We know that you strive for health and wellness in your life. You want to be healthy, you want to be strong. You want to have amazing relationships. You are part of Women to Women because you actively seek information and resources to make your life better.

You have been with us for a long time, helping us grow as you let us know what you need. You have told us your stories, shared your struggles and we have been listening. We are excited to announce an incredible new forum where you can find all the information and resources you need to make your relationships remarkable. Our site, 50layersofrelationships.com will offer everything women are looking for in an exciting, interesting and stimulating format designed with you in mind.

Plenty of websites claim that they can help you have better relationships, but on closer examination we find that none of these sites are comprehensive enough to cover all the questions you may have. Many focus on how to seduce a partner or how to spice things up the bedroom, while missing the bigger picture. Good sex is one essential element in a satisfying relationship, but despite popular sentiment sometimes, it’s not the only thing you need. What about connection, true intimacy, and understanding your partner? So many people struggling in their relationships need more than just sexual advice.

Often, sites focus on just one point of view – but there are two people in every relationship, and two perspectives to consider. What if there was a website that considered both viewpoints, and offered resources for each of you, eliminating the need to jump from website to website, typing in search after search to find the answers to your questions. Our site will offer the unique opportunity for you and your partner to each find the information you are seeking. We are going live on Valentine’s Day, a day set aside in popular culture for romance and relationship building. With the movie 50 Shades of Grey arriving in theatres, relationships are on everyone’s mind. What are women looking for? What do men want? How can we all explore our sexuality to create thrilling, emotional connections? The timing couldn’t be better to begin exploring all facets of our relationships together.

We are striving to become the number one resource for relationship support and information, a one-stop shopping center filled with articles, quizzes, advice and products that will allow your relationship to soar to new heights.

Your relationship might be okay – but don’t you deserve better than just okay? Wouldn’t you rather have amazing, exciting, exhilarating and stimulating connections with your partner? Relationships shift and change over time. The secret is to shift and change with them, to keep the excitement alive. You can’t always do that on your own.

Maybe you need information. Maybe you need a supplement to help your libido come back to life. Maybe you just need a safe place to explore issues you weren’t even aware existed. Whatever it is you are lacking, our goal is to have easy to find answers all in one place. We can help you take your relationships beyond “good enough” to the next level.

The site is a work in progress, and we need your help in building it to suit your needs. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter to keep you in the loop, letting you know when new content is added and developed.

Our goal is to share with you the best ways to communicate your wants, your needs, and your desires. We will explore tough issues and answer difficult questions, based on your input. Visit us at 50layersofrelationships.com.

We can help you explore your relationships to discover exactly what is missing, and what you can do to get what you want. Join us on this exciting journey by signing up for our newsletter, and offering input on the site as it grows.

With your help, 50shadesofrelationships.com can be the resource you, my valued clients, have been craving. Together, we can build a remarkable resource that can lead us to the incredible relationships we all deserve.

by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN, NP

There are some natural headache remedies or “rescue treatments” available and if you are in pain and need immediate relief, it’s good to know you have options. But as I always tell my patients – headaches, like all symptoms, are a call to pay attention to something else that is going on in your body and/or your life.

Whether your headaches are a regular event or an occasional experience, there is much to be learned about what’s going on to cause them. At Women to Women, we think that knowledge is power and understanding the circumstances around a symptom like headaches can yield a goldmine of information about what your body responds to – and what situations will throw you off balance.

The good news is that most chronic headaches, including tension, cluster and migraines, can benefit from nutrition and lifestyle changes. The first step in developing a natural headache prevention strategy is to begin a headache diary. Unlike other diaries that require recording every little thing you do, keeping a headache diary is relatively simple – whenever you have a headache. you record the details that will help you and your practitioner better diagnose your type of headache and its possible triggers.

In your diary, you’ll record the date and time of the headache; how long it lasts; what it felt like; how intense it was (a scale of 1-10 works well); any other symptoms you are aware of before, during or after; any medications including Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) or birth control pills you’ve taken; any triggers you might be aware of, such as a change in sleeping habits, stress; what you ate over the past 24-48 hours (especially anything you don’t usually eat); sounds, smells, or physical activity; what you were doing (computer time, watching TV, etc.); and finally, what kind of relief you experienced. No stress – just remember what you can and continue to do so with each recurring headache.

It would also be very helpful to note where you are in your menstrual cycle. Over time (and we’ve found if you have regular headaches, it can sometimes take as little as two or three weeks), you and your practitioner may begin to see patterns. It’s amazing some of the stories my patients have told me about their discoveries after keeping their headache diaries. Food sensitivities, environmental concerns, especially smells from certain chemicals, night teeth grinding (which can cause TMJ headaches), stress from deadlines at work, a mother-in-law visiting – even disrupted sleep due to uncomfortable bedding or restless sleeping partners – have all emerged as triggers for some of my patients!

At Women to Women, we tell our patients that what you are experiencing now is often the result of many months or years of habits. Understanding your body is essential for making health changes, but it won’t happen overnight, just as the reasons causing your symptoms likely took time to build and develop long before the symptoms appeared – or the headaches began. But if you are committed to making some changes in order to feel better, there are things you can do to address the imbalance and get your body back on track.

1. Nutrition and Supplementation

After treating thousands of patients at our clinic, one common theme has emerged: most of us are nutritionally deficient in some area. We all have our ingrained eating habits that may not be ideal, and even if we are doing fairly well, there are challenges getting the nutrients we need from today’s food supply. I see over and over again in my patients that most all of us have faced nutritional challenges and may experience nutritional gaps.

For many of my patients, sugar, alcohol and caffeine are prevalent in their lives and these are all major headache triggers. I realize that going cold turkey is not the answer, but if you suffer from headaches, it may well be worth gradually cutting back and seeing what happens. You can learn more about how to beat your sugar cravings and why sugar is so damaging to our bodies in our article, “Sweet Poison – Kicking Your Sugar Addiction.”

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by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP

The healthcare industry changes quickly. With advances in medical technology, enhanced scientific research, improvement in treatments, and the ability to have so much information at our fingertips, the healthcare industry is an ever-evolving universe of numbers, research and changing practices.

The fact is, because healthcare changes so rapidly, it often does not leave room for the basics in patient care, establishing intimate doctor-patient relationships, time for trials and testing, and sometimes even the development of confidence in the whole system. Healthcare has become a very big industry, focusing on profits before patients’ health, which leaves us all at risk.

Clinicians, for the most part, have always had their patients’ best interests at heart. But the framework has changed. We have become a culture of “assembly-line medicine”, making it very difficult to tailor care to the individual. Practices deemed “best”, may simply mean the most accepted. Studies are released, protocols are quickly set forth, and “one size fits all” treatments are established. But sadly the unique circumstances and needs of each person are lost in the process.

Another huge building block in this new foundation is the Internet. This valuable resource has pros and cons. There is so much medical information out there – material that can range from completely accurate to totally nonsensical. It is hard to decipher what is real, what is important, and what to do with any of it!

I talk with so many women who want to understand how to manage all of these factors. Health issues instill fear, and women want to make informed decisions, but are not sure how. They may find themselves taking medications or undergoing procedures recommended by their doctors without understanding the implications. They read headlines revealing new medical research and treatment plans claiming to work, but without time to back them up. They consult the Internet for one thing, only to find many other things of concern.

Modern medicine can be very confusing. So let’s take a look at how to navigate through the system with confidence.

Prescription drugs

There are pills to treat nearly everything now, and taking medication is common practice to maintain health. But many providers automatically prescribe medication to treat a symptom, without even investigating what is actually causing the symptom. They are aided by pharmaceutical companies who tempt us with “cure all” solutions through advertisements and marketing. The problem is that this information is not always clear or accurate.

Here’s an example. One of the recent advertisements for Lipitor claimed this medication “reduces the risk for heart attack by 36%…in patients with multiple risk factors for heart disease”. But there are a few problems with this claim. First of all, when looking closely at the study, the numbers indicate a reduction of heart attack risk by only 1% based on the reporting of both those patients on Lipitor, and those taking a placebo. Furthermore, the study in which they base this information was funded by the pharmaceutical company that sells Lipitor, creating a potential for bias.

