Healing Yourself Emotionally – Release Your Negative Patterns

womentowomen on December 30, 2013

by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP

In the years I’ve been working with patients, I’ve witnessed such profound changes with women who have been experienced emotional healing. Many times we’ve worked together to heal imbalances in their bodies which are creating a set of uncomfortable and unwanted symptoms – but some don’t reach the level of wellness they’d like without addressing their emotional health.

For years I sought a program I could recommend to my patients – one which I could feel confident in. For the past 20 years I have recommended the Hoffman Institute. Hoffman is an organization dedicated to helping people learn more about themselves, their patterns which create self-defeating behaviors and to heal emotional wounds. The program requires dedication from the attendees – but I guarantee the results are worth it!  Those who attend begin to understand their patterns of behavior and how it affects their day-to-day and long term goals. The program also helps change the way you interact and understand other people.

Raz Ingraszi, President of the Hoffman Institute, tells us that if our negative feelings aren’t resolved in some way, they can cause both emotional and physical pain until they are worked through. He further states that our emotions guide the quality of our lives. When you really think about that statement – it’s so powerful. Especially since most of us tend to disregard or bury our emotions – especially our painful ones. When we can begin to overcome the past, we can dramatically improve our lives. The Hoffman Institute suggests that the best way to become aware of your feelings is not to judge or criticize them, but to allow yourself to experience them. This allows healing to take place.

The ACE – Adverse Childhood Events Study – was completed some years ago. The study evaluated individuals who had emotionally troubled childhoods and the way these individuals manifested physical ailments as adults. The data was astounding! The more emotional stress individuals suffered as children, the more likely they were to have chronic health concerns like cancer or heart disease as adults!

The Hoffman Process helps attendees take steps toward healing by bringing about awareness of both the negative and positive feelings, allowing the expression of feelings, finding emotional forgiveness for themselves and others, and to establish new behaviors.

There’s a saying that the greatest journey we will ever take is to travel the distance from our hearts to our heads. The Hoffman Quadrinity Process takes individuals on that journey. I can tell you from personal experience that it’s a journey of incredible love, freedom and healing.

Arthritis and Joint Pain – Inflammation Could Be At Work

womentowomen on December 30, 2013

by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP

As a culture, we’ve been conditioned to accept that joint pain and arthritis are natural signs of aging and are to be expected. Many women I talk with accept this and over time when their pain intensifies, they reach for ibuprofen or acetaminophen to help with pain. Many times I’ll see patients who will grow teary when talking about the activities they have stopped – like playing with their grandchildren, dancing, and sometimes even exercise.

Many things can lead to chronic joint pain – we have to remember that pain is your bodies’ way of sending a message – in this case the message is that it needs help. Taking away the pain with a pill is part of a solution, but to really help your body, you’ve got to get to the root cause of the pain.

There are many types of joints in the human body – fixed, hinge, ball and socket and pivot. A joint is how the bones are connected to each other by ligaments. Muscles are attached to those same bones by tendons – and both the ligaments and tendons are surrounded by protective sheaths. Surrounding each joint is a fluid filled protective pocket known as bursae and within the joint the bones have a protective lining made up of cartilage which help the bones move over each other easily. If any part of the joint is compromised – through trauma, injury or inflammation, you will experience pain.

There are many reasons joint pain can flare up seemingly suddenly. Many people look at arthritis as being a culprit. Its estimate that one in five Americans has been diagnosed with a form of arthritis, and there are over a hundred different arthritic conditions, the most common are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Osteoarthritis worsens as the day wears on. This type of arthritis can be traced to a breakdown in your joint cartilage, and it’s linked with inflammation. Hips, knees, spine, hands and feet are most commonly affected.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a known autoimmune disease which causes inflammation in the fluid of the joint. It’s different from other forms of arthritis and presents with some identifying features:

  • A hot or warm feeling in the joint
  • Pain lasting through the night
  • The same joint is affected on both sides of the body
  • Stiffness that lasts for over 30 minutes upon waking

Many forms of joint pain involve inflammation – sometimes it’s local and other times it can be systemic. With joints, pain can come from overuse, or injury. If your body is working well, the inflammation will do it’s job to heal – and then will pass quickly. If inflammation persists and moves into a chronic state, there’s investigation to do!

Testing is now readily available for inflammatory markers such a C-reactive protein (CRP) to determine if patients are likely to develop inflammatory conditions. Trace amounts of CRP are present in a healthy body, but we can expect to see an increase in CRP with acute infection or injury. When elevated CRP levels exist for prolonged period of time, it’s a good indication that inflammation is present.

Treating elevated inflammation levels is something I’ve helped women with for many years. I recommend dietary changes and nutritional supplements and find that this combination works not only to alleviate pain, but to lower CRP levels.

[banner id=”single-banner-multi-essentials”]

I see many women who notice joint pain for the first time during perimenopause. Although the relationship between our joints and estrogen is not fully understood, it’s known that estrogen has an anti-inflammatory effect in our bodies. It makes sense then that during perimenopause, when estrogen levels start decreasing, women could feel the effects in their joints. Any imbalance that estrogen has been helping to calm may start rising to the surface.

Many patients report a decrease in joint pain when their hormones return to balance – for others, it’s just once part of the cause of their joint pain. Its quite common for foods to be a factor in inflammation – and the impact on joint pain.

Though many women think of food simply in regard to what registers on the scale, food can be the most effective, cheapest and safest medicine for restoring health. Eating foods which contain nutrients that will not ignite inflammation and which calm inflammation can help with joint pain and so much more! Foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids are a wonderful example.

I have noticed a pattern that many women who suffer from joint pain also have digestive issues. Ongoing digestive imbalances in the GI system (such as leaky gut, dysbiosis and inflammatory bowel disease) have long been associated with allergens and chronic inflammation. An elimination diet or food sensitivity test can help pinpoint food sensitivities.

Foods most commonly associated with inflammation are:  corn and corn products, gluten, yeast, eggs, citrus, and members of the nightshade family – eggplant, peppers, tomatoes and potatoes. Sugar and processed foods can increase inflammation.

I also encourage women to think of the emotional toxins as well. If we think about the terms ‘burning mad’ and ‘fiery temper’ they sound like inflammation, don’t they? Not surprising to me, research has shown a direct correlation between negative emotions and inflammatory conditions. People who are habitually negative release higher levels of CRP than those who have a more positive outlook on life.

The effects of chronic stress on the immune system have been well studied. The hormone cortisol is released when our stress response is triggered – and cortisol acts to ignite the inflammation response – which brings us back to the pain in your joints. It’s a circle which can be stopped.

Once women understand the causes of their joint pain, they can experience significant relief by addressing the issues that most affect them. You can, too!

If you are currently on medication, please don’t stop your medications! You can supplement your current treatment plan with the following helpful ideas:

  • Start at the ground level. Evaluate over-exercise, injuries, your bed, even your work station.
  • Evaluate your digestion. Poor digestion can lead to system inflammation and eventually your joint pain.
  • Keep track of your pain. A daily journal which includes the time of day, what kind of activity you have participated in, diet, stress levels or illness. This may help identify a pattern for you.
  • Eat a diet high in natural anti-inflammatory foods. Be sure to include nutrient rich fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and omega-3s. Adding a high quality multivitamin/mineral and omega-3 fatty acid supplements to your daily routine is recommended.
  • Consider a detox plan. We know that toxicity can add to your body burden and an increase inflammation.
  • Evaluate your stress. Consider stress relief activities. There isn’t a one size fits all stress reliever. Give good thought to what might help you – yoga, meditation, journaling – the possibilities are endless and the results are priceless.
  • Move your body – exercise can help reduce stress, help with weight management and also the symptoms of arthritis. Exercise helps keep your blood flowing – and this will help the tissues surrounding your joints healthy and pliable.
  • Consider alternative therapies – massage, osteopathic care, acupuncture, and psychotherapy are known to help with pain. The same method isn’t  for everybody – one might be right for you.

Please remember that pain is your bodies’ way of asking for help – it’s communicating a very important message to you. Don’t bury this message or push it away – listening to your body is the first step in the healing process.

Blast Away Belly Fat

womentowomen on December 30, 2013

by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP

Belly fat, that stubborn ring around your middle, seemingly creeps up out of nowhere and seems resistant to traditional diet and exercise. Some women will cut calories and may lose inches in other parts of their bodies – but that oh-so-stubborn belly fat remains. Belly_FatOther women report taking on targeted and challenging exercise routines and are able to sculpt shoulders, arms and legs beautifully – yet report no change in their midsection – which can be very frustrating. There is, however, a way to get rid of belly fat forever – with a tried and true approach.

Let’s start by understanding the causes of belly fat. Like most issues, it’s important to remember that there might be more than one issue contributing to your newfound apple shape.

[banner id=”weight-management-system”]

The most common culprits are:

Adrenal Imbalance – when our adrenals are constantly being engaged due to chronic stress – cortisol and adrenaline are continually flooding our bodies – keeping us in a continued state of preparedness for ‘flight or fight’. When this happens, our bodies hold onto extra calories and our appetite can increase to help us refuel. These calories end up being stored as belly fat. Some women don’t even increase their calories and still end up with belly fat. Click here to take our Adrenal Health Assessment.

Insulin resistance – continued spikes and dips in blood sugar, along with high intake of sugars and carbohydrates, creates a scenario in which your cells no longer respond to insulin. Insulin resistance contributes to increased blood sugar and quick conversion of sugar to fat. The best place to store this fat? Your belly.

Imbalanced sex hormones – many women during their perimenopausal years will experience hormonal shifts as estrogen production slows. Our bodies are pretty amazing and complex – during times of hormone imbalances, our body favors belly fat because its programmed to preserve fertility as long as possible. Belly fat can actually produce estrogen! Its no surprise then that when estrogen production from the ovaries slows, the body compensates. Sex hormone imbalances are also negatively affected when cortisol and insulin are out of balance.

