How Safe Are Over-the-Counter Decongestants?

With the raging allergies we get in L.A., many people turn to decongestants to help them breathe better. These drugs will often cause drowsiness during the day, but that can seem like a desirable side effect at night. And many doctors will recommend the same decongestants for mild cases of insomnia.

The most common ingredient is Diphenhydramine, commonly known as Benadryl.  This is probably one of the standbys in many medicine cabinets, for any kind of congestion or allergic response, including sleep issues.

But is it safe? Past studies have raised concern, and described mild cognitive impairment and delirium as side effects. But a new study from the University of Washington determined that people who chronically take Benadryl-containing medications have an increased risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Over seven years, 23% of the subjects developed Alzheimer’s, although none had it at the beginning of the study. The risk was 77% higher in the subjects who took Benadryl-type medications, known as anticholinergic drugs. The findings were part of the ACT or Adult Changes in Thought study, which looked at cognitive changes over the long-term. http://holisticprimarycare.net/topics/topics-h-n/healthy-aging/1768-anticholinergic-meds-bad-news-for-aging-brains.html

This is a lesson that ALL medications have back doors, and may produce side effect with serious long-term consequences. We don’t always know all the risks for years after the drug has been on the market. Your safest policy is to always seek the natural treatments that support and safeguard your health, relieving symptoms because there is genuine improvement, and not a masking effect.

There are safer alternatives that do not put you at risk for Alzheimer’s or Dementia. Many of our patients have gotten relief taking Allerplex for decongestant purposes. It also seems to help other types of inflammation that lead to insomnia. 

Many people do not realize that their sleep problems are stemming from congestion. It is not always obvious that sinuses are blocked, if the condition is chronic and has built up over time. Taking Allerplex, Sinu Pro sinus probiotic, or Albizia herbal supplement, can relieve congestion and make for a more restful night.

Let us help you minimize your risks and maximize your health with the right natural medicine. Email me if you have questions or call the office to order. 818-562-1400.

The safest sleep is the most restful sleep, in the long run.

Can Overwork Ruin Your Health?

There is no question that Americans work longer hours, and have less vacation time, than their European counterparts. This makes us industrious and ambitious, right?

Maybe, but there is a downside, also. Just as with athletic and sports performance, the body needs to be able to recover from anything it does. If working long hours means getting too little sleep, and the stress becomes chronic, overwork may contribute to long-term health problems.

These days you can take work with you everywhere you go, and it takes some discipline to shut down. The blue lights from our electronic devices can interrupt sleep patterns, even when we shut them off for the night. The electro-magnetic influences created by all our electronics may be more taxing than we realize. Some studies indicate that the cell phones and computers are having a disturbing effect on cellular function. The electromagnetic field they emit passes through almost anything, including walls, and interferes with the normal waveform patterns of the body. We don’t know all the effects of this, and may not for many years. No one is regulating these energy fields. The best thing you can do is protect yourself, or balance any damage. Interference at a cellular level has serious potential. http://www.consumerhealth.org/articles/display.cfm?ID=19990303201129

If work is keeping you up at night, due to stress or putting in long hours, your health is at risk. No matter what many people claim, only a very small percentage can sustain themselves on less than seven hours of sleep. Studies show that sleep deprivation shows up in poor performance on tasks, and slower reaction time when driving. 

Long working hours, with insufficient recovery time may increase your risk of heart disease and Type II Diabetes. According to a Finnish study of people from 14 countries, people who worked longer than a 48-hour week were more likely to abuse alcohol.

People also tend to over-eat, particularly high calorie carbs, when tired and stressed. The body is asking for some relief, and the fastest and handiest is the junk food so readily available.

When both parents are in stressful jobs, family life may suffer, as may the quality of life for our children. Families must use daycare, there is no one preparing nutritious meals, and less time is spent together, possibly disrupting the moral and character development of our children, putting  more stress on families.

It has been said that 80% of the U.S. population has stressed adrenals, and the other 20% are in denial. One of the most important things you can do to help your body weather stress is to support your adrenal glands. They have everything to do with immune health, heart health, sleep, blood sugar balance, weight, muscle strength, and libido.

We now have an adrenal scorecard available. Call or email and we will send it to you and you can evaluate your own adrenal health, or that of a loved one. Then we can help you find the adrenal support that will safeguard your health. Ask for the Stress Assessment when you call. This is a good way to help someone you care about to see how stress may be negatively affecting their life.

Keep track of how you spend your time. Carve out more for walks, family, massages and funny movies. Don’t watch the nightly news, and cut back on caffeine. There are a dozen small things you can do to help your body recover from the demands you place on it. And we are here to help.