What many patients and their healthcare providers fail to realize, is that these reports often only present relative differences as opposed to absolute differences. What this means is that the numbers are not necessarily dishonest, they are just presented in a way to appear better. But when it’s broken down, the benefits are not what they appear to be. With Lipitor, the absolute difference indicates you have a one in 100 chance of being helped by this drug, not a one in three chance.

Sadly, most pharmaceutical companies manipulate statistics because it helps generate sales. If a product appears to be more advantageous than it is, they use that in their marketing so that doctors and their patients will buy the drug. Also, when the drug studies are funded by giant pharmaceutical companies, even the researchers are compelled to ensure positive results. Combined with the patient overload for the average healthcare provider, who may not have time to scrutinize the numbers from a drug study, we do not always have complete information about our medications.

It is very important for patients to understand the real benefits of a drug. In certain circumstances, prescription drugs can be lifesaving for many conditions. But they should not automatically be the first line of defense for every health issue. More than 20 percent of all prescriptions today are being prescribed for situations they were not intended for or approved for use for by the FDA. Off-label use of a drug can be lifesaving, but it also carries the risk of complications for people who may not truly need it.

The good news is that there are many effective natural alternatives to consider when treating health issues. Nutraceutical and plant-based medicine is beginning to come to the forefront in both research and usage. Natural disease treatment looks to a bigger picture, offering more complete improvement, and also offers fewer side effects than prescription drugs.

Patience pays off

Part of the problem with the changes in modern medicine is the demand for speedy solutions and quick remedies to fix our problems. We live in a culture obsessed with immediate gratification, and we want no less for our medical needs. And just as quickly as we want answers, drug companies want to be able to deliver the solution. So much so, that they often find ways to expedite their medications through the FDA review and approval process, which could jeopardize quality and lead to issues down the line with safety.

Richard Deyo, MD, from the University of Washington recently wrote an article for the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine cautioning providers:

“FDA review serves a critical function, but physicians should be aware that new drugs may not be as effective as old ones; that new drugs are likely to have undiscovered side effects at the time of marketing; that direct-to-consumer ads are sometimes misleading; that new devices generally have less rigorous evidence of efficacy than new drugs; and that value for money is not considered in approval”.

One such example is the release of the HPV vaccine Gardasil, marketed to protect against cervical cancer. I have a particular interest in this as a women’s healthcare practitioner. Although we have not seen the long term effects of this vaccine, healthcare practitioners, drug companies, and policy makers have quickly made this vaccine a requirement, after conducting studies on girls as young as age 9.

There have been thousands of reports of adverse effects with Gardasil, many of them very serious. Some reported side effects of this vaccine include nausea, infections, joint pain and weakness, and other side effects may include blood clotting, anaphylactic shock, coma, paralysis, foaming at the mouth, grand mal convulsions, and death. There have been 21 deaths to date from this vaccine, and we don’t even have all of the facts about the vaccine itself. It is irresponsible of policy makers to mandate a vaccine offering women and girl’s protection for only two out of more than 20 cancer-associated strains of the human papilloma virus (HPV), plus two of multiple strains associated with genital warts for which it is supposed to protect.

I am not suggesting to not get this vaccine. I am suggesting that parents be given the opportunity to make an informed decision based on realistic and proven information about the benefits and the risk, rather than mandating the vaccine’s use without accurate data on the long term effects.

This is when the old adage, “Good things come to those who wait”, could make a tremendous difference.

Preventative medicine

When “well visits” became part of routine care in our society, I think we all agreed that this is a good way to keep people healthier in the long run. But preventative medicine means different things to different people in the world of modern medicine. For some it is about saving money by helping people stay well as opposed to treating illness. For others, it means providing prophylactic medications, multiple vaccines, screening tests, and even surgeries.

A good example of that is the use of hysterectomies to correct many, if not benign, gynecological problems. About one-third of women in the US have a hysterectomy by the age of 60. Who benefits most from that? Doctors, hospitals, and drug companies make billions of dollars annually from this procedure. In many cases, women can have other less invasive options that doctors do not even consider, let alone offer. The same held true for cesarean section births until a few years ago when the numbers of unnecessary c-sections was so high, that people started to notice and made a case for returning to vaginal births in appropriate situations.

There are many practices considered to be valuable in modern medicine that may still raise questions. For example, infants today receive twice the amount of vaccines they received in 1985. Also, the American Academy of Pediatrics approved the use of cholesterol drugs known as statins in children as young as 8. The negative side effects for adults on statins are quite documented, but they are now approved for children who still have many years to develop. While vaccines and medications can save lives, they are not always appropriate for every single person. It is important to think about the possible consequences of this type of preventative medicine.

In functional medicine we look at preventative medicine in the form of natural therapies involving high quality nutrition, natural supplements, regular exercise, and stress relief. This type of medicine works best when it is tailored to the unique circumstances and needs of the individual. That does not mean conventional medicine is better or worse than functional medicine. It simply means that from a patient-perspective, you might want to consider looking at things differently from only what the current accepted norm dictates. I encourage my patients to become informed, do their own research, ask a lot of questions, and learn alternatives to assembly-line medicine and protocols dictating what may be the standard practice, but may not be the best one.

Participate in your own healthcare

Taking a lead role in your health care can help both you and your practitioner form a strong partnership leading to the right solutions for your personal health goals. The relationship between you and your provider requires both people to actively participate in the process. Remember, you know best how what you are feeling inside of your own body! Here are some ways to get the most out of your visits to your healthcare practitioner:

• Be prepared and proactive. First determine what you want  and need to achieve in the visit. Make a list of your concerns, even if you do not think they are important. Evaluate your personal goals for your health and how you want your provider to help facilitate them. Be sure to ask lots of questions and do not leave until you feel you have gotten the answers you need.

• Do your own research. Explore all of the possible resources offering you information to gain a better understanding of your own health situation. Whether you want to learn about a medication or procedure, alternatives in treatment, or simply expand your knowledge about a particular topic, feel empowered to research and have a deeper discussion with your healthcare provider during your visit.

• Consider alternatives. There are so many ways to approach healthcare today. From conventional medicine offering standard practices – to integrative medicine offering a whole person approach (body, mind and spirit) – to Ayurveda practices, acupuncture, nutraceuticals, and homeopathy – to functional medicine, offering holistic and natural medicine focusing on the underlying causes of disease that lead to patient-centered therapies. There is strong scientific evidence now supporting the functional medicine approach to healing to be as effective, or even more effective in healing than pharmaceutical drugs. There are many avenues to better health. Don’t be afraid to investigate all of your options.

• Keep copies of your lab results, reports, and keep track of your progress. As a functional medicine practitioner, I try not to focus on testing and numbers as much as I do how my patients feel. But it does help to have this information to see if things are changing. Keep track with your provider of blood sugars, cholesterol levels, thyroid hormones, vitamin D levels, bone density, or mammography, and when shifts occur, you can address them appropriately.

• Communicate your healthcare philosophy. We all have personal preferences about what we feel comfortable with when tending to our health. Some people like to let their doctors make all of the decisions and allow them to initiate protocols. Others prefer to steer away from medications and follow a more natural approach. Some patients like to know every detail about what is going on with their bodies and others prefer to let their doctor manage that information. It does not matter what your preferences are, it matters that you discuss them with your practitioner so that you can receive the care that feels most comfortable. After all, feeling good about your care will help you have a successful outcome!

• Practice good health habits. Nutrition and lifestyle can help make – or break – our health. Nourish your body with fresh, whole foods – lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, unrefined or unprocessed carbohydrates, and a high-quality multivitamin can change your body’s functioning all the way to the cellular level. Exercise is another important way to not just prevent, but also reverse many common, chronic and degenerative health conditions and maintain good health. And of course get plenty of sleep, which helps regulate all of the systems in the body.

Change the traditional doctor-patient roles

I have many women who come to me in mid-life, when shifts in their bodies become evident. They often believe that any pains, fatigue or chronic complaints are normal for their age, as well as the need for medication or even procedures. I have good news! That is not true! I tell them to think about the health they would like to have, and to not settle for anything less. Creating a healthy and vibrant health picture in our minds is important for achieving that in our bodies.

