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Letter from Dr. Janson
Yoga -- More Than Stretching
The Scoop on SAMe
Maitake Mushroom Supports
Immunity
In the Health News
Recipe of the Month: An Autumn
Meal
Dear Friends,
I happened across a TV cooking show on Sunday
and was both entertained and saddened by what
I saw. Two extremely large women were demonstrating
the preparation of a ham.
I came in when they were patting a thick layer
of brown sugar on the top of this large chunk
of meat, covering every square inch with about
a one-inch thick layer. They used over a pound
of sugar, and then, with great delight, started
to pour, ever so carefully, a whole bottle of
Karo syrup on top of the brown sugar!
Naturally, when it came out of the oven they
could not resist grabbing their bites, adding
further to their already serious weight problems.
Americans do not need any education about how
to overload themselves with fatty meat and sugar,
and the combination was perfect if you wanted
to hear their arteries slam shut (they must
have cut that section when they edited the tape).
We all pay the price for health habits like
this, as health care costs and insurance rates
rise for all of us when others take such poor
care of themselves.
We need to encourage people to eat a healthful
diet, and the best way to teach is to set a
good example. I try to give you some simple
healthy recipes, but I don’t recommend sacrificing
pleasure for health–because you don’t have to!
If you want more guidelines to diet and healthy
cooking, send me a note or an Email, and I will
let you know what is available. I am collecting
some of my own cooking habits (I almost never
use recipes) that I will make available as a
monograph as soon as it is done.
My recommendations for health programs
include regular physical activity. While some
people with heart problems have difficulty exercising,
it is almost always beneficial. A recent study
showed that even people with congestive heart
failure benefit from a fitness program. In heart
failure, the heart muscle is damaged or weakened
(viruses and heart attacks can do this) and
it can’t pump efficiently, so blood accumulates
and fluid pressure leads to edema in the legs
or lungs. When the lungs fill up with fluid
it leads to shortness of breath.
In this study the patients, who averaged 64
years old, were put on a supervised exercise
program for 12 weeks, but they were not worked
to exhaustion–you don’t have to overdo it to
do it well. They worked out only three times
a week, and always within their physical abilities.
By the end of the study, their exercise capacity
had increased 14 percent, and respiratory muscle
endurance by 20 percent. While some participants
had heart arrhythmias, the overall experience
was improved performance and endurance, with
less shortness of breath and better ability
to go about their daily tasks.
In another exercise study, diabetic patients
improved with regular physical activity. After
a nine-month program of moderate exercise, the
participants had reduced abdominal fat, they
lost weight, had a lower insulin response to
a sugar load (of course, none of my readers
ever experience a sugar load!), and increased
their aerobic capacity.
Again, it did not require excessive effort.
At the beginning of the study, the subjects
only had to raise their heart rates to 50 to
60 percent of their reserve rate for 30 to 40
minutes, three or four times per week. As they
felt more fit, they raised their heart rates
to 80 to 85 percent of reserve, for 45 to 60
minutes. (The advantage of regular training
is that you can exercise more intensely without
feeling that it is more effort.)
The advantage of reduced insulin response may
prevent or lessen abnormal blood lipids, high
blood pressure, and atherosclerosis. In addition,
regular exercise improves immunity, memory,
and brain function, and lowers the risk of stroke.
It also makes you feel good.
Whenever I make exercise suggestions, I also
recommend stretching as a complementary fitness
activity. However, specific training in yoga,
which includes breathing and relaxation components,
has benefits that go beyond stretching. When
I was running long distances, yoga therapy helped
me to heal minor but pesky injuries, such as
pulled hamstrings and plantar fasciitis (inflammation
of the connective tissue on the sole of the
foot.
Although yoga may bring up images of ancient-looking
Indian men lying on a bed of nails, it is not
a religious cult or a gimmicky way to reach
Nirvana. It is an age-old practice of breathing
combined with body positions and movements that
promotes health, fitness, peace of mind, and
spiritual growth, without any particular religious
affiliation (even though it is derived from
Hindu practice). It is practiced world wide
by people from many walks of life.
Scientific research supports the health benefits
of yoga for cardiac rehabilitation programs
(when combined with diet and other exercises),
high blood pressure (for which it can be as
effective as medication), depression, arthritis,
asthma, healing injuries, and carpal tunnel
syndrome. Asthma patients are able to reduce
their need for medication when they practice
yoga regularly.
One of my favorite yoga exercises is called
the “rainbow.” Sitting erect or standing with
hands by your sides, gradually stretch your
hands out to your sides in wide arcs with your
palms up and fingers outstretched as far away
from your body as is comfortable. Do this while
breathing in for a count of ten until your fingertips
meet over your head, and you have inhaled fully.
Then slowly lower your hands in the same arc,
to a count of 30, while breathing out slowly
until your hands are by your sides and you have
fully exhaled.
Do several rainbows to help open up the chest
and abdomen, stretch the spine, shoulders and
neck, and encourage better posture, deep breathing,
and relaxation, all with little expenditure
of time.
Many books and videos can help you get started,
or you might want a teacher either in a group
or individually (this is especially important
if you are recovering from an injury).
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Many of you have heard of this dietary supplement,
but you may wonder if all the hype is justified.
SAMe stands for S-adenosyl methionine, a derivative
of the amino acid methionine that is essential
in some metabolic pathways that rely on methyl
transfer (methyl is a carbon atom and three
hydrogens).
