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> " HSI - Jenny Thompson "

> <HSIResearch

 

> Positions of Power

> Tue, 31 Aug 2004 08:13:44 -0400

>

> Positions of Power

>

> Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

>

> August 31, 2004

>

>

************************************************************

>

> Dear Reader,

>

> I never tried yoga until recently when I began

> taking hatha yoga

> classes to address some back and neck problems.

> " Hatha yoga " has

> become a sort of generic term used to describe the

> series of physical

> positions that provide gentle stretching and

> exercise.

>

> I've only had about four yoga sessions, but already

> the pain has been

> reduced, and I've also been feeling a little more

> energized. So when I

> came across a study that examined the effects of

> yoga on fatigue and

> mood among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, I was

> intrigued, because

> the management of MS symptoms has been an important

> focus at HSI for

> several years.

>

> And also – let's face it – just about everyone can

> use a boost in the

> mood and fatigue departments.

>

>

---------------------------

>

> Goodbye, fatigue

>

---------------------------

>

>

> In a recent issue of the journal Neurology,

> researchers in the

> Department of Neurology at Oregon Health & Science

> University reported

> on a study in which 57 MS patients were divided into

> three groups:

>

> * One group attended a weekly class in Iyengar yoga;

> a type of yoga

> that emphasizes increased flexibility and strength

> by correcting body

> alignment and posture

>

> * One group received aerobic exercise on stationary

> bicycles in a

> weekly exercise class

>

> * One group didn't participate in a formal exercise

> program

>

> Both before and after a six month trial period,

> researchers used

> " cognitive measures " to assess the subjects'

> attention, alertness,

> mood, anxiety level, fatigue and health-related

> quality of life.

>

> The Oregon team found no clear changes in mood,

> attention or alertness

> in any of the three groups. But both of the two

> exercise groups

> reported a significant improvement in energy and

> relief of fatigue,

> compared to the non-exercising group.

>

>

---------------------------

>

> Help from the head

>

---------------------------

>

>

> I can't help but think that mood and other cognitive

> factors might

> have improved in the Neurology study if the sessions

> had been two or

> more times each week instead of only one, because

> previous research

> has clearly shown that exercise can help relieve

> depression.

>

> In the March 2002 issue of Real Health

> Breakthroughs, William Campbell

> Douglass, M.D., wrote about a New York doctor -

> Reuven Sandyk, M.D.,

> M.Sc. - who believes that many MS problems may be

> associated with

> calcification of the pineal gland, which contains

> the brain's highest

> concentration of serotonin, the neurotransmitter

> that helps regulate

> our sense of wellbeing. Dr. Sandyk theorizes that

> the pineal

> calcification may contribute to MS symptoms such as

> fatigue,

> depression, sleep disorders and carbohydrate

> craving.

>

> In addition to exercise, Dr. Sandyk recommends these

> natural ways to

> prompt the body to produce more serotonin:

>

> * Try to spend a few minutes in the sun each day.

> Even twenty minutes

> may make a big difference.

>

> * Increase your intake of food sources of

> L-tryptophan, an essential

> amino acid that is a precursor of serotonin. These

> foods include raw

> milk, sunflower seeds, bananas, turkey, nuts, and

> corn.

>

> * Supplements that may promote the production of

> serotonin include

> biotin, magnesium, and vitamins B-1, B- 3, B-6 and

> B-12.

>

>

---------------------------

>

> On the bounce

>

---------------------------

>

>

> Unfortunately, patients with advanced MS may be too

> incapacitated to

> exercise. For some of them, rebounding may provide

> an alternative.

>

> In " This week in the HSI Forum " (2/14/04), I told

> you about a Forum

> thread titled " Multiple Sclerosis " that contained a

> posting from a

> member named Oldbob regarding a keynote speaker at

> his local annual MS

> society meeting. Oldbob writes: " Amongst other

> things, he was

> expounding on the benefits of 'therapeutic' or

> gentle rebounding. I

> tried it at a booth the manufacturer had set up. The

> immediate benefit

> for me was in my lower spine which hurts due to

> sitting around for

> most of the time. "

>

> A member named Leppert posted follow up comments,

> explaining that a

> rebounder is a mini-trampoline, and she added, " I

> have equilibrium

> problems so use a security bar that I hang on to

> when I gently bounce.

