Hyla Cass, M.D.2013-06-18T21:03:01-04:00Hyla Cass, M.D.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/index.php?author=hyla-cass-mdCopyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc.HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Hyla Cass, M.D.Good old fashioned elbow grease.Is it Drugs Not Guns that Cause Violence?tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.23933852013-02-19T16:41:49-05:002013-04-21T05:12:02-04:00Hyla Cass, M.D.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hyla-cass-md/
Sure, guns are rampant, too easy to get, and should clearly not fall into the hands of mentally disordered people, and violent video games are priming the pump - - all issues that I deem important to address, but I will leave that to all the others who have done it justice to date.
A common thread amongst the most horrific school shootings of the past 25 years is that the majority of the shooters were taking a psychiatric medication.
As a psychiatrist who is all too familiar with this issue, I am dismayed at this oversight, and believe that these tragedies should also contain some lessons going forward - both for the public and for prescribing doctors.
These drugs do not always cause violent behavior, of course, and in many cases, they are used to treat it. However, certain medications, such as Prozac, have been linked to increase risk for violent, and even homicidal behavior. Several of the most tragic cases of violent murder by prescription takers should be noted.
Many legal cases, with closed books due to settlement, document cases of suicides and homicides in individuals who had not been violent prior to taking medication, and often they were newly prescribed or on an increased dose.
Below are some of the mass-murderer statistics (thanks to Deborah Merlin and her book, Victory Over ADHD ):
The Virginia Tech shooter murdered thirty-two. Cho was prescribed the antidepressant drug Prozac prior to his rampage.
Jeffrey Weiss went on a shooting rampage on March 21, 2005, at Red Lake High School that left ten dead, including him. Earlier that day, Weiss had killed his grandfather and his grandfather's girlfriend. He was on Prozac and the dosage had recently been increased.
Eric Harris, one of the killers at Columbine High School, was on the antidepressant drug Luvox. Court records show that the prescription for Harris had been filled ten times between April 1998 and March 1999.Three and a half months before the shooting, the dosage had been increased. The Physician's Desk Reference records show that during controlled clinical trials of Luvox, manic reactions developed in 4 percent of the children given the drug.
In Houston, Texas, Andrea Yates drowned her five children while taking Effexor and Remeron.
Christopher Pittman shot and killed his grandparents at age twelve. He claimed a voice inside his head told him to kill his grandparents on November 28, 2001. Christopher had recently started to take Zoloft to treat mild depression.
Is It the Illness or the Drug?
A recent study of reports to the FDA of drug-induced violence has demonstrated that antidepressant users have an 840% increased rate of violence. See also Robert Whitakers' article on the subject.
The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) reports the rate of antidepressant use in this country among teens and adults increased by almost 400% between 1988-1994 and 2005-2008.
Despite international drug regulators warning that these drugs can cause mania, psychosis, hallucinations, suicide and homicidal ideation, Congress has yet to investigate the role of psychiatric drugs in the vast majority of school shootings. Could this be due to the enormous influence of the pharmaceutical industry on the media? Has there been a purposeful media black-out here?
A 2011 article in TIME magazine notes that "when one particular drug in a class of non-addictive drugs used to treat the same problem stands out, that suggests caution: unless the drug is being used to treat radically different groups of people, that drug may actually be the problem."
The article cites 10 drugs from a study by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices which is derived from data from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System which identified 31 drugs that are disproportionately linked with reports of violent behavior towards others. Two common ones are:
Fluoxetine (Prozac) The first well-known SSRI antidepressant, Prozac is 10.9 times more likely to be linked with violence in comparison with other medications.
This next one is particularly scary, since it's for smoking cessation-- a seemingly good trade-off until you read the stats: The anti-smoking medication Varenicline (Chantix), affects the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, which helps reduce craving for smoking. Unfortunately, it's 18 times more likely to be linked with violence compared to other drugs -- by comparison, that number for Xyban is 3.9 and just 1.9 for nicotine replacement.
Where to From Here?
While I am trained and licensed to prescribe these medications, I prefer to avoid them whenever possible, instead prescribing the natural precursors to the brain chemicals needed to restore balance. Believe it or not, they can be as effective as medication if not more so, and without the dire side effects. Doesn't it make sense to put back what is needed rather than cover up symptoms with strong chemicals that can cause harm? I have all too often seen that when a patient complains of side effects, the doctor increases the dose, with ensuing negative effects. There are excellent studies in peer-reviewed journals, covering vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and herbs for psychiatric purposes. A good summary with 107 peer-reviewed citations can be found here.
If one is going to be scientific about the use of these powerful drugs, there are tests that can be performed to fine-tune the diagnosis and choice of medication, and help determine if there is likely to be an adverse effect: Electroencephalograms, SPECT scans, and genetic testing that all help select the more appropriate drug for the individual.
My own bias is to test regardless, but then to treat as naturally as possible, working with the body's own chemistry to optimize brain function. And for those either considering medication or for prescribing physicians, I urge you to consider the possibly tragic downsides first.
Warning: Never discontinue taking stimulants or antidepressants without first consulting your health care professional. The withdrawal symptoms can be more severe than the adverse reactions to these medications; therefore, the process must be closely monitored by a physician or someone licensed to prescribe medications. In my own practice, I have found the use of specific supplements in the process can be especially useful in countering the withdrawal effects and shortening the overall process.
See also Dr. Peter Breggin's related post here.
Thanks to Deborah Merlin whose private FB post, excerpted from Victory Over ADHD prompted me to write this, and provided some of the material.]]>Dust Mites in Your Bed? Allergens in Your Home? We Have Solutions!tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.16031032012-06-20T11:31:13-04:002012-08-20T05:12:05-04:00Hyla Cass, M.D.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hyla-cass-md/Mary Cordaro, Inc., she works as a healthy home consultant and certified Bau-biologist, lecturing around the country as well.
My latest concern, likely in response to some incessant commercials on the subject, is the existence of disgusting, invisible dust mites that camp out in our mattresses, living off our skin flakes (yuck!) and generally up to no good. I asked Mary what she does for this scourge, and she gave me some great solutions, along with some advice covering the gamut of home toxins, which I'm including here as well. We'll start with the creepy crawlies.
Death to Dust MitesAccording to the Mayo Clinic, the average bed is home to 100,000 to 10 million dust mites (and you thought a snoring mate was a problem!). Along with their favorite food, our skin particles, mites thrive on warmth, moisture and darkness. So, before making the bed, pull back the covers and air your bedding, reducing moisture. When it's sunny, air your bedding outdoors. Wash sheets in hot water weekly if you are dust mite-sensitive. You'll itch if you are. Unless they are filled with organic or chemical-free wool, which is naturally mite-resistant, encase mattresses, pillows and comforters with nontoxic dust mite barrier covers tightly woven to at least 4.91 microns. Seek barrier covers that are free of PVC and antimicrobial, stain- or wrinkle-resistant treatments. No more dust mites!
Now for the other invisible threats within our castles.
Allergies on the Rise. They've doubled since the 1970s, according to a 2005 study by the National Institutes of Health. Some of that increase may be because most of us spend up to 90 percent of our time indoors, meaning we are almost constantly exposed to airborne allergens in our offices, homes and cars.
The most common home allergens are particulates and chemicals. Particulates include seasonal pollen, mold, dust, dust mites and animal dander. Indoor chemicals associated with allergies include formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds (chemicals that outgas from products such as plywood and fiberboard), conventional paint and finishes, and permanent fabric treatments. By improving air flow and reducing sources of particulates, chemicals and moisture, we can reduce our homes' levels of typical airborne allergens. Here are some strategies:
Allergenic Particles. Many of the chemicals in our homes are tracked in from our shoes and on pets' feet. One of the easiest ways to reduce our homes' particulate and chemical loads is to remove shoes upon entering the house. They do it in Japan and Hawaii, and I've instituted it in my own home as well. And make bedrooms off limits to pets.
To control allergens that do get in, vacuum frequently, including upholstered furniture, with a HEPA vacuum independently certified to capture at least 99 percent of particulates (e.g., Miele, Nilfisk). This is especially important if you have wall-to-wall carpet or pets. If you don't have a HEPA vacuum, open windows while vacuuming and for 30 minutes afterward, as non-HEPA vacuums can stir up allergens. You might also invest in a HEPA air cleaner that filters particulates such as dust, pollen, dander and mold. The best HEPA cleaners contain carbon for chemical filtering as well.
Moisture Patrol. Moisture helps create an ideal environment for mold and other allergens. One of the most common sources of indoor moisture is condensation from bathing and cooking. Run exhaust fans when cooking and for 30 minutes after bathing, even if your bathroom has a window. Make sure exhaust fans vent to the outdoors. While fans are running, it's wise to crack a nearby window to provide a source of makeup air (see "This House Doesn't Suck" below). Outdoor moisture may also lead to indoor mold. Make sure your home's drainage directs water away from foundation walls.
In basements, avoid materials that mold thrives on, such as drywall and carpet. Instead, choose hard materials such as concrete, ceramic, tile and stone. Keep moist basement air out of living spaces by installing an airtight seal around the basement door and caulking holes where plumbing and electrical wires pass from the basement to the ground floor. Also install weatherproofing around attic doors.
Carpet cleaning and humidifying increase indoor moisture. If carpet doesn't dry quickly after cleaning, you may end up with low levels of mold you can't see or smell. Use chemical-free cleaning methods that require the least water and only clean carpets when humidity is low and you can open windows. If you hire professionals, ask them to extract as much moisture as possible. If you use a humidifier, use filtered water and clean the reservoir with 3 percent hydrogen peroxide before refilling to prevent mold and bacteria.
