The Brain Would Like to Be the Heart Posted by camp5456 on September 3rd, 2010


The brain has a secret
desire: it would like to be
the heart. But for all its expertise
it doesn’t know how.


excerpt from
Eight Ways of Looking at the Brain,
Swearing the Burning Vow by Marilyn Krysl.


While indulging in some poetry today, this lovely stanza stood out from the page as if it had been bolded, underlined and circled in red. I think so often we let our brains lead us in our daily affairs, in our interactions with others, in our hopes, dreams and decisions. At least mine does. It often has me by the ear, pulling me along for the ride. When I was younger, I thought my personality resided in the stuffed corridors of my brain. The urges of my inner heart were things to be controlled, or things to be ignored, things to be set aside until I had more time.

But lately I have been uncovering a new kind of truth for myself. It was probably a spark begun by some mystical text in which I was burrowing. What if I reside some place else, a wild place where rules get all bent up and what’s expected of me holds no meaning. What makes sense — all the shoulds and woulds — become a giant sieves that no longer gets the job done. What if this whole time my brain has been ruling the show with it’s logic, its calculations, its rudimentary grasp on what’s best for me all the while secretly longing to be the heart — and, as Krsyl says, never knowing how?

Fall is moving in here in the south. A change of seasons always makes me contemplative. This season I will focus more on the heart leading me forward, calling the shots even if I don’t necessarily understand them myself. It’s all a mystery to me anyway – like why I love the feel of sprinkler on my skin. I mean really love it, crave it like a double chocolate cupcake, want to float around giddy and happy and content. Can cold water on hot skin do that? It doesn’t make sense, says the brain. Yes it does, says the heart. Or what about why I couldn’t eat that one tomato grown with such love this summer…. such dedication and care and yet, in the end, I couldn’t bring myself to bite into its warm and tender flesh with  my canines all pointy and salivating. Instead I let it rot slowly on the window sill, another thing that broke my heart. I wanted it to stay red forever, like a poem, like a picture. But life moves on.

So much mystery and so much to wonder at. I hope this fall we can all include a little less brain, a little more heart, some poetry, some good conversation, and a tomato calling to us from the windowsill.

Lavender LessonsPosted by camp5456 on June 5th, 2010

I have a new love in my life – my herb garden. It helps me feel so connected to nature, as if I have anchored the roots of my own life down into the soil along with my cilantro, lemon thyme, basil, oregano, rosemary and chives. I wake up with the feeling of Christmas morning hovering in the air. What will today bring? New leaves, a ripening tomato, the smell of soil moistened by morning dew. It reminds me of this great book: Nature’s Secret Messages Hidden in Plain Sight. The author talks about lessons that can be learned by paying attention to the nature all around us.  Case in point: perfection is in the imperfection. What I am realizing is that not only am I growing my garden but my garden is growing me. Here’s a story about my lavender plant and what it taught me this spring.

I decided I wanted to grow some lavender. The left side of my brain pointed out (in that logical way she has) that several studies have shown the positive mental and emotional benefits of the smell of lavender. The right side of my brain indulged in the idea of little fresh bundles tied with bits of ribbon beautifying my house.  Ahhhh – lavender. So I started from scratch, from seeds, and germinated little green sprouts on my windowsill. All went well until it was time to transfer them into pots. In a fit of frugality, I used a bag of old potting soil sitting in my garage. For weeks I watched for progress, and weeks passed with my fledgling plants never changing. They didn’t die, exactly, they just didn’t grow. I didn’t really realize there was a problem until months had past. Then, one day during something that was a cross between deep meditation and lazy afternoon nap, a thought popped into my head — it’s the SOIL!!

Upon further investigation, it was the soil. When I turned the freshly watered pot over to get the plants out, only the top of soil was moist. The rest of the soil was dry and powdery. It actually floated away in little puffs as I unearthed the small plants. I’m no master gardener, but I’m pretty sure dry soil after a hefty watering is a bad sign. Now my lavender is literally thriving in a new pot with fresh, nutrient rich soil.

