Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

The American Cancer Society:

The American Cancer Society:

Please support my sister in raising money for cancer awareness and prevention. My father passed away from esophageal cancer on August 31, 2008. He was only 70 years old. Let’s find a cure!

Thank you!

What is Chronic Fatigue? And How Do I Beat It?*

The following information is for educational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose, treat, or prescribe any kind of disease or illness. It is a good idea to seek the professional advice of a qualified health care practitioner (remember Naturopaths are doctors too) before making any major changes in your self health care routine. Be well...

*from my upcoming book "The Memory of Health" (due out this year):

"The truth is, no really knows, or at least there’s no general consensus on it. There are many theories out there however. Some of them include that it’s caused by some kind of virus. Other theories say that it due to “burnout,” is caused by unrelenting stress, or is caused by one initial stressful event like divorce or a car accident that fundamentally alters the way the body functions afterward.

It’s tough, unfortunately for those of us suffering from this illness, since fatigue itself is a marker of most disease states, and therefore it’s hard to pinpoint what this is exactly.

Chronic fatigue is feeling that you have no energy, absolutely zero energy – like you are at zero point energy -- and even below that if it’s possible. It feels like the main switch in your body that gives you energy has been turn off – or shorted out -- and you can’t turn it on again. It’s like your car battery has mostly died, but somehow it still sort of runs, sometimes by a miracle it feels.

CFS is categorized as a non-specific illness, yet there is nothing non-specific about feeling awful most of the time. To me, this is very specific: we don’t feel well. If it's true that fatigue is a marker of most disease states (and it is), then the fact that we have unrelenting fatigue should be a huge red flag to those who treat us, and to those who love us.

So many people deal with fatigue the numbers are overwhelming: something like 50 million people worldwide deal with fatigue in one capacity or another. 3- 4 million people alone in the U.S. are said to have CFS. 5 million people in the U.S. are said to have fibromyalgia.

Fatigue is a big topic. And yet it is still such a mystery. Chronic fatigue has been labeled many things: HPA disorder (hypothalmus-pituitary-adrenal axis), CFIDS – chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome, autonomic dysregulation, neuroanasthenia, and even a “women’s disease,” since two-thirds of all cases seem to be predominantly women of childbearing years.

But the truth is men get this illness as well. It does not discriminate. One man in a study said he became chronically fatigued after going through a stressful divorce. Trauma of some kind seems to be a possible indicator of future, unrelenting fatigue. Many people report getting CFS or even fibromyalgia after going through some kind of majorly stressful life event (job stress, divorce, death, etc.). There is a definitely a pattern to the onset of this illness.

Conditions That Can Cause Fatigue (from Suite 101.com):

· adrenal insufficiency

· anemia

· deficiency of some B complex vitamins

· multiple sclerosis, lupus, autoimmune diseases

· depression

· hypothyroidism

· sleep disorders

· stress/burnout

· cancer

· allergies

· mono

· fibromyalgia

· mitochondrial diseases

· hypoglycemia

· diabetes (both types)

Please note that different illnesses cause different kinds of fatigue. But fatigue is fatigue. The question is, how do you make it go away? Remember, fatigue is a symptom. It is the reminder from your body that something or things (the body works as a whole) in your body are not working as they should.

The Shadow of Fatigue

To feel a constant pull of slight fatigue is beyond frustrating. It marks your day, it’s like a constant reminder that something is not right. You lose your freedom, in some sense. Which is why people who suffer from chronic fatigue are always looking for answers.

I was intrigued to run across a relatively new theory of chronic fatigue syndrome. It believes that, due to a reaction to extreme trauma of some kind, the autonomic nervous system is on high-alert, all the time. The hypothalamus – body’s internal alarm system – is stuck on overdrive, and the hypothalamus controls energy levels.

The hypothalamus controls energy levels, and “transforms emotions into physical response.” Since the hypothalamus is the emotional center of the brain, it is clear we have headed straight into mind body theory. I believe most illnesses are connected both through the mind and body, but in the case of CFS, this theory seems to take center stage.