Increase Air Flow. Unless you have seasonal pollen allergies or live in a highly-polluted area, open windows whenever weather allows. Fresh air and sunlight are great remedies for high levels of particulates, mites, moisture and chemicals. For fast relief, open windows and turn on all exhaust fans. Whole-house fans ventilate your entire home. If you install one, make certain its exhaust is mechanically vented to the outdoors, not into the attic.
This House Doesn't Suck. When you turn on your furnace, air conditioner or exhaust fans, your home may become negatively pressurized, an effect that causes indoor air to suck in pollutants from basements, wall cavities, attics and crawl spaces. To prevent this, keep all interior doors open and crack one window on each floor when furnace or fans are running. Change furnace filters when you see grime buildup or once every six months.
These are your tips for healthier indoor living. For more information, articles, and resources, check Mary's site.
For more on personal health, click here. ]]>Trauma Release For Enhanced Health And Happinesstag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.13289952012-04-08T08:30:21-04:002012-06-08T05:12:02-04:00Hyla Cass, M.D.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hyla-cass-md/
There is an emerging new category of therapies known as "energy psychology" (EP). While it's unfamiliar to most psychologists, counselors and helping professionals, let alone members of the general public, this is changing rapidly as recent clinical research continues to build the case for its effectiveness.
Energy psychology is both a clinical and a self-help modality that combines psychological and physical processes for bringing about therapeutic change. While it is based on established scientific principles that govern psychology, the approach also incorporates concepts and techniques from non-Western systems for healing and spiritual development. Its most frequently used methods combine the stimulation of acupuncture points (by tapping on them or holding them) while actively thinking about a specific psychological issue.
Sound strange? It may, but it can work! The field of EP is fast growing due to its ability to provide swift results with no abreaction (e.g., a severe emotional reaction) in most cases -- particularly with trauma patients. For instance, in the spring of 2006, 50 orphans of the Rwandan genocide, many of whom had witnessed their parents brutally murdered by machete 12 years earlier, were treated with a single session of Thought Field Therapy (TFT). Following this session, scores on a PTSD checklist completed by caretakers and on a self-rated PTSD checklist had significantly decreased. The number of participants exceeding the PTSD cutoffs decreased from 100 percent to 6 percent. Retesting a year later showed that the improvements held. There have been many other outcome studies describing the effectiveness of EP methods in quickly and permanently reducing maladaptive fear responses to traumatic memories and related cues.
Even so, the approach has been controversial. Some consider EP to fall into the category of pseudoscience. This is, in part, because the mechanisms by which EP works have not been fully established. That, too, is changing.
In his 2010 "Rapid Treatment of PTSD" article in Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, psychologist David Feinstein speculates that adding acupressure point stimulation to psychological exposure is unusually effective in its speed and power because signals are sent directly to the emotional core of the brain known as the amygdala, responsible for the processing and memory of emotional reactions, resulting in rapid reduction of maladaptive fear. The more we learn about brain function, electromagnetic energies, and neurochemistry, the more evidence there is to support this explanation.
Another possibility is that energy psychology techniques share certain characteristics with EMDR , hypnosis and other therapies that use highly-focused patterns of treatment. First, the client is asked to pick a specific difficult memory, then rate how distressing it is with a SUDs (Subjective Units of Distress) number between 0-10. They follow this with a therapeutic operation such as tapping on meridian points (related to acupuncture points), bilateral stimulation (tapping alternate knees, or moving their eyes back and forth), or the use of imagery. The client is then asked to report on his/her experience as well as the current SUDs level. If the SUDs is zero, the therapy is essentially done for this target issue. If it is not zero, whatever remains becomes the new target of the intervention. The therapeutic operation is performed again, and a new SUDs assessment is taken. This continues until the SUDs is zero or close to zero.
A recent randomized controlled trial (soon to be published in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease) has shown EFT to significantly lower the stress hormone, cortisol, and self-reported psychological symptoms after a single treatment session. It's exciting to see more robust research validating years of anecdotal positive results with EP -- many of which, as in the case of the Rwandan orphan study or the rapid relief of PTSD symptoms experienced by U.S. combat veterans treated with EFT, have seemed unbelievable from a talk therapy perspective. While more sophisticated (and more expensive) studies need to be done, the data continues to stack up in favor of EP.
Despite my own psychoanalytic/psychodynamic training (i.e., talk therapy), once I introduced EMDR then EFT into my practice some years ago, I was able to help patients overcome their fears and traumas more easily, quickly and completely. I still use EP in my practice or refer patients to EP practitioners while I focus on the more physiological aspects (diet, nutritional supplements, hormonal balancing, etc). I find the combination to be extremely useful: The brain functions better when it is biochemically balanced (and this works both ways, of course).
It is possible that energy psychology is following the path described by William James a century ago: "A new idea is first condemned as ridiculous and then dismissed as trivial, until finally it becomes what everybody knows."
For more information about energy psychology, check out The Association of Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP) website. This international non-profit organization of licensed mental health professionals and allied energy health practitioners, dedicated to developing and applying energy psychology methods, will be holding their annual conference in beautiful San Diego in May. Its counterpart -- The Canadian Association for Integrative and Energy Therapies (CAIET) -- will be holding its annual conference in Toronto in October, where I'll be a speaker.]]>In Praise of Grassroots Health Care Reformtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.9729682011-09-21T19:06:00-04:002011-11-21T05:12:02-05:00Hyla Cass, M.D.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hyla-cass-md/
There are the political fixes, of course, ranging from President Obama's "universal mandate, universal insurance" agenda, to presidential hopeful Ron Paul's "personal choice, personal consequence" approach, along with a dozen other proposals for everything from single-payer to total laissez-faire.
All sorts of corporate players are now getting into the health care game, too, many of which have no prior history of involvement with health care or health policy. Perhaps the best solutions, though, are coming from community-based physicians. You can decide for yourself.
In terms of corporate players, the wonder-workers who make Disney's theme parks the happiest places on Earth are trying to put some Magic Kingdom mojo into the medical world, by teaching hospital administrators how to apply Disney leadership principles to the health care domain.
While Disney tries to make better hosts out of hospital administrators, FICO, the nation's leading credit rating auditor, hopes to solve the health care crisis by making sure everybody takes their meds.
Over the summer, FICO announced its new ""Medication Adherence Score," a system for monitoring and rating consumers' medication compliance. FICO uses "predictive analytics" to determine a person's likelihood of filling a prescription and using the drug(s) as directed. Some health care pundits claim that non-adherence to drug regimens causes thousands of unnecessary, preventable deaths and disabilities each year and wastes billions of dollars.
A big problem is that FICO's system does not recognize that someone's "non-compliance" with a drug prescription may reflect a conscious decision to go with a non-drug alternative (herb, nutraceutical, homeopathic, etc.). So, the MAS could unjustly penalize people who seek legitimate options outside conventional drug-based medicine.
These are just a couple of examples of how corporate America is trying to "solve" health care problems. The deeper problem is that all these tech "solutions" and top-down management changes have more to do with corporate well-being than with people's actual health. Fortunately, we're also seeing some very creative, health-focused innovations emerging from the ground up, as clinicians and patients take it upon themselves to reform health care.
For example, there's Dr. Pamela Wible, a family physician in Eugene, Ore., who is spearheading a movement toward community-based clinic design. Dr. Wible had worked in a wide variety of settings, and by 2005 she found herself, like many doctors, burnt out and utterly dismayed by the constraints, conflicting incentives and heartlessness of insurance-based practice. Rather than resign herself to more misery, she asked herself: what would "ideal" health care look and feel like?
Then she asked her neighbors the same things in a series of town-hall community meetings. She gathered 100 pages of input from community members about what they actually wanted and needed from a primary care clinic.
The result? A thriving, patient-friendly health center offering a range of holistic options at affordable prices. Dr. Wible keeps her accessibility high, her overhead low, and her attention on the main thing: her patients' well-being. She's taken the frustration out of medicine, and put the joy and compassion back in.
Dr. Wible's clinic is no fluke. Over the last six years, she has traveled all over the country helping individual physicians as well as large medical centers remake themselves based on input and innovation from the communities they serve.
"This happened so effortlessly, so simply and so easily," she said. "People hear my story, and say things like, 'That's great! Keep up the good fight!' But in reality, it hasn't been a fight. I'm not fighting against any system, or any other doctors, or any other mode of practice. It's about bypassing what we know doesn't work, and dreaming into being what does work."
Dr. Wible will be a featured speaker at the upcoming Heal Thy Practice 2011 conference, Nov. 4 through 6, in Long Beach, Calif. The meeting, produced by Holistic Primary Care, is focused on new practice models that enable practitioners to focus on prevention and holistic therapies.
There are literally thousands of practitioners all over the country who are saying "no, thanks" to the protocol-bound, actuarial approach to medicine promoted by the health plans, and who are working directly with their communities, small businesses and other practitioners to develop practice models that actually meet peoples' health care needs. I'll be there!
There's Dr. Vern Cherewatenko, a Seattle-area doctor who founded system called SimpleCare that frees both doctors and patients from the burdens and costs of insurance-based medicine. Eliminating insurance overhead reduces the costs of basic primary care by a huge margin and enables physicians to actually focus on the needs of the person in the room -- the patient -- and not the imperatives of his or her insurance plan.
While patients do have to pay out of pocket for SimpleCare, Dr. Cherewatenko says many find it gives far greater value, especially if they've been bouncing from doctor to doctor within their insurance plans, and are fed up with long waits, five-minute visits and ineffective treatment.
Dr. Cheretwatenko will describe the SimpleCare model in detail at the Heal Thy Practice conference. The conference faculty includes pioneers in the holistic/integrative field like David Perlmutter, Steven Masley, James Gordon, Kent Holtorf, JJ Virgin, Philippa Cheetham and many others.
