The Trouble with Antibodies

A couple of startling facts open Dr. Tom O’Bryan’s book The Autoimmune Fix: How to Stop the Hidden Autoimmune Damage That Keeps You Sick, Fat, and Tired Before It Turns Into Disease:

  • By 2030, half of the population will be diagnosed with chronic disease.
  • By 2044, the cost of Medicare and Medicaid to treat chronic disease will exceed all the taxes collected by the government.

Yikes! If those two statistics don’t ring the clarion call for making Americans healthy again, I don’t know what does!

I stumbled upon Dr. O’Bryan’s book a little over a month ago when I found out that my body produces antibodies consistent with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. I was really surprised by the diagnosis given that I’m generally quite healthy. I’ve made the necessary diet and lifestyle changes to eliminate potential triggers for inflammation and establish an uber-healthy gut. Based on everything I’ve read, I’m confident that I’ll get this condition to go into remission. Along the way, I’ve learned a fair amount about how the immune system works.

antibodiesWe have two types of immune responses. Our innate immunity swings into action whenever a pathogen hits the body. These cells are the first responders at the initial site of attack – e.g., the skin, nose, and mouth. As they fight invaders, the associated tissue swells up. They also call for reinforcements via cytokines, blood-born messengers that communicate between different immune cell types. Antibodies are the heavy artillery that target specific intruders. They’re an adaptive response with primary responsibility for keeping us safe from disease. For example, when vaccinated against polio or the flu, we take in a small amount of the virus so that we can develop antibodies to defeat it. We also develop antibodies to foods and environmental elements (e.g., plastic, heavy metals) to which we are sensitive. Repeated exposure keeps the immune system on full alert status with the troops in active combat. When that occurs, the gang is apt to make mistakes.

Autoimmunity – i.e., a condition in which the body attacks its own tissue – reflects an immune system that has gone awry. Sometimes it happens because our tissues become collateral damage while the immune system rages a battle against something else. Sometimes our tissue reacts to an external stimulus – e.g., a food allergen – causing it to imitate a substance that our immune system has already deemed toxic (a.k.a., “molecular mimicry”). Sometimes the body’s native mechanism to clean up and remove old cells (autoantibodies) goes overboard and attacks healthy tissue. And sometimes the body’s naturally occurring chemical processes lack all of the requisite nutrients to clean up unhealthy byproducts, so the immune system goes after the tissue that started the reaction in the first place.

Antibodies are vigilant little creatures. They’ll hang around for 3-5 months after a threat has been neutralized to make sure it’s safe to leave. Even when they’re down to minimal reserves, our bodies have the capacity to ramp up production on a dime. One seemingly inconsequential exposure can reactivate a particular strain of antibodies; it can take 3-5 more months to calm them down. Yep – even one bite of bread for a gluten-sensitive individual can wreak havoc!

Fortunately, we have the power to make adjustments to help our immune system work in our favor, not against us. We can change our diets, eliminate external triggers, and bolster our intake of vital nutrients to keep our bodies healthy and balanced. And since our bodies regenerate every 7 years, there’s hope that we can remedy some or all of any autoimmune damage that has gone undetected.

Dr. O’Bryan’s recommended dietary changes include:

  • Eliminate gluten. Our genetically engineered grains have far more gluten than our forbearer’s wheat, rye, and barley. Dr. O’Bryan claims that our digestive systems do not have the proper enzymes to digest them fully.
  • Eliminate sugar and processed foods (which turn into sugar quickly in the bloodstream). They disrupt insulin regulation, interfere with calcium absorption, feed bad bacteria, and cause premature aging.
  • Avoid artificial sweeteners. In one study, Splenda increased the growth of calorie-hoarding bacteria in the gut, leading to weight gain, loss of beneficial bacteria, and poor absorption of prescription drugs.
  • Eliminate dairy. Pasteurization eliminates good bacteria, digestive enzymes, and vitamins. Homogenization transforms the fat, making it more likely to enter the bloodstream and stick to arteries. Moreover, the principal protein (casein) is difficult to digest.
  • Avoid other foods for which you might be sensitive. The resulting inflammation sets off a cascade of reactions that kills off good bacteria, weakens the intestinal lining, and adds undue stress and strain on the body’s immune system.
  • Eat pasture-raised, grain-fed meats and free-range poultry. That approach avoids exposure to antibiotics, GMO grains, and other food products of questionable nutritional value. (We eat what our food eats!)
  • Eat food high in polyphenols (e.g., colorful fruits and vegetables, garlic, almonds, dark chocolate). It reduces risk of cardiovascular disease by 75%.
  • Eat fermented food to contribute good bacteria to the gut that will unlock nutrients from foods while drawing out a range of toxins from the body.

