Stress and the Holidays – How are You Coping?

November 23rd, 2009

As the favorite Christmas song goes, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” but is it? Don’t get me wrong, Most people love the holidays. It’s a chance to get together with families, exchange presents and eat like there’s no tomorrow.

The problem is that for many of these same people, the very things listed above can contribute to stress.

In fact, one recent study by a leading mental health group determined that the most commonly reported stressors during the holidays are concern over finances, memories and emotions concerning relatives who have died and having too many activities going on at once.

Also making the list were concerns over spending time with family, over indulging and concerns about being alone.

Of those who reported additional stress, people of color (specifically Latinos and Native Americans) and women reported the most stress. Parents, as compared to people with no children also reported more stress.

Many of my clients write to me asking me how to help reduce their stress level during the holidays. Many are helped just by recognizing what their stressors are but I was amazed by the number of people who know the stressor, e.g., spending time with family and still don’t know what to do.

For many, avoiding the stress simply isn’t an option. By avoiding family, for example, my clients felt that would create even more stress and tension and the damaging effects would be more long term.

All we have to do is get through the holidays, right? Wrong. Starting January 2, many people report feelings of depression, anxiety, feeling “down and even illness.

Why would this happen after the stressful event(s)? This is because stress, unmanaged, can take a huge toll on one’s mental AND physical health.

What can one do about managing stress? Number one is budget. This is a timely subject, given our current economic crisis. If saving extra for the holidays simply isn’t an option, consider cutting back and getting creative in gift ideas.

Don’t feel you have to purchase for everyone. Perhaps agree with your extended family and friends that you will do a gift swap or only purchase for the children. Many who are likely in a similar situation will be actually be relieved to hear you suggest this.

Don’t feel like you need to be responsible for everything. If you are hosting a meal, don’t be shy about requesting specific food items that others need to bring. Also, why not split up get-togethers so as not to burden one person or family with the responsibility.

Also important is to take time for you, even if only an hour a day. Go for a jog, do yoga, read a book or even take a bath. As long as you are focusing on only you - this is the key.

Attending a holiday gathering specifically for adults is also recommended. The holidays are already so focused on your children, don’t feel guilty about getting away from them for an evening and enjoying yourself as a couple or single.

I also highly recommend my all natural programs to treat a number of common but previously considered incurable conditions (located to the right of my blog page) to help in managing stress. The programs are easy to do but best of all, they work!

EL331002

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Headaches and Depression – What’s the Connection?

November 20th, 2009

“I can’t remember if I was depressed about my migraine headache or I had a migraine headache because of my depression,” joked one client.

Joke or not, the idea that depression and headaches are somehow linked is not off the mark at all.

At first blush, one tends to reason, “Of course she’s depressed – she’s in pain!” This, however, is not the only reason.

One recent study showed that 67% of people who suffer from chronic depression (depression lasting longer than six months and generally not attributed to any one depressive episode, e.g., death of a loved one) also suffer from migraine headache.

This number is too high to be ignored. Keep in mind that this study was evaluating chronic depression, not migraine headache.

So, depression causes or at least triggers headaches, especially migraines, right? Not so fast. Another study showed that 40% of those experiencing chronic depression also experienced chronic pain such as headache or back pain.

Moreover, this same study reported that for those who experienced pain with depression, the depression lasted an average of six months longer than with those who did not experience pain.

Still other experts believe that many people (4 times as many women than men) report tension headache symptoms but it’s believed the headache is actually masking the symptoms of depression.

While it’s not clear whether depression causes headaches or headaches might cause depression, it is believed that they may both share the same biology.

Evidence suggests that both conditions involve serotonin receptors and transporters. In fact, research showed that treating one condition with medication for the other did show some promise.

This is the part where I get on my “soapbox” and preach – be careful! Medications to treat both migraine headache and depression can have very serious side effects and can be largely trial and error.

In fact, the FDA has warned against combining certain antidepressants and migraine headache medications because it can cause a potentially life-threatening condition known as serotonin syndrome.