It may seem overwhelming to navigate a complicated medical system offering so many alternatives. But optimal health is possible, no matter the path. You do not have to be a medical provider to know what is best for you – that is what our intuition (or our gut instinct) is for. When we tap into our own inner wisdom about what we need to feel good, and we trust that, we can walk with our healthcare provider on our personal path to good health.

by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP

Aging is an interesting process, taking on many different aspects as each layer of our lives builds upon the next, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Aging is just a part of life – naturally – we are born as babies and grow old. But how we age, how we adapt and adjust to the changes, and what we make of it, is all a personal experience.

Caring for women in a women’s health clinic has given me a wonderful opportunity to see and explore the aging process. Both my patients and my own family members have one thing in common: the desire to age gracefully, but also feel strong both mentally and physically. Desire to look younger is a given, but so is feeling younger — having vibrant energy, a sharp memory, and a strong, healthy body.

Without access to a real fountain of youth, we have to rely on both practical and evolving methods to help us through the aging process, along with plenty of wisdom and courage. We can increase our life and health span naturally, if we pay attention and gently nurture ourselves along the way. But where do we start?

We’re as old as we feel

We live in a culture obsessed by youth, and the first thing we can do is stop believing everything we hear about our age. The messages associated with growing older are everywhere, and it is up to us to sort out what really applies, and more importantly–what doesn’t. Aging does not automatically equal a decline in health, or looks for that matter. Active lifestyles and glowing health are actually brought about by the power of positive thinking.

As we age we face different challenges with physical functioning, social activities, employment, and other lifestyle changes. Maintaining a healthy attitude is as important as caring for our bodies. Staying connected to family and friends, exercising our brain as well as our body, managing stress, eating a healthy diet, and most importantly, engaging in activities we enjoy each day, all contribute to positive thinking.

Also, how we feel affects how we look. Body image is connected to how we feel physically, as well as how we think about ourselves. When we feel healthy, strong, and able, it shows, regardless of our age.

Understanding the biology behind aging

There is a time in a woman’s life when she discovers, almost as if by surprise, that she is not as young as she used to be. When that occurs varies for each woman, and the reasons are as unique as she is. Biological aging is a complex process involving cells at a molecular level. All living things are made up of cells that undergo a life cycle. The balance between a cell’s ability to renew, and knowing when to die, drives the aging process.

Our cells are programmed by DNA to manage all of the systems in our body. Research shows that a cell’s life cycle depends on a special region of DNA located at the end of our chromosomes called a telomere. Telomeres actually protect the genetic information stored within the chromosomes. Elizabeth Blackburn, a leading molecular biologist, describes the telomere like the plastic cap at the ends of shoelaces. The longer the telomere, the more frequently it can divide and remain youthful. But with each division the telomeres shrink, lose capacity to repair and regenerate themselves, and eventually disappear. During this process, cells can become deficient and defective, and even destroyed. That is when biological aging reveals itself in the body.

We don’t yet know if telomere length is determined inside our genetic blueprint, or is a function of age, or lifestyle and environment, but research shows it may be all of these factors. The leading hypothesis describes damaged telomeres with an inability to repair themselves, combined with oxidative stress (burdens placed on the cells by toxins and other agents,) along with inflammation, can make our cells simply fizzle out.

A study in 2008 actually linked shorter telomeres to cardiovascular disease and hypertension, and scientists are exploring telomere length as a marker for aging. Another study is underway looking at an enzyme called telomerase, an active and present force within cells which may help chromosomes replenish the DNA sequence that is lost each time the cell divides. Normally telomerase slows down over time, but in certain instances, such as invasive cancers, it actually becomes more active, and enables cancer cells to thrive. Healthy aging depends on the right amount of this enzyme to do its job.

When we are young, our long telomeres help enrich and protect our systems. For example, our heart and blood vessels are resilient, our immune cells fight off infection, our bones mineralize and stay strong, our hair follicles produce healthy hair, and our skin is elastic and supple. But as we age, our telomeres change form, and so does our body.

Biological aging can also be influenced by other things, including environmental and molecular free radicals – entities that are highly reactive and can cause damage inside of cells; maladaptive biochemical reactions; spontaneous errors in genetic coding; and nutritional issues. Some of these things are within our control, others are not.

Can we slow down or stop the aging process?

We can’t stop aging, but the good news is we can slow it down and can increase our health span. Numerous studies link simple lifestyle changes with longer telomere length, which is an exciting prospect! A 2009 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, reported that women ages 35-74 who take a daily multivitamin had telomeres that were approximately 5.1 percent longer than those who did not take multivitamins.

Another study of women ages 18-79 found that higher vitamin D levels were associated with longer telomere length. Increasing vitamin D levels simply by sensible skin exposure to the sun, or taking vitamin D supplements, may help regulate oxidative stress and inflammation in the body.

Another micronutrient recently linked to aging is vitamin K, which may help off-set our risk for diseases of aging, osteoporosis, and arteriosclerosis. This is an interesting concept. Known as the “triage theory”, a cell uses nutrients to function, and in order of importance. When a particular nutrient is in short supply, its functions may end up at the bottom of the cell’s “to do list”. The cell uses its most important nutrients first, and when some nutrient levels remain in short supply, thus restricting their use, changes may occur, increasing our risk for disease.

There are upwards of 40 essential vitamins, minerals, proteins and fatty acids that actually “talk” to our genes. The nutrients in food make a difference, and the Mediterranean diet is testament to that. This diet which, according to reports, can effectively lower mortality, includes low consumption of meat and meat products, moderate consumption of alcohol -specifically red wine, and high consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and olive oil. We are learning more and more about how nutrition plays a key role in the messages our cells receive about activating – or blocking – disease in our bodies.

The more positive information that our cells receive from our choices in nutrition and lifestyle, the better our cells respond, and the less likely we will incur disease that we may be predisposed to in our DNA. Many of my patients are worried that they will develop a particular disease because it runs in their family. But more and more we are understanding how to stop these disease pathways before they start.

Hormones, resveratrol, and calorie restriction

There has been much in the media about celebrities using bioidentical hormones to prevent aging, such as the human growth hormone, and the reports have been positive. But there is controversy around this method, because we don’t really know the long term effects of using any type of hormone – synthetic or bioidentical – as a way to stay young.

Resveratrol is a potent antioxidant compound found in plants, especially the seeds and skin of red grapes (and hence red wine). In 2003, scientists discovered that resveratrol could extend the lifespan of fruit flies and yeast. They are now considering the effects of it in mice, which will lead to clues about how it may act in humans. There is still a lot of work to be done around this particular methodology, but the thought is that resveratrol may reduce the risk for diseases of aging, not necessarily stop the aging process. Some of the positive effects include protecting cardiovascular health, inhibiting cancerous cells, protecting against neurological disorders, and promoting healthy metabolism.

Calorie restriction is another mechanism long debated as a way to reduce the risk of disease and lengthen longevity. It is not clear how caloric-restriction really works, or how people can commit to this regimen successfully, and in fact, it could even backfire. Blackburn discovered in her research that women who yo-yo diet, or go on and off diet plans as opposed to making long term lifestyle choices, have shorter, no longer telomeres. The psychological stress of yo-yo dieting alone places stress on the body.

Recent research on both soy and resveratrol shows similar results to calorie restriction, without severe side effects, like feeling hungry.

What we can do right now

While science is working to uncover some of the ways we can increase our healthy lifespan, numerous studies link simple lifestyle changes to longevity. Eating a nutritiously-balanced diet, absorbing plenty of the right micronutrients, adding a quality multivitamin, reducing chronic stress, and getting plenty of sleep, can actually help telomere length. These non-medical, nonsurgical approaches are not only manageable, but prove successful.

