Treating Fibromyalgia

by: Matthew Krajewski

So we got a great deal of interest from readers from the post published awhile back entitled, “Understanding Fibromyalgia.” I was initially interested in exploring what fibromyalgia was since I was seeing the advertisements for Lyrica so frequently. The surface research I shared offered a brief glimpse at the disease and the controversy that surrounds it; but what remains constant is the enduring pain that plagues fibromyalgia sufferers. Since the comments surrounding the earlier post were around treatments, and success with different treatments, I thought I’d share some resources we’ve uncovered at RightHealth during the course of building a first class health site.

If you haven’t checked out Daily Strength yet, that should be your starting point for finding a community of people interested in sharing success with different treatment options for fibromyalgia (or any other disease or condition). Their Treatments page for fibromyalgia is interesting because it lists a phlegm clearing drug Guaifensin, which Daily Strength users have listed as having a 63% success rate for treating fibromyalgia. They also have support groups, discussions, and a journals section where users share the intimacies of their struggle with the disease; sometimes communicating about a condition serves as a cathartic treatment to at least release negative energy associated with dwelling on the reality of the disease/condition.

While Daily Strength focuses on traditional Western medicine, Mamaherb is concerned with Eastern or alternative medicine options and their success rates.  Their page for fibromyalgia treatments lists passion flower, red clover, and pine bark extract as possible alternative medicine options for treating fibromyalgia, and like Daily Strength, Mamaherb users rate their success rate with associated treatments.

Just like the journals section of Daily Strength, there are communities devoted soley to journaling their experience, like Peoplejam where users share their stories with individual diseases. One caught my eye that had to do with lyme disease, although the user wasn’t sure if she was suffering from fibromyalgia. Other communities like Inspire offer groups where users can come together to share treatments, stories, and advice.

In short, just like the users that chose to comment on the original “Understanding Fibromyalgia” post, there are a wealth of resources where treatments and stories can be shared so that you can find support and success with managing fibromyalgia.

Living More Zen

by: Matthew Krajewski

So I am probably the furthest thing from a Zen monk, but found this blog posting about living more Zen, and thought I would summarize a few points from it, since everyone could use a little Zen, and by association, a little less stress and little more happiness in their lives.

Ecckhart Tolle’s new book, The New Earth, is also cause to write about living more Zen, since most of what he writes about is a distilled spiritualism without identifying with any particular major religion, unlike such sects as Sufism, Kabbalah, and Zen. They are all paths pointing spiritual seekers to the same place: a more fulfilling existence.

So how do you live more Zen?

1. Don’t multi-task

This sounds completely counter to our modern culture, but multi-tasking, even if you can do it and do it well, divides your minds attentions so that your are never fully present in any activity. A key to Zen is to be present in everything that you do, from cleaning the toilet to running a marathon, each activity deserves a fully present mind.

2. Clean it yourself

Zen monks consider cleaning a form of meditation. Even if you have someone to clean your house for you, try cleaning yourself, it is humbling and forces you to think about what you are doing. This will force you to be more present.

3. Keep it simple

This is perhaps one that sounds easy enough, but in practice can become hard to do. Only keep in your life the things you need. Don’t clutter your mind or space with anything that detracts from what you absolutely need to survive. This can be interpreted many ways, but it is up to you to decide what surviving means for you.

For more see the Zen Habits blog posting to bring more Zen into your life.

Gym Etiquette

by: Matthew Krajewski

So I came across this great blog posting via Digg on Ploomy regarding gym etiquette. Don’t even get me started…

But since I’m writing this, I’ve already started, and will continue a lá Ploomy.

I’ve taken to going the gym pretty regularly, at first it was in the evenings, but for some reason lately my local gym is getting packed in tighter than a Rolling Stones concert at Madison Square Garden, so I’ve taken to the morning shift. Ah! Mornings at the gym when nobody is around to do any of the annoyances I’m about to list below. Usually…hopefully…who am I kidding, I’ll probably run into the same bozos when they also figure out that the gym is empty in the mornings. Oh, well, bliss for now, and I can vent about proper gym etiquette in the meantime.

