What is Stopping You from Getting a Good Night's Sleep?

Anne Dunev, PhD CN
I have helped many, many people sleep better over years of clinical practice. The good news is that sleep problems are not just about “stress,” so there is something you can do about it. Sleeping well is the most natural thing in the world! If you cannot sleep, there is something going on physically — something that can be fixed.

The following are the main barriers I have found to a good night’s sleep.

Thyroid problems. The thyroid hormones can be out of balance and that may cause heart palpitations at night. Or the body may not be able to relax enough to sleep. Have your thyroid checked by a practitioner who really understands about the thyroid. Many doctors do not know how to test correctly for thyroid problems and you may be told that the blood lab work has come back “normal.” But if thyroid issues go undetected, it can have a serious effect on your over-all health, not just sleep.

Blood sugar problems. If you are sleepy in the middle of the afternoon, or fall asleep when sitting down, the problem may not be your lack of sleep, but your blood sugar. Try eliminating all sugar and bread or cereal products for 3 weeks and see if that helps. Eat only a small protein snack before bed, with some good quality fat. Be sure to eat a protein breakfast within an hour after rising. If you are not hungry in the morning and hate eating breakfast, your blood sugar is not on a normal cycle. Your blood sugar should fall at night so that you are ready to eat in the a.m. Eat small, frequent meals with good quality fat and protein at each. Good fats include real butter, unrefined oils, raw coconut oil, raw nut butters, organic dairy products.

Toxicity of liver/gall bladder. It is a principal of Chinese medicine that the organs detox at night. If an organ is very congested, that can cause wakefulness. If you wake up between 2 and 4 a.m. and find it difficult to go back to sleep, consider a liver/gall bladder detox. Truthfully, anyone can benefit from a “spring cleaning” for the liver and gall bladder, as the liver is the main detox organ for the blood. Allergies, obesity, cancer, aches and pains, constipation, flatulence, itching skin, skin eruptions like acne and eczema, bad breath, cravings for tobacco, alcohol, drugs and sweets, dry skin, worrying may all be signs of an over-burdened liver.

Adrenal fatigue. Fibromyalgia, asthma, allergies, muscular and nervous exhaustion, poor circulation, low blood pressure and anxiety may all be signs of adrenal exhaustion. These symptoms may interfere with restful sleep. See a practitioner who can test and treat adrenals. If you have thyroid issues, suspect adrenal problems, as well. The endocrine system works together like an orchestra. You can’t expect beautiful music unless all the instruments are being played.

Digestion issues. Eat lightly at night after 6 p.m. and take digestive enzymes and probiotics. Most of the patients I see who have a gastric reflux diagnosis actually have a hiatus hernia. Medical doctors don’t know how to fix it, but it is a simple adjustment by a Chiropractor or Naturopath. Don’t take medication that stops your digestion by lowering your stomach acid like the GURD medications do. Most of us need more stomach acid, not less, due to our high sugar and carb diets. But we need the stomach acid to break down proteins we eat. If indigestion is keeping you up at night, find someone who can actually fix your digestive ability, not mask the symptoms with drugs.

The bottom line is to consider insomnia as a symptom of a deeper problem. The answer is not sleep medication, or psychotropic medication, as the medications themselves are toxic to the organs, have side-effects, are often addictive and may be a short-term crutch that masks or worsens a long-term health problem.

If your medical doctor simply wants to give you medication without identifying the underlying problem, find a practitioner who can really help. Lack of sleep puts tremendous stress on the body. Sleep is a time of healing and repair, and if that is not taking place health can deteriorate rapidly. Life becomes burdensome when the body is exhausted. Treat insomnia as a secondary condition and know that your body is asking for help. Find the real cause of your insomnia and you will be able to correct a health issue that is demanding your attention.

Your body deserves to be rested and refreshed from a good night’s sleep. Sweet dreams.

This post first appeared in The Huffington Post.

Let's Have a Heart to Heart

Anne Dunev, PhD
I don’t think it is simply ignorance that caused our ancestors to consider a heart could be “broken”. As a practitioner of energy medicine (chi meets the nervous system) I have found that people who are grieving or have experienced a recent physical or emotional trauma often experience a change in their heart “energy”.

