Growing up in the Midwest, my friends and family always made fun of me for being "healthy"-being a vegetarian, doing yoga, that sort of thing. I knew that I was going against the grain, but I didn't care because these things made me feel good.
None of these people will laugh after reading the following information.
As the numbers of obese Americans of all ages continue to rise, the Alabama state government set an important precident - they've mandated that obese employees pay a $25 monthly fee for medical insurance. Employees have one year to get fit before the fee goes into effect.
Although a handful of states reward employees who engage in healthy behaviors, Alabama will be the first state to penalize individuals for being obese.
Alabama already charges state employees who smoke, and has seen some success in getting them to quit. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 30.3 percent of Alabama residents are obese.
Although employees protest and blame genetics, an individual with a BMI from 35 to 39 percent generates $1,748 a year more medical costs on average than a person with a BMI of 25 percent or less.
These incentives are only the beginning. As our medical system and overall economy slide further into crisis, employers and insurance companies will come up with more ways to make medical insurance cost effective.
The burden of responsibility for health is shifting back from the medical system to the individual. It's just one more reason to make every effort to lead a healthier life.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
A Simple Daily Detox Routine
People often ask me about detoxification, and usually they're talking about an extreme diet that only involves eating maple syrup for a month or drinking glasses of Epsom salts and olive oil.
If you're feeling toxic, you probably are. We live in a toxic world with environmental pollution, factory-engineered foods, unhealthy people and stress.
The reality is both your liver and your kidneys work hard every day to expel toxins from your system - toxins from the outside world and toxins that your body creates as by-products of living in a stressful environment.
While studying Traditional Oriental Medicine, I learned that the best way to detoxify your system is to give your body what it needs to function properly, avoid obviously toxic substances, and lead a simple life. The following 14 tips for daily detoxification were posted on Sixwise.com:
If you're feeling toxic, you probably are. We live in a toxic world with environmental pollution, factory-engineered foods, unhealthy people and stress.
The reality is both your liver and your kidneys work hard every day to expel toxins from your system - toxins from the outside world and toxins that your body creates as by-products of living in a stressful environment.
While studying Traditional Oriental Medicine, I learned that the best way to detoxify your system is to give your body what it needs to function properly, avoid obviously toxic substances, and lead a simple life. The following 14 tips for daily detoxification were posted on Sixwise.com:
- Exercise - It stimulates blood flow to the liver and kidneys, and speeds the body's elimination processes through sweat, urine and feces. Better yet, it keep you young.
- Eat Organic - As much as your budget permits. Prioritize animal products like meat, eggs and milk before vegetables and fruits.
- Taking Medications Sparingly - Sometimes medication is necessary, but think twice about popping pills for every aches and pain. Acitamenophen and NSAIDs can be hard on the liver and kidneys.
- Quit Smoking - Cigarettes contain nearly 600 different chemicals.
- Use Natural Cleaning Products - Chemicals in cleaning products can increase your risk of asthma and allergies.
- Meditate - It reduces stress, lowers your blood pressure, lowers your blood sugar and improves your overall health.
- Get Enough Sleep - Sleeping is essential to detoxify both body and mind. If you're not able to sleep, consult a health care practitioner.
- Limit Alcohol Intake - According to the Mayo Clinic, moderate alcohol use is one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men. Anything more is excessive and damaging to your health.
- Practice Forgiveness - Harboring resentments for any reason fuels stress that slowly damages the body. A new study shows that forgiveness improves your health.
- Turn off the TV - It's not the programming, it's the advertisements. In his book Anger, Thict Nhat Hanh postulates that advertisments make us think about what we don't have, which makes us inadequate and then angry with ourselves.
- Clean Your Home - The less clutter, the more healthy your living environment. The ancient art of Feng Shui uses words like "qi" and "harmony," but you can also think in terms of less allergens and less stress.
- Volunteer - Pitching in to help not only benefits your community, but also benefits your physiology. Volunteers experience a heightened sense of well-being and reduced insomnia, as well as other physical and emotional benefits.
- Switch to Natural Personal Care Products - Anything you put on your skin filters through your liver and kidneys. Many personal care products on the market are toxic. Switch to moisturizers like organic coconut oil and aloe vera, and facial scrubs made from oatmeal and coffee grounds.
- Challenge Your Mind - Take a class, do a crossword puzzle, do sudoku or read a book. Keeping your mind active keeps your mind healthy.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Exercise Helps You Live Longer
Traditional Chinese Medicine doesn't diagnose illness, it diagnoses imbalance. The medicine is based on two major philosophies - Yin/Yang Theory and Five Element Theory - and the interactions of internal organs, both good and bad, makeup most of the diagnoses I use every day in the clinic.
For example, a patient comes into the office complaining of insomnia. They have a hard time falling asleep, a red complexion, dark urination, and a rapid pulse. These are the symptoms of a pattern known as "Heart Fire."
The most common diagnosis that I see in the clinic is a condition known as "Liver Qi Stagnation." Patients are frustrated, stressed-out. Many times, their digestion is not satisfactory or their appetite is down. Sometimes they get headaches. Sometimes it's just PMS.
