Dr. Health - Holistic Medicine
HEALTH GALLERY NUTRITION CENTER NEWSLETTER
February 2010
Your Perception Is Everything To Your Health!
When patients get better by ingesting a sugar pill, medicine defines it as the placebo effect. Rob Williams, founder of PSYCH-K, an energy-based psychological treatment system, suggests that it would be more appropriate to refer to it as the perception effect. He refers to the belief effect to stress that our perceptions, whether they are accurate or inaccurate, equally impact our behavior and our bodies. The belief effect is an amazing testament to the healing ability of the body/mind. Unfortunately, the placebo effect is quickly glossed over in medical schools so that students can get to the real tools of modern medicine like drugs and surgery. The placebo effect should be a major topic of study in medical school. Doctors should receive training to recognize the power of our internal resources. Doctors should not dismiss the power of the mind as something inferior to the power of chemicals and the scalpel. It is clear that effectiveness of placebo pills are a threat to the pharmaceutical industry. In fact, the placebo effect should be the subject of major, funded research efforts. (We know why it won't happen. Anyone want to take a guess?)
Walt Edwards, Ph.D. - Dr. Health
Over a year ago, a loyal customer introduced me to a wonderful book titled The Biology of Belief, which was written in 2005. The author, Dr. Bruce H. Lipton, Ph.D., was a former medical school professor and research scientist. His experiments, and those of other leading-edge scientists, have examined in great detail the mechanisms by which cells receive and process information. When provided a healthy environment for cells they thrived; when the environment was less than optimal, the cells faltered. When he adjusted the environment, these "sick" cells revitalized.
Have you ever wondered why some folks tend to have a cold or allergy attack or an upset stomach or bowel problem after a stressful/angry experience? According to Dr. Lipton, our mind controls every cell in the body which includes the blood supply. Your perception of your environment dictates the function of your cells which includes everything involved in your body. During a stressful situation your brain directs your blood supply to your extremities to run or attack. Your immune system shuts down and your blood leaves the entire area where digestion is supposed to occur. Your blood is also directed to leave the frontal brain where your logical thinking occurs and goes to the back of the brain where your reactions occur.
This bit of insight explains why your best thinking does not occur when you are under stress. It also explains why you may come down with a cold or upset stomach during or just after a stressful/angry experience.
Oh, Well. That's Just What Happens When You Get Older!
The problem with equating the risk of these diseases with a meaningless number—our age—is that it allows us to abdicate responsibility. It takes the focus off the true causes of disease and puts it on something that we can do nothing about—the hands of time. But it doesn't have to be that way. The degenerative diseases we associate with aging have little to do with our chronological "age." Rather, they are the long-term ramifications of unhealthy choices that turned into lifelong habits! These diseases do not magically appear at a certain age. They are the end result of poor nutrition, stress and toxic overload, including toxic negative beliefs gained in early childhood and reinforced over a long period of time.
Whole-Grain Products Add Weight To Your Body!
Hardly a day goes by that I don't hear or read something about the "health benefits" of whole-grain products. Our food pyramid is built on a base of grains. And I have even seen advice to eat "low-glycemic whole-grain" foods. If someone has found a low-glycemic whole-grain food, I'd like to see it.
Dr. Al Sears' research foundation put together an extensive glycemic index. They categorized foods that contain carbohydrates by category, from those that raise blood sugar levels the most to those that raise blood sugar levels the least. Please notice the top four categories: 1) Cereals, 2) Breads, 3) Other grain products, 4) Pastas, 5) Desserts, and 6) Fruits. In other words, cereals, breads and pasta generally produce a bigger rise in blood sugar than desserts or fruits. "Wholesome" whole-wheat bread has a glycemic score of 80. That is twice the score of ice cream, apples, or peaches!
The bottom line: Whole-grain bread spikes your blood sugar the same as white bread does. High-glycemic foods make you fat and accelerate aging. When you repeat an activity over and over, it creates neural pathways between different parts of your brain. The more you practice, the stronger those neural pathways become. These structural changes are the physical mechanisms of learning.
Enhance The Concept "Practice Makes Perfect"
Supplement your diet with omega-3 fatty acids. The BBC recently reported on a small but remarkable study of children who were given fish oil supplements. The children took tests before they started taking the fish oil and again at the end of the three-month study. During the study, researchers found that the childrens' reading age increased by a year. Their handwriting became more legible and accurate, and they paid more attention in class.
Omega-3 fatty acids are absolutely essential for all of us, young and old. But they are especially important for children, whose brains are still developing. To ensure that you (and your children) are getting enough omega-3, consider taking a fish oil supplement. And be sure to include wild Alaskan salmon, sardines, grass-fed beef, omega-3 eggs, walnuts, and flax in your diet.
Herbs For Reducing Pain Caused By Inflammation
Boswellia, also known as boswellin or "Indian frankincense," contains specific active anti-inflammatory ingredients, referred to as boswellic acids, that have been shown in animal studies to significantly reduce inflammation. Bromelain is an enzyme found in pineapples and is considered a natural anti-inflammatory. It can be taken in supplement form. Ginger is an anti-inflammatory which offers pain relief and stomach-settling properties. Fresh ginger works well steeped in boiling water as a tea or grated into vegetable juice. Turmeric is also a natural anti-inflammatory. SerraPhase is not an herb, but a systemic protein enzyme that helps maintain the body's normal inflammation response to joint, tendon, cartilage, muscular and heart health.
Vitamin B12, also known as cyanocobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin that helps maintain red blood and nerve cells and is needed to make DNA. B12 may also help prevent hearing loss and cognitive decline by increasing blood flow to the inner ear and brain. B12 is an essential nutrient involved in protein formation. It is necessary for carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism. The sublingual form of B12 2000 mcg is the best form of supplement to take for good absorption.
A study published in 2008 suggested that seniors with the highest levels of vitamin B12 were six times less likely to exhibit brain atrophy than those in the study whose B12 levels were lower. Research has linked brain atrophy with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of cognitive impairment.
Thought For The Day: Children learn to form their perceptions that they will use for the rest of their lives in the first six years of life! If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn. If children live with hostility, they learn to fight. If children live with ridicule, they learn to be shy. If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty. If children live with tolerance, they learn to be patient. If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence. If children live with praise, they learn to appreciate. If children live with fairness, they learn justice. If children live with security, they learn to have faith. If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves. If children live with acceptance and friendship, they learn to find love in the world.
Contact Dr. Health:
Walt Edwards, Ph.D.
29820 Ellensburg Avenue
PO Box 283
Gold Beach, OR 97444
541-247-7077
walt4health@gmail.com
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