Healthy Joints, Happy Life

Many of my patients in my integrative clinic in San Jose, CA come to see me regarding their joint aches and pains. If it’s not the joint itself then it’s the tendons and soft tissue around the joint that is bothering them. If you think about it, these little joints keep us active and functional. They go through a lot on a daily basis just to keep us up and about. So, don’t you think they need a lot of TLC every once in a while? How about every day and not just once in a while?

I’m going to help you with some key tips on keeping your joints happy and healthy.

First, if you know that a certain activity or repetitive motion is causing a certain joint to ache and scream, then you should refrain from that activity. If you cannot refrain from that activity because it’s a part of your work, you need to make sure you get some braces or durable medical equipment that can help support that joint. You should also get some physical therapy sessions in to help strengthen the muscles around that joint so that you can take the pressure and responsibility off that joint. Stronger muscles around the joint help to support it and thus there’s less strain on the joint.

Second, many of my patients notice great improvement in joint health and less pain when they remove food allergies or sensitivities from their diet. The reason for that is that if you certain foods trigger inflammation in the body, that inflammation may adversely affect your already irritated joint. So, ask your doctor about food allergy and sensitivity testing and if you find that you do indeed have some, make sure to avoid those sensitivities all the time to keep your joints and you aging healthily.

Finally, your diet and sleep are very important in helping your body heal and repair itself. So, you need to make sure you are eating a mostly anti-inflammatory diet full of nuts, legumes, vegetables, low saturated fat proteins, healthy fats like in olive oil and avocadoes, and whole grains. You need to remove processed foods that have chemicals and pesticides or hormones from your diet. You also need to stay hydrated with water and antioxidant-rich organic teas. If you feed your body what it needs to repair and heal your body and then you make sure that you get 7-8 hours of sleep every night, your body should have all that it needs to undo the damage of daily life on your joints and body.

It’s always very interesting to me how some populations of people in this world age well and how some don’t. Even in my clinic, I frequently see patients who look and function younger than their age, while others seem older than their age. If you look at epidemiological studies and even if you just looked at examples of people in your life or for me, in my clinic, those who manage stress well, make it a priority to get enough sleep, and eat a well-balanced mostly plant-based anti-inflammatory diet usually age extremely well.

So, whether you want to make sure that your joints, skin, body, or mind age well, just make sure that you are sleeping, making sure that you are happy and managing your stress, and eating as Mother Nature intended you to. If you do all that, you’ll be one of those people that leave others wondering what your true age is, because your glowing health will make it hard to tell.

 

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Low Calcium In Your Body…Why That’s a Big Problem

We take for granted that every little function our body does requires nutrients, or what I call, fundamental building block tools, for it to occur efficiently. One of those essential components is calcium. It is an essential mineral in our body that is required for normal muscle functioning as well as for all our organs to perform normally. Without it, our muscles hurt and are weak, our heart can’t pump regularly and our blood pressure might even be elevated or off.

So, what foods have calcium and why might someone be deficient? And when it does, what are the symptoms we see with calcium deficiency?

Calcium is found in many foods such as dairy, enriched whole grains, and dark green leafy vegetables, just to name a few sources. As we get older, though, we naturally absorb less of what we are eating so we are at higher risk for nutrient deficiency. So the most common reason for calcium deficiency are either from not getting enough in your diet or your hormonal system that regulates calcium is not working right. If your calcium is always low, you should have your doctor check on your parathyroid hormone level and make sure that it is working fine. If it is not, you will need to see a hormone specialist, the endocrinologist.

When we are calcium deficient, the organs in our body cannot functionally optimally and some adverse reactions can occur. Some of the common symptoms of calcium deficiency can be bone or muscle pain, muscle cramps, irregular heart beat or arrhythmias, blood pressure dysregulation, increased bruising or bleeding, nerve pain or dysfunction, and poor appetite.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms or if you are suspicious that you may be deficient in calcium, you should see your doctor immediately for testing of your levels of calcium and parathyroid hormone.

In general, I recommend about 500-1200mg per day of calcium supplementation depending on the person’s size, age, and risk factors for osteoporosis, hypertension, heart disease, and muscle or nerve pain issues. Because every person’s body is different and we all have different diets and lifestyles, it would be very important to check with your doctor first before you start your calcium and ask him or her what the appropriate dosage is for you.

While I always tell my patients in my clinic of integrative medicine in San Jose CA that I am a big proponent of always getting your nutrients through your foods first, I am well aware that some of us need supplementation to get the amount of what we need. So, my recommendation is to eat as much as you can of calcium-rich foods…but when in doubt, ask your doctor to check your levels and to help you pick out the right dosage of calcium supplementation for you.

