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ОглавлениеUsing the Mind-Body Connection to Prevent Disease
Recognizing Signs and Symptoms
Reversing the disease process and maintaining health and well-being throughout life is not as challenging as it sounds, so long as we maintain a regular program of prevention and, when necessary, intervention. Regular checkups, screenings (blood pressure, cholesterol, prostate and mammary exams, etc.), healthy diet, exercise, stress management, and even alternative treatments are all part of a strategy that keeps our immune system strong and healthy.
A sign is the physical effect caused by a particular disease: an unusual lump, a lesion, a change in skin color. A symptom is what we feel to be a change in our normal bodily function: pain, nausea, fatigue, etc. Some diseases affect very limited body areas. Carcinogens, for example, affect only certain cells in certain parts of the body. Therefore, we need to be aware of any changes and not ignore symptoms, even if we don’t think they’re very serious. Keep in mind, though, that we all have different levels of tolerance. A small irritant to one person can actually be a major symptom that indicates the beginnings of a disease.
Under no circumstance should we try to diagnose ourselves. That’s what people spend years in medical school and residency programs for. But what we can do is look for early warning signs and symptoms that, once discovered, should always be discussed with our physician or healthcare provider. It’s easy to overlook small, insignificant things or to chalk symptoms up to nothing more than minor aches or pains. And though we don’t want to become hypochondriacs, misdiagnosis is a common way to allow a disease that could have been treated at an early stage to progress and get out of hand, in some cases becoming incurable.
By looking and feeling for changes regularly, you’ll be more aware of them when they do eventually happen. Some of us may not like the idea of inspecting ourselves; we may feel its immodest or just “not how we were raised.” But how else do we become familiar enough with our body to know what it normally should look and feel like?
Symptoms are divided into how they affect us physically, mentally, emotionally, and behaviorally. And though many common signs and signals of stress reactions can mimic symptoms of other problems, or do not lead to serious disease, they certainly might. The following table lists the most common signs to look for in the physical, mental, and emotional spheres, as well as the behavioral signs.
Common Signs and Signals of a Stress Reaction
These symptoms don’t necessarily indicate disease. But stress always leaves an unmistakable pattern of signs and symptoms, followed by stress-related illnesses. Not heeding our body’s signals can be a serious mistake because diseases frequently manifest themselves early on as dull aches, sharp pains, nervous twitches, nausea, numbness, or sudden throbbing in a particular area of the body.
We must also keep in mind that pain isn’t always the first sign of a disease process. In cancer, for example, there is usually no pain at all until the disease progresses and begins to affect nerve cells and destroy the sensitive tissue surrounding the tumor. The American Cancer Institute lists the seven early warning signs of cancer so that the first letter of each sentence spells the word “caution.”
• Change in bowel function or bladder control and/or habits.
• A sore that persists, spreads, or does not heal.
• Unusual bleeding or discharge.
• Thickness or a lump in tissue such as the breast, testis, etc.
• Indigestion or difficulty in swallowing.
• Obvious change in the shape of a mole, wart, or blemish.
• Nagging cough or a persistent sore throat.
Recognizing early warning signs is critical in treatment success rates and significantly improves recovery. Prostate cancer, one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in men, is one of the most curable cancers when caught early. Tragically, men don’t discuss prostate cancer with other men or their sons, they fail to get regular prostate screenings like they should, and they are not diagnosed early enough to get effective treatment.
Personality also plays a role in how we recognize symptoms and how intensely we feel those symptoms when we get them. An individual with a Type A personality, for example, may assume that his or her symptoms are nothing more than the unpleasant consequence of work. He or she will become more tolerant of sudden changes or ignore them altogether. It may be one of the reasons Type A individuals have more heart attacks and develop hypertension and other diseases.
The bottom line in recognizing signs and symptoms is to pay attention to even small, seemingly insignificant signals that indicate any change from normal. Homeostatic systems are very sensitive. When our body gets away from normal, it tells us something is wrong; and that’s exactly why learning to listen to our body is so important in preventing diseases from getting out of hand. The first step in treating stress is to notice the signs and signals. Sometimes just knowing that our body is telling us we’re stressed is enough to help us overcome it.
Stress Intervention as Preventive Medicine
When left unchecked, stress is a principal contributing factor in virtually every human disease. Managing stress can be relatively simple. Pinpointing the source of that stress in order to prevent disease may not be as easy. So how do we determine what’s causing our stress? One surefire way is by knowing our body and linking signs and symptoms to stress sources through the use of a stress diary.
For years I’ve been teaching people how to identify hidden sources of stress. The reason my method has been successful is because it’s simple, easy to use, and effective. Within three weeks, individuals keeping a stress diary uncover sources of stress that are often difficult to identify because they’ve been incorporated into daily life and are no longer obvious or unique. Hidden sources of stress are the most dangerous because they are left alone to trigger stress reactions and cause continued wear and tear on the body’s immune system.
Here’s an example of a stress diary from one of my stress management seminars. It’s not necessary to have one exactly like this, but since this type has worked so well in the past, I suggest starting out by using this one as your model.
