Stress saps energy, and Americans feel stressed more than ever, with 20 percent of us experiencing “extreme stress” at least weekly, according to the American Institute of Stress. Could late-night TV and the ubiquitous presence of electronic devices be the culprits?

Partly, according to information published by Harvard Medical School. While all light stimulates the brain, the blue light from electronic devices and some eco-light bulbs disrupt circadian rhythms, prevent production of melatonin and block deep, healthful, restorative sleep.

Fortunately, there’s an easy remedy, say Harvard experts: Seek abundant exposure to bright natural sunlight, and then turn off all electronic devices an hour before bedtime. Some experts even suggest wearing orange-colored goggles for the last two waking hours to neutralize the energy-sucking blue rays. Here are a few more energy thieves and ways to neutralize them.

Avoid Energy Vampires


Problem: We all know someone that exhausts us, according to Dr. Judith Orloff, Venice Beach, California, author of the new book, The Ecstasy of Surrender. Maybe he or she talks endlessly about personal matters, is incessantly negative, a gossip or a guilt-tripper.

Solution: “Take control. Get in the driver’s seat,” advises Orloff. “Create a circle of positive people around you. Stay calm and centered. Distance yourself from energy vampires and if they’re family, limit time spent with them and establish boundaries.”

Recognize Time Leeches


Problem: We fall into the black hole of Facebook or cute kitten videos. Hours pass and we fall behind in more productive activities and then feel drained and groggy.

Solution: Time management is essential to preserving energy, says Orloff. Limit time spent on social media. Check email once or twice a day instead of every 15 minutes.

MORE WAYS TO RECHARGE
Take a walk. A brisk 10-minute walk gets the cobwebs out and neutralizes the four o’clock energy slump, says Dr. Judith Orloff. Just spending time outside is a simple, time-tested way of boosting energy.

Recent Scottish research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine confirms the energy-enhancing power of nature in general, noting that people that live near trees have lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

Just Say No. “’No,’ is a complete sentence,” says Orloff. “You don’t have to be mean or angry about it; just firmly say ‘No,’ when someone asks you to do something you don’t want to do or because you already feel overcommitted or overwhelmed. You don’t have to explain or make excuses.” A commitment isn’t necessarily final either, remarks Orloff: “If you dread it and can’t delegate it, renegotiate the earlier agreement.”
“The Internet is addictive, almost like a drug,” explains Orloff. “When you’re online, your energy is cut off and you become a zombie; you’re not in your body. Take a technology fast. Talk to your mate. Make love. Go for a walk in the woods. See your best friend.”

Get Rid of Clutter


Problem: We all have way too much “stuff,” says Linda Rauch Carter, author of Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life. “If you don’t have room, you shut yourself off from the flow of energy in your home and become exhausted,” says the Tustin, California, feng shui expert. “When I ask a client to take half of the stuff off a shelf and then ask how it feels, they almost always take a deep breath. The clutter literally chokes off breath and vitality.”

Solution: “Clear out what isn’t needed,” counsels Carter. “Keep a balance by making it a habit when bringing new things into a home or work environments to let go of a comparable number of old things at the same time.”

Beware of clutter creep, the slow accumulation of energy-sapping clutter, she says. “I believe the lack of energy so many of us experience is a nearly undetectable, chronic energy drain that seems slight, yet over time becomes a big problem.”

Stop Electromagnetic Pollution


Problem: We are all surrounded by energy-draining electromagnetic fields (EMF) from myriad electronic devices and systems in homes and offices, plus cell phone towers and transmission lines. All of these operate on frequencies that can be major energy drains, says Carter. Japanese research physician Ryoichi Ogawa found that 80 percent of his chronic fatigue patients were frequent users of electromagnetic technologies (Omega-News).

Solution: Minimize indoor exposure to EMFs by using land lines with corded phones, power strips and shutting off electricity to nonessential appliances when not in use. “I’ve been preaching this for 20 years,” says Carter. Protecting sleep space is a primary consideration. “Make sure no beds are near electrical outlets and cell phones. Get rid of cordless phones, which are like mini cell towers, right there in the house,” she adds.

