Myintegrativehealth Blog – Adrenal Fatigue – Natural Hormone Therapy – Thyroid Dysfunction – Pain Relief – Digestive Health

Could something you take every day disrupt your sex life?  Absolutely! Medications are one of the most common libido killers.   When these meds are prescribed or taken over-the-counter, most people don’t consider how they might affect us outside of the condition they are targeting.  We usually just want symptom relief and blame our low sex drive on stress, a bad mood and even our partner.  And while these are all important pieces of the puzzle, do not overlook the drugs that you take every day.

According to a report from the Institute for Healthcare Informatics, the top ten most prescribed drugs are:

Wow!  6 out of 10 of the most prescribed medicines decreases libido in men and women!

So which ones are the culprits?  Let’s start with the cholesterol-lowering medication Zocor.  This class of drug also includes two of the top 10 selling drugs:  Lipitor and Crestor.  Cholesterol is the backbone of all our hormones; therefore it makes sense that anything that lowers cholesterol will lower our hormone production.  A 2010 study showed men prescribed statin drugs had lower testosterone levels and erectile dysfunction.   Testosterone is required for sexual arousal so anything that inhibits it will likely reduce your sex drive.

Opiate analgesics such as hydrocodone, oxycontin, and codeine have been shown to lower testosterone and are linked to erectile dysfunction in men.  Blood pressure medications such as Lisinopril, Norvasc and Hydrochlorothiazine (HCTZ) are notorious for causing erectile dysfunction in men.   Metoprolol is another commonly used anti-hypertensives linked to a decreased interest in sex.

Serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain, is manipulated by a class of drugs called SSRIs.  These are commonly used to treat anxiety and depression.  Serotonin is responsible for regulating sexual behaviors such as erection, orgasm and ejaculation.  However, high serotonin levels will decrease sex drive.  A common side effect of SSRIs, which        are designed to increase serotonin levels, is decreased libido.

In addition to these commonly prescribed meds, over the counter medicines like antihistamines such as Benadryl can disrupt your sex life.  Just as antihistamines dry up allergy-induced sinus congestion, they dry up or decrease vaginal lubrication thereby decreasing sexual interest and pleasure.

Birth control pills cause a drop of in a woman’s libido.  They increase the production of a protein called sex hormone binding globulin.  This protein binds to hormones but has an affinity for testosterone.  When testosterone binds to this protein, the body cannot use it.  Ironically, even though many women take birth control for the freedom to have sex without getting pregnant, the pill actually lowers a woman’s interest in having sex.

This list is just the tip of the iceberg.  Unfortunately there is a very long list of drugs that disrupt your libido.  If you think your meds may be affecting your sex life, please talk to your doctor.  Never just stop taking a medicine because you don’t like the side effects.  Your doctor may be able to switch you to a different medication or help you make lifestyle changes that allow you to withdraw from the drug under supervision.

Mention the phrase “food allergies” and most of us imagine those poor kiddos who get near a peanut butter sandwich only to have massive swelling around the eyes and throat, followed by difficulty breathing and hives.  The constellation of these symptoms make up what’s known as an anaphylactic reaction which, unfortunately, has become more and more frequent in the general population over recent years.  In fact, some newer studies suggest that approximately 3-8% of Americans run the risk of anaphylaxis when exposed to any number of foods, although tree nuts, milk and shellfish are at the top of the anaphylactic list.

Even more, we are seeing a less severe variation of these dangerous food allergies, called “allergy sensitivities” that don’t typically cause life-threatening symptoms, but can still be quite uncomfortable nonetheless.  If you have symptoms like indigestion, gastritis, eczema, asthma, celiac disease, arthritis, and even depression, anxiety, and chronic fatigue, it could be a result of a “food sensitivity.”  Additional reports suggest that at least 60% of Americans suffer from symptoms due to adverse food reactions as a result of food sensitivities.