Because even the most negative stressors can become incorporated as routine events, or habits, into our lives, the only way to eliminate them is to keep an accurate record of activities, emotions, and thoughts that invariably lead to the symptoms they produce. As soon as you notice a symptom, write it down, along with the time of day or night it occurred, the type of activity you were doing at the time, as well as any thoughts or activities prior to that one. It’s important to include thoughts as well as physical activities, since thoughts can be even more potent triggers of stress reactions than actual events.
Just as important as immediate events are any prior/proximate thoughts and activities because stress reactions don’t always occur at the same time we encounter stressors that cause those reactions. In many cases, symptoms may not be evident right away. They can manifest themselves hours later. Therefore, to get a true indication of what may really be causing symptoms, look back and remember what you were experiencing during the past few hours.
Regardless of how insignificant you might think your thoughts and actions seem, write them down. What might appear insignificant at the time could turn out to be the major cause for triggering the symptoms you’re experiencing. After a week of keeping a stress diary, you can begin to look for patterns. When I’m working with individuals, I have them ask themselves three sets of questions.
1. Are symptoms more noticeable during certain times? Do the symptoms disappear when I alter the time that I do specific activities? Is nighttime better? Does reorganizing my schedule make what I’m doing produce less symptoms?
2. Is what I’m doing causing the symptoms? Am I too intense in doing what I’m doing? Do I worry the entire time? Do I use so much energy that I feel worn out as a result? Is it really necessary to do the activity in the first place? Can I do without it? When I stop, do the symptoms go away?
3. Is how I’m acting when doing the activity causing symptoms? Is the amount of time spent doing the activity causing symptoms? Do I spend too much time or too little? Is the amount of time spent on the activity keeping me from doing other more important things?
The answers to these questions give you a pretty good idea of what’s causing your symptoms and why the things you do or the feelings you have make you sick. Keeping a diary is a great way to catch small things early on and prevent them from becoming the big things that disrupt homeostatic mechanisms, depress the immune system, and trigger disease.
Keeping a diary, however, means you have to follow through and do something about your stress symptoms. So at the end of the diary period, write down three important facts: (1) the cause of your symptoms, (2) the reason for your symptoms, and (3) the solution to your problem. Here’s an example using headaches as the stress symptom:
Cause of symptom: rushing to make lunches for the kids each morning; feeling as if everyone is going in opposite directions.
Reason(s) for symptom: feeling as if not enough time to do everything that’s needed—to sit, talk, and have breakfast together.
Solution:
1. Set the alarm for thirty minutes earlier.
2. Prepare lunches and clothing the night before.
3. Get better organized in the mornings; don’t leave things to be done till the last minute.
The better we get at recognizing the things that are causing symptoms, the easier it will be to intervene and come up with solutions to eliminate the source of the problem. Sometimes just recognizing that our symptoms are being caused by simple, day-to-day activities brings considerable relief and we immediately begin to feel better and healthier. In many cases, the simple act of discovering why we are having symptoms makes us more aware of ways we can solve the problem.
Another good use for a symptom diary is to track how well supplements and medications are working. If you want to try an herbal product instead of Prozac to combat depression, for example, keep a record of exactly when and where you get depressed and whether taking the herbs alleviates some of those symptoms. The diary will also tell you what, if anything, is likely triggering your depression in the first place. In later chapters, I’ll discuss proven methods and solutions for eliminating non-clinical depression and anxiety and the stress that often leads to symptoms and eventually to diseases related to it.
How Sleep Affects the Mind-Body Connection
We’ve all experienced what it’s like to go without enough sleep. We become irritable, moody, and mentally fatigued. Our sex lives suffer. And we become more susceptible to colds, infections, and more serious illnesses and disease. Sleep is critical for the proper function of the neuro-endocrine-immune system, which works to maintain both physical and mental well-being.
Researchers are finding that even something as simple as a power nap enhances information processing and learning. Experiments by scientists at the National Institute of Mental Health and Harvard University show that a midday snooze reverses information overload and can improve learning a motor skill by 20 percent.11 Their studies suggest that during sleep, the brain consolidates the memories of habits, actions, and skills learned during the day. So rather than feeling guilty about catching a few extra winks, we should use them to rejuvenate.
During the past few decades, sleep researchers have shown sleep to be a powerful mechanism that boosts immune function and restores the body’s homeostatic mechanisms. Some of our hormones are elevated, others decreased; tissues are repaired more rapidly; and we gradually bring ourselves back to a state of normal equilibrium. In essence, we give ourselves a chance to regenerate and recuperate from some of the bad or stressful things we’ve done to ourselves.
Electroencephalogram (EEG) studies have shown that brain activity during sleep is either present as normal brain waves or is being disrupted throughout the night. A normal eight-hour sleep pattern consists of five main stages of sleep, each characterized by different brain waves. Periods of rapid eye movement known as REM sleep are interspersed with quieter periods called non-REM sleep stages. About 25 percent of the night is spent in REM, and someone who spends eight hours sleeping will typically go through all five stages four or five times. The stages are:
Stage I: Fleeting thoughts enter one’s mind but the brain waves become smaller. This is sometimes called “dozing,” in which breathing is slower and more regular, the mind wanders, and pulse rate decreases. Stage I only lasts for a few minutes.
