Many of us look forward to celebrating the holidays with our friends and family; but probably just as many of us also approach this season with some level of anxiety.
In addition to the fun of gift-giving, enjoying special holiday foods, and reuniting with friends and family, there’s the stress of gift-giving, preparing holiday foods, and reuniting with family and friends! I offer five steps to help you “embrace the holidays” with grace.
1) First and foremost, treat yourself with gentleness. Understand that the holidays can be a challenge for all of us. We’re barraged by advertising telling us that “’tis the season to be jolly” and that the more we buy and do, the happier we’ll be. This holiday season, be realistic about your physical and emotional limits and gently protect your time and energy. Be kind to yourself and you’ll have more of that precious gift to share with those you love!
2) Learn to let go. Let go of expectations of yourself and others. And let go of anger and guilt. If you need rest or a moment alone, then take it. Give yourself permission to skip certain events all together if they are too stressful for you. The quality of time shared with others will be greatly enhanced if you are rested and calm.
3) Stay in the present moment. Most of us spend a great deal of time attending to the thoughts in our minds rather than to our direct experience. Thoughts about past or future experiences can distract us from our actual life experience. Right now, gently bring your attention into this moment. Feel the solid ground beneath your feet or the cool wind on your face. The present moment is the door to your creativity and healing. Embrace it!
4) Breathe. With each in-breath, feel a calm strength within you and with each out-breath, let go of any fear, tension or worry you may be feeling. Performing these deep-cleansing breaths for a few minutes each day can have an enormously rejuvenating effect upon your body and soul.
5) Exercise. If you are able — get up and get moving. A good brisk walk can help reduce anxiety, depression and insomnia. The endorphins released in aerobic exercise are the body’s own natural anti-depressants. Not only does exercise lift our spirits, it boosts our immune system as well.
A new study on hormone replacement published in the Annals of Internal Medicine and reported in The Washington Post, entitled “Study Issues Hormone-Therapy Warning” (5/29/2012) has sounded –again—the perennial alarm on hormone replacement therapy. The controversial U.S. Preventative Task Force determined that hormone replacement in postmenopausal women showed an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, blood clots, and breast cancer in women taking Premarin and Provera.
There is a limited benefit in decreased bone fracture risk in women taking Premarin (made from pregnant mare’s urine) and Provera (a progestin, a progesterone analogue which has been modified to fit on a progesterone receptor). The estrogen-only part of the study showed a decrease in breast cancer risk. This study based its findings on revised analyses of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI)—a 15-year study of over 160,000 women.
On the same day, in The Washington Post’s Health section, there was an article citing the July 2011 issue of Climacteric, the journal of the International Menopause Society. In more than a dozen articles focusing on hormone replacement therapy‘s relationship to breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, dementia, and other conditions, the authors conclude that for younger women using hormone therapy close to the time of menopause, benefits generally outweigh the risks.
A summary of the journals’ findings is as follows:
* Women whose breast cancer risk is low and who suffer from menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, sleep disturbance, and vaginal dryness can benefit from hormone replacement
* Hormone therapy reduces the risk of colorectal cancer and bone fractures
* Hormone therapy can increase the risk of dementia in older women and there is also a small increased risk of stroke
* Oral estrogen (as opposed to transdermal gel and patches) increases the risk of blood clots
How can we interpret all this information?
It’s important to understand the limitations of the WHI’s study. Examining the effects of synthetic estrogen such as Premarin and synthetic progestin such as Provera doesn’t tell the whole story. For example, these hormones have many metabolites. As these are processed through the liver, they produce an increase in inflammatory markers contributing to the risk of blood clots. The WHI “estrogen only” arm of the study interestingly showed a decreased risk of breast cancer, meaning the progestin they were using was the problem. Also, the age range in the WHI study was 50-79, yet when stratified to ages 50-59, risks of everything dropped dramatically.
Are there risks of hormone therapy?
Hormone therapy continues to be an option for many women who wish to reduce the side effects of menopause –including hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness. But, the answer is yes, there are risks, especially if one has a strong family history of breast cancer, genetic susceptibility to blood clots such as Factor 5 Leiden, and if one has insulin resistance or heart disease.
Are there safer choices?
There are safer choices, such as using more natural hormones (“bio-identical hormones”) like estradiol, estriol transdermal (through the skin), and micronized progesterone. Diets high in indole 3C, contained in cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts), supplements like green tea extract, folic acid, fish oil, and flaxseed all decrease risk of breast cancer and heart disease. Daily exercise, good sleep, and healthy digestion also play an important role in breast cancer and heart disease risk reduction.
Suffer from sprains, strains or arthritis pain? Here’s why you should consider prolotherapy.
What is Prolotherapy?
Prolotherapy, which is short for “proliferative therapy,” is a sophisticated, but minimally invasive, method of Regenerative Injection Therapy where natural solutions, such as high concentration dextrose, are delivered to areas of injury to restart and maximize the body’s own injury-healing processes. This healing technique is most often applied to painful and injured joints, ligaments, and tendons to encourage the restoration of normal, healthy tissue. Prolotherapy can help people to postpone and even eliminate the need for surgery in some cases such as rotator cuff surgery or joint replacements, including hip and knee replacement.
