People give a variety of reasons for wanting to be in a relationship.  For some it is an escape from loneliness.  For others it is to have a family.  Many people talk about wanting to find their soulmate.  What many people do not realize initially is that they have very little idea of what they will experience in a relationship.

The early stages of a relationship tend to be a honeymoon period.  This is the time when the hormones are flowing and expectations are high.  We tend to be carefree and our troubles are few.  At some point we start to become concerned about some of our partner’s traits and begin to question if this is the person with whom we want to spend our life.

Just because the infatuation stage does not last and we feel disappointed what follows is not necessarily a sign that we made a bad decision.  Very often it is just the natural progression of a relationship that reflects someone else’s character traits that can be a mirror showing us what needs to be changed in ourselves.  This is a common experience for many couples.

This is what I refer to as the spiritual aspect of a relationship.  It is the aspect of a relationship which reveals the lessons we are here to learn and what we might need to change about ourselves.  Of course there are some things like being abused or being disrespected that are not reasonable ways to be treated over time.  However, if you are able to identify certain patterns that consistently occur in your life this might be a sign that something about you needs to change.    

I welcome your comments and questions.

During the past three weeks I have written about the function of our digestive organs, what happens when something goes wrong with one or more of them and suggested some beneficial products.  By taking this perspective I did not mean to imply that any of our body’s systems (e.g., digestion, circulation, etc.) operate in a vacuum.  The reality is that they are all interdependent upon one another.  

To illustrate let’s consider the pancreas.  This organ secretes digestive enzymes.  If this does not occur as needed the result can be incomplete food digestion.  According to Anthony Cichoke, DC this can contribute to adult-onset diabetes, food allergies and pancreatitis.  People with diabetes need to monitor their blood sugar leves and are at risk for developing problems with circulation.  Unstable (i.e., low blood sugar levels) have been associated with depression.  Serious circulatory challenges can result in decreased mobility and social interaction with friends and family.   

When we have a problem with any aspect of our health it is important to identify the cause and not just treat the symptom.  If someone experiences low blood sugar eating candy or drinking orange juice would be an example of treating the symptom.  Determining the reason for the low blood sugar (e.g., over production of insulin) and treating it is an example of treating the cause.  An accurate identification of the cause is essential.  The next step would be to identify available treatment options and to choose the one with the fewest risks and most benefit.

I welcome your questions and comments.   

In this last article on improving digestion I will discuss the digestive roles of the liver and the large intestine.  I will identify the adverse factors which affect each of them.  I will also suggest beneficial approaches to provide nutritional support in response to the adverse factors.

The liver metabolizes proteins, carbohydrates and fats.  It also detoxifies hormones, toxins and drugs and manufactures bile.  The bile is secreted into the small intestine or stored in the gallbladder.  Bile is important in the digestion of fat and fat-soluble vitamins and keeps the small intestine free from harmful organisms.

When we overly burden our livers with excessive use of alcohol and drugs this can interfere with its daily functions.  A compromised immunne system can lead to liver Infection and also compromise optimal organ performance.  Beneficial approaches include the use of whole food supplements that provide nutritional support to the liver and herbs such as milk thistle, artichoke and dandelion.  In general, these herbs are reputed to protect against toxicity and/or increase the production of bile.

The large intestine’s principle functions are to concentrate, store, and excrete food wastes through absorption of water and electrolytes.  A small amount of nutrient absorption also occurs.  A section of the large intestine, the colon, contains friendly flora (i.e., bacteria) which produce enzymes that break down remaining food from the small intestines. 

An important aspect of good colon health is to maintain its healthy environment.  This can be accomplished by eliminating toxic bacteria, maintaining healthy flora (e.g., lactobacilli & others), identifying and avoiding any food sensitivities and getting an adequate amount of fiber.  Good intestinal health contributes to overall physical functioning.

I welcome your comments and questions.        

Last week I wrote about the role the stomach and small intestine play in digestion as well as the adverse factors which could affect each one.  Beneficial approaches were also identified.  In this article I will address the digestive roles performed by the pancreas and gallbladder.