Stage II: Brain waves become larger and slower during this period, which lasts about fifteen to twenty minutes. There are sudden bursts of electrical activity. Eyes do not move and are not responsive. There is very little muscular activity.
Stage III: Brain waves slow significantly but are larger than in stage II. This stage is sometimes known as “Slow Wave Sleep.” Sleep here is deep and restful and lasts about 30 minutes. The body is very relaxed, breathing slows, and heart rate decreases.
Stage IV: As one reaches this final stage of non-REM sleep, there is deep relaxation. In fact, muscles are so relaxed that the body is essentially paralyzed. However, pulse and breathing rate quickens and blood flow increases.
REM: Brain waves speed up to the same pattern seen when the person is awake. It is during this period that one experiences the greatest amount of dreaming. Lasting anywhere from a few minutes to almost an hour, the total muscle relaxation during REM normally prevents one from acting out the dream.
The latest research suggests that for adults seven hours is the minimum amount of sleep needed to keep the mind-body connection working at its best. Studies have found that people who sleep an average of eight hours a night live longer than people who don’t sleep as well; and those suffering from sleep disorders like insomnia, or who have disrupted sleep patterns, are at greater risk for chronic illness. Shift workers, for example, sleep less on average than non-shift workers and, because their sleep patterns are fragmented, are never able to recover from the day’s work.
Although we don’t sleep as much at fifty as we did at twenty, it’s not true that we require less sleep as we get older. Sleep patterns need to be consistent for us to maintain good health. But it’s not always easy to maintain good sleep habits as we age because our minds and our bodies change. Older individuals don’t make brain chemicals in the same amounts as do younger individuals, and the brain doesn’t respond to those chemicals as effectively. As we age, we also have more things on our minds, we get stressed out by more complex issues, we become depressed more often and, as a result, the quality of our sleep suffers.
Inability to sleep may be a symptom of a more serious physical or emotional problem. So if the suggestions in this section don’t work for you, you probably need to consult a physician to determine if there’s a more serious underlying issue. Disrupted sleep patterns are often caused by physical ailments, chemical imbalances, or mental health problems such as depression. The three main categories of sleep disorders are:
Parasomnia: These are abnormal behaviors during sleep like talking, walking, grinding teeth, etc. In these cases, the skeletal muscles are not fully relaxed. The problem is usually physical, but there may be some underlying psychological problem involved as well.
Insomnia: This is inability to fall asleep or having shortened sleep periods. As many as 30 percent of adults have this common sleep disorder, which is caused by a variety of factors such as stress, depression, drug use, lifestyle, or poor nighttime habits.
Hypersomnia: The opposite of insomnia, hypersomnia is excessive sleep. An individual may sleep for more than twelve hours and also take naps. The cause may be either physiological or psychological. Depression, for example, may cause a person to want to escape from reality or to avoid situations by sleeping as much as possible.
Maintaining good health doesn’t only include nutrition and exercise. Normal sleep patterns are critical for both physical and mental health. The worst thing you can do is sleep a full eight hours one night and then six another, or go to bed at ten o’clock on Monday night and after midnight on Tuesday. All you’re doing is continually resetting your biological clock and falling into a pattern of insomnia. The best way to get back on track is not by taking sleeping pills but by changing your sleep-related habits and behaviors. Here are some of the suggestions that have helped people break their disruptive nighttime habits and get back into a healthy sleep pattern. Within weeks, you’ll not only feel more energized but you’ll be reversing the wear and tear your body has gone through because of poor sleep.
• Maintain a regular sleep schedule.
We all have a finely tuned biological clock that helps us sleep and wake up. Whenever we disrupt that clock by continually changing it, we set ourselves up for sleepless nights and chronic fatigue. It then takes a while for our brain to readjust and reset. To avoid creeping insomnia, develop a routine so that your body knows when it’s time to transition from being awake to sleep.
• Don’t try to catch up too much on weekends.
Many of us do it: stay up late on Friday and Saturday and sleep in too late on Saturday and Sunday morning. The problem with that is that our internal clock readjusts itself by Sunday evening and we’re back to tossing and turning when we go to bed. So even if you stay up late on weekends, force yourself to get up not more than an hour later than you normally do.
• Avoid caffeine at night, especially before bed.
Coffee and energy drinks are big culprits, but be aware of other products that contain caffeine as well. Soft drinks, chocolate, and certain medications may contain just enough to keep you awake, especially if you consume too much of them. A good rule of thumb is to avoid caffeine at least four hours before bed.
• Don’t get over stimulated before bedtime.
Using your mind and thinking too much right before bed will often stimulate rather than tire you out. The brain needs to know when it’s time for sleep, and clearing the mind of distractions helps maintain that sensitive internal biological clock. If you find that watching TV or reading a thriller before bed keeps you up, change your habits by relaxing and reading something less exciting.
• Drink warm milk before bed.
Milk contains tryptophan, an amino acid that’s converted to serotonin, which induces sleep. If you’re hungry, you might want to add some protein powder to the milk. Avoid simple carbohydrates, as these spike your insulin levels and disrupt normal sleep patterns.