Since I don’t diagnose, I am not saying this is “heart disease”. And what is considered “heart disease” in western medicine may never develop. But what I do see is very low energy levels, sadness, depression and/or anxiety, sleeping difficulties, weight gain and difficulty carrying on with the normal routines of an active life.

Sound like a broken heart? If this occurs right after a loss, through death, divorce or a break-up, as often happens, no wonder our forerunners called it a “broken heart”. Did anyone ever die of one? Certainly many of us have seen people simply stop living, and slip into eventual death. The will to live, or not, has a powerful effect on our health.

Like a garden in full bloom, a happy and healthy body is pretty disease resistant. We certainly need water and nutrients, much like plants. And we also need Love.

The romantic kind of love, so celebrated, so sought after, with its ups and downs, terror and exhilaration, carries its own set of issues!

But more lasting love — affinity, help, caring, touch — has a very therapeutic effect and does seem to be vital to human life. Studies show that babies who are left in their cribs and not held and cuddled and interacted with do not grow and develop as they should. I have seen these children as patients in a pediatric hospital where I worked. For some reason the parents of these little ones did not seem to understand that nurturing includes touch. The nurses on this ward were some of the best I have met, and they had the happy job of cuddling babies to help them begin to thrive.

A studyhttp://www.reuniting.info/science/healing_and_marital_conflict from my alma mater, Ohio State University, demonstrated that blisters from burns heal significantly faster among married couples who communicated to each other in a friendly fashion vs. a stress producing fashion. One could call that the healing power of love.

I have noticed that many people are germ-a-phobic and do not like to touch anywhere another human being has touched. There are literally billions of germs around us all the time, and we have hundreds of bacteria in our body. Most are helpful and there are relatively few bugs that are pathogenic. Our present mania for being germ free came about from marketing on television for household cleaning products. Of course, we should practice basic hygiene, such as hand washing before meals and after other personal rituals. But trying to kill all the germs in our environment is not only a fool’s pursuit, but would be harmful. Nature has a way of balancing environmental “niches” and we would not be here at all if germs were so dangerous to us. Good old mild soap and water is sufficient for most of our household and personal cleaning needs. Harsh chemical cleaners are toxic not only to germs — but to us. Our nervous systems may be more sophisticated than the rest of the animal and insect and microbial kingdom. But we share one thing in common. What is toxic to one is often toxic to all. Our livers have to process any chemicals we are exposed to. Rat poison kills rats. It also kills kids. The “marketing” calls it rat poison, but it could just as truthfully be called “people poison”.

If you seem to pick up every flu that passes through the office, your natural health practitioner can help you strengthen your immune system. That is your best defense, and you can “bloom” without fearing contact with others.

We can be a big influence on each other’s health. A warm smile, a greeting, a hug to a dear one, can brighten anyone’s life — and may have more of a therapeutic effect than you realize.

And if you are lucky enough to have someone in your life who makes your heart beat a little faster, may your romance last far into the future. Next time you feel that extra little flutter, take a moment to appreciate what a marvel is the human heart.

The heart pumps about 2,000 gallons of blood through the vessels every day. A lot of that is up-hill.

The human heart creates enough pressure to squirt blood 30 feet, and is the strongest muscle out of 650 muscles in the body.

The average heart beats 100,000 times per day. More if you are frightened. The human heart will beat 3,000 million times in its lifetime and pump 48 million gallons of blood.

Here’s to the unbeatable human heart.

This post first appeared in The Huffington Post.

Three Weeks to Thinner Thighs: Exercise Optional!

Dr. Anne Dunev, PhD CN

Without starving yourself, without diet pills or gimmicks, even without exercise, it is possible to have thinner, smoother thighs in three weeks. That is plenty of time to get in shape for swimsuit season.

The rules must be followed strictly and will require some change in your diet. There is no free lunch, after all. The good news is that, not only will you lose inches; you will feel better and look better.

You will be able to follow this regimen any time you want to lose a few inches or a few pounds. Or you can make these rules part of your life-style and continue to lose weight and improve your health long-term.