The story ends here but the meaning reached far into my own life, into my own healing journey. I wonder how many of us are trying desperately to thrive in dry, depleted soil. For months, maybe even years we are trying to make progress, to grow, to evolve, transform, thrive and yet everything is the same… not worse, just not better. I’m amazed at my lavender’s ability to endure in this environment for months at a time. What would have happened if I let it go all summer? A weakened immune system? A susceptibility to illness or disease? Is this so different from us, so different from our bodies?

In my own life, I started to investigate ways my soil may have been depleted. I realized that while my diet was good in the sense that it wasn’t bad, I realized it wasn’t good in the sense that my body needed nutrients to heal itself. So I decided to add in some raw vegetables and fruits. I blend up all kinds of things in my (newest, newest love — my Vitamix). I drink one raw smoothie and one raw soup a day — and sometimes a raw fruit sorbet. The theory is that cooking  food kills the nutrients and enzymes so essential for our bodies – that’s why I eat them raw or uncooked. Also, the blending helps make the nutrients more bio-available. Then I eat one regular meal with my family in the evenings.

Progress? Yes! My digestion is the best it has been my whole life.  I feel my energy and stamina getting stronger. It seems my lavender plant taught me a very important lesson. Thriving is more than just surviving — it’s actually growing, evolving. And it starts with the basics, how very Naturopathic!

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Katie Couric, the supplement controversyPosted by camp5456 on June 1st, 2010

We, the sisters — the doctor and the patient — were watching the CBS News with Katie Couric in which she reported on a government study of supplements, some of which were found to contain toxic substances.  For the casual listener of such a trusted  information source, one might not even think twice about the message being received — buyer beware your supplements may not be safe. So we hunted down the original study. Now let’s really talk about this:

  1. The first claim was that supplements contain toxic elements like mercury and arsenic. This can seem scary at first. However, the amounts found were below the threshold set by the FDA and are considered safe. Steve Mister, president of the Council for Responsible Nutrition, said “it was not surprising that herbal supplements contained trace amounts of heavy metals, because these are routinely found in soil and plants (The New York Times).” In fact, “Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein, principal deputy commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, said in an interview that he was not concerned about the safety of the supplements tested by the G.A.O. (The New York Times).”
  2. The second claim was that supplements contain traces of pesticides and industrial chemicals. Sadly, this is also the case in many of our fruits, vegetables and meats not grown organically, which is why Naturopathic Doctors stress the importance of an organic diet. The fact is we should be coming down hard on industrial food producers for using pesticides and other chemicals which then enter our food supply whether in the form of supplements or other items, not necessarily coming down hard on supplement companies that are much farther down on the food production chain.
  3. The third claim was that 37 out of 40 supplements tested positive for contaminants. Again, this seems like data that is very succinct and convincing. Numbers can be persuasive. Yet, this would hardly qualify as being a rigorous scientific study. The first inherent problem is that the sample size is too low to be representative of all supplements, the supplements tested were not chosen in a truly random fashion — again, making them not representative. Only one lab tested these products. A better study would have had at least two independent labs test the samples for quality control.

So, did this CBS report do the American public any good? It seems on deeper reflection, it was questionable journalism at best. Even the final conclusion in which Dr. Jennifer Ashton says that the safest way to use supplements is to talk to your MD seems almost controversial and here’s why:

  • The US Medical Professions Comparison Report in 2001 stated that traditional medical schools such as John Hopkins, Yale and Standford offer no curriculum hours for Naturopathic Therapeutics or Therapeutic Nutrition. Even if there are some courses on herbal supplements, no continuing education requirements exist to make sure MDs stay current on natural supplements.
  • There exists no paradigm for evaluating supplements in traditional MD offices, not unless patients specifically request it.
  • And finally, traditional MDs do not generally have the relationships built with nutraceutical companies. Without this, it can be difficult to know who is producing the high quality products on the market.
  • In comparison, a Naturopathic Doctor has over 1,000 curriculum hours in Naturopathic Therapeutics; they have a paradigm of evaluating supplements with every new patient — not only for quantity of doses but quality of ingredients; and have established relationships with industry leading nutraceutical companies.