• Avoid alcohol at night.
Because alcohol is a central nervous system depressant, a few drinks can make you sleepy. However, while alcohol initially causes you to become tired, sleep will not last more than a few hours because alcohol disrupts normal sleep cycles. Furthermore, people who depend on a drink every evening condition themselves to become dependent on alcohol in order to fall asleep.
• Don’t exercise late in the evening.
Exercise not only increases heart rate, blood pressure, and blood flow to the brain, it also triggers a surge of other hormones that flood the body and keep us stimulated for hours. To avoid this, the best time to exercise is morning or late afternoon.
• Avoid drinking too much water immediately before bed.
A glass or two of water right before bed will wake you up a few hours later to go to the bathroom. If you have trouble going back to sleep once you’re awake, this is not a habit you want to get into. If it happens on a regular basis, the “routine” becomes so conditioned that your internal clock will begin to wake you up at a certain time each night, whether you need to “go” or not.
• Sleep on a good quality, comfortable mattress.
Something as simple as changing your mattress can prevent aches and pains that disrupt sleep. Most people are helped by a firmer mattress that doesn’t create swells that cause bends in the body. Some of the newer memory foam mattresses that conform to your body curves are excellent.
• Keep your bedroom cool and dark.
The optimum temperature for sleep is sixty-eight degrees because that’s the temperature that seems to best set the brain’s internal thermostat. The mild drop in body temperature induces sleep. Blocking out all light triggers the pineal gland to produce melatonin, the hormone that tells your body it’s time to sleep. A night light, and even a light on the alarm clock next to your bed, will confuse the pineal and disrupt sleep.
• Take magnesium an hour before bed.
If your sleep is disrupted by anxiety, or if you’re tossing and turning because you’re thinking about things that cause you stress, magnesium may be the answer. This supplement has a calming effect on the nerves and helps relax muscles so that you sleep more soundly. Because sleep deprivation is stressful, and since stress lowers magnesium levels, taking a magnesium supplement may help get you back in balance.
• Stretch before going to bed.
Tension and muscle pain can keep you from getting to sleep or can wake you up in the middle of the night. Ten minutes of yoga or stretching will relieve the tension and help you stay more relaxed throughout the night.
• Avoid foods that cause insomnia.
If you’re having trouble dozing off, what you eat before bed may be sabotaging your sleep. Foods to avoid are: deli meats like ham, sausage, pepperoni, bacon, and smoked meats because they contain tyramine, which triggers the release of brain stimulants and makes you restless; spicy foods because they raise body temperature and may cause heartburn; and high-fat meals because they can disrupt natural sleep cycles.
• Relax with some stress management exercises.
Relaxation exercises and meditation have natural tranquilizing effects that induce sleep. By practicing these before bed, you’ll be conditioning the brain to trigger a deeply relaxed state that can easily transition your body into sleep.
We don’t realize how important sleep is until we start having sleep problems that leave us tired, irritable, and unproductive. Because the physical effects of sleep deprivation are cumulative, they lead to lowered disease resistance. Adapting good sleep habits will not only make us feel more refreshed and energized but will keep us a lot healthier as well.
The way we perceive daily events, the way we view the world around us, the manner in which we respond to stress and interact with others all affect the way in which our body maintains homeostasis. The reason it’s called the mind-body connection is because the mind is working in sync with the body to process the multitude of reactions that control every organ system. We think and then we respond. And how we respond is basically a matter of mind over body.
Simply put, life events are viewed as either good or bad depending on how we choose to look at them. One of my students actually enjoyed getting into traffic jams because it gave him an opportunity to think and reflect on things in his life. While many of us would be ready to explode into a rage at being stuck on a highway and going nowhere, he would use the time to do something constructive like listening to the radio and catching up on current news events or mentally reviewing facts for an upcoming exam. It’s attitude more than anything else. And attitudes, just like habits, are conditioned responses that can be changed for the better. If you’re thinking that this is easier said than done, consider how quickly we can form habits or how easily we condition ourselves to behave in certain ways. With a little effort, we can just as easily condition ourselves to develop attitudes that bring out the best in us.
Okay, so you accept that you have a bad attitude; and you’d really like to feel and think differently. But exactly how do you change attitudes in order to prevent illness and disease? The answer is not to try to change your personality but to make small adjustments in your outlook and behavior that, over time, will automatically change the attitudes that are affecting health. Sometimes the best and most effective preventive medicine is conditioning the brain to perceive life events in a new way. Here are eleven suggestions I offer in my seminars that people have found help them the most.
• View change as rewarding and challenging. In most cases, change is not something we view positively. Many of us are not very good at it; and the older we get the harder it becomes. Sometimes it’s simply a fear of the unknown or the fear of failure. So rather than viewing change as something negative, look for the positives. The more consistently we do that, the less negatively we’ll feel about change in general.
• Visualize positive results. As if we’re looking through someone else’s eyes, we visualize what’s happening to us or what will happen to us, and we don’t like what we see. Performance anxiety is common when we’re about to give a speech or have sex or perform some other function. To rid yourself of this negative habit, imagine success instead of failure. Once you condition the brain to see positive outcomes, you’ll overcome that initial urge to think the worst.
