Archive for the ‘Sleep’ Category
Great Website for Evaluating Brand Name Foods
Posted by admin in Nutrition, Sleep, Stress, Anxiety and Your Body, Thoughts and Beliefs, balance your body on September 4th, 2009
This i s a great website with great reviews for many different brand name food products and snacks. Definitely worth checking out.
Blacking out that room!
Posted by admin in Sleep, balance your body on September 4th, 2009
There are usually 3 main light sources in a room that need to be dealt with:
1. Light through the windows and through any window coverings.
Get blackout curtains. They are available at most fabric stores and some home stores as well. There are also a variety of internet sites that sell them. Blackout curtains are usually white on both sides and can be used alone or placed behind your existing curtains.
2. Light from clocks etc.
Either unplug or cover with something black; in a pinch, a black t-shirt or similar will do the trick. A charging MP3 player can also emit quite a bit of light.
3. Light from under the door/hallway.
Turning off the hall light and closing your door is the simplest solution. If light still comes from underneath your door, place a pillow, or towel in front of the door to block out the light. In this case, I would also make sure that there is a smoke detector in the hallway (ie. on the outside of your door) and test regularly to make sure it is in good working order. Well, that is what’s supposed to be done anyways…
When hunting down light sources it is best to turn off the lights, let your eyes adjust and then look around for where you see light coming in. Even once you have covered the light sources, make sure to keep checking until you can’t see your hand in front of your face. And don’t forget to let your eyes adjust first!
With a blacked-out room you will sleep much deeper and sleep will be more refreshing.
TC
Melatonin and Rozerem
Posted by admin in Exercise, Lifestyle, Sleep, Stress, Anxiety and Your Body, Stress, Anxiety and Your Mind, balance your body, master your mind on September 4th, 2009
Melatonin…such a huge topic….where to start?
First of all, melatonin is a powerful anti-cancer hormone produced by our pineal gland, a little gland in our brain. Melatonin is produced at night while we are sleeping. There are conditions that either increase or decrease melatonin production, such as length of sleep and the amount of light coming into the room but I’ll have to save those details for another post. If you want to get a head start, the take home message from that future post will be the following: sleep for at least 8 hours per night and sleep in a pitch-black room — one where you cannot see your hand immediately in front of your face. A sleep mask is good, but doesn’t quite cut it — cover all light sources. Also, meditating for 10 minutes (sitting in a chair upright) before bedtime increases melatonin production and will help you fall asleep.
Many people who have trouble sleeping take supplemental melatonin — anywhere from 1 to 3 mg per night. This is okay if done on an occasional basis, but I don’t recommend it everyday. Melatonin supplementation has been shown to lead to atrophy (shrinkage) of the pineal gland, the gland that produces it. As the pineal gland has less work to do (because melatonin is being obtained from the outside) the gland gets smaller. And then when you try not taking melatonin, you body is not capable of making nearly as much. Often insomnia is a result of an over-stressed system, or a weakened system. An ideal goal for insomniacs, is to figure out the root of the problem and deal with it from there. Of course with my obvious bias, I would recommend seeing a naturopath, but there are lots of different practitioners and tons of information (books, videos etc.) on how to sleep better. One book that comes to mind is Restful Sleep by Deepak Chopra. Lots of great information and a very good place to start; I often make recommendations to patients that come directly from this book.
The pharmaceutical companies have come up with a drug called Rozerem which is a “melatonin receptor agonist”. This means that it stimulates the same places in your brain that melatonin does. Synthetic hormones are never a good thing. Rozerem has been shown, in high does, to cause liver cancer and fetal deformities in lab animals. Sounds awfully suspect to me, especially when you consider that in very high doses, melatonin protects against cancer and has even been used to treat cancer. So this drug is doing something very different than melatonin somewhere along the line.
Considering how disruptive insomnia can be to a person’s quality of life and also considering that insomnia usually gets worse with age and almost always gets worse with menopause, I would highly suggest that all insomniacs take measures now (whether it’s a book or a practitioner) towards strengthening/relaxing their system in order to sleep better.