The easiest solution, Carter says, is to put bare feet on bare earth for 15 to 20 minutes a day. “It will pull some of that excess EMF charge right off of you.”


Kathleen Barnes is the author of numerous natural health books and publisher at Take Charge Books. Connect atKathleen@KathleenBarnes.com.

Labels may vary, but results are what count. Whether called high-intensity intermittent exercise (HIIE), interval or burst-style training, recent research proves that this form of exercise improves insulin levels. This is promising news for the estimated 50 million American adults that have abdominal obesity and are on the path toward metabolic dysfunction due to a high-sugar diet that causes spikes and crashes in blood sugar levels and eventually contributes to insulin resistance.

According to a recent study published in the Journal of Obesity, the benefits of doing HIIE at least three times a week for two to six weeks include reduction of abdominal body fat, improved aerobic and anaerobic fitness and lower levels of insulin resistance.

In a separate study, Norwegian researchers examined the impact that different types of exercise programs had on individuals seeking to reverse metabolic dysfunction, an overall chemical imbalance largely attributed to insulin resistance. They concluded that despite producing similar effects on body weight and blood pressure, the aerobic interval training group also showed greater improvement in insulin sensitivity, aerobic capacity and high-density lipoprotein (HDL, or “good” cholesterol) than those performing continuous moderate exercise. They also exhibited lower blood glucose (sugar) levels.

Another beneficial HIIE characteristic is that it involves markedly fewer exercise repetitions and less training time. JJ Virgin, a fitness and nutrition expert and author of The Virgin Diet, recommends incorporating burst-style and resistance training for fast, lasting fat loss and improving insulin resistance. Best of all, you can do these exercises in minutes a day.

“Burst exercise means working out in short intense bursts of 30 to 60 seconds, coupled with one to two minutes of active recovery time, moving at a lower intensity that allows you to catch your breath and lower your heart rate,” she explains.

Two easy examples of this are sprinting to burst and then walking to recover, and running up stairs to burst, and then walking down them to recover. “This should be repeated for a total of four to eight minutes of high-intensity bursts per session. Overall, this will take 20 to 30 minutes,” says Virgin.

She notes that the increase in stress hormones that occurs during HIIE are counteracted by the simultaneously raised levels of anabolic-building hormones. “Short bursts train the body in how to handle stress and recover. Repeated intense bursts raise the lactic acid level, which in turn raises growth hormone production and supports fat burning. The research is clear that the more intense the exercise, the bigger the metabolic benefit is afterward.”
 

The Skinny on Glycemic FoodsBY KATHLEEN BARNES

Those wanting to reduce carbohydrate intake by eating foods with a low glycemic index based on their impact on blood sugar levels might consider using newer tables that instead measure glycemic load, suggests New York City Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist Susan Weiner.

She explains that the glycemic index only considers how quickly sugars from food are released into the bloodstream. The glycemic load charts a more accurate accounting of the amount of carbohydrates in an actual serving, rather than the 50-gram (1.76-ounce) portion used in calculating a food’s ranking on the glycemic index scale of 1 to 100.

“Glycemic load is a better indicator of how a carbohydrate food will affect blood sugar in realistic portions, especially in combination with other foods, including proteins and fats,” advises Weiner.

Here are a few compelling comparisons:

Food/SnackGlycemic IndexGlycemic LoadCarrot35 (low)2 (low)Watermelon72 (high)4 (low)Graham crackers74 (high)14 (medium)Baguette95 (very high)15 (medium)Snickers bar51 (medium)18 (medium high)Cornflakes93 (very high)23 (high)Baked Potato111 (very high)33 (high)
For an expanded rating of food items, visit Tinyurl.com/Glycemic-Load-Factor.