Dr. Mark Logan, a Rutland, Vt. physician, whose embrace of nutrition-based approaches to managing serious disorders led him to found not only of an integrative clinic but also of an artisanal locovore restaurant! By teaming up with a friend who is a chef, Dr. Logan was able to create Roots, where his patients -- and the general Rutland -- community, can enjoy delicious meals made from locally sourced produce, while also sticking to their eating plans. It gives new meaning to the term "doctor's orders," no?
The place has become so popular that Dr. Logan has difficulty getting a table on a Saturday night. In his clinic, he's been able to make nutrition-based strategies a first-line approach for the care of people with significant chronic disorders like obesity, diabetes and heart disease, and he's been getting great clinical outcomes.
These are just a few examples of the sort of health care transformations that are quietly happening all over the country when ordinary people of goodwill put their heads together and figure out healthier ways to solve common problems.
They don't make the nightly news the way all the political ranting does, and they don't have the hypnotic blue glow of the latest health app. But in the long run, it's approaches like this that are likely to have a greater impact on our public health and well-being. ]]>How to Protect Yourself From Radiationtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.8363632011-03-16T13:30:00-04:002011-05-25T18:40:24-04:00Hyla Cass, M.D.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hyla-cass-md/
The nuclear catastrophe raging through Japan's nuclear power complex is generating an intense fear of radioactive fallout potentially reaching North America. My patients and friends have been asking about how best to protect themselves and their families, as there is considerable confusion in the media about the issue.
Even as government officials and health experts downplay the health risk to U.S. citizens, pharmacies up and down the West Coast of the United States have been stripped bare of their stock of potassium iodide tablets -- a frontline treatment for radiation exposure. Anxious buyers turning to the internet are faced with a similar lack of available supplies. So, what do we do? It's a growing, ever-changing scenario, and here are my current thoughts, certainly open to modification.
Are we really at risk of exposure from radioactive fallout generated by a nuclear meltdown in Japan? I believe this is a question best left to qualified nuclear scientists and meteorologists. But after serving as a consultant to the Independent Safety Committee for the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant from 1990 to 2002, I know firsthand how important it is to be prepared for all possibilities when dealing with nuclear radiation.
One of the greatest dangers following a nuclear accident comes from exposure to gases containing radioactive isotopes of iodine. These highly carcinogenic isotopes are readily taken up by the thyroid gland, resulting in the development of thyroid cancer. Exposure to radioactive iodine calls for immediate treatment with another form of iodine, potassium iodide, to saturate the thyroid and block the absorption of radioactive iodine. This is especially critical for children, pregnant women, and nursing mothers, who are most at risk following a nuclear disaster. A lack of adequate supplies of potassium iodide tablets after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986 resulted in thyroid cancer for thousands of untreated children.
Potassium Iodide (KI)
Potassium iodide tablets are commonly stockpiled near nuclear power plants to allow for rapid distribution in case of a radioactive accident. In the absence of tablets, potassium iodide may also be administered as a "saturated solution of potassium iodide" (SSKI) which in the U.S.P. generic formulation contains 1000 mg of KI per ml of solution. Two drops of U.S.P. SSKI solution is equivalent to one 130 mg KI tablet (100 mg iodide).
Recommended Doses
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the following doses of potassium iodide should be taken as a single dose within three hours of exposure, or up to 10 hours after exposure, although this is less effective.
• Adults : 130 mg (see below as well for CDC addendum)
• Adolescents: 12-18: WHO -- adult dose; CDC -- children's dose; if adult size (150 pounds or over) they should take the full adult dose, regardless of their age.
• Children age 3-12 years: 65 mg
• Infants : 1 mo. to 3 years, 32. 25 mg (ie half tablet)
• Newborns to 1 mo., 1/4 capsule.
Note: Dosages may be crushed and taken mixed with milk or water. For kids, chocolate milk or raspberry syrup disguise the unpleasant taste.
Precautions
While potassium iodide can be taken by a majority of people without any problems, it should only be used in case of a nuclear emergency. Doses in excess of the single (one time only) daily dose listed above should be taken only upon recommendation by a physician or public health authority. Patients should ask their doctor if taking quinidine, captopril, or enalopril, amiodarone, or if they are sensitive to iodine, or suffer from dermatitis herpetiformis, thyrotoxicosis or kidney problems before taking potassium iodate (or any thyroid blocker).
Prophylaxis
It is best to take iodide prophylactically, prior to exposure. Every family should have a good supply in their homes. At this time we may recommend taking 10-40mg per day. A dose of 30-50mg is the range of dietary intake in Japan and relatively safe to take long term but under practitioner monitoring. Build up gradually: 10mg-20mg-30mg-40mg.
Then, in case there is an official announcement of significantly increased radiation, adults should go to the dose mentioned above: 130mg/day and children to lower doses per body weight, generally 65 mg, age 3-12 years. You can use a loading dose of two drops daily of Lugol's Iodine, a commonly available pharmaceutical form of potassium iodide, or SSKI, and increase to 130 mg if needed. See the U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommendations. Adults over 40 should not take KI unless public health officials say that contamination with a very large dose of radioactive iodine is expected, since have the lowest risk of developing thyroid cancer or thyroid injury after such contamination. They also have a greater chance of having allergic reactions to KI. Everyone should check with their doctor, in any case.
Other supplements that may be protective are: vitamin D and vitamin K as they support appropriate apoptosis, which is programmed death of cells that accumulate various DNA errors (due to radiation and other causes), and vitamin D also supports DNA repair.
Avoid exposure to rain that may be laden with radiation if we are exposed. You'll be informed by authorities if that is the case.
Other Radiation Dangers
Besides I-131, there are other toxic radio-isotopes, including cerium 137 and plutonium. Dr. Gabriel Cousens has provided some excellent advice in his book "Conscious Eating." To protect yourself from cesium poisoning, consume plenty of high potassium foods, as potassium competitively inhibits cesium uptake. Foods high in potassium include avocados, sea vegetables, and leafy green vegetables, and are more effective than taking a potassium supplement.
To protect yourself from plutonium poisoning, eat lots of dulse and consume iron from plant sources, namely sea algaes such as spirulina and chlorella, which provide more iron than red meat. Miso soup has also been shown to have a protective effect. See also Michio Kushi's well-referenced book, "The Cancer Prevention Diet." The mineral, zeolite, is being investigated for taking most radioactive materials out of the body.
Additionally, foods and supplements high in antioxidants, will also help the body cope with these higher toxic levels as radioactive materials cause antioxidant depletion and ill health.
Summary
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has admitted it is 'quite possible' that fallout from the Japanese reactors could reach America, though levels expected to be so low as to be almost undetectable. Given the unprecedented circumstances of the current crisis, though, it would be prudent to keep some potassium iodide on hand as a precautionary measure.
Stay tuned to news sources for ongoing information, as this story is clearly developing by the minute.
For both those directly affected and those of us who feel the stress of this tragedy, check out some simple trauma-releasing methods, such as EMDR, EFT: or download free EFT audio "Tapping for Japan."
If I am able to find sources of tablets, I'll put a note here in comments, and list them on my website, as well. Otherwise, I'd recommend using SSKI which I'll likely be getting for my patients in the absence of tablets or capsules.
Our prayers are with the people of Japan, those who have lost their lives and those who have survived, and are dealing with trauma, grief and unspeakable loss.
]]>Are Cell Phones and Wi-Fi Hazardous to Your Health?tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.7581672010-10-13T08:56:05-04:002011-11-17T09:02:45-05:00Hyla Cass, M.D.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hyla-cass-md/"You may not be able to see electropollution, but your body responds to it as though it were a cloud of toxic chemicals."
--Ann Louse Gittleman, author of Zapped: Why Your Cell Phone Shouldn't Be Your Alarm Clock and 1,268 Ways to Outsmart the Hazards of Electronic Pollution
The latest form of environmental pollution -- and one that industry, government and wireless consumers don't like to acknowledge -- may be the most devastating threat to health yet: electromagnetic fields (EMFs). A few years ago, I was so concerned that I took a certification course in the detection and harmful effects of EMFs. What it taught me, above all, was how much the scientific community is learning daily, and how little we in the medical profession knew. This area was both frightening and daunting in its scope. I'm grateful that following Devra Davis's Disconnect: The Truth About Cell Phone Radiation we now have Zapped to educate the public on this serious issue.
That's not all: Although actual tissue heating does not occur, EMFs also cause breaks in DNA, speed up cell division, disrupting the orderly process of chromosome matching and detaching, and activate stress protein or heat shock proteins. And as Anne Louise Gittleman writes in Zapped:
Most disturbing of all, the Swedish National Institute for Working Life found that people using cell phones for 2,000 hours -- a total most of us could easily rack up over the years -- had a 240 percent increased risk for malignant brain tumors on the side of the head where they usually held their phone.
So, what do we do to avoid these dangers? I'm relieved that Gittleman, my friend and colleague and author of over 30 bestselling books, has tackled this topic. We'll learn that most of us don't need to give up all the digital and electronic gadgets that make life so much easier. To protect ourselves, we first need to recognize the risks and then make smart choices in how we use all the available technological wonders.
Why Are EMFs So Dangerous?
What most people don't realize is the human body is naturally electrified. From the organic computer that is your brain, which sends out sensory messages like hunger and pain, to the energy that pumps your heart and makes your muscles contract, electricity powers your body. This innate electromagnetism within you is so critical to your daily functioning that modern medicine uses it in diagnostic testing (including electrocardiograms and MRIs) and, increasingly, to heal.
The "body electric" is an exquisitely tuned and sensitive creation, but unfortunately, human beings (and animals) respond favorably to only a very small range of electromagnetic frequencies. And there's a big difference between the body's natural electricity and the man-made electromagnetic frequencies that surround us 24/7 today. According to New York Times reporter B. Blake Levitt in Public Health SOS:
Most living things are fantastically sensitive to vanishingly small EMF exposures. Living cells interpret such exposures as part of our normal cellular activities (think heartbeats, brainwaves, cell division itself, etc.) The problem is, man-made electromagnetic exposures aren't "normal." They are artifacts, with unusual intensities, signaling characteristics, pulsing patterns, and wave forms. And they can misdirect cells in myriad ways.