These are just some of the things we have been telling our patients for years. A natural approach to health is always appropriate, and will certainly enhance rather than detract from our wellbeing. Here are a few ways to feel stronger, healthier, and beautiful as we age:

• Eat a balanced diet rich in antioxidants and low in refined carbohydrates, unhealthy fats, and processed foods.
• Feed your cells the nutrient-rich information found in fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, healthy oils, and unrefined grains. The messages your cells receive from a cupcake are very different from those of a plate of greens drizzled with olive oil and lime juice.
• Take a top-quality multivitamin, an omega-3 supplement, and consider extra vitamin D.
• Preserve the length of your telomeres and the ability of your cells to divide by providing antioxidant-rich vitamins and the anti-inflammatory effects of omega-3s. Finding a quality multivitamin and omega-3 supplement not only can do wonders for your energy now, but will pay off in the future.
• Exercise in a way that replenishes rather than drains you.

The benefits of exercise to aging have been well documented. The key is to find something you look forward to rather than something you avoid or even dread. It only takes a tiny spark of motivation to get started, and a tiny spark to keep going, so exercising becomes a habit you will find you can’t live without!

Explore ways to decrease chronic stress

There’s no doubt that chronic stress is one of the biggest health problems we face today. It contributes to inflammation and increases everyday “wear and tear” on our bodies. Make an honest effort to set aside time each day to lower your stress levels. You might try meditation, yoga, massage, or simply eliminating some unnecessary responsibility on your to-do list.

While the biology behind the aging process is complicated, the steps we can take each day to age gracefully are simple. Understanding how our body’s age is helpful, but if we maintain a lifestyle that supports healthy cell functioning, we won’t have to worry about what our cells are doing, we can just enjoy vibrant health at any age.

by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP

These days we are so inundated with media messages – fat is good, fat is bad – eat more, more – exercise more, exercise less – eat grapefruit – eat all you want! No wonder women everywhere are confused!

In order to make good health choices, we need good information – not the flood of information that comes in piecemeal to use over the internet, on a magazine cover or in an infomercial.

Below I’ve chosen the top five myths I hear from my patients –

1. Women don’t need multivitamins if they eat well

Ideally we would get all the nutrients we need from the foods we choose – but unfortunately that just isn’t the case in today’s world. Current farming practices and packaging methods offer deplete nutrients from our foods. When you couple that with the choices some women have to make given location, convenience, knowledge base and finance, it’s no wonder that women aren’t able to take in the nutrients we need. What’s more, our bodies are constantly being inundated with toxins and free radicals – in ways in which we are sometimes unaware or helpless to control. Additional support is needed to help our bodies detoxify heavier and heavier toxic burdens. The better you can support your body’s nutritional needs, the better chance you have of keeping your body in balance!

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2. As you age, sex drive decreases

Its very true that as women approach menopause, all three of the major sex hormones – progesterone, estrogen and testosterone may shift out of balance. Testosterone is the hormone primarily related to libido – so if you are experiencing those hormonal shifts your sex drive may be impacted. The great news is that there are simple and easy ways to bring your hormones back into balance and regain your sex drive!

In talking with my patients, I’ve discovered that many women experience physical problems related to sex such a vaginal dryness or pain. These, too can be addressed with a health care practitioner. The more difficult issues to address are those around our emotions about sex. Some women may feel unattractive due to mood swings or hot flashes, others may feel distanced from their partners and for some, sex has grown to feel like more of a an obligation than a time of sharing and pleasure.

The issue of sex drive can be a complicated one – for women, sex is much more than a physical connection – it’s more of an emotional connection. It’s well known that a woman’s sexual desire is connected to her own sensuality.

There are several factors which can affect sex drive – the great news is not of these situations is permanent! Sexual desire can be rekindled – it may take some time and some investigation – but the end results can be so rewarding.

3. All women gain weight during menopause – and few every lose it. 

It’s not uncommon for women to gain weight during the perimenopausal years – but this weight certainly doesn’t have to be a permanent weight gain – pounds which you will never be able to shed.

It’s important to remember that our bodies are biologically programmed to protect fertility. In the perimenopausal years as the ovaries decrease estrogen production, the body works to store more fat – fat cells can provide another source of estrogen. As ovarian function winds down, our adrenal glands start to produce small amounts of estrogen and other sex hormones. If our adrenals are compromised by chronic stress, more cortisol than we need may be produced affecting our delicate hormonal balance even more. It’s important to remember that our hormones are all interconnected –and explains why weight gain can be caused by imbalances in estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, insulin, cortisol, DHEA and hGH. All of these hormones work in symphony to regulate metabolism and weight.

4. To lose weight you should eat a low fat, low calorie diet.

Weight, and weight loss in particular, is a common, ongoing concern for many women. For some women, calorie reduction may definitely be the answer for weight loss, but in my years of experience, I’ve found it’s not what we eat, it’s how we metabolize our food.

Our bodies have evolved to metabolize food slowly, conserving fat to protect us against periods of starvation. In modern times, it would be unusual for women to suffer long bouts of starvation – but when we cut calories, our bodies are conditioned to slow our metabolism which makes it more difficult to lose weight.

I help women everyday understand how complex our bodies really are – that undiscovered unbalances can also affect metabolism. The most common imbalances are:

• Insulin resistance
• Thyroid imbalance
• Toxic overload
• Adrenal imbalances
• Food sensitivities

All of these imbalances affect the way we metabolize food and store fat. Almost all the women I see as patients realize the best results when they take the time to investigate the underlying cause of weight gain.

Our bodies are designed to eat! Most of the women I see are not overeaters! They have underlying imbalances which need to be addressed.

5. Your body requires more sleep as you age.

Our sleep does seem to change as we age – but we don’t require less of it!  Women need 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night – sleep is critical to help rebuild and restore. While we may not sleep as deeply or uninterrupted as we did in our 20’s and 30’s…our body’s need for sleep doesn’t change.

Many of my patients report disrupted sleep patterns. Cortisol can be a primary factor in keeping you awake when you want to fall asleep or waking you before you’d like! Evaluating and managing your stress levels are so important to your sleep cycle!

I encourage my patients to practice good sleep hygiene. Good sleep hygiene practices include:

• Keep your room dark. Light blocking shades are helpful. Cover alarm clocks or electronics with LED lights.
• Exercise early in the day.
• Turn off all electronics one hour before bed.
• Keep reading material light – disturbing books can affect your sleep!
• Eat your last meal of the day several hours before bed.
• Insure you bedroom is a comfortable temperature.

There’s certainly a lot of information coming to use about our health – I urge you to listen to your inner self. Listen to what feels right to you – investigate if you are interested – or disregard messages which don’t resonate with you. Use your inner wisdom to decide what is good for you.

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

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.

by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP

Most of the women we see at our medical clinic aren’t really sure they’re making the right choices about their medical care. They come to us because they have an intuitive sense there must be a better way, something healthier. And they’re right!

Why alternative medicine?

Many are frustrated with conventional health care, but leery of alternative medicine because their doctor may not approve. Many are pursuing alternative health care but don’t feel comfortable telling their doctor about it. And quite a few are interested in a different approach but can’t tell truth from hype when it comes to what really works or how to find a good practitioner.

Not surprisingly, a lot of women feel lost in or abandoned by the conventional medical environment. But the truth is that the medical system is going through a period of revolutionary change — for the better — as the conventional and alternative systems begin to merge into what is called “integrative medicine.” You are an agent of that change.

The good news is that by understanding your options and a few guidelines you can enjoy better health than you ever imagined in this new medical environment. We know that because we’ve helped pioneer this new integrative approach to healthcare with our own patients over the past 25 years. We can assure you — it’s what you’re looking for.

So let’s discuss how to bring integrative medicine into your life, right now, so you can begin to enjoy all it has to offer you.

Tips for Personal Success

Practice being still. As little as ten minutes a day spent in quiet meditation can give you numerous physical, mental, and emotional benefits. Focus on deep breathing, which allows oxygen to reach the tissues and quiet the mind, allowing space for your inner voice to emerge and guide you in your life.

What are alternative, complementary and integrative medicine?

First of all, let’s get some terminology straight. It can add to the confusion if you don’t know what your practitioner is talking about.

Conventional or traditional Western medicine is what most of us grew up with: if you get sick, feel a lump or have an accident, you go to the doctor. The physician treats that particular problem — usually through prescription drugs or surgery — and you go home.