In other words, Chinese Medicine equates stagnation, or lack of movement, with physiological imbalance.
I treat patients with acupuncture and herbs, which work, but also I always prescribe exercise. If patients follow my advice, they always report feeling better. Happier. More alert. Their minor physical complaints disappear. Exercise benefits body, mind and spirit.
If you're not convinced by ancient wisdom that has survived 2,000 years of clinical practice, I've included the results of a recently completed 20-year study details the health benefits of exercise.
Published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, this study focused on more than 500 participants aged 50 and older and followed them for a 20 year period. The study was divided into two groups - runners and non-runners - and found that runners gained the following health benefits:
The authors of the study stressed that any kind of vigorous cardiovascular exercise would produce the same health benefits.
If you want to feel better and live longer, start exercising and keep exercising.
For example, a patient comes into the office complaining of insomnia. They have a hard time falling asleep, a red complexion, dark urination, and a rapid pulse. These are the symptoms of a pattern known as "Heart Fire."
The most common diagnosis that I see in the clinic is a condition known as "Liver Qi Stagnation." Patients are frustrated, stressed-out. Many times, their digestion is not satisfactory or their appetite is down. Sometimes they get headaches. Sometimes it's just PMS.
In other words, Chinese Medicine equates stagnation, or lack of movement, with physiological imbalance.
I treat patients with acupuncture and herbs, which work, but also I always prescribe exercise. If patients follow my advice, they always report feeling better. Happier. More alert. Their minor physical complaints disappear. Exercise benefits body, mind and spirit.
If you're not convinced by ancient wisdom that has survived 2,000 years of clinical practice, I've included the results of a recently completed 20-year study details the health benefits of exercise.
Published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, this study focused on more than 500 participants aged 50 and older and followed them for a 20 year period. The study was divided into two groups - runners and non-runners - and found that runners gained the following health benefits:
- improved aerobic capacity
- better cardiovascular health
- lower inflammatory markers
- increased bone mass
- less physical disability
- improved thinking, learning and memory
- improved response to vaccinations
The authors of the study stressed that any kind of vigorous cardiovascular exercise would produce the same health benefits.
If you want to feel better and live longer, start exercising and keep exercising.
Monday, August 18, 2008
History of Acupuncture in the United States
Last night I learned something about acupuncture while watching the Olympics.
Although acupuncture was practiced in the United States for many years by immigrants, it did not reach the mainstream public consciousness until 1971 when New York Times journalist James Reston wrote about his experiences receiving post-surgical acupuncture treatments in China.
Reston traveled to China in search of Henry Kissenger, who did not wish to be interviewed. Kissenger asked the Chinese government to divert the reporter, and officials politely put Reston on a slow train to Beijing, where Kissenger was working.
While onboard the train, Reston came down with a severe case of appendicitis, and was rushed to the hospital when the train arrived. His pain after surgery was excruciating, only relieved by post-surgical acupuncture.
When Reston returned to the United States, his seminal account of his experiences in China sparked mainstream interest in acupuncture as medicine. Read Reston's article.
Read a more detailed account of how acupuncture traveled to the West.
Although acupuncture only grew into public consciousness in the United States 40 years ago, acupuncture has been practiced in China for 5,000 years.
The first seminar acupuncture text, Huang Di Nei Jing (Yellow Emperor's Classic), was written in 200 B.C. Huang Di, the Yellow Emperor, is considered the father of Chinese culture and is credited with inventing cultural staples such as the calendar, ships, the compass, acupuncture, silk and music, to name a few.
So acupuncture isn't some new fad to try. It's been a part of human civilization since we invented the calendar.
I think that's why I'm always amazed when patients ask me: "Does it work?" I usually say something like,"If it didn't work, Chinese people probably would have stopped doing it 2,000 years ago."
Although acupuncture was practiced in the United States for many years by immigrants, it did not reach the mainstream public consciousness until 1971 when New York Times journalist James Reston wrote about his experiences receiving post-surgical acupuncture treatments in China.
Reston traveled to China in search of Henry Kissenger, who did not wish to be interviewed. Kissenger asked the Chinese government to divert the reporter, and officials politely put Reston on a slow train to Beijing, where Kissenger was working.
While onboard the train, Reston came down with a severe case of appendicitis, and was rushed to the hospital when the train arrived. His pain after surgery was excruciating, only relieved by post-surgical acupuncture.
When Reston returned to the United States, his seminal account of his experiences in China sparked mainstream interest in acupuncture as medicine. Read Reston's article.
Read a more detailed account of how acupuncture traveled to the West.
Although acupuncture only grew into public consciousness in the United States 40 years ago, acupuncture has been practiced in China for 5,000 years.
The first seminar acupuncture text, Huang Di Nei Jing (Yellow Emperor's Classic), was written in 200 B.C. Huang Di, the Yellow Emperor, is considered the father of Chinese culture and is credited with inventing cultural staples such as the calendar, ships, the compass, acupuncture, silk and music, to name a few.
So acupuncture isn't some new fad to try. It's been a part of human civilization since we invented the calendar.
I think that's why I'm always amazed when patients ask me: "Does it work?" I usually say something like,"If it didn't work, Chinese people probably would have stopped doing it 2,000 years ago."