Food allergies/sensitivities may be a reaction to a protein, a starch, a contaminant found in the food (e.g., pesticide residues) or a food additive (e.g., colorings, preservatives, flavor enhancers, etc).  Once the body decides it’s uneasy with a food, a complex cascade of events takes place that can result in either a life-threatening situation (anaphylaxis) or simply the aforementioned unpleasant symptoms.

Driving this reaction is the immune system’s production of multiple types of antibodies.  For example, during an anaphylaxis response, IgE antibodies are produced within two hours of exposure.  These antibodies then bind to specific cells called mast cells and basophils which release their inner contents–histamine.  This is why an anti-histamine, like Benadryl or Quercetin, is often prescribed for allergies.

Yet, it’s the more delayed allergic response found in food sensitivities, one that can take up to 72-hours after exposure, that causes the aforementioned “uncomfortable” symptoms.  This response is usually driven by IgG antibodies and although it can stimulate the release of some histamine, it usually recruits many more players of the immune system, further complicating the reaction in the body.

Studies suggest that dairy, wheat and eggs are the three biggest sources of food sensitivities in people.  How is this determined?  In the past, the skin prick test was used where small amounts of foods were injected into the skin either on the back or forearm.  Now a simple blood test does away with this antiquated test.  These blood tests can measure for both IgG and IgE antibodies and help guide you and your provider in a direction for food avoidance, which is the mainstay of treatment.

So if you suffer from indigestion, asthma, eczema, etc., simply avoiding problematic foods could be your ticket to feeling well.  In addition to elimination, I recommend rotation of food families (e.g., veggies, fruits, meats, etc.) along with assisting the body with its normal digestive processes through the use of pancreatic and stomach enzymes.  Probiotics can be quite helpful as well.

Living in fear of foods because of their potential to make us sick is unnecessary when you recognize there are easy ways to identify possible sources of food allergies/sensitivities.  Combined with practical and realistic interventions you can take to calm the reaction and subsequent symptoms, you can alleviate a multitude of health conditions.

There is a scary new disease identified as ‘Orthorexia Nervosa’.  It is a somewhat tongue-in-cheek attack on the elaborate web of food rules we find ourselves trapped in.  ‘Ortho’ refers to right or correct.  The ‘rexia’ is of course taken from anorexia, meaning suppressed appetite.  Interestingly the origin of anorexia is the same origin as the term rack, meaning to straighten.  We straighten our arms when we reach, therefore reaching became tied to appetite as in reaching for food.

Over the years I’ve heard so many versions of what to avoid.  If I avoided every food that I’ve ever been told to I would literally have nothing left except perhaps a few types of lettuce.  Oh, wait, the Chinese medical texts do recommend against raw vegetables.  OK, so cooked romaine.  That would get old fast.   We have to eat something.

Many current researchers and public health experts are realizing that telling someone not to eat something bad may be less productive than encouraging them to eat something good.  The best things to go out of our way to eat are the foods that give us the greatest benefits (number of important nutrients) for the least harm (calories).

Several authors have embraced the term ‘superfoods’ to describe certain foods that are especially high in nutrients and low in calories.  Although there is no formal list, some of the superfoods are tastier and more readily available than others.

Variety is certainly important in the diet, but with modern foods the idea of variety is misleading.  Rotating your morning Pop Tarts between cinnamon and cherry does not count as variety.  If you are talking about foods as great as the superfoods, don’t be afraid to find a few favorites and eat them everyday!

So why don’t we eat well?  The biggest concern I hear is that people don’t have time.  Between my family, practicing medicine, training and writing, believe me, I understand about time constraints.

The problem is that many have an idea of shopping daily and making every dish from scratch.  Mind you it’s a blast to spend a few hours puttering around in the kitchen, but that is not realistic for our workdays.  Bear in mind that anything you eat from wherever you get it will take some time.  If all of your meals are drive throughs, heaven forbid, you’ll still be spending at least 15 minutes per day just waiting in line.

Below are my top 20 easy to find superfoods.  Stay with me and I’ll show you how you can get most of these in a day with under 15 minutes of work, I promise!