Severe, extreme, and/or on-going stress can literally override the natural feedback loop of the HPA axis (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal) which responds to stress. In cases of chronic fatigue, the theory is that the hypothalamus cannot calm the body down again as it normally would, because it perceives that the trauma is still occurring, or will occur again, even if this is not the case.

This does sound a lot like post-traumatic stress disorder to me. As coined by Dr. John Eaton, CFS, fibromyalgia, etc. are all energy disorders. Interesting to say the least. According to him, the body communicates through its symptoms. And if the body-mind can be reassured that it’s not under constant threat, then the symptoms can be reversed. He calls this Reverse Therapy. It is also known as Mickel Therapy.

The field of body-mind medicine is pretty new. You may have heard of it as psychoneuroimmunology as well (the study of the emotions, brain, nervous system, and the immune system, all interdependent of one another).

Whatever the cause or causes, I think it’s pretty clear we are in new territory as far as illness goes. The body and mind are inextricably linked. Indeed, they are one and the same. You cannot treat one part of the body without addressing it as a whole. This is where healing comes from.

Fine, But How Do I Beat It?

There is so much that can contribute to chronic fatigue. It is also not usually one thing that helps chronic fatigue go away either, although sometimes you find that magic supplement or diet that does wonders. Usually though it's a combination of the right kind of diet (for you), keeping stress levels very low, and loving yourself above all else that seem to work the best. Supplementation that is suited for your body can also be very helpful.

Here are some of the big guns that support energy:

Honor your emotions

Stay connected to others and yourself (love)

D-Ribose

No sugar

No stimulants (or very little)

No refined foods (sugar and flours)

Raw Foods

Sunlight/Fresh Air

Vitamin D supplementation (if you're not getting enough sunlight)

Magnet Therapy

Moderate Exercise

Spirulina (Nutrex)

Cell Food (for bioavailable oxygen)

Real Vitamin C (Camu-camu; Acerola Berry, etc.)

Wheat Grass

Sprouted Grains, Nuts & Seeds

Acupuncture

Asthaxanthin

Raw Vitamins

Glandular Extracts

Whole Eggs (adrenal hormones are made primarily out of cholesterol)

NADH

Valerian (valerian works as an adaptogen and helps you sleep well)

Potatoes (to produce natural serotonin for great sleep: Potatoes Not Prozac; www.radiantrecovery.com)

Adaptogens (to help the body adjust to non-specific stress):

-Licorice

-Rhodiola

-Ashwaganda

-Siberian Ginseng

-American Ginseng (for women)

-Korean or Chinese Ginseng (for men)

-Maca www.macaroot.com

Unfortunately, there are many causes of fatigue. But there are also a ton of things you can do to support healthy energy levels. My book “The Memory of Health” (coming out this year) will go over all of these subjects in great detail. Fatigue is a symptom, which means there are answers."

I believe there are answers to chronic fatigue. Stay tuned...

be well,

http://www.connektwell.com/

The Holistic Coach

www.theholisticoach.com

*excerpt from my book "The Memory of Health" (due out this year); copyright 2009

http://www.connektwell.com/

Stress & The Holiday Season

The following information is for educational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose, treat, or prescribe any kind of disease or illness. It is a good idea to seek the professional advice of a qualified health care practitioner (remember Naturopaths are doctors too) before making any major changes in your self health care.



Winter is upon us. It can be a beautiful time of year but stressful for many as well. Unfortunately stress can be extremely damaging to your body and soul, much more than any of us realize. It is imperative to find ways to stay calm and focused no matter how crazy your life gets, or how crazy your relatives might seem.

Stress is talked about much but understood little, at least by most of us. Our doctors are always telling us to keep our stress levels down, but they rarely say why. Constant stress in your life is not only unnatural (however common it may be), but is a precursor to far more serious ailments, chronic illness, and disease: we’re talking heartburn, upset stomach, chronic fatigue, weight gain, bad skin, adrenal burnout, depression, anxiety, chronic inflammation, heart disease, and even cancer.


There are many factors involved in what makes stress just so damaging to the body. When we get “stressed out” what’s really happening is our fight or flight mechanism is being activated. In short, your adrenals begin pumping out adrenaline in order to give you the short term energy you need to deal with the “emergency” at hand. This is fine for the short term, especially if you are being chased by a saber-tooth tiger, real or imagined.


