Mother Earth (ME)

HEALTH

getting fit

Lose Weight While Watching Television

Sure, you can use commercial breaks for quick trips to the fridge. But those fifteen-plus minutes of ad time per hour are a great opportunity to burn calories. The moves below require no special equipment, just the floor space in front of your TV.

by Janis Graham

ANGLED LUNGES Step your right foot forward between your hands and bring your left heel to the ground at a 45-degree angle. Be sure your right knee is directly above your foot. Extend your right hand to the outside of your right foot and lift your left arm over your left ear. Stand up straight and repeat 3 times with each foot leading.

motherearth getting fit

LEG LIFT Lie on your back and extend both legs at a 90-degree angle.

Rest your arms at your sides with palms face down. As you exhale slowly lower your right foot until it is six inches above the ground. Hold for a moment and bring your right foot up while simultaneously lowering your left. Repeat five times.

These poses help strengthen your core, legs, and buttox. Not to mention doing routine exercise also helps your hand-eye coordination and balance.

SIDE SQUAT From position 1, bring your hands to your hips. Roll your weight to the right and reach your arms out to the sides.

Bring your right forearm to your right thigh. Return to the center position and repeat, this time bringing your left arm to your left thigh. Repeat two to three times on each side.

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motherearth health

STRESS & YOUR HEALTH it’s not just about being happier

by Marcelle Pick

If there is one thing that almost all of my patients — young and old — have in common, it’s stress. There’s no denying that we live in a stressful world. From daily time pressures, to the stress of a toxic environment, it can sometimes seem like we’re swimming in a pool of stress and gasping for air. Along with the more obvious stressors, emotional stress — stress from the stories of our lives — often goes unnoticed, and can sit at the root of many health issues.

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The sad truth is that stress is probably the most signifi-

Let’s start by looking at the different kinds of stress. Short-term or

cant contributor to disease — and it is the most dif-

acute stress is the kind of stress we feel when we’re rushed to finish

ficult to treat. The World Health Organization estimates

something, can’t find a parking spot, or get pulled over by a police

that by the year 2020, psychological and stress-related

officer. Thankfully, this kind of stress isn’t permanent. It comes and

disorders will be the second leading cause of disabili-

goes with the threat. But you might recognize some of the physical

ties in the world. It’s fascinating to me that something

symptoms listed in the table on page ???? when this type of stress

which can be perceived in our

falls on you.

minds can have that kind of

Long-term or chronic stress, is stress that

effect on our physiology. But if

stays with us for months or sometimes

we look at the science, it makes perfect sense.

Stress — real or perceived, acute or chronic — affects your health. It changes hormonal pathways and the way neurotransmitters relay information. If these disruptions remain

The World Health Organization estimates that by the year 2020, psychological and stress-related disorders will be the second leading cause of disabilities in the world.

ongoing, there are serious implications for your body. The good news is, it’s never too late to do something about stress.

years. In my patients I’ve found that chronic stress can be strongly associated with our life stories — whether it be traumatic events from childhood or events that have affected us as adults, emotional stress plays a large role in the ongoing stress that can lead to disease.

In both acute and chronic stress, the power of the mind-body connection is clear. What we perceive as a stressful or dangerous situation — whether it truly is

dangerous or not — has implications in the body. For example, if

Part of what makes stress so difficult to treat is that

you’re standing in the street and you think you hear a truck coming,

what’s stressful for me and what’s stressful for you

your body physically prepares you to move out of the way, even if

can be entirely different. And we often need to dig a

the sound is something else entirely. Likewise, our past emotional

little deeper than simply attending a stress management

experiences can color the way we see current situations. If your

workshop or trying to get to yoga once a week. Let’s

father had a volatile temper that scared you as a child, you will likely

take a closer look at this hidden health hazard, on the

feel scared as an adult when a boss, a husband, or some other male

surface and deeper, so you can work on maintaining

authority figure gets angry, even when that anger isn’t directed at

your overall health — and youth — by reducing stress.

you. So the stress we feel as children can repeat itself and have a lasting effect on how we think and experience life as adults.

motherearth health

SHORT-TERM SYMPTOMS OF STRESS

And there is no doubt that chronic stress affects many systems in the body. To list just a few: We now know that psychological stress disrupts blood sugar metabolism and can lead to diabetes. Chronic

• • • • • • • • • •

Increased breathing Increased heart rate Increased blood pressure Decreased digestion Irritability Fuzzy thinking Decreased memory Sleep disturbances Muscle tension/soreness Poor eating habits

stress also affects the immune system, increasing our risks for autoimmuneregulated disorders like allergies, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and hypothyroidism.