There are 10 rules to follow.

1) Drink two glasses of good water (filtered, or spring water) every morning when you first get up, before you do anything else.
2) Drink at least eight more glasses of water throughout the day. Drink an extra glass of water for every cup of coffee, black or green tea that you consume. One cup of coffee or black or green tea per day. Herbal tea is allowed in any amount. No other beverages are allowed.
3) Eliminate all grains, except for ½ cup of brown rice allowed per day. That means no bread, oat products, cakes or pastries, or pasta of any kind. No corn or soy products, including tofu. Read food labels!!
4) Eliminate all sugar or sugar products, except for whole fruit. Stevia is allowed. Stevia is made from a South American plant and is considered a herb. It tastes sweet, but contains no sugar and no calories. Avoid all artificial sweeteners, including Splenda. No corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup. No alcohol of any kind.
5) Eat four servings of protein per day. A serving is 3-4 ounces (about the size of your fist). Eggs, chicken, fish and meat poached, broiled or grilled allowed.
6) Eat unlimited amounts of vegetables, steamed or raw.
7) Eat half as much fruit as vegetables. For example, if you eat 6 cups of vegetables, eat 3 cups of fruit. No juice allowed, only whole fruit.
8) Eat two tablespoons of oil per day, made into salad dressing, or over vegetables or fish/chicken/meat . Virgin olive oil, raw coconut oil, unrefined nut oils, or flax seed oil only. Vinegar or lemon juice may be added to the oil for salad dressing. Herbs and spices may be used for flavoring. You may use a sprinkle of sea salt-be very sparing. No butter or mayonnaise. No nuts or nut butters.
9) Avoid all dairy products—milk, cheese, yogurt, cream. The exception is whey protein, which you can use, along with water and fruit, to make protein shakes. You may also use egg white protein powder. If you need the smoothie sweeter, use Stevia. For a frosty smoothie, add ice.
10) Enjoy what you are eating. This is a “real food” regimen and your body will thank you. The processed, chemical foods most Americans eat are an invitation to chronic disease, so this is an opportunity for your body to get much-needed nutrients. Try to eat organic food, if possible.

Eat often; do not let yourself get hungry. This regimen will keep your blood sugar stable so that you will feel satisfied, as long as you eat every 3 hours. This program is not about calories. Eat until you are satisfied, sticking to the allowed foods. Keep a log of all that you eat and take note of your energy and moods. If you notice that your energy dips at certain times of day, have a snack ready so your blood sugar does not dip. You may find that you are not as tired in the afternoon when you stop eating bread for lunch!

Try lettuce wraps to substitute for sandwiches. Many delis and restaurants will make lettuce wraps, if you ask. Mustard is okay, but no ketchup, as it contains sugar.

Measure your waist and thighs before you start. Then measure every week. You should notice that your thighs will not only shrink, but will become smoother. This is a great way to eliminate some cellulite.

Although exercise is optional, you will increase the results if you do exercise. Walking as briskly as possible for 30-45 minutes four to five times a week will help. Yoga, Pilates and other forms of stretching are also good choices.

You may add fish oil supplements and pro-biotics. I don’t recommend synthetic or “horse pill” type multi-vitamins. Many do not even break down in the body, but make a great liner for a septic tank. (Just ask someone in the business.) Look for food source vitamins if you decide to supplement.

At the end of three weeks, you will be less bloated, thinner and feel better in general. Your palate will change and you will have fewer cravings.

If you want to continue to lose weight and inches, you can stay on this regimen for as long as you like. If you want to maintain, use this regimen as your base. Then have occasional indulgences. Pick one day per week to have pasta, or bread or dessert.

If you fall off the wagon for any reason during the three weeks, start this regimen again the following day. Remember it takes about three days to lose the craving for sweets. The good news is that the longer you avoid sugar, the less you will crave it. You will need to plan ahead and carry food with you during the day when you are away from home so that you don’t find yourself starving and the only food available is donuts or fast food.

This sounds more difficult than it is. Many people have told me they did not think there was any way they could follow this and were surprised to find how good they felt. Other benefits were skin blemishes clearing up and better sleep.