TC
Whole Grain Cereals and Breads
Posted by admin in Nutrition, Sleep, Stress, Anxiety and Your Body, balance your body on September 4th, 2009
I have seen quite a few commercials on TV lately for whole grain cereals and whole grain breads. They sound pretty healthy but since I have never seen a commercial on TV for any food product that truly was healthy, I did a Google search and checked out the ingredients. And yes, these products are made with 100% whole grains and that is very good. But the other ingredients make these products not so healthy. The other ingredients I saw were:
1. Sugar as the first ingredient.
2. Corn starch as the second ingredient and then starch as ingredient again later on.
3. Vegetable oil (canola or soy) - not healthy oils and never recommend their use for anything to do with food.
4. Wheat gluten - added as an additional ingredient. Wheat gluten is difficult to digest and this is the protein that causes so many people to have either an allergy or a sensitivity to wheat. The amount in wheat is more than enough on it’s own, without adding it additionally.
5. Food colouring.
It doesn’t matter is a food product is made with whole grains from the best source in the world; if it also has a lot of sugar, colourings, flavourings or other unhealthy ingredients, it is not that good for you.
For cereal, go to a health food store or the health food section of a grocery store (in the GTA some Loblaws, Fortino’s, A&P’s and Highland Farms have a great selection of health food items). Cereals I often recommend are Mesa Sunrise, Kamut Krisp or Heritage (Flakes or O’s). Although delicious, stay away from granola due to it’s high fat and sugar content. If you are good at moderation and portion control, a small amount of granola can be mixed in with the above cereals. The cereals I mentioned above do have some sugar added, but not much.
As far as breads go, everyone likes something different and you will most likely have to try a few before you find one that you like. Veggie Hut and StoneMill make particularly good ones. Dimpflmeier bread is also very good and available everywhere, although dense and most kids don’t seem to like it that much. Shasha Bread Company also makes some very good bread and their raisin bread is delicious.
TC
Soups and Stews are Better than Salads in Winter
Posted by admin in Nutrition, Sleep, Stress, Anxiety and Your Body, balance your body on September 4th, 2009
When the weather is cold, you system is more receptive to soups and stews versus salads and raw foods. Some people with very strong digestive systems and lot of body heat do well with raw vegetables all year round, but many people don’t.
Those who tend to frequently feel cold or with symptoms of weak digestion such as gas, bloating, intestinal cramping, constipation or diarrhea often benefit greatly from limiting or eliminating raw foods from their diet for a period of time.
Eating seasonally is always the best idea. In the winter, eating more winter vegetables such as squash and sweet potatoes, cooking/steaming/stir-frying vegetables and poaching/warming fruits is the best idea for most people. In the spring, summer and fall, raw fruits and vegetables are great and very healthy, as long as any digestive symptoms you experience do not worsen.
Several of my patients with weak digestive systems who eat a lot of raw fruits and vegetables have been shocked when I recommended eliminating raw foods for a period of time. They had heard more than one time that raw foods were the best. But once they did it, they felt so much better and their digestion became stronger and more effective.
Once an acquaintance asked me, “What’s the best diet?” and I replied, “There isn’t one.” My response was met with a shocked look and bulging eyes, but it’s true: there is no best diet because everyone is different and knowing what is right for your system is the key to a healthy diet. Please remember that the next time you are reading or hearing about information on a “healthy diet”. NOTE: Junk food, deep fried food and fast food are not good for anyone — I am talking about “real food” : meats, fish, poultry, fruits, vegetables and grains, (in no particular order).
TC
Getting the Chemicals Out: House Cleaning
Posted by admin in Lifestyle, Sleep, Stress, Anxiety and Your Body, Thoughts and Beliefs, balance your body, master your mind on September 4th, 2009
The chemicals in house cleaning products are very toxic. As you use them, you breath in their vapours (even more so with hot water or in a smaller, confined space, such as a bathroom). These vapours enter your lungs and are then are absorbed into your bloodstream. And although most people don’t stand in front of their dishwasher as they are operating it, dishwasher detergent vapours come out with the warm air.
With most houses having air-tight windows these days, air quality tests have shown that the air inside many homes has more toxic compounds in it than the air outside. Toxic chemicals in household air has been associated, among other things, with an increased allergy in asthma rate in both children and adults.
Here is a great article on CBC Marketplace on this very subject.