What is Your Quality of Life?

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "The quality, not the longevity, of one’s life is what is important."

Quality of Life. Noun: the general well-being of a person or society, defined in terms of health and happiness, rather than wealth. 

You may agree that the state of health can determine happiness. If you feel unwell or have pain, it is hard to feel happy. You may feel grateful for loved ones and circumstances in life, but being ill, or having uncomfortable or unwanted symptoms, can severely curtail the very activities that bring happiness.

Our current medical system is not geared towards health or happiness. When drugs alone are used to manage symptoms, there may be some temporary relief. But the side-effects alone can wear down the body and produce weakness in the organs and immune system that lead to further distress or foster disease. 

As a Naturopath my job (and my great passion) is to help determine which factors are the barriers to the body's innate ability to heal. And it is such a joy to witness those healing powers on a daily basis. 

Recently one of my long-term patients experienced a true medical miracle. Diagnosed with a blood/lymph cancer a couple of years ago, this brave lady set out on a journey to heal. She changed her diet, studies alternative treatments, and traveled to Europe twice to seek knowledgeable health professionals. All the while she also came to me for supplements and natural medicine to boost her immune response and supply the building blocks for healthy cells.

Many of you watched the "The Truth About Cancer", the series of videos that presented alternative treatments and survivors' stories from around the world. Based on what I learned from that program, I suggested adding Frankincense Essential Oil to my patient's regimen. She put it on her tongue and massaged it into the tumor, which was visible as a large lump on one side of her throat. Two weeks later, on her next visit, I asked how she was doing and she requested that I look at her throat, as I had done twice monthly for the past couple of years.

This time, there was nothing to see. The tumor had completely disappeared. Instead, I saw pink, healthy, and normal-looking tissue in the place of the tumor. I might not have believed that something could change so rapidly if I had not seen it with my own eyes.

Would the Frankincense Essential Oil have triggered the miracle on its own? We will never know. Perhaps it was just the final burst of support that the body needed for the immune system to slay the dragon. Certainly the patient needed to make the dietary changes she made, and she used many other intelligent and researched treatments-all of them alternative and all designed to support correct cell formation and restore the balance of health. 

And now that her health is restored, she is happier and busier than she has been in a long time. Her quality of life is greatly enhanced.

This is the power of natural medicine. We have been led to believe that natural medicine is not enough, that we need the chemicals and invasive treatments provided by Big Business Medicine. And sometimes we do and I am grateful for those treatments when they are correctly provided.

But there is a great deal of power in plant medicine, in nutrition, and in the loving support of our family, friends and dedicated practitioners. My first professor in Holistic Nutrition told us that our job was to help people find their own medical miracles. What I really prefer is helping you ensure that you never need one. 

Like Martin Luther King, Jr., I have a dream. I dream of a day when holistic medicine and conventional medicine are prescribed according to the needs of the person, without regard to bottom line of corporations. I dream of a day when yearly check-ups involve testing to see what is needed for prevention of disease and improvement in quality of life, and not to test whether you have a disease and are ready to take your turn on the medical Merry-go-round. I dream of a day when all kids have access to fresh, healthy, organic, non-GMO foods every day, at a price that is affordable for families. 

I hope you share my dream because we can make this happen. Meanwhile, let us know how we can help improve the quality of your life, as well the lives of your family and friends. What part of your health is preventing you from pursuing your own path to happiness?

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How Hormones Affect Your New Year’s Resolutions

What have you resolved for the New Year? To eat better and lose weight?  To exercise more? To have less stress?  To be happier and more upbeat? To be nicer to those around you? 

All of these resolutions are affected by hormones. Hormones run the world of your body, and without hormones in balance and fully functional, a happy life and a healthy body just don’t happen.

Hormones make your body hum along, so that you don’t crave sugar and salty foods as much, so you are less stressed, have the energy to exercise more, and have the stability to handle the ups and downs of life and manage your personal and business relationships positively.

Getting hormones in balance is easy with the right natural medicine. But first you have to know what is out of balance. Blood work, Saliva Testing and Muscle Testing can all reveal where your hormones need help. I like to do Total Hormone Balancing, which means that every part of your endocrine system is working optimally, no matter your age, from puberty to old age. 

The chemicals in our environment and food additives can interrupt hormones. Birth control pills, medication and pesticides can all affect us hormonally. You can take your hormones back, and regain some control over your body and your life.

So, if you are having any difficulty making your New Year’s Resolutions stick, you might blame your hormones. Make this your best year ever! Balanced hormones will help, and we can help you get there.