Month of September, 2009

• 9-28-2009
  
  Question:

  How does chocolate consumption affect my blood pressure?

  Show this answer | Hide this answer
  Show this answer | Hide this answer

  Are you a chocolate lover like us? Well, here's a reason to feel good about that cocoa indulgence - studies have suggested that dark chocolate can help to lower blood pressure and may even reduce the risk of heart disease. The cocoa in chocolate contains plant chemicals known as polyphenols which seem to relax blood vessels. The problem with chocolate however is that it can really pack on the calories; the doses used in previous studies have been somewhat high (about 100 gm per day) and the studies have lasted for 2 weeks or less; it hasn't been clear if positive change is sustained over time. It's also not clear how chocolate exerts its protective effect. So here's the good news: a German study published last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at the impact of dark chocolate consumption on blood pressure over 4.5 months in a group of 44 adults with hypertension and pre-hypertension. Participants were randomized to receive either 6.3 grams of dark chocolate every evening after dinner (about 30 calories), or a similar amount of white chocolate without polyphenols. The researchers measured not only blood pressure, but also a substance in the blood called nitric oxide, which is a powerful blood vessel relaxer. By the end of the study, those folks getting the dark chocolate had small but sustained reductions in their blood pressure; they also had higher levels of nitric oxide in their blood, which was felt to account for the lowered blood pressure. The percentage of people with hypertension dropped from 86% to 68%. Another dietary intervention, the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), which emphasizes 8-10 servings of fruits and veggies per day, plus low-fat protein foods and reduced sodium intake, can significantly lower blood pressure. Exercising daily, maintaining a healthy weight, and avoiding heavy alcohol consumption will all keep your blood pressure healthy, too. Take home message here? Combine your fruits and veggies with a little dark chocolate, add regular exercise, toss in some weight loss, and Presto! You're on your way to normal blood pressure! It can be hard for a lot of folks to maintain many of these lifestyle measures that we encourage, but hey, how hard is it to eat a little chocolate everyday? While we don't advocate limiting your healthy habits to just chocolate, and we certainly don't want you to load up on chocolate desserts that also pile on the sugar, fat, and calories, you can probably feel good about including a nugget of good quality dark chocolate in your daily health regimen.

• 9-21-2009
  
  Question:

  I am a patient in my mid fifties who has found that my sex drive has really gone down. I had a lot of back pain for a couple of years, but am better now that I have had surgery to correct this. Prior to surgery, my husband of 17 years and I had a very active sex life (a few times a week). Now I have absolutely no libido. Do you have any suggestions on how to bring back my sex drive?

  Show this answer | Hide this answer
  Show this answer | Hide this answer

  There are many factors at play for women with a dropping libido, and thus there is not a single correct answer for this problem. But given your history, here are a few things you may want to consider: Given your age, chances are that sometime in the last few years your sex hormone levels have dropped from menopause, leading to a drop in your sex drive. You have also been in pain from your orthopedic problem, and have spent time recuperating from surgery. This has also impacted your sexual functioning. It may be challenging to have intercourse when you are in pain or can't move in certain positions. And finally, you have not had intimacy with your husband, and thus, may find it hard to reestablish an intimate bond after not having had it present for a while. What should you do? Begin by re-kindling your emotional intimacy. Reconnect as intimate partners- reprioritize date night as a weekly item on your calendar. Are there any physical barriers to intimacy? If so, start working on them. If your back, hips or knees are in pain, you can consider physical therapy to help regain mobility and strength. Your joints may benefit from anti-inflammatory medicines or foods, or you may need to look at other pain control options if your pain is severe. If you are having vaginal dryness from menopause, then hormone therapy with estrogen can be very useful. While long-term safety data are lacking, many women also benefit from a trial of low dose testosterone to try and jump start the libido. Physical therapy to address your pelvic floor strength can also be quite useful. These are good topics to bring up with your physician. As we age, orgasm is often harder to achieve; vibrators and other sex toys can be quite useful to help maintain sexual satisfaction. And remember that the mind has a lot to do with libido, so check out romantic/erotic books, movies, etc to help put you in the mood. And finally, challenge your limitations! Don't think, "I have lost my sexuality, and it is gone forever". Instead, your mantra should be "I will work on becoming even more vibrant with every year of my life". Remember that our health intention is a self-fulfilling prophecy, which tends to predict what unfolds in our life. Of note, please feel free to join Dr Max and Dr Kay and Sutter Integrative Medicine in a free community lecture- "Stayin' Alive! Maintaining an Active and Intimate Sex Life At Every Stage of Your Life" on Tuesday June 16 th from 6:30 to 8:00 pm at the Sutter Cancer Center. Please call (916)-733-8757 for more details.

