November 12, 2008 - In this Issue

Antioxidants Found to Reduce Infections and Save Lives of Trauma Patients
by Terry A Grossman, MD

A recent study was completed at Vanderbilt and presented at the annual meeting of American College of Surgeons' Clinical Congress. 4,279 patients admitted to the Vanderbilt trauma center from October 2005 through September 2006 were selected to receive either antioxidants or placebo. The antioxidant patients got 1,000 mg of vitamin C and 1,000 IU of alpha-tocopherol three times a day and 200 mcg of intravenous selenium per day for up to one week.

Significant improvements were found in the antioxidant group:

• Respiratory failure decreased 76%

• Overall infections fell 18%

• Surgical site infections fell 52%

It also appeared that the sickest patients experienced the greatest benefits. The Vanderbilt researchers also found that the high-dose antioxidant protocol resulted in a 28% reduction in mortality and that patients’ time spent in both the hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) were reduced.

Objections to the study are that it was only a retrospective review of patient records and thus not as reliable as a randomized, placebo-controlled trial and cannot prove causality. Nonetheless, these results are very exciting as the possibility exists that some of the sickest patients in our hospitals can be helped by a safe, inexpensive intervention. The cost of the antioxidants was $11 per patient.

This study is also important since it will alert other physicians to the potential benefits of antioxidant supplementation with more studies being performed at additional centers.

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Cold and Flu Season Survival Guide
by Karen Kurtak L.Ac. Dipl.Ac.

One advantage to having practiced nutrition and Chinese Medicine for over ten years is that I’ve had the opportunity to see first-hand what works and what doesn’t work for the illnesses that can penetrate our bodies during the colder months.

We must keep in mind that all aspects of our bodies are constantly changing. A perfect example of this is when we look the fluctuations in the numbers of our various immune system’s blood cells when we are fighting an infection. There is always a trade off. When neutrophils become elevated in response to a bacterial infection, lymphocytes, white blood cells, which help us to fight viruses, almost always decrease. When fighting a virus the numbers flip flop.

Despite beliefs that go back over three millennia, science has consistently failed to produce solid evidence showing that there is any connection between cold weather and catching a cold. However, we do know that when the body experiences stress ,the ensuing recovery period results in a lowering of many of the body’s normal functions including the immune system. All the other mammals naturally respond to the stress recovery period by resting. Dogs will often increase their sleep significantly for up to three days after a stress response. One of our challenges as human beings is to allow our bodies to do what they need to do. This is usually overridden by our active minds and our constant sense that we have to keep going. It’s important to note that it is not during the stressful period that we get sick. The stress is there to help us survive that crucial time. It’s always the drop afterwards. This is the time that we need to take appropriate measures to care for ourselves.

We often associate stress with more psychological aspects such as work, conflict, deadlines, family problems, etc. Other significant sources of stress are more physical. These include not getting sufficient sleep, skipping meals (which by the way, induces a fairly significant stress response), over exercising, becoming overheated or dehydrated and yes, getting chilled.

Traditional Chinese Medicine teaches that cold invades the body from the back of the neck resulting in a cold. From a scientific approach, the neck has the more surface area exposed to the outside relative to most other parts of the body. Exposing the neck to chilly conditions can quickly cause the body to have to initiate a response to maintain its desired temperature. Energy has to be focused on re-warming the body and thus, less energy is devoted to other functions like the immune system. People with compromised immune systems will swear that if they get chilled they will develop a cold or worse.

Here are some basic guidelines to follow that will help to maintain balance with the body’s energies and serve to keep the immune system strong during the colder months.

• Focusing more on warm food and drink and avoiding iced drinks and ice cream

• Herbs such as ginger, fennel and cinnamon are very warming and beneficial for winter

• Wear a scarf and hat and always take care to not become chilled

• If you become chilled, take appropriate measure to counteract it by taking a warm bath or shower or sitting by a heater.

• Get at least eight hours of sleep each night (there’s plenty of darkness to go around)

• If you become stressed, take some extra time to rest and let your nervous system and immune system recover in the following days. Maybe skip some of your weekend activities to simply rest and be.