This article appears in the January 2015 issue of Natural Awakenings

View all issues of Natural Awakenings

Attempts to tender lay explanations of how to attain and maintain better health have become fragmented and compartmentalized, with complex scientific cause-and-effect explanations of disease regularly reduced to isolated infographics and sound bites in the media. But understanding our body’s sophisticated, self-regulating, self-correcting and interdependent physiological systems, which work in collaboration with each other and inform us of the body’s status by means of symptoms, deserves a whole-systems frame of reference.

Stepping back from immediate concerns to grasp the bigger picture allows for rethinking the Western approach to health. A perspective that connects all the dots works best, beginning with the foundation of wellness—the functioning of 73 trillion cells that are organized into a variety of tissues, including interconnected systems of organs. Optimally, they function together harmoniously to achieve homeostasis, the overall chemical and energetic balance that defines metabolic health.

The Reign of Metabolism

Many perceive the role of metabolism as limited to determining energy expenditure via the number of calories burned per day, but it does much more. Metabolism actually encompasses thousands of physical and chemical processes that take place in the functioning of every cell, the building blocks of life; healthy cell function produces proper endocrine (hormonal) functioning, influencing homeostasis.

This past August, 12 nationally recognized functional medicine experts participated in the country’s first online Metabolic Revolution Summit to discuss the importance of recognizing the dots that connect the majority of today’s chronic diseases—high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, pre-diabetes, Type 2 diabetes, weight gain, obesity, fatty liver disease, Alzheimer’s, dementia, cancer and even infertility. All of the panelists pointed to the root cause that links them all—the craze for a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet starting in the 1990s combined with a sedentary lifestyle.

When several complex conditions exist simultaneously, medical science refers to them as a syndrome. Regardless of how such intricate interrelationships become manifest, all of these syndromes have early-stage signs that include inflammation, high blood sugar and insulin resistance, which can affect metabolic health.

A Holistic Approach

Doctors that specialize in functional integrative medicine strive to improve the health and well-being of patients by engaging them in their own healing process. One popular approach is practiced by Durango, Colorado, Doctor of Chiropractic James Forleo, author of Health is Simple, Disease is Complicated: A Systems Approach to Vibrant Health. He starts by educating people about the basic functioning of the major body systems involved in their specific health challenges.

“To maintain metabolic health, no one should overlook that the body’s intelligence works 24/7 to solve multiple problems simultaneously, including balancing their metabolism. The more complex the pattern of symptoms, the more systems are involved. Whether a single or group of symptoms indicate metabolic dysfunction, it means that numerous systems that rely on healthy cells are unable to perform their normal functions,” explains Forleo.

For example, blood sugar issues, excess circulating insulin and buildup of excess glucose stored as fat can lead to metabolic dysfunction. The pancreas, thyroid and gastrointestinal tract—primary glands in the endocrine system that plays a major role in balancing body chemistry by secreting hormones directly into the circulatory system—are negatively impacted. Well-functioning adrenals are necessary to balance blood sugar and one role of the pancreas is to produce insulin.

When five of the eight major organ systems—immune, endocrine, cardiovascular, digestive and endocrine—are impacted by metabolic dysfunction, a more holistic and systemic approach to health can provide a broader understanding of how they interrelate, and why preventive measures can preclude having to later pursue ways to reverse serious chronic diseases.

Lifestyle Factors

Functional medicine’s integrative approach to metabolic health is based on proper nutrition and regular exercise. “The inflammatory agents present in much of the food consumed at each meal in the standard American diet—high-glycemic refined carbohydrates, high-fructose corn syrup and other sugars, and hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats—are the biggest offenders,” says Forleo, who notes that the body instead needs good fats, such as those obtained from olive and coconut oils.

Factors over which we can exercise some control—physical activity, stress, sleep, diet and circadian rhythms—all play roles in metabolic health. Unfortunately, “We are moving further away from our ancestors’ healthier diet and lifestyle. We’re overfed and undernourished because we’re no longer eating for nutrition, but for entertainment,” remarks Doctor of Chiropractic Brian Mowll, the medical director of Sweet Life Diabetes Health Centers in Pennsylvania and Delaware.