Good luck and let me know how you do!

Who Needs the Brothers Grimm When We Have Teen Screen

Anne Dunev, PhD
Once upon a time, not so very long ago, there was a town called Edendale that had many little children. The children were very happy. They liked to run and play and giggle and tell stories, much like children have always done.

The parents of Edendale were very busy people. They had jobs to go to, and houses to run, and bills to pay, for the King demanded many taxes and the parents wanted a good life for their happy children.

Then one day a stranger came to town. He was dressed in a white coat, but his heart was black. He said that he was a new kind of doctor from the big University. He said that he was an expert in children’s development and had come to examine all the children of Edendale.

At first the parents of Edendale were skeptical about the stranger in the white coat. Their children were doing fine, they said. Look how happy and active they are. Their cheeks glow, their hair is shiny, they all read and write. They are normal children.

Oh no, said the stranger. I have observed your children. They gaze out the window during lessons. They lose their pencils and they run and skip far too much for their own good. They love their parents and they prefer to sing and dance rather than sit still. They have sick brains and sick minds. Every child must be tested! Immediately!

The stranger threatened the Head Master that he would lose his job if the children were not tested. A new Head Master from the capital could be found. So the Head Master told the parents that the children would not be allowed to attend school unless they had the tests.

The stranger brought in a group of testers who also wore white coats. One by one the children were interviewed. “Do you ever feel that other children don’t like you?” was one question. “Do you feel nervous about getting up and speaking in front of a group?” was another. “Do your parents ever have arguments at home?” “Have you ever felt sad?”

Many of the children answered yes to some of these questions. When their friends moved away or their pets died, they sometimes did feel sad. And sometimes they did get nervous in front of a group. And, even in Edendale, sometimes the parents had arguments. The tester marked with a big red pen and one by one the children who answered yes were taken to a little office. You are mentally ill, the stranger in the white coat said. You must be put in a special hospital. I want to see my mother and father, each child said. All in good time, when you are better, said the stranger in the white coat.

And many of the brightest and most dynamic children were taken away, locked up in a hospital far away from Edendale.

When the children did not come home from school, their parents went to find them. They asked the Head Master where are the children? The Head Master had no answer. The children had been taken by the man in the white coat.

The parents drove to the hospital. “Why have you taken our children?” they asked the stranger in the white coat. “Your children have an illness in their brains,” he told them. You must pay for their drugs and treatment and we will tell you when they are well enough to go home.

“We have never heard of brain illness before,” said the parents. How do you know our children have it? “We are doctors, so we know,” said the stranger in the white coat. He did not tell them that the only diagnosis was the way the children had answered their test questions.

In the days that followed it was very quiet in Edendale. There was no more laughter heard in the schoolyard, or in the neighborhoods. The children did not run and call to each other to come and play games. The children were afraid to make too much noise, or they might be taken away, too.

The stranger in the white coat stood once again outside the school and observed the children wandering listlessly at recess, or sitting, alone, on the benches. And for the first time he smiled, a very tiny smile.

***

A fairytale? Like the ones the Brothers Grimm gathered in Europe in the 1800’s that formed the basis for Western children’s literature? After all, we have rights and we would be protected from doctors who would diagnose psychiatric disorders from a questionnaire. But this is exactly what has happened to many kids and teenagers. The test is called TeenScreen, and it is part of a “mental health initiative” called The New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, established by President George Bush in 2002. Its mission — to test all American school children. In one school in New York, 50% of the kids were found by this test to be “at risk.” The treatment? Psychotropic drugs that carry the all too real risks of suicide, suicidal ideation, homicide and homicidal ideation. Ideation means forming thoughts and ideas about it. And some American kids, after being tested, have been taken straight from school, without their parents’ knowledge or consent, to psychiatric facilities for treatment. If you think this could not happen here, please see http://www.ahrp.org/cms/content/view/453/52/
For more information, go to www.ablechild.org and http://www.teenscreentruth.com/.

If you think you are safe because you are past high school, read all about the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. The real goal is to test everyone, from cradle to nursing home. Call it a Brave New World.