



		Your Path to Healthy Living and a Healthy Life

Volume3 Issue 2

In This Issue

Are You Getting Enough........Sleep? Tired? Grumpy? This issue of our Healthy Living Bulletin is all about sleep, its importance and how to get more!

Stages of Sleep - Do you suffer from insomnia? Learn the importance of sleep, the different stages, their relevance to your well being and what you can do, naturally, to ensure a good night's sleep.

Arthritis and Nutrition - The third and final piece of the puzzle. What foods should you be avoiding or consuming. Be pro-active!

Latest Self Care™ Workshop- Check out the latest free lecture on Beating Candida with Dr. John Yim.

Lessons From The Healing Kitchen

Recipes

Blueberry/Apple Sauce Sweetened with Stevia -This deliciously simple recipe is perfect for those watching their sugar intake but are still longing for a sweet fruity taste. Perfect for pancakes, jam, or added to plain yoghurt.

Creating a Toxic Free Kitchen-The Environmental Protection Agency claims that indoor pollution is worse than outdoor pollution. Find out what to look for in your kitchen to create a toxic free zone!

Are You Getting Enough Sleep?

Insomnia can make your life miserable. You know the feeling. Part of your brain is desperate for sleep while another part runs a mile a minute. By the time 2:00 am comes along you're about ready to kill anyone that moves!

For most people, insomnia is a sporadic condition. However, for many individuals it regularly reeks havoc on their lives.

We need sleep to survive. If we don't get enough our wellbeing is seriously hampered. In sleep studies on animals, rats deprived of sleep lived for only a short three weeks. In that time researchers noted a decrease in body temperature, decrease in immune system function, a decrease in the release of growth hormones, and increased heart variability.

Sleep deprivation also affects the ability to concentrate and leads to an impairment in memory and physical performance. If it goes on for too long, hallucinations and mood swings may develop.

Sleep is a dynamic process, with distinct stages and cycles. Stage 1 is a light sleep and can be classified as a transitional stage. It accounts for about 5-10% of sleep time. Stage 2 represents about 40-50% of sleep time and occurs throughout the sleeping process. Brain waves slow down with only occasional bursts of rapid waves and eye movement stops.

Stage 3 & 4 represents the stage where brain waves are extremely slow. These waves, called delta waves, are interspersed with smaller, faster waves and represent about 20% of sleep time. This is a deep sleep where all eye and muscle movement stops.

REM sleep follows stages 3 & 4. It may occur 4-5 times during a sleep time and is usually associated with dreaming. This is where the eyeballs move rapidly and breathing becomes irregular and rapid. Blood pressure rises and the muscles of the body are almost paralyzed. The brain is very active at this stage with brain metabolism increasing up to 20%.

So how much time do you need to sleep? Some people claim to exist well on 3-4 hours of sleep a night. However, most people require between 8-10 hours. Of course, there are some cultures who incorporate naps into their daily routine and at night get 6-7 hours of sleep while during the day take a 1-2 hour nap.

Sleep needs change as we age. During Infancy we demand 14-16 hours a day. Teenages need 10-12 hours. As we age however, we begin to sleep more lightly and the time spent in stages 3 & 4 decreases by about 10-15%. It also takes longer to drift off to sleep so more time is needed simply resting in bed, preparing for sleep.

Substances to Avoid for a good night Sleep

Neurotransmitters influence sleep and wakefulness and there are certain substances that can impair their proper function. Caffeine is a good example, as are diet pills, smoking can also impair a good night's sleep as well as sensitive or allergic foods.

Simple Tips for a Good Night Sleep

The causes of insomnia are many and varied, from weight challenges to nutrient deficiencies. Of course, it is always important to rule out serious conditions by seeing your primary health care provider, but the following may give you some hope, insight and direction.

Exercise:

In The Physician and Sports Medicine Journal,author March Chambers states that exercise can both benefit and contribute to insomnia. He says that studies have shown that specific exercises at specific times of the day can definitely benefit those suffering from insomnia. However, he also adds that if you do have insomnia too much exercise can exacerbate symptoms. Here are his suggestions:

1. Do vigorous aerobic exercise late in the afternoon or early evening, but no closer to 3 or 4 hours before bedtime.

2. Wake up at the same time 7 days a week.

3. Sleep only at night.

4. Sleeping quarters should be quiet, dark, and neither too hot nor too cold.

5. Restrict alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine close to bedtime.

6. The bedroom should be used for sleep and sex. Don't watch television, eat, talk on the phone, or worry in bed.

7. Go to bed when you are sleepy. If you can't sleep, get up and enjoy a pleasant relaxing activity versus fighting to try and sleep in bed.

"Exercise: A Prescription for a Good Night's Sleep", Chambers, Mark J., The Physician and Sports Medicine, August 1991;19(8):107-114.

Diet

From personal experience I have found that eating dairy products (a food I'm sensitive to) up to 3 hours before bedtime, guarantees me a rough time falling asleep. Food sensitivities can have a dramatic affect on sleeping patterns and on a condition called sleep apea, in which there is intermittent cessation of breathing. This condition, caused by the central nervous system, may keep you from getting deep sleep.

If you feel it could be a food item keeping you awake, then come in to our office for our Food Sensitivity Test, it can give you a list of foods to avoid. Otherwise, make sure you don't eat anything 3-4 hours before bed.

If food isn't your problem you might find a glass of warm milk helpful. It contains tryptophan, a nutrient that encourages sleep. Chamomile tea is a wonderfully, soothing drink that can calm frazzled nerves and help you get to sleep. The downside, however, is the extra fluid intake will want to come out some time in the middle of the night, usually in the middle of a good dream!