What To Do If You Become Ill

In the Beginning: If you pay attention, at the very onset of a cold, you will often become chilled. If you can manage to induce a sweat during this very small window of opportunity, you can often escape unscathed and ready to enjoy the following day. The best way to do this is to take a hot bath, drink tea or broth with ginger, garlic and scallions and then bundle up in bed until you break a sweat.

Once you are in the grips:

• Vitamin C really does stimulate several aspects of the immune system. When you are sick it is best to take it to bowel tolerance – this means take as much vitamin C as you can tolerate without inducing diarrhea. Take 1000 mg every one to two hours unless loose stools develop. Then back off until the next day and repeat. Note that this alone may not solve your problem but it is one aspect of stimulating the immune system.

• Vitamin A has the benefit of helping to keep the lining of the lungs and sinuses intact so that infection cannot penetrate past it. It also helps to stimulate the immune system. We recommend a short course of 30,000 IU per day for up to 7 days or until the infection has subsided. If you have any liver problems do not take vitamin A without consulting your health care practitioner.

• Yin Qiao is a Chinese herbal combination that works quite well in the earlier stages of infection, especially if there is a sore throat. Once the illness has developed into more cough and phlegm, this remedy is less effective.

• Homotoxicology to the rescue – one of the remedies I’ve been most impressed with is a combination of homeopathic preparations made from penicillin. These remedies, taken together are called Notatum and Quentans made by San Pharma. The most effective way to use these is via rectal suppository overnight. Since most men aren’t willing to utilize this delivery method, these are also available in pill for as well, but they aren’t quite as effective. Note that you can wake up with a bit of a headache the next day after using these.

The combination of the above recommendations will eliminate most colds and flu within a day or two. However, as mentioned earlier, once a cough with yellow mucus develops, these are much less effective.

Dietary Guidelines: While you are sick it is imperative to avoid all sugary foods including fruit juice and to avoid all dairy products.

 

Keeping the Wintertime Blues Away
by Lolita Hanks, F-NP

According to American Academy of Family Physicians, approximately half a million people experience seasonal affective disorder (SAD) in America. This is a seasonal depression occurring during the winter months and is attributed to a decrease in intensity and availability of sunlight.

Symptoms of SAD are similar to those of depression which can include: change in appetite/weight, decrease in energy level, fatigue, difficulty falling asleep or oversleeping, difficulty concentrating, irritability and anxiety, and/or avoidance of social situations and a loss of interest in the activities you used to enjoy. What distinguishes SAD from clinical depression is a strong craving for sweets/carbohydrates which may bring a temporary increase in energy but, ultimately continues the cycle of craving sugar as well as unwanted weight gain. If you have any feelings, thoughts or ideas of committing suicide seek immediate medical attention.

There are many different types of depression. They each are treated different. A few of the more common types are: situational, clinical or dysthymic. Situational depression is related to stressful life experiences. Clinical or major depression is a medical illness that affects a person’s day to day functioning. Dysthymic depression involves symptoms of depression lasting at least two months at a time over a two year period. Frequently depression is the result of hormonal/neurotransmitter imbalance and/or poor dietary choices.

Treatment plans can vary. Some things that are helpful for anyone with depression include: light therapy (utilizing a light box during winter time), B complex vitamins, exercise, avoiding sugar, learn to relax, reduce stress, get outdoors and help someone in need and/or a gratitude journal (writing down what you are grateful for). Ways we can help are supplementation, nutritional support, acupuncture, balancing hormones and/or neurotransmitters.

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Stay Active During Winter Months
by Diane Henry, Personal Trainer

With the weather being in the 70s in November here in Denver, it’s hard to believe winter is just around the corner. If you have a tendency to put on a few extra pounds in the winter you’re not alone. Many people find that their weight fluctuates with the seasons. The cold weather offers lots of excuses to skip workouts and stay inside in your home where it’s warm. However this can result in a sluggish metabolism. Additionally, the lack of fresh fruit and vegetables may leave you snacking on leftover holiday cookies instead and now that we have pushed our clocks back an hour, there is less daylight and even more inclination to hibernate. The key to keeping the pounds off in the winter is realizing what causes you to put them on in the first place, so you can change your behavior and avoid the winter weight.

