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I am a 2012 Naturopathic Doctoral Candidate at National College of Natural Medicine in Portland, OR. I am excited to share and exchange knowledge about health and wellness on my journey to becoming a Naturopathic Doctor.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Think Yourself Out of Your Hot Flashes

Apparently mainstream medicine is catching on: if we think we have control over our lives, our health and well-being, it seems to have a beneficial impact on the actual outcome of our health. Imagine that.
Have a look at what this interesting Portuguese study found regarding women and their perceived control of hot flashes.

Perceived control, lifestyle, health, socio-demographic factors and menopause: Impact on hot flashes and night sweats.


Maturitas. 2011 Jun 14;

Authors: Pimenta F, Leal I, Maroco J, Ramos C

OBJECTIVE: To develop a model to predict the perceived severity of hot flashes (HF) and night sweats (NS) in symptomatic middle-aged women. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of a community-based sample of 243 women with vasomotor symptoms. Menopausal status was ascertained using the 'Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop' criteria. Women's 'perceived control' over their symptoms was measured by a validated Portuguese version of the Perceived Control over Hot Flushes Index. Structural equation modelling was employed to construct a causal model of self-reported severity of both HF and NS, using a set of 20 variables: age, marital status, parity, professional status, educational level, family annual income, recent diseases and psychological problems, medical help-seeking behaviour to manage menopausal symptoms, use of hormone therapy and herbal/soy products, menopause status, intake of alcohol, coffee and hot beverages, smoking, physical exercise, body mass index and perceived control. RESULTS: Significant predictors of perceived severity were the use of hormone therapy for both HF (β=-.245; p=.022) and NS (β=-.298; p=.008), coffee intake for both HF (β=-.234; p=.039) and NS (β=-.258; p=.029) and perceived control for both HF (β=-1.0; p<.001) and NS (β=-1.0; p<.001). The variables explained respectively 67% and 72% of the variability in the perceived severity of HF and NS. Women with high perceived control had a significantly lower frequency (t(235)=2.022; p=.044) and intensity of HF (t(217)=3.582; p<.001); similarly, participants with high perceived control presented a lower frequency (t(235)=3.267; p<.001) and intensity (t(210)=3.376; p<.001) of NS. CONCLUSION: Perceived control was the strongest predictor of the self-reported severity of both HF and NS. Other causal predictors were hormone therapy and caffeine intake. All three were associated with less severe vasomotor symptoms.

PMID: 21680119 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Deoderant may not be coming up not smelling like roses afterall....

Deodorants are the leading cause of allergic contact dermatitis to fragrance ingredients.

Contact Dermatitis. 2011; 64(5):258-64 (ISSN: 1600-0536)

Heisterberg MV ; Menné T ; Andersen KE ; Avnstorp C ; Kristensen B ; Kristensen O ; Kaaber K ; Laurberg G ; Henrik Nielsen N ; Sommerlund M ; Thormann J ; Veien NK ; Vissing S ; Johansen JD

Department of Dermato-allergology, National Allergy Research Centre, Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, 2900 Hellerup, Denmark. mavohe01@geh.regionh.dk

BACKGROUND: Fragrances frequently cause contact allergy, and cosmetic products are the main causes of fragrance contact allergy. As the various products have distinctive forms of application and composition of ingredients, some product groups are potentially more likely to play a part in allergic reactions than others.

AIM: To determine which cosmetic product groups cause fragrance allergy among Danish eczema patients.

METHOD: This was a retrospective study based on data collected by members of the Danish Contact Dermatitis Group. Participants (N = 17,716) were consecutively patch tested with fragrance markers from the European baseline series (2005-2009).

RESULTS: Of the participants, 10.1% had fragrance allergy, of which 42.1% was caused by a cosmetic product: deodorants accounted for 25%, and scented lotions 24.4%. A sex difference was apparent, as deodorants were significantly more likely to be listed as the cause of fragrance allergy in men (odds ratio 2.2) than in women. Correlation was observed between deodorants listed as the cause of allergy and allergy detected with fragrance mix II (FM II) and hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde.

CONCLUSION: Deodorants were the leading causes of fragrance allergy, especially among men. Seemingly, deodorants have an 'unhealthy' composition of the fragrance chemicals present in FM II.

PreMedline Identifier:21480912

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Q: I’ve heard a lot about fish oil? Is it something I should take?


