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.

Vitamin Sunshine

With summer coming into full force, it’s an appropriate time to discuss the sun and vitamin D.  While the amount is still being debated, it appears that the daily recommended amount of vitamin D has nearly doubled as compared to previously thought.  And everyone agrees that the best source of vitamin D is that which is released naturally by the skin in response to safe exposure to the sun.  Most people recognize the importance of vitamin D for bone strength in conjunction with calcium, but it also is critical as a precursor to all the other hormones and has recently been recognized as a vital component in reducing the risk of about 16 different cancers.  You heard it correctly -- proper sun exposure is an important for reducing the risk of cancer!

Vitamin D is released by safe exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun, but excessive ultraviolet exposure has always been linked to cancer, in particular an extremely dangerous skin cancer known as melanoma.  Something else you should know about ultraviolet light is that it is broken into a couple different wavelengths.  UVA is considered the “bad guy” that penetrates the skin more deeply and can cause more damage.  UVB is considered the “good guy” that stimulated the skin to produce vitamin D.  Interestingly, this healthy UVB is low in the morning and evening hours and highest around lunchtime between 10 and 2.  Also, UVB is blocked by glass and most every sunscreen.  Sunscreens reduce vitamin D production by around 99%.  UVA, on the other hand is present all day, does not provide any apparent good for the body and is not blocked by glass and is not always blocked effectively by sunscreen.  Rather than get into a debate about what chemicals you should or shouldn’t look for in a sunscreen, I would rather give you a few more reliable strategies.

Avoiding melanoma does not come from avoiding the sun, it comes from avoiding sunburns.  Studies show that people who spend more time outdoors in the sun without getting burned actually have a decreased risk of melanoma (likely due to vitamin D).  So the best advice would be to get midday sun exposure several times a week without getting burnt.  Likewise, you should avoid full body exposure through use of clothing and be aware that you are still getting the more damaging UVA rays in the morning and evening even on overcast and cloudy days.  If you have plans at the lake or the pool where you will be getting longer exposure, you will want to do some research to find the healthiest and most effective sunscreen and use it.  Have a great summer!

Another Option

Even though they are considered standard procedure for all women over 50 years of age, the use of mammograms are associated with controversy and admitted flaws.  The use of low level radiation for early detection of breast cancer is the rationale for routine mammography exams.  This rationale seems reasonable since, unlike most cancers, the incidence of breast cancer is down almost 30% since 1990.  Nevertheless, breast cancer is still the number one cancer for women.  Given this high risk, what is all the controversy over mammography and what other options are out there for women to choose?

One of the main criticisms of mammograms is related to a Swedish study of 60,000 women where they concluded that 70% of women diagnosed with tumors were found to be false positives and did not have breast cancer after all.  Like false positives, over-diagnosis is another concern.  A body of evidence shows that for every one woman saved from breast cancer, about 10 women will be treated unnecessarily as a result of mammography studies.  False negatives can also occur.  The National Institutes of Health claim that about 10-30% of malignant tumors are missed with the exam in women over 50.  When there is all this controversy and shortcoming with the standard means of detection, what else can women do?

Even though it was first studied in the late 50’s breast thermography has been getting more attention since the 1980’s.  This procedure is based on the fact that new blood vessel formation must occur to sustain the development of any tumor and thermography is the most effective way to detect these vessels.  The technique uses digital infrared imaging to look for increased heat associated with the new blood vessels and increased metabolism of an active tumor.  Some studies show that abnormalities will be detected by thermography as much as 6-12 months earlier than x-ray, mammography, ultrasound and MRI.  This technique uses no radiation and does not involve squeezing the tissue.  It is safe during pregnancy and nursing and is not affected by surgical procedures such as implants, reductions and biopsies.  Another advantage is that mammograms are particularly unreliable in women under 50 because of increased density of the breast tissue.  Thermography has been proven equally effective for women of all ages even as early as 20 years of age.  Whatever the case, when it comes to any cancer, early detection is the key.  Breast thermography seems to give women an edge in this discovery.  However, everything I read on thermography is clear that the proponents of the technique are not looking for thermography to replace the traditional methods of detection, they are calling for it to be included as part of the standard of care.  If you are a woman with a family history or any other risk factor associated with breast cancer, please look into this alternate form of detection.

We are able to offer thermography out of our office through BRAs Mobile Thermography. If you are interested in scheduling, please call BRAs at 502-895-1224. Their next scheduled thermography day in our office is Thursday, June 13th. For more information, check out their website at

http://brasthermography.com/.

Yoga for You?

Yoga has long since been known as an effective, safe, and low-force strategy to increase your strength as well as your flexibility.  But an article in the Journal of Alternative Therapies posed the question, “Is there more to yoga than exercise?”

In the study, they took a group of students with mild to moderate anxiety and depression, split them into two groups and exposed them to two different styles of yoga.  The first group did what was called yoga as exercise where they went through all the poses mechanistically.  The second group underwent what was referred to as integrative yoga where the exercise was combined with meditation and deep breathing exercises.  Participants of both groups showed greater flexibility as well as a significant decrease in depression and stress and expressed what was referred to as an increased “hopefulness.”  However, only the participants in the integrated yoga group experienced decreased anxiety symptoms and decreased salivary cortisol (the stress hormone).  The researchers concluded that the meditation of the integrated yoga added a spiritual component and this spiritual aspect increased the sense of hopefulness that gave a greater reduction in stress and even showed greater academic performance and improved immune function.

While I cannot make claims to the “spiritual” aspect of this study because I believe that is a personal thing and difficult to quantify, I’m not certain that it matters.  It has long been proven that deep breathing exercises and the practice of meditation have been very effective to quiet the mind and alter the chemical and electrical activity of the brain.  This altered activity essentially down-shifts the brain and changes the activity of the hypothalamus which is the part of the brain that connects to the pituitary or master gland.  When the master gland activity is changed, all the hormones of the endocrine system are changed and a person can move out of what I so frequently call stress physiology.  A major part of stress physiology is increased cortisol and fight/flight activity.  Therefore it is no surprise to me at all that the integrative yoga group showed less anxiety and decreased salivary cortisol.  What does this mean to you?  If you’re doing yoga or considering it, look for a group practicing the integrative method.  Even if you never practice a yoga pose, take time to practice quieting your mind through meditation or simple deep breathing exercises where you attempt to think about nothing for at least ten minutes each day.