Studies done in 2006 revealed increased cardiovascular disease with ongoing stress.

Being under stress can also influence our perception of pain, sometimes dulling it and sometimes heightening it (again, much of the way we perceive both stress and pain depends on our histories ), as

LONG-TERM SYMPTOMS OF STRESS • • • • • • • • • •

Chronic headache Mood swings Anxiety disorder Substance abuse Memory disturbances Heart attack Stroke Weight loss Irritable bowel disease Sleeplessness

well as altering our neurotransmitters, often reorganizing the way we think and sometimes leading to anxiety disorders and depression.

On top of ev-

Stress makes it more likely for women to suffer from age-related diseases earlier.

erything else, stress can age our individual cells, making it more likely for us to suffer from age-relat-

ed diseases earlier. In a study done on 58 healthy women, both real and perceived stress were shown to increase oxidative stress and cellular aging.

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The science behind stress So how can stress lead to so many health problems? When

Eventually, if the stress response is turned on for years,

the brain perceives stress, the hypothalamus secretes hormone

your adrenal glands become increasingly fatigued. Women

messenger molecules that in turn direct the pituitary gland to

who come to see me with adrenal fatigue tell me they can’t

release a second type of molecule which then stimulates the

even get out of bed in the morning. They sit in a chair

adrenal glands to release cortisol and catecholamines. These

and can’t get up, or they literally fall asleep mid-sentence.

hormones then shift the body’s resources to deal with the

The state of adrenal fatigue is of concern because it leaves

stressor at hand.

the body unprepared for a more serious event, such as a

This response originally evolved to protect us from harm. If we were being chased by a predator or caught beneath a falling tree, the body could protect itself by shifting into “fight or

car accident, major injury, or even major surgery, where cortisol drops precipitously to such a degree that it can be life-threatening (adrenal exhaustion).

flight” mode. Cortisol is released from the adrenal glands and

There are many ways to support your adrenal glands that

causes our hearts to beat faster and our breathing to increase.

will give you better physical and emotional health. The

The body is shifting blood, oxygen and an energy supply to

most powerful way to relieve your adrenal glands and

the skeletal muscles and heart, and away from the digestive

protect your body from the negative effects of high cortisol

and reproductive organs. Problems arise when this response

is through understanding the root causes of your stress. I

is chronically turned on at a low level. When the body has

know this is not an easy fix! But when we truly understand

increased amounts of cortisol circulating in the blood for pro-

where it’s coming from, we can work our way around it.

longed periods, it can lead to health problems.

motherearth health

Where Does Stress Come From?

In my experience, this is the most im-

If you’re wondering how to start examin-

While emotional or psychological

portant question we can ask ourselves,

ing your own stress roots, it might be

stress plays a large part in our health,

and many times the answer lies in our

helpful to take a look at the work being

we can’t forget that there are toxic en-

stories. Long-term stress can develop

done at McGill University’s Centre for

vironmental stresses that your body is

from experiences we endured as children

Studies on Human Stress. Building on

dealing with as well. Pesticides, heavy

that manifest themselves as emotional

research dating back to the 1960’s, Dr.

metals, processed foods, prescription

stress in the body. Over 17,000 people

Sonia Lupien, director of the center, has

medications — all of these put strain

were enrolled to assess the link between

come up with a “recipe” for stress which

on your body and contribute to its

emotional experience and health. The

can be remembered by the acronym

stress load. You can read more about

study found that those who had experi-

NUTS. The letters stand for Novelty,

these physical forms of stress and

enced an adverse event as a child were

Unpredictability, Threat to the ego, and

some ways you can counter them in

between four and 50 times more likely to

Sense of loss of control. Each of these sit-

our articles on detoxification.

have adverse health conditions or disease

uations lead to physical stress in the body,

as an adult. Yet there are still practitio-

and the more of them you encounter, the

ners today who discount the impact our

more hyperactivated your body’s stress

emotional lives have as primary stressors

response becomes. But you can learn

on the physical body.