It may seem as though your bodies’ protective measures might just be working against you. I’ve successfully worked with thousands of women to reduce belly fat – here’s the approach I recommend:

  • Exercise for your wellbeingPractice good stress management. This is different for everyone – it could mean asking for extra help, meditation, journaling, planning time every day for self care, asking for help, and even learning to say “no.” For some women, it could also mean connecting with friends every day, being outside for a few minutes everyday, or just breathing – deep breaths – several times a day. For other women, turning away from the constant flow of electronic information for a period of time every day is helpful. For others, talking with a medical or mental health professional might be helpful. Think about what would help keep your stress in check.
  • Address your insulin resistance – its not too soon to start. I find that women who make dietary changes notice great changes in energy, clarity and a change in their belly fat faster. The first step is eat regularly – breakfast, a snack, lunch, a snack and dinner. Keep your carbohydrate count to 16 grams at meals and 7 per snack. One third cup of rice or ½ sweet potato are great choices to accompany your meal. One-half of an apple with nut butter is a good, balanced snack. It is important to remember that carbs are good for you and shouldn’t be eliminated from your diet. The goal here is to lower carbohydrate intake for more stable blood sugar.
Pages: 1 2

Alternative Hypothyroidism Treatment

womentowomen on December 30, 2013

by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP

Alternative practitioners try to resolve the underlying causes of poor health rather than simply treat the symptoms. In our experience, alternative hypothyroidism treatment can often reverse suboptimal thyroid function well before a woman develops permanent thyroid disease. Success in this approach largely depends on how early we intervene and on the extent to which autoimmune antibodies are present.

Poor nutrition is probably the origin of many thyroid problems (including low thyroid), and rich nutrition is vital to reversing them, or at least to prevent further decline. Healthy thyroid function depends on a range of nutrients, especially selenium, folic acid, and iodine. Since most people cannot optimize levels of these nutrients through diet alone, a medical–grade supplement is vital. Of course, supplements should be used to complement, not substitute, for a balanced diet.

Stress in all it’s forms is another key culprit of thyroid dysfunction. Most of us experience a high degree of the most damaging kind — unremitting stress. It is important for hypothyroid treatment to identify the stressors you face and learn techniques and activities that can help you reduce your stress.

We often see hypothyroid symptoms totally reversed when a woman commits to a plan that supports balance through nutrition and daily self-care, including but not limited to the following guidelines:

  • Consume foods naturally high in B vitamins, such as whole grains, nuts, and seeds, and iodine (fish, seaweed, vegetables and root vegetables).
  • Exercise daily, at least 30–60 minutes per day, 4–5 times a week.
  • Practice deep breathing and other techniques that trigger the “relaxation response” – such as meditation and guided visualization.
  • It is recommended that you get adequate sun exposure if you live in a northern climate (15–20 minutes twice a day of unprotected sun in early morning and evening) to maintain vitamin D levels. This helps support healthy immune function and calcium metabolism. Discuss supplementation during the winter months with your practitioner.
  • Zero in on unresolved emotional issues as a source of stress. In naturopathic medicine, the thyroid reflects a woman’s voice in her life. Many women have experienced a “trapped voice,” and by the time perimenopause arrives, the accumulated effect gives rise to symptoms, including poor thyroid function. Over and over we have seen that when women make progress in using their voices, their thyroid symptoms subside.
  • Consider other alternative techniques that have been useful in correcting an underactive thyroid – acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine, naturopathic medicine, homeopathic medicine, biofeedback, and osteopathy.

In our experience, a multi-tiered hypothyroid treatment approach that deals directly with the nutritional, stress-related and emotional factors of hypothyroidism — in combination with alternative therapies — often restores a woman’s thyroid function completely.

[banner id=”thyroid-health-system-banner-1″]

Thyroid Health And Selenium

womentowomen on December 30, 2013

by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP

Selenium is one of nature’s best kept secrets. We need only small amounts of this amazing mineral, but it has huge effects on our health. Selenium protects us against many health problems which are associated with the aging process, such as certain types of cancer and osteoarthritis. More than that though, it’s vital to the normal functioning of our thyroid. Since women are more prone to thyroid problems, selenium is especially important to us.

Selenium is one of those nutrients that when used in the right amounts in your food it can make big changes and that is really exciting. It reminds us how vitally important our diets are to our overall health and well-being. So now let’s take a quick look together at this important nutrient.

How does selenium affect my thyroid health?

If your level of selenium is low, your thyroid will have do its best to work harder to make it’s hormones, and your body will also have a more difficult job changing those hormones into a form your cells can use. This happens because selenium is a chief component of the molecules which are necessary for your body to be able to create and use thyroid hormones, called seleno-proteins.

What do these molecules do?

  • They directly regulate thyroid hormone production
  • They support the conversion of thyroxine (T4) to triiodothyronine (T3).
  • They protect the thyroid tissues whenever it is affected by stress – this happens almost constantly!

Symptoms of low selenium levels

  • Muscle pain or weakness
  • Discoloration of hair or skin
  • Whitening of the beds of your fingernails

In addition to assisting with production thyroid hormones, selenium is also critical in the regulation of thyroid hormonal levels. Several of the enzymes arranged around selenium are key factors in assuring that thyroid hormone levels remain balanced. Some of these enzymes, called seleno-de-iodinases help to keep T3 at an appropriate level in liver, kidney, thyroid and brain cells. Glutathione peroxidase is another enzyme which helps to limit T4 when its levels go on the high side.

Our overall health can suffer if our body is unable to maintain the right levels of essential thyroid hormones, due to a lack of the selenium needed to create these enzymes.

Selenium and iodine: thyroid’s natural partners

The problems which selenium deficiency can cause are made more serious when another key nutrient, iodine, is low as well. Iodine is a nutrient that is much better known for its role in thyroid health. Selenium is crucial in aiding the body to recycle iodine. A selenium deficiency coupled with an iodine deficiency is likely to lead to thyroid imbalance.

An enlarged thyroid is commonly known as a goiter. This is one of the more serious forms of thyroid imbalance. Many people who are diagnosed with a goiter have a deficiency of iodine, but research has shown that some may have a significant selenium deficiency as well. It’s vital to treat both deficits in order to reestablish thyroid stability.

For more information, click here for our informative article, “Iodine And The Thyroid – Worth A Second Glance”.

Sources of selenium

In the United States, most people get selenium from their diet. The top food sources include Brazil nuts, oysters, tuna, whole wheat bread, seeds, pork, and beef, also onions, garlic, vegetables in the broccoli family such as kale (which should always be cooked or steamed), cabbage and cauliflower. Other protein sources include eggs, turkey, chicken, lamb and many kinds of seafood. Women who have digestive problems are more likely to develop selenium deficiency, as are those who don’t consume a varied diet which contains selenium-rich foods and this includes many American women who eat the standard American diet.

Making sure you get adequate selenium

One of the first things to understand about selenium is that it’s very easy to get an adequate amount through your diet. Eating foods like those listed above are the best way to ensure your thyroid health.

The problem though is this – the amount of selenium you get from your diet can tend to be inconsistent, especially if you have digestive problems, and 80% of our patients do. If you can’t eat foods on a regular basis that are high in selenium, or if you have a GI condition which impairs your ability to absorb nutrients, a good alternative is to use a high-quality multivitamin which includes selenium. A single-element supplement isn’t usually recommended because a combination product which is carefully formulated helps to ensure selenium is appropriately coupled with the right levels of other nutrients such as iodine.

A daily dose of around 200 mcg (micrograms) of selenium is just right for most people, but always check with your healthcare provider first, to make sure what amount is right for you. It’s important to have your practitioner monitor your thyroid levels if you have ever been diagnosed with hypothyroidism, Grave’s disease (hyperthyroidism), Hashimoto’s autoimmune thyroiditis or any other form of thyroid disease as they can change with the right nutrient support.

[banner id=”thyroid-health-system-banner-1″]

Balancing Your Omega-3 Fatty Acids – Essential For Health and Long Life

womentowomen on December 30, 2013

by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP

Many women are concerned about fat. If we think about everything that the media relates to us about the subject of fat, much of it is quite confusing and not entirely true. The patients I see are usually convinced that eating too much fat in their diet makes them fat. However, the truth is that an extremely low-fat diet will not regulate your weight and it will certainly not enhance your health. Truth be told, if you don’t get enough fat in your diet, you will actually be less healthy than if you were to consume healthy fats in your diet.

Luckily our society, in general, is becoming more educated and informed about the importance of fats in the diet, most importantly including omega-3 essential fatty acids into our daily diets. Next time you are at your local grocery store take notice how many times you see the phrase “good source of omega-3” on some food packages. This is not an accident because food manufacturers have discovered that marketing their items as such will help increase their sales. But it’s still confusing because so many do not understand the difference between these good fats and saturated fats which are present in many processed foods.

Research has confirmed that omega-3 fatty acids can have an excellent effect on impacting degenerative diseases, such as heart disease, hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and many others. There are anti-inflammatory properties in omega-3 fatty acids and these have shown to have a positive effect for women especially those going through menopause, thus having impact on the preservation of the heart, breast, and bone health, and better yet, it balances their moods.

I know that it sounds too good to be true, but I have seen it in my practice through the years that omega-3 essential fatty acids indeed work wonders. That is why they are considered essential. From your heart to your mind and all the cells in your body, omega-3s are the best kind of fats for your health.

What’s so essential about essential fatty acids?

Many women that come to the clinic have asked “What’s the difference between regular fat and “essential” fat?” The answer is, your body is not able to create essential fatty acids (EFAs), so you have to get them from what you eat. There are two forms of EFAs (omega-3 and omega-6), and they are found in the membranes of every cell in your body!

If we look at the molecular level, EFAs help protect and keep your cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal (GI), and immune systems functioning at their best. EFAs help to insulate your nerve cells and they produce molecular messengers that are part of your central nervous system and your bodies’ immunity.