How does it work?
Prolotherapy stimulates your body’s own internal healing response in any joint, ligament, or tendon. The healing response itself is triggered when the prolotherapy solution – a plant-based sugar that is not a synthetic chemical foreign to the body – causes the injured tissue to release specific growth factors that attract tissue-healing cells to the injury site.
Health Benefits
Prolotherapy has been in use since the 1930’s, and has proven to be a safe and time-tested treatment for virtually every joint area of the body from head to toe. The amount of clinical research on prolotherapy has increased substantially over the last several years, and dozens of studies have demonstrated its effectiveness in treating a myriad of painful problems. Prolotherapy can be successful in healing the following conditions:
• TMJ (jaw) pain
• neck pain and whiplash injuries
• rotator cuff injuries
• shoulder instability and labral tears
• tennis elbow (lateral epidondylosis)
• golfer’s elbow (medial epicondylosis)
• wrist sprains and tendinitis
• hand and finger arthritis
• mid-back and rib pain
• low back pain
• sacroiliac dysfunction (which often causes sciatica and pain radiating down the leg)
• groin strains
• hip arthritis and bursitis
• hamstring injuries
• arthritis of the knee
• knee tendon, ligament and meniscus injuries
• ankle sprains
• Achilles tendon injuries
• plantar fasciitis
• toe sprains and arthritis
Following prolotherapy, many patients are able to return to their everyday activities with less pain, more mobility, and greater endurance.
Recuperation from a prolotherapy session is generally quick. In most cases, the patient is advised to take it easy for about two to three days following treatment before returning to normal activity levels.
Choosing your prolotherapy provider
The Kaplan Center is truly an integrative medical clinic in that we can provide a service like prolotherapy in the context of getting the person back to peak overall health. Many other practitioners of prolotherapy are focused on treating only the musculoskeletal structure, without addressing other important issues such as diet, sleep, hormone balance, and mental/emotional well-being. We want the whole person to be optimally healthy, so we offer additional therapies such as acupuncture, herbal remedies, in-house physical and massage therapy, and nutritional and/or psychological counseling. Prolotherapy can also be offered in a tailored combination with other therapies such as osteopathic manual treatment.
The beauty of prolotherapy is that it heals injury, and potentially provides a long-term benefit as compared to other treatments which only cover up the pain temporarily.
Embracing the Holidays
/in Lifestyle/by Jodi Brayton, LCSWMany of us look forward to celebrating the holidays with our friends and family; but probably just as many of us also approach this season with some level of anxiety.
In addition to the fun of gift-giving, enjoying special holiday foods, and reuniting with friends and family, there’s the stress of gift-giving, preparing holiday foods, and reuniting with family and friends! I offer five steps to help you “embrace the holidays” with grace.
1) First and foremost, treat yourself with gentleness. Understand that the holidays can be a challenge for all of us. We’re barraged by advertising telling us that “’tis the season to be jolly” and that the more we buy and do, the happier we’ll be. This holiday season, be realistic about your physical and emotional limits and gently protect your time and energy. Be kind to yourself and you’ll have more of that precious gift to share with those you love!
2) Learn to let go. Let go of expectations of yourself and others. And let go of anger and guilt. If you need rest or a moment alone, then take it. Give yourself permission to skip certain events all together if they are too stressful for you. The quality of time shared with others will be greatly enhanced if you are rested and calm.
3) Stay in the present moment. Most of us spend a great deal of time attending to the thoughts in our minds rather than to our direct experience. Thoughts about past or future experiences can distract us from our actual life experience. Right now, gently bring your attention into this moment. Feel the solid ground beneath your feet or the cool wind on your face. The present moment is the door to your creativity and healing. Embrace it!
4) Breathe. With each in-breath, feel a calm strength within you and with each out-breath, let go of any fear, tension or worry you may be feeling. Performing these deep-cleansing breaths for a few minutes each day can have an enormously rejuvenating effect upon your body and soul.
5) Exercise. If you are able — get up and get moving. A good brisk walk can help reduce anxiety, depression and insomnia. The endorphins released in aerobic exercise are the body’s own natural anti-depressants. Not only does exercise lift our spirits, it boosts our immune system as well.
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) Warning – Benefits, Risks and Options
/in Hormone Health, Treatments/by Lisa Lilienfield, MDA new study on hormone replacement published in the Annals of Internal Medicine and reported in The Washington Post, entitled “Study Issues Hormone-Therapy Warning” (5/29/2012) has sounded –again—the perennial alarm on hormone replacement therapy. The controversial U.S. Preventative Task Force determined that hormone replacement in postmenopausal women showed an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, blood clots, and breast cancer in women taking Premarin and Provera.
There is a limited benefit in decreased bone fracture risk in women taking Premarin (made from pregnant mare’s urine) and Provera (a progestin, a progesterone analogue which has been modified to fit on a progesterone receptor). The estrogen-only part of the study showed a decrease in breast cancer risk. This study based its findings on revised analyses of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI)—a 15-year study of over 160,000 women.