Stop grunting like an animal

This is the one that annoys me the most. Just because you’re at a gym is not an excuse to grunt like an animal. It is a shared public space, and I’m always taken aback when some guy on the bench press starts grunting through his reps…probably means you should lighten up on the weight you’re lifting.

Leave the bike shorts for outdoor biking

I’ve got nothing against biking or bikers, but leave the apparel for outdoors and racing. Like they said in the Ploomy post, stick to loose fitting clothing, and reserve the tight fitting stuff for the proper venue… like a nightclub.

Don’t be a klept-o or a mess-o

Don’t be a kleptomaniac or leave a mess anywhere in the gym. This means jacking the disinfectant spray near the towels to go wipe down your machine. Spray your towel first, and leave the bottle, so you don’t leave three people waiting around for you to play Mr. Clean! Also, put the weights back where you found them, in the right place. They’re labeled for a reason.

Leave the conversation for the coffee shop

I can’t count the number of times I’ve had my workout tainted by the chatty-kathys that are talking one machine over from me. And because there are about fifty machines and loud music, they have to talk over all of the noise, so that everyone around them can hear them. Focus on your workout, and chat afterward, not during. Jeez!

Well, I think that about wraps it up; so just sweat as much as you want (wear deodorant, please!), but be polite about it, it isn’t your personal gym after all.

Does the brain possess superpowers?

by: Matthew Krajewski

Rebecca Sato of the blog Daily Galaxy recently posed the interesting question, “Does the brain possess superpowers?” I was so tickled by the post, and the interesting cases she summarized, I wanted to share the premise with RightHealth readers, and explore other realms of the brain, myth and reality, that may be of interest.

With the recent phenomenal success of NBC’s Heroes, to the lucrative Marvel and DC comic franchises that include the X-Men, Superman, and many other figures numbering too many to list here, people are culturally enamored with the idea of heroes and superpowers. The idea of heroes aside (one person can make a difference and so on…), the idea that there are hidden, untapped superpowers latent in human beings always seems to grip our cultural interest.

Sato recounts savants that have abilities that echo the characters found in the NBC hit Heroes. Stephen Wiltshire is an autistic savant that can draw anything he sees with just a quick glance at the object. Orlando Serrell developed the ability to calculate complex calendrical equations only after being struck with a baseball to the head. These are two of the cases Sato relates in her article, posing the quandary of why if it is an evolutionary attribute of human beings to filter irrelevant facts do some human beings possess the extraordinary ability to lack this filter and produce incredible results like Serrell or Wiltshire? Do all human beings possess some “superpower” that is blocked by this evolutionary filter?

Perhaps we believe that the brain possess hidden superpowers, because there is so much we don’t understand about it, and it tends to play tricks on us. Lifehack related some of these brain tricks in a recent post. Like our short term memory, we can only store about five to nine items in our short term memory, hence why phone numbers average seven numbers, the same average as our short term memory. Also, your long term memory shuts down when you sleep, hence why you can’t remember all those dreams you had when you were asleep, only fragments, there was no long term memory operating to store them.

One of the hot trends right now, as the craze for antioxidants dies down, is to find nutrients that benefit certain parts of your body, particularly your brain (and digestive track, but that’s another blog post on the way). Leftofzen posted a great list of twenty brain foods that will keep your brain humming. I found the benefits of walnuts particularly interesting, since they have been known to produce serotonin, and may counter some conditions such as insomnia or depression.

So even if we can’t answer if the brain possess superpowers, at least we know what to feed it to keep it healthy, and we can even learn a little bit more about the tricks it plays on us! Read more on the Brain on Righthealth when you get a chance.

World Autism Day

by: Matthew Krajewski

We all know that our global community is becoming smaller and smaller, with issues such as environmental protection lauding a place on the international stage rather than just national. The health of people worldwide is taking center stage for the first time this April 2^nd to mark the United Nation’s adoption of World Autism Awareness Day as spearheaded by the nation of Qatar. This marks the first in a new series of official disease or condition awareness days to be introduced by the United Nations. World Autism Awareness Day is intended to raise international public awareness of autism; as well as encourage early detection, new research, and ground-breaking therapies.