It’s good advice to visit with your MD about your supplements. But, it can be hit and miss depending on your MD’s previous experience. It seems much better advice to have your supplements evaluated by a professional who has experience evaluating supplements — like Naturopathic Doctors.

The most important final thought is this: no one is saying all supplements are created equal. In fact, Naturopathic Doctors have known for years that there is a very big difference in the quality of supplements on the market. That is why they are such staunch advocates for evaluating supplements. Quality is an issue. It’s important to know which brands to choose. But what is even more important, a topic not covered by the CBS report, is that it takes very specialized training to use supplements therapeutically.  Let’s take Cancer Treatment Centers of America. They have dedicated specialists, NDs, that make sure a regiment of supplements enhance traditional cancer therapies, support patient systems, and have positive and synergistic drug interactions. This take years of training and experience. So, instead of creating a scare around supplement therapy, it seems much more empowering to encourage people to contact trained Naturopathic Doctors who can sort out the cloud of confusing information.

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Herbal Alchemy for StressPosted by camp5456 on May 13th, 2010

Stress is one of those modern dangers that we hear much about yet often have a hard time managing in our own lives. In honor of  The Mountain Rose Herbs Recipe Contest, I thought I’d share with you an excellent tea blend that helps alleviate stress and helps mitigate the damage stress does in your body.

Several things are important to remember when using herbal teas. First, let the tea steep covered for at least 10 minutes. This helps the constituents of the tea, like essential oils, to fully disperse into the water. Also, to enhance the medicinal affects of the herbs, try drinking 3 – 4 cups in divided doses throughout the day. These herbal blends can also be encapsulated and taken orally. However, I always finding sitting down with some tea and enjoying time to myself also helps reduce stress.

Ingredients:

One area negatively affected by stress is the nervous system. To help calm and soothe the nervous system, use herbs like Lemon Balm, Chamomile and Passion flower. These herbs also have a pleasant taste. Another area that needs support during stress is the adrenal glands, which is the organ most affected by acute and chronic stress. Ginseng and Ginkgo both help support the adrenal glands in various ways. And finally, herbs that can help calm stomach ailments caused by stress include: peppermint and licorice. It is important to note that people with hypertension and high blood pressure should not supplement with licorice.

The herbs  in this recipe are conveniently and wonderfully available from Mountain Rose Herbs. Simply browse their alphabetical product list for these certified organic bulk herbs.

Recipe:

2 tsp Lemon Balm
2 tsp Chamomile
2 tsp Passion Flower
2 tsp Ginseng
2 tsp Ginkgo
3 tsp Peppermint
1 tsp Licorice

Mix all dry herbs together in an empty mason (or jelly) jar. Use 2 TBSP per 8oz of hot water. Steep 5 – 10 minutes covered. Sweeten with stevia or honey.

Research:

  • Aly, A. 2005. Licorice: A possible anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcer drug. AAPS PharmSciTech 6(1):E74-E82.
  • Amsterdam, J. 2009. A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Oral Matricaria recutita (Chamomile) Extract Therapy for Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology 29 (4):378-382.
  • Avakian, E. 1979. Effect of Panax Ginseng Extract on Tissue Glycogen and Adrenal Cholesterol Depletion During Prolonged Exercise. Planta Med 36(5): 43-48.
  • Dhawan, A. et al. 2001. Anti-anxiety studies on extracts of Passiflora incarnata Linneaus. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 78 (2-3): 165-170.
  • Kennedy, D. 2008. Modulation of Mood and Cognitive Performance Following Acute Administration of Single Doses of Melissa Officinalis (Lemon Balm) with Human CNS Nicotinic and Muscarinic Receptor-Binding Properties. Neuropsychopharmacology 28: 1871–1881.
  • Marcilhac, A. 1998. Effect of chronic administration of Ginkgo biloba extract or ginkgolide on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in the rat. Life Sciences 62 (25): 2329-2340.
  • Nocerino, E. et.al. 2000. The aphrodisiac and adaptogenic properties of ginseng. Fitoterapia (71) Supplement 1: S1-S5.
  • Sada Ando, T. Effect of peppermint feeding on the digestibility, ruminal fermentation and protozoa. Livestock Production Science 82 (2-3): 245-248.
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