1. Spinach
2. Broccoli
3. Blueberries
4. Carrots
5. Edamame
6. Black beans
7. Tomatoes
8. Turmeric
9. Grass-fed beef
10. Salmon
11. Mushrooms
12. Celery
13. Walnuts
14. Almonds
15. Greek yogurt
16. Avocado
17. Green tea
18. Pomegranate
19. Steel cut oats
20. Brown rice

When you wake up, make a 5 a day drink.  If you haven’t tried it yet, here’s the

videoon how to do it.    So far we’ve invested 3 minutes.

For breakfast, warm some pre-cooked steel cut oats from Sprouts or Whole Foods, just 1/4 cup if you’re watching your weight, add a dollop of non-fat plain Greek yogurt, some blueberries and a few almonds.  Now is also a good time for a cup of green or white tea.

So, 2 minutes to warm oatmeal and assemble, our tally is at 5 minutes.

Before you leave for work, pour together a nice salad.  Shop right and you’ll have zero prep work to do.

Mix into a large bowl:

• Washed spinach leaves
• 2-3 ounces smoked salmon
• Sliced mushrooms
• Prepped pomegranate seeds (you can now buy these already cleaned and separated!)
• Broccoli florets
• Black beans, canned – rinsed
• Walnuts, small handful
• 1 – 2 tbsp natural guacamole

The guacamole also works as a ‘dressing’ and flavoring for the salad.  This whole process should not take more than 2 minutes so we’re at 7 minutes.

For dinner, sauté some lean grass fed ground beef, add in Thai curry paste (Turmeric and lots of great flavor).  Stir in your favorite frozen mixed vegetable blend and serve over pre-cooked brown rice.  Have 1/4 cup of rice only if you’re watching your weight.  Allow 5 minutes for this and we’re at 12 minutes of cooking for the whole day and we ate every single superfood!  How awesome is that!

I recently had the pleasure of enjoying an afternoon at the  Musical Instrument Museum  in Phoenix.  If you haven’t made it to the museum yet, I encourage you to do so.  Not only can it be a great way to get out of the summer heat, but you can hear some fantastic music and get an impressive cross-cultural experience.  There’s also a large “hands on” department where kids and adults alike can try for themselves a myriad of unique instruments from around the world.  There’s no other museum in the world with the approach the MIM is taking, and we’re lucky enough to have it in our own backyard.

During my recent visit, one particularly striking feature about the MIM is how quiet the whole place is.  You would expect a musical museum boasting over 10,000 instruments to be quite the cacophony but, in fact, it’s easy to confuse the building as a library.  They achieve this feat through personal headphones that guests wear and, as you approach each exhibit, a sample of music from the displayed instrument is played wirelessly to your own headphones.  Walk away, the music fades out and you’re once again brought back to the silence of the museum.

The whole experience got me thinking about the concept of listening.  I have the honor everyday of listening to my patient’s stories, and I take for granted the listening requirement that my profession entails.  The concept of “conscious listening creates understanding” consistently comes up in the research done in the field of effective listening.  It made me wonder if there are ways to improve our abilities to consciously listen, especially in an ever-increasingly noisy world around us.

Most data suggest that we spend 60% of our time listening but only 25% of that information is retained.  We are simply exposed to so much information that it’s impossible to remember it all and, unfortunately, our listening abilities have been deteriorating over time.  More specifically, with the capacity to record our thoughts in the form of written words or recorded sounds, we can “listen or read it later,” thereby removing the need to pay attention now.  We’re also more impatient, looking for ever-shorter and shorter sound-bytes to summarize ideas.

Yet, there is hope!  I challenge you to take the following three simple steps for the next 30 days and you’ll be on your way to becoming a more conscious listener.  First, take three minutes a day in complete silence (or as close as you can get it).  There are excellent studies demonstrating that as little as three minutes in complete silence actually “recalibrates” your ears and their ability to filter out the noise.  It’s a little like hitting the “reset” button when there is so much stimulation that the brain is overwhelmed.