This website, from the Environmental Health Association of Nova Scotia is a fantastic guide to less toxic cleaning products. The top portion of this webpage lists common toxic chemicals in cleaning solutions and the risks associated with them. There is also an exhaustive list of non-toxic commercial cleaning products, categorized by use (eg. dish soap, toilet cleaner) and options for homemade alternatives as well.
Here are some websites for non-toxic cleaners:
Seventh Generation - I have only tried the toilet bowl cleaner so far, but I really like it and will try other products soon.
Nature Clean - I have the automatic dishwasher detergent, dish soap and all-purpose cleanser. All work very well.
Shaklee - I have never used these, but have heard great reviews from the Oprah Show to patients.
Here’s how I converted:
I just recently converted all my cleaning products to non-toxic equivalents and not only was it simple, it was much cheaper than I thought it would be. I bought non-toxic automatic dishwasher detergent, dish soap and toilet cleanser. The toilet cleanser is from Seventh Generation and has many fresh smelling essential oils in it. The automatic dishwasher detergent works just as well as the chemical one I had been using. The dish soap doesn’t get quite as sudsy as the regular commercial one I had been using, so I end up using a little bit more. But I’m okay with that, because as I use the soap (and can smell it) I like knowing that I am not breathing in any toxic chemicals.
For mirrors I have been using white vinegar with a microfiber cloth (doesn’t leave streaks or lint). Vinegar and water in a spray bottle is excellent at cleaning kitchen counters, sinks and stove tops. If there is something dried/stuck on the counter or stove I just spray some vinegar and let it sit for a few minutes; the vinegar seems to break it down and it’s then easy to clean off. I also pour full-strength white vinegar into the rinse agent dispenser of my dishwasher and my dishes come out sparkling clean and this has eliminated the hard water build-up I was getting on the bottom of my glasses.
For floors, I have a steam mop (I got the Shark one and love it) and just use water to clean my floors. If you have a large house, you will probably use more than one mop attachment per cleaning — the mop comes with two, but more can be purchased inexpensively on Shark’s website. Instead of the Swiffer I was using to sweep my floors, I bought a microfiber version that I put on my Swiffer broom. The steam mop also comes with a microfiber attachment; I have several of each and once there is enough for a washload I just throw them all in and wash normally.
As for bathroom sinks and bathtubs, I am using a Nature Clean All-Purpose Cleanser and it works great. Baking soda and lemon juice or borax also work very well.
TC
Pilot Your Own Ship Quote and Thoughts
Posted by admin in Lifestyle, Sleep, Stress, Anxiety and Your Body, Stress, Anxiety and Your Mind, balance your body, master your mind on September 4th, 2009
“Should you fail to pilot your own ship, don’t be surprised at what inappropriate port you find yourself docked.” – Tom Robbins
Learn To Take Care Of Your Health
It is important to learn to care of your own health. Each person needs to learn what is and isn’t right for their body. And, I firmly believe, that everyone needs to learn what types of foods are and are not healthy and what the consequences of the unhealthy food choices are and the benefits of the healthy food choices.
Unhealthy Foods = Unhealthy Consequences
Then, if you were to choose unhealthy foods, you will not be surprised at the health consequences. Many people do not know what foods are and are not good for them and are very surprised when they find out that many of the foods they are eating are very unhealthy.
Here are some guidelines to get you started:
1. Does it have a food from which it came?
Eg. squeezable cheese versus real cheese.
Deli meats versus whole meats.
Only take the original.
The more processed something is, the more chemicals there are and the less healthy/more damaging it is for you.
Liquid Meat
I once saw a show on TV demonstrating how salami was made; I came to the show as they were pouring the liquid salami into the mold. Then they let it harden and voila! salami.
Meats that were once liquid are not good for you.
2. Does it have artificial colour and/or flavour in it?
If it does, you can be sure that if you saw it without the colouring or tasted it without the artificial flavouring, you wouldn’t eat it.
Even though it’s all dressed up with colour and flavour, still don’t eat it.
3. Are there any words you can’t pronounce in the ingredients list?
Unless the language in which the ingredients are written is a language which you are still learning, words that are hard to pronounce are usually chemicals. And chemicals are not good for you, so leave it on the shelf.
4. Is sugar in the first 3 or 4 ingredients?
Anything that is mainly sugar is not good for you.