> Even though I don't exercise vigorously...it does

> get my pulse rate

> up. "

>

> In addition to MS patients, people with arthritis,

> diabetes, heart

> disease and chronic fatigue may benefit from the

> light aerobic

> activity provided by rebounding. And for that

> matter, all of these

> conditions might be relieved to some extent through

> yoga as well.

>

> If you've tried yoga and experienced obvious health

> benefits, please

> send along an e-mail and I'll share details with HSI

> members in a

> future e-Alert.

>

>

************************************************************

 

>

> ...and another thing

>

> Can carbohydrate intake actually raise breast cancer

> risk?

>

> That's what the headlines and TV sound bites claimed

> earlier this

> month. But before you back up the meat truck and

> swear off all carbs,

> there's a little detail hidden in the small print

> that makes all the

> difference.

>

> As reported in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers &

> Prevention, Harvard

> researchers, working with a team of researchers in

> Mexico, interviewed

> 475 women who had been recently diagnosed with

> breast cancer. Another

> group of nearly 1,400 healthy women of the same age

> range (20 to 75)

> were also interviewed to gather dietary data and

> information on breast

> cancer risk factors.

>

> When the statistics from the two groups were

> analyzed, researchers

> found a significant association between breast

> cancer risk and the

> highest carbohydrate intake. And that's the

> information that made

> headlines. As usual the finer points get lost when

> the basic

> information is shoved out in the mainstream for

> quick consumption.

>

> What the sound bites failed to mention was this

> important detail:

> " Among carbohydrate components, the strongest

> associations were

> observed for sucrose and fructose. "

>

> So the elevated risk was actually associated with

> the highest intake

> of the worst type of carbs: refined simple

> carbohydrates (such as

> pastry, soft drinks, cookies, etc.). In fact, women

> who had the

> highest intake of insoluble fiber (such as fruits,

> vegetables and

> whole grains) had a slightly decreased risk of

> breast cancer.

>

> The effects of a diet that contains large amounts of

> refined simple

> carbs can be devastating. In the e-Alert " Complex

> Made Simple "

> (6/23/04), HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D.,

> explained that refining

> removes nutrients required for the metabolism of the

> sugar. Without

> those nutrients, " Your body must draw from body

> stores of nutrients to

> metabolize the sugar. And draw it will. Once those

> stores are

> overtaxed, disease sets in, or at least undesirable

> symptoms that hit

> wherever your body's weakest link happens to be.

> This removal of

> nutrients is the key to our demise, in my opinion. "

>

> As we've observed before, carbohydrate consumption

> is not necessarily

> unhealthy, but keeping your intake of refined simple

> carbs to a

> minimum is one of the best health choices you can

> make.

>

> To Your Good Health,

>

> Jenny Thompson

> Health Sciences Institute

>

>

************************************************************

>

> Sources:

>

> " Randomized Controlled Trial of Yoga and Exercise in

> Multiple

> Sclerosis " Neurology, Vol. 62, No. 11, 6/8/04,

> ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

> " Carbohydrates and the Risk of Breast Cancer among

> Mexican Women "

> Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, Vol.

> 13, August 2004,

> cebp.aacrjournals.org

> " Study Links High Carbohydrate Intake with Breast

> Cancer " Natural

> Products Industry Insider, 8/6/04,

> naturalproductsinsider.com

> " REAL Hope for MS: Simple Steps to Treat and Even

> Prevent This Dreaded

> Disease " William Campbell Douglass, M.D., Real

> Health Breakthroughs,

> March 2002, realhealthnews.com

>

> Copyright ©1997-2004 by www.hsibaltimore.com,

> L.L.C. The e-Alert may

> not be posted on commercial sites without written

> permission.

>

>

************************************************************

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