The pancreas secretes digestive enzymes into the small intestine including lipase, amylase and protease.  Lipase and bile helps to digest fats.  Amylase break down starch molecules into smaller sugars.  Protease breaks down protein into smaller amino acids.  According to Anthony Cichoke, D.C., in his book Enzymes and Enzyme Therapy, a lack of pancreatic enzymes can prevent up to 50% of the carbohydrates and proteins as well as a majority of fats entering the small intestine from being absorbed.  In addition, Dr. Cichoke also believes a lack of enzymes can contribute to adult-onset diabetes, food allergies and pancreatitis.  Beneficial approaches include supplementing with enzymes and/or taking herbal tonics.  Depending on the condition of the pancreas herbal tonics can result in an over stimulating effect.

The gallbladder holds bile for the liver and digestive juices in the duodenum signal the gallbladder to secrete bile.  Gallstones can occur when the chemical composition of the bile is disturbed.  Beneficial approaches for inflammation include the use of dandelion and wild yam.  Tumeric acts as a gallbladder stimulant.

Next week we will look at the digestive roles played by the liver and large intestine.

I welcome your questions and comments.        

It is not just what we eat that influences our health, it is also how well our bodies absorb nutrients.  The significant aspects of digestion involve our digestive organs.  It is important to understand how each digestive organ functions and what can be done if a problem exists.

The stomach is primarily responsible for digestion of proteins and ionization of minerals.  The only substances fully absorbed by the stomach are water and glucose; the rest are broken down and absorbed by other digestive system organs.  Two common stomach problems are deficient gastric acid secretion and absence of gastric secretions.  These conditions are often indicated by bloating, belching, burning and flatulence after meals, as well as by indigestion, diarrhea and constipation.  Beneficial approaches include taking hydrochloric acid, herbs and/or enzymes.

The small intestine is the part of the digestive system where the greatest amount of digestion and absorption occurs.  Food and digestive juices (called chyme) are released from the stomach into the duodenum.  The small intestine then signals secretions from the pancreas, gallbladder and liver.  Problems related to the small intestine include gluten intolerance, food allergies, and intestinal infections.  Factors which can adversely affect the small intestine and cause malabsorption include abnormal bacteria in the gut, vitamin A deficiency, decreased hydrochloric acid, gut inflammation, viral and bacterial intestinal infections.  Beneficial approaches include taking acidophilus, hydrochloric acid tablets, vitamin A, herbs and natural laxatives.

Next week we will look at the digestive roles played by the pancreas, gallbladder and liver.    

I welcome your questions and comments.

The stereotype of the “skid row bum” as the “alcoholic” or “drug addict” gives a narrow impression regarding substance use.  Alcohol and drug use exists across all socio-economic levels.  In fact, many executives and professionals also struggle with alcohol and drug use every day.  The basic reasons for drinking alcohol or using drugs does not vary across socio-economic levels.

It is important to understand the distinction between why people use substances and the reasons people give for using substances.  People usually start using substances because of peer pressure, seeing family, friends or role models using, experimentation and/or curiosity, and to manage their stress.  People give many reasons for using including:  “it relaxes me”, “it does not really affect me”,  and ”it’s hot outside and a cold beer will satisfy my thirst”.

People continue to use because the initial “sought after physiological and/or psychological effect” does not usually last forever and tolerance develops.  This means more of the substance has to be ingested to attain the desired effect.  Ongoing use generally creates many additional problems.  However, the main point to keep in mind is that substance use occurs across all socio-economic levels.

Professionals and executives have to deal with specific issues related to their substance use.  For some people drinking alcohol is part of “entertaining” potential and/or existing business contacts.  Drinking alcohol and/or using drugs helps some people ”to better manage” the long hours and financial pressures of their jobs.  In effect, substances are used to help to minimize the negative effects of stress.    

The first step that needs to be taken towards resolving any existing stress related issues is to determine if and how you want your life to be different.  Either harshly Judging yourself or denying the possibility that you have a substance use issue will not serve you well over time.  The next step is to recognize that your continuing reliance on alcohol and/or drugs is actually part of the problem.  Being completely honest will allow you to have a clear mind and will give you the best opportunity to identify your sources of stress and effective solutions.     