The Body Ecology Diet

When I hear the word diet, my first thought is: “Here comes another weight loss program.” Yet The Body Ecology Diet by Donna Gates is something quite different. It’s a set of dietary protocols designed to aid digestion, strengthen intestinal function, and promote optimal health.

digestive tractUntil recently, I never thought all that much about my digestive tract unless it produced obvious symptoms of distress. (I’ll spare you the details!) But it turns out that our well-being depends greatly on the health of this vital metabolic system. For example, our microbiome – i.e., the community of bacteria, yeasts, and viruses that live in the gut – determines the effectiveness with which we extract nutrients from the foods we eat. It plays a role in manufacturing essential hormones and regulating metabolism and blood sugar. It also influences genetic expression and brain chemistry. The microbiome lives inside a gut lining that is one cell thick. When in the peak of health, the gut lining provides openings for beneficial nutrients to enter the bloodstream while disallowing improperly digested foods and toxins to gain access.

A healthy microbiome has billions of beneficial microorganisms and (hopefully) contends with relatively few unhealthy ones. Candida albicans counts itself among the microbiome’s chief adversaries. This invasive yeast thrives when we eat a high-sugar, acid-forming, low mineral diet – a.k.a., the standard American diet. If you’ve got a tongue coated in a white substance, you may have an overgrown population of this yeast wandering throughout your body. Candida depletes iron, selenium, and zinc, which affects thyroid and adrenal function. It also produces free radicals that cause inflammation and dampen the effectiveness of the immune system.

Our diet should support the gut’s ability to maintain tight junctions in the gut lining. When the lining becomes enflamed, these openings loosen up and start letting “bad stuff” into the bloodstream. This condition is called “leaky gut,” and it has been implicated in autoimmune disorders. Common gut lining irritants include gluten, dairy, soy, and eggs.

Finally, the body likes to maintain its body fluids in a slightly alkaline state. If we ingest an excess of acid-producing food, the body compensates by leaching calcium from our bones to neutralize it. As such, we need to learn a bit more about the foods we eat to ensure we maintain an appropriate acid/alkaline balance.

The Body Ecology Diet takes account of all of these factors in its seven principals of eating and healing:

  1. Balance consumption of foods that contract (e.g., meat, poultry, fish, eggs) with foods that expand (e.g., raw vegetable juice, herbs & spices, teas, kefir, oils, lemons, limes, cranberries.) Foods that neither contract nor expand (e.g., vegetables) create a naturally balanced condition.
  2. Include generous portions of foods that help alkalize your system – e.g., vegetables, millet, quinoa, amaranth, herbs, seeds (except sesame), lemons, limes, unsweetened cranberries, and fermented foods.
  3. Recognize that every individual has a distinct physiology. The optimal diet for each individual may require trial and error.
  4. Work with the body to help it get rid of toxins and foreign invaders. For example, a diet that eliminates sugar, starches, and processed foods helps the body starve candida albicans.
  5. Eat compatible foods at every meal to help the digestive system release the proper juices and enzymes at the right time. For example, fruit digests relatively quickly in the gut. When layered atop a heavy meal that requires hours of digestion – e.g., meat and potatoes – the sugary fruit will start to rot while providing a food source for harmful bacteria and yeast. Therefore, eat fruit at least 30 minutes before a big meal or several hours after one.
  6. Eat until your stomach is 80% full, leaving 20% available for digesting.
  7. Pursue the path toward optimal health step-by-step. Start by creating a healthy ecosystem in your intestines. Then bolster your energy by taking good care of your adrenals and thyroid glands. Conquer systemic infection. Then cleanse the system.

The book contains a wealth of information about the seven principals as well as specific dietary recommendations to implement them. The associated website has additional resources and offers a collection of products to aid in the journey. I found all of the information quite valuable, and I’m working toward integrating the seven principals into my eating habits.

The “It” Factor in Start-Up Enterprises

Early in my career, I had the opportunity to work for a venture-funded start-up called Octel Communications. I’ve never worked so hard nor had more fun on the job as in those early days of the company’s history. So when I picked up Randy Komisar’s NY Times best-selling book – The Monk and the Riddle: The Art of Creating a Life While Making a Living – it felt like old home week.

entrepreneurKomisar was a successful entrepreneur who became a venture capitalist in 2005. His book follows the travails of would-be entrepreneurs as they work with Komisar to secure funding for their businesses. He starts with three fundamental questions that venture capitalists ask when business plans come across their desks:

  • Is the market for the product or service large enough to warrant investment?
  • Does the business plan outline the means through which this company can become the market leader?
  • Do the entrepreneurs have the knowledge, skills, experience, resources, connections, et al to execute the plan?

That being said, most MBAs have adequate training to craft business plans that address these issues. Astute venture capitalists look for something more – an “it” factor that transforms a good idea into a great company. As Komisar explains:

“Don’t confuse drive and passion. Drive pushes you forward. It’s a duty, an obligation. Passion pulls you. It’s the sense of connection you feel when the work you do expresses who you are. Only passion will get you through the tough times.”

“The chance to work on a big idea is a powerful reason for people to be passionate and committed… For people to be great, to accomplish the impossible, they need inspiration more than financial incentive.”