• 9-14-2009
  
  Question:

  I feel like I have been sick a lot over the last year or so, for one reason or another. How do I start getting back to feeling healthy again?

  Show this answer | Hide this answer
  Show this answer | Hide this answer

  It is not unusual to have periods of ones life where we feel sick all the time, and feel like our body is "out of balance". And we find that during those periods of time where we are out of balance, we have one illness after another- like colds, back pains, headaches, etc. Sometimes stepping back and seeing where we are out of balance is the best start to reclaiming good health. The mind-body pioneer Dr Herbert Benson describes health as a three-legged stool. One leg of the stool is surgery, the other medication, and the oft-ignored third leg is self-care. Self-care could include lifestyle, nutrition, and cognitive techniques for behavior modification. Unfortunately, in modern medicine, we focus of the first two aspects of fixing illness- medicine and surgeries, and focus very little on self-care. Ayurvedic medicine- the science of medicine that originated in India 6,000 years ago, describes good health as something we are all born with. Our individual natural state of good health is termed Prakruti- we are all born healthy. Somewhere along the way, we get out of balance, and get ill. This state of illness that is caused by being out of balance is called Vikruti. The way to good health, then, in Ayurvedic medicine, is not to fix what is broken. Instead, illness is treated by regaining the natural healthy balance of our bodies. Dr Herbert Benson and others, in modern times, call this concept "remembered wellness"- which is the good health and vitality that we were all born with. So, in times that you find that you are getting sick frequently, you may want to focus on what is out of balance in your life. Are you stressed? Are you not getting enough sleep? Is your diet heavy on rich, processed foods? Are you unhappy with your job, your relationship, your finances? Are you getting too little exercise? Are you overwhelmed by too much to do? If so, when you pinpoint the part of your life that may be contributing to your ill health, incorporate the third leg of the stool- self-care, into your healing process. You may commit to losing 10 pounds, joining a gym, eating healthy food, sleeping more, or saying "no" to what you can't do. You may find ways to relieve your stress, or ways to cope with the stress that you can't change. You may decide to seek counseling for problematic issues in your life that seem insurmountable or unresolvable. And in balancing your life, you may find your remembered wellness, and lasting good health.

• 9-7-2009
  
  Question: The raw food diet has recently come under the media spotlight- but does it work?
  Show this answer | Hide this answer
  Show this answer | Hide this answer

  The answer is not clear; there are strong opinions- both pro and con- regarding the health benefits of the raw food diet. The raw food diet is one that is based on the principle that eating unprocessed or uncooked foods is good for ones health. To follow a raw food diet, one must have at least 75% of ones food from uncooked food, or food that has not been heated above 115 degrees F. A raw food diet may include animal meat, or may be further limited to a raw vegan diet, which includes only raw fruits and vegetables, and no meat or other animal products. People who follow a raw food diet eat uncooked foods; these can be eaten raw or prepared through juicing, blending, dehydrating, sprouting or soaking. Food choices in a raw food diet can include: dried fruits and nuts, bean sprouts, soaked rice, juiced fruits and vegetables, lentils and coconut milk. What are possible benefits of a raw food diet? Eating a raw food diet limits unhealthy dietary choices. Processed foods, packaged foods and cooked meats can be high in hydrogenated fats, chemical preservatives and sodium. Caloric intake is greatly decreased in a raw food diet, and may lead to weight loss (A heaping plate of pasta has a lot more calories than a plate of bean sprouts!). Studies have shown that raw food diets can lead to improvement in LDL cholesterol levels and triglyceride levels and can help obesity. So in the short run, a raw food diet can certainly lead to weight loss and healthier eating habits. However, in the long run, a raw food diet can be restrictive and time- consuming for the average person. Other potential problems with a raw food diet are that it may lead to certain nutritional deficiencies such as calcium, vitamin B12 and vitamin D, iron, zinc and protein. Furthermore, studies have also shown that raw food diets may lead to decreased bone mass. Children and pregnant women, and those with osteoporosis should generally avoid a raw food diet. Advice for the average reader? It is always a great idea to limit your intake of saturated animal fats, these are linked to heart disease, diabetes and stroke. And cooked carbs are a source of extra calories for many people- so decreasing your intake of pasta, bread, rice and potatoes is a great idea. Finally, increment your daily servings of fruits and vegetables to 7-10 a day- the USDA amount. You may not be following the raw food diet, but you will certainly be on the road to good health!