Pioneering integrative doctors are connecting the dots that point to the root causes of the majority of today’s chronic diseases.

He characterizes metabolic dysfunction as the ultimate problem because it’s the doorway to many other ailments. “A hundred years ago, infectious diseases plagued humanity. Today and in the future, it’ll be metabolic disorders such as obesity, cancer, metabolic syndrome, thyroid disorders and other endocrine problems, diabetes and Type 2 diabetes,” predicts Mowll.

Metabolic Health Education

Dr. Caroline Cederquist, author of The MD Factor Diet: A Physician’s Proven Diet for Metabolism Correction and Healthy Weight Loss, and founder of Cederquist Medical Wellness Center, in Naples, Florida, conducted a one-year study of patients to identify their health issues via blood work analysis. Eighty-nine percent of the men, women and children showed evidence of insulin resistance. This often-overlooked metabolic condition affects how the body processes glucose, a simple sugar and the body’s primary fuel, making gaining weight easy and losing it difficult. Treated with proper diet, lifestyle changes and supplements, plus medication in advanced stages, Cederquist found that metabolic dysfunction is reversible.

She explains that long-term insulin resistance can lead to fatty liver disease, high blood sugar and eventually, diabetes. It also directly affects cholesterol levels and can induce triglycerides, high blood pressure, low HDL (high-density lipoprotein, or “good” cholesterol), increased waist circumference and heart disease. In Cederquist’s young adult patients, metabolic dysfunction was also associated with polycystic ovarian syndrome, a cause of infertility.

Germany’s Dr. Wolf Funfack, a specialist in internal and nutritional medicine and creator of a well-regarded metabolic balancing program, noted that insulin resistance both increases the production of stress hormones and blocks production of the anti-inflammatory hormones that slow the aging process. Funfack’s all-natural, personalized nutrition plan, backed by more than 25 years of scientific study, is designed to bring hormonal balance, optimize health and lead to long-term weight management.

Cardiologist Stephen Sinatra, author of Metabolic Cardiology, goes a step further. He believes that metabolic dysfunction involving cells, hormones and inflammation encompasses the molecular-based essence of all disease. He observes, “Individuals diagnosed with several conditions can leave a doctor’s office with three or four prescriptions, rather than the one solution for reversal and prevention—a healthy lifestyle and non-inflammatory diet to offset and neutralize weight gain, blood pressure elevation and other abnormalities such as high blood sugar.”

Mowll agrees that many conventional healthcare practitioners don’t address the root cause of metabolic disorders or provide lifestyle interventions. “They simply reach for the prescription pad,” he says. This growing problem presents an opportunity to educate the entire populace.

Bestselling Virgin Diet author JJ Virgin, who characterizes the human body as a “chemistry lab,” adopts an easy-to-follow nutritional and fitness approach for metabolic health. She recommends eating the types of healthy fats found in wild fish, raw nuts and seeds, coconut, avocado and olives. Virgin prefers the clean, lean protein of grass-fed beef and wild fish, plus low-glycemic lentils and legumes and plenty of low-glycemic fruits like raspberries, blueberries, pears and grapefruits. Low-glycemic vegetables on her list include green peas, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, onion and eggplant. “When you eat this way, there’s a slow release of sugar, and insulin remains at lower levels,” advises Virgin.

As in any systems theory, the whole must be understood in relationship to the parts, as well as the relevant environment. Experts agree that it’s paramount to take an expanded, systemic approach to metabolic health, rather than fixating on only one or two aspects at a time. Metabolic health—from basic cells to the most sophisticated of organized systems—can only be achieved and sustained when the whole system is healthy.


Linda Sechrist is a senior staff writer for Natural Awakenings and host of the online Metabolic Revolution Summit. Visit her website ItsAllAboutWe.com for a free audio sample.