Next, most of our environments are a complex mixture of sounds, even the seemingly most peaceful ones.  Take for example a city park: children playing, people talking, birds chirping, nearby traffic, etc.  Just try and focus on “one channel” of sound.  In our park example, focus on just the birds.  How many are there?  Where are they?  Try to eliminate all the other background noise.  You’ll be amazed at the subtleties you’ll hear and your ability to truly focus on what’s important in other situations.

Finally, when listening to others, the acronym RASA (Receive, Appreciate, Summarize and Ask) can be a highly effective tool.  In other words, “receive” the words being said to you.  Then “appreciate” what’s being said by saying things like, “uh-huh” and “I see.”  By “summarizing” what was just said, not only do you get a better understanding of what was actually said, the person you’re talking to will truly recognize your ability to listen.  Along that same line, “asking” further questions can solidify your listening experience and create true conscious listening.

The ability to hear is one of our greatest senses but truly listening takes practice.  Use the next 30 days to improve your listening skills and not only will you see improvements in your relationships, but also in your outlook of the world around you.

By now most of you have read or heard directly from me about my bicycle crash two weeks ago.  I’ve been overwhelmed by the deluge of positive thoughts, emails, cards and well-wishes from everyone.  For those of you who missed the story, I shattered my collarbone into six pieces two weeks ago following a crash during a Saturday century ride.  This photo is right after the crash as my ride-mates loaded my broken bike into the car before my ER visit.  Thirteen screws later, the bone is back into one “piece” and the pain is improving everyday.  With my doctor/patient roles reversed and this being my first broken bone and surgical procedure, it’s been an emotionally eye-opening educational experience for me.  The constant pain and the mental lows lead to my inability to perform my daily work and home responsibilities requiring major adjustments.  No fun.

Yet with the help of my wife, I made some powerful insights that have been invaluable to me and, I believe, to my future practice with my patients.  Maintaining good physical and mental strength through a medical challenge can be, well, challenging.  But with all my down time (I felt like I visited every website ever created) I was able to pour over the research and I think I’ve discovered three approaches that seem to apply to nearly anyone with any difficult medical situation.  If you can implement these three tenets, you should be able to overcome most challenges.  They are:  1) keep moving, 2) monitor your daily progress, and 3) design a healthy environment.

There’s a lot to consider in those three tenets and that last one may sound intimidating, but I promise, they’re all very simple.  First, keep moving.  Our bodies are designed to stay in motion.  In no other time during our history as humans on this planet have we been able to survive through our daily routines with so little physical movement.  From desk jobs to nearly limitless access to goods and services, we physically work much less than we should.  Most studies suggest as little as 30-minutes of dedicated briskly-paced walking can do the trick although upwards of 60-minutes a day is even better.  Even with my busted shoulder, I made it a point to keep moving with walks around the neighborhood to waist-deep plunges in the pool.  Make it a point to move around and your body will thank you for it.

Next, monitoring daily progress.  With half of 2011 already over, you too might see how easy it is to let the days slip by without recognizing both positive and negative changes you make to your lifestyle.  There is nothing more powerful than frequently tracking your progress throughout each day in order to take control of your lifestyle.  I constantly recommend to patients “Diet Diaries,” or writing down everything you eat and drink, along with fitness achievements.  Studies have shown time and time again that this simple approach is more effective than any other strategy at evaluating and modifying basic lifestyle behaviors. With my collarbone, I measured the angles surrounding my shoulder’s range of motion daily, along with slow but daily additions of gentle strengthening exercises.  Sprinkle on multiple cryosauna applications and my surgeon, during a recent follow-up visit, couldn’t believe my progress in two short weeks.