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Which Foods Are Rich in Vitamins and Minerals?

When I help patients in my clinic of Integrative Medicine in San Jose CA, I frequently see articles or information about specific foods that are high in vitamins for patients to eat. I also see the impact of this on my patients’ diet such that then they start to eat a lot of only those foods. And since each article can’t possibly list all the vitamin-rich foods that a person should eat, the end result is that many of my patients come into the clinic saying they are eating the same five or ten vegetable or fruits every day or every other day.

I tend to have a problem with this concept of just mentioning some key foods that are high in vitamins to patients exactly for this reason…that patients sometimes will then go and eat just a lot of those foods. They lose sight of the big picture and in eating this way, they miss out on the nutrients of many other foods.

So, what do I tell my own patients then?

I tell my patients to eat the colors of the rainbow every day and try to eat that at every meal. I am not opposed to the concept that there are indeed foods that pack more vitamins and minerals than other foods, but by narrowing the concept into top five or top ten foods, the problem becomes that people miss out on all of Mother Nature’s star players.

So when my patients come into the clinic asking which foods have the most vitamins in them, I give them general categories rather than specific foods. This is with the purpose that they keep in mind that they need to eat in categories and not in specifics. By eating this way, you won’t be missing out in essential nutrients.

If you truly want me to narrow down into the major power players of foods that should always be in our diet? Well, here goes…

• Nuts: eat these in as close to natural form as possible. Not drenched in honey or salt or chocolate. Eat a variety of them and if you do, you will get many of the essential minerals and vitamins and healthy essential fatty acids that our body needs to run at optimal capacity.
• Vegetables in all the colors of the rainbow: When you eat vegetables in different colors, you naturally are eating a diverse amount of antioxidants. This takes the guess work out of your vegetables for your meal as to what to serve yourself and your loved ones.
• Legumes: These are also high in fiber, vitamins and minerals. For those who have nut sensitivities or allergies but want to make sure they get plenty of plant-based proteins to avoid the saturated fats found in some animal products, this is a great smart option.
• Fruits: Because there is a high number of people who know or don’t know they have problems metabolizing sugar, I don’t always want patients to eat a lot of fruits. I always say vegetables more than fruits in case you have triglyceride or glucose issues. But if you are craving something sweet, fruits are of course a much better option than processed sweets.

So, there we go. Those are the power foods I recommend. I know it’s not the top five or ten specific foods I gave you to eat for power-packed nutrients…but thinking of food in categories and keeping in mind to vary your diet within these categories on a day to day basis will keep your body humming along smoothly with the essential nutrients it needs. This way, you’ll never get stuck in a rut eating the same five power foods every day…because when you do that, at the end of the day, you are still missing nutrients because your diet lacks variety.

So, keep your diet as interesting and not boring as possible…get foods from these categories into every meal with various different colors and types and as close to the form it came in from Mother Nature. To eat this way is eating a power-packed diet without all the guess work…just remember, keep it colorful and keep it changing and varied.

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Using Melatonin to Help With More Than Just Sleep Issues

Most of you have heard of melatonin before…but it’s likely that you usually only hear about it in regards to insomnia or sleep issues. What you may not know is that it seems to play a role in other health concerns we frequently hear about including cancers, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease, just to name a few.

Melatonin is a compound in our body that helps to regulate sleep as well as other physiological rhythms in our body. It is secreted by the pineal gland and is hormone that is affected by light. Light suppresses levels of melatonin versus darkness helps to trigger our body to secrete more of this compound. What’s interesting about melatonin is that its levels start to wane as we age and certain medications seem to alter its levels in our body as well.

While the long term side effects of frequently altering our natural melatonin secretion is not completely well understood, there is some concern that long term alterations to normal secretion patterns can have other negative health effects. That is why sometimes you may hear from the medical community about concerns for night workers and their overall health.

Because melatonin has antioxidant effects in our body, there is growing interest in its benefits for patients with neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s disease. There is even growing interest in using melatonin for stroke patients and those with high blood pressure.

Early studies suggest that there may be some benefit from melatonin use in patients with cancer. Some of these studies suggest that patients on melatonin had better response to chemotherapy in breast cancer patients and some of the side effects and anxiety associated with therapy was somewhat mitigated more so in the melatonin users compared to those not on melatonin.