• Take control over situations. Having a feeling of control is one of the most important and fundamental attitudes we can have to combat stress and prevent illness. Studies have shown that we get sick, not as a result of stressful situations, long hours, job pressures, or low pay but rather from feelings that what we do is beyond our control. The best way to reverse that is to get involved rather than to sit passively by and have others take charge. Join, participate, volunteer, and become active. Doing whatever you can to lead instead of follow will make you feel more in control, even if you’re not.
• Don’t be a perfectionist. Since perfection does not exist, trying to be perfect can lead to burnout, isolation, depression, and eventually disease. It’s okay to try and be the best we can be. But what we need to come to grips with is the fact that there will be always be things we can’t do as well as we’d like. We have to accept that and move on.
• Discover your peak energy levels. Each of us has a unique internal biological clock. Some of us are morning people; others have more energy during the afternoon or evening. By discovering what type of person we are, we can avoid stressful or strenuous situations that sap our energy levels and make us feel as if we’re not accomplishing what we should. On the other hand, scheduling the most difficult tasks around peak energy times makes us more efficient. Recognizing when we’re at our best is a good first step in eliminating burnout, limiting wear and tear on the body, and keeping our immune system healthy and functioning well.
• Take time out. Everyone—no matter how much they love what they’re doing or how stress-tolerant they think they may be—needs time to help their homeostatic mechanisms recover from the work they’ve done. At work, we need to take a few minutes every two hours or so to relax and get ourselves back into a good frame of mind. We should never skip lunch if we don’t have to, and we should try to do something special on occasion to make ourselves feel important.
• Stress-proof your surroundings as much as possible. Our environment and the things that surround us can have a profound impact on how we feel and how energized we are. If we listen to music, we need to listen only to the type of music that makes us feel relaxed, not the music that’s currently popular or that we think we should be listening to. Surround yourself and decorate your home and office with pictures you enjoy looking at and with color schemes that are soothing rather than stimulating.
• Don’t dwell on the past. It’s important not to get caught up in past events. Dwelling too much on previous failures, on what we should have done or said, conditions the brain to intensify those negative thoughts the next time. The past is over, and the only thing we can do is work on the present and prepare for the future. Instead of worrying about what should have been, our past experiences can be used as a tool for focusing on future accomplishments. The most accomplished people in life, the most successful entrepreneurs, the greatest scientists and achievers all have one thing in common: they all learn from past mistakes and they all use failure as an incentive to accomplish what they set out to do.
• Begin an exercise program. There’s more to exercise than simply getting fit. Regular exercise boosts our immune system and makes us fight disease more effectively. It energizes us, helps us relax, improves sex life, increases resistance, and gives us an overall feeling of health and well-being. Stimulating the body refreshes the mind. Our brain requires activity by the rest of the body in order to revitalize the senses and keep us in a constant state of balance. Individuals who exercise at least three times a week are significantly more likely to trigger the strong immune responses needed to combat disease.
• Express your feelings. The simple act of expressing ourselves has a dramatic effect on how we feel and cope with life events. Psychologists working with people who have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) find that patients recover more quickly and are sick less often the more they become comfortable talking about the event that caused the trauma. Studies done since the 1980s have shown that writing about an experience dulls its emotional impact, helps lead to successful recovery, and actually produces stronger immune responses. This “journal therapy” technique can have a profound effect on our health by interfering with disease processes.
• Learn to say no. If you are always a “yes” person, you’re less likely to feel in control and more likely to get sick. The reason is simple. Those who can’t say no often get overextended, usually feel like they’re being taken advantage of, and are angered at their helplessness and passive behavior. As a result, they become stressed out and never seem to find time for what they want to do for themselves. Delaying a decision is a good technique to use because it allows us to remove ourselves from the situation and gives us time to find an excuse. We can simply respond with, “Let me check my schedule and get back with you.” Then we can decide if we want to get involved or we can come up with some legitimate excuse we were unable to think of on the spur of the moment.
A few simple changes in how we live our day-to-day lives can have a significant effect on our ability to prevent illness and disease. Using even some of these suggestions will go a long way to conditioning our brain to elicit strong and healthy immune responses.
Nutrition and Disease Prevention
Do nutritional supplements like vitamins, minerals, and herbs prevent disease? The jury is still out, and research is ongoing, but in general, yes. In many cases, supplements are intended to replenish nutrients lost during normal activities and especially during stress. Sometimes the only reason we feel tired and fatigued is because we need that infusion of vitamins and minerals, which keep our organs functioning properly. Whenever we feel good physically, we have a better outlook on life, which then translates into a healthy mind and a healthy immune system.
Vitamins are organic compounds required in tiny amounts to maintain bodily functions and fuel chemical reactions. Minerals are naturally occurring substances that are critical in physiological mechanisms such as nerve conduction, bone growth, blood formation, muscle contraction, and heart rate. When the body is stressed or it needs to fight off disease or infection, it actually needs more minerals than vitamins. The foods we eat are usually the best sources of vitamins and minerals. Unfortunately, we don’t always eat the right foods, and the stress we’re under may require more nutrients than we’re getting. So it’s often smart to supplement our diet with vitamins and minerals, as long as we’re aware of potential side effects.