“Set the compass, then work hard to clear a path, knowing that you may meander as you stumble upon obstacles but will always keep heading toward the same coordinates.”

Citing his own company and business partner as an example: “Bill had an underlying faith that if we focused on the people issues, worked hard, and did a great job, the business would take care of itself… [Our customers] valued our products. Our partners respected and trusted us. Our employees were highly motivated and committed… There was an intense sense of loyalty and camaraderie.”

“Excellence is not simply the spoils that come with good fortune. It should be the primary measure of success.”

Komisar ends the book by asking his readers if they’re doing what they truly care about. He opted for a distinctive life journey that reflected his ideals and values. As he says:

“What was the sense of rushing down a beaten path with a map that I had cribbed from others? This was my trip, my life, and I needed my own journey. I decided to throw away the itinerary and see where this might lead.”

In case you’re wondering, Komisar offers up the back story for the intriguing title to his book. While it’s easy to paraphrase, I’d rather give you one more reason to check out the book yourself. It’s a worthwhile read.

Diet and Lifestyle Treat Autoimmune Disease

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 23.5 million Americans are affected by one or more autoimmune diseases. These are conditions for which the body’s immune system mistakenly considers its own organs or tissues foreign invaders and attacks them. Of the 80+ known conditions, familiar variants include celiac disease, diabetes type 1, Grave’s disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus.

So how does someone wind up with an autoimmune condition?

autoimmune conditionsThe latest research suggests that these diseases manifest as a result of a “perfect storm” of the following three elements:

  • A genetic predisposition for the condition
  • One or more “triggers” for which the affected individual is sensitive – e.g., food allergies, chronic inflammation, nutrient depletions, infections, toxins
  • A “leaky gut” that allows bacteria and dietary antigens (i.e., molecules capable of producing an immune response) into the bloodstream.

To date, there is no permanent cure for an autoimmune condition. However, through lifestyle and dietary changes, the “triggers” can be eliminated, and the “leaky gut” repaired. With no trigger(s) and “leaky gut,” the autoimmune condition can go into remission.

Different people have different triggers for their conditions. It can take time to figure out the root cause of an autoimmune response. Food allergies are common irritants, with milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat accounting for 90% of all sensitivities. Chronic inflammation is another common trigger. It occurs when the immune system is constantly fighting allergies, infection, and/or toxins. When the immune system gets stressed, it can “go rogue” and start attacking the body’s own tissues. These triggers must be eliminated to eradicate inflammation and allow the immune system to become calm, strong, and responsive.

Intestinal health is paramount for persons affected by autoimmune disease… and everyone else, for that matter. The intestines break down the food we eat to extract nutrients that fuel our bodies. They keep our water and electrolytes in balance. They also play a big role in the proper functioning of our immune system. Three conditions impair gut function:

  • “Leaky Gut”: When healthy, the small intestines maintain tight junctions in the endothelial lining that block all but the smallest of food particles from passing through the intestinal wall. When these junctions become loose, forbidden substances make their way out of the gut. Common factors that increase intestinal permeability include: alcohol, food allergies, gluten, NSAIDs (e.g., Advil, Motrin, ibuprofen), psychological stress, surgery/trauma, and unsaturated fats.
  • Imbalanced Bacteria: The gut needs a strong population of friendly bacteria to help break down food. Antibiotics kill off good bacteria along with the bad, leaving undigested food in its wake. That residue provides the breeding ground for unhealthy bacteria. The resulting small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) can cause or exacerbate “leaky gut.” Excess estrogen and undigested seeds also precipitate SIBO.
  • Compromised Nutrient Absorption: The gut uses hair-like projections called microvilli to extract nutrients from our food. Foods high in lectin – e.g., grains, legumes, and nightshade vegetables – may interact badly with the brush border, causing it to flatten. With reduced surface area for food interaction, fewer nutrients get absorbed. (Note: Proper food preparation can eliminate lectins from foods.)

In The Autoimmune Solution, Dr. Amy Myers, MD provides a four-step process to remove the autoimmune triggers, restore digestive enzymes, re-inoculate healthy bacteria, and repair the gut. The following dietary precepts form the foundation for her protocol:

  • Work with a physician (preferably one trained in functional, integrative, or naturopathic medicine) to diagnose the condition(s), render lifestyle and dietary recommendations, prescribe medication and supplements (as needed), and monitor progress.
  • Eliminate all sources of gluten (including food and personal care products) and all forms of processed carbohydrates, sugar, and starch.
  • Eliminate soy, grains, legumes, and nightshade vegetables (e.g., potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers).
  • Eliminate Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) from the diet. They’re bred to resist pests, diseases, pesticides, and herbicides; they may resist our digestive processes, too.
  • Use grass-fed beef/pork, free-range poultry, and wild-caught fish as sources of protein. When eating non-organic meat or farm-raised fish, we’re feasting on the GMO-based grains that they were fed.
  • Buy organic produce to maximize the nutrient content of the food. Organic produce benefits from the farmer’s attentive care of the soil and natural remedies for pests and disease.
  • Get rid of Teflon cooking surfaces; avoid plastic for food preparation or storage.
  • Consider installing air and water filters for the home.

