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Spirituality and Health

By On · Add Comment · In anxiety, belief, depression, drug abuse, faith, health, heart disease, meditation, religion, spirituality, suicide, universe, violence

Today I would like to discuss an oft-overlooked aspect of health: Our connection to something bigger than ourselves.  Yes, I am a spiritualist–I believe in God.  Maybe not in the way of some organized religions, but I am convinced that the universe is a part of a grand order, of which we are bound in our physiology, and thus our health.

I’m not going to necessarily discuss the universal order as it pertains to physiology and health here.  Instead I am going to touch on a few points on spirituality and health, as well as encourage you to watch the beautiful video above to witness the magnificence of the universe from our earthly perspective, and hope you realize it is all much bigger than even this.

Health is directly related to our connections to a greater source.  Whether real or psychological is irrelevant to our discussions here–all I wish to point out is the improvement to physical health when spirituality is believed/practiced/observed.

If we can put aside for one minute our politics, our illusions, our human drives, and our emotional oscillations to just witness the beauty of the all, if only for just this one needle-point view of the grandness offered by the accompanying video, then I am certain we can all catch a glimpse of what we truly are.  THIS is the source of health, and it’s a confirmation that we can all have optimal health if we are in touch with the source.  That’s my belief anyway.

Losing Weight is a Lifestyle Choice

By On · Add Comment · In anxiety, appetite, chiropractic, depression, energy, fad diet, fat, grehlin, hormones, leptin, lifestyle choices, lose weight, sleep, sleep deprivation, weight
If I had to guess the lazy man’s ultimate fantasy, I would have to say that it’s probably a “lose weight while you sleep” program. How does that sound? Do absolutely nothing and shed pounds while you snooze. Ooh, I like the sound of that: Losing weight while sleeping. Well, now your dreams can become reality. So says a study out of Europe showing that lack of sleep can lead to weight gain. Hey, that’s not the same thing. I know, but I had to get your attention somehow.

According to French scientists, sleep deprivation has an effect on two principle appetite-controlling hormones, grehlin and leptin. Grehlin makes people hungry, slows metabolism and decreases the body’s ability to burn body fat, and leptin, a protein hormone produced by fatty tissue, regulates fat storage. In the study, sleep deprived people (only four hours sleep two nights in a row) showed an 18% loss of the appetite-cutting leptin and a 28% increase of appetite-causing grehlin. The people also showed about 25% increased hunger. according to lead author, Karine Spiegel, this translates into an additional 350 to 500 kilocalories a day, “which for a young sedentary adult of normal weight could lead to a major amount of added weight.”

Add to this a second study which discloses that children who lack adequate sleep (and those who watch more television, but that’s another story) have double the chance of being overweight, raises the chances of later anxiety and depression. Looking at 915 children in Massachusetts, researchers at the Harvard Medical School found that those who slept less than 12 hours a day in the first two years of life were twice as likely to be overweight at age 3 than children who slept longer.

These stories bring out two predominant thoughts for me: First, when it comes to weight management, it really is all about lifestyle choices. It’s not solely about genes or foods–it’s about how we choose to live our lives. I push the principle that sleep is absolutely necessary to a well-functioning mind and body. I see the effects of sleep deprivation every day in my patients, and I’ve got plenty of my own experience, and I know, it’ll kill you.

But it will also lead to poor energy utilization and, as a result, more weight gain. Think about it: You don’t sleep, you are tired, your body get discombobulated and starts using your stored energy rapidly to keep you going. You secrete the appetite-stimulating hormone, grehlin–your body’s way of saying, “more food, more fuel”. The hormonal imbalance leads you to crave foods heavy in fats and sugars–foods that are high in energy and efficiently stored as fat. And on your way to the bulge.

The second predominant thought is that losing weight for the long-term isn’t often correlated with following a particular fad diet. It really is about the lifestyle changes one makes, like:

  • eating healthy, wholesome foods
  • exercising regularly
  • getting sufficient sleep
  • getting rid of pain that prevents exercise–try chiropractic, it rocks!
  • balancing one’s perceptions

These are the true tricks to trimming down. It’s not rocket science, but it can be hard work. I tell you though, it is worth the effort. Start today by getting enough sleep, and your lazy fantasies can become reality. Isn’t it great to know that not all healthy habits are a pain in the rear?

Social Connections Help Surgical Outcomes

By On · Add Comment · In anxiety, bodywork, chiropractic, chiropractor, exercise, fitness, friends, maintenance, massage therapy, pain, social circles, social support, socially connected, surgery, well-being

No, no, no…this story is not about who you know, but about how large your social circle is. People who are heavily connected–those with lots of friends and strong family ties–do better before and after surgery, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. Socially connected people feel less pain and anxiety before going under the knife, and they spend fewer days in the hospital and use less pain meds following surgery than their more isolated peers.

The study looked at 605 patients at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor who underwent major surgery of the chest or abdominal area. The original study actually sought to determine the benefits of massage therapy on surgery patients, but also collected information on the subjects social support networks. They grouped people according to how many close friends and relatives they had, how often they saw them, and whether they attended a place of worship or other social function at least once a week. Participants with large social networks were less likely to exhibit anxiety or feel pain before the surgery or afterward, and required less opiate drugs. As an aside, the research team found that massage relieved pain equivalently to a 1 milligram dose of morphine.

Well, two thoughts here: First, I’m not surprised by these findings but am pleased that this sort of thing has finally been looked at. Far too little time is spent on the mental and emotional components of health and healing. I speak about the social connection aspect of achieving fitness in my upcoming book, The Six Keys To Optimal Health–it seems obvious to me: The more connected you are to others and society as a whole, the more your health will flourish. Further, exercising in groups of two or more does wonders, as people who take advantage of this connection tend to work out more often and push themselves a little harder.

The second thought has to do with the findings on massage. Let’s see, regular bodywork–working out the stresses and tensions of muscles, tendons, joints and ligaments–helps reduce pain? You don’t say? Not only is this one of the major premises of my book, nothing is more obvious to a chiropractor. That’s precisely why we get such great results in chiropractic offices helping people who are in pain; because everybody–and I mean everybody–needs regular maintenance care to work out the wear and tear that accumulates in the body from daily living. Just as a car needs its oil changed and its tires rotated regularly, the human body needs its own regular bodywork.

Bravo! Great study. Heed the results folks–your social life is important in more ways than one. It greatly enhances your mental and emotional well-being, it’s fun, and it positively affects your physical health. And regular bodywork is as good as a shot of narcotic. Whoa! Now that’s a party.

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