Studies have shown the benefits of nutritional supplements in disease prevention, especially during aging. One reason is that free radicals, which cause wear and tear on organ systems, are reduced by certain vitamins like C and E. Vitamins have also been shown to strengthen the immune system in general, which then translates into a healthier body and a positive attitude. A positive attitude, in turn, keeps the immune system humming. Here are the vitamins most critical in maintaining essential life processes and the foods they are found in:
Vitamin A: cantaloupes, carrots, broccoli, dark green leafy vegetables, red and green peppers, spinach, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, liver, dairy products, and fish.
Vitamin B6: bananas, peas, turnip greens, carrots, sweet potatoes, chicken, eggs, liver, and fish.
Vitamin B12: liver, milk, eggs, cheese, crab, tuna, lamb, veal, poultry, and fish.
Vitamin C: broccoli, green peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, grapes, grapefruit, and oranges.
Vitamin D: beef, chicken, egg yolk, liver, fortified milk, salmon, tuna, and other fatty fish.
Vitamin E: sweet potatoes, whole wheat bread, shrimp, peanuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, and almonds.
Vitamin K: asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, green leafy vegetables, ham, lettuce, liver, pistachios, spinach, Swiss chard, vegetable oils, turnip greens.
The FDA has found that most dietary supplements are safe when used properly. There are a few herbal products, however, that have been classified as unsafe by the FDA and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Some have been issued warnings that they may interfere with other medications; others are extremely toxic and are known to cause cancer. The following chart, according to health agencies, includes the biggest culprits.
Just as surely as certain foods—those high in saturated fat, for example—can make us more susceptible to disease, many foods can make us feel more energized and mentally alert, and can keep us healthy by maintaining the neuro-endocrine-immune system in top working order. Some foods—those rich in fiber and those that are not processed—actually cleanse the digestive system, ridding the body of synthetics and toxins that would otherwise end up in the bloodstream and contaminate the body.
An added benefit to eating foods that revitalize us and make us feel better is the psychological effect these feelings have on us. Simply feeling better strengthens immunity and thus helps prevent disease. On a subconscious level, we get the message that feeling good means being healthy. I’ve described how vitamins and minerals can help us fight off illness and disease. Here are a few health and nutritional tips that boost energy levels, maintain the immune system, and keep the mind-body connection working at full capacity.
• Eat well-balanced meals. Most of us aren’t as conscientious as we should be about getting all the daily nutrients we need. Supplements aren’t a perfect substitute, but they do offer us a way to ensure that we at least get what we need to stay healthy.
• Never skip breakfast. Breakfast eaters are less likely to be obese and more likely to have good blood sugar levels and lower cholesterol. They also stay full longer and have more energy throughout the day. Skip the doughnuts and sugary cereals, however, and choose something healthy like oatmeal, eggs, yogurt, or whole grains.
• Approach with caution: low-calorie diets. When your car is running out of gas, you stop to refill it. It’s no different with your body, which uses the calories from food to supply energy and power your muscles. How many calories you need each day depends on your age, weight, gender, and how active you are. Starving yourself will not only make you feel sluggish and irritable, it also lowers your metabolism and makes it harder for you to maintain proper weight in the long run.
• Snack on healthy foods. Snacking got a bad rap in the past by diet gurus who never found a snack they liked. In the past decade, that has changed; and the research shows that snacking between meals can actually be good for you, as long as you’re smart about what you eat. The best snacks are high in energy like fruit, nuts, low-fat yogurt, and whole grain cereals.
• Don’t ignore minerals. The only part of our diet that isn’t created by a living organism is minerals, which we need even more than we do the vitamins that get much of the attention. Minerals are what make enzymes work, they help build cells, and they maintain and revitalize organ systems. Without good calcium levels, for example, our skeletal, nervous, and muscular systems don’t function properly. Without iron, we can’t make the hemoglobin that carries our oxygen, and we develop anemia. Magnesium is involved in nerve transmission and reactions that help us fight stress. Zinc is an important component of many enzymes that sustain life processes by speeding up chemical reactions. By consuming proper amounts of minerals, especially when stress robs you of those minerals, your body will repair and heal itself naturally.
• Include foods that boost immunity. Studies on populations throughout the world have shown that foods can heal, and diets that prevent disease are typically high in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables and low in meats and saturated fats. People with the lowest rates of cancer, heart disease, and other common illnesses load up on what I call the best healing foods: apples, beans, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, fish such as salmon and tuna, garlic, grapes, nuts such as almonds and walnuts, onions, peppers, spinach, oranges, and tomatoes.
• Eat foods that decrease inflammation. According to the latest research, inflammation is one of the leading causes of human disease. To reduce inflammation significantly, there are a number of tried and true diet strategies: reduce saturated and trans-fats, eat lots of green leafy vegetables, drink green tea, and consume omega-3 fatty acids every day. The best sources of omega-3 are those with high amounts of EPA and DHA like wild salmon, sardines, tuna, flaxseed, and walnuts. Another option is to take two to four grams of fish oil each day.