Some of this radiation -- extremely low frequency (ELF) radiation in power lines, the radio frequency (RF)/microwave range where all things wireless live, intermediate frequencies ("dirty electricity" or freaky frequencies linked to sick building syndrome), and the highest frequencies (gamma and X-rays) -- is more damaging than natural frequencies to which humans (and animals) have adapted over millennia. Today, most Americans are constantly exposed to artificial frequencies, given the rapidly escalating pace of microwave and wireless expansion.
The bottom line is that electropollution -- from cell towers, computers, cordless and mobile phones, PDAs, Wi-Fi, even the electrical appliances and wiring in our homes, offices and public buildings -- continuously disturbs the sympathetic nervous system. This, in turn, elevates the body's fight-and-flight response, raising levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Fluctuations in cortisol lead to a wide range of health concerns ranging from belly fat and thinning skin to accelerated aging, blood sugar imbalance, cardiovascular problems, erratic sleep patterns and mood disturbances. Dr. Stephen Sinatra elaborates on this issue in his new book, Earthing.
Your body responds to EMFs as though they were public enemy number-one, triggering what two-time Nobel Prize nominee Robert Becker, M.D., in his 1998 book The Body Electric, called "subliminal stress." While intellectually you don't recognize this kind of stealth stress the way you would overwork or being stuck in traffic when you're late for an important appointment, your body's internal antennae pick up on it in several ways, according the late scientist, Dr. W. R. Adey, from Loma Linda University:
The flow of blood and oxygen shuts down to all except major organs like the brain and heart.
Any systems -- including digestion and immunity -- that aren't necessary for fight or flight response are put on hold.
Blood pressure and heart rate as well as blood sugar levels increase to prepare your body for danger.
Recent research by Magda Havas, Ph.D., associate professor of Environmental and Resource Studies at Trent University in Canada, shows that dirty electricity -- EMFs in electrical wiring -- can raise blood sugar levels in diabetics and people at risk for diabetes. "Exposure to electromagnetic pollution in its various forms may account for higher plasma glucose levels and contribute to the misdiagnosis of diabetes," she writes. Dr. Havas' website is a goldmine of information on the entire topic of EMF pollution, as is Dr. Mercola's EMF site!
Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity
There are "canaries in the coal mine" -- hypersensitive individuals who are severely weakened by EMFs, and find themselves marginalized by the medical profession and society in general. Some must live in areas far from cell towers, Wi-Fi and the like. On a cellular level, these individuals have measurable damage to the mitochondria, the energy factories in each cell, and require reparative nutrients, for starters. I recently heard from a concerned family member of a man who had been exposed over time to a cell tower beaming through his office window. Quite ill, he was nonetheless unwilling to move his office location as I suggested, and I didn't hear from them again. Ignoring the messenger, however, doesn't solve the problem.
Zap-Proof Your Children
Today, an estimated 31 millions kids are on their cell phones close to four hours a day. Mobile phone companies are even marketing phones to preschoolers. Gittleman writes:
The trouble is, kids absorb 50 percent more electropollution than adults. One study finds that a cell phone call lasting only two minutes can cause brain hyperactivity that lasts up to an hour in children. Because their skulls are smaller and thinner than adults, EMFs penetrate much deeper into children's brains. Kids' brains are also more conductive due to their higher water and ion concentration.
The Toronto Board of Health recommends that children under eight use cell phone only for emergencies and that teens limit calls to under 10 minutes. If your kids have cell phones, encourage them to use the same smart tips you do.
Smart Use of Technology
The good news is most of us don't have to give up our smartphones if we use them wisely. Here are some of the many tips Gittleman highlights in Zapped:
Text, don't talk, whenever possible.
Use speaker mode to keep your phone as far away from your head as possible.
Go offline -- turn off your cell phone when you're not using it and shut off your wireless router at night. (You'll be amazed how much more soundly you'll sleep.)
Get your phone out of the your pocket; men who carry their mobile there have lower sperm counts than those who don't carry a cell phone.
Avoid tight spaces (buses, elevators, trains, and subways) where your phone has to work harder to get a signal out through metal.
Buy low, choosing a phone with a low SAR (specific absorption rate) number.
Replace your cordless phones with corded land line phones.
Don't cradle your laptop--putting it on your lap exposes your reproductive organs to EMFs.
Most important of all, restrict cell and cordless phone use during pregnancy. Heavy phone use then has been linked to increased risk of miscarriage and birth defects. And a 2008 survey of more than 13,000 children found that those whose mothers used a cell phone during pregnancy were more likely to have behavior problems like hyperactivity and trouble controlling their emotions.
Don't rely on the many stick-on devices available for your cell phone or computer that claim to protect you. Most are sold via network marketing, and I have yet to see the level of scientific proof that could convince me. You'll likely see comments to this blog, advertising them. Caveat emptor!
Even if you go back to wired technologies at home, Wi-Fi is expanding rapidly into schools and other public buildings. If the telecommunications industry has its way, we will all be bathed in a sea of artificial radiation from nonstop EMF exposure.
Due to their lobbying efforts, Section 704 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 makes state and local governments powerless to prohibit cell towers and wireless antennas based on "environmental (i.e., human) health concerns." Write your congressmen and senators to change this legislation and to require the FCC to reduce exposure guidelines for EMFs.
Don't wait for the government to protect you, though. Get your copy of Zapped and take action!
]]>Is Your Medication Robbing You of Nutrients Part 2: Getting Specifictag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.6917112010-09-14T07:00:00-04:002011-11-17T09:02:45-05:00Hyla Cass, M.D.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hyla-cass-md/"For every dollar we spend on prescription drugs, we spend a dollar to fix a complication. Understanding how nutritional supplements affect these drugs could make them safer and more effective."
-- Mehmet Oz, M.D., Professor of Surgery at Columbia University and author of bestsellers YOU: The Owner's Manual and YOU: On a Diet
In my last blog, I introduced the concept that common medications deplete vital nutrients essential to your health, and explained how this happens. In part 2 here, you'll find a practical guide to avoiding specific drug-induced nutrient depletion. Later blogs will tell you how to replace your medications with natural supplements whenever possible. You can also find this information in my book Supplement Your Prescription.
I will cover many of the major drug categories, with names of the most common drugs, their nutrient depletions, and how to avoid them. I've included numbered references if you'd like to check sources.
Anti-hypertensives. The ALLHAT (Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial) (2) concluded that thiazide-type diuretics are better than ACE inhibitors and calcium-channel blockers at preventing heart attacks in high-risk people. Physicians often prescribe potassium to offset the well-known potassium depletion associated with this prescription.
However, these diuretics are also known to deplete other minerals, such as magnesium, sodium, potassium and zinc, which are seldom specifically supplemented. One study found hypokalemia (low potassium) in 8.5 percent of people treated with thiazide diuretics and hyponatremia (low sodium) in 13.7 percent in the same patient population.2,3) This indicates the importance of testing levels, and not simply restricting sodium. (2,3) Thiazide diuretics also decrease magnesium in approximately 20 percent of patients (4) and can significantly decrease serum zinc. (5) Loop diuretics deplete potassium, magnesium, calcium, zinc, pyridoxine, thiamine and ascorbic acid. One study showed that thiamine deficiency was found in 98 percent of patients with congestive heart failure who took 80 mg of furosemide daily, and in 57 percent of patients who took just 40 mg daily. This shows a dose relationship. Furosemide also increases excretion of ascorbic acid and pyridoxine.6
For these patients, consider the following daily supplements: calcium (1,000 mg), magnesium (250 mg to 500 mg), potassium (100 mg), vitamins C (1,000 mg), B1 (320 mg), B6 (10 mg to 25 mg) and zinc (25 mg).
Beta blockers. Beta blockers are among the oldest classes of antihypertensive drugs. They lower blood pressure by reducing the effects of catecholamines, the stimulating chemical messengers such as adrenalin, thereby reducing the force and speed of the heartbeat. Beta-adrenergic (ie adrenalin producing) blockers deplete CoQ10 by interfering with the production of this essential enzyme for energy production. (7) This lack of CoQ10 is particularly dangerous, considering that the target condition is cardiovascular disease. Since the heart is particularly rich in COQ10-hungry mitochondria, the energy factories inside every cell, the end result can be heart failure. To offset the negative side effects, you can take CoQ10, 100 mg to 300 mg daily with fat-containing food for best absorption.
These drugs also reduce production of melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine). Produced from serotonin at night in the pineal gland by stimulating adrenergic beta1- and alpha1-receptors, this neuro-hormone regulates circadian rhythm and promotes sound sleep. By blocking beta receptors, these drugs may inhibit the release of the enzyme serotonin-N-acetyltransferase, which is necessary for the synthesis of melatonin, resulting in sleep disturbance.8 Take melatonin (3 mg) at bedtime to counter this effect.
Cholesterol-lowering drugs. Statin drugs are the most widely prescribed medicines for lowering cholesterol. In fact, Lipitor (atorvastatin) is one of the best-selling drug on the planet. However, physicians need to address a serious risk. Statins deplete the body of a vital enzyme, coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10, with the following potential side effects (a selected few of many more): heart failure, muscle pain and weakness, irritability, mood swings, depression, memory loss, and impotence. (9-11) The last few side effects may also be due to lack of cholesterol, which is needed for brain cell and hormone production.