But a prolonged, on-going stress response to life’s situations is a recipe for disaster. If you get stressed out on the commute to work every day, get anxious every single time you have to talk to your boss, spouse, or neighbor, your adrenals are working overtime. What should be an occasional situation – facing down the saber-tooth-holiday-in-law — is now a chronic, daily, maybe even hourly occurrence. Chronic elevated adrenaline levels can lead to raised cortisol levels in your body, which then leads to fatigue when your cortisol levels “crash” again. This is when most of us reach for coffee, chocolate, sugar, carbs, or all four. And this is where your body begins to break down.


Stimulants unfortunately only make the problem worse. They actually create an energy “debt” in the body because they stimulate the adrenals to produce even more adrenaline. This is artificial energy, since you are asking the adrenals to do something they would not normally do, i.e. produce extra energy you don’t have. So many of us are in “debt” not only monetarily, but energy-wise as well. Just remember, if you take out a loan on your energy, you are going to have to repay it through sleep and good nutrition.


Another source of stress is unresolved emotions, especially anger and regret. Emotions “float” around in our bodies (we have neurotransmitters everywhere in us, not just in our “heads.” Our bodies and minds - read emotions - are intertwined. So if we are harboring rage, hate, anger, or sadness, we are doing unwitting damage to ourselves. These emotions tend to come more around this time of year when many of us spend time with people from our past.

Unfortunately they tend to remind us, consciously or not, of unresolved issues. Counseling can help to clear up these emotions, especially EMDR therapy. Bodywork, physical activity such as yoga, walking, dance or martial arts, even art or music therapy can help to release toxic emotions as well. Our bodies were designed to keep energy (and emotions) flowing. Find what works for you and try to do it regularly.

One of the most promising therapies for clearing out toxic emotion and keeping emotions flowing freely is Mickel Therapy. It teaches you how to express your emotions in a healthy, non-confrontational way. Mickel Therapy believes that our primary emotions (anger, grief, fear, joy, love, and compassion) are actually generated by our bodies. Know those “gut” feelings you have of anger, fear, and of being in love? That is your physical body talking to you. The trick is to be true to your primary emotions and keep expressing them, as tactfully but honestly as possible. Our bodies were designed to keep energy and emotions flowing. Find what works for you and try to do it regularly


Of course the best solution is to not get stressed out in the first place. When you are stuck in traffic, breathe. Breathe in slowly and breathe out slowly. Deep breaths taken from your lower abdomen immediately calm down your sympathetic nervous system. Try it, it works every time. Also, move your focus to what you can focus on without worry, like enjoying the passing scenery or listening to the radio.


Whatever’s causing you stress in your life, nine times out ten it isn’t worth getting all worked up about. Most things have a way of working themselves out, whether or not you are worrying about them. In fact, they tend to work out better if you aren’t worrying. This includes spending the holidays with your partner’s family who, I guarantee, you have absolutely no control over.


be well,


The Holistic Coach

http://www.connektwell.com/

http://www.theholisticoach.com/

Vitamin C and Your Health

The following information is for educational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose, treat, or prescribe any kind of disease or illness. It is a good idea to seek the professional advice of a qualified health care practitioner (remember Naturopaths are doctors too) before making any major changes in your self health care.

Remember scurvy? What seems to be an obscure condition that only affected sailors lost at sea actually has a close - and more serious connection - to heart disease, even cancer prevention or maintenance, and the state of your skin (including wrinkles) than you might know.

Hypoascorbemia, or scurvy, is a genetic disease wherein the body fails to produce the enzyme l-gulonolactone oxidase in the liver which prevents us from synthesizing our own ascorbic acid. Whereas 99.9% of all animals produce ascorbic acid - commonly referred to as Vitamin C - for general health and more in response to stress and viral infections, humans have been suffering from lack of this life-lengthening trait for over 40 million years. Only some types of monkeys, guinea pigs, and an Indian fruit eating bat share our missing enzyme. Maybe we're not so superior afterall.