5. Does it have artificial sweeteners?
These are always chemicals. Again, leave it.
6. Is it made with white flour?
If so, leave it and go for a 100% whole grain option.
Eat Whole Foods
Most foods that come in a box are not good for you.
Eat whole foods and your body will thank you with increased energy, health and vitality.
TC
Cooking In and Drinking Out Of Plastic
Posted by admin in Exercise, Lifestyle, Nutrition, Sleep, Stress, Anxiety and Your Body, balance your body on September 4th, 2009
I did some research as I began to write this post to find some statistics and references to include. What I am discovering is that information on plastics is difficult to find. There are a lot of links to government and industry (ie. the people who sell these things) sites saying that it`s all safe, but not much else.
I happen to know that plastics often pose a large problem, so I am continuing the hunt. I minored in chemistry in university, and know that it is near impossible for a porous substance - plastic - not to affect it’s contents, especially when heated.
So when I read that there is no effect on the food/water, I know that there is definitely some effect, even if small.
So there is something were are not being told.
No Effect or No Known Effect?
Chances are “There is no effect.” really means “There is no known effect” which really means “We have never studied it and don’t actually know.” This post will include what I have found so far and then I will post updates as I find more information.
Disposable plastic water bottles, designated #1 (the ones you buy already full of water):
Bacterial contamination is a big problem and that is why the companies print on the label (often in pretty small print) not to refill.
This plastic is too porous to wash — the bacteria won`t really be cleansed away. So one use only.
Apparently there is concern that as the bottle breaks down, it will leach chemicals into the water. But I can’t find anything that talks about what it is that leaches or within what kind of time frame the plastic begins to break down.
I do know that if water is left for too long in a bottle, or if the bottle heats up (eg. in a warm car or truck) that the water often tastes like plastic. If you are tasting plastic, you are ingesting plastic.
Nalgene highly coloured water bottles
They have been shown to leach a chemical called Bisphenol-A (BPA) which acts in our body as a mild form of estrogen. BPA has been linked to breast cancer, ovarian cancer. lower levels of testosterone in men, infertility and prostate cancer. BPA is also found in the plastic liner of metal food cans, many plastic baby bottles and many plastic baby toys.
Look for water bottles with the following number and letter designations:
-polypropylene - #5 PP
-high-density polyethylene, #2HDPE
-low-density polyethylene, #4 LDPE
I’m Not Feeling So Confident
I actually don’t feel overly confident about the “safe plastics”.
I would advise to drink out of glass whenever possible (at home, at the office etc.) and when you need something portable, get a “safe plastic” bottle. Just make sure it doesn’t heat up and if it does (even once it’s cooled down) throw the water out and refill.
As a suggestion, a good glass solution would be to buy a 800mL VOSS bottle (sold at some health food stores and Whole Foods) and keep it filled with water. Pour the water into a glass or mug and drink from there instead of directly from the bottle; the glass/mug is much easier to clean then the bottles with their narrow mouths.
This also prevents you from having to carry a somewhat heavy glass bottle back and from to the office — just leave it there and keep refilling.
Although you are not eliminating plastic, you definitely are minimizing. For those who work on the road, plastic seems to be your best bet.
____
Macleans: Disposable Water Bottles Questionnable
I was ready to close off this post but just came across an article from Macleans and have included an excerpt here (in italics). Click here to read the full article. The PET water bottles they are talking about are the disposable ones that just about everyone buys these days and the ones mentioned above in this post as #1.
The volatility of PET bottles, which should never be refilled due to risks of leaching and bacterial growth, remains uncertain.
Antimony in the Water? What’s Antimony?
Last year, William Shotyk, a Canadian scientist working at the University of Heidelberg, released a study of 132 brands of bottled water in PET bottles stored for six months, and found that significant levels of antimony, a toxic chemical used in the bottle’s production, had leached into the water.
Shotyk, who has vowed never to drink bottled water again, is now studying the bottles over a longer term, given the lag times that can occur between bottling, shipping, purchase and consumption.
Even Though It’s Safe, I Suggest Skipping the Antimony Anyways
The Canadian Bottled Water Association counters that the levels don’t pose a risk to humans. “Technically bottled water will not go bad if you properly store it,” Griswald says, though she admits algae will build up if it’s left in sunlight in high heat.