 

Autism is a complex developmental disability that can manifest in a plethora of ways, but the commonality of all sufferers is a lacking of the ability to communicate and interact effectively with others. Autism manifests early in a child’s life, typically in the first three years, but can be mistakenly diagnosed as other conditions such as retardation. With a record high of children being diagnosed as autistic worldwide, and with controversy surrounding the actual causes of autism, World Autism Awareness Day could not have been introduced at a more crucial time. Without being able to identify the cause of autism, awareness and continued research is the best path available to those afflicted or affected by autism.

 

Since communication is a personal form of expression, each individual usually has specific traits that reflect their personality and the way they choose to communicate, and autistics are no different. For this reason, the symptoms of autism can be varied, but all have some sort of communicative idiosyncrasy. This can include aloofness, tantrums, refusal to socialize, extreme emotional reactions, repetition of words and phrases, and being non-responsive to verbal cues among other traits.

 

Although the causes of autism are still under dispute with people looking at vaccinations, and the environment as factors, the medical community is in general agreement that there is a link between genetics and autism. The New England Journal of Medicine recently published an article identifying a structural variation of chromosome 16 boosting the risk of autism. This finding can help pave the way for new drug treatments targeting the chromosome, as well as more effective testing to diagnose autism. Today, most parents of autistic children employ singular or multiple progressive options to nurture their children; these options can include diet, behavioral therapies and drugs. There is still much to be learned from all of these techniques, but clearly demonstrates that pharmaceuticals are not always the solution.

 

 

New Scientist recently published an article detailing how El Kaliouby, Rosalind Picard, and Alea Teeters of MIT are currently constructing a device to run software that can gauge the emotional reactions of others. This device could be invaluable to the autistic since understanding social nuances was once an insurmountable obstacle for those afflicted with autism. The device would be a small camera that could hang onto the side of a pair of glasses, which would be connected to a small buzzer in the user’s palm that would vibrate if the person being addressed becomes disinterested or annoyed.

With such an impairment of ability to communicate, it is no small wonder that people tend to write off the autistic due to their failure to interact “normally,” thereby dehumanizing them. ABC News reported on the remarkable story of Carly Fleischmann, who through an innovative therapy was able to match pictures and symbols on a keyboard to articulate her thoughts and feelings (Carly had never spoken in her life due to her particular manifestation of autism). Her writings revealed an aware individual that internally struggled with her condition and her surroundings. As Carly says herself, “It is hard to be autistic because no one understands me. People look at me and assume I am dumb because I can’t talk or I act differently than them. I think people get scared with things that look or seem different than them.”

Take a Nap

Tired Yet?

by: Matthew Krajewski

In other cultures, a siesta or mid-day nap is culturally accepted as the norm. However, over here in the United States, it is taking a bit longer for us to catch up on understanding the essential benefits of a midday rest. John F. Kennedy, Thomas Edison, and Eleanor Roosevelt all enjoyed a midday snooze, so there must be something gained from “taking it easy.”

 

And there is. As the afore mentioned great thinkers may demonstrate by the accomplishments in their lives, napping during the day can keep your brain activity high, while not taking nap will result in a steady decline in brain activity throughout the day. Taking a power nap during the day can increase memory retention, improve learning functions, and reduce stress levels.

 

If you want to take a nap, it is essential no to sleep more than an hour, nor sleep after 4PM, as breaking both of these rules can result in disrupting your natural circadian rhythm and make nighttime sleep difficult. So basically, make sure to nap earlier in the day, and not for too long.

The Wonder of Soy

by: Matthew Krajewski

What is Soy?

There is no such thing as a miracle food. Anything consumed in excess can pose a hazard to your health. Soy does have many wonderful attributes, such as reducing the risk of heart disease, but has also been marred by claims that range from feasible (soy may block essential nutrients from being absorbed in your digestive track) to ludicrous (claims that soy can make children gay or that soy can shrink the size of your brain). So what is the wonder that is soy?