I highly recommend that you talk to a professional about your symptoms if you are suffering from chronic headache and/or chronic depression but don’t be afraid to ask for natural treatment options.

If you suffer from migraine or tension headaches, I highly encourage you to try my Migraine and Headache relief program. The all natural breathing and relaxation exercises are highly effective and results have been proven!

EL331002

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How Does My Illness Affect My Ability to Take in Oxygen?

November 16th, 2009

It’s again timely that I write about side effects of illnesses such as cold, influenza (flu) and sinus infection which cause the body not to be able to take in oxygen properly.

How many of you become “mouth breathers” due to the fact that your nasal passages are blocked? Many don’t always realize there are problems because of the way we adapt to this.

If we can’t breathe in normally through the nose, we compensate by breathing in and out through the mouth. Yes, oxygen is still being delivered but not in the proper way.

Each nostril has five cranial nerves delivering signals from different parts of the brain, which the mouth does not. They are responsible for warming, filtering, moisturizing, dehumidifying, air and also for smelling.

The nostrils are also smaller, obviously, than the mouth. The lungs take in oxygen both in the inhale and exhale. When we breathe in and out through our noses, it allows the air coming in and out to slow down and allows the lungs to capture the oxygen and properly deliver it to the blood, which in turn properly delivers oxygen to the organs and other tissues.

Breathing in and out through the nose also maintains proper balance between carbon dioxide and oxygen. When mouth breathing, carbon dioxide is lost to quickly, resulting in poor oxygen absorption.

Over time, mouth breathing can result in chronic halitosis (bad breath), not to mention more serious health risks such as asthma, snoring and sleep apnea, which can then lead to hypertension (high blood pressure).

There are those who suffer from chronic sinus conditions or deviated septum, which forces them to always breathe through their mouths. For others, chronic illness affecting the nasal passages changes their breathing habits and they become accustomed to mouth breathing.

Many don’t realize that even when awake, they aren’t properly taking in oxygen, let alone when they sleep. Most people, unless told by their sleeping partner, aren’t even aware that they snore or stop breathing during sleep (sleep apnea).

For many short term illnesses, there are of course, medications to help alleviate the problem but all medications have potentially serious side effects, even over the counter medications. This is especially true if one is already taking medications heart conditions such as hypertension.

If you have been told that you snore or have mild sleep apnea, I highly encourage you to try my Stop Snoring program. The all natural breathing exercises are effective – especially for those who have developed bad breathing habits due to recurring sinus infections, etc.

EL331002

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Flu Induced Vertigo – What’s the Cause?

November 13th, 2009

This is a timely subject, as not only the H1N1 virus (swine flu) is wreaking havoc on people, but don’t forget that other influenza viruses are still very much alive and well. Although they aren’t as famous as H1N1 right now, they can be just as ravaging to one’s physical well-being.

Common symptoms which accompany the flu virus are: fever, headache, extreme fatigue, chills, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and in some cases, vertigo (dizziness).

I know I’ve mentioned this before but due to the overwhelming number of people who associate vertigo with the Alfred Hitchcock movie bearing the same name, I want to reiterate that vertigo is NOT fear of heights. Vertigo is, put simply, dizziness. Those with a fear of heights may experience dizziness as a symptom but this does not cause their fear.

Vertigo as a symptom of flu (and sometimes even the common cold) is known as vestibular neuritis (also known as labyrinthitis or viral labyrinthitis). This is a viral infection of the inner ear. It is thought to affect the nerve cells in the inner ear.

Symptoms of vestibular neuritis, whose onset generally begins within a few days or weeks of contracting the flu virus include the aforementioned vertigo as well as nausea and a “spinning” sensation.

While the inner ear is affected, there is no evidence that hearing is affected by this condition.

For most people, symptoms dissipate within a few days but can, in some cases, last for a few weeks. Bed rest is generally prescribed until inner ear balance is restored. Vertigo treatment drugs are sometimes prescribed but one should be aware that their side effects can often times be worse than the condition they are meant to treat.