This has been a remarkably successful system that has rid the world of diseases and infections that were the scourge of our ancestors. Up until recently, however, little attention was paid to prevention. Preventative medicine is now a buzzword with the insurance companies, meaning eat less, exercise more and take an aspirin or other “safe” drug every day.

Scientific advances like the mapping of DNA may change this approach in the future, but for the most part traditional doctors are rigorously trained to address trauma or disease, not the complexities of how the patient got that way.

Alternative, natural, and holistic medicine are widely used terms for a variety of healing therapies, some of them ancient. Generally speaking, its practitioners look at the “whole” person — mind, body and spirit — to identify underlying imbalances that cause disease. They believe in the body’s own vital energy and its natural restorative powers; most alternative therapies are meant to be preventative.

Treatment occurs in the least invasive, most natural way to foster a well-balanced, well-nourished body that will resist disease, fight infection, heal faster, age gracefully and rarely if ever need more radical intervention.

When we began Women to Women 25 years ago, alternative practitioners were not well-regarded by the medical establishment. I’m happy to report that the National Institute of Health now funds over $100 million of research every year in alternative medicine, and there is a tenured professor in the field at the Harvard Medical School. So we’ve come a long way.

When alternative medicine is used as part of a conventional treatment protocol for a medical condition, the combination is called complementary medicine. Many leading hospitals now offer what they term complementary and alternative medicine. But both camps felt the term implied there was something missing on one side or the other, so it is falling out of favor.

Integrative and functional medicine

Integrative medicine is a newer term that is more encompassing because it conveys that the practice of traditional Western medicine and alternative therapies must be integrated. I can say with confidence that integrative medicine is the future of healthcare. Integrative medicine is now a part of the curriculum at 28 major medical schools around the United States. This is great progress, but unfortunately, as we will discuss in a moment, what is being taught in medical schools is far ahead of what most doctors are telling their patients.

A branch of integrative medicine, called functional medicine, is the guiding principle of our practice at Women to Women. Using evidence-based, proven methods from both the alternative and conventional approaches, we look at the individual core physiology of each woman, including her background and emotional state — whether she is symptomatic or not.

Why is integrative medicine important to your health?

The main reason to bring integrative medicine into your life is simple – you’ll be healthier. As I mentioned before, I’ve seen time and again that integrative medicine results in optimal health. Both traditional and alternative practices have their benefits and their limitations, but together they provide a synergy that can transform your health and fill you with vitality, naturally, for the rest of your life.

And that’s important. A recent eight-year study on U.S. adult health-related quality of life reports that we are living longer but feeling worse on a day-to-day basis — particularly women. Chronic diseases are on the rise and evidenced at younger and younger ages. And drugs have side effects that often diminish our quality of life, as well as shorten it.

In other words, traditional medicine may be keeping us alive longer, but we aren’t enjoying it.

At our practice we see this reality everyday. Women come in whose tests are “normal” by current medical standards but know instinctively that something is wrong. Often they have or are on the verge of developing a serious health condition — they just haven’t reached the disease threshold yet. Luckily, catching a developing condition early means a lot can be done to prevent its progression. Simply adding daily nutritional supplements and making positive changes in diet and lifestyle have altered the health trajectory of most of our patients.

Conventional medicine is very good at disease screening, and often effective in treatment of disease or acute conditions. It just isn’t structured to promote preventative health or support natural, less-invasive methods. So if you stay with the conventional approach exclusively, in our view, you make it more likely you’ll get sick.

How do I integrate my healthcare?

In the ideal world you would have a practitioner who is educated in alternative therapies and who would guide you to the best local specialist, as we do at Women to Women. This rarely happened in the past but it’s becoming more common — because women like you are demanding it. For many years now there have been more visits to complementary and alternative practitioners than to conventional practitioners — enough of a trend that doctors and insurance companies are taking notice.

At Women to Women we integrate these methods seamlessly. For example, we will often use visualization before surgery and affirmations afterwards with our breast cancer patients. These patients have less pain and go home earlier than most other breast cancer surgery patients.

Whether or not you’ve had experience with alternative health care, the best ways to get results from integrative medicine are straightforward:

Find a conventional practitioner you can talk to. Maybe you already have one. If not, ask your friends and family for references. Our article on talking about bioidentical hormones with your doctor provides some valuable advice about talking to a conventional practitioner. Some physicians will feel threatened by a patient’s desire to bring alternative practitioners onto their team. This is partly due to a lack of training (especially among older doctors) and partly a lack of openness to change. Proceed with the notion that knowledge is power and what matters here is your health, not your doctor’s authority.

If you can’t find a conventional practitioner who will work with you on an integrative basis, go anyway. You must not ignore the value of regular medical check-ups for disease screening; you must not self-diagnose.

Listen to your intuition. When it comes to your health, you are the authority, and your body is the expert. If you have a diagnosis but the plan of treatment sounds inappropriate to you — conventional or alternative — pay attention and discuss alternatives with your practitioner. If you know something doesn’t feel right but your conventional tests are normal, don’t ignore your body’s wisdom. This is a perfect time to begin experimenting with alternative medicine.

Remember, neither the conventional nor the alternative methods are guaranteed to help everyone with a given condition. People are simply too unique. You have to find what works for you. Sometimes what’s best is to use the conventional approach (for example, medications) as a bridge until natural methods (for example, dietary changes and nutritional supplements) have time to get traction.

Do your due diligence. The best way to find a good alternative practitioner is through the referral of a doctor or health practitioner you trust. If that isn’t possible, ask your friends and family for a personal reference. Do some research into different alternative treatments and consider what you feel most comfortable with. For a list of treatments we’ve used successfully with our patients, see below. Look up your state’s requirements for certification in the field you are interested in. Read as much as you can. Ask questions. Only take supplements from well-recognized, tested sources.

Finding the right alternative treatment

There are so many alternative medical treatments to choose from. Some, such as acupuncture, are very well established. Many others have at least some supportive studies. Others we have found to be useful in the hands of the right practitioner.

Unfortunately, many alternative therapies don’t adapt well to standard, double–blind placebo controlled studies developed to test pharmaceuticals, and there aren’t the kinds of funds for this research that drug companies spend routinely.

That being said, the following is a list of alternative practices that have been effective for our patients:

Acupuncture
Aromatherapy
Ayurvedic medicine
Bach flower essences
Bio-feedback
Chelation therapy
Chiropractic
Emotional Freedom Techniques
Guided imagery
Herbal remedies
Homeopathy
Hydrotherapy
Hypnosis/self-hypnosis
Massage
Meditation/visualization
Movement and exercise therapy
Naturopathy
Nutrition therapy
Osteopathy
Reiki/energy medicine
Relaxation response
Spiritual healing/healing through prayer
Therapeutic touch
Traditional Chinese/Oriental Medicine (TCM/OM)

There are other forms of alternative medicine, such as iridology, that are more controversial. Please proceed cautiously if you are interested in such lesser-known techniques until more is known about them.

Finding an alternative practitioner

There are unqualified or ineffective practitioners in both conventional and alternative medicine, so be cautious whenever you choose any health care provider. There are studies that indicate that medical error is among the top ten causes of death in America. Outright quacks are rare, but they exist too. Beware of extravagant claims for any treatment.

One of the problems is that certification standards vary so much from state to state. But almost every state now has some kind of certification process. Look for the following:

• Trained, licensed and certified in their particular field
• Recommendations from other practitioners or friends
• The atmosphere and the practitioner feel safe and comfortable to you
• Your opinion is valued and your questions are fully answeredG
• Guidelines for the technique and length of the procedure are set at the first visit
• Some verifiable evidence of successful results in the treatment of your concern
• Ability to work with other healthcare professionals in your life

You can do it!

You may run into obstacles, but they can be overcome. If you live in a remote area, don’t have health insurance, or find that your health insurance doesn’t reimburse for alternative care, there is still a lot you can do to integrate your healthcare simply by activating your body’s own curative powers through nutrition and lifestyle. Taking a high-quality, daily nutritional supplement, getting moderate exercise, and reducing your stress is an affordable foundation we all need.