Methyl transfer is a critical reaction in liver
function, and the brain. SAMe also contains
sulfur, and is involved in reactions requiring
sulfur transfer for detoxification. SAMe is
converted to glutathione, an important antioxidant
in the liver and brain. As a result of these
properties, SAMe protects the liver from toxicity
and free-radical damage, and it can treat depression.
It also contributes to the formation and repair
of cartilage, and can relieve arthritis symptoms.
Aging of cells is partly the result of
loss of methyl groups. SAMe supports DNA repair
through re-methylation, helping to reverse or
slow the aging process in the brain, liver,
and other tissues.
Production of melatonin (a brain and liver
antioxidant that helps slow and reverse the
aging process) also depends on methylation.
SAMe is as effective as antidepressant
medication, with more rapid relief and fewer
side effects. In one placebo-controlled study
of 80 depressed postmenopausal women, 1600 mg
daily produced relief within ten days, with
only mild, transient side effects. Smaller doses
are also effective, ranging from 400 to 1200
mg daily.
Another controlled study on 15 hospitalized
psychiatric patients with major depression showed
that SAMe was safe and effective, with rapid
onset of activity, and few side effects.
Arthritis studies show similar effectiveness
for SAMe. It is safer than the NSAID drugs,
such as Advil and Naprosyn, which can cause
gastrointestinal bleeding. It relieves symptoms
and stimulates the repair of joint cartilage.In
one study, it was as effective as indomethacin,
a drug that can cause GI bleeding, and damages
the liver and kidneys. In contrast, SAMe helps
the liver. It supports its detoxification functions,
can treat cirrhosis, and reduce fatty infiltration
of the liver.
SAMe may also be useful in the prevention
of Alzheimer’s disease and the treatment of
fibromyalgia. Because SAMe is relatively expensive,
I usually recommend starting treatment for arthritis
or depression with 200 mg twice a day, moving
up from there, if necessary. For fibromyalgia,
sometimes doses as high as 1200 to 1600 mg are
needed. SAMe works better when taken with extra
folate, B6, and B12.
Other treatments for depression, such as 5-HTP
and St. John’s wort, are less expensive, as
is glucosamine sulfate for arthritis. However,
some people respond better to different treatments,
so if these don’t work for you, you should consider
SAMe as an alternative.
For liver disease, such as cirrhosis, hepatitis,
or alcohol induced liver damage, SAMe works
with silymarin and L-glutamine. L-glutamine
is precursor of the antioxidant glutathione.
I have recently started recommending supplements
of maitake mushroom to help enhance immunity,
especially for cancer patients. Medicinal mushrooms
have a long history of health benefit, and I
have written about beta 1-3 glucan, a derivative
of shiitake mushroom, in a previous edition.
Studies show that maitake extract reduces the
spread of cancer, and increases tolerance of
other treatments. It increases the activity
of macrophages, natural killer cells, and certain
T-cells. This would help destroy cells infected
with pathogens such as viruses and prevent tumor
recurrence.
Dr. Harry Preuss, a researcher at Georgetown
University, has shown that maitake can help
lower blood pressure and control diabetes in
animal models. Typical doses of maitake range
from 500 to 1000 mg twice a day of whole mushroom.
•In an animal study, feeding a diet high in
fat and sugar, simulating the American diet,
induced hypertension. Within 18 months, the
animals in the fat-sugar group became hypertensive
on this diet, compared to the control group
on a low fat, complex carboyhdrate diet. The
test diet leads to increased levels of oxygen
free radicals, inactivating nitric oxide, and
leading to restricted blood flow. Interestingly,
after two years, reverting to the low-fat, complex
carbohydrate diet reversed the hypertension,
meaning it is never too late to improve your
diet.
• A full 80 percent of elderly patients on
blood pressure medication can safely come off
their drugs if they follow a lifestyle change
with diet change (low salt) and weight loss.
(Espeland MA, Arch Fam Med 1999 May-Jun;8(3):228-36)
The extent of the weight loss and salt restriction
were directly proportional to the success in
staying off medication, and the combination
was better than individual changes. Add fruits,
vegetables, and whole grains to your diet, exercise
regularly, and do some yoga for the best chance
to be successful.
• I reported in the last issue that whole
grains reduce the risk of type II diabetes,
and the same authors now report that whole grains
also significantly reduce the risk of stroke
(Liu S, et al., JAMA 2000;284:1534-1540). The
risk was lowered by 30 to 40 percent in the
group with the highest intake of whole grains
compared to those with the lowest. This information
is in accord with most of the data collected
over the past 40 years. Refined grains (mainly
white flour), however, are still as risky as
ever.
Nothing quite matches a hearty soup in November,
and a pressure cooker or crock pot makes it
easy (the pressure cooker also makes it quick).
I put in two kinds of soaked beans (pinto and
black-eyed peas are favorites), plus lots of
onions, garlic, celery, carrots, herbs (thyme,
rosemary, and cayenne, for examples), and a
green vegetable–Swiss chard goes well in soup.
When soaking the beans, after 6 to 8 hours
discard the soaking water to reduce any intestinal
gas that beans may cause in some people. A serving
of this soup with some whole grain toast makes
a complete meal, is hearty and delicious. Make
enough for leftovers– you won’t have to cook
every day. |