Autoimmune disease prevents challenges for those afflicted, but there is a message of hope. By getting rid of the “triggers” and healing the gut, the antibodies that are destroying healthy tissue can go away, and the body can repair the affected areas.

Resources:

Are Your Adrenal Glands Fatigued?

During the heyday of my business career, I was a self-professed workaholic. I put in long hours during the work week and regularly logged time during weekends. I traveled frequently and struggled mightily with jet lag. I short-changed exercise and had poor sleep habits. Sure, I felt rundown quite a bit of the time, but I prided myself on my ability to cope with stress. I’m not sure my body would have patted me on the back.

In Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome, Dr. James L. Wilson explores the physiological consequences of life lived in the fast lane. He zeros in on the adrenal glands – a pair of tiny organs that sit atop the kidneys. They secrete hormones that influence several important physiological processes – metabolism, fat storage, blood sugar regulation, the immune system, cardio and gastrointestinal function. Through their production of cortisol, they’re key players on the body’s stress response. A surge of cortisol raises blood pressure, elevates sugar in the bloodstream, and shuts down nonessential repair and maintenance functions to prepare the body for flight or fight.

The body’s core design contemplates infrequent use of the stress response. After all, one run-in with a saber-toothed tiger might convince folks to set up camp at a safe distance. But in our modern day life, we’re repeatedly exposed to physical, emotional, environmental, and psychological stressors. When stress exceeds the body’s carrying capacity, the adrenal glands become fatigued.

adrenal faitgueCommon signs of adrenal fatigue include:

  • Difficulty getting up in the morning
  • A feeling of fatigue or lethargy that is not relieved by sleep
  • Increased effort to accomplish everyday tasks resulting in lower productivity
  • Lightheadedness when standing up
    (People with adrenal fatigue tend to have low blood sugar.)
  • Less enjoyment or happiness with life
  • Less mental focus and increased difficulty with memory
  • Frequent respiratory infections with lengthy recovery periods

Fortunately, the body is quite resilient. With proper care and attention, we can restore our adrenal glands to good working order. Here are a few strategies that Dr. Wilson recommends:

Minimize stressors and “energy robbers.” For every stressful relationship or situation, we have three avenues of response: Change it. Change ourselves to adapt to it. Or, leave it. For circumstances we deem unavoidable, we can train ourselves to reframe or refocus our perception of the situation. For example, we don’t have to give persons or situations power over our inner thoughts. We can learn to detach and/or treat the circumstance as a learning experience for which we architect the lessons.

Learn to evoke the “relaxation response.” Courtesy of Dr. Herbert Benson and his colleagues at the Harvard Medical School, we now know that a daily practice of meditation, yoga, tai chi, qi gong, guided imagery, and kindred disciplines slows breathing, lowers the heart rate, reduces oxygen consumption, relaxes muscles, and lowers blood pressure. The relaxation response is the perfect antidote to the stress response and requires just a few minutes per day.

Get regular exercise to include aerobic activity, strength training, and stretching. Exercise helps expel harmful gases and toxins, builds muscle, reduces fat, improves cellular function, and normalizes cortisol, insulin, glucose, and other hormones. When practiced faithfully, it also elevates mood.

Develop good sleep habits. Avoid exposure to blue light sources – notably TVs and other electronic devices – at least two hours before bedtime. (As an alternative, use blue blocker glasses.) Get to bed by 10:30pm every night to avoid the “second wind” that hits at 11:00pm. As needed, have a light evening snack to enable you to sleep through the night with waking to hunger pangs. If possible, avoid alarms before 8:30am to ensure that you get a full 8 hours of slumber.

Eat nutritious food. Good food provides the essential ingredients to meet your body’s demands. Small meals spread throughout the day helps keep blood sugar steady.

Dr. Wilson also provides recommendations regarding dietary supplements and hormone replacement therapy. I’ve chosen to explore these options in consultation with a naturopathic doctor. I want to make sure that I know my starting point, take the right levels of supplements, and monitor my progress all under the expert guidance of a trained professional.

Here’s to feeling great inside and out!

10 More Tips for Successful Weight Management

My elevated awareness about the American diet has helped me wage the battle of the bulge far more effectively than I have in the past. It has also enabled me to adopt more humane “self talk” when I think about my history of weight gain and loss.