In addition, use your computer or your local library to research other ways to expand your healthcare options. Books and articles abound on how to naturally reduce stress, relax and balance your life right at home. We have provided information on a range of topics related to women’s health right here on our website, and we are adding new material every week. Browse our list of our articles, and/or sign up for our newsletter!

Some women are chagrined when they hear us advocate that you take control of your own healthcare. It can seem like more work, and leave them longing for the simpler times when they just did what their doctor told them to do. But if you take the path we suggest, you’ll find yourself back in touch with your body, feeling better than you ever have, and getting what you want. Your health will become the core of strength that supports all the other things you want to do and enjoy in your life. We’re here to cheer you on and help make it happen.

 

 

by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP

What makes your blood pressure rise to unhealthy levels, and what can you do to bring it back down naturally? Here’s our guide to the prevention and cure of hypertension.

• What is blood pressure?
• Conventional treatment for hypertension
• Risks associated with high blood pressure
• What causes high blood pressure?
• Blood pressure and stress
• High blood pressure in women
• Diet, syndrome X, and high blood pressure
• Salt and high blood pressure
• How to prevent or treat high blood pressure with a healthy lifestyle

With one in four women in America being diagnosed with high blood pressure, chances are you or a woman you love will be affected. Cases of hypertension (the medical term for high blood pressure) in the US have jumped 30% in just the last decade. Though this doesn’t quite mean it’s an epidemic, numbers like this are cause for concern

Just because you don’t have a diagnosis of high blood pressure now doesn’t mean you aren’t at risk. Hypertension is often thought of as a condition that doesn’t afflict women because until they reach menopause, their risk of developing it is much lower than males their same age. But once women lose the protection of estrogen after menopause, the incidence of high blood pressure rises sharply to reach levels similar to men’s.

Sadly, most people experience no discernable sign of high blood pressure until the damage is done and cannot be reversed. Chronic high blood pressure can shorten your lifespan by 10–20 years and is linked with some of our most entrenched degenerative problems, like type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease (CHD). Ultimately, hypertension places you at high risk for stroke, heart attack, and renal failure.

So high blood pressure is a serious women’s health problem. If you are on medication or need to be, I fully support that as a starting point. But more women need to understand that hypertension is not an inevitable part of aging or genetic destiny. Nor is a lifetime of medication the only course of action!

The truth is that this is one area of your health that is fully modifiable if you are willing to commit to some positive changes in your diet and lifestyle. You can begin to prevent or treat your high blood pressure today. Let’s find out how.

What is blood pressure?

I like to associate the role blood plays in the body with the role many women play in the lives of those around them. Women shuttle between home, work, community and family, nourishing and nurturing, forming a conduit through which life is constantly protected and supported. Likewise, blood circulates tirelessly through the body, feeding and oxygenating our cells, removing toxins, and defending our organs from disease and degeneration.

Blood pressure is the force exerted by the flow of blood on the walls of major arterial blood vessels — similar to the flow of water through a garden hose. It is determined by the amount of blood being pumped by the heart in a minute (cardiac output) compared to the resistance of the arterial vessel walls.

This explains why both the amount of fluid in your arteries and the relative elasticity, or “hardening” of the arteries, are factors in high blood pressure. Again, think of a hose. If the water is turned on full blast and there is a kink in the tubing, the pressure builds up. Likewise, the higher the volume of blood and the stiffer the artery, the harder the heart has to work to pump the blood around your system.

Because blood is the foundation of life, nature is mainly concerned with a loss of blood pressure. If your blood pressure drops suddenly, during shock or in reaction to medication for example, our bodies have multiple protective measures to instantly restore homeostasis.

But nature has fewer mechanisms to address high blood pressure, so the best defense is a good offense. How do you know if you have high blood pressure? Up to a third of the people who have it don’t even know it. Since there are virtually no symptoms until hypertension is advanced, the best way to tell is to get regular blood pressure readings.

Conventional treatment for hypertension

If your doctor diagnoses you as prehypertensive, you will most likely be told to modify your diet and lifestyle. If no significant changes are seen at your next visit, or if your initial reading was above 140/90 mmHg, there’s a high probability you will be given a prescription for one of the many potent antihypertensives on the market. These medications continue to work only while you’re taking them. For many, this means a lifetime of drugs.

Antihypertensives work in one or more ways: by decreasing blood volume via increased urine production (diuretics); by facilitating blood flow through dilation of blood vessels (alpha-blockers, ACE inhibitors, and sympathetic nerve inhibitors); or by decreasing the rate and/or force of heart contractions, thereby decreasing volume of blood pumped through arteries (alpha-beta blockers, beta-blockers, and calcium channel blockers). Other drugs, like angiotensin blockers and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, block natural chemicals produced by the body to combat low blood pressure.

These medications treat the symptom of hypertension but do little to heal the underlying causes. Some may not even control your blood pressure over a full 24–hour period. They also come with their own side effects, such as annoying cough, dizziness, hyperglycemia, dangerously low blood pressure, kidney problems, and worsening congestive heart disease. In addition, some antihypertensives have adverse interactions with other conventional medications and medicinal herbs.

Because the dangers of high blood pressure are very real, I advise women with troubling high blood pressure to use medication to avert any immediate threat. But I proceed from there with the understanding that the medication is only treating the symptom of hypertension, not the root problem, and that by working on addressing the underlying issue, we can eventually come off the medication.

Risks associated with high blood pressure

High blood pressure does its damage over time by undermining the entire cardiovascular system and kidneys. Tight arterial walls stress not only your heart but all your major organs. The higher your blood pressure rises, the greater the stress on the blood vessels, leading to abnormal tissue deposits, clogging, hardening and narrowing (arteriosclerosis), congestive heart disease, enlargement of the heart, and other heart damage.

If arteries become stiff, inflamed, or blocked, or if too much fluid is trying to circulate, the heart must labor too heavily. Over time, circulation suffers, even though blood pressure stays high, putting the whole body into a deficit state. The heart must struggle to compensate. Poor circulation is one reason why women with high blood pressure often experience cold hands and feet. This is also true for women with low blood pressure; they have poor circulation too, just for the opposite reason. Headaches, dizziness, palpitations and fatigue are other possible symptoms, but keep in mind that hypertension for the most part is asymptomatic.

As for graver risks, when the arteries serving your kidneys are affected, the kidneys must struggle to remove wastes and extra fluid from your body. Impaired kidney function and high blood pressure compound one another, and in severe cases, the kidneys give out in progressive renal failure. The retained fluid in your vessels raises blood pressure even higher, and now the situation is very serious. Does this seem extreme? Yes, but high blood pressure results in about 25,000 new cases of kidney failure per year in this country, more than double what it was in 1982.

What causes high blood pressure?

The major body systems and chronic high blood pressure affect one another in a highly complex and individualized way, and it has proven difficult to pinpoint the responsible mechanisms — but that doesn’t mean there isn’t one. Most practitioners agree that the renal (kidney), hormonal, nervous, and vascular systems are most highly involved, with input from various genetic and environmental factors.

Some factors that affect blood pressure can’t be helped, like age, race, heredity, and gender. Then there are other predominant factors, such as diet, lifestyle, environment and emotional state, that are just as important and wholly within your control. Being overweight, smoking, high alcohol intake, elevated cholesterol, inflammation, insulin sensitivity, and emotional history all affect the progression of high blood pressure — and you can change them.

Blood pressure is like a reflex, dependent on a wondrous interplay between your parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems. When activated, the sympathetic nervous system, which governs your fight or flight response, causes your heart rate to increase and blood pressure to rise. The role of the parasympathetic nervous system is to lower heart rate and blood pressure back to normal once the “threat” has passed. This elegant dance evolved over the millennia as an automatic survival mechanism. The problem is that such stress has become a constant in modern life.

Blood pressure and stress

For many millennia, blood pressure was kept healthy by the nature of daily life: alternating periods of intense physical activity, stress, and rest; hard work for limited calories; and a restricted salt intake. All that has changed in the past 500 years. As our “civilization” developed, so did chronic high blood pressure, rightfully seen as a rich man’s (and woman’s) condition because it was found almost exclusively in the developed world.