What does all this have to do with conditions like heart disease? Contrary to popular medical opinion (remember, medicine is 50% science and 50% art), which blames cholesterol as the primary villain of atherosclerosis, one of the main - and highly preventable - causes of cardiovascular disease is the lack of certain sufficient vitamins and minerals. In fact, it is the lack of Vitamin C in mineral ascorbate form that has the most damaging effect on the hardening of arteries.

Vitamin C is a necessary building block for the tissues in our body. And much like the essential fatty acids omega 3 and omega 6, we do not produce them ourselves. Vitamin C is especially important for the tissue strength of our arteries, since they are under constant pressure. Without proper levels of Vitamin C, our arteries cannot maintain this pressure and they begin to bleed. After bleeding, the arteries begin to crust over, with the end result being, among other side effects, a decrease in blood flow. What most people don't realize is that many of us are in a very mild state of scurvy most of the time.

Vitamin C is the primary building block of collagen. In fact, collagen is ascorbic acid dependent. Collagen makes up about one third of our bodies' protein. Collagen breakdown has been linked to rheumatoid arthritis, vascular problems (such as broken capillaries), and wrinkles. Sub-clinical levels of Vitamin C have been linked to leukemia as well.

Vitamin C in mega-doses has been used therapeutically for many types of disease states, most notably for cancer detox (intravenous). It is a well-known anti-oxidant, helps with wound healing and maintaining the immune system, provides energy, and helps to neutralize environmental toxins among other functions. Imagine what the other vitamins and minerals do, and the role they play in your body.

Supplementing with Vitamin C is recommended by many dieticians, nutritionists, and alternative health care practitioners. The reason? Because we cannot absorb the amount we need through food alone. While food - ideally organic, sprouted, fermented/cultured and raw - should be your primary source of "medicine," in the case of ascorbic acid your body cannot get all that it needs for optimum health through diet alone.

Fortunately there are many supplements that come from real vitamin C sources found in nature: kiwis, citrus fruits, guavas, rosehips, alma, acerola cherries, and camu-camu which - at 20% - has the highest natural amount of ascorbic acid found in nature so far. Many people now believe that taking natural vitamin C powder -- from real food sources -- works the best in terms of assimilation and absorption.

It is fairly common practice for people who raise livestock to supplement their cattle's feed with a multi-vitamin/multi-mineral formula. Every cattle rancher knows that costly disease is easily and highly preventable with the addition of cheap vitamin and mineral supplementation. They know it would be irrational not to take preventative measures to keep their livestock as healthy, and as profitable, as possible. Why is it then that many of us do not take the same, inexpensive measures to insure our own length and quality of life? Indeed why not, especially considering that we have the odds - which 99.9% of the animal kingdom does not -- stacked against us.

The RDA daily recommended allowance for Vitamin C is 60 mg for adults. Many health care professionals recommend 200 mg to 2000 mg per day as a preventative dose. Some practitioners recommend much higher doses - 10,000 mg to 25,000 mg or even higher - for serious disease conditions. Vitamin C at mega-doses is administered intravenously of course at an established medical office.

In 1988, The Surgeon General's Report on Nutrition and Health reported that 15 out of every 21 deaths (more than two-thirds) involve malnutrition. Conditions linked to malnutrition at least in part included: heart disease, atherosclerosis, stroke (43.8%), and cancer (22.4%). Overall, according to that report, 81.9% of deaths each year are due in part to malnutrition. With more than two-thirds of deaths in the U.S. potentially involving malnutrition, eating well and even investing in a multi-vitamin makes sense. At the very least, one should probably be taking Vitamin C in supplement form. Other recommended supplements include calcium, B vitamins, Vitamin E, and for some, extra iron and riboflavin (for expectant mothers).

Generally speaking, the more expensive, mid-range muti-vitamins you can find at a natural foods store are higher in quality and more therapuetic than your average grocery store variety. Many of the supplements sold in natural food stores have "food-based" vitamins, "cultured" vitamins, and even "raw food" vitamins and minerals that come exclusively from raw food sources. Many people love and report having more energy in addition to noticing overall health improvements.