Armed with expert advice, my last post focused on the top 10 strategies for a successful diet. They’re as relevant to weight management as they are to weight loss. But I’ve added a few more strategies to help the diet become a lifestyle.

choose good habitsONE: Find a powerful incentive to sustain healthy habits once you’ve reached your goal weight. It’s really easy to backslide once you’ve crossed the finish line. Forbidden foods may feel like a just reward for weeks or months of sacrifice. It’s a slippery slope from “just this once” to the resurgence of the same old habits. My motivation came through reading books by fitness and nutrition experts and learning about the suffering, lifestyle impact, and expense of diet-induced disease. I made up my mind not to let poor food choices hinder all the enjoyment that I’d like to get out of life!

TWO: Get support on the home front. It’s much easier to stay on the straight and narrow when the entire household follows suit. I’m blessed with a husband who has willingly adopted new eating habits and graciously serves as my Sous Chef in the kitchen.

THREE: Learn to prepare healthy meals and snacks. We opted for a primarily whole food plant based diet nearly a year ago. I bought several cookbooks to help me learn a new style of cooking. We’ve enjoyed the bounty of delicious meals while improving our culinary skills. We’ve also engaged several friends in the adventure by inviting them to share in our little experiment. Good food and good friends create a winning recipe!

FOUR: Organize meal plans and food stocks for success. I usually plan the week’s meals on Friday to generate my shopping list for Saturday’s Farmers’ Market. I fill in the gaps with one or two trips to my favorite grocers. I economize on meal preparation by cooking in bulk and freezing meal-sized portions after a day or two of noshing on it. I also make sure to have healthy snacks at the ready when hunger strikes. I’ll fill up with fruit or veggies and homemade hummus to satisfy cravings and boost energy.

oatmeal with raisinsFIVE: Always eat a healthy breakfast. I’ll confess that I don’t like to eat breakfast and used to skip it frequently. That’s a bad idea given the fact that the body is low on energy reserves after a night’s sleep. So I typically eat a bowl of old fashioned oatmeal with cinnamon. It has been proven to produce less midmorning snacking than either quick cooked oats or bacon and eggs. I frequently add a vegan protein shake to the mix.

SIX: Eat foods that are naturally high in fiber. Fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains do the trick. Fiber helps hold blood sugar steady while creating the sensation of fullness. It does wonders for the digestive tract, too.

SEVEN: Minimize processed foods and read labels when using them. Time permitting, I make everything we eat from scratch. When I fall back on canned beans, tomatoes, or sauces, I read the labels and look for products that have the least amount of salt. (You’d be surprised by the amount of salt per serving in canned goods and sauces!)

EIGHT: Be sensitive to conditions that trigger food cravings and have strategies to deal with them. I’m prone to boredom during certain times of the day, so I make sure that I’m not sitting around watching TV in close proximity to the kitchen during those times. I also know to break the cravings cycle when they occur either by eating something healthy or distracting myself with exercise or an interesting book.

NINE: Join a fitness program for which you make reservations for workout sessions. If money is tight, a workout buddy can do the trick. It’s far more likely that you’ll prioritize exercise when you commit to a class for which there are cancellation fees, or commit to a friend who is counting on you. This strategy has made all the difference for me. It gets me going when I’d otherwise be tempted to put it off until tomorrow… and then the day after that.

TEN: Make lifestyle changes to encourage a consistently positive mood. It feels great while providing the staying power to maintain healthy habits. (Check out the brief article on positive psychology.)

Here’s to good health!

Top 10 Tips for a Successful Diet

“Breaking free of self-defeating dietary and lifestyle habits is one of the most difficult tasks a person may ever perform.”
– Douglas J. Lise and Alan Goldhamer

If you’ve ever had to lose a significant amount of weight, you know the truth of that statement. And as I can attest, it only gets more difficult with age. Based on expert advice from neuroscientists, nutritionists, and fitness consultants, here are ten proven strategies for pursuing weight loss successfully.

dietONE: Get rid of as many big and little life stressors as possible. Will power is a finite resource that’s depleted by resisting food, restraining behavior, suppressing emotional responses, trying to impress someone, studying for exams, overcoming fatigue, etc. It’s really hard to stick with a diet if your reserves aren’t sufficient to stay the course. Moreover, stress boosts cortisol which lowers leptin sensitivity, the hormone that controls appetite.

TWO: Empty the cupboards and refrigerator of all forbidden foods. You’ll draw down your will power by having to listen to all those delectable treats whisper your name. (Ice cream and chips are my Achilles Heels – and YES – I really do hear them call out to me!) If you have a temporary lapse in will power, you’re far more likely to resist temptation if it requires a trip to the grocery store.

THREE: Take sugar off the menu. It lights up the same areas in our brains as addictive drugs, especially when combined with fat. Once we get a taste, we want more and more. It drains a lot of will power to stop. Meanwhile, our bodies spike in energy and then crash, causing us to crave food. Sugar substitutes aren’t the answer as they fire up the pleasure centers of our brains and stimulate a hunger response.