One study quoted in the Textbook of Natural Medicine followed residents of remote, agrarian areas in China, New Guinea, and Brazil (among others). Individuals showed almost no evidence of hypertension until they made the shift to industrialized societies. The incidence of high blood pressure then increased in proportion to changes in diet, lifestyle, environment, and body mass.

Some argue there is a genetic component involved. In poorer countries like Haiti and the Dominican Republic, high blood pressure is now rampant. But this may well be due to the stress of poor diet, poverty and crowding. In industrialized urban areas, African–Americans are four times as likely to have hypertension as their Caucasian counterparts. Here again, while a variant DNA sequence in these populations may be part of the picture, major studies have shown that it is exacerbated by environmental factors, including issues of class and racism. There are some cultures in Africa who have zero incidence of hypertension, and don’t even have a word for it.

Even if high blood pressure is the price many of us will pay for modern life, it is more important for you to remember that your blood pressure reading is not your destiny. It is just a number that will respond to any positive modifications you make. Even something as simple as learning how to breathe deeply can lower your blood pressure. Imagine what other changes might do!

High blood pressure in women

The prevalence of hypertension among men and women is closely correlated with age. At age 35, a woman is only one-third as likely to have high blood pressure, and fares better in her prognosis, than a man her same age. By age 65, this gap evens out, with women running the same risk as men.

Estrogen levels appear to play a significant role in modulating blood pressure, but this mechanism isn’t yet fully understood. Many women with normal blood pressure readings throughout their earlier years develop hypertension after menopause. One element might be that when estrogen levels decline, arteries lose some of their elasticity. For more information, read our articles about women and heart disease.

The WHI study seemed to indicate that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) mimics estrogen’s soothing effects on the cardiovascular system for a brief time following menopause. Within five years, however, HRT appeared to have the opposite effect.

Bear in mind that the WHI study was conducted with one-size-fits-all Premarin, a synthetic form of HRT that caused the participants’ estrone levels to skyrocket. Estrone is just one of three estrogen forms in your body. The question this begs for me is whether this is not more about hormonal balance than just estrogen: it is possible that a sprinkling of bioidentical hormones (including estradiol, estrone, and estriol, progesterone and testosterone), tailored to a woman’s own needs, may indeed prove to soften arteries over the long term. I think we’ll know the answer soon.

Diet, syndrome X, and high blood pressure

Being overweight or obese is a leading factor in high blood pressure. Fat that accumulates deep in the belly (visceral fat) has been linked with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, insulin sensitivity, and heart disease. If you are overweight and have high blood pressure, losing just five percent of overall body weight has been shown to significantly lower blood pressure. So don’t give up, thinking it’s impossible to make a difference — even a minimal decrease in weight will help.

The mechanisms behind weight gain and hypertension are complex. Almost every major system in the body plays a part. I believe inflammation plays a critical role too, and research has suggested how. Foods that lead to weight gain such as saturated fat, trans fats, simple carbs, and refined sugar, elevate levels of inflammation–provoking fatty acids in the blood. Inflammation is directly linked with atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular problems that stiffen and gum up arteries. In addition, a higher body mass stresses the heart, raising cardiac output.

Insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and other endocrine concerns often co-exist with high blood pressure. The prevalence of syndrome X, also known as metabolic syndrome or MetS — marked by central obesity, elevated triglycerides and high blood pressure — has engendered a new field of study around the relationship between diet, metabolism, and blood pressure.

We are just beginning to understand how insulin resistance affects sodium retention and sympathetic nerve activity. It appears to reduce the elasticity of cellular walls by affecting the ion transport across the cell membranes, inadvertently increasing sodium and calcium levels and making the vessels more reactive.

A 1997 study called DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) concluded that a diet high in fruit and vegetables and low-fat dairy products lowers hypertension, while a diet high in animal fat and simple carbohydrates does the opposite. The DASH diet, which is similar to a Mediterranean diet, has been found to significantly raise below-average potassium levels, and to decrease blood pressure. Interestingly, the blood pressure benefits of the DASH diet are most pronounced in individuals whose potassium intake was lowest, and in those whose sodium intake was highest.

This leads us to the matter of salt. Because after sugar and fat, what is the most common ingredient in the American diet? You guessed it — salt.

Salt and high blood pressure

In conventional medicine, salt is bad. This is too simplistic a view. Let’s start with understanding sodium, the essential nutrient in ordinary table salt.

On average, we humans need only about a gram of sodium (less than a half-teaspoon of table salt) per day to keep our systems functioning and ward off dehydration. Naturally, needs vary according to climate and how physically active we are, which govern how much we sweat. But between the huge amount of hidden sodium in processed food and liberal use of iodized table salt (sodium chloride, which is about one-quarter sodium), most Americans are getting four times their daily requirement per meal.

In most healthy people, the kidneys can manage all that extra sodium, but there are many people whose kidneys are unable to excrete salt efficiently. The result of keeping too much sodium on board is fluid retention, which raises blood volume and pressure. It is estimated that 20% of people with hypertension are “salt-sensitive,” particularly African-Americans and people of advanced age. This means that their blood pressure is highly sensitive to even small changes in sodium intake, rising 5 mmHg with each additional gram.

While you may or may not have a genetic predisposition to salt sensitivity, your chances of developing it become higher with age. An overabundance of salt in our diets, especially the hidden salt in processed foods, puts everyone at risk, and more so with each passing year. When our taste buds build up a tolerance to salt, we need more and more to get satisfaction. This can lead to salt sensitivity over time. Have you ever watched someone raining salt from the shaker down upon their food — sometimes without even tasting it beforehand?

Another point missing in the salt debate is that it is not just about the quantity of salt you consume, it is the type — and salt comes in many forms! Though we’ve been lectured ad nauseum that high sodium is the culprit when it comes to high blood pressure, we’re beginning to see that low potassium may play the more significant role. Supplementing with “good” salt while decreasing “bad” salt intake has been shown to successfully lower blood pressure.

So eat a diet high in potassium–rich foods. Good sources include avocados, bananas, and yogurt. Read the labels on your favorite packaged foods to check for hidden sodium forms of salt (e.g., MSG), which are often significant. And stick to a good quality sea salt when cooking and setting the table — you’ll get vital trace minerals without so much of the sodium and chloride found in ordinary table salt. By any and all means, substitute fruits, nuts, vegetables, and natural juices for low-potassium processed foods and soda.

In his book, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about High Blood Pressure, author Mark Houston relates his amazing success at treating hypertension through diet, nutrient therapy, emotional techniques and biofeedback. As the DASH study shows, you can achieve many of the same beneficial effects on blood pressure through diet and lifestyle modification without resorting to drugs.

So don’t buy into the idea of a lifetime of medication without at least trying to change your diet first. But in addition to what you eat, it’s also important how you live.

How to prevent or treat high blood pressure with a healthy lifestyle

Managing blood pressure with a healthy lifestyle can be approached in many ways. Just take it one step at a time. You don’t have to fit everything in all at once to do yourself good. Real transformation takes place over time through small but steady changes.

• Engage in some form of physical activity every day.

When it comes to lowering blood pressure, exercise has proven as effective as medication. And you can start exercising right now! Get up and walk. Learn how BreathWalk can help lower your blood pressure by integrating walking with breathing. Try to exercise 30–60 minutes almost every day. Start out slowly, walking to the mailbox, taking the stairs, or leaving your car at the far end of the parking lot. Then, add time and distance as you build up strength and endurance. If that sounds too much like work, look into a ballroom dancing class or the neighborhood pool. It really doesn’t matter so much what you do, only that you enjoy it enough to stick with it over time.

If you think you can’t handle some exercise, you should probably check in with your healthcare provider first. But consider the fact that for 99% of human history we were on the run, hunting and gathering — humans are adapted for endurance exercise! Vigorous physical exercise is the number-one way to prevent and treat hypertension. There are so many benefits to exercise that many practitioners regard it as the fountain of youth.

Regular exercise helps individuals maintain a healthy weight, lose fat, and build muscle. Exercise boosts metabolic function, which helps control insulin and other hormones. It soothes inflammation, supports detoxification, combats the stress response, boosts serotonin output, and wards off almost every age-related condition we know. What’s more, exercise purportedly makes artery walls more elastic. And that helps explain why it’s so great at reversing high blood pressure.