Treatment for flu viruses can include anti-viral medications, antihistamines and decongestants, depending on your symptoms. Keep in mind though, that even over the counter drugs can have very serious side effects, especially if you have a pre-existing condition such as heart disease.

If you are taking heart medications, they generally don’t interact well with flu treatment drugs and can cause symptoms of both conditions to get worse.

The key is avoiding the virus altogether. This can be tricky since we can’t control hygiene habits for anyone but ourselves. Wash your hands often, for at least thirty seconds.

Avoid touching your mouth, nose and eyes as much as possible. If you have to cough or sneeze, you should do it into the sleeve of your arm, not your hands.

Flu shots may also be recommended by your doctor but keep in mind that they take two weeks to protect and even then it’s not a guarantee that you won’t catch the flu virus. Because the virus that is injected is dead, there is no chance for catching the flu but there are side effects including chills, slight fever, rash and while rare, Guillain-Barr Syndrome if one is allergic to egg products.

If you have persistent vertigo, I highly recommend my Vertigo & Dizziness program. It’s an all natural program and the results are amazing!

EL331002

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Fibro Fog – Is This a Form of Dementia?

November 9th, 2009

I am overjoyed whenever I hear from clients who tell me that my program has helped change their health for the better and in so doing, also made their lives much happier.

This is especially true of my Fibromyalgia program feedback. The same theme is often repeated – my program helped where nothing else did, starting with the fact that I consider fibromyalgia to be a medical condition.

It is no longer surprising to me that many doctors STILL don’t treat fibromyalgia, whose main symptoms include chronic pain and fatigue, as the disease that it is. They often misdiagnose it as depression (this is a symptom of fibromyalgia – not the cause), if they even diagnose it at all. Many still believe that the patient is making it up or it’s some sort of psychosomatic cause.

The daughter of one such client wrote to me, telling me that her mother, who was suffering from some form of dementia and was being tested for

Alzheimer’s was also suffering from fibromyalgia. The pain medication prescribed wasn’t working and seemed to actually contribute to the mental confusion her mother was experiencing.

After trying my program, not only did the painful joint pain and chronic fatigue dissipate but now suddenly, her mother’s short term memory loss and language lapses were a thing of the past.

How could a program intended for one condition treat another? In short, this can happen with many of my programs – many of them are designed to provide the body with the proper amounts of oxygen. It’s understandable that more oxygen to one area will also mean more oxygen to another.

In this instance, however, it’s more than that. This is because another symptom of fibromyalgia, while not as well known, can still be just as exasperating to deal with. This is called fibro fog. Sufferers of fibro fog can experience one or more of the following: short-term memory loss, clouded thinking, intermittent language lapses and difficulty concentrating.

What causes this? Just as there is no defined cause for fibromyalgia, fibro fog remains a bit of a mystery.

Experts do have theories, however.

These include: lack of oxygen to the brain, lack of delta wave sleep (deepest level of sleep) and side effects of certain medications (among them, ironically, medicines to treat fibromyalgia pain).

Lack of sleep is generally contributed to the pain of fibromyalgia. When this deepest level of sleep cannot be achieved, the brain is unable to sort through all of the new things the conscious mind has learned throughout the day and can result in difficulty with memory recall. It’s not actually the memory that’s affected, it’s the brain’s ability to recall the learned info that is affected.

While the above symptoms of fibro fog do seem to mimic Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia, one should not that fibro fog is a physical symptom of fibromyalgia and is not a degenerative disease. This means that if one can clear up fibromyalgia symptoms, this one will dissipate as well and “normal” thinking will occur again.

Some ways to do this include: Getting enough sleep. If this is difficult, try using a fan or other form of “white noise.” Also, start taking notes – carry around a small notebook or PDA and take notes often. Not only will you have the information available later but the act of writing helps commit the thought to memory. Repeating words is also quite helpful.

Seeking a professional’s advice is also recommended, mainly to rule out Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. Avoid distractions as much as possible – find a quiet place to work.

Use your brain! Engage in games like crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles and chess in order to help concentration and memory.

Exercise is also highly recommended. Get your blood pumping to get that oxygen to the brain! Keep in mind, however, that moderation is key.