Meet Soy

In 1999 the FDA started to allow soy food products to feature labeling promoting the claim that soy decreased cholesterol and risk of heart disease. The soybean is the most widely grown and utilized legume in the world, and traces its roots to 11^th century BC China. Soy is widely regarded as “health” food due to benefits associated with soy’s high protein content, being rich in vitamins and minerals, containing essential fatty acids, and being high in fiber.

The Good

Even though soy is not a miracle food, research has shown that soy may be effective in alleviating the risks of breast cancer, prostate cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, as well as making the transition of menopause easier. Protein rich soy is also a healthy alternative to eating meat, especially since soy lowers cholesterol whereas meat products tend to increase cholesterol levels.

The Bad

Soy contains phytic acid which may block the absorption of certain minerals, including magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc. Soy may also contain enzyme-inhibitors which may inhibit normal digestion. Proponents of such claims insist that only after fermentation of soy, as in the case of miso or tempeh, do the benefits of soy become available for human consumption. The nature of isoflavones in soy, while attributed to alleviating the risk of breast cancer and osteoporosis, is also cited as behaving too much like estrogen and posing a risk to children if substituted with milk.

 

The Wonder of Soy

The reality of soy is that there is that the jury is still out on both the good and the bad, and how soy will benefit your individual diet is largely dependent on your own physiology and what you require and can handle in your diet. Do research on how soy affects whatever condition you want to target through adding to your diet, and decide for yourself if it is appropriate for your nutrition needs. Soy is found in a wide array of foods and supplements, and nutritious additions to you diet can include miso, tempeh, tofu, edamame, soy milk, or soy yogurt. 

Understanding Fibromyalgia

By: Matthew Krajewski

 

 

 

When I saw this commercial from Lyrica I was a bit taken aback. I had heard about Fibromyalgia (FM), but was unaware of the enduring and widespread pain associated with the condition, nor was I aware that the FDA only recently approved prescription Lyrica to help manage fibromyalgia. So I did a bit of poking around on the Web to determine what exactly is Fibromyalgia, and why getting a prescription drug on the market took so long.

 

What is striking is that the woman in the commercial has to insist that fibromyalgia is a real condition, which hints at an existing debate over the reality of the disease. The NY Times article examining the use of Lyrica took such a tone, putting the validity of the very existence of fibromyalgia into question. What the NY Times pointed out somewhat ominously, was that even if fibromyalgia is not real, the potential side effects of the drug Lyrica, which include sleepiness, dizziness, and weight gain, are real.

 

We all have odd pains from time to time, but what sticks out in fibromyalgia sufferers is widespread musculoskeletal aches, stiffness of joints and limbs, generalized pain, skin tenderness, and fatigue. While not trying to belittle the seriousness of the disease, it sounds as though the pain is analogous to doing trying physical labor, then running a marathon, getting a bad sunburn, and not sleeping for days on end; all these things taken together may give an idea of the level of pain we are addressing when discussing fibromyalgia sufferers. It is no small wonder then, that fibromyalgia can seriously impede the quality of life of those diagnosed. However, diagnosis of the disease can take upwards of over five years since the origins of the disease are unknown, and the symptoms typically overlap with other diseases or conditions.

 

Fibromyalgia is not a life threatening illness, and there is no evidence supporting that the disease gets worse over time, although sufferers often experience a waxing and waning of symptoms, and at times even remission of the disease. FM afflicts more women than men, and the disease may afflict as many as 6% of the U.S. population.

Researchers now believe that genetics play a major role in an individual’s predisposition to fibromyalgia. Other research including brain analysis has determined that those with fibromyalgia have a nervous system that interprets pain abnormally, which can be a valuable piece in helping to unravel the mysteries of fibromyalgia.

With Lyrica introduced into the market, there is even more hope for fibromyalgia sufferers, although Lyrica is not necessarily a silver bullet for managing the disease. There is still a long way to go to understand fibromyalgia, and probably other paths on the horizon to managing the condition.