Therefore, people on statins should take 100 mg to 200 mg of CoQ10 daily to counter this potentially fatal depletion. (Also, I might add, be sure your cholesterol doesn't go too low, either, causing brain and sexual problems). While no specific recommendations from the pharmaceutical industry exist, one pharmaceutical statin manufacturer observed the depletion effect in early research. This manufacturer holds a patent on a combination statin and CoQ10. Sadly, the patents have never been activated, nor have any warnings been provided by the U.S. pharmaceutical industry. Health Canada, on the other hand, which is the federal department responsible for helping Canadians maintain and improve their health, requires that manufacturers of statin drugs include warnings about related CoQ-10 deficiencies.
Acid blockers.Antacids, histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H2 blockers) and proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) are commonly prescribed for treating heartburn, gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) and peptic ulcers. Numerous studies indicate that these drugs cause several nutrient deficiencies. Remember when heartburn was just heartburn, and you simply avoided the foods that gave it to you? Now we have GERD, multiple medications for it, and commercials that invite you to pop a little pill for fast relief (after you pig out on questionable fast-food).
There are several categories of drug for this symptom. For example, aluminum antacids (Maalox, Mylanta and Gaviscon) and calcium carbonate (Caltrate, Dicarbosil, Rolaids, Titralac and Tums) act by buffering or neutralizing the acid pH of the stomach. Unfortunately, this reduction of stomach acid interferes with the breakdown of the ingested food into its component nutrients.
Both PPI and H2 blockers significantly increase the risk of vitamin B12 deficiency in elderly
patients. B12 requires adequate gastric acid for absorption. This population is already prone to deficiency in intrinsic factor, necessary for B12 absorption. (12) This lack of stomach acid also decreases the absorption of folic acid, iron and zinc. (13,14) H2 blockers (Tagamet, Pepcid, Axid and Zantac) decrease acid secretion by blocking histamine.
Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs, Prilosec, HK-20), the most potent of acid-reducing medications, are increasingly popular. They reduce stomach acid production by up to 99 percent by decreasing the action of proton pumps, which are part of the stomach lining's acid-making machinery. This, however, can strongly interfere with nutrient absorption.
One study showed that high doses of PPIs, used for a year or more, could make people 2.5 more times susceptible to hip fracture than control subjects. Lower doses decreased the risk factor to 1.5 times that of nonusers. The longer the period of use, the higher the fracture risk. This heightened risk of osteoporosis is probably due to the drastic drop in calcium and vitamin D absorption that occurs with these drugs. Some experts believe the drug themselves may hamper the body's ability to build new bone.15For anyone taking acid-reducing medication, I recommend daily intake of vitamin D3 (2,000 IU or more based on lab testing. Many of my patients are taking 5000-10,000 IU daily, based on their lab tests), B12 (200 mcg), folic acid (800 mcg), calcium (1,000 mg), chromium (500 mcg), iron (15 mg), zinc (25 mg to 50 mg) and phosphorus (700 mg).
Oral hypoglycemics. Metformin (Glucophage, Glucophage XR and Glucovance) enhances the action of insulin in cases of insulin resistance, allowing glucose to enter the cells. This reduces elevated blood sugar. A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine showed that diabetics on metformin had B12 levels that were less than half those of control subjects. The longer the drug had been used and the higher the dose, the greater the drop in B12.16In people with type 2 diabetes who take metformin therapy, serum folic acid levels decrease 7 percent and vitamin B12 levels decrease by 14 percent. (17) B12 and folic acid depletion also increases homocysteine levels. In addition, metformin may deplete CoQ10, thereby increasing heart disease risk. To reduce these effects, patients should take vitamin B12 (800 mcg), folic acid (400 mcg) and CoQ10 (100 mg daily)
Psychotropic (psychiatric) medications. For antidepressants to work optimally, an ongoing supply of the B vitamins must be available as cofactors to help manufacture the needed neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine. (18, 19) So, while these drugs may not directly deplete B vitamins, patients on these medications should ensure they get enough of these vitamins. In addition, be aware that lithium carbonate, used for treating bipolar illness, depletes folic acid (take 800 mcg) and inositol (take 500 mg bid). Stimulant drugs for ADD and ADHD can deplete the amino acid carnitine, especially worrisome in vegetarians, since it's found in meat.
Hormone replacement therapy. Both young women on oral contraceptives and female baby boomers on hormone replacement therapy (HRT), can be depleted of vitamins B6 and B12, folic acid and magnesium. These nutrients are critical for heart health, as well as for mood. Rather than an antidepressant prescription, these women should be given the appropriate supplements to restore balance. I have seen many women do well once these nutrient depletions were addressed.
For women on standard HRT (estrogen and progesterone, orally, including as an oral contraceptive, or as a transdermal skin cream) I may also recommend calcium (1,000 mg to 1,200 mg daily), folic acid (400 mcg to 800 mcg), magnesium (500 mg), vitamin B2 (25 mg), vitamin B6 (50 mg), vitamin B12 (500 mcg to 1,000 mcg), vitamin C (500 mg to 1000 mg) and zinc (25 mg to 50 mg).
Antibiotics. These drugs deplete biotin, inositol, vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12 and vitamin K. Additionally, fluoroquinolones and all floxacins (including ciprofloxacin or "Cipro") deplete calcium and iron. Tetracyclines (suffix -cycline) deplete calcium and magnesium. Trimethoprim-containing antibiotics (brand names Trimpex, Proloprim or Primsol) deplete folic acid. Penicillins (suffix -cillin) deplete potassium. Aminoglycosides, such as gentamicin, cause imbalances of magnesium, calcium and potassium.20In fact, one study showed that gentamicin causes increased excretion of calcium by 5 percent and magnesium by 8.4 percent.21When you take antibiotics, consider a B vitamin complex along with it. Or take a multivitamin that contains 25 mg of B1 (thiamine), 25 mg of B2 (riboflavin), 50 mg of B3 (niacin), 50 mg of B6 (pyridoxine), 400 mcg to 800 mcg of folic acid, 10 mcg of B12, and 50 mg each of biotin and B5 (pantothenic acid).
Inositol is part of the B vitamin complex, and is likely to be included in a B vitamin or multivitamin formulation. Otherwise, take 500 mg of inositol. (The RDA is 100 mg per day.) In addition, either take a multivitamin that includes magnesium (500 mg), calcium (1,000 mg) and potassium (100 mg), or take them separately.
Antibiotics can disrupt the natural bacteria flora in the digestive system, killing "good" bacteria, including Lactobacillus acidophilus (L. acidophilus) and Bifidobacterium bifidum (B. bifidum). These are probiotics or bacteria that normally live in and on the human body, concentrated mostly in the digestive and genital/urinary systems. Choose a supplement that contains at least 1 billion live organisms per daily dose.
You also may consider 50 mcg daily of vitamin K, which is normally made by friendly intestinal bacteria. Vitamin K is required for proper blood clotting. Deficiency is rare, but when it occurs, life-threatening bleeding can occur from the smallest injury. Vitamin K also plays a part in osteoporosis prevention.
In conclusion, drug-induced nutrient depletion is far more common than we thought. In evaluating patients' symptoms, we doctors must assess whether symptoms are due to the illness, to side effects of the drugs -- or to drug-induced nutrient depletion. Considering the inadequate nutritional status of most people, consider that the illness itself may even be due, at least in part, to nutrient deficiency. To cover all bases, it is easiest to provide this basic daily coverage to anyone on medication (and adjusting as needed to the specific one):
1. High potency multivitamin mineral formula
2. CoQ10 (200 mg)
3. Omega-3 fatty acids (2 grams)
4. Additional dose of vitamin D (2000 IU, and preferably one with added 200 mcg vit K)
5. Probiotics (1 billion units).
Physicians must look more deeply to determine whether drugs are harming patients, and what they can do to reverse these effects. As a consumer, be aware of these drug-nutrient depletions, and take the appropriate measures. Do what you can to avoid taking medications, and whenever possible, use natural products instead. Future blogs will covers specific natural substitutes for common medications.
1. Centers for Disease Control and Statistics. Health United States 2006. Accessed via www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus06.pdf#093. (cited in part 1 of this blog)
2. The ALLHAT Officers and Coordinators for the ALLHAT Collaborative Research Group. JAMA 2002;288:2998-3007.
3. Clayton JA, Rodgers S, Blakey J. Thiazide diuretic prescription and electrolyte abnormalities in primary care. Br J Clin Pharmacol 2006 Jan;61:87-95.
4. Pak CY. Correction of thiazide-induced hypomagnesemia by potassium-magnesium citrate from review of prior trials. Clin Nephrol 2000;54:271-275.
5. Khedun SM, Naicker T, Maharaj B. Zinc, hydrochlorothiazide and sexual dysfunction. Cent Afr J Med 1995;41:312-315.
6. Zenuk C, Healey J, Donnelly J, et al. Thiamine deficiency in congestive heart failure patients receiving long term furosemide therapy. Can J Clin Pharmacol 2003;10:184-188.
7. Kishi T, Watanabe T, Folkers K. Bioenergetics in clinical medicine XV: Inhibition of coenzyme Q10-enzymes by clinically used adrenergic blockers of beta-receptors. Res Commun Chem Pathol Pharmacol 1977;17:157-164,
8. Stoschitzky K, Sakotnik A, Lercher P et al Influence of Beta-blockers on Melatonin Release. Eur J Clin Pharmacol. Apr1999;55(2):111-15.
9. Langsjoen PH, Langsjoen AM. The clinical use of HMG CoA-reductase inhibitors and the associated depletion of coenzyme Q10: A review of animal and human publications. Biofactors 2003;18(1-4):101-111.
10 Crane FL. Biochemical functions of coenzyme Q10. J Am Coll Nutr 2001;20:591-598.
11. Folkers K, Langsjoen P, Willis R, et al. Lovastatin decreases coenzyme Q levels in humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1990;87:8931-8934.
12. Valuck RJ, Ruscin JM. A case-control study on adverse effects: H2 blocker or proton pump inhibitor use and risk of vitamin B12 deficiency in older adults. J Clin Epidemiol 2004;57:422-428.