Taking a good, absorbable source of ascorbic acid is worth the effort considering all the data. One type of ascorbic acid is Ester-C with added bioflavonoids. Ascorbic acid is theoretically more synergistically absorbed with bioflavonoids and even quercetin (like what's found in an apple). Many people in the alternative health community believe that vitamins and minerals work better together with their respective synergistic co-factors found in nature, than as isolated, individual supplements. Vitamin C in ascorbate form is supposed to be the best type of ascorbic acid, outside of all natural vitamin C sold as supplements in powders, tablets, and capsules.

be well,

The Holistic Coach

http://www.theholisticoach.com/

http://www.connektwell.com/

http://www.mynutritionstore.com/holisticoach

Top 5 Fitness Trends for 2010

Fitness is still hot. Though Americans are more overweight than ever, and obesity is on the rise (72 million of us are now considered obese), new ways to stay fit are more diverse than ever as well. Here are the top five trends for 2010:


1.Mind-Body Fitness
Pilates and yoga are here to stay. People are becoming more aware of the mind-body connection and how controlling stress influences health and fitness levels. Some other recent aerobic hybrids include Cy-Yo, a combination of cycling and yoga, YogaFit, a combination of yoga, strength training and core building, and Piloxing, a combination of Pilates and boxing. You can often find yoga at the gym as well as some of these other programs. You may have to pay a nominal additional fee to take something like Pilates, but it’s cheaper than taking it privately. In addition to stress reduction and core training, mind-body programs are great for adding flexibility, adding cardio, and building lean muscle mass depending on the program.


2.Core-Based Training
Strengthening the “core” is a central theme to many mind-body programs like yoga and Pilates, as well as some equipment like kettlebells and the balance ball. Balance balls and kettlebells are relatively cheap at around $30 for basic sets. The core consists of the abdominal, hip, and leg muscles. Having a strong core can help relieve and/or prevent back injuries. Another core-based specialty workout is dance. Dance classes naturally focus on the core, in addition to being a great source of cardio. All the rage right now are Zumba and Bollywood dance. Ballroom dance, Afro-Cuban, and hip-hop are popular as well. Dance classes are relatively cheap at $7 - $10 a class, and are a great overall workout as has been publicized by shows like “Dancing with the Stars.”


3.Activity-Based Video Games
With gaming as popular as it is, it’s no wonder that it has wandered into the realm of fitness as well.
Especially great for motivating kids to take an interest in fitness, technology-based exergames like Dance Dance Revolution and Wii Fit are all the rage. Exergaming is moderately priced from $40 - $200. Wii Fit offers balance and BMI testing, as well as 40 different activities such as strength training, aerobics, and even yoga. Blurring the lines between entertainment and exercise seems like a natural progression in the overall pattern of combining workouts and trends in the fitness industry.

4.Back To Basics
Many people are getting back to the basics and just walking outdoors and lifting free weights at home. People are realizing that fitness can be attained under any circumstances. These “budget-friendly” workouts can be to tied to another trend: functional fitness. The goal behind functional fitness is to prepare your body for real life situations. An example of this “bang for your buck” functional fitness trend again would be kettlebells. Here we have core training, and a whole body workout that covers many of the major muscle groups, and it conditions your body as well. It can be done from the comfort and affordability of your home. Populations like baby boomers are interested in working out more than ever. Although other trends like bootcamp at the gym are still very popular, baby boomers are looking for ways to incorporate fitness that will benefit them the most without breaking the bank. Functional fitness and going back to basics are two just ways that don’t necessarily require a gym membership.


5.Wellness Coaches/Online Personal Trainers
Along the lines of mind/body fitness, hiring a wellness coach is gaining ground. Wellness coaches support people’s efforts in fitness on all fronts including diet information and exercise motivation. Due to tough financial times, some people are opting to just browse online for information from personal trainers or wellness coaches as well. Although nothing beats having someone to talk you through those 6am treadmill runs. Another trend is to hire a group personal trainer to work with several individuals at once and share the cost. Hiring a coach or trainer varies, but the average rate is $50-$75 an hour. With an interest in mind-body workouts on the rise, hiring a wellness professional is a natural progression of connecting the dots between fitness and an overall healthy lifestyle.

be well,

The Holistic Coach