do not accept that any part is “extra” or insignificant.  History has proven that every time the experts assume that a body part has no apparent function, Mother Nature and time will reveal that it does.

What I've Observed

In our office, we strive to provide strategies for peoples’ health goals in addition to relief of symptoms and physical complaints.  What I’ve seen is that most people haven’t developed any formal health goals, but when they consider this for even a few minutes most peoples’ intentions and aspirations are the same.  Around 80% of those asked state that they’d like to lose weight and begin exercising more.  If so many agree that this is what they want, why are so few getting it done?   Likewise with several years’ experience providing a Wellness program to our customers, we’ve seen many get absolutely amazing results, but we’ve also had some who failed to get the lasting results we desire.  What’s the difference in these two groups of people?  Those who have success with our Wellness program and those who succeed in meeting their goal of weight loss and achieving regular exercise all have a couple things in common.  They plan and they develop a routine. 

We are all creatures of habit and our success is determined by our ability to develop good habits into a routine.  Just as we all likely know what time we will brush our teeth tomorrow, people who are healthy and fit know what time they will be exercising every day this week and very likely next month and next year – it’s a routine for them.  So how do we create this type of routine?  In my experience, everyone out there knows 4-5 things they could or should be doing for better health.  Once these are identified, it’s merely a matter of planning.  Look at water intake.  Most people should drink more water.  I got in the habit by leaving the same glass in the middle of a counter and planning to have two glasses first thing in the morning and two more as soon as I got home.  Now it’s a routine.  How much do you hope to exercise?  If you’re not doing any exercise right now, let’s shoot for 30 minutes, three times per week to start.  Where can you find 30 minutes preferably at the same time on three different days?  It may require getting up 30 minutes earlier or getting home 30 minutes later.  The point is to try to make it at the same times each day and the same days each week.  Diet seems tougher, but it’s really just the same.  Pick a time each week when you can plan your meals for the whole week and then go get what you need from the grocery.  You’ll likely want to reserve some cooking time to cook some things in advance.  You’ll also want to take 5-10 minutes each evening making sure you’ve got the meals ready for the next day.  This habit will not only save your waistline, but your wallet as well.  Cooking healthy food at home and taking it for lunch is almost always cheaper than eating out.  Don’t get me wrong, you’re going to have cheat meals.  I just want you to plan ahead for those cheat meals so that every day is not a cheat day!  You should even be planning your sleep.  We need on average 6 ½ to 7 ½ hours of sleep each night.  You know what time you need to get up.  So do the math and go to bed at a time that allows for this much sleep. 

This may seem mundane, but if you look at your life, you’re very likely in some kind of a routine already.  If you want to make changes in your health for a better life, I’m just asking you to plan a little at a time and adjust your routine accordingly.