13. Russell RM, Golner BB, Krasinski SD. Effect of antacid and H2 receptor antagonists on the intestinal absorption of folic acid. J Lab Clin Med 1988;112:458-463.
14. Sturniolo GC, Montino MC, Rossetto L, et al. Inhibition of gastric acid secretion reduces
zinc absorption in man. J Am Coll Nutr 1991;10:372-375.
15. Yang, YX, Lewis JD, Epstein S, Metz DC. Long-term proton pump inhibitor therapy and risk of hip fracture. JAMA 296 (24): 2947-53
16. Zhao-Wei Ting R, C Chun Szeto, M Ho-Ming Chan, et al. "Risk factors of vitamin B12 deficiency in patients receiving metformin." Archives of Internal Medicine Oct 9, 2006: 1975-1979.
17. Wulffele MG, Kooy A, Lehert P, et al. Effects of short-term treatment with metformin on serum concentrations of homocysteine, folate and vitamin B12 in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A randomized, placebo-controlled trial. J Intern Med 2003;254:455-463.
18. Bottiglieri T. "Folate, vitamin B12 and neuropsychiatric disorders." Nutrition Review Dec 1996; 54(12): 382-390.,
19. Bottiglieri T, M Laundy, R Crellin, et al. "Homocysteine, folate, methylation, and monoamine metabolism in depression." Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry Mar 2001; 70(3): 419.
21. Elliott C, Newman N, Madan A. Gentamicin effects on urinary electrolyte excretion in healthy subjects. Clin Pharmacol Ther 2000;67:16-21.]]>Is Your Medication Robbing You of Nutrients?tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.6793822010-08-17T07:00:00-04:002011-11-17T09:02:45-05:00Hyla Cass, M.D.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hyla-cass-md/
-- Mehmet Oz, M.D., Professor of Surgery at Columbia University and author of bestsellers "YOU: The Owner's Manual" and "YOU: On A Diet"
A little known but potentially life-saving fact is that common medications deplete vital nutrients essential to your health. Here's a practical guide to avoid drug-induced nutrient depletion, and even replace your medications with natural supplements.
We have been called a pill-popping society, and statistics bear this out. Nearly 50 percent of American adults take at least one prescription drug, and 20 percent take three or more. In a survey(1), more than half of those over 65 and 30 percent of people 45 to 65 used at least three prescription drugs in a one-month period. With our increasing reliance on medications comes nutrient depletion, a problem we can't ignore. Every medication, including over-the-counter drugs, will drain the body of specific nutrients. On top of this, most Americans are already suffering from nutrient depletion. In fact, many of the conditions we see in everyday practice may actually be related to this deficiency.
The good news is that with the right supplements, you can avoid depletion side effects, and even better, you may be able to control and prevent chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.
A Common Scenario
I have seen case after case of patients who have experienced nutrient loss from taking prescribed medications. Too often, neither the patients nor their doctors were aware that the cause of symptoms was the medications themselves.
For example, a 57-year-old retired schoolteacher, Kathy, was being treated by her internist with three medications: the thiazide diuretic, Diuril, for high blood pressure; Fosamax for osteoporosis; and the beta-blocker, Tenormin, for heart palpitations.
She was referred to me, an integrative psychiatrist, because she suffered from fatigue, anxiety, depression and insomnia. I couldn't find an obvious psychological explanation for these symptoms, except perhaps for the stress of her physical illnesses.
The likeliest cause of her symptoms was the drugs themselves. So, rather than adding an antidepressant, an anti-anxiety pill or sleeping agent, I checked the known nutrient depletions associated with these medications. Lab results confirmed that Kathy was deficient in three essential minerals: magnesium, potassium and zinc.
Any one of her three medications could deplete potassium and magnesium, causing arrhythmias, hypertension, fatigue and depression. The diuretic also could be depleting zinc. Her internist agreed that he would continue to oversee her medications while I supervised her nutritional regimen.
Daily doses of magnesium, zinc and potassium, in addition to a high-potency multivitamin, resolved Kathy's "psychiatric" symptoms. Once her mineral levels were restored, her energy and mood were back to normal. She was not only spared the burden of an additional medication, but was able to lower the doses of the three she was taking.
I see cases similar to Kathy's more frequently than I'd like. Physicians will often tell these patients that their symptoms are "part of the illness" or "just signs that they're getting older." They then prescribe an additional drug or two for the side effects, further compounding the problem.
To understand the role of medications in nutrient depletion, we must first understand the variety of nutrient-depleting mechanisms in pharmacy.
Many drugs, such as the stimulants Ritalin (methylphenidate) and Adderall, are prescribed for attention deficit disorder. These can reduce appetite. This, in turn, decreases the intake of beneficial nutrients. Some antidepressants also tend to have this appetite-reducing effect.
On the flip side, a drug can reduce nutritional status by increasing the desire for unhealthy foods, such as refined carbohydrates. Many of the neuroleptics (antipsychotic drugs) and some antidepressants cause insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome, with resulting blood sugar swings. Patients then crave simple carbohydrates, such as sugar, bread and pasta. Steroid drugs, including those given by an inhaler, can create similar issues as well.
Certain medications reduce the absorption of nutrients. In passing through the gastrointestinal tract, drugs often bind to specific nutrients before they're absorbed into the bloodstream. The antibiotic, tetracycline, for example, can block absorption by binding with minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc in the GI tract.
Weight loss drugs and cholesterol lowering medicines similarly bind to fats, preventing them from being absorbed. Drugs that treat acid reflux or heartburn raise the pH environment of the upper GI tract, which reduces absorption of needed vitamins and minerals. This is especially problematic among the elderly, who often are already low in stomach acid.
Nutrients are essential to the metabolic activities of every cell in the body. They're used up in the process and need to be replaced by new nutrients in food or supplements. Some drugs deplete nutrients by speeding up this metabolic rate. These drugs include antibiotics (including penicillin and gentamicin) and steroids, such as prednisone and the gout medication, colchicine.
Other drugs block the nutrients' effects or production at the cellular level. In addition to the intended effect on enzymes or receptors, medications can influence enzymes or receptors that help process essential nutrients. For example, widely prescribed statin drugs block the activity of HMG-CoA, an enzyme that's required to manufacture cholesterol in the body. This action also depletes the body of coenzyme Q10, which requires HMG-CoA for its production. This has a serious negative impact on muscle and heart health.
Drugs also can increase the loss of nutrients through the urinary system. Any drug that does this can drain the body's levels of water-soluble nutrients, including B vitamins and minerals, such as magnesium and potassium. The major offenders are medications to treat hypertension, particularly the diuretics that reduce blood pressure by increasing the volume of water flushed out of the body.
Drug-induced nutrient depletion is far more common than we think. In evaluating patients' symptoms, doctors must assess whether symptoms are due to the illness, to side effects of the drugs or to drug-induced nutrient depletion. Considering the inadequate nutrition of most people, we must remember that the illness itself may be due, in part, to nutrient deficiency. To cover all bases, it is easiest to provide baseline coverage: a daily high potency multivitamin mineral formula, CoQ10 (200 mg), omega-3 fatty acids (2 grams) and additional vitamin D and probiotics, especially if you've taken antibiotics.
The bottom line: As physicians, we must look more deeply and determine underlying causes to determine whether drugs are harming patients, and what we can do to reverse these effects. As a consumer, be aware of these drug-nutrient depletions, and do what you can to avoid taking medications whenever you can, using natural products instead.
1. Centers for Disease Control and Statistics. Health United States 2006. Accessed via www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus06.pdf#093.
I will also continue this theme in subsequent blogs, discussing various categories of medications, their nutrient depletions, and natural, healthier substitutes.
]]>You Don't Have to Live with PMS!tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.6437652010-07-16T08:00:00-04:002011-11-17T09:02:45-05:00Hyla Cass, M.D.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hyla-cass-md/Confused about hormones? Beset by PMS or menopausal symptoms? Wondering about HRT versus herbal remedies? Dr. Cass explains what's going on in your body, and gives you healthy solutions that work.
--Uzzi Reiss MD, author of Natural Hormone Balance for Women
Our mothers once called them "women's problems." Now we know that these mood swings and physical changes, from PMS to menopause, are all part of a delicate balance among our various hormones. In my years of practicing integrative medicine, I have helped hundreds of women overcome PMS and menopausal symptoms naturally, and here's how.
Let's start by defining hormones. They are chemical messengers secreted by any one of the body's endocrine (ductless) glands. They travel through the bloodstream, telling various systems what to do. Besides reproductive functions, hormones affect virtually every body system from digestion to metabolism to hair growth.
All women have the same hormones but in varying quantities, making your own hormonal profile as unique as your fingerprint. When your hormones are in harmony, you will have predictable menstrual cycles --and moods. When out of balance, you will have irregular cycles and a host of symptoms, from bloating, cramps, weight gain and acne to food cravings, irritability and depression. Perimenopause, the transition to menopause, which can start as early as your late 30's, often causes an increase in PMS. In fact, many women report experiencing PMS for the first time at that point. Also common in peri-menopausal women, is a loss of libido, due to a dip in testosterone which governs sexual desire, and of course, those hot flashes and night sweats, which make sex the last thing on your mind!
Medical Management
For a full picture of your hormonal status, we need to check levels of estrogen, progesterone, DHEA-S and testosterone in blood, saliva, or urine, taken on day 19-21 of the cycle. For perimenopausal women, I also order FSH (follicule stimulating hormone) and LH (luteinizing hormone) blood tests to assess ovarian function. I will check cortisol levels (saliva test) and thyroid hormones (blood test), too, since they are a part of the overall hormone symphony.
You can find home testing kits online. Take these tests on days 19-21 of your cycle, with day one being the first day of your period. If you are post-menopausal, it won't matter when you take the tests. If you're irregular, do your best to estimate the appropriate date.