Our ancestors welcomed extra body weight in the winter time to keep warm and now those same genes cause our bodies to work against us. When we are trying to lose weight, our survival instincts kick in and make it harder to lose the extra weight, but there are other factors that play into it as well. In the winter we tend to wear heavier clothing, bulkier sweaters and long pants. It’s easy to camouflage behind clothing like this and worry about the weight gain come next spring. The weather is also a big factor, not only do cold mornings cause us to put off our trips to the gym, they also cause us to jump in our cars and drive somewhere rather than walk, and we are more apt to sit on the couch rather than go out doors in the cold. The common foods of winter don’t help either. Most of us eat hearty comfort foods, rather than light foods of summer and most fresh fruit and vegetables aren’t available, which leaves us reaching for foods that aren’t necessarily healthy.

There are three key elements to avoiding winter weight. They involve giving your mental status a boost, staying physically active and picking out the right foods to control your appetite. It’s easy to keep our minds energized in the summer with all the bright colors and sunshine, but in the winter with the cold and the snow, it’s easy to fall into a lull. So we eat lots of carbohydrates and comfort food, which makes us feel better, but does little for our waistline. Even though it’s cold outside, most of the time the sun is still shining. A little sunshine will increase serotonin in our brains and even just a quick walk can boost your mood and help with weight loss.

It’s easier to stay active in the summer with all the out door activities, however in the winter we need to make more of an effort. Try snowshoeing or cross-country skiing or just a walk around the lake. Join a gym; it’s a good way to try new exercises. Ride an exercise bike or walk on a treadmill. Water aerobics is fun, or maybe laps in the pool. Just keep moving and keep your metabolism revved up. If you are less active, than your calories need to be less.

Try being creative with your winter food choices. The winter months have lots of vegetable choices that you may not typically choose, but be adventurous, try new recipes like winter squash soup, or vegetable stew but avoid loading up on bread which usually tastes so good with comfort food.

Summer weight loss comes much easier to most of us, so in the winter we really need to make a plan to stay active. The bottom line is we just have to work harder in the winter…but when it comes to your health, it is definitely worth it.

 

Winter Skin Care
by Paula Florez, MA, Medical Esthetician

Now that summer has past and winter is upon us, we must not lose focus of our skin care regimen. The cold, wind and the dry air from Mother Nature and our heating systems can ZAPP the moisture from our skin, leaving it dry, chapping, cracking and sometimes very irritated. Our skin is just as vulnerable to sun damage in the winter as it is in the summer months. Here are a few tips to help maintain a winter skin care regimen.

• It is important to remember to put on sun block. Use a moisturizer with a SPF15 or a powder/foundation with a SPF 15. Don’t forget about your lips; use a lip balm with a sunscreen. If you’re going to be on the slopes or any other winter outdoor activity, remember to use a sun block with a higher SPF of at least 30.

• Be cautious in the winter if using any of the Retinol, alpha hydroxy, beta acids. Be extra dedicated to applying sun block.

• Use more oil based products. Such as, almond oil, grape seed oil, avocado oil and primrose oils, these are non-clogging and add an extra layer of protection to the skin.

• Avoid long hot showers and baths which tend to dry out our skin.

• Apply moisturizer as soon as you get out of the shower while your skin is still damp. Use lotions that are heavier and that have humectants, hyaluronic acids in them to hold in the moisture.

• Let’s not forget about our feet. We need to exfoliate the rough dry calluses; this will help with the absorption of the heavier foot cream that is needed to ensure the prevention of winter feet (dry cracking heels).

• If you don’t have a humidifier connected to your heating system, you can run small ones throughout your home to add moisture to your skin.

• Last but not least, remember to take a good multi-vitamin with B’s, along with omega-3 fatty acids. We must give our bodies good nutrients from the inside, which will reflect on the outside.

As always enjoy the wonderful winter season and all the fun it has to offer.

 

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