Over exercising can actually make fibromyalgia pain worse.

This is why I highly recommend my Fibromyalgia program. The breathing and relaxation exercises are specifically designed to treat fibromyalgia symptoms. It’s all natural and guaranteed to work! And of course if you suffer from any kind of dementia, my dementia program is just about to be launched.

El331002

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My Neck Pain is a Real Pain in the Neck!

November 6th, 2009

Like many people, I suffered severe neck and upper back pain due to an automobile accident years ago. The pain was relentless and I even began to alter my upright position to a sort of curved stance. Sudden accidents (such as those occuring in cars) can be life changing due to the onset of pain that won’t seem to subside.

I have friends and clients whose neck pain causes and symptoms are extremely diverse as far as causes and amount of pain involved.

Common causes are injury or trauma to the neck (e.g., whiplash) disc and/or nerve problems within the neck and arthritis. Triggers can include stress, sleeping in an awkward position and prolonged strain on the neck as with sitting at one’s computer for too long, etc.

Neck pain can be acute – sudden and painful and/or chronic – lasting for more than three months, depending on the cause (fibromyalgia is one of the more common causes). Sometimes there is no definitive diagnosis.

Pain has been described by sufferers as including one or more of the following: muscle stiffness, soreness, stiff to the touch, acute pain strong enough to force the neck to turn to one side (torticollis), pain in the base of the skull, one or both-sided headaches, pain radiating down the back and/or arms, tingling arms and/or fingers and general weakness in the neck and/or arms.

Women tend to report neck pain more than men.

While most type of neck pain is more discomforting and disappears within a day or two, there are rare but potentially life-threatening situations when neck pain is a symptom of something larger.

One such condition is meningitis. This is an inflammation of the brain and spinal cord who’s causes can be both viral (most common but not as devastating) and bacterial (less common but an extremely life-threatening disease).

In addition to neck pain and/or stiffness, be on the lookout for a sudden rash development, fever, pain in bending the neck, nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and severe back pain.

Neck pain can also signal serious issues arising from head trauma. Other symptoms to check for are headache, nausea, vomiting, loss or complications in vision, hearing or balance, pain localized behind one eye and weakness in arm and/or leg muscles.

What can one do to avoid neck pain? For pain not caused by serious neck injury or illness, it’s important to try to go about your daily routine as much as possible. That is of course, unless your daily repetitive routine is the cause. It might be time to consider an ergonomic solution.

If you are given a neck collar, try not to use it more than a few days, as this will further weaken the neck muscles. This of course leads to exercise – daily exercise will help to improve fitness and that includes the neck muscles.

An important thing to understand about pain such as this is that all the muscles around your neck, back and head are connected together. It is extremely important not to ignore those muscles. My Neck Pain Relief program addresses this in an all natural way. It’s coming very soon and I hope you’ll give these exercises a chance - as I did and realize there is in fact an end to such a pain in the neck!

El331002

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Maintaining Health in the Winter – Get Active and Stop Hibernating!

November 2nd, 2009

Cold weather, snow and ice outside are not exactly considered motivators for us to get out of the house and exercise unless we live on or near a ski resort. Even then, cold winter weather is certainly not the ideal scene to warm up and have an effective workout.

This is why it probably isn’t surprising to you to learn that over 30% of people don’t do ANY exercise in the winter. For those who do exercise, most would admit that they don’t exercise as much as in spring, summer and fall months.

What often makes the inactive winter life style even worse is the fact that many don’t keep up with the salad mentality when choosing food. We have been trained to go for the heavy-cream and heavy starch- laden soups and other such comfort food.

These two culprits, inactivity and poor diet end up having disastrous effects on one’s health. When one’s health is already compromised, it is much easier to pick up a cold or flu virus, including the H1N1 (swine flu) virus.

Winter weather again exacerbates the illness factor because many of us don’t want to get out side. Instead we gather inside, generally not getting enough fresh air and in turn transmitting illnesses back and forth.