FOUR: Take processed foods off the menu. Food manufacturers make their offerings hyper palatable by adding sugar and fat to them. The list of ingredients often contains substances that convert to sugar rapidly in the bloodstream (e.g., processed flour). They load up their offerings with salt to improve taste and lengthen shelf life. Excess salt may lead to hypertension, a known risk factor for heart disease. And if you read the labels, you’ll discover a whole gaggle of added chemicals. Processed foods may taste good, but they’re not as good for you as whole foods.

FIVE: Eat at least 5-7 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables every day. You’ll reap the benefit of all those phytonutrients while filling your belly with relatively low cal offerings. Fresh fruit can satisfy your taste for sweets while providing sufficient fiber to dilute the impact of its sugars on your bloodstream. Moreover, grapes (purple, read, and blue), blueberries, and red berries are loaded with antioxidants that protect the body from harmful molecules called free radicals.

SIX: Don’t go on a starvation diet or skip meals. Our brains are designed to help the body maintain a set point. When we skimp on calories, the brain thinks: FAMINE! To preserve life, it will decrease our metabolic rate and make us feel hungry. Worse yet, if we get frustrated by our body’s lack of response to our reduced caloric intake and resume normal eating, our depressed metabolic rate may cause us to gain weight!

SEVEN: Find a way to boost your metabolic rate through exercise. Even a modest drop in caloric intake will trigger the body to dial down its metabolism. Exercise keeps the fires burning while elevating mood and lowering stress. It’s the single most useful thing you can do to preserve cognition as you age. Experts recommend elevating your heart rate 4 or more times per week for at least 30 minutes per workout. Three tips to increase your staying power:

  • Find a few things that you really like to do and mix things up to prevent boredom.
  • Schedule your workouts and treat that time with the same regard as your professional appointments.
  • Make workout a social experience to increase the fun and decrease your sense of isolation (a known stressor).

EIGHT: Eat small meals and shift caloric intake earlier in the day. Big meals promote weight gain and fat storage. Small meals spaced 3-4 hours apart keep our blood sugar relatively steady, giving us energy and keeping our hunger pangs under control. Also, calories consumed early in the day have the greatest chance of burning off with activity. Be sure to stop eating 2-3 hours before bedtime.

glass of waterNINE: Drink at least 8 glasses of water every day. Water helps transport nutrients to your cells while removing toxins from your body. It improves mental acuity and makes for healthier skin, teeth, bones, joints, and digestion. Drink at regular intervals throughout the day. By the time you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated.

TEN: Get plenty of sleep. When sleep deprived, you diminish your insulin sensitivity, lower your fat burning capacity, and impair cognitive function (including your capacity to exercise will power). Not sleeping shortchanges the benefits you’ll reap from a healthy diet combined with exercise. And who wants that?

It may take 30-90 days to become re-sensitized to natural foods after you jettison the processed fare. My husband and I have followed a predominantly whole food plant based diet for nearly a year. We really don’t miss the foods that we’ve eliminated from our diets, and we feel great! The key to our success has been exploring the vegan cuisine with gusto such that we’re eating delicious food and enjoying a variety of tastes.

Why Our Brains Are Not Computers

our brain is not a computerI used to think that our brains were like computers. After all, they process lots of input, use logic to make executive decisions, store and retrieve memories, and produce output. Yet after reading Welcome to Your Brain and watching Dr. Sam Wang’s 36-part DVD entitled Neuroscience of Everyday Life, I have a whole new perspective.

Our brains are not designed for pinpoint accuracy, like a computer. They’re in the business of keeping us alive. To that end, Dr. Wang tells us that “at any given moment, your brain is lying to you.” Here’s how…

The brain takes in huge amounts of information through its sensory processors – eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and skin. As it sifts through the input, it uses a lifetime of experience and its  contextually-based expectations to interpret the raw data and then decide what will be processed and retained and what will be discarded. Speed takes precedence over accuracy.

Forty percent of our brain is sensitive to visual stimulation. A large number of brain regions can activate in response to visual signals without entering that input into consciousness. Conscious awareness may function like a spotlight that focuses on specific stimuli and ignores others. And by the time we’re cognizant of visual images, our brains have already made assumptions about what we’re looking at.

The brain’s mechanism for storing and retrieving memories also falls into the realm of not-at-all-like-a-computer. Memories get stored in shorthand based on what the brain considers important. There’s also good evidence that we erase and re-write our memories every time we recall them. And we invent details to fill in the gaps and create a more coherent story. Researchers have demonstrated this phenomenon in laboratory experiments. For example, they can show their subjects a list of words that share a consistent meaning – e.g., ice cream, honey, lollipop, sugar, candy, chocolate. When asked later if the word sweet was on the list, most folks say yes with confidence. They make a reasonable inference that the word made the list even though it did not.

The hippocampus serves as the initial repository for our memories. In the process of rewriting as we re-experience them, memories can transition from the hippocampus to the neocortex. As this transfer occurs, some memories get separated from the context in which they occurred and get woven into the fabric of our general knowledge. For example, we’ll remember that Salem is the capital of Oregon, but we won’t recall when, where, or how we learned that fact. Dreams likely play an important role in memory consolidation.