• Give supplements a try. Though the FDA and USDA have issued warnings on various toxic herbs and supplements, some others have been shown to be effective in boosting energy levels, increasing metabolism, strengthening immunity, and helping fight cancer and other diseases.
Rules for Buying Herbal Supplements
Consumers need to be aware that herbal supplements are not regulated; and though they are required to include an accurate label, they are not required to go through the FDA approval process. Therefore, some may be effective, but others may cause serious harm and sometimes death. Following these six guidelines before buying is always a wise thing to do.
• Ask yourself, “Does it sound too good to be true?” If the claims seem exaggerated or unrealistic, chances are they are. Learn to distinguish hype from evidence-based science, which involves a body of research, not a single study. Nonsensical lingo can sound convincing, so be skeptical about anecdotal information from slick salespeople who have no formal training in nutrition. Never buy a product just because it’s touted as a miracle cure. Always question people about their training and knowledge in medicine or nutrition; and never assume that even if a product may not help, at least it can’t hurt.
• Never assume that “natural” means healthy and safe. Consumers often think that the term natural assures wholesomeness, or that the product has milder effects, which makes it safer to use than a drug. The claim that something is natural can often be unsubstantiated. Herbs picked from a garden are natural, but they may interact with drugs or may be dangerous for people with certain medical conditions. What most consumers don’t realize is that even groups that test herbal supplements, such as Good Housekeeping and NSF International, are not obligated to report products that don’t meet their standards.
• Check for standardization. Since herbs are not regulated, they can vary in quality and content from one manufacturer to the next. The way an herb is grown, stored, prepared, and packaged will affect its potency and efficacy. Standardized herbs have been checked for uniformity, contaminants, and cleanliness. Never buy an herbal supplement that doesn’t include a label with the active ingredient per given weight. And only buy “single herb” products that clearly indicate how much of the herb each dose contains. Avoid products that contain mixtures of herbs, since the proportion of each herb is generally unknown.
• Choose retailers and manufacturers wisely. Nothing on store shelves, especially health food stores, is created equally. While the FDA issues warnings about herbal supplements, it’s up to consumers to educate themselves about the benefits and dangers of herbs. Therefore, it’s especially important to choose retailers that are highly reputable and have the best-known brands. When browsing, read labels, look for standardization information, and make sure that the product you’re buying has been scientifically tested. When buying from websites, be extra diligent about doing your homework.
• Use the proper herbal form. Everyone reacts to herbs differently, and much research has gone into determining the formulations herbs need to be in for maximum effectiveness. Some herbs are best absorbed if they’re in liquid or gel form, others are fat-soluble and most effective as tablets. Herbs are also metabolized differently in children and adults, so a safe dose for an adult may not be for children who are under eighteen. Reputable stores have a knowledgeable sales staff and the experience to know which herbal supplements should be taken by whom and in which forms.
• Be aware of interactions. Like foods, herbs can interact with prescription drugs, as well as with other herbal supplements. Always consult your doctor before taking any herbal product; and when asked if you’re taking anything, always tell your doctor exactly which herbs you’re using. According to the Mayo Clinic, the medications that interact with herbs most are: blood pressure medicines, blood thinners, diabetes medications, drugs that affect the liver, heart medications, and monoamine oxidase inhibitors. Stop taking an herb immediately if you notice any adverse side effect at all.
What we eat has a direct effect on how we feel, how we cope with stressful life events, and how well we maintain our immune systems. Foods high in saturated fats, like red meats, and refined sugar, like white bread, cause us to produce more insulin. More insulin means less fat breakdown, as well as a bigger appetite, which leads to overeating. Some foods, called “high stress foods,” can make stress worse; others can actually help us combat stress and keep us healthy during those times when we need it most.
• Foods That May Increase Stress Effects
Cake, candy, cold cuts (except for low-fat meats such as turkey and chicken breast), doughnuts, fried foods, meats high in saturated fat, sweet rolls, white pasta, white rice, whole milk, white bread
• Foods That May Reduce Stress Effects
Beans, brown rice, chicken breast (not fried), cottage cheese, fat-free or low-fat milk, fish, fruit (especially apples, bananas, cantaloupe, oranges, and pineapple), legumes, nuts, oatmeal, soybeans, sunflower seeds, turkey breast, vegetables (especially dark green and those with beta-carotene), wheat germ, whole grain cereal, whole wheat bread.
The more body fat you store, especially around the midsection, the more your hormone levels will be affected and the greater your risk becomes of developing disease. Since the brain is linked to virtually every bodily function, and hormones play a key role in both mental and physical health, losing those extra pounds around the middle will certainly keep the mind-body connection healthy as well.
Carbohydrate cycling has been used by bodybuilders for decades as a way to burn fat quickly and to show off their muscles. It has always been a kind of secret weapon during competition season when they needed to get their total body fat as low as possible. After all, you can have all the muscle in the world, but if there’s a layer of body fat covering it, what good does it do? But, carb cycling isn’t just for bodybuilders; it’s for people who want to reduce their carbohydrate input and maintain a healthy weight.