So, how to get healthy and generally stay healthy in winter? For starters, don’t consider that outside is the ONLY place you can get an effective workout. Many find joining a gym both a warm, convenient way to get into shape, but also a way to meet others and build a support network in achieving and maintaining fitness.

One can also easily purchase anything from an elliptical machine or treadmill, to more inexpensive yoga, Pilates and/or aerobics videos. In fact, depending on what cable services you have for your television, there are many free exercise channels with fun and diverse workout routines.

I have several friends, however, who insist on the great outdoors for their workout – year round. If you are going to be exercising outside in the winter, you should take extra care in planning your wardrobe. Layers are key. One should be warm enough that fingers and toes are not numb, indicating the first stages of frostbite, but not so warm that one is perspiring.

Unlike during summer months, when we sweat in cold or freezing weather, it can quickly cool down our bodies and cause an unhealthy shock to our system. The extremely cold weather can cause blood vessels to constrict, resulting in less blood flow, resulting in less oxygen getting to the vital organs – especially the heart.

Did you know that one is twice as likely to have a heart attack in the winter? This is due to the aforementioned lack of exercise, poor dietary habits and the fact that many don’t realize how much strain it is to perform a seemingly innocuous task such as shoveling the driveway.

If you are looking to improve your heart health and/or lose weight during those winter months, I highly encourage you to try my all natural High Blood Pressure program and Weight Loss Breeze programs. These are easy to perform breathing and relaxation exercises, which you can do at home. The results are amazing!

El331002

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Are Toxins to Blame for Alzheimer’s and other Dementias?

October 30th, 2009

While emerging research has taught us much about the effects of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias on the brain, what causes Alzheimer’s is an altogether different story. In a nutshell, the brain cells aren’t getting enough oxygen. But why is this happening?

Alzheimer’s and dementia are often used interchangeably but Alzheimer’s disease is actually a progressive disease who’s effects lead to dementia.

Dementia is a syndrome whose symptoms include, memory problems, difficulty speaking, orientation disturbances and problems with judgment.

While Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia, dementia can also be caused by Parkinson’s disease, head trauma, and strokes. Most of the time, like Alzheimer’s, dementia is permanent.

While an exact cause isn’t known for Alzheimer’s, emerging evidence suggests that there are triggers for the disease. One of these triggers is toxins in food and in the environment.

Lead toxicity has been linked to both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. This is not just in lead based paint in older homes but can also be found in some household’s drinking water.

Pesticides are also known to be linked to Parkinson’s. In one study, those whose job required them to use pesticides had a 50% higher chance of developing Alzheimer’s.

Air pollution is bad for more than just the lungs. Studies have shown that those who live in highly polluted cities versus cleaner cities have a higher rate of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Diet is also a factor. Diets high in saturated fat increase one’s chances for developing dementia.

While we can’t control everything about the environment, there are ways to help reduce your chances of developing Alzheimer’s. For starters, a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids , nuts, vegetables, legumes, fruits and whole grains has shown to reduce the incidence of Alzheimer’s. Foods to avoid are the aforementioned high saturated fats, sugar and alcohol.

Avoiding harsh chemicals and pesticides is also key. Look for cleaning products that are marked “green.”

In addition to diet, exercise has shown great promise in delaying or preventing Alzheimer’s and other dementia’s. In fact, studies have shown that exercising regularly while approaching midlife can decrease Alzheimer’s onset by 50%.

Last but not least, “Use it or lose it.” Performing memory exercises such as crosswords keeps the brain active and helps to ward off Alzheimer’s.

I am also very excited about my new Alzheimer’s program (coming soon!). It’s an all natural way to deliver necessary oxygen to the brain to keep it healthy and high functioning!

EL331002

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Migraine Headache and Epidurals – Is There a Connection?

October 26th, 2009

I have received more than one communication from clients who have claimed that they received relief for their migraine headache by using my Migraine and Headache Relief program, where no other medication or remedy was able to help.

This is of course, always great feedback. Along with this feedback I noticed a pattern of women writing to me telling me they experienced migraine headache after receiving an epidural during childbirth.