Smith predicts concern about internal pollution will increase as more people are tested for chemical contamination.
“There’s mounting evidence that these containers are leaching toxins into the beverages we’re drinking and our children are drinking and there are easy substitutes available,” he says.
We All Seem To Be Full of Chemicals
The Environmental Protection Agency in the U.S. commenced a massive study in 2000. This year, Statistics Canada begins testing 5,000 Canadians for a wide range of contaminants.
Early data from the U.S. is troubling, Smith says. “There’s evidence that these plastic ingredients are now in the bodies of every citizen,” he says.
“I am quite sure that a few years from now we will look back at these toxins and shake our heads and wonder, ‘What the heck were we thinking?’ ”
What We Don’t Know Now About Plastics Can Hurt Us Later
When the scientists who study something, get so turned off they forgo it completely, you know there is a problem and it’s just a matter of time before it becomes common knowledge.
Cigarettes were once harmless, cocaine was once just another ingredient in Coca-Cola and if you were a menopausal woman the best thing you could once do for your heart and bones was take artificial hormones.
Their era of benign-ness eventually came to an abrupt, and for some a very upsetting and even disastrous, end.
It seems like the era of eating and drinking out of plastics may meet the same fate.
TC
Call to Government in Ontario (Canada) to Target Cancer-Causing Toxins in Air
Posted by admin in Exercise, Lifestyle, Nutrition, Sleep, Stress, Anxiety and Your Body, The Relaxation Response, balance your body, master your mind on September 4th, 2009
Asking: Remove Toxins That Cause Cancer From Air
Last week a coalition of various health organizations spoke out to the Canadian government to take action removing toxins from air that have proven cancer-causing effects (ie. carcinogens). These groups include the following: Cancer Care Ontario, the Canadian Cancer Society, the Ontario Medical Association, the Ontario Federation of Labour and public health units across Ontario.
More Than 150 Toxins
The group is looking at greater than 150 toxins in our air, food and the products we use; there is currently no strategy in place to remove these toxins from the air.
Cancer Rates Still Rising
The report issued by this group also mentions that if no action is taken, cancer rates, especially childhood cancer rates, will continue to rise and will contribute to tens of thousands of new cancers each year.
Read the full article here.
I think it is important to note that all of these groups are very mainstream and rather conventional. When groups such as these say there is a problem, and start appealing to the government, you know the problem is big.
Take Care Of Your Health
And this is why it is important to take other measures in your life to reduce toxin exposure where ever you can (without becoming paranoid, because stress creates lots of toxins as well).
Eat a healthy diet and to take care of your health in general.
Are You Healthy? Are You Sure?
Just because you are not currently sick, does not unfortunately mean that you are healthy. The decline of health into sickness is generally a slow decline and does not happen overnight (even though to some people it may feel that way).
Is Your Diet Healthy? Are You Sure?
And in order to determine whether or not your diet is healthy, I would strongly suggest having a consultation with a naturopath or natural nutritionist.
I have seen way too many patients who feel their diet is healthy, when there are really a lot of things lacking.
TC
Sleep Problems and Insomnia
Posted by admin in Sleep, Stress, Anxiety and Your Body on July 1st, 2009
Sleep Problems and Insomnia
Can’t sleep? It may be little consolation, but you are in good company; an estimated 3.3 million Canadians and 32 million Americans suffer from sleep problems as well.
Is it insomnia?
Insomnia is loosely defined as the inability to fall and stay asleep.
Everything is on a spectrum
As far as naturopathic medicine goes, everything is measured on a spectrum. Someone who may take 1 hour to fall asleep each night just has a milder form of insomnia than someone who takes 4 to 5 hours to fall asleep or who doesn’t fall asleep at all.
Along the same lines, someone who wakes 2 times per night but goes back to sleep okay has a milder imbalance, but an imbalance of the same nature as someone who wakes 2 or 3 (or more times) and has a difficult time falling back to sleep.
And then, of course, there are those who sleep for 8 hours but are not refreshed in the morning or who have vivid and exhausting dreams.
In each example it’s just a matter of being on the same spectrum but at a different place.
Different weaknesses
We all have different areas of weakness and different susceptibilities.