Armed with this information, I’m more likely to adopt a generous response when others recount memories that are inconsistent with my recollection. I’ll also be wary of declaring that my historical narratives are factually true.

synaptic connectionsOur brains also play close attention to activity on all of its synaptic connections. It strengthens synapses that see frequent use (“cells that fire together, wire together”). This mechanism enables us to execute thousands of sequences in everyday life without having to think much about them (e.g., tying our shoe laces). It also weakens or removes synapses that remain dormant while others are actively used (“out of synch, lose you link”). This phenomenon is referred to as neural plasticity. It has several important practical applications:

  • If there’s a goal that you’d like to accomplish, visualize the process of attaining it in as much detail as possible and as often as possible. When your brain is wired for success, you’re far less likely to be stymied by roadblocks along the way.
  • When teaching a class, provide some initial exposure to key facts or conclusions. By preparing the brain for what’s ahead, it’s more likely to pay attention to specific pieces of information. For example, an early quiz sets the brain up for future learning.
  • If you need to study for an exam, break your preparation into several relatively small sessions (45-90 minutes). Your brain will retain information longer if it has the chance to process it between study sessions.
  • If something or someone makes you unhappy, find a way to distract yourself when the memory emerges. If you dwell on it, you simply reinforce the pain and increase the likelihood that it will keep popping up. Turn your attention to something pleasant.
  • Reappraisal is a powerful tool for transforming unhappy memories. Find a way to change the meaning of the event into something positive and forwarding. Folks skilled in reappraisal tend to be emotionally stable and resilient.

Finally, frequent small positive events have a greater cumulative effect on happiness than large positive events. For example, when people win the lottery, they typically go through an initial period of euphoria after which they revert to their former set points. To elevate your set point, eliminate daily irritants, set realistic goals and achieve them, use your character strengths, and cultivate a daily practice of gratitude.

Are Your Hormones Balanced?

I got acquainted with Dr. Sara Gottfried, MD while listening to a podcast featuring her New York Times bestselling book The Hormone Cure. The book’s title wouldn’t have piqued my interest had I seen it on the library shelf. But when Dr. Gottfried shared her struggle with hormonal imbalance, it set me to wondering about the ways in which I might be affected as well.

Our bodies produce dozens of hormones. They’re chemical messengers that influence behaviors, emotions, brain chemicals, and our immune system. They also play a key role in turning food into fuel. When working well together, they operate as a powerful, graceful, and effective team. When they’re out of kilter, they can produce weight gain, mood swings, fatigue, low libido, and other unpleasant conditions. It’s not a bad thing. It’s simply the body’s way of telling us that something is wrong. And we need to listen.

too much stress, too much cortisolTake cortisol, for example. It plays a role in hunger cravings, digestion, blood pressure regulation, sleep/wake patterns, physical activity, and our capacity to cope with stress. If we’re hiking in the woods and encounter a grizzly bear, cortisol supports our flight-or-fight response by: (i) raising our blood sugar to give us a ready supply of fuel; (ii) increasing our blood pressure to make us alert and ready to respond; and, (iii) deactivating the body’s self-repair protocols to conserve energy. It’s a wonderfully protective mechanism when called upon infrequently. It’s not so helpful when activated regularly in the fast-paced environment in which we live.

Prolonged exposure to high cortisol isn’t good for you. It can render you sleepless even if you are exhausted and have been dragging around all day. It restricts blood flow in a way that can alter brain function, decrease emotional intelligence, and accelerate age-related cognitive impairment. Excess cortisol makes weight accumulate around the midsection. It thwarts the immune system, making you susceptible to colds and infection. It can make you feel anxious, and pretty much kills the sex drive. And should your adrenal gland grow weary of pumping out all that cortisol, it may not be able to rally the troops to produce some more when you really need it.

Dr. Gottfriend’s guide to hormone balance helps women increase their energy, resilience, vitality, and sensuality through science-based natural therapies. She provides treatment protocols for 7 common conditions that affect women: high cortisol, low cortisol, low progesterone, excess estrogen, low estrogen, excess androgens, and low thyroid. The Appendices in the back of the book provide the details.

meditationShe pursues treatment in three phases. Lifestyle design is the preferred protocol as it addresses the underlying causes of the condition while taking advantage of the body’s natural ability to heal itself. For example, folks with chronically high cortisol need to make lifestyle adjustments that alleviate stress and promote relaxation. Some adjustments may be relatively easy to incorporate – e.g., adopting a healthy diet, learning to meditate, and/or signing up for yoga classes. Others may prove more challenging – e.g., changing jobs, adjusting commute patterns, and/or downsizing to relieve financial pressure.

Herbal therapies may be used to support the body’s healing process on either a short-term or long-term basis. For example, Vitamin C supplements may be leveraged to support the body’s immune response. Other herbal remedies have been shown to reduce fatigue and stress, lower blood sugar, improve cognition, and confer a sense of calm. Some may have unpleasant side effects and/or interactions with other medications. Hence, it may be advisable to pursue their use under medical supervision. If the condition warrants it, a doctor may prescribe bioidentical hormone supplements.