(or be taught) to recognize when you’re responding to one or any combination of these “ingredients,” redirect yourself, and stop yourself from “going NUTS.” This acronym works for both short-term stress and long-term stress, real threats or perceived ones.

Stress can develop from experiences we endured as children.

Women and stress As women, many of us have a maternal nurturing response that often puts us in positions where we are trying to care for everyone but ourselves. And some scientists believe this instinct strengthens during times of stress. This behavior stems from women’s evolutionary instincts to protect themselves and their offspring during threatening situations. Forming groups and social networks — known as the “tend and befriend” instinct — proved beneficial to survival of the species in counterbalancing the acute “fight or flight” response.

Modern society doesn’t do us any favors by adding an increasing amount of responsibilities to a woman’s role. We worked so hard to be “liberated,” but the reality for many women is that now we’re just expected to do everything! We simply can’t do it all. My colleagues and I learned first-hand that taking care of ourselves was essential before we could help anyone else.

We have to learn to set up boundaries for the sake of our own health and learn the benefits of simply saying no.

From my own experience and that of my patients, I’ve learned that untying the knots at the root of chronic stress offers us longlasting physical and psychological benefits.

But understand that this is a highly individualized process. To truly get at the root of what is stressing you out takes a lot of self-exploration and soul-searching. And I

We have to learn to set up boundaries for the sake of our own health and learn the benefits of simply saying no.

can tell you, no two women have the same experience in resolving stress.

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Discover home comforts Too many of us don’t wind down during our downtime-if we manage to find any downtime at all. We feel like we’re doing the “right” thing only when we’re crossing tasks off our to-do list. But that doesn’t allow any time to focus on ourselves, which is key to health and happiness. You deserve a place alone to rest, plan, read, dream, journal, or think, to turn off daily stress and just be you-not the mom-you or the wifeyou, but the you you. And creating that haven doesn’t have to take a lot of time, money, or even space. Claim a corner in the living room, a nook in the attic, or a spot in the bathroom and follow these nine simple steps for a sanctuary. “Spending time there-even 15 minutes-is about experiencing the pleasure that this just-for-you space gives,” says designer Rachel Ashwell, author of Shabby Chic Interiors. “Truly appreciate everything you put into your space and the moments you spend there will be your favorite parts of every day.”

We feel like we’re doing the “right” thing only when we’re crossing tasks off our to-do list.

motherearth health

Giving yourself a private personal place is the best form of selfishness.

Love your light Natural light really is best. Find a window in your home you can build your space around.

Then put dimmer switches on overhead fixtures and lamps. And light candles for a warm glow-even in the daylight.

Perfume the air lightly Avoid distracting scents, like very sweet smells or potent floral fragrances. Instead, seek our calming jasmine, invigorating ginger, or a scent laced with hints of inviting vanilla.

Tuck away cell phones, BlackBerries, and iPhones “There’s no room for technological intrusions,” Falk says. Create the right quite with soft music to camouflage unavoidable outside sounds and help you relax into your respite.

Snack in style Taking a little something to nibble on in your room? “Serve yourself on a proper place,” Ashwell says. Grabbing paper or plastic is forgivable for lunch on the go, but real dinnerware reminds you to savor the food in the same way you’re relishing in-and respecting-these moments alone.

Gray is the true neutral color. Its energy imparts lack of movement, emotion, warmth and identifying characteristics. Because of this, gray can be restful. Gray can have a cooling effect when placed next to other more vibrant colors. It has a stabilizing effect, making vibrant colors stand out while muting their vibration.

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Decorate the space Fill a creative space with beautiful things that inspire you: books, snapshots, quotes, ads, letters, a small collection you love. No room for a bulletin board? String up a clothes line (tie knots at each end and loop around hooks or nails in the wall), then clip up all of your musings.

Color you mood Think about your space’s purpose. Shades of violet, indigo, and green soothe, while vibrant hues such as red, orange, yellow, and blue energize. And gray is a neutral that works anywhere, since it’s both grounding and calming.

