Vitamin E Improves Cardiovascular Health

Is Vitamin E Really Beneficial?

The Journal of the American Medical Association published an article in July, 2005 stating that women who took 600 i.u. Vitamin E every other day for 10 years had no reduction in major cardiovascular events or incidence of cancer during the Women's Health Study. However, what they declined to emphasize is that vitamin E supplementation was beneficial in healthy women, decreasing cardiovascular mortality by 24% in this population. This is incredibly significant, considering heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women living in the United States.

It's important to realize that even research articles can be biased, and this appears to be the case with this JAMA article.

Aging Gracefully - Improving Memory

Despite what society says, as we age we don't lose our memories, we merely have a slowing in the ability to absorb, store, and retrieve new information. You can still make and recall new long-term memories; the process just takes a little longer. The good news is, with each new experience or memory that you store, you are able to associate it with your depth of past experiences, and become wiser than those younger than you.

Here are some simple tips for keeping your memory agile:

Memories are consolidated at night. A proper nights sleep helps ensure short term memories become long-term. Practice good sleep hygiene, by relaxing the hour before you go to bed, avoiding alcohol, caffeine and sleep medications. Sip on chamomile or valerian tea if you have trouble falling asleep. See your naturopathic doctor or family physician if you have difficulty falling asleep or have sleep apnea.

Socialize! Engaging in conversation with others is very stimulating to the brain. Asking relevant questions and practicing descriptive narratives of daily events will keep your brain active and your memory engaged.

Stimulate your mind by learning something new! Can you do crossword puzzles in your sleep? Try Sudoku. Have you played Hearts for years? Try Bridge. Is your favorite game Checkers? Maybe it's time to learn to play Chess. Take a cooking class, an expressive arts class, learn another language or take music lessons. Keep learning!

Manage your stress. Come to a meditation, a yoga class or a drum session. These classes teach you mental focus while helping you relax and lessen the stress in your life.

Believe in yourself! You have a good memory. You can memorize easily. You are a wonderful, caring, active and intelligent being. Have you told yourself that today?

If you're interested in learning more, come take a class at Life Sculpting, or stop by for a free consultation. We look forward to seeing you.

Be well!
Dr. Weeshoff

Vitamin D Prevents Type I Diabetes in Children

A recent article published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, March 2008, concluded that vitamin D supplementation beginning at 7 months of age, reduces the risk of developing Type I, Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus in children by 30%. It appears that larger doses of Vitamin D are even more protective.

Cod liver oil is a natural source of Vitamin D3, the best form of Vitamin D to supplement because it is the active form for our bodies. Cod liver oil also contains the active form of omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA which are important for central nervous system development and maturation, including cognitive development, mood and concentration. Cod liver oil supplementation will not only protect children from developing diabetes, it will improve their cognitive development, including helping treat Attention Deficit Disorder. Cod liver oil has multiple health benefits for the young developing child.

Adding cod liver oil into young children's diets is essential to their health. If you're interested in more information, email wellness@lifesculpting.biz.

Vaccines in the News, MMR and ProQuad

The Center for Disease Control has withdrawn its recommendation for ProQuad, a vaccine that combines the MMR (Measles, Mumps Rubella) vaccine with the chickenpox vaccine due to an increase in seizures within 10 days of vaccine administration. Previously they had recommended the coupled vaccine, as it leads to less needle sticks, and therefore less trauma to children. However, the ProQuad vaccine contains 4 times the amount of chickenpox vaccine compared to the chicken pox vaccine alone. While a single seizure event usually doesn't have lasting consequences for a child, it reminds us yet again, that these small bodies with immune systems that aren't fully developed, are not ready to be bombarded by numerous virus particles.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080228/ap_on_he_me/merck_vaccine

For more information on your family's health, visit www.lifesculpting.biz or call 480-883-8160

Meditation - your heart depends on it!

A Heart Healthy Tip for February!

Did you know that long-term meditators experience 80% less heart disease and 50% less cancer than non-meditators?*

Many people think that meditation means sitting alone silently for hours on end. But meditation can be as simple as bringing mindfulness and awareness to your daily activities. Other forms of meditation include prayer, visualization, guided imagery, transcendental meditation, Buddhist meditation, movement meditation (Qi Gong, tai chi and certain forms of yoga) and the list goes on.

Meditation causes the “Relaxation Response,” a term coined by Dr. Herbert Benson, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School. From his research he determined that quieting and focusing your mind causes your body to react in positive and beneficial ways, including:

Lowering blood pressure
Lowering heart rate (pulse)
Slowing breathing (respiration), which is both calming and stress reducing
Lowering cortisol (cortisol is your stress hormone, which when chronically elevated can lead to weight gain, a weakened immune system, sleep problems and increases in chronic disease)

So consider taking a few minutes every day and beginning your own practice of meditation. Your heart, your body, and your friends will thank you!

*Meditation as Medicine, by Dharma Singh Khalsa, MD

Journey To Wellness

I was first drawn to naturopathic medicine through Duke's Integrative Medicine Center, which offered classes on holistic health and stress reduction. There, a team of doctors, life coaches, and integrative practitioners worked together to improve peoples lives and bring patients break throughs in healing. It is very fitting that I am now at Life Sculpting, a similar integrative center, helping people shape their lives, working on their mental, emotional, spiritual and physical paths to health.

My classes there were life changing, the best and most relaxing part of a rigorous class schedule. It's through these classes, that I came to know Naturopathic Medicine, with its philosophy of treating the whole person, finding the root cause of the disease, doing no harm and believing that a person is greater than the sum of his/her body's processes. I not only wanted to live naturopathically, I wanted to practice it!

I entered Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine, a four year medical program in Tempe, where our coursework included conventional medicine, with physical exams, ordering labs and prescribing medications as well as botanical medicine, homeopathy, acupuncture, mind-body medicine and IV nutrients. Seeing patients find healing in natural medicine first hand helped me stay focused on my journey. After graduating, and practicing for a short time I found Life Sculpting, a place to inspire and heal, that is holistic, working on all aspects of your journey, a place very similar to where I first learned about naturopathic medicine. I am excited to be here. Please let me know if there's anything I can do to encourage you in your path to wellness.