Third, create an environment that is conducive to better health. Surround yourself with positive influences like people who have healthy lifestyles–studies show it will motivate you to do the same.  Think of it as a healthy dose of peer pressure.  Also, build into your daily routine healthy food choices at home and work that are readily accessible. More specifically, if healthy food choices are not easily available at home, when you’re hungry, your concept of what’s healthy quickly becomes skewed.  In addition, when it comes to a healthy diet, use smaller plates (which decreases portion-sizes), serve yourself a healthy portion and then store left overs before eating.  One last strategy I discovered is to consider eating in front of a mirror, which seems weird, I know, but a great German study last year showed it dramatically decreased the amount of calories test subjects ate.  You have incredible control over the environment in which you live.  Take the time to make it conducive to better health.

Finally, after doing all that you can to implement the first three tenets, be sure to be kind to yourself.  Don’t be hard on yourself if you have a tough day and “fall off the wagon.”  Studies show that the stress hormones released as a result of this added pressure on yourself is much more harmful than simply moving back to your healthy baseline. Life isn’t about being perfect.  Do the best you can, strive for your best, but allow yourself to recover from expected and unexpected setbacks.  On the day of my crash I was in great physical shape through great strides I had made during my training.  Instantly I was forced to “slow things down” and quickly have lost my physical stamina.  But, by taking proactive and preventative steps now, including the above ideas, my recovery has been relatively quick.

A major health issue can very quickly derail you from a healthy lifestyle.  But by following the above three tenets, you can regain control of your health, your surrounding environment and treat yourself better than you ever have before.

Over the last two weeks I’ve witnessed, and been a part of, a group of the first 100 people in our office who have experienced our cryosauna.  We’ve discussed this revolutionary new piece of equipment in our office during past newsletters and explained the profound effect it can have on improving your metabolism, burning calories, heal sore joints and calm down inflammation.  During this short period of time I have seen patients have less pain, improved mood and better athletic performance.  Personally, this past weekend I rode my bike up Mount Lemmon in Tuscon and have found the cryosauna to significantly improve my recovery time.  Bottom line, the therapeutic effects are impressive.

Let’s start with a small example.  I’m willing to bet you can’t look at this picture of my new 11-week-old daughter, Julia, and not smile.  Universally people are happier at the sight of babies, but the effect isn’t one way.  You might have noticed that babies smile quite a bit themselves.  In fact there have been multiple 3-D ultrasound studies that show smiling babies while still in the womb.  Their smiling, however, continues almost involuntarily during the first few months of life while they are sleeping.  Even more profound is the study of blind babies who smile upon hearing their mother’s voice.  It seems like a simple act, but smiling has powerful effects that can be appreciated even at the very start of life.

It’s smiling’s long-term effects that are even more surprising. Two studies found smiling to improve overall success in life and even lifespan.  The first study, done at the University of California Berkley in the 1950s, was a 30-year longitudinal examination of a group of students’ photos in the school’s yearbook.  By studying the “amount” of smiling in one yearbook picture and after following students for 30 years, researchers were able to predict with amazing accuracy how fulfilling and long-lasting their marriage would be and how inspiring they would be towards others–a strong leadership trait. The other study, done in 2010, looked at pre-1950 baseball cards and found that those with the widest smile “span” also had the longest lifespan (72 years vs. 80 years).

The trouble, unfortunately, is that only about 1/3 of people smile more than 20 times a day, meaning the vast majority of people smile much less, except for one group of people.  Younger people, that is.  Children can smile up to 400 times a day!  This exaggerated amount of smiling, you might not be surprised to know, reduces stress-inducing hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, can increase endorphins and reduce blood pressure. In fact, a 2008 British study showed that one smile can generate the same amount of brain stimulation as eating 2,000 bars of chocolate.

Saying smiling is good for you is a little like saying exercise, good food and clean water will improve your health.  It seems obvious.  But numerous studies suggest that faking a smile actually does more harm than good.  The positive thoughts behind that smile are just as important as the act of smiling itself.

So don’t be surprised the next time you come in the office and see us all smiling–we’ve known for years that smiling is good for you and we love to spread that happiness.  I hope this article helped you think about your happiness but most importantly, I hope it helped you smile.

“I will never understand all the good that a simple smile can accomplish.”  Mother Teresa