Let order right “This isn’t a storage room,” Monk Kidd says. “Clutter can stymie

When you can sit and train your mind not to race, it's completely renewing.

relaxation and creativity.” Make sure to take a quick moment to order the space after each escape so it’ll be inviting when you next return.

Add a touch of luxury Choose the softest throw, the coziest rug, or the plushest towels you can find. (These indulgences don’t have to cost a bundlehead to your local mass retailer.)

Enjoy-Often.

“It’s simply important to show up,” Falk explains. “Drop by as much as you can, and you’ll begin to see that this outer space will do wonders for your inner space.”

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Reducing stress with the basics?

These options diminish the immediate symptoms of stress. They can also help quiet your HPA axis, lessening the negative effects of cortisol on your body. Here are some basic measures you can adopt as you begin

About your health

on your path to stress reduction:

Taking steps today to reduce stress in

Start with quality nutrition Caring for your body by eating three balanced meals and two quality snacks each day is one basic way to lessen the stress burden on your body. Cortisol is released when your blood sugar is low, so it’s best to keep your body well fueled with colorful fruits and vegetables, sources of protein, and high-quality fats.

Fill in nutritional gaps Taking medical-grade supplements provides your body with all the nutrients and micronutrients it needs to carry out optimal cellular function.

than finding happiness and peace — it means you are preventing disease and preserving your health and longevity.

With the incidence of stress-related illness and lost years of lives increasing every decade, we absolutely have to take stress seriously. Stress is a reality in our lives, but we don’t have to let it overpower us or prevent us from being our true selves.

I know from experience that taking time and energy to resolve or lessen the stress in your life isn’t easy. But if you do the work, I promise you will regain your sense of perspective and recover

Explore relaxation practices.

your health and wellness. As noted

Acupuncture, reiki therapy, yoga,

lecturer and author Dr. Joan Borysenko

meditation and massage are just

says, “We can’t find the ligvvht in our

some of the many wonderful mind–

lives until we’ve gone back through the

body methods for reducing stress

darkness....” I encourage you to find

and tonifying the nervous system.

your inner light.

Don’t ever feel guilty about scheduling time in for relaxation — it’s fundamental to balance, whether that’s in your stress hormones or your life as a whole!

motherearth health

your life has implications even greater

Learn to kick off your shoes and enjoy the simple pleasures in life.

So thin you will barely notice, but someone else will.

With every box you buy, a program called "Protecting Futures" will donate Always disposable sanitary pads to girls in southern Africa in hopes of keeping African girls in school.

HEALTH

medical truths

Home Health Tests

They are fast and private, but do they work?

by Janis Graham

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Urinary tract infection (UTI) test: How they work: you pee onto a test strip that tells you if your urine contains nitrates, protein, and/or white blood cells. If it does, your symptoms of burning during urination may indicate a UTI. Kits such as AZO Test Strips and Consumers Choice Systems UTI Home Screening Test cost about $10.

His and Her Fertility Screening What the experts say: How they work:

You could use a test to confirm an

The Fertell Couples Fertility Test ($99) includes both male

infection, then call your doctor, who

and female fertility tests. Your guy produces a semen sample

might be willing to call in a prescription

into a collection container, which measures the concentration

remedy, says Rabin. “But if you also

of “motile” sperm-a marker of sperm health. You pee onto a

have back pain, chills, or a fever, it

testing stick on the third day of your period to reveal your levels

could be a kidney infection, which can

of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), an indicator of your

lead to permanent kidney damage, so

ability to produce viable eggs.

head straigt to the doctor.”