I welcome your comments and questions.

All of our life’s experiences tend to be viewed as occurring somewhere along a continuum.  The continuum can be called good or bad, right or wrong, in addition to any other words which contain an element of judgement. We can also see our experiences in descriptive, objective terms (e.g., I got drunk, I got high, I smoked a pack of cigarettes, I gained weight, I went shopping and spent alot of money).  Regardless of the behavior and the identified judgement what really matters is our wanting to change the way we do things because of unwanted negative consequences.  The more judgemental we are about our behaviors the more difficult it becomes to alter them.

What we think becomes our reality.  If we think we can accomplish something and commit to it the goal is achieved.  Having reasons or excuses for something not changing helps to maintain that reality.  When our thinking (i.e., psychological functioning) is hindered by depression, anxiety or disturbed thought processes (e.g., anger, sadness, misperceptions, difficulty focusing or concentrating) our choices become difficult to manage.

From the perspective of physical health hypothyroidism (i.e., underactive thyroid) can be related to depression and hyperthyroidism (i.e., overactive thyroid) can be related to anxiety.  An overly stimulated autonomic nervous system (e.g., being in sympathetic mode) can be related to being in a “fight or flight” way of relating and an under stimulated autonomic nervous system (e.g., being in a parasympathetic mode) can be related to being tired or sluggish during the day.  While many factors can contribute to these states the point I’m making is that our physical and mental health are related and they can adversely affect our behaviors. 

I believe that what we think or do is affected by our food and beverage choices.  When we ingest foods and beverages that initially raise and eventually lower our blood sugar (e.g., sugar, caffeine, refined carbohydrates, soda) there is an initial increase in alertness that is followed by an energy slump.  Eating this way over time creates a rollercoaster effect on our thoughts and emotions.  In addition, this can also adversely affect our glands (e.g., pancreas) and contribute to the onset of hypoglycemia (i.e., low blood sugar) and/or diabetes.   

Good nutrition is an important aspect of physical and mental functioning which can affect recovery efforts from compulsive behaviors.  It is also important to refrain from judging ourselves too harshly.  An important aspect of successful recovery is to identify what we want to change and to give ourselves the best chance of accomplishing our goals by managing all aspects of our health as completely as possible.

I welcome your questions and comments.   

Traditional recovery approaches incorporate a variety of solution-based strategies to help people to improve their psychological and physiological functioning.  These solution-based strategies include:  medication; psychological counseling (e.g., behavioral management techniques and motivational interviewing); attending self-help groups; and nutritional counseling which focuses on good food choices.  Self-help groups like AA, NA and others contain a spiritual context.

Based on my readings and past experiences I have learned that spirituality can make a valuable contribution towards helping people to attain and maintain recovery.  What is a required is a clear understanding of your true goals and a reasonably consistent commitment to achieve them.  Spirituality, within this context, refers to having positive intentions in all your thoughts and actions with the primary intention being to “do no harm” to self or others.

It is important to realize that how you relate to others is a direct reflection of your feelings of self-worth and how you think or feel you deserve to be treated.  These feelings and thoughts can be affected by your physical health and level of psychological functioning.  Your physical health is related to family genetics and what you put into your body.  Your psychological functioning is also related to what you put into your body as well as genetics and your life’s experiences.

The role that spirituality plays in each of our lives depends, to some extent, on our beliefs about our purpose in being here.  Do you believe in destiny and/or free will?  Do you believe in an afterlife?  Do you believe in reincarnation?  Do you believe your life has a purpose?  Your answers to these questions impact how you interact with others on a daily basis.

How you treat yourself and what you believe about your life’s purpose are closely related to what you are capable of accomplishing in your life which includes recovering from psychological and/or physiological challenges.  Living a satisfying and fulfilling life is possible for anyone who is willing to seek the answers they need and to be conscious of the choices that are available to each of us on a daily basis.  Our lives reflect patterns which we can choose to change.  The potential for positive change exists in all of us.  The challenge is to believe it exists, to seek it and to choose it.