I confess that I struggle with the lifestyle changes recommended by Dr. Gottfried and others to help my body do its best work in service of my long-term health. It’s why I’ve taken an interest in the science of behavioral change, habit formation, and positive psychology. I’ve found that I have more success when taking sustainable “baby steps” – one new one each month – rather than attempting sweeping change on which I’ll likely falter. I’ve also surrounded myself with a team of family and friends who support my efforts and provide encouragement.

The Psychology of Change

Drs. James Prochaska, John Norcross, and Carlo DiClemente spent years working with clients who were ensnared by destructive personal habits. Time and time again, temporary behavioral adjustments just didn’t stick. Of New Year’s resolutions, 77% last for 1 week, 55% for 1 month, 40% for 2 months, and 19% for 2 years.

So they combed the available research and conducted studies on their own to develop a solution to this vexing problem. They summarized findings in their seminal book Changing For Good: A Revolutionary Six-Stage Program for Overcoming Bad Habits and Moving Your Life Positively Forward.

As the book title indicates, the model identifies six stages of change. They are:

PRECONTEMPLATION: Individuals exhibit no intention of changing. Defenses include denial (“I don’t have a problem”), minimalization (“it’s not that bad”), rationalization (“everybody does it”), projection (“it’s not my fault”), and internalization (“I’m too weak to change”). External pressure and/or impactful events tend to provide the impetus for action.

CONTEMPLATION: Individuals acknowledge their issues and take initial steps toward a plan of action. They experience internal resistance based on a fear of failure and concern that their new selves won’t fit in with their environment. Individuals get stuck in this phase when they substitute planning for action, fixate on the need for certainty, or wait for the right moment to begin.

PREPARATION: During this phase, individuals devise the specific steps that they’ll follow during the action phase. Their plans may include grand gestures or a series of small steps, depending on the nature of their issues and personal predilections. This phase is also a time when they’ll commit to their personal transformation. Commitment presumes willingness to act and confidence in a favorable outcome.

ACTION: Individuals institute their plans and make adjustments as new opportunities and challenges present themselves. The biggest threats to sustained action include taking preparation lightly, lack of willingness to make the requisite sacrifices, believing in “silver bullets,” and/or doing the same old things and expecting different results.

MAINTENANCE: Successful behavioral maintenance demands long-term effort and revised lifestyles. In addition to distancing from unhealthy triggers, individuals should review their reasons for initiating change, acknowledge their successes, be brutally honest with themselves when facing temptation or missteps, and have support systems at the ready.

TERMINATION: Individuals have confidence in their ability to sustain change without temptation or reversion to old patterns. (I wonder if anyone truly reaches the stage at which sustained vigilance no longer becomes necessary…)

Drs. James Prochaska, John Norcross, and Carlo DiClemente also defined 9 change processes – i.e., activities that help individuals modify their thinking, feeling, or behavior:

  1. Consciousness raising through increased situational awareness and/or access to information
  2. Social liberation due to influences in the external environment that support change (e.g., an advocacy group)
  3. Emotional arousal caused by a significant experience that elevates one’s awareness, depth of feeling, or commitment
  4. Self-evaluation which results in a thoughtful appraisal of one’s circumstances and a vision of the person one might become when freed from the problem
  5. Commitment which comes from taking personal responsibility (privately, then publicly) for the problem and execution of a viable action plan
  6. Countering which entails substituting healthy behaviors for unhealthy ones
  7. Environmental control which minimizes the possibility of a problem-causing event
  8. Rewards that reinforce positive behavioral change
  9. Helping relationships that provide assurance, support, understanding, and acceptance.

Exhaustive research suggests that successful change entails use of the right processes at the right stages of change, as follows:

change processes

Change is not a linear process. It often entails two steps forward, one step back. Here are a few lessons that the authors have learned to help patients persevere:

  • Take heart. Only 20% of the population conquers long-term issues permanently on the first attempt.
  • A lapse is not a relapse. We can recover from slips, learn from them, and continue toward our goal of permanent change.
  • Guilt and self-blame undermine confidence in the ability to succeed. Learn to silence them by simply re-engaging positive behaviors and moving forward.
  • Change takes more time, energy, and money than we anticipate. Be patient. And consider all 6 change processes during the action phase. (Will power alone won’t get it done!)
  • Don’t use the wrong change processes at the wrong time. It risks instilling misinformation, depleting will power, or substituting one bad behavior for another.
  • Be prepared for complications and learn to be nimble when addressing them.
  • Beware of mini-decisions that become maxi-decisions (“I’ll just keep some chips and cookies in the cupboard for company”).
  • Because distress (anger, anxiety, depression, loneliness, social pressures) encourages relapse, be sure to have concrete plans to address them before they take root.