Listed below are some ways to help you obtain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Please note that there are many foods that have both omega-3 and omega-6, and they are on both lists.

Omega-3 Sources:

  • Canola oil
  • Eggs
  • Flaxseed
  • Hempseed oil
  • Marine microalgae – most algae-based supplements contain docosahexaenoic acid [DHA], but not eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA]
  • Pumpkin seeds
  • Seafood – sources that are both high in omega-3 and low in environmental contaminants include anchovies, herring, mackerel, oysters, sardines, wild salmon and sardines
  • Walnuts

Omega-6 Sources:

  • Borage oil
  • Canola oil
  • Corn oil
  • Eggs
  • Evening primrose oil
  • Safflower oil
  • Soybean oil
  • Sunflower oil

When reviewing the lists above, you may have noticed that olive oil was not on either of these lists. There is a good reason for this and that’s because olive oil has oleic acid (omega-9) and palmitic acid, a saturated fatty acid. Olive oil does not have any omega-3 or omega-6 fatty acids. It is still very good for your healthy lifestyle because of its bioflavonoid content. Olive oil is a large part of the Mediterranean diet, which as we all know, is one of he healthiest diets to consume.

The magic balance between omega-3s and omega-6s

So we can differentiate and to be clear, omega-3 fatty acids are usually referred to as “good fats” while the omega-6 fatty acids are called “bad fats.” This is because we have too much omega-6 and not enough omega-3 incorporated into our daily food intake. In general, omega-6 fatty acids favor inflammation, whereas the omega-3 fatty acids counter it. The inflammation then contributes to the diseases that the omega-3 fatty acids are known to help. However, there is an essential healthy balance, and both omega-3 and omega-6 are necessary for optimal functioning of your body. The right ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 actually decreases inflammation.

Click here to read our many informative articles about inflammation.

What is important for long term health and well-being is to balance the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3. Researchers indicate that the best ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is about 2:1 and 4:1. But a typical U.S. diet has a ratio between 10:1 and 30:1!

This imbalance which is tipped toward omega-6 over the omega-3 fatty acids is generally seen because the U.S. diet is loaded with animal fats (such as corn-fed beef) and corn products, and the diet is low in seafood, seeds, and nuts. In addition, the U.S. diets rely on processed, packaged food, fast foods, and fried foods (high in hydrogenated oils or trans fats). Trans fats are metabolized differently from other fats, and they interfere with the conversion of dietary fats. More and more research is showing the damaging effects of trans fats and I am sure more will come as time goes by.

“Bad” fats cannot be found in nature. These are the artificial trans fats that are created by adding extra hydrogen atoms to produce a soft, yet solid, room temperature product. This in turn helps to prolong the shelf-life of processed foods, such as cookies, crackers, breads, spreads, sauces, fried foods, and snack foods. Trans fats tend to raise the “bad” (LDL)) cholesterol and can greatly increase the risk of heart disease.

I can’t advocate enough to be a smart shopper and read the labels of everything you purchase. If you see “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” as part of the ingredients, put it back on the shelf and don’t buy it. These food items will never be part of a healthy diet. In addition, federal regulations allow the label to say “zero trans fats,” if the content is less than half a gram per serving. Be sure to read the serving size to determine if has been minimized to a small proportion. Recently the serving sizes were changed to accommodate this change in the labeling.

How omega-3s prevent disease

The beauty of omega 3s is that they make such a profound difference in your health and are also quite affordable and easily accessible. They are so good for us because of the anti-inflammatory properties. Omega-3s have long been associated with prevention and treatment of many illnesses, including:

  • Alzheimer’s disease
  • Arthritis
  • Asthma
  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
  • Breast, colon, and prostate cancers
  • Burns
  • Depression/bipolar disorders
  • Diabetes
  • Heart disease
  • High blood pressure
  • High cholesterol
  • Obesity
  • Osteoporosis
  • Schizophrenia
  • Skin disorders
  • Stroke

It is no surprise that omega-3 fatty acids are one of the most researched topics in the scientific community. They are also one of the most celebrated dietary essentials among people who live a health conscious lifestyle and incorporate whole health into their daily life. The question that remains that is quite baffling is why does the intake of omega-3 fatty acids continue to decline?

Women and omega-3s

I strongly urge you to begin to supplement your diet so it includes omega-3 fatty acids. I’ve recommended the use of omega-3 at the clinic for close to 30 years and many women have had great improvement in their health. Taking omega-3 fatty acids can help is some many areas such as decreasing menstrual cramps, menopausal symptoms, and even breast cancer.

Research has actually found a link between increased menstrual pain and low omega-3 blood concentrations. Menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea) happen when your cell membranes release omega-6 fatty acids, which produce pro-inflammatory eicosanoids. As a result, cramps, headache, nausea, or other symptoms may be present.

Research continues at a rapid rate when it comes to omega-3s and their connection to infertility and premature births. In one study there was an increase in fertility rates with supplements of omega-3. Scientists found that omega-3 supplementation reduced clotting in the endometrial cells that line the uterus, and this improved the implantation rates of fertilized eggs. Alternatively, an imbalance of the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio has been connected to polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), which can contribute to infertility.

Research has also shown that if a pregnant woman increases her omega-3 intake, her premature birth risk drops by up to 50 percent. In addition, fetal brain development benefits from omega-3 supplementation, and this continues after the birth. A pregnant woman who adds omega-3s to her diet for her infant’s development and health will also decrease the likelihood of postpartum depression. The benefits just keep getting better.

Furthermore, if you have a history of cancer, there is research being conducted about the effect of various types and quantities of fats on tumor growth. Fatty acids have been found to be protective or harmful, depending on the situation. However, an excess of the pro-inflammatory eicosanoids from omega-6 fatty acids can have a negative effect on your immune system, and this could be the reason for increased growth of certain cancers.

The omega-3 metabolites counterbalance those of omega-6s, and researchers are studying ways to use omega-3s to block tumor growth. Studies in animals have shown that a diet that is high in omega-3 can slow tumor growth. People who follow a Mediterranean diet (rich in omega-3 and other phytonutrients) are 56 percent less likely to develop cancer and are 61 percent less likely to die from it. Wow!

[banner id=”single-product-epa-dha”]

Omega-3 fatty acids and menopause

There is even more to the story as it pertains to menopausal symptoms. Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to help many of the menopausal symptoms that some women experience. Low blood levels of omega-3s are connected to inflammation, which causes many health issues in menopause, such as osteoporosis, heart disease, vaginal dryness, thinning skin and hair, joint pain, and dry eyes. Omega-3s can soothe the inflammation. Let’s take a look at some specific symptoms that omega-3s can help with:

Hot flashes

Two studies, done in 2005 by Italian scientists, reported a “progressive and highly significant reduction” in hot flashes with the introduction of omega-3s, possibly because of the omega-3 influence on nerve cell membranes or possibly by modulating neurotransmitter function. A diet high in omega-3s is thought to be why Japanese women (whose diets are rich in fish, seaweed, and soy) have fewer adverse symptoms of menopause than American women do.

Osteoporosis

Your bones are always being broken down (resorption) and rebuilt. When resorption exceeds the rebuilding, then the bone mass deteriorates and can cause osteoporosis. There are some omega-6 derivatives that stimulate bone resorption. You can always start to rebuild good bones by having the omega-3 fatty acids counteract the omega-6 fatty acids to prevent and treat osteoporosis. It really is never too late, as I often see with my patients – even in their 70’s.

Mood, affect and memory

Mood, affect, and memory are often times challenging areas, especially as people age. There is research showing the possibility that omega-3s may prevent, and perhaps treat, depression. They may also help people who are struggling with personality and behavioral problems, such as aggression. Scientists have found that people with high omega-3 levels in their blood had more grey matter in the brain sectors that are linked to positive emotions and moods. However, people with mild to moderate depression symptoms showed decreased grey matter in those same areas. There is additional research needed to find out if omega-3s actually cause this phenomenon – however, healthy omega-3 levels can give you a more positive outlook on life and lower your rate of memory loss. Thus far the research is positive when it comes to mood and depression.

Cardiovascular disease

There are women, especially those over 40, whose lipid profiles show a high ratio of triglycerides to “good” (HDL) cholesterol. They are more at risk for cardiovascular disease. Fish oil supplements are high in omega-3 and offer increased protection for your heart and blood vessels by decreasing your triglyceride levels and increasing your HDL. Taking omega-3 supplementation is a good idea if you’re on conventional hormone replacement therapy (HRT), because HRT can increase triglyceride levels to harmful levels.

Lower heart rate equals longer life?

Perhaps living longer is the best result of taking omega-3s. Researcher Jørn Dyerberg, who is known for his groundbreaking work on omega-3s, was first to notice the absence of heart disease among Greenland’s indigenous people. Dyerberg believes that this was directly related to the high dietary omega-3 content of the diet. And the effect of decreasing the number of heartbeats during a lifetime is that the heart beats longer ( that is also why so many recommend meditation to help with cardiovascular issues). These people have a longer lifespan. Initial studies show that DHA is the primary omega-3 fatty acid that lowers heart rate and improves the resilience of heart rate variability. Together these lower the risk of sudden cardiac events that cause death.

Now you know why omega-3 fatty acids are necessary to good health. Let’s take a look to discover what kind of omega-3 is best and how much omega-3 should you take?

How to choose the best omega-3 supplement

The best way to get omega-3 fatty acids in your diet is from fresh sources. However, there are some very good supplements, and you can choose those based on the quality and purity of the product. The best omega-3 fish oils should come from deep-water fish (these fish are generally less polluted) However, oily fish can have high levels of lethal pesticides, dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB), or heavy metals (such as lead and mercury), which need to be removed in the preparation process for omega-3 supplements. There are advanced omega-3 extraction and distillation processes that efficiently remove the toxins and impurities and also maintain stability and freshness. If you want to know about the purity, contact the manufacturer and request a certificate of analysis. This will display the results of tests for levels of lead, mercury, and cadmium in each batch.