On the same day, in The Washington Post’s Health section, there was an article citing the July 2011 issue of Climacteric, the journal of the International Menopause Society. In more than a dozen articles focusing on hormone replacement therapy‘s relationship to breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, dementia, and other conditions, the authors conclude that for younger women using hormone therapy close to the time of menopause, benefits generally outweigh the risks.
A summary of the journals’ findings is as follows:
* Women whose breast cancer risk is low and who suffer from menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, sleep disturbance, and vaginal dryness can benefit from hormone replacement
* Hormone therapy reduces the risk of colorectal cancer and bone fractures
* Hormone therapy can increase the risk of dementia in older women and there is also a small increased risk of stroke
* Oral estrogen (as opposed to transdermal gel and patches) increases the risk of blood clots
How can we interpret all this information?
It’s important to understand the limitations of the WHI’s study. Examining the effects of synthetic estrogen such as Premarin and synthetic progestin such as Provera doesn’t tell the whole story. For example, these hormones have many metabolites. As these are processed through the liver, they produce an increase in inflammatory markers contributing to the risk of blood clots. The WHI “estrogen only” arm of the study interestingly showed a decreased risk of breast cancer, meaning the progestin they were using was the problem. Also, the age range in the WHI study was 50-79, yet when stratified to ages 50-59, risks of everything dropped dramatically.
Are there risks of hormone therapy?
Hormone therapy continues to be an option for many women who wish to reduce the side effects of menopause –including hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness. But, the answer is yes, there are risks, especially if one has a strong family history of breast cancer, genetic susceptibility to blood clots such as Factor 5 Leiden, and if one has insulin resistance or heart disease.
Are there safer choices?
There are safer choices, such as using more natural hormones (“bio-identical hormones”) like estradiol, estriol transdermal (through the skin), and micronized progesterone. Diets high in indole 3C, contained in cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts), supplements like green tea extract, folic acid, fish oil, and flaxseed all decrease risk of breast cancer and heart disease. Daily exercise, good sleep, and healthy digestion also play an important role in breast cancer and heart disease risk reduction.
Non-Surgical Joint and Arthritis Pain Options: Harness Your Body’s Natural Healing Power
/in Treatments/by Kaplan CenterSuffer from sprains, strains or arthritis pain? Here’s why you should consider prolotherapy.
What is Prolotherapy?
Prolotherapy, which is short for “proliferative therapy,” is a sophisticated, but minimally invasive, method of Regenerative Injection Therapy where natural solutions, such as high concentration dextrose, are delivered to areas of injury to restart and maximize the body’s own injury-healing processes. This healing technique is most often applied to painful and injured joints, ligaments, and tendons to encourage the restoration of normal, healthy tissue. Prolotherapy can help people to postpone and even eliminate the need for surgery in some cases such as rotator cuff surgery or joint replacements, including hip and knee replacement.
How does it work?
Prolotherapy stimulates your body’s own internal healing response in any joint, ligament, or tendon. The healing response itself is triggered when the prolotherapy solution – a plant-based sugar that is not a synthetic chemical foreign to the body – causes the injured tissue to release specific growth factors that attract tissue-healing cells to the injury site.
Health Benefits
Prolotherapy has been in use since the 1930’s, and has proven to be a safe and time-tested treatment for virtually every joint area of the body from head to toe. The amount of clinical research on prolotherapy has increased substantially over the last several years, and dozens of studies have demonstrated its effectiveness in treating a myriad of painful problems. Prolotherapy can be successful in healing the following conditions:
• TMJ (jaw) pain
• neck pain and whiplash injuries
• rotator cuff injuries
• shoulder instability and labral tears
• tennis elbow (lateral epidondylosis)
• golfer’s elbow (medial epicondylosis)
• wrist sprains and tendinitis
• hand and finger arthritis
• mid-back and rib pain
• low back pain
• sacroiliac dysfunction (which often causes sciatica and pain radiating down the leg)
• groin strains
• hip arthritis and bursitis
• hamstring injuries
• arthritis of the knee
• knee tendon, ligament and meniscus injuries
• ankle sprains
• Achilles tendon injuries
• plantar fasciitis
• toe sprains and arthritis
Following prolotherapy, many patients are able to return to their everyday activities with less pain, more mobility, and greater endurance.
Recuperation from a prolotherapy session is generally quick. In most cases, the patient is advised to take it easy for about two to three days following treatment before returning to normal activity levels.
Choosing your prolotherapy provider
The Kaplan Center is truly an integrative medical clinic in that we can provide a service like prolotherapy in the context of getting the person back to peak overall health. Many other practitioners of prolotherapy are focused on treating only the musculoskeletal structure, without addressing other important issues such as diet, sleep, hormone balance, and mental/emotional well-being. We want the whole person to be optimally healthy, so we offer additional therapies such as acupuncture, herbal remedies, in-house physical and massage therapy, and nutritional and/or psychological counseling. Prolotherapy can also be offered in a tailored combination with other therapies such as osteopathic manual treatment.
The beauty of prolotherapy is that it heals injury, and potentially provides a long-term benefit as compared to other treatments which only cover up the pain temporarily.