I welcome your questions and comments.

A fact of life is that we all have stressful situations in our lives.  Encountering challenges to our mental and physical well-being is unavoidable.  The good news is that there are solutions.  Regardless of whether your issues are psychological, physical or both you can improve your situation.  Some people have what is called a dual diagnosis which means they have a psychological and a substance use issue. 

I believe that a wholistic perspective provides the quickest and most thorough approach to identifying the cause(s) and solution(s).  For example, a person who suffers from depression and uses alcohol clearly has psychological, physical health and behavioral (i.e., not going to school or work) challenges.  Alcohol ingestion could also result in someone not being able to concentrate or to think clearly (foggy brain) due to low blood sugar.      

By identifying the mental, emotional, and physical symptoms we are able to uncover the cause(s) and apply the proper solution(s).  The key is to identify the cause of the problem and to help someone to correct the cause and not just put a short term band-aid on the symptom.  To illustrate, say someone is having trouble abstaining from alcohol use.  Focusing on the drinking and throwing away their alcohol is not usually a long term solution.  By understanding that there could be a sugar metabolizing issue and teaching ways to eat that would help to stabilize blood sugar levels could help to minimize craving and improve the chances for abstinence and also have a positive affect on the depression.  Also teaching about relapse triggers and relevant coping skills could increase the chances of someone maintaining abstinence.

The resolution of life’s challenges (i.e., sources of our stress) is dependent on identifying the cause(s) and applying the accompanying solutions.  Very often positive change does not occur either because the proper solution has not been identified, it has not been communicated in a way it could be heard/accepted or the person is not ready to change.  It is important to remember that positive change to long term problems is a possibility for everyone. 

I welcome your comments and questions.   

I believe that successful and lasting resolutions for mental, emotional, physical and recovery challenges are based on identifying the cause rather than focusing on the symptom.  Helping people who consume alcohol to refrain from use has long been related to strategies such as:  changing the way someone thinks (i.e., Cognitive Behavioral Therapy); changing behaviors to include avoiding “people, places and things”; identifying relapse triggers and solutions for managing them; attending self-help groups such as AA and Smart Recovery.  Although each of these strategies have proven to be helpful relapse remains a major issue for people with psychological and/or substance use challenges.  Historically, the success of chemically dependent treatment programs has been around 15%.

A recent article in the publication Recovery Today suggests success rates can increase to 80% when nutritional protocols are used in combination with other recovery tools.  Although this understanding and supportive scientific research goes back to the 1940’s and 1950’s its application and use does not seem to have widespread acceptance in many treatment programs today.  To explain the importance of sound nutritional practices to recovery let’s consider alcohol use as an example.

Alcohol use has been shown to interfere with nutrient absorption (e.g., B-Vitamins) and to cause damage to the liver, stomach and intestines.  The use of drugs and alcohol as well as ingesting nutrient poor foods when experienced with high stress levels has also been shown to interfere with neurotransmitter function that results in negative effects to mood, emotion, motivation, and several glands including the thyroid, pituitary and hypothalamus.  In addition,  the use of alcohol and any other simple carbohydrate can create a rollercoaster effect on your blood sugar levels.  This, in turn, can also negatively affect you psychologically and physically (e.g., excessive fatigue, brain fog). 

Although I acknowledge that many causes can and have been identified for alcohol use, drug use, neurotransmitter dysfunction and trouble effectively managing stressful situations many of the solutions are based on symptom management rather than seeking to affect the cause of the ongoing problem.  For example, someone may be told to stop drinking (as if it is a simple choice) and they are not helped to manage any possibly existing blood sugar issue that can contribute to their wanting to drink or to their ingesting simple carbohydrates which can fuel the alcohol craving.  Or their possible neurotransmitter depletion may not be addressed to help to prevent their depressed mood from contributing to feelings of hopelessness and a return to drinking to help them cope.  Although people who have been experiencing psychological and substance use challenges would benefit from learning effective ways to problem solve their daily challenges sound nutritional practices could help to nourish their minds and bodies so that their chance for achieving longer term success would have a stronger foundation.

I welcome your questions and comments.