Another dietary trick you may find helpful is to eat a carbohydrate 30 minutes before going to bed. It increases production of serotonin which can help reduce anxiety and stress, thus promoting sleep. Bananas seem to work well for my mother as does a bit of warm whole grain oats.

Supplements and Nutrients

In a study involving individuals with chronic insomnia, vitamin B12 significantly improved quality of sleep. As we age B12 becomes harder for our bodies to assimilate due to poorer digestion and absorption. This can lead to a deficiency. The most effective way of ensuring adequate stores of vitamin B12 is by injection. This method bypasses the digestive system and gets the nutrient right into the muscles.

Melatonin can be helpful if there is a deficiency. Ask your primary health care provider if melatonin is indicated.

Sleep deprivation can also be attributed to restless leg syndrome, aptly named for a condition where the legs just can't keep still. Calcium and magnesium may help, as they act as neuromuscular relaxants. For best absorption take 45 minutes before bedtime.

I also have it on good authority (you know who you are!) that reducing your salt intake can help. You may also find iron, folic acid and vitamin E deficiency contributing to this condition. I'm sorry to sound like a broken record but talk to your primary health care provider about these nutrients, especially iron, as you can take too much.

5-hydroxy-tryptophan can also be helpful for sleep as it is a precursor to serotonin, which converts to melatonin.

Herbal Combinations

There are several herbs that have sedative and antidepressant properties. St. John's Wort, not only helps you feel better if you suffer from mild depression but it can also give you a deeper sleep. Make sure you purchase a formulation that is pure and standardized for potency.

Seda Plus is a formula we often dispense at the clinic. It is hypoallergenic and very effective. I use this when I am having trouble relaxing, like after racing to get this newsletter out on time! I take up to four depending on how wound up I am! It contains a combination of herbs rather than single ones, as each works synergistically with the others.

Homeopathy

Homeopathy is a form of medicine practiced for over 200 years. It was the medicine of choice for family physicians during 1800's and into the early 1900's. Effective, safe, and inexpensive it provides gentle healing. Coffea cruda is the homeopathic of choice for those who can't seem to turn the inner computer off. Our daughter takes it before a big tournament when she's too excited to sleep. Pulsatilla is a remedy for when you can't sleep due to an illness. Chamomilla works wonders on children, especially if they are clingy and weepy.

Take three to four pellets about 30 minutes before bedtime.

Bodywork

Never underestimate the power of a good massage to help you get to sleep. Partners come in handy for this. A massage can help work out stiff, sore muscles and de-stress you enough to drift off into lala land. Learn some simple massage techniques, especially around the feet for women and shoulders for men. John will be presenting a couples workshop on simple massage techniques. If you would like to attend, let us know so we can pre-register you.

For more on sleep by Dr. John Yim.

Part 3 Arthritis and Nutrition

by Dr. John Yim, ND

When it comes to the prevention and treatment of arthritis, food is your best medicine. Over the past 20 years studies have shown that diet definitely impacts arthritis both positively and negatively.

The key is to build your diet around anti-inflammatory foods and nutrients and drastically limit the foods that promote inflammation. This sounds pretty simple, but what does this mean in terms of real food?

Before talking about actual food, let’s start with water. You may have heard or read somewhere that it is important to get 6 to 8 glasses of water daily. Water is vital for the health and function of every tissue in the body.

Proper hydration keeps the synovial fluid in the joints at its proper viscosity and the cartilage nice and plump in order to absorb the shock from day to day trauma to your joint. Also, water make up a major part of blood and lymph which brings nutrients to the joints and take wastes away.

The foods to include in your diet should be a wide range of fresh, organic, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. If you are a meat eater, add a little lean meat, poultry, eggs, low fat dairy products, and fish. Finally, take some flaxseed, hemp seed, or fish oils daily.

The goal is to get a wide range of phytonutrients, carotenes, and vitamin C from fruits and vegetables, folic acid and B vitamins from whole grains, zinc from fish, meats, and seeds, vitamin D from eggs, dairy, and fish, and omega 3 fatty acids from seeds, fish, and healthy oils. These nutrients have proven anti-arthritis properties.

If you think you are already eating a healthy diet, look at the number of servings and the range of the different foods you are currently eating. We should be getting 5 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day and a least a tablespoon of the healthy oils daily. Are you in the ballpark or are you low?

Besides eating lots of anti-inflammatory foods, minimize the foods that promote inflammation. This list includes red meat, dairy, eggs, processed foods, margarines, fried foods, commercial vegetables oils (especially cottonseed, corn, safflower, sunflower, and soy oils), peanuts, sweeteners, refined starches, alcohol, and coffee.

These foods contain either saturated or hydrogenated fats which lead to the production of pro-inflammatory substances in the body. The above oils are sources omega 6 fatty acids which can promote inflammation and block the anti-inflammatory benefits of the omega 3 fatty acids.

The sweeteners and refined starches elevate your blood sugar. When your blood sugar goes up, your pancreas produces insulin. High levels of circulating insulin promote the production of prohormones called prostaglandins which cause pain and inflammation.

The point to remember when it comes to diet is balance. By concentrating your diet on the anti-inflammatory foods and keeping the pro-inflammatory foods lower in the diet, it is possible to control any kind of inflammation. Arthritis is just another inflammatory condition.

After reading this series of three articles, if you are still mystified about where to begin in dealing with your arthritis or how to prevent it, contact our office and I

can design a comprehensive program tailored to your dietary and lifestyle needs.