In this Newsletter!
1. Naturopathic Philosophy Highlight… Fun Facts:
a. Good Fats/Bad Fats to Eat
b. Depression and “Alternative Medicine”
2. Happenings:
a. Upcoming Essential Oils Workshops with Terry Quigley at the Healing Garden. Contact Terry at 518-831-9469
b. PATIENTS: Please review follow ups and cancellation policy on my website
c. Time for a symptom re-evaluation?
All patients can now download the symptom survey done at the original visit online. If you haven’t re-evaluated your symptoms in a year or more, it may be a good time to fill out the form again and bring it in to your next visit. (Please add the numbers in every section when you return it)
3. Radio For Your Body-Mind-Soul: Year End Wrap Up
Join the Hay House Book Club for a review of their favorite books of 2011. The Book Club members will go over the titles that have been reviewed over the past year and discuss what Hay House titles have really inspired them. Book Bloggers will join in to share there favorites. We’ll also discuss our favorite Hay House titles of the past and what books have been influences over the years. Please leave your comments on the Book Club link at HayHouseRadio.com to share which Hay House titles have inspired and helped you the most.
4. Book of the week: Highlights from The Year End Wrap Up
HayHouse’s Booklovers Book Club Recommendations of 2011: which did you miss?
a. Married to Bhutan
b. Ravenous
c. Peace from Broken Pieces
d. Angel Therapy Handbook
e. Shift Happens
f. You Can Create an Exceptional Life
g. Winter Moon Rises
5. Don’t miss out:
a. Top Reads of December 2011:
Here are just some of the topics covered in my summaries covered below of what I feel are top headlines of this month:
The power of FOOD AS MEDICINE: The benefits of antioxidant packed and Mediterranean style diets and a study on B vitamins link lower lung cancer risk
PROBIOTIC POWER: The balance of bugs in your gut is not just to relieve symptoms of constipation or diarrhea. Microbiota balance in the gut, supplemented with probiotics, have links to many health effects. Highlights include the modulation of weight, metabolism, brain health, blood sugar, and even MS!
OREGANO POWER:These feature studies are too good to miss! Learn how this powerful essential oil could be a solution to resistant superbugs!
Drug Updates: FDA warnings of 2011 including Simvastatin, 5 alpha reductase inhibitors, and various antidepressants are reviewed. Other drug updates include a warning on Zofran, adverse drug reaction statistics, and pertussis vaccination efficacy is also included.
Various Health Highlights such as the use of exercise for depression, how violent video games affect brain health, 8 tips to mind-body balance…..and there’s so much more….check it out and have a great New Year.
b. Listen to my colleagues and other experts as they discuss solutions to menopausal issues on a show dedicated just for women in mid-life! Here is a link from my interview on 360menopause Radio Show on Panic Attacks and Menopause and a list of archived shows.
c. Check out my latest answer on Dr. Oz’s Sharecare: This week I focused on Emotional Overeating and Brain Chemistry.
d. View the Updated Link Resources on my homepage
Naturopathic Fun Facts
These Fats are Good! Really!
Remember my blog on the connection between mood and food? Here’s a refresher:
One study looked at the connection between mood, health, and nutrients. The authors found that fish oil reduced anxiety and also suppressed inflammation in the body. This makes sense considering that fatty acids are vital components involved in brain functioning, neurotransmitter signaling, and controlling inflammatory processes. (Read more about the inflamed body, inflamed brain):
Other studies have also reported a connection between intake of fatty acids and alleviating low mood. According to the Journal of Clinical Investigation, this mood effect also affected hunger cues.
There has been a lot of misinformation on the power behind healthy fats, especially from the 1980s “low fat diet” revolution. The result of low fat and high carb diets has been more heart disease and more mood disorders. In fact, Dr. Mercola recently interviewed Gary Taubes, author of Good Fat, Bad Fat about the subject. I recommend everyone concerned about health give a listen. Good science is backing up how it’s actually carbohydrates and insulin deregulation that is the true cause of metabolic issues that underlie many chronic diseases.
According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition:
In summary, although substitution of dietary polyunsaturated fat for saturated fat has been shown to lower CVD risk, there are few epidemiologic or clinical trial data to support a benefit of replacing saturated fat with carbohydrate. Furthermore, particularly given the differential effects of dietary saturated fats and carbohydrates on concentrations of larger and smaller LDL particles, respectively, dietary efforts to improve the increasing burden of CVD risk associated with atherogenic dyslipidemia should primarily emphasize the limitation of refined carbohydrate intakes and a reduction in excess adiposity.
Source: Patty W Siri-Tarino, Qi Sun, Frank B Hu, and Ronald M Krauss. Saturated fat, carbohydrate, and cardiovascular disease. Am J Clin Nutr March 2010 vol. 91 no. 3 502-509
Source: Mercola, J. Interview with Gary Taubes. Mercola.com. What if it’s all a Big Fat lie? Youtube. Accessed December 28, 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLF4070F17514CE372&feature=player_embedded&v=riXoANHWYPQ
Clinical Evidence of Use of Alternative Medicine for Depression
More and more evidence from the main stream is supporting the use of natural treatments for chronic conditions. Below is an abstract from a meta-analysis assessing the use of non-pharmaceutical methods to aid depression. The researchers found good evidence in support of St. John’s Wort and exercise. Other promising therapies included folic acid, B vitamins, and omega 3 fish oil.
OBJECTIVE: To review the clinical evidence supporting complementary and alternative medicine interventions for treating major depressive disorder.
QUALITY OF EVIDENCE: PubMed was searched from January 1966 to February 2010 using the term depressive disorder in combination with St John’s wort, S-adenosylmethionine (SAM-e), exercise, acupuncture, omega-3 fatty acids, and folate. Only relevant human trials were selected.
MAIN MESSAGE: In a large meta-analysis, St John’s wort was found to be equivalent to antidepressant drugs with fewer side effects. Exercise reduced depressive scores in 3 meta-analyses. Omega-3 fatty acids reduced depressive scores in a meta-analysis of 16 trials, but publication bias was identified. Oral SAM-e monotherapy reduced depressive scores in 4 of 5 small randomized controlled trials. Folate deficiency is associated with more severe and refractory depression, and supplementation reduced depressive scores in 2 of 3 randomized controlled trials. Acupuncture demonstrated limited efficacy in 1 meta-analysis and 5 other trials.
CONCLUSION: St John’s wort and regular exercise appear effective in the treatment of depression. Acupuncture appears ineffective for depression, but it might offer other health benefits. Other promising therapies include SAM-e, omega-3 fatty acid, and folic acid supplementation in selected patients; further study is warranted.
Source: Nahas R, Sheikh O.Complementary and alternative medicine for the treatment of major depressive disorder. Can Fam Physician. 2011 Jun;57(6):659-63.