Hormone Therapy
If testing reveals that your hormone levels to be below the normal range, it may be due to perimenopause or other physiological factors. Faced with fluctuating hormones, doctors have traditionally prescribed synthetic hormone replacement therapy (HRT), such as Premarin (from pregnant mares' urine) and Prempro (Premarin plus synthetic progesterone), to correct imbalances. The recent Women's Health Initiative study showed that women taking this form of HRT had 27 percent more heart attacks, a higher rate of breast cancer, 38 percent more strokes and double the number of blood clots. There are safer ways to balance hormones successfully, ranging from supplements and herbs to bio-identical hormone therapy.
Natural Ways to Balance Sex Hormones
The first step to balancing your hormones is a clean diet:
• Eat fewer animal products, with lots of vegetables, including raw broccoli and other
cruciferous veggies
• Reduce or eliminate caffeine, alcohol, nicotine and sugar.
• Reduce or eliminate high-fat dairy products.
• Eliminate as much processed food as possible
• Reduce salt intake.
• Eat small, regular meals.
Yoga and meditation are helpful for PMS sufferers because they work on the nervous system to help balance hormones.
Supplements for PMS:
I give my patients magnesium (100 mg two to three times daily) and vitamin B6 (25-100 mg) to relieve irritability and tight muscles as well as premenstrual water retention.
Another important nutrient is GLA, an omega-6 fatty acid which also helps reduce the water retention, breast tenderness and moodiness associated with PMS, likely by it's action on the hormone prolactin. GLA is found in borage oil (1500 mg of borage twice daily), black currant seed or evening primrose oils.
The herb, Chasteberry (Vitus Agnus Castus), helps to balance the hormone, progesterone, relieving symptoms of PMS and heavy or irregular periods as well. Dose is 50-200 mg daily depending on symptoms. Do not take if you're pregnant.
The herb, Dong Quai, helps to balance the hormone estrogen. Like Vitex, the dose is 50-200 mg daily depending on symptoms and also do not take if you're pregnant.
Another useful nutrient is the amino acid, 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) 500-200 mg daily, depending on your individual needs. It helps to raise levels of the feel-good and calming brain chemical, serotonin, which is often low in PMS sufferers.
These nutrients plus wild yam a source of natural hormone production, can all be found in the formulation, PMS Balance. I have had many women report almost immediate relief upon taking this or a similar formula. Others may take a month or two to feel the full effects.
With menopausal symptoms, I may also add black cohosh and red clover extract. While there was a recent study that claimed that black cohosh didn't work, it was in fact, flawed, and contradicted numerous well-done studies that found it to be very effective. I have also discovered a remarkable new product called FemmePhase. Even the majority of my hard-core hot flashers have found relief with it.
Bio-identical Hormones
When the nutrients aren't quite doing the job, you can add over-the-counter natural progesterone cream (up to 30 mg daily) for one week prior to your period. This is a maximum of 3 percent progesterone, or 30 mg per 1 gram dose.
I may also prescribe higher dose bio-identical hormones for my patients. The progesterone is often 10 percent, which is three times as strong as the over-the counter dose. Made from highly purified derivatives of soy and wild yams, these formulas are carbon copies of your own natural hormones. Prescription strength bio-identical hormones are available only from compounding pharmacies, and are prescribed by your doctor. Doses are based on your individual hormonal needs as determined by your lab tests.
As I say repeatedly - "you don't have to live with PMS/peri-menopausal symptoms." This applies to both the woman herself and her long-suffering loved ones. This information should help you take care of most cases of PMS and peri-menopausal symptoms. I have many grateful women, and their partners, for whom PMS has truly become a thing of the past.
For more details, please see 8 Weeks to Vibrant Health ]]>Nutrients to Unplug and Recharge Your Body and Mindtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.5646402010-05-23T08:00:00-04:002011-11-17T09:02:45-05:00Hyla Cass, M.D.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hyla-cass-md/ Stress Check
• Do you have difficulty relaxing?
• Do you feel irritable?
• Do you have a dry mouth and sweaty palms?
• Do you worry about little events of the day and are unable to shut your mind off?
• Do you take on too much?
• Do you eat quickly?
• Do you have problems sleeping?
A "yes" to any of these is a sign that you are under stress, and at risk for stress-related health problems.
Fight or Flight -- The Stress Response
We need a certain amount of stress to keep us motivated, but too much can seriously affect our health. It mobilizes the body's "fight-or-flight response", which prepares us to cope with emergencies. Triggering the release of stress hormones adrenalin and cortisol from our adrenal glands, it increases our respiration and heart rate, elevates blood pressure, and raises blood sugar levels.
This worked fine when we were running from lions and tigers. However, as much as we'd like to, we can't run from our office, our stalled car, or our crying baby-- so we can end up with stress-related conditions such as headaches, heartburn, neck or shoulder pain, cold hands and feet, stomach "knots" or "butterflies," fatigue, anxiety attacks, or substance (including food) abuse. Research shows that stress also depresses immune function, making us more vulnerable to infectious diseases, and even, cancer.
Fortunately, there are many natural substances that support the body in handling the hassles of everyday life, and can help us to relax and de-stress.
Natural Support
Stress depletes the body of vital vitamins and minerals that are needed for the smooth running of the nervous system, and for the production of stress hormones. The more stressed we are, the more quickly we become deficient. Make sure you take enough of the following:
B vitamins: Take a multiple vitamin/ mineral formula with at least 25 mgs each of vitamins B1 (thiamin), B3 (niacin), B6 (Pyridoxine). By taking the B vitamins in combination with each other, you ensure that you don't create a relative deficiency of any. The entire vitamin - mineral complex will also support your overall metabolism. Women taking birth control pills can become depleted in B6 and Vitamin C - so be sure to supplement!
Vitamin C: This vital vitamin supports our immune system and adrenals. Since we are unable to manufacture it in our bodies, we need to take at least 1000 mg per day, and more during stress or when dealing with illness.
Magnesium: This vital mineral is often deficient in stress. Take 200-400 mgs daily, which may be found in some high potency multiple vitamin/ mineral formulas, or just add it to your supplement regimen. A hot Epsom Salts (magnesium sulfate) bath is another good way to get your magnesium, since it's well absorbed through the skin.
Amino Acids: 5-HTP is a precursor to serotonin, the feel-good, calming brain chemical that helps you to relax as well. Great for curbing carb cravings, too. Take 50-200 mg daily.
L-theanine is the calming amino acid in green tea that counteracts the caffeine content, and helps you feel relaxed and focused at the same time. 100-300 mg daily.
GABA, glutamine, glycine: By enhancing your levels of GABA, the brain's chill chemical, all 3 aminos, are calming.
Herbs:
Valerian (Valeriana officinalis)
Another favorite for the treatment of stress is valerian, sometimes referred to as "Nature's Valium." Like the Valium-type drugs, valerian acts on the brain's GABA receptors, with similar tranquilizing effects, but without their side effects.
Using standardized extract (0.8 percent valeric acid), the dose is 50-100 mg, two to three times daily for relaxation. To help you fall asleep, take 150-300mg about 45 minutes before bedtime.
Adaptogens
Found in all traditional medicine systems except Western medicine, adaptogenic herbs provide an overall boost to our system, especially to the adrenal glands, and can help return the body to a normal, balanced state. Such adaptogens as Siberian ginseng, rhodiola, reishi mushroom and ashwagandha can increase stamina, improve physical and mental function, enhance mood, and protect against infections, toxins, exhaustion, and other negative effects of stress.
For one-stop shopping for many of these nutrients, take a multi/vitamin mineral and check out my CALM formula to chill, or Nightly CALM with added valerian for sleep. Then for enhanced energy, without overstimulation, see my adaptogen-containing Energy Balance formula. All are available at my website's health store.
Summary:
Besides these supplements, your best tools for handling stress are these lifestyle suggestions:
1. Sufficient sleep
2. Exercise: aerobic, resistance-training, and stretching
3. Healthy diet, with minimal sugar, caffeine, and alcohol
4. Relaxation breaks throughout the day, even if it's a few minutes of deep breathing
5. Realistic expectations of what you are able to accomplish
6. A good support network of friends and family
Adapted from my book, 8 Weeks to Vibrant Health]]>Eating Disorders: The Nutrient Solutiontag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.4786472010-02-27T09:25:21-05:002011-11-17T09:02:45-05:00Hyla Cass, M.D.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hyla-cass-md/
Many years ago, a psychologist who specializes in eating disorders began to send me her clients because she had heard that antidepressant medications worked for these patients. I had by then shifted to a more holistic approach, so I told her that before I prescribed antidepressants, I wanted to try some more natural methods. I had discovered that in many cases of eating disorder, there is an underlying biochemical issue - a combination of food sensitivity, blood sugar imbalance and nutrient deficiency. She agreed, her patients cooperated, and we had some excellent, medication-free results. This encouraged me to continue on this natural path as I have to this day. Here are some of my discoveries, as well as subsequent research by others in this growing field.
Food Sensitivity
We crave the foods that we are sensitive or "allergic" too. Not a typical allergy with hives or stomach aches, these sensitivities are intolerances, often inherited, and show up in any number of ways - for example, depression, inability to lose weight, eating disorders, tinnitus, unexplained aches and pains--many, many others. The very foods we crave will create the most symptoms and are the most damaging. In fact, food cravings are similar to an addiction to alcohol. As you withdraw from the foods you're addicted to, you begin to have withdrawal symptoms and the craving begin. And if you happen to be addicted to wheat or baked goods, you can never get enough of them, so you binge on them, despite your best intentions to the contrary. People addicted to grains may drink excessive amounts of grain-based liquor or beer and can become alcoholics. They're sensitive to and addicted to the alcohol, but it's the grain-base that is causing the problem. They can even feel "drunk" after eating cereal or baked goods. Not so different from your regular carb-binger, except the target is alcohol instead of refined carbs.