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Healthy Living Cuts Risk of Stroke by 80 Percent
A recent study published in the journal Circulation stated that both men and women could reduce their risk of ischemic stroke by 80 percent simply by altering their lifestyle in five simple ways.
The study followed participants from 1986 until 1992, and identified five major lifestyle choices that reduced the risk of stroke. They are:
There was a time when the cause of strokes was a mystery. But now, as more studies are completed, it becomes clear that each person must take responsibility for the lifestyle choices that they make and how they may or may not affect their health.
If you eat right, exercise, stop smoking, maintain a healthy weight and drink moderately if at all, you reduce your risk of stroke by 80 percent. You can reduce your risk of coronary heart disease by 80 percent. And your risk of diabetes by 90 percent.
If you ignore these statistic and persist in poor lifestyle choices, you make yourself a burden on your family, on the health care system, on the insurance system, and on our failing economy in general. In addition, your quality of life goes down, your likelihood of being depressed increases, as does your risk for a myriad of other health problems.
The choice is yours. If you want to change your life for the better, you can do it. If you need help, find it. It's possible at any age, any time, in any place. Unfortunately, no one can do it for you, but there are plenty of people who will support you along the way.
The study followed participants from 1986 until 1992, and identified five major lifestyle choices that reduced the risk of stroke. They are:
- Not currently smoking cigarettes. (A history of smoking did not affect the statistic.)
- Maintaining a healthy bodyweight, that is a Body Mass Index (BMI) or 25 or less. A BMI between 25 and 30 indicates that a person is overweight, a BMI of 30 or more is defined as obese.
- Moderate of vigorous physical activity for a half hour or more every day.
- A diet high in fruits, vegetables, legumes and lean protein.
- Moderate alcohol intake, defined as a drink or less for women each day and two drinks or less for men.
There was a time when the cause of strokes was a mystery. But now, as more studies are completed, it becomes clear that each person must take responsibility for the lifestyle choices that they make and how they may or may not affect their health.
If you eat right, exercise, stop smoking, maintain a healthy weight and drink moderately if at all, you reduce your risk of stroke by 80 percent. You can reduce your risk of coronary heart disease by 80 percent. And your risk of diabetes by 90 percent.
If you ignore these statistic and persist in poor lifestyle choices, you make yourself a burden on your family, on the health care system, on the insurance system, and on our failing economy in general. In addition, your quality of life goes down, your likelihood of being depressed increases, as does your risk for a myriad of other health problems.
The choice is yours. If you want to change your life for the better, you can do it. If you need help, find it. It's possible at any age, any time, in any place. Unfortunately, no one can do it for you, but there are plenty of people who will support you along the way.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Acupuncture and Migraines
Migraine headaches still aren't clearly understood by Western Science. For years, doctors and scientists thought that migraine headaches were vascular spasms, but recent research suggests that migraines are caused by functional changes to the nervous system, specifically the trigeminal nerve, and imbalances in brain chemicals.
The latest theory is that seratonin levels drop suddenly, causing the body to release neuropeptides, which bind to the trigeminal nerve covering and cause pain. Once the peptides have bonded, the blood vessels become enflamed.
Migraines are often triggered by changes in estrogen levels. Many women report migraines as part of PMS, or during the first week of their periods. Some have a higher incidence of migraines during pregnancy or menopause, or when taking birth control pills. Other migraine triggers include changes in sleep patterns, vigorous exercise, bright lights and certain foods.
Even though the causes of migraines are not yet clearly known, acupuncture proved as good as prescription medications in reducing the length and severity of migraine headaches.
In a German study performed in 2006, the same proportion of participants experienced relief of symptoms in both the acupuncture group and the medication group. In fact, the study showed a slightly better result for traditional acupuncture: 47 percent of participants felt better 50 percent of the time, as compared to 40 percent of the medication group.
Experts in the field suggested that the conclusions drawn meant that there is no "one size fits all treatment" for migraine sufferers, but the possibility does exist to like a happier, healthier and less painful life using natural medicine.
The latest theory is that seratonin levels drop suddenly, causing the body to release neuropeptides, which bind to the trigeminal nerve covering and cause pain. Once the peptides have bonded, the blood vessels become enflamed.
Migraines are often triggered by changes in estrogen levels. Many women report migraines as part of PMS, or during the first week of their periods. Some have a higher incidence of migraines during pregnancy or menopause, or when taking birth control pills. Other migraine triggers include changes in sleep patterns, vigorous exercise, bright lights and certain foods.
Even though the causes of migraines are not yet clearly known, acupuncture proved as good as prescription medications in reducing the length and severity of migraine headaches.
In a German study performed in 2006, the same proportion of participants experienced relief of symptoms in both the acupuncture group and the medication group. In fact, the study showed a slightly better result for traditional acupuncture: 47 percent of participants felt better 50 percent of the time, as compared to 40 percent of the medication group.
Experts in the field suggested that the conclusions drawn meant that there is no "one size fits all treatment" for migraine sufferers, but the possibility does exist to like a happier, healthier and less painful life using natural medicine.
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