The American Heart Association daily recommendation is 1–3 grams of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). For some medical diseases, higher doses (up to 4 grams per day) of omega-3 products can be used safely. There are recent studies indicating that higher-dose omega-3 fatty acids can be very helpful to lower high triglycerides. I suggest that you discuss this with your healthcare provider if you plan to use more than 3 grams of omega-3 daily.

At Women to Women, we know your healthy lifestyle is always based on balance, not overabundance. It is best to purchase omega-3 supplements with the following criteria:

  • Look for natural forms that have been purified by molecular extraction, to guarantee that the product does not contain mercury or other pollutants.
  • Look for additional antioxidants.
  • Look for the suggested dose on the label to be sure that it doesn’t suggest more than 3 grams of EPA and DHA per day (see above).
  • Look for both EPA and DHA. They can be interconverted, so the ratio of EPA to DHA is not as significant as quality and amount are, but both should be present. A good ratio is 3:2.
  • Look for the expiration date. Be aware and do not take if they have a bad smell or bad taste, as this could mean that the product was poorly purified, has expired, or has already oxidized. However, a fishy smell does not necessarily mean that the fish oil is bad, it could just be that it did not go through a process to remove that odor.
  • Make sure the product says mercury and lead free. Some manufacturers are not as stringent as need be and do not add this to the labels. You do not want to get Omega-3s at the expense of consuming more toxins.

Women to Women offers high-quality, pharmaceutical grade Omega-3s to enhance your health.  Click here to learn more.

Another way that you can optimize your omega-3 intake is to follow a Mediterranean diet. By eating richly colored fruits and vegetables, virgin olive oil, and fresh fish, you can help your body obtain a healthier balance.

The Women to Women approach for increasing omega-3s

Increasing your omega-3 fatty acid intake will promote better health. From premenstrual syndrome, menopause, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, and osteoporosis, taking omega-3 can help all women reduce inflammation. It will also help you regain the balance that you lost with a diet heavy in omega-6 fatty acids.

Now that you are aware of this essential part of your healthy lifestyle, here are some suggestions to help you reestablish the balance between omega-6s and omega-3s:

Test your omega-6/omega-3 ratio.  If you have inflammation or health risks discussed previously in this article, please ask your practitioner for a fatty acid profile test. Testing will provide an objective number for your starting point.

Transition to Mediterranean eating.  It’s easy to look for simple recipes that are made from fresh whole foods that can be prepared ahead of time. You can quickly have a wholesome meal for you and your family with a chance to relax and fully savor it. When you are shopping, get a variety of brightly colored fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts for quick and easy snacks. Keep your nuts and oils refrigerated. Do not buy junk food or overly processed food.

Supplement your diet daily with high-quality omega-3. If you eat at least two seafood servings a week and you don’t have any health concerns, then 600–650 mg of EPA and DHA per day is probably sufficient. However, if you have issues with your health, you can benefit from a daily dose of 1,000–3,000 mg omega-3. If you choose to take up to 4,000 mg per day, please do so with your healthcare provider’s approval. If you want to use fish oil as a supplement, only choose natural, stable preparations of the highest quality and purity.

Include a high-quality, multivitamin-mineral, complex supplement. Pyroxidine, biotin, calcium, copper, magnesium, and zinc are nutrients that assist with the conversion of omega-3 to EPA and DHA. It’s difficult to plan and prepare meals to get the recommended doses of these nutrients. You can be sure that you are getting adequate amounts by taking a high-quality nutritional supplement.

Women to Women offers high-quality, pharmaceutical grade supplements to enhance your health.  Click here to learn more.

A lesson from the past—balance

In the past, our diet provided omega-3 fatty acids in larger amounts because it was primarily from the earth and the sea. For millennia humankind ate what it could hunt, catch, dig, or pick and didn’t really worry about good or bad nutrition. People only wanted to be full and nourished—their challenge was to find enough to eat. In modern times, we have an overabundance of food choices, and we still have to search and hunt for the finest omega-3 foods and supplements.

There is a lot of research being released about omega-3s. However, please always keep in mind that it’s all about balance. This balance affects things on a cellular level with your omega-3 and omega-6 ratio and the balance of your whole life. There is no supplement or pill that will do away with all your challenges. But if you incorporate good nutrition and a positive outlook toward life, this will let you continue your journey to a long and healthy life.

Harnessing The Power Of Anger

womentowomen on December 30, 2013

by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP

You probably know someone who always seems to be angry. It might even be you? How you cope with your feelings of anger is an important factor that can predict your long-term health. Suppressed anger is associated with higher death rates, higher risk for some cancers, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

Anger in women is frowned on, even though it is a natural emotion, because there are few women who are taught to express their anger in a positive manner. As young girls, we were told that anger should be avoided. As adult women, we struggle to untangle our anger from other emotions, such as anxiety and depression. The newer generation of younger women might be a little better off, having been reared with more liberal teachings, and yet most of us find ourselves feeling unsettled with our anger, which often simmers and then explodes at random times.

Anger is powerful. With the best use of anger, we can clarify our objectives and anger can guide us to safety. However, in the worst use, it takes a toll on our health, happiness, and affects our loved ones in negative ways. We need to learn to utilize anger for its benefits and understand its biological and emotional roots.

Fight or flight

When we sense danger, there is an intuitive response of “fight or flight.” If we are afraid, then we want to take flight or flee the potential confrontation that is in front of us. If we are angry, then we want to get ready to defend or fight. These emotions are primal in nature and help guarantee our survival. There are two almond-shaped structures (amygdala) in our brains that are responsible to recognize danger and sound the alarm to your system. When danger is near, your central nervous system releases its physiological floodgates. This can often happen before the thinking part of your brain (prefrontal cortex) is even aware of the danger.

When you become angry, there are neurotransmitters (catecholamines) in your brain that release and cause a bolt of energy for about five to ten minutes. Your heart beats faster; your blood pressure rises, and your arms and legs get extra blood flow. You get a rush of adrenaline, norepinephrine, and cortisol and enter an altered state of consciousness, ready to “fight.” You might even stop thinking (rationalizing). That is why you might not recall what you said or did when you were extremely angry.

This anger system is the same for everyone. What is different is your specific ability to control the instinct. Controlling your anger depends on a variety of factors, which include physiological, biographical, emotional, learned, and gender-related behavior.

Women and anger

As mentioned in the first part of this article, it’s not nice for women to be seen as angry. However, society seems to accept that men tend to be more aggressive to be protective. Many people can ignore a man who explodes with anger, but women who voice their anger are frowned on.

Biologically, the “male” hormone testosterone (high and low levels) has been linked to aggression and irritability in men. Women who also have a testosterone imbalance might have the same symptoms, but they express it differently. It’s not clear if angry people have more testosterone by generating it while they are angry or if their testosterone levels cause an anger response.

As you are probably aware, men are more likely to react to another person or object in anger (external), whereas women will express anger toward others indirectly or at themselves (internal). Younger women have learned to better express their anger, but it’s often anger that is misdirected toward a “safe” target (such as a spouse or child) instead of the primary source. There is still work to do in helping everyone, no matter what age, learn to appropriately deal with angry feelings. In my experience, guilty feelings in women are often traced to misdirected anger. Studies on gender and anger indicate that women usually feel shame, guilt, and resentment after an angry outburst.

Here’s a thought for you to consider. The health risks that apply to men (heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and social isolation) also affect women when they are more hostile, competitive, impatient, and aggressive. What will your anger cost you in your personal life, your family life, and your career?

Alternatively, stifling angry feelings is not appropriate and doesn’t make those feelings go away. In fact, the same response occurs, with exactly the same risks, whether or not you actively get angry with someone. If you try to hide your anger, then it will probably come out in another form, such as anxiety, depression, irritability, resentment, chronic pain, and addictive or self-destructive behavior.

How can you know when anger is healthy and positive? The answer is in understanding what activates your anger. If you can identify what it is that makes you angry and what you can do to control your anger appropriately, then it can be expressed at the right time and place, in an appropriate way. Your anger will be constructive and will not be wasted on shame, guilt, and resentment.

Some of the common roots of anger in women

Anger is a primitive emotion that may have even been influenced by our experience in utero, and the triggers are a learned behavior. If you were brought up by an angry parent or if you were exposed to an explosive (for example, alcoholic) household, there is a good possibility that your brain has learned what “angry” mode is. Newer Research is bearing this out.

If one or both of your parents was passive-aggressive, controlling, or suppressed anger, then that is part of your internal emotional experience as well. If you experienced or witnessed physical or emotional abuse, this can create suppressed anger that may surface years later. A child models the behavior of his or her parents and usually passes the behavior on, unless there is a conscious decision to change that vicious cycle.

You’ve probably also heard of the “good girl syndrome.” You might have been the peacekeeper between your parents—one who was explosive and one who was submissive, and you tried to be the good girl to make things better between them. Even today, women hear comments such as “Let’s not be too bitchy” or “Is it PMS?”

There are other triggers too. One overlooked cause is your diet and what you put into your body. Have you ever heard of the term “hangry”?  This is when your body lacks proper nutrition throughout the day and your mood shifts to anger Hungry-Anger. To help deter this from happening, I suggest that you eat three balanced meals and two snacks daily to help keep your moods stable. If you’ve skipped a meal and then overreacted to someone or something, then you know that hunger affects your anger response. While you are usually more irritated than angry, this can be the start of your anger cascade process. If you can eat regular, healthy meals throughout the day, this will help prevent emotional reactions that are really a response to your need for nourishment.

Keep in mind that it’s not only when you eat, but it’s also what you eat that matters. Studies show that a standard, high-fat, high-sugar U.S. diet makes everyone irritable! According to research, families who chose to eat a diet that was low in damaged saturated fats (the kinds of fats found in fast foods and over-processed, packaged foods) had less depression, less hostility, and lower cholesterol levels.