Nutrients
It's not just a matter of willpower. In order to break the addiction cycle, in addition to avoiding the undesirable foods, you have to supply the body with a good, supportive nutritional program of healthful food, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Then, the cravings will often simply go away! It's quite remarkable; with a nutrient rich diet, and good vitamin and mineral formula, you can stop the cycle. In fact, once the diet and nutrients are in place, the cravings and addictions will often just fall away. Remember that nutritional supplements are not a substitute for healthy food, but a supplement to restore missing ingredients and balance biochemistry.
Magnesium is often deficient, and taking it can be very helpful. It's great, too, for muscle tension, insomnia, and even, heart palpitations. The amino acid glutamine is also useful for reducing cravings. I've had former alcoholics (yes, former) say that the glutamine cut their cravings for good; they no longer were battling the desire to drink. They were done for good. Glutamine works similarly with bulimics and binge eaters.
Zinc: Some years ago, researcher Alex Schauss did a study on patients who were suffering from anorexia nervosa. By using a simple test called a zinc taste test, he found that they were zinc-deficient. He then gave them liquid zinc therapeutically, with very successful results. The test consists of the person taking some liquid zinc sulfate solution in their mouth, and if they describe it as having a bad or strong taste, they usually have sufficient levels of zinc. On the other hand, if they can't taste the solution or if it tastes just like water, then they may have a cellular zinc deficiency, even if their blood levels look adequate. It's a vicious cycle since zinc deficiency affects taste; so zinc-deficient anorexics don't taste their food, so are less motivated to eat it. Zinc supplementation has continued to be used in nutritionally oriented settings, including my own practice.
Serotonin: Bulimia and binge-eating is often treated with the SSRI antidepressants such as Prozac, Zoloft and Lexapro They raise brain levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter or chemical messenger in the brain that causes a feeling of well-being and relaxation, and reduces hunger. Rather than using medication, my preference is to prescribe the materials that make serotonin, the amino acids L-tryptophan or it's relative, 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophane), and there is research to back it.
In her book, The Diet Cure, Julia Ross refers to a study where bulimics were deprived of tryptophan. In reaction, their serotonin levels dropped and they binged more violently, ingesting and purging an average of 900 calories more each day. In another study, adding extra tryptophan to the diet reduced bulimic binges and mood problems by raising serotonin levels. More recently, an Oxford researcher, Katherine Smith, reported that even years into recovery, bulimics can have a return of their cravings and mood problem after only a few hours of tryptophan depletion, concluding that, "Our findings support suggestions that chronic depletion of plasma tryptophan may be one of the mechanisms whereby persistent dieting can lead to the development of eating disorders in vulnerable individuals."
The herb St. John's Wort provides another way to raise serotonin levels. I have discussed this along with dosages of tryptophan and other nutrients in my book, Natural Highs.
Thiamine: As we have seen, nutrient deficiencies can aggravate anorexia, and it should be treated with nutrient rich diets. For example, restricting your diet will make you deficient in such vitamins as Vitamin B1 (thiamin). It's found in foods that people with eating disorders rarely eat -- including beans, whole grains, seeds, meats and vegetables. Common signs of thiamin deficiency are loss of appetite, weight loss, constipation, anxiety, chest pain and even sleep disturbance along with depression and irritation. Sound familiar?
Blood Sugar Swings
One mechanism underlying the craving and eating (or drinking) cycle is blood sugar imbalance: low blood sugar sets off the craving. The brain experiences this dip as life- threatening starvation, followed by a frantic search for whatever will raise blood sugar. Just picture our ancestors in the jungle, short on food, and having to hunt for their next meal--or die. We, on the other hand, just go to the refrigerator. The quickest fixes here are sugary foods or other refined carbs such as bread or pastries. And we don't even burn any calories on our hunt.
Bottom Line: Treat Nutrient Deficiency with Nutrients
I will often order a blood test to see which amino acids are low, and by replacing them, the body (and brain) comes into balance. As a result, the food cravings will often be greatly relieved or even, come to a halt, as noted in the case of glutamine for acute cravings.
There are other natural treatments, as well, for cravings due to food sensitivities. Acupuncture and acupressure has been shown to help, especially some techniques such as NAET that can actually eliminate the food sensitivities themselves.
The point is, instead of simply taking an antidepressant, there are many other ways to approach what at first appears to be strictly a psychological problem. The combination of psychotherapy and a nutritional/biochemical approach is the most useful, and I have successfully treated many patients without resorting to medication at all. Not only does this approach work as well as medication, but in my experience, working with the body's chemistry rather than introducing more chemicals in the form of medication, is often superior. It's faster, has none of the side effects, and has many side benefits. I developed Brain Recovery AM & Pm formula to provide many of the nutrients mentioned here and more, to balance amino acids, serotonin, blood sugar, and mood.
For more information, see my book, Natural Highs. Also sign up for my free e-newsletter, and get a free copy of my e-book, Reclaim Your Brain.
]]>Natural Solutions To Sleep Deprivationtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.4337912010-01-24T12:02:51-05:002011-11-17T09:02:45-05:00Hyla Cass, M.D.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hyla-cass-md/
As you know, disrupted sleep can exert a severe toll on your emotional and physical health, interfering with mental abilities, productivity and performance - leaving you feeling stressed, cranky, depressed and drowsy. (2) Poor sleep patterns are linked to a growing list of serious health conditions, including obesity, heart disease, Type two diabetes, and even, premature deaths in older adults.
Sleep Problems Begin in Middle Age
Sleep researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have recently shown that alterations in normal sleep patterns actually begin in middle age. (3) Studying 110 volunteers between 20 to 59 years of age, they discovered that the quality and duration of sleep changed dramatically between the mid-20s and the mid-50s, with subjects going to bed and waking up earlier. The subjects also slept less, woke up more often during the night, and experienced fewer stages of deep sleep. (4)
According to study author, Dr. Julie Carrier, "Middle age is a turning point for sleep. Some sleep patterns have already changed significantly by the time an average adult reaches age 30." Dr. Carrier observed that these changes are most likely tied to gradual age-related changes in features of the biological clock. "We need to learn where the system breaks down. If we are able to find out what is causing the biological clock to change with age, we may be able to discover ways to overcome these changes and help get these people back on track."
Restoring Natural Sleep Cycles
Given the scope of the problem it's little wonder that the number of prescriptions for sleep aids has increased dramatically. According to data from IMS Health, 56,287,000 prescriptions were written last year for sleep medications like Ambien® and Lunesta®, a seven percent rise since 2007. My choice is to avoid prescribing fast-acting sleeping pills that tend to knock patients out and leave them with a hangover in the morning. I prefer, instead, to work with natural supplements combining nutrients that work together to gently promote a state of calm, initiate and support the natural process of falling asleep, and improve the overall quality of sleep to allow you to wake up feeling refreshed, energized and restored.
I most often recommend starting with two well-established supplements -- the neurohormone, melatonin, that is commonly used to treat jet lag and aid shift workers (e.g. police officers and nurses), and the amino acid, 5-HTP, which promotes serotonin production. More details on these in Natural Highs. I then add, if needed, a selection of traditional plant extracts, such as passionflower and valerian, that promote deep, restful sleep. Another favorite of mine is L-theanine, an amino acid derived from green tea that has been shown to aid in relaxing the mind and promoting a sense of calm.
Most recently I've been very impressed with a newly available version of a traditional Chinese herbal compound, Wulinshen, available in an aptly named formula, SleepCycle, along with the above-mentioned natural sleep enhancers. Wulinshen is known to help to re-synchronize the body's biological clock and sleep rhythms. It is rich in unique "deep-sleep" nutrients that help to relax the brain and promote a sense of calm to restore restful, recuperative sleep without next-day brain fog. It also reduces the time needed to fall to sleep, and, especially after seven to eight days of use, helps you to stay asleep longer. Wulinshen contains glutamic acid, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA, a calming amino acid, as well as a relaxing neurotransmitter) and glutamate decarboxylase, all of which are natural tranquilizers.
Many of my patients come to me after trying all the typical prescription and natural sleep products. They report that SleepCycle works even better than expected: they now just go to bed, fall asleep, and wake up feeling refreshed. It seems to gradually and steadily restore an optimal state of balance, promoting deep, restorative, recuperative sleep cycles over time.
In summary, rather than introducing foreign chemicals that can cause a host of their own problems, my preference is always to go for the natural products that work with the body's own chemistry.
Hyla Cass M.D. is a board-certified psychiatrist and nationally recognized expert on integrative medicine. She combines the best of natural medicine with modern science in her clinical practice and appears regularly on TV, radio, and has been quoted in many national magazines. She is the author of several popular books including: Natural Highs, 8 Weeks to Vibrant Health, and Supplement your Prescription: What Your Doctor Doesn't Know About Nutrition. Visit her website, Cassmd.com.
Haiti Earthquake Medical Relief: Please donate to Partners in Health. For details, see Dr. Mark Hyman's moving and inspiring blog from Haiti.
References
1.Stoller, MK. Economic effects of insomnia. Clin Ther . 1994;16:873-97. Development Program. State-of-the-Science Conference.
2. Knipling R, Wang J. Revised estimates of the U.S. drowsy driver crash problem size based on general estimates system case reviews. Thirty-Ninth Annual Proceedings of the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine . Des Plaines, IL: Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine; 1995:415-466.
3. E. J. W. Van Someren. "Circadian and sleep disturbances in the elderly." Experimental Gerontology, Volume 35, Issues 9-10, December 2000, Pages 1229-1237.
4. University Of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "Deterioration Of Sleep During Middle Age Related To Changes In The Biological Clock." ScienceDaily 25 June 1998.]]>