What the experts say: Infertility is a complex problem that isn't amenable to quick analysis, says Lee P. Shulman, M.D., a professor of ob/gyn at the Northwestern University Fineberg School of Medicine in Chicago. For example, shape, size, volume, and speed are equally important factors in sperm health. And a single check of FSH doesn't reliably tell you whether you have a healthy egg supply. If your results are normal, you may be lulled into false assurance. And if the test indicates trouble, the results would need to be double-checked by a doctor. “This just adds one more costly step to the expensive process of infertility testing,” says Shulman.

motherearth medical truths

Cholesterol tests How they work:

What the experts say:

Kits such as CholesTrak or Home

The more affordable tests don’t provide enough information

Acess (both under $15 per test) use a

to be useful. “You really need to know the breakdown of the

drop of blood to determine your total

different types of cholesterol to accurately assess your heart

cholesterol level. CardioChek (over $100)

risk,” says Stanley L. Hazen, M.D., Ph.D., head of preventive

also measures high-density lipoprotein

cardiology and cardiac rehabilitation at the Cleveland Clinic

(“good”) cholesterol and triglycerides

Foundation. And CardioChek, which does give more precise

(bad fat in your blood.) With these

information, can be tricky to perform correctly. What’s more,

numbers, you can estimate low-density

healthy adults under age 50 need a cholesterol test only every

lipoprotein (“bad”) cholesterol.

five years, says Hazen. He recommends relying on a lab test, and then reviewing the results with your doctor.

Vaginal yeast infection test How they work:

What the experts say:

You either wear a panty liner that has an embedded test

“Everything that itches is not a yeast

strip (Fem-V, $8) or briefly insert a wand into your vagina

infection, and these products can help

(Vagisil Screening Kit, $8.50). Both tests work by measuring

determine what your problem is,” says

the pH of you vaginal descharge: If levels are in the normal

Jill Maura Rabin, M.D., an associate

range, your symptoms of vaginal itching and abnormal

professor of ob/gyn at Alber Einstein

discharge may signal a yeast infection, which can be safely

College of Medicine in Bronx, NY.

treated with an over-the-counter medication, such as Monistat. If pH levels are elevated, symptoms may be due to bacterial vaginosis or parasitic infection, which can lead to infertility if left untreated.

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HEALTH

tranquility

Meditation Eliminate stress, anger, and more

By Beverly Lee

Scientific Findings About How Meditation Works Meditation gives many health improvments for all types of ail-

Other hormones that increase during meditation include the

ments and diseases, both physical and psychological. Some of the

natural painkiller endorphins; the antioxidant sleep-aid mela-

positive effects of meditation include stress reduction, increased

tonin; seratonin which influences happiness, headaches and

feelings of inner peace and great joy, improved personal and

anxiety; growth hormone HGH which also protects against

professional relationships, original creative ideas, and reduction

muscle loss, obesity, and brittle bones; and GABA (gamma

of the biological aging processes by about ten years.

aminobutyric acid), which relieves mood disorders and can

Levels of the healthy hormones, including the anti-aging hormone DHEA, (dehydroepiandrosterone) produced by the adrenal glands greatly increases during meditation.

Dehydroepiandrosterone is released while in the delta brainwave

eliminate many addictions.

Meditation also reduces levels of cortisol and adrenaline hormones that are associated with increased risks of heart attacks, strokes, and pulmonary

Meditation has been shown to be an important part of prevention and cure of diseases.

state of 4-8 cps (cycles

state of thought happens in the beta range at 14-16 cps and the relaxed typical state of alpha is in the range of 8-13 cps.

meditation can add protection to individuals and decrease health care costs.

Blood clotting problems

per second), and thus is rarely increased unless through deep meditation. The ordinary

embolisms. The use of

also affects the ability of cancer to metastasize and can cause other cancer complications. These serious health risks need to be monitored by a physician. Regular check ups with a physician, and medita-

Dehydroepiandrosterone is significantly decreased in the body by

tion and healthy dietary habits and exercise can ensure that all

about age 30 and continues decreasing with age. If an individual

aspects of maintaining health are addressed.

has some serious illness, such as immune system problems, some cancers, illnesses such as osteoporosis, etc, DHEA levels will be extremely low regardless of age. Just as the systemic levels of oxygen and alkalinity are low in individuals with serious diseases and high in healthy individuals, low or high DHEA levels also reveal immune function and physiological age.

Meditation does take some time, but after the basic getting used to, it can be practiced anywhere. Silent meditation, which is taught by the Foundation of Human Understanding, can easily be used anywhere, even with eyes open. Considering meditation is such a flexible activity and reduction of stress can be achieved in as little as about twenty minutes, meditation becomes a very valuable aid to improving every aspect of life.

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