Balanced meals should include lean proteins, healthy fats, and lots of fresh, non-starchy vegetables. A balanced meal is more likely to have a low glycemic load, and this lets your body and your temper remain on a level mode (not too high and not too low). You can maintain steady levels of insulin and serotonin by eating foods that are low on the glycemic index. These foods support a calmer mood. Even adults are more likely to have temper tantrums if they continually overdose on high-glycemic foods (such as simple sugars), especially if they are under a lot of stress. Also remember the more color on your plate the more likely that you have a plate filled with antioxidants and fabulous nutrients.

And here’s another thought – excessive, unhealthy fats, refined sugars, and toxins put added stress on your liver. In order to digest these foods properly, your liver has to create more bile. The word “bilious” means peevish and irritable! So your overworked liver will directly affect your mood. In traditional Chinese medicine, the liver creates a relaxed and harmonious internal environment through the smooth disbursement of bodily fluids. The concept of “flying off the handle” is attributed to disharmony in the liver, and a sudden emotional shift can affect liver function.

If you have a low serotonin level, this could be another cause of anger traced to poor nutrition. At Women to Women, we see depression as anger that is turned inward. If you take antidepressants for depression symptoms, this might boost your serotonin levels and your mood temporarily, but it won’t be a long-term solution if your anger is undiagnosed. If you have symptoms of depression, it will benefit you to examine your relationship to anger, how well you are able express anger (if at all), and how things might change if you can explore your feelings.

Depression and anger are influenced by an imbalance of hormones. This is a primary reason why women who are perimenopausal or menopausal, might have emotions of both depression and anger during this time of change.

Are hormones and anger connected?

Mood swings and irritability are two symptoms of fluctuations in hormone levels and occur during pregnancy, PMS, perimenopause and/or menopause. In your body, the emotion of anger creates pro-inflammatory molecules. Estrogen has some anti-inflammatory qualities, and progesterone has a calming effect. This explains why women might find themselves angrier when their progesterone-to-estrogen ratios become erratic during perimenopause. Some women experience cortisol dominance or testosterone imbalance and this contributes to anxiety and hostility.

When I talk with my patients, they express surprise at their first experience with anger during perimenopause and menopause. Changing hormones are a challenge to the flexible endocrine system. It’s similar to the few days before our menstrual periods started (when our hormones let our “true” feelings come out) and menopause is also a time when the true feelings of anger come out.

I suggest that you see your anger as a source of power. It is the emotion that helps you “fight” for what is yours. This is a great time to stand up for yourself and what you believe in. Let’s review ways to channel that anger that serves you and your best purpose.

Anger: The Women to Women approach

I don’t know anyone who wants to associate with an angry, irritable person. People who are always angry are just usually tuned out. If you want to express your anger in a positive way, then you need to teach your brain to think before you act, especially if you are someone that becomes impulsive or is extremely angry. Or you might want to be able to tell someone close to you when you are becoming angry and use that energy to shift and find ways to channel that energy for positive results.

One suggestion is that you need to be sure that there is no physical reason that may be contributing or causing your anger. Then you are then better able to explore ways to release your anger and move forward. It is very rare, but pressure from a brain tumor can provoke aggressive behavior. If you’ve tried taking action and it doesn’t help, please check with your doctor. Here are some considerations for you to optimize your healthy lifestyle.

Support your hormonal balance and serotonin levels with optimal nutrition. Take a daily pharmaceutical grade multivitamin/mineral complex that is rich in calcium, magnesium, and a quality omega-3 fatty acid supplement. Try not to eat damaged fats, processed foods, and simple sugars. Be sure to eat healthy fats, such as extra-virgin olive oil and foods that are rich in omega-3’s. If you think that your anger is related to PMS or perimenopause, then progesterone might restore a healthy ratio among estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.

Support your liver function. It’s great to eat a healthy diet, but you might consider supporting your liver function by trying a detoxification program. If you’re angry, don’t drink alcohol, as it will make you feel more irritable, angry, and depressed. Try liver-cleansing supplements or herbs, such as milk thistle and dandelion. These can help heal and maintain the health of your liver.

Support your nervous system. Cut back or discontinue caffeine and nicotine. These are very hard on your nervous system. Be sure to take supplements that include adequate amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, particularly DHA and EPA. These help insulate and protect your nerve cells.

Use a diary to track your patterns of anger. It can be helpful to notice if you become irritable at specific times of the month, after eating certain foods, or under special circumstances. If you can learn to know in advance when these triggers set off the stress in your body, you can retrain your reaction, and allow the “thinking” part of your brain to take control. Counting to ten really does work! It will take some practice, but continue to work on your response to your anger and it will make a difference in your life.

Find ways to cope in the moment. In addition to counting to ten, try taking deep breaths, meditation, visualization, or remove yourself from the source of anger. After the feelings of anger are over, take time to clear your head and explore your emotions. Find a better way to release the anger from your body.

Consider releasing anger through physical activity. Another way to feel better emotionally is to have a good workout. This might mean that you turn up the music (if you’re alone) and scream out your anger. Or you can pound a pillow with a plastic bat, use a punching bag, or work in the garden to help clear your head and eliminate any anger you might be feeling. Find a way to express your anger in a physical, safe way to get it out of your body.

Consider releasing anger through creativity. Sometimes a creative activity that appeals to you can help heal your anger. Let your true self show in your creation. It can be preparing a meal, painting, doing a craft project, singing, or dancing. It can truly be anything creative that allows you to express yourself and release your anger in a positive manner.

Give anger a voice. Once you get over the initial feeling of anger and you’re calm, speak your truth and share your feelings. Don’t direct the anger at someone, but discuss why you are hurting and how you feel. If you don’t want to talk about it, write it in a letter or journal. Some people find burning what they have written can help decrease their anger. By writing it down, you can revisit the anger patterns and see triggers and reactions. You’ll then be able to act in a rational and powerful way that won’t leave you feeling guilty. You can decide to channel your emotions to create change and make things better in your home, your community, and the world.

Don’t be scared to ask for support. As you are aware, anger is a complex emotion, and it might have been building inside you for many years. If you need help to explore your feelings or identify your anger patterns, consider emotional freedom techniques, like the Quadrinity Process, or talk to a therapist. The key is to know your real feelings and where they come from, and then you can develop coping tools.

Put anger in its place

Angry women can be the source for change for the better. It’s the feeling of anger and the response to that feeling that helps to fight injustice and intolerance. However, if the anger is misplaced or continues, then there is no power to effect change and it can damage your health greatly. So consider exploring for yourself how to begin to take simple steps to put your anger in a place that helps you as opposed to gets in your way, which it can do when you are not able to understand where it is coming from. Take some of the suggestions to heart and know when you do that your life can take a turn for the better.

A Natural Treatment For Fibromyalgia – The SHINE Approach

womentowomen on December 30, 2013

by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP            

I’m sure that many of you have heard about fibromyalgia. You may have symptoms of this syndrome or know someone who does. There has been a lot of misunderstanding about the causes and treatments and this has made it difficult to help women who are challenged by this disease. The cause of fibromyalgia is influenced by a number of factors. I want to encourage you to begin focusing on one or two of these to find that light within you that will begin to shine again. With renewed inspiration, I believe that you will have more energy to work on a achieving a healthy lifestyle and enjoy each and everyday.

At Women to Women, I see women who are very discouraged about the fibromyalgia advice they’ve gotten in the past. They have symptoms that are very hard to deal with on a daily basis such as sleeplessness, fatigue, and ongoing pain that is nearly unbearable. Baffled by the confusion surrounding fibromyalgia and ignored by the medical profession for years, some people still wonder if they were getting a “real” diagnosis. However, be assured that fibromyalgia is real. There are many women who deserve understanding and appropriate treatment for their life-altering symptoms. Specialists and functional practitioners are actively seeking answers to what causes fibromyalgia (and similar pain syndromes) and to find better ways to alleviate the symptoms.

What Is fibromyalgia?

Nobody is certain as to what causes fibromyalgia. It might be an energy deficit in the cells of the body, or mixed signaling among the muscles and the brain. It is known, however, that people with this condition have chronic pain in all parts of the body, and it involves a physical response to stress. The brains of patients with fibromyalgia have greater activation (shown on functional neural imaging) than patients who do not have fibromyalgia, when given the same stimulus. There is a clear physiologic difference in how fibromyalgia patients process symptoms of pain in their brains.

Diagnosing fibromyalgia

If you are experiencing pain and believe it could be fibromyalgia, then don’t delay and schedule an appointment with your doctor today. Fibromyalgia is strange and pain can vary, so a tender point may feel different on another day. A diagnosis of fibromyalgia is made when there are 11 of the 18 tender spots that cause extreme pain when pressed and this pain has generally been there for at least three months.

Furthermore, research indicates that exposure to physical, emotional, or environmental stressors can enhance symptoms, and one day might be worse because of extra burden placed on the body from undue stress. There are providers who don’t know how to properly locate tender points and tell the difference from trigger points related to other kinds of musculoskeletal pain. Seeing a practitioner that understands about fibromyalgia is essential when seeking help.

It is important to understand that fibromyalgia symptoms are similar to other disorders, for example, chronic fatigue syndrome, myofascial pain syndrome (from repetitive motions), various chemical sensitivities, temporomandibular joint dysfunction (a jaw disorder), interstitial cystitis (bladder infection), to name a few. This makes it harder to diagnose. And because of the number of symptoms and possible disorders, it’s difficult to follow up with appropriate treatment. I think it’s more helpful to alleviate symptoms for the patient, and not continue to search for an elusive diagnosis.