A: Fish oils contain omega-3 essential fatty acids which help to reduce blood viscosity, increase good cholesterol (HDL) and lower triglycerides. Essential fatty acids cannot be made by the human body but are ‘essential’ for normal metabolism. Therefore, we must acquire them in our diet. Omega-3 fatty acids are often lacking in the modern diet, which is instead higher in omega-6 type fatty acids. Omega-6 fatty acids are found mostly in animal products and contribute to the body’s inflammatory response, vital for our immune system. The problem is not the omega-6 fatty acids, but rather that our diet provides us with too much omega-6 and not enough omega-3. The idea behind supplementing with fish oil is to provide the body with a healthy amount of omega-3 oils, and to create a more appropriate balance between omega 6 and 3 fatty acids in the body. Because fish oils are so beneficial in this aspect, they are an appropriate supplement for many people.

If you are vegetarian, vegan or opposed to animal supplements, you can also consider other oils that contain healthy amounts of omega 3 oils. Fish oils are often the first choice because they provide the greatest amount of omega 3 oils per serving. There are, however, many other non-animal sources of omega 3 fatty acids including flax seeds, hemp, canola, walnut, pumpkins, soy, algae, and purslane.

Talk to your Naturopathic Physician about whether a fish oil supplement is a good choice for you and what to look for in selecting a supplement. It is important to read all labels and look for certified products tested for Mercury and other contaminants and is guaranteed to be shelf-stable (to not turn rancid).

References
Marz, Russell B. Medical Nutrition from Marz. 2nd ed. Portland: Omni-Press, 1999.
Thom, Dick. Notes from “Clinical and Physical Diagnosis.” National College of Natural Medicine. 2009-2010.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Dr. Mercola's Tips for Keeping Joints and Muscles Healthy

What strategies can you use to help keep your joints healthy and flexible?
  1. Exercise. There's a common urban legend that exercise is bad for your joints.Woman Stretching to promote Healthy Joint Most people have little appreciation for how powerful exercise can be in supporting joint function. Vigorous low-impact exercise is beneficial for your joints, as well as for cardiovascular, pulmonary, and other systems in your body.
    It's simply a myth that you can 'wear down' your knees just from average levels of exercise  and/or normal activity. In fact, inactivity causes your muscles to become weaker and actually works against optimal joint flexibility and comfort.
    One caution, however when using this valuable tool, you need to start slowly if you have not been exercising regularly, and build up to higher activity levels otherwise you risk incurring an injury that could cause really set you back..
    If typical vigorous exercise is not easy for you, try walking, tai chi and yoga  as they are very low impact, yet offer many health benefits.
  2. Achieve your optimal weight to improve your bio-mechanic function. One of the outstanding benefits of exercise is its ability to help you achieve and maintain your ideal weight which is highly beneficial to your joints.
    Overweight and obese people compromise joint comfort more than those who are carrying their ideal load. Each additional kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body mass increases the compressive load over your knee by roughly 4 kilograms (nearly 9 pounds).
    Research shows that a weight loss of as little as 11 pounds can have a positive effect on joint function. And those who are at their optimal weight experience increased joint health as compared to those who are obese or overweight.
    So you go full circle losing weight reduces the load on your joints and makes it easier to exercise, and exercising helps you lose weight and supports your joint health.
  3. Eat a higher quality diet. Eliminate sugar and starchy carbs from your diet. And definitely stop drinking soda. These foods do absolutely nothing to support healthy joints or a healthy body. In fact, their potential for damage is well documented.
    I believe you should limit your total fructose from ALL sources to no more than 25 grams per day, as it raises uric acid levels, which is hard on your joints. Now, chances are, you consume substantially more than 25 grams per day. Approximately of Americans consume a whopping 134 grams of fructose every day!
    Within your 25 grams of fructose, you could consider including some tart cherries or concentrated tart cherry juice. They contain anthocyanins and bioflavonoids, which help support a healthy immune response for your joints and whole body health.
    Also, in my opinion, you should base your food choices on your nutritional type to ensure you optimize your ideal macronutrient ratios.
  4. Optimize your vitamin D levels. Vitamin D also supports a healthy immune response. Please recognize that during the fall, winter and early spring in most of the U.S., Canada, and Europe, your vitamin D levels can drop precipitously. If your levels fall, you give up the support this vitamin offers for your joints and your whole body.
  5. Get plenty of omega-3 fatty acids from krill or high quality fish oil. Omega-3's support your joint health.
  6. Try EFT Emotional Freedom Technique. EFT is an energy psychology tool that uses tapping and acupuncture meridians to help resolve the emotional factors that contribute to less-than-optimal health.
If you’re already using the above six strategies, and still want additional support for your joints, consider using a ‘joint-specific’ supplement.* I’ll talk about the one I recommend in a moment.
But first, allow me to discuss the joint support supplement everyone talks about – which many believe is not effective.

What You Should Know About Glucosamine and Chondroitin

For the past decade, people have been rushing on board the glucosamine and chondroitin train for joint care.
Yet, many are unhappy with it, or experience health problems from it.
Why? Learn more at http://products.mercola.com/joint-support/?source=nl