To cycle, all you need to do is alternate high-carb days that boost metabolism with low-carb days that break down fat and build muscle. On high-carb days, eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole wheat breads, pasta, and whole grains, in addition to protein at every meal. Minimize fats on these days. On low-carb days, consume protein and good fats but very few carbs, except for breakfast. Regardless of which day you’re on, always eat three meals and two healthy snacks per day every three hours to maintain metabolism and keep from getting hungry. And remember to eat protein at every meal. On the seventh day, reward yourself by eating anything you want before starting the cycle again.
The Curative Properties of Water
Two-thirds of the human body is made up of water. When your body loses 2 percent of its total fluid, you begin to experience the symptoms of dehydration. Even a slight loss of body fluids affects the brain; and we know the extent to which the brain controls the rest of the body. Some of the more common effects are thirst, loss of appetite, dry skin, dark urine, dry mouth, and fatigue. Fluid loss of 5 percent leads to increased heart rate and respiration, decreased perspiration and higher body temperature, extreme fatigue, and muscle cramps. A loss of 10 percent is so severe that dehydration becomes an emergency that must be treated immediately.
Each of us reacts differently to dehydration because we’re all unique. Age, size, and health all play a role in how we react physically, but not drinking enough water can lead to some common disorders we normally don’t think of as being caused by dehydration. For example:
• High blood pressure: Blood loses gases as water leaves the circulatory system and, therefore, blood vessels constrict in order to prevent further loss.
• High cholesterol: One of the main components of cell membranes is cholesterol. As a defense mechanism, the body increases the production of cholesterol in order to keep cells from dehydrating.
• High blood sugar: When blood volume decreases as a result of dehydration, circulation through the capillaries decreases and the concentration of blood sugar rises in relation to other blood chemicals.
• Decreased muscle building: Muscles need water for protein synthesis. When there’s not enough water, muscle fibers begin to break down and strength levels decline.
• Increased joint pain: Water is a major component of cartilage in the body, which includes joints. It also carries the nutrients that help build cartilage and prevent inflammation, abrasion and wear and tear. Furthermore, because water is stored in the vertebrae, it acts to support the weight of the upper body and prevent back pain.
• Increased buildup of toxins: The kidney is the body’s natural dialysis system, filtering the entire blood supply and removing toxins from the body. A good fluid level will keep the kidneys functioning properly and help the body rid itself of toxic substances.
You can see how drinking adequate amounts of water can prevent the onset of many disorders and keep your mind and body in a state of balance. But unless you’re exercising vigorously or working out in the sun, you don’t need to drink eight glasses of water a day as some health gurus claim. Many of the foods and liquids we drink have enough water to keep us hydrated. A good way to gauge how dehydrated you are is to look at the color of your urine. If it’s clear or a very pale yellow, it’s a good sign that you’re hydrated. If it begins to turn dark, you need to drink more. That’s all there is to it.
Recent evidence about sugar and how much of it we consume is painting a sobering picture of how sugar is linked to a number of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and cancer. Until a few years ago, the main dietary culprit was fat. But to the surprise of researchers, as fat was replaced with sugar in many products, the incidence of heart disease went up, not down. The average weight of the population also went up. We now know that the simple sugars found in soda and other sugary drinks, cookies, and candies are also found in foods we might not even realize contain sugars, and are the main cause of the skyrocketing obesity and Type II diabetes epidemics.
According to Dr. Robert Lustig, a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of California, the amount of sugar and high fructose corn syrup in processed foods is creating an entire generation of obese and sick children. One of the main ways it’s doing this is by increasing small dense LDL, the type of LDL cholesterol that clogs the arteries and leads to heart disease. And with the average person consuming nearly 130 pounds of sugar per year, the rates of disease will continue to increase.
One recent study, by Kimber Stanhope, PhD at the University of California–Davis, found that calories from sugar are different than calories from other foods. When subjects were given sweetened drinks as part of a controlled diet, their LDL cholesterol went up after just two weeks because the liver begins to convert the fructose into fat, which then gets into the bloodstream to create the small dense LDL molecules.12
Another study found that sugar actually helps certain types of cancer tumors grow.13 Breast cancers and colon cancer, for example, contain insulin receptors, which allow the tumor to absorb sugar in the presence of insulin. When an individual with a tumor consumes too much sugar, the flood of insulin binds to the receptors on the cancer cell membrane and helps the tumor consume sugar. The result: the cancer feeds on the sugar and grows more rapidly. Nearly a third of all cancers contain these insulin receptors; so if an individual has a weakened immune system and develops a tumor, sugar may be the last thing he or she wants to consume.
Keeping the mind-body connection healthy means eating the right foods, taking the proper kinds and amounts of vitamins and minerals, avoiding certain supplements that can do more harm than good, living a wholesome lifestyle, and knowing how to read nutrition labels. Since proper nutrition boosts immunity and helps prevent illness and disease, the saying “we are what we eat” is truer than we may think. By avoiding unhealthy behaviors, being a responsible and knowledgeable consumer, and taking a proactive approach to our health, we’ll maximize the potential for a healthy immune system well into old age.