Treating fibromyalgia

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have approved several prescription drugs (Lyrica, Cymbalta, and Savella) for patients who are diagnosed with fibromyalgia. It’s a positive step in the right direction that the medical community is recognizing this disorder. However, I think that women who have symptoms of fibromyalgia need more than medication for their pain, especially because the first FDA reviewers of Lyrica (initially looked at to treat diabetic nerve pain) thought that its effects were not very impressive. In addition, Lyrica’s side effects include weight gain, swelling, dizziness, and drowsiness (the very symptoms that a fibromyalgia patient is trying to avoid!).

Having worked with fibromyalgia patients for years, it’s important to know that here is a better way to treat it without the use of drugs. I have helped many recover completely and others that are much better. Many must start by learning ways to nurture their body from the inside out. This condition is at a woman’s core, where there are many antecedent issues to look at. These may include sleep, nutrition, digestive problems, adrenal dysfunction, viruses (such as Lyme disease), other infections, and how you think and feel. It can be a challenging journey as you embark on this to feel well again. But if you are willing to dig deeper and do the work, I can promise you that you can feel well again. So let’s take a closer look at fibromyalgia and some alternatives to help you feel better naturally.

Issues related to chronic pain

There are a variety of underlying conditions that can lead to constant pain, chronic pain. These categories include nutrition, metabolism, infection, and toxic issues. Discuss these concerns with your healthcare provider.

Nutrition

  • Low ferritin
  • Low B12
  • Low folic acid (blood)
  • Low 25-hydroxy vitamin D 
  • Low vitamin C, B1, and B2

Metabolism

  • Hypothyroidism (low thyroid)
  • Adrenal Dysfunction

Infection

  • Lyme Disease or coinfections
  • Hepatitis C
  • Ova and parasites
  • Overgrowth of bacteria in the gut
  • Enteroviruses
  • Other infections not known or not yet understood

Toxic Issues

  • Heavy metals
  • Pesticides
  • Jet fuel

Adapted from Gerwin, 2005.

Causes of persistent myalgias

CAUSES
Mechanical StructuralPostural

Ergonomic
Medical Infectious diseaseInflammatory disorders

Immunological/allergic

Nutritional disorders

Hormonal disorders

Adapted from Gerwin, 2005.

It is difficult to be certain of the actual cause of fibromyalgia. If we take a closer look at your nutrition, infections you have or had in the past, hormonal imbalance, metabolic challenges, and your emotional history we have a good place to start from. The chart above lists various causes that can lead to myalgias and then are linked to fibromyalgia. It’s important for you to understand as much as possible about this disorder, to help you and your practitioner create a good treatment plan.

Stress and hormones  – are they connected?

You are probably already aware that hormones are vital to your healthy lifestyle. The hypothalamus (the master gland) sends biochemical messages to your thyroid gland, your adrenal glands, and your ovaries (among others) through your pituitary gland. This will regulate your metabolic balance, your immune system, your autonomic nervous system, and more. Then your body tissues send back chemical messages to the hypothalamus. The messages and information loops influence the symptoms that are seen in fibromyalgia. Let’s explore the three locations that the hypothalamus communicates with.

Research shows that fibromyalgia patients may have disruptions in hormonal sequences. Because the hypothalamus and pituitary gland are central in governing many hormonal cascades, an imbalance in one area could easily affect the other areas. Scientists trace some of these disruptions to environmental and genetic influences, and also psychological stress.

Adapted from A. Gupta and A. Simon, 2004

Thyroid gland. When your thyroid gland is not balanced, it can actually stem from an adrenal gland imbalance. Research shows a connection between thyroid conditions and fibromyalgia, which seems to happen more often in menopausal women. The symptoms in hypothyroidism (such as low body temperature, poor immune function, fatigue, and achiness) can add to the intense symptoms of fibromyalgia. When you treat your hypothyroidism, your symptoms of fibromyalgia can improve.

Adrenal glands. A major duty of your adrenal glands is to release cortisol. You have a daily cycle of cortisol, and you also release it under stress. Fibromyalgia patients report they have a feeling of “crashing” under stress (probably because of an adrenal imbalance). Research suggests that there might be a link between emotional trauma and disrupted cortisol rhythms in people who have fibromyalgia. When you heal your toxic emotions and support your adrenal health, your stress response will improve, in addition to your symptoms of fibromyalgia.

Ovaries. Women with fibromyalgia usually have more severe symptoms premenstrually and postmenstrually. This is because estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone can affect bodily pain and fatigue. So if you can balance your hormones with thyroid, adrenal, and ovarian support, you can lessen the fibromyalgia symptoms. Remember that your fibromyalgia tends to improve as you age and your symptoms will decrease as you develop coping strategies.

Central sensitization theory and fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia patients seem to feel more intense pain, and though it’s not understood why, there is some research that helps explain why. Scientists think that it begins in the deep tissues of the muscles and joints with a tightening of muscles, which leads to poor sleep. Without proper rest, the muscles can’t recover, and this can lead to continuous signals between your muscles and your central nervous system. Then this alters the way that your central nervous system processes outside conditions. You will feel more pain and be more sensitive. This is known as central sensitization.

An interesting thing about central sensitization is that the causes and effects of fibromyalgia are thought to be bidirectional. This means that structural imbalances can cause your muscles to tighten, while tight muscles can lead to structural imbalances. In addition, poor sleep can lead to your muscles tightening, and tight muscles can lead to poor sleep. You get the idea and can see the vicious cycle, right?

How can you stop this cycle? Two basic steps are to be sure to get good rest and be sure to get good nutrition (for the best functioning of your muscles). There are other ways to decrease your pain naturally. You might even be able to eliminate it.

What is the natural approach to treat fibromyalgia

You might take medications such as Lyrica, Cymbalta, or Savella to help treat your symptoms of fibromyalgia. While these drugs might help for a while, they are not a permanent cure. An excellent book that discusses a natural approach is From Fatigued to Fantastic! written by Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum in 2007. In the book he relates the concept of SHIN: Sleep, Hormonal imbalances, Infections, and Nutrition.

I’d like to add an E to Dr. Teitelbaum’s protocol – for Emotions. As you are aware, your emotions play a large part in the symptoms of fibromyalgia. This will now make the word SHINE. So now let’s discuss each one of these natural approaches in more detail.

Sleep. Most fibromyalgia patients say that lack of refreshing sleep is causing them major distress. Sleep is necessary to heal your muscles and your nervous system. If you think that you might have a breathing disorder that interferes with your sleep, please see a sleep specialist. You could also take 5-Hydroxytryptophan, which has shown to improve your serotonin pathways or melatonin which aids in resetting your sleep cycle. Please talk first to your healthcare provider before taking any new supplements. There are other botanical nervines (such as chamomile, passionflower, and valerian) that have also been safely used for years.

Hormonal balance. You can naturally balance your thyroid, adrenal, and ovarian hormones to make a difference in your symptoms of fibromyalgia. At Women to Women, we suggest that you try gentle phytotherapy. This will work with your metabolic pathways. For the best results, you should look for products that contain botanical nervines and/or adaptogens.

Immune health. Fibromyalgia symptoms can be caused by infectious agents (bacteria, enteroviruses, yeasts, or parasites). It’s a good idea to be sure that an infection is not present. Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus and Lyme disease are often associated with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Ask your healthcare provider if you can be tested for these diseases and treated, if you have them. You might also check to see if you have allergies that enhance your symptoms. This could be sensitivity to gluten, eggs, corn, dairy, sugar, preservatives, and food additives. Try an elimination diet to determine if that will help you. It’s always a good idea to boost your immune system and you can do this by taking a probiotic supplement.

Nutrition. Eating whole, fresh foods (fruits, vegetables, and high-quality fats and protein) is the best way to support your body. If you are under stress, I also suggest that you take a pharmaceutical grade multivitamin and mineral complex with fish-oil. Remember that your muscles, nervous system, adrenal glands, immune system, and your body needs proper nutrition for their daily processes!

Some key nutrients that are helpful for fibromyalgia

  • B-complex vitamins for energy, immunity, nerve, and brain function
  • Magnesium for muscle energy
  • Selenium for the best immune function
  • Vitamin C for oxidative stress
  • Fatty acids, such as omega-3 to help promote cell membranes and mood
  • Vitamin D for mood, immunity, and the musculoskeletal system
  • Zinc for cell health
  • Iodine for thyroid health

Emotions. I’ve discovered a lot of important aspects about our bodies, throughout my years of working with patients. One of the most interesting is that for each emotion we feel (both the positive and the negative) there is a biochemical signature that occurs in our bodies. To put this in clearer terms, it means that if we hide our emotions and don’t adequately express them, then eventually the emotional issues display in physical ways. There was a 1990s study done (Adverse Childhood Event Study) that found specific evidence about how negative experiences influence health. Adults can hold onto childhood memories and resort to previous behaviors that worked then. Of course, those behaviors don’t usually work for adults. If a grown person continues to engage in child-like emotions, then he or she cannot resolve core issues. I have found that my fibromyalgia patients tend to be critical and judgmental of themselves. If they can learn to forgive and love themselves, then healing can more easily happen. There are several alternatives to help deal with emotions, such as Emotional Freedom Techniques, the Quadrinity Process, and cognitive behavioral therapy. I’ve worked with women who were willing to look at their emotional issues and develop new coping strategies and that helped improve their fibromyalgia symptoms.