This struck me as interesting and after much research, most evidence points to there being no link between migraine headaches and receiving an epidural.

Great, but if there’s no link why do so many women suffer from migraines after an epidural? Up to one percent of women report this problem. Many of these same women report having never had migraine headaches before.

It is extremely rare to develop migraine headaches as an adult. Most experience symptoms during late childhood or early adolescence.

What I did find in my research though is the condition known as a spinal headache. This occurs when the protective layer of the brain, called the dura and spinal cord (which contains cerebrospinal fluid, or CSF) is punctured by a tiny needle in order to deliver spinal anesthesia.

In one percent of cases, this tiny hole can allow CSF to drain enough for the brain to perceive it as pain. This headache actually has a technical term - post-dural puncture headache, or PDPH.

The symptoms of PDPH can include double vision, sensitivity to light, hearing problems, nausea and pain or stiffness in the neck. Do any of these symptoms seem amazingly similar to another condition?

That’s right! The headache, while not technically a migraine headache, still feels just like a headache.

This can also occur in one percent of epidural cases. While the incidence shouldn’t occur at all – there is no intentional puncture to the dura in epidurals, it can happen accidentally.

While there’s no evidence of women with a history of migraines having a higher chance of a spinal headache, it can be especially hard to determine whether or not the headache is a migraine or a spinal headache.

The average time to heal from a spinal headache is two to four days although many women have reported symptoms lasting for months. Again, for those who have a history of migraines, this could be an actual migraine triggered by lack of sleep and stress over a new baby.

Regardless of your reason for migraine headache, I highly recommend my Migraine and Headache Relief program. It’s all natural, safe and the results are amazing!

El331002

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Climate and High Blood Pressure – Is there a Link?

October 23rd, 2009

00A client recently wrote to me asking if there was a link to hot climates and an increase in blood pressure. My first thought was, “no,” as an increase in blood pressure among different countries is typically always related to diet and exercise level.

A couple of recent studies, however, determined that blood pressure in elderly patients already suffering from high blood pressure (hypertension) was actually significantly lowered when exposed to hotter climates than normal but only during daytime hours.

In the evenings, however, the systolic number (top number) actually increased significantly. I assumed that this is because the subjects were in air conditioned environments at night. This was not the case so temperature did not seem to play a role.

Patients who did not suffer from high blood pressure were not affected either way by the daytime increase in temperature.

Another study showed a slight increase in blood pressure when subjected to colder temperatures however, the subjects were able to acclimate relatively easily and blood pressure returned to original levels.

Additionally, rates of strokes and heart attacks do not decrease during summer months. This could be for two reasons. First, experts have found that people tend to decrease their blood pressure medication during the summer months.

Second, overwhelming evidence indicates that over time, people adapt to their surroundings and blood pressure is not an exception.

Several of my clients, however, commented that they used an ambulatory blood pressure cuff (these can be purchased at any pharmacy) and recorded the time of day and outside temperature. During summer months the daytime readings did in fact go down.

Upon closer scrutiny, though, I found that most of my clients doing this were also much more active during the summer daylight hours. I won’t name names but many of these same clients also told me they simply stopped taking their blood pressure medicine when their numbers started to go down.

You all know that I do not believe in taking medicine to control a health issue when a natural cure can be found. That said, I DO NOT believe in simply stopping any prescription medicine without first discussing it with one’s doctor.

These medicines are powerful and have serious side effects when taken as prescribed. Taking too much or stopping all at once can have devastating effects. If you truly want to get off the medicine, discuss weaning yourself off the medicine with your doctor first.

Don’t be surprised if your doctor is highly skeptical of doing this. Remember, there was a reason your doctor prescribed the medication in the first place. Left untreated, high blood pressure can damage all of the major organs, eyes and other tissues, which can in turn lead to stroke, heart attack, blindness and other ill health effects.

If you are looking for a natural solution to your hypertension, I highly recommend my High Blood Pressure program. It’s all natural and easy to do. Once your high blood pressure lowers, you can bring this evidence to your doctor and he/she will have to acknowledge that a natural solution works!

EL331002

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