• If you are overweight (BMI over 25) or obese (BMI over 28), try to lose ten pounds.

Even a moderate amount of weight loss can really improve your blood pressure. Again, start slowly. Eliminate junk food and soda and try not to eat after 7:00 pm, earlier when you can. Keep some nuts or a yogurt to snack on so you won’t be tempted to binge on sweets and other carbs. Follow our Lifestyle and Nutritional Guidelines. This will ensure that you get an adequate amount of complex carbs, lean protein, healthy fats, and fiber to keep your blood pressure stabilized.

Here’s more good news for women: recent reports show that eating dark chocolate (over 70% cocoa) has a positive effect on blood pressure and insulin resistance — so go ahead and reward yourself with an occasional chocolate delight.

• Practice emotional stress management.

Poor stress management — or more accurately, emotional stress blockage — raises your risk of high blood pressure. Unexpressed emotions, particularly anger and fear, constitute a form of stress. Souring relationships, job strain, and childhood trauma all have negative health effects.

Many of us have been conditioned to discount or conceal our emotions. What we are not often taught is that emotions manifest themselves in a physiological way in the body, especially if they’re repressed. In addition, nearly everyone experiences some kind of emotional stress. Whether it makes us sick or not appears to be determined by how well we deal with it. Social support is certainly a factor. In one telling report, people with supportive spouses and a job they liked were found to have significantly lower blood pressure than those who did not, given the same amount of external stress. In another, loneliness was found to be associated with high blood pressure.

It’s clear that certain variables like family history and temperament, which can be codependent, can increase your risk (see our article on emotions and your health). There may seem to be no end to factors over which you feel powerless. The good news is that you can offset these legacies by learning how to calm your mind, support your physiology, and recalibrate your emotional responses.

Let’s revisit the autonomic nervous system for a moment. We often regard the functions it regulates, such as heartbeat and blood pressure, as involuntary. But this is not entirely so. The age-old practices of yoga and meditation alter a number of autonomic functions, including heart rate and blood pressure. Visit the ABC-of-Yoga for poses and breathing exercises that can help you stabilize your blood pressure, or consider other modalities such as biofeedback or brain–heart integration systems like HeartMath.

Other ways to get at the emotional root of your reaction to stress include talk therapy, which can help uncover hidden trauma and subconscious patterns that are blocking your ability to manage stress. Freeing yourself through the help of an experienced counselor will make it easier to learn a new tune! Look into EFT or the Hoffman Quadrinity Process for inspiration.

• If you self-medicate, quit or wean yourself off.

Women often turn to psychotropic substances to help them cope with the stress in their lives. Of these, the most common — alcohol, caffeine and nicotine — are all implicated in high blood pressure. These substances affect the nervous system, artificially stimulating or inhibiting the various neurotransmitters involved in the fight or flight response. Over time, higher dosages are needed to get the desired effect, which ultimately throws the nervous system off-balance and raises blood pressure. Alcohol and nicotine use can also accelerate the degenerative effects of high blood pressure once it’s in place.

You may want to consider a course of acupuncture, which has been shown to be very effective in reducing cravings, minimizing withdrawal symptoms, and breaking stubborn addictions. Look for a practitioner experienced with addictive behavior. Techniques like yoga and meditation can be used as adjunctive therapy to help calm your heart and quiet your compulsions.

• Minimize environmental stress and toxic body burden.

Everyone has a certain level beyond which the body ceases to be able to detoxify efficiently. The main organs of detoxification — the liver, kidneys, and skin — eliminate internal toxins through feces, urine, and sweat. If any of these organs become overburdened by toxins, many symptoms arise, and at the top of the list is hypertension.

The most direct way to eliminate toxins is through cleaning up your diet, drinking lots of filtered water, and adding certain antioxidant and supportive nutrients to your daily regime. So stay hydrated. Flush toxins and excess salt by drinking eight to ten 8–oz glasses of filtered water every day. This will assist your renal function and weight loss. Take a pharmaceutical-grade multivitamin every day to help compensate for and metabolize the toxic load. Make sure your multi contains calcium, magnesium, and potassium to offset sodium salts, as well as essential fatty acids to protect your blood vessels. For more information, read our articles on detoxification.

Lowering your blood pressure may take a combination of any or all of the above, depending on your individual biology. Always work closely with a trusted professional, especially if you have a family history or already show elevated readings, to monitor your response to conventional or integrative therapies.

I can’t underscore enough the real, measurable effect that optimal nutrition, physical exercise, and positive lifestyle habits have on your blood pressure. My father has hypertension and serious congestive heart disease. After several very scary experiences, he finally decided (at age 85) to commit to restructuring his priorities, cleaning up his diet and undertaking some nutrient and alternative therapies — including a heavy metal detox. After just a few months he went for an ultrasound and his condition was improved markedly. To me this is proof positive that holistic measures will work if you do the work — at whatever age.

If you are under a lot of pressure, serving as the lifeblood of your family, friends and community, doesn’t it stand to reason that your own blood vessels would mirror that pressure? So take the cue. Commit to small changes in a consistent way over time, and the happy culmination will be a healthier life and more ideal blood pressure levels. You, together with everyone around you, will thrive on your transformation.

For additional information, read our article Blood Pressure Readings — Taking Your Vital Signs.

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Insight into the true sources of holiday stress for women, and how to make it through the holiday season happier and healthier.

Behind the joy and beauty of the holidays is tremendous stress for women. Every year from Thanksgiving to Christmas women pour into our medical practice with physical manifestations of stress like heavy or irregular bleeding. Many feel depressed. Other women call in reporting that their menopause symptoms have roared back to life again — they have no idea why. And how many of us have friends or relatives who get sick every Christmas?

From the thousands of women whose lives I’ve shared as their health practitioner, and from my own personal experience as a daughter, wife and mother, I’ve come to understand that holiday stress arises from our own personal histories. It’s as though we are scripted, both in our actions and our reactions.

Luckily, we all have the power to rewrite our inner holiday scripts, just as we have the choice to provide our bodies with additional support during this demanding time. I’d like to explain how.

The power of the past

Outwardly it may appear that we are all exposed to the same stressful seasonal factors: overeating, overspending, drinking too much, holiday travel, staying up too late, and family dramas. But some of us sail through the holidays in good cheer and health while others just feel awful. Obviously external factors make up only part of the story.

Studies have proven without a doubt that past emotional experiences affect our health. This becomes more obvious at this time of year, when so many of us try to incorporate family tradition — or lack of one — into our own holiday. Not only are we trying to stage a major production (often all by ourselves!) but we are unwittingly following a script, whether we like it or not. I came to understand this the Christmas after my mother died. Up until then, the holidays were just an exhausting, debilitating enterprise.

When my mother was a child, she moved around a lot and never had any family Christmas tradition. Then as I grew up in Australia, I watched her drive herself wild each year, creating the perfect Christmas for all of us. She hand-made our gifts and painstakingly crafted realistic pine Christmas trees (which don’t grow in my native soil). We lived 30 minutes — by ferry — from the nearest town and still my mother managed to create a magical Christmas feast that must have taken several trips to supply. My memories of my father at this time were of the time he spent with us keeping us out of my mother’s hair.

I loved Christmas Day as a child — who wouldn’t? And Christmas to me was connected with my mother’s effort. So when I became a mother, guess what? I spent this time of year in a similar frenzy, spending every free moment recreating the legendary Christmases of my youth. I did it because I believed that was what a mother was supposed to do. By the time my family finally sat down to Christmas dinner, I felt so sick and exhausted I could barely pick up my fork. I was hesitant to admit how bad I felt because I never remembered my mother complaining.

The year after my mother died was the first year that my family and I celebrated our own version of Christmas. I chose to celebrate a few of my mother’s traditions, but we mostly forged our own. And you know what? It was fantastic!

I missed my mother, but I felt as if a 50-pound weight had been lifted from my chest. I didn’t have anything to prove anymore. Having my own Christmas did not weaken the memories of my mother or my childhood, but enhanced them. And, more importantly, my family came together on our own terms, in the present — not as a reflection of my past.

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