The Superpowers of Ginger

by: Matthew Krajewski

 

Quite frankly, I don’t think much about nor consume ginger outside of topping my sushi with it. A friend offered me a ginger mint the other day, and feeling a touch of motion sickness from our car ride, found the ginger killed any queasiness I was feeling. Apparently alleviating motion sickness is just one of many medicinal properties ginger (also known botanically as Zingiber Officinale) has been attributed with, others qualities being anti-inflammatory in nature, aiding circulation, easing migraines or headaches, as well as having mood enhancing properties. In addition, ginger is a good source of vitamin B6, copper, manganese, magnesium, and potassium.

 

Folk medicine has often referred to ginger for its ability to alleviate nausea, vomiting, and motion sickness. The digestive properties can be attributed to the presence of gingerols and shogaols, both of which are known to stimulate the right digestive juices in our stomachs and digestive tracts. Pregnant women with motion sickness often turn to ginger to alleviate symptoms when other methods fail.

 

The flavor of ginger, and most of its powerful properties, is due to ginger containing gingerol. Gingerol is an anti-inflammatory, and when all else fails, those afflicted with rheumatoid arthritis have turned to ginger, finding that regular consumption of ginger provides relief. Gingerol may also help prevent the growth of colorectal cancer. Ginger also contains cineole which is thought to be able to reduce stress.

 

Ginger is known as to possess “warming” properties, and consumption of ginger may promote sweating. This in turn promotes circulation and this has been thought to “flush” out the system when fighting a cold or flu.  Ginger may also block the effects of prostaglandin. Prostaglandin causes inflammation of blood vessels in the brain which can lead to headaches or migraines.

 

If you want to harness all of these powerful properties ginger possesses, it is best to seek fresh ginger over dried ginger. Fresh ginger will contain higher concentrations of gingerol, which is like ginger’s superpower. Ginger can be found in the produce sections of most grocery stores, and healthy ginger will be firm and smooth. Ginger is often found in fusion and recipes with a modern flair, so poke around to find out how you can incorporate the super-powerful ginger into your diet.

Energy Boosters All Day

Energy Boosters All Day

 

by: Matthew Krajewski

 

How can one person keep up with the frantic pace of modern living; balancing job, family, and other commitments; while still having enough energy to not only perform, but enjoy oneself at the same time? Energy seems to be the key to it all. Any lackluster area of life can at least partially be attributed to lack of energy, whether it is in the guise of lack of motivation, fatigue, or restlessness. Perhaps our cultural preoccupation with modern fountains of youth are as much stepped in standards of beauty as they are in finding missing resources of energy in our lives. So how do we recapture or boost our energy levels?

 

The key is the same for diet and weight loss as it is to energy: proper diet and exercise. However, by refocusing fitness and diet goals on internal energy levels, rather than physical signs of progress, any diet and fitness goals are more likely to be achieved. The reality of weight loss diets is they often deplete necessary energy flow to the brain, thereby making you more sluggish, and less prone to motivate yourself to fulfill the necessary fitness requirement to make any significant weight loss goals.

 

So what are some keys to maintaining your energy levels, whether trying to get through the work day or achieve weight loss goals? Before the coffee, drink water. Most Americans only get a fourth of their required water intake, and without it, dehydration can occur, thus creating a dull, listless lack of energy. Drink water throughout the day, pure water outside of juices, sodas, and coffee. Make sure to get a full night’s sleep as well, without enough rest your body will struggle to maintain the necessary energy to get through the day. Do what you must to insure this sleep is a restful sleep, and not a frequently waking sleep as this could also contribute to depleted energy.

 

In terms of actual healthy foods to focus on adding to your diet to improve energy, look for boron and selenium as a supplement to your diet. Boron stimulates brain function, and selenium is an antioxidant that boosts mood. Both can be beneficial to giving you the added energy to tackle your day. Boron is found in nuts and some fruits like apples and pears. Selenium is found in tuna, chicken, and turkey. Selenium poisoning is possible, so only take in moderation as found in foods.

 

 

Don’t rely on energy boosters like energy drinks and coffee. A little jolt no and then is one thing, but to constantly consume caffeine or sugar throughout the day will beget and dependency that will make your body require these stimulants to maintain your energy throughout the day.

 

By focusing on raising energy through proper diet, you should be able to face your day confidently and with the energy to handle just about anything!