How to Talk with a Doctor

BY CAROL L. ROBERTS

Many patients, both men and women, have a hero-worshipping attitude toward their physicians and can be intimidated during visits. They may feel it’s impolite to question a doctor, even to get information needed to make critical decisions for one’s self or a loved one.

Some doctors seem to have forgotten they are still just people with a medical degree. Patients should remember this if they encounter any perceived aloofness or arrogance. Too often, such an unhelpful attitude may be acquired along with professional experience.

Getting ready for a visit to a doctor often entails following instructions, but should also include preparing questions you want answered. If a serious health issue has surfaced, such as an abnormal lab test or a diagnosis that requires treatment, make key questions count: “Where did this come from? Is there anything I can do for myself? What is the recommended treatment? What are the expected effects and unintended side effects of the proposed treatment? Are there alternative forms of treatment? Can I speak to one of your patients that has undergone this treatment?”

Then, do online research upon returning home. The Internet has placed the entire library of medicine at our fingertips. Sift out the science from the hype, refine questions and go back for deeper answers. Get a second opinion from another medical doctor or naturopath (some states license them) or doctor of Oriental medicine (acupuncture and herbs). No matter if the proposed treatment is as seemingly simple as a course of antibiotics or as serious as surgery, question it before automatically submitting to a diagnosis and drug prescription.

Each of us is the only person on Earth with the unique vantage point of living inside our body. We shouldn’t let anyone label us as depressed if a sick body says otherwise, that “It’s all in your head,” if it’s real, or that there’s no cure. That’s where alternative medicine usually begins and miracles can happen. The best results come from standing up for ourselves.


Dr. Carol L. Roberts practices integrative medicine at the Perlmutter Health Center, in Naples, FL (PerlHealth.com). She is a founding diplomate of the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine.

This article appears in the January 2015 issue of Natural Awakenings

Does it sometimes feel like if we can’t do something perfectly, why should we bother doing it at all? Perfectionism feeds on such an all-or-nothing approach in following rigid self-imposed rules that can sabotage relationships, health and happiness.

Instead, try adopting a “better than perfect” mindset that embraces life’s imperfections without guilt or shame. A clean enough house or a good enough job is in many ways better than perfect. Here are helpful approaches to reframe the internal discussion.

Remember what matters. In planning a big birthday party for her husband, one wife was so stressed trying to manage every detail that she had to stop and ask herself: What is most important —having everything look perfect, or having a fun party they would enjoy and remember for the rest of their lives? Thinking about our values keeps things in perspective and perfectionism in check.

Perfection isn’t likable. We often try to be perfect to gain other people’s attention and approval, but no one wants to be around a person trying to be someone they aren’t.

No one’s life is perfect. Social media often present idealized versions of people’s lives. Few post about fighting with their partner or coping with an unhappy infant; we most often hear about vacation adventures and baby’s first word or step. We can avoid feelings of dissatisfaction by avoiding comparisons with others.

It’s not failure, it’s data. Rather than personalize a perceived failure, take it on as an opportunity. If a New Year’s resolution to work out more isn’t kept, ask why: Is the exercise location too far away or is the class schedule inconvenient? It feels better to adopt a more successful strategy than to beat ourself up about falling short.

Perfectionism is a treadmill. People often think, “I’ll be happy when I weigh this or achieve that,” always seeking the next level of self-improvement. Appreciating who we are right now is a path to happiness.

Perfectionism is a learned behavior, and anything learned can be unlearned at any age. As we continue to strive for excellence, we can learn to embrace what’s good.


Take a perfectionist self-assessment quiz at Tinyurl.com/PerfectionismQuiz.

Elizabeth Lombardo, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and the author of Better than Perfect: 7 Strategies to Crush Your Inner Critic and Create a Life You Love plus A Happy You: Your Ultimate Prescription for Happiness. Connect at ElizabethLombardo.com.

This article appears in the January 2015 issue of Natural Awakenings