There is even some indication that melatonin may be helpful with migraines. There was a study that looked at migraine sufferers and they were given 3mg of melatonin about 30 minutes before bedtime every night for three months. Two-thirds of the patients seemed to have a 50% reduction and the severity and duration of migraines were less severe.

While these early studies suggest some exciting benefits from regular melatonin therapy, I want to caution you from going out and buying large quantities or dosages of melatonin without first running the idea by your physician. The fact is that these are early studies and that further studies are warranted to help us really get a better understanding of melatonin’s comprehensive role in our health. For now, make sure that if you are interested in trying out melatonin, ask your physician about it and whether it is right or safe for you.

Once you have the go ahead from your doctor, the general rule on dosing is that for those of you looking for help with sleep, a dosage of about 0.5-3mg at bedtime is what you would need for insomnia or sleep issues. You may consider 5-6mg for time zone changes or jet lag but for daily usage, the lower dosages are ideal at about 0.5-3mg at bedtime. 

In my clinic of integrative medicine in San Jose CA, I go over the specific goals of my patients on why they want to take melatonin and go over their medical history to see what dosage is best for the patient. You should have the same evaluation done with your doctor as well.

For those looking for help in more complicated health issues such as migraines or cancers, make sure you get clearance from your treating physician first and make sure to take it separated from your prescription medications once you have the clearance to take it. The dosages for these therapeutic goals are usually higher at around 5-20mg. If you would like to utilize higher dosages, my recommendation is to first consult your physician but also seek the guidance of an integrative physician or naturopathic doctor.

While these early studies are truly exciting and indicate a potential wide array of health benefits, I am just as excited as you are to see further studies that will help to clarify more of the intricacies of therapeutic indications as well as safety and side effect profiles above and beyond what we currently already know.

 

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Star Supplements in the Nutraceuticals Aisle

My patient population sees me because they believe in natural options for disease prevention and treatment. However, not everyone believes in supplements and with the confusing study reports out these days about how some supplements are harmful, not everyone is comfortable taking them.

 

I would like to take this opportunity to clarify some issues with these studies. When you are reading summarized reports about various studies, you should know that in order to truly understand what these studies show, you have to go look at the primary study article and not a summary article. Frequently, the poor results apply only to a specific population of people or that they did the study in a way that does not apply to clinical practice. Allow me to explain…

 

For example, the studies that look at vitamin D at high dosages leading to more fractures were done with dosages that are not used in clinical practice so would not apply to the general public. Even in prior studies with dosages closer to that used in clinical practice, those studies showed benefit, not harm, in regards to fractures.

 

Another example is a study done on calcium and vitamin D causing more heart attacks in women. This study looked at a subgroup of a larger study and drew that conclusion but various other subgroup studies done on that larger study did not show the same result. The hypothesis is that the calcium and vitamin D, when taking abruptly higher dosages in a woman who has never taken calcium or D supplementation, might be concerning but is still not definitive. The recommendation is to take calcium and D if osteoporosis is a concern and to adjust dosing slowly upwards toward the health goal dosage.

 

So, as you can see, the studies are complex and if you are concerned, you should print out the primary article and bring it to your doctor so that he or she can explain it to you. In regards to those who are very much a believer of supplements, there are a few that you should make sure you have in your supplement cabinet.

 

1. Turmeric or Curcumin with black pepper to improve systemic absorption
2. Fish oil and Omega-3
3. Resveratrol
4. Free form amino acids
5. Vitamin D3

 

Turmeric is seen to have some anti-cancer properties as well as being anti-inflammatory. There are numerous other health benefits but for the purposes of this article, I will stick to these two and you can read more about it and ask your physician about it.

 

Fish oil or omega-3 and resveratrol also has many health benefits but it can be helpful as an adjunctive therapy for anti-inflammation, sugar metabolism, and high cholesterol or triglycerides, just to name a few benefits. You should of course clear all supplements by your physician before taking them and make sure that there are not any contraindications for you to use them.

 

Finally, vitamin D3 and free form amino acids are helpful for many body functions. Vitamin D is a hormone in the body and is important for bone health, mood, and even has effects on cancer if that is a concern in your family history. Free form amino acids are more easily absorbed and usable than long-chain amino acids and they are used in many organ functions. So these two supplements are meant as gap fillers since many people are not getting enough in their diet.

 

While there are many other supplements that should also belong in your supplement cabinet, the most important thing to keep in mind is to clear your supplements by your doctor first before using them and to always update all your physicians of your supplement list so that they can help you avoid complications and drug-supplement interactions.

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