We’ve discussed the SHINE protocol, but there are other natural treatment ideas that can help patients with fibromyalgia. Here are other measures to support your fibromyalgia treatment:

  • Detoxification. There are toxins everywhere, and your body is constantly trying to filter them out. Fibromyalgia patients can help stimulate their natural detoxification systems with saunas, steam baths, mineral baths, and low-intensity exercise to induce sweat. In addition, you can try to be “green” at home, by reducing the toxins that are in your household.
  • Exercise. If you have fibromyalgia, you may have a hard time even considering exercise because of fatigue and muscle pain, and you probably have a fairly sedentary lifestyle. It seems so hard to exercise, but if you can just get started, the positive results start right away. This is not just about fitness – it will decrease pain sensations, improve restful sleep, enhance the thought processes, and create a more positive outlook on life. Especially helpful are aquatic fitness and wellness programs (“deep-water running,” aqua-robics, isokinetics) that demonstrate great benefits for fibromyalgia. Additional research has found that whole-body vibration safely reduces pain and fatigue in fibromyalgia, better than exercise alone. Begin slowly and gently, and make a plan to continue to exercise to help with your symptoms of fibromyalgia.
  • Mind-body work. There are body-awareness practices (qi gong and yoga) that help to improve “movement harmony,” in addition to breathing exercises and mindfulness meditation that help to decrease fibromyalgia symptoms. They work by calming the “noise” in your central nervous system. Other forms that you might want to try – acupuncture, biofeedback, massage, osteopathic manipulation, Feldenkrais, Alexander technique, and chiropractic. These can assist you by correcting structural imbalances and by regulating pain. There is also benefit in guided imagery exercises, such as Belleruth Naparstek’s meditation, to help with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue.

Find hope in your own light

We all shine in a special way. You know when you experience the good days there is lots of positive energy. However, you also know the days when symptoms of fibromyalgia make you tired, discouraged, and achy. If you’ve been told that there is nothing to be done or that your symptoms aren’t real, you can be filled with negative energy. But I encourage you to know and remember you do not need to be in pain for the rest of your life and you don’t have to rely on prescription drugs to make it through the day either.

Just by reading this article and learning more about fibromyalgia is a great start. Now you understand that this is a syndrome caused and influenced by many factors. If you choose to work on one or two of these factors, you will find that you can start to SHINE again. You can renew your energy and continue to look at the aspects of your life that affect your health. Soon you’ll be enjoying a healthier and happier lifestyle.

The Truth About High Fructose Corn Syrup

womentowomen on December 29, 2013

by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP

High fructose corn syrup was originally developed in the 1970’s in Japan. Over the years we have seen an increasing consumption – In 2004, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition cites the increase to be 1000% in just 20 years – between 1970 and 1990. Wow!

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a liquid sweetener extracted from corn and then is chemically altered to yield a different balance of monosaccharides (simple sugars) that is found in the glucose (which is a simple sugar) found in corn syrup.

We know that sports drinks, fruit juices and non-diet soft drinks have been sweetened with high fructose corn syrup – it has virtually replaced white sugar as the choice ingredient with many food and beverage manufacturers. This sweetener is also being used in cereals, crackers, ketchup and tomato sauce – it’s beginning to show up in places where we would least expect it.

From the manufacturer’s point of view, HFCS is less expensive to procure and its sweeter than sugar, so less needs to be used to maintain the same level of sweetness.

In small amounts, HFCS will have little impact on your overall health. But in time, and in increasing quantities, HFCS and other processed fructose sugars can affect you. Weight gain, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, high tryglyceride levels and obesity are all growing health concerns. Researchers have been watching the increasing use of HFCS and the increase in obesity in the United States. The researchers noted that “unlike glucose, fructose does not stimulate insulin secretion or enhance leptin production.” Both insulin and leptin act as key signal agents in the regulation of body weight and food intake. HFCS doesn’t trigger our feelings of satiety – and so we may need to eat more to feel the result – and when doing this we also are increasing our caloric intake.

When talking with my patients about a nutritious, well-balanced eating plan, we talk about eliminating processed foods from the diet and eating whole, unprocessed foods. We also talk about reading labels to stay informed about what you are eating.

The Caffeine Controversy — What’s The Buzz?

womentowomen on December 29, 2013

by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP

If you are like many of my patients at Women to Women, you may be thoroughly confused by the conflicting voices sounding off about caffeine. Does caffeine harm or help your body?  Does coffee cause breast lumps?  Hot flashes?  Ulcers?  Does it help liver disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s?  How much is safe?  What constitutes an addiction to caffeine?  It feels as if we can’t go a month without hearing some new report weighing in on the relative dangers or health benefits of caffeine use.

Simultaneously, drinking a cup of coffee or tea is a huge source of pleasure for many: a personal or social routine that provides a wonderful sense of warmth and connectedness.

It seems like the more we investigate caffeine, the hazier the picture gets. The AMA and the ADA suggest that one to two cups of coffee per day is a safe amount (approximately 100–200 mg of caffeine), but in reality you may be sensitive to less or able to safely tolerate more.

In my opinion, caffeine tolerance varies from woman to woman and depends largely on how caffeine interacts with her individual physiology and how efficiently she detoxifies — but there’s the rub. In order for a woman to hear her body’s real signals, she’s got to remove caffeine long enough to tune in. And because it’s addictive, even this temporary caffeine withdrawal can be a real source of anxiety and discomfort for many women.

So whether you have a one-cup or one-pot-a-day habit, it may be time to look at your caffeine use. Is it time for you to go on a brief caffeine holiday?  Let’s learn more and find out.

The caffeine culture

Caffeine has been used by humans in various forms for thousands of years to promote wakefulness, mental clarity, and social interaction. It is a compound (xanthine alkaloid) found naturally in many plants, primarily coffee beans and leaves, tea leaves, yerba maté, guaraná berries, Yaupon holly, and the kola nut.

Ninety percent of Americans (including children) consume caffeine every day. It is everywhere. Coffee, teas, chocolate, blended smoothies, power and energy drinks — even in enhanced waters! Starbucks has revolutionized caffeine use by ensuring that wherever its customers go in the world, a consistently good cup of coffee and pleasant atmosphere await them. And Dunkin’ Donut’s new campaign tells us that “America runs on Dunkin’” — and its high-sugar, high-fat coffee Coolattas. (A small Coolatta contains 22 grams of fat, 14 of them saturated. A large has 28 grams of saturated fat, 700 calories, and 25 teaspoons of sugar).

If you are having trouble with the idea of giving up your daily caffeine, you have good reason. Caffeine is addictive on many levels, not the least being its role in social, historical, commercial and private ritual. If you’re not sure whether or not you are addicted, take our quiz and find out.

The caffeine addiction quiz

Answer yes or no to the following questions.

Do you use caffeine to facilitate a physical activity (for example: waking up, exercising, having a bowel movement, concentrating)?
Do you have to have caffeine in the morning?  Can you substitute hot water with lemon?
Do you crash or have caffeine/sugar cravings in the afternoon/early evening?
Do you grow irritable, have headaches, feel disembodied if you miss your caffeine fix?
Do you have difficulty falling asleep at night and waking feeling refreshed?
Do you need caffeine to heighten the effects of other substances, e.g., nicotine, alcohol, sugar?
Do you feel your social routines would suffer without caffeine use?
Does the idea of going without caffeine seem impossible to you?

Caffeine tolerance

If you answered yes to two or more of these questions, it may be time to examine your attachment to caffeine. Anytime a woman feels she cannot be herself without using a substance (natural or synthetic), it raises a big red flag for me.

Some women, like my colleague’s 80-year-old grandmother, can drink coffee every day of their adult life with no problem. Another woman may tolerate caffeine well for some years only to find it worsens her chronic anxiety and fatigue as she approaches menopause. And yet another may find any amount of caffeine triggers more severe concerns.

In my opinion, caffeine tolerance relates largely to how well a woman is able to detoxify. Since we detoxify most efficiently in our sleep, the very thing caffeine works against, I believe that for many women, habitual and/or excessive caffeine use ultimately sabotages the bodies’ defenses. In my years of treating women, I’ve seen that even moderate caffeine use causes particular problems for three kinds of patients: women suffering from adrenal burn-out (a rapidly growing group); women who are insulin resistant and aren’t getting their energy from food; and slow detoxifiers, a smaller but significant group.

So the last and most relevant question for you to answer is:  How do I respond to caffeine?

The caffeine cycle — energy boost, then the letdown

One way to begin to understand the part caffeine plays in your health picture is to look at how it affects the inner workings of your body.

Caffeine fools your fatigue factor. The molecular structure of caffeine resembles that of the neurotransmitter adenosine, but has the opposite effect on brain cells. Adenosine helps you feel drowsy by slowing down nerve cell activity within the brain’s arousal centers. This allows the brain’s blood vessels to dilate, in turn allowing more oxygen in during sleep. Adequate adenosine levels are critical for good sleep cycles. And since our brains and bodies detoxify and heal with sleep, adenosine levels have a role in our larger health picture.

Because of its similar structure, caffeine binds to adenosine receptors on nerve cells, like a key in a lock, so that the nerve cells can’t interact with real adenosine. Instead of slowing nerve cells down, caffeine speeds them up and constricts the blood vessels in the brain. This is how caffeine can impact sleep cycles, diminishing healing and detoxification efforts in the body. This also explains why caffeine is often used as a headache treatment, because it shuts down swelling blood vessels in the brain.

Caffeine flips the “fight or flight” switch:. Caffeine increases the rate at which your neurons fire, stimulating your central and sympathetic nervous systems through the HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis. It also triggers an upswing in cortisol and the neurotransmitter dopamine, which activates the pleasure center in the brain. In this way caffeine is similar to – but less potent than – cocaine, amphetamines, and other psychoactive stimulants.

With 100–200 mg of caffeine (less than one short cup of Starbuck’s drip coffee), levels of norepinephrine, epinephrine and adrenaline increase. This is the same “fight or flight” response to a perceived threat that sends the message – think fast, act fast. You experience a surge in mental alertness and increased muscle coordination and endurance. The pupils dilate, the heart beats faster, blood vessels and breathing tubes dilate, muscles constrict, and the liver releases sugar and free fatty acids into the blood for energy. You are literally poised and ready to outrace and outwit the danger — but most of the time you’re sitting at your desk or in your car.