You may have a friend, family member or co-worker who drinks 5 cups of coffee per day, works out at night, eats sugar all day long and then proceeds to sleep like a log. This just means is that sleep is not at an area of weakness for them.
But if it is a weakness for you, then you will have to take special care in this area.
What can be done?
There is a lot that can be done naturally for insomnia. In my experience with insomnia, relaxing herbs such as valerian and kava work in the minority of cases. Most people need a more thorough and individualized approach.
The importance of diet
There are a number of factors in diet that can contribute to insomnia, probably much more than most people think.
Caffeine
Caffeine, at any time of the day, can interfere with the ability to fall asleep and can also affect the sleep cycle so that sleep is of a poorer quality and is unrefreshing.
Eating late, eating heavy
Eating late or eating heavy meals in the evening is a popular cause of trouble falling asleep and of vivid dreaming/nightmares.
The effect of weak digestion
For people who have trouble falling asleep, anything that weakens digestion will make this worse. In many people raw foods, salty foods and greasy/high fat foods significantly contribute to a weakened digestive system and trouble falling asleep.
The obvious — stress and anxiety
So will anything that increases stress and anxiety levels. You can’t get away from stress until death, but stress can be managed and dealt with appropriately.
Most people “deal” with stress by stuffing their emotions into their body, stress eating, smoking, drinking coffee, drinking alcohol, watching TV and exercising to excess. All of these are ineffective ways of dealing with stress that weaken your body with time.
When your body is weakened, your weak areas will really show up.
Stress
If you are stressed and your mind is running, your body is pumping out stress hormones. You will most likely not fall asleep and if you do, you will not sleep well.
You won’t fall asleep in a danger zone
Stress hormones send a signal to your brain letting it know that your life is in danger. It would be ridiculous of your body to let you fall asleep at such a “dangerous time”. Your brain and body do not realize that the stress comes from your job or relationship (or any number of other factors) and is not life threatening at all.
Relaxation techniques
Stress needs to be dealt with through conscious relaxation techniques (no, watching TV isn’t one of them). These include yoga, meditation, tai chi, qi gong and changing wrong beliefs that feed the body’s stress response. Example: “If I don’t do everything perfectly I am no good.”
Anxiety
Anxiety can feel similar to stress but from a naturopathic point of view, it has a slightly different origin. Anxiety includes constant thinking, your mind running when you don’t want it to and excess worry.
You do not need to have heart palpitations or an anxiety attack to have anxiety.
The excitable personality
I find that many people with excitable personalities and/or who have a parent with either depression or anxiety tend to have anxiety (to varying degrees) as well.
Sleep hygiene
The easiest time to fall asleep for most people is 10pm; this has to do with the rhythms of the day.
Watching TV, talking on the phone or being on the Internet past about 9pm will interfere with sleep.
Reading is a good activity, but nothing exciting.
Paying bills at night or dealing with financial matters of any kind is not a good idea.
Make sure your room is cool, but you are warm.
Make sure the room is nice and black; your sleep will not be nearly as deep if there is light coming into the room.
Go to bed and wake up at the same time each night. If you go to bed late one night (eg. on the weekend) do your best to get up at the same time the next morning anyways. Your body loves a schedule.
How I treat insomnia in my office
First of all, I take a good look at all the factors above: diet, stress, anxiety, and sleep hygiene.
I then assess the patient’s body as a whole and find out what is working well and where any other health issues are.
I assess according to conventional medical standards, send out for blood tests where necessary, evaluate according to both naturopathic thought and Traditional Chinese Medicine and perform a BIA test. Then I put all this information together into an individualized protocol.
For example:
From the factors that affect sleep, I determine which ones are issues for each patient.
I will look at the digestive system — any weakness here? If yes, I look at diet, lifestyle and emotions and see where this weakness is coming from.
What is going on stress-wise? How is the stress being dealt with? Is it being dealt with? Are there physical factors/weaknesses that are increasing the stress levels? How about dietary factors?
And so on for the entire system.
So, I have each patient make the appropriate diet and lifestyle changes and I prescribe supplements and herbs as required. I always do my best to keep supplements and remedies down to a minimum.
Relaxation techniques and sleep hygiene also form part of my prescription for each patient.
For some patients with severe or long-standing insomnia, I often will combine the above with acupuncture treatments; I have found this combination to be very effective.
TC