Crash and burn. When the rush is over and adrenaline levels drop, fatigue, irritability, inability to concentrate, headache and weariness take over, setting the stage for a big caffeine — and sugar — craving. Caffeine is a habit-forming drug, and over time it takes more and more caffeine to produce the desired effect. It also enhances the effects of other stimulants, such as nicotine. Habitual users will experience real caffeine withdrawal symptoms within hours of reducing intake, usually headache and a drop in blood pressure, nausea, fatigue, irritability, anxiety, and depression.

Caffeine clearance in the liver

The half-life for caffeine in the body is anywhere from 3.5 to 6 hours, depending on the individual. Many of you can blame that afternoon slump on your morning coffee!

Caffeine has three metabolites: paraxanthine, which increases lipolysis from the liver (free fatty acids into the blood); theobromine, which dilates blood vessels and increases urine output; and theophylline, which relaxes smooth muscles of the bronchi. These metabolites are broken down further and excreted in the urine.

Coffee and tea do contain antioxidants that help detoxify the liver and fight disease. The journal Gastroenterology reported in 2005 that more than two cups of coffee a day may actually cut the risk of serious liver damage in half for people who are obese, diabetic, alcoholic, or have too much iron in their blood — that is, those who are at higher risk for liver diseases. Whether we like to admit it or not, the reality is that coffee and tea are the major source of antioxidants for some people.

A subset of people who are slow detoxifiers may have a genetic variant of the caffeine-metabolizing enzyme CYP1A2. These people metabolize caffeine at a slower rate so it lingers longer, increasing the potential for negative effects. According to a recent study, carriers of the gene variant who drank two to three cups of coffee a day had a 36% higher risk of heart attack than those with the faster gene. When intake increased to four cups daily, the risk shot up to 64% greater — and even to four-fold for people under 50!

Which underscores my point that caffeine in and of itself may not be a problem if you are an efficient detoxifier. If, however, you have this genetic variant or your detoxification system is overloaded in other ways, caffeine use may tip your health over the edge. It’s also possible that the myriad other chemicals in coffee and tea (like pesticide residues) are what tips the balance.

Standard genetic testing would be extremely useful here — but until then, self-knowledge would be your best bet.

Caffeine and insulin sensitivity

Just recently, large-scale studies in Japan and Canada reported that in some people, caffeine use may help ward off type 2 diabetes by decreasing insulin sensitivity. Yet for those who already have type 2 diabetes, caffeine may worsen the condition. Caffeine’s effect on insulin sensitivity also varies significantly between men and women; what condition the body is in, and whether taken when fasting or with meals. So while it remains unclear just how this is all connected, the data are clearly pointing to caffeine as a highly active metabolic agent, and it is probable that other substances in coffee and tea are playing a role as well.

I think it is best to weigh the pros and cons in the context of your own health history.

Special considerations for women and caffeine

My biggest concerns for most women with chronic caffeine use are increased anxiety, insomnia, inflammation, and adrenal burn-out. Symptoms of fatigue, PMS, sleeplessness, and breast tenderness are exacerbated by caffeine use. Caffeine distances you from your natural energy cycles, tricking your body into a constant state of alert. This ultimately makes you more tired. If you use caffeine to cope with stress, you can’t ignore the fact that your solution may be part of the problem.

Chronic caffeine use makes a huge demand on your adrenals. Most of my patients who abuse caffeine do it because they are stressed-out and tired all the time. Often they combine caffeine with sugar or simple carbs, a potent duo that triggers all the alarms in the body and sets the adrenals on an energy rollercoaster. And this equation may worsen with time.

If you are trying to conceive, even one cup of coffee a day can decrease your success rate. In addition, caffeine crosses the placenta, so if you are pregnant and drink coffee, you are sharing the risks with your baby. Even moderate use doubles the risk of delivering underweight babies and miscarriage.

Nursing mothers who drink coffee may inadvertently cause withdrawal symptoms in their infants, because caffeine is carried through breast milk. If your baby is colicky, try going without caffeine for a few weeks and see if there’s a difference! There is also some suggestion that caffeine causes breast tenderness and may increase the incidence of fibrocystic breast lumps in women of all ages. Clearly, if you are pregnant, nursing, or want to be, or if you have a history of lumpy or tender breasts, it’s best to avoid or severely limit caffeine.

Many of my patients who never had a problem previously with caffeine find it affects them differently as their hormones begin to shift. This is likely caused by a combination of estrogen loss and the decrease in rates of metabolism and detoxification that occur naturally with age.

During menopause, caffeine can heighten symptoms like anxiety, hot flashes, bone loss (by leaching calcium), heart palpitations, insomnia and mood swings. And because it is addictive, it can be very hard to stop caffeine use at this time when so many women already feel physically off-balance.

The bottom line is there is no way to know what power caffeine holds over you until you try eliminating it for a little while.

Breaking the caffeine cycle: the Women to Women approach

Keep in mind that no one is suggesting you live the rest of your life without caffeine — only that you move toward a healthier relationship with it.

But be prepared — caffeine is not an easy drug to quit for some women. I see patients in my office willing to make every other single lifestyle change I suggest, yet who break down in tears when I suggest giving up caffeine to take an adrenal test. So don’t stop cold-turkey unless you want to. There are many half-measures that can ease the way, like substituting beverages with less caffeine.

Note that the caffeine content of coffee and tea can vary widely from cup to cup. A general rule of thumb for coffee is that the darker the roast, the lower the caffeine content. Espresso actually has less caffeine than drip coffee. Arabica beans are lower in caffeine than Robusta. Green and black teas are lower in caffeine than coffee, but again, you want to take a cumulative look at your daily consumption.

And while you slowly cut down on your caffeine consumption, you can build a better support system by adopting the following measures.

  • Recognize that caffeine is not food or a fluid replenisher. Although coffee and tea contain antioxidants, they are in no way a good substitute for real, whole food. Drinking coffee on an empty stomach increases stomach acid, which can cause peptic ulcers, heartburn, and worsen GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). Complementing your coffee with a big sugary snack, or adding a lot of sugar to sweeten it, upsets insulin and cortisol levels, particularly if there is no protein or healthy fat to take the edge off. Drink a glass of water upon arising and then eat a high-protein breakfast. If you still want your cup of coffee or tea, drink it after you have eaten. If your hunger is actually thirst, drink a glass of water or herbal, decaffeinated tea before you turn to coffee or caffeinated teas.
  • Go to bed earlier. There has been research linking higher caffeine consumption with people who are “night owls” relative to “larks” (early-risers). So, weaning from caffeine may be easier if you set an earlier bedtime and strictly adhere to it. Allow yourself a full eight hours of sleep. Not only is this important for detoxifying, it may transform your energy levels in the morning, lessening your need for that first — or second or third — cup of caffeine.
  • Increase your optinal nutrition levels with a multivitamin, complete with essential fatty acids, calcium and magnesium. If you drink caffeine, you are depleting your body of necessary nutrients (it’s a lot of work to stay in crisis mode). Caffeine increases the uptake of calcium from bones, so supplemental calcium is important.  And your fatigue may be due in large part to inadequate nutrients.
  • Drink more water to help detoxify. Caffeine is a diuretic, meaning it dehydrates. If you increase your uptake of water, you may find that you have less craving for soda, coffee or tea. Water also helps flush toxins through the system, including caffeine. What’s more, caffeine is very acidifying. Detoxification is more efficient in an alkaline environment. Although water is neutral, it helps dilute acidifying agents.
  • Choose organic coffee and tea to cut the amount of pesticides you ingest with each cup. Ask for an ingredients list with your favorite brand name caffeine-enhanced drink. Pay attention to all the extra chemicals, sweeteners and flavorings (not to mention calories). Caffeine may only be the tip of the toxic iceberg.
  • Consider buying Organic Fair Trade coffee to promote the ethical treatment of coffee farmers around the world (most of whom live in poverty-stricken regions). Coffee farmers are not the ones getting wealthy off our consumption – the Fair Trade coffee wholesale minimum price for a pound of picked coffee beans is only US $1.41 – less than one cup of drip coffee at any gourmet coffee shop. Your health is connected with the health and prosperity of the planet.
  • Examine your caffeine addiction. If you really need caffeine to feel like yourself, or the idea of going without it throws you into a state of anxiety, ask yourself what’s going on. Is there something else that can fill that need?  If it’s just the morning ritual you love, try a decaf variety, or herbal tea, or a glass of hot water with lemon juice and a pinch of cayenne pepper. If you are using caffeine as an antidote or enhancement to other substances (like alcohol and nicotine), you may be dealing with several addictions at once. Acupuncture and talk therapy are two great ways to free oneself from addiction. The goal is to have the power to choose what you ingest, not to have it control you.

Once you have a good foundation, it’s time to try and wean yourself off the stuff. Switch to half caf/half decaf. Make sure your coffee is decaffeinated without chemicals (e.g., Swiss water–processed). Start by substituting one soda or cup of coffee/tea with a decaffeinated variety. If you drink caffeine throughout the day, alternate with water. Each day, remove more caffeine, slowly weaning yourself to lessen any withdrawal symptoms. After two weeks, you should be drinking decaffeinated beverages entirely. Then keep going — decaf can have up to a third the caffeine of the “high-test.”

Natural energy is limitless

Forty years ago, the idea of a store being open from 7 a.m.–11 p.m. was a novelty. Now 24/7 is the norm, with productivity fueled by Starbuck’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Red Bull. Caffeine use is probably not the worst habit for most women — as long as you’re not a pathological detoxifier, experiencing side effects, or drinking a gazillion cups a day — but in the end, this kind of artificial energy takes more than it gives.

Additionally, many new scientific studies suggest some surprising health benefits to caffeine, especially with regard to Parkinson’s, CVD, and Alzheimer’s. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s good for you – you need to find that out for yourself.

It’s my hope that by kicking the caffeine habit, you’ll be able to hear your body’s raw unfiltered signals and — ultimately — tap into vast new resources of power: renewable energy that comes from a healthy metabolism supported by good nutrition — not the drip coffee machine. From there, the choice to use caffeine is up to a healthier, more empowered you.