SEPTEMBER BLOG - NATIONAL YOGA AWARENESS

Yoga means “dialogue with the soul,” a sense of togetherness with parts of the mind and body to become "whole."   Awareness comes from an open minded attitude and positive state of mind.  Yoga tells us to relax and look for the internal good within ourselves.     

Millions of Americans suffer from cardiovascular disease, arthritis, hypertension, back pain, and asthma with annual costs of billions of dollars.  According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), repetitive strain injuries, including carpal tunnel, are the nation's most costly occupational health problems

The Future of Health Care

“Over 35 million US adults use mind/body medicine for better health” says Dr. Herbert Benson, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Director Emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine

Challenge: Obesity - rates in the United States have reached epidemic proportions:

• 58 Million Overweight;
• 40 Million Obese;  
• 8 of 10 adults over age 25 Overweight;
• 78% of American's not meeting basic activity level recommendations;
• 76% increase in Type II diabetes in adults 30-40 yrs. old since 1990;
•  In 2001 25% of all white children, 33% of African American and Hispanic children were overweight.

Yoga keeps you in tune with the body by being more aware of bad habits, such as eating because of stress, boredom or depression.

Challenge: Hypertension - or high blood pressure, remains the most common reason for visits to physicians for non-pregnant adults.   About 72 million people in the United States, age 20 and older, have high blood pressure.  Hypertension remains the most common risk factor for stroke, heart failure, and kidney disease.   

Research has shown that small but significant reductions in blood pressure were shown in just three weeks of daily yoga.   In one of the best quantitative studies, systolic blood pressure (top number) decreased from 142 to 126mmHg and diastolic blood pressure (bottom number) decreased from 86 to 75mmHg after 40 days of a yoga regimen.

Challenge: Heart Disease - According to the American Heart Association, heart disease has topped the list of killer diseases in America since 1918.  70 million Americans suffer from one or more types of cardiovascular disease.

Yoga can lower blood pressure, cholesterol, resting heart rates and slow the progression of atherosclerosis—all risk factors for heart disease, says Erin Olivo, PhD, director of Columbia University's Integrative Medicine Program.  Experts speculate yoga's meditative component helps stabilize the endothelium, the lining of the blood vessels reactive to stress.  

Challenge: Menopause – symptoms include hot flashes, irregular heart-beats mood swings, trouble sleeping, fatigue, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, disturbing memory lapses, incontinence, sore joints, muscles and tendons.   

A preliminary study at the University of California, San Francisco, found that menopausal women who took two months of a weekly restorative yoga class, which uses props to support the postures, reported a 30% decrease in hot flashes.  

Challenge: Chronic Back Pain - As a health problem, back pain is the 3rd most expensive disorder, after heart disease and cancer. 

An HMO Group Health Cooperative in Seattle pitted 12 weekly sessions of yoga against therapeutic exercises and a handbook on self-care.  They found the yoga group showed greater improvement and experienced benefits lasting 14 weeks longer.   

A note of caution: "…many poses are helpful but seated postures or extreme movement in one direction can make back pain worse," says Gary Kraftsow, Yoga for Wellness author and designer of the program.

Challenge: Depression
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 20.9 million American adults suffer from a depressive illness.  Pre-schoolers are the fastest-growing market for antidepressants – the rate of depression among children is an astounding 23% and 30% of women.  Depression will be the second largest killer after heart disease by 2020

Boston University School of Medicine and Harvard's McLean Hospital found that subjects who practiced yoga for one hour had a 27% increase in levels of GABA compared with a control group that simply sat and read for an hour.   "The inexpensive, widely available intervention such as yoga, which has no side effects, is effective in alleviating the symptoms of disorders associated with low GABA levels has clear public health advantage," stated Perry Renshaw, MD, PhD, Director of the Brain Imaging Center, McLean Hospital.

Challenge: Arthritis - 46 million adults in the U.S. are diagnosed with some form of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus, or fibromyalgia.   

At the University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine, a yoga-treated group with osteoarthritis of the hands improved significantly more than the control group in "pain during activity, tenderness, and finger range of motion."  The Journal of Rheumatology in 1994, concluded, "This yoga-derived program was effective in providing relief in hand osteoarthritis.”

http://yogaofawareness.com/

http://yoga.org.nz/yoga-philosophy/yoga_awareness.htm

http://yoga.org.nz/blog/2015/how-yoga-helps-empower-women/

http://www.yogahealthfoundation.org/blog/

PROSTATE CANCER AWARENESS

The prostate is a walnut-sized organ located just below the bladder, in front of the rectum, in men.  A fluid is produced which makes up a part of semen. The prostate gland surrounds the urethra, the tube that carries urine and semen through the penis and out of the body.  Prostate Cancer, which is slow growing, is the most common, non-skin cancer among American men 65 years of age or older.  Most men with prostate cancer do not die from the disease.

Symptoms - of prostate cancer are difficulty starting urination, frequent urination (especially at night), weak or interrupted flow of urine and blood in the urine or semen.  Some men do not experience any symptoms. 

Risk Factors - There is no way to know if you will get prostate cancer, but the older a man gets increases his risk for getting the disease.  Men also have a greater chance of getting prostate cancer if they are African-American or through heredity - a father, brother or son who has had prostate cancer.

Screening Tests - Two tests are commonly used:

• Digital rectal exam (DRE): A doctor or nurse inserts a gloved, lubricated finger into the rectum to estimate the size of the prostate, feeling for lumps or other abnormalities.
• Prostate specific antigen (PSA) test: Measures the level of PSA (a substance made by the prostate, in the blood.   The levels of PSA in the blood will be higher in men who have prostate cancer.

Should You Get Screened?

CDC and other federal agencies follow the prostate cancer screening recommendations set by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which recommends against prostate specific antigen (PSA)-based screening for men who do not have symptoms.  A PSA test can find prostate cancer earlier, but the PSA test may have false positive or false negative results.   The PSA test could also miss cancer in men who may need to be treated.  

Understanding Prostate Changes is a health guide for men.  It has information about prostate cancer symptoms, risk factors, and the PSA screening test.  Other prostate conditions, such as BPH and prostatitis, are also discussed.  This health guide answers questions you may have about prostate-related conditions:

• What are signs and symptoms of prostate-related conditions and changes?
• What causes these signs and symptoms?
• What lifestyle changes may help men feel better?
• What are risk factors for prostate cancer?
• What do we know about preventing prostate cancer?
• What is the PSA test? What causes PSA levels to rise or fall?  
• What medical tests and procedures are used to diagnose and treat prostate conditions?
• Also included are tips to help you prepare for your doctor’s visit, questions to ask your doctor, medical images, and a list of prostate-related organizations and resources.  

Healthy eating habits and exercise contribute to reducing inflammation.   Here are a few helpful herbs to consider:

Selenium is an essential nutrient required in small amounts by the human body for a number of vital processes, including some that are thought to reduce the risk of certain types of cancer. The most common dietary sources of selenium are meats, fish, cereal, dairy products, and eggs.  Boosting the daily dose of selenium may help mature men keep their prostates healthy and reduce their risk of prostate cancer.

Saw Palmetto has been used for years to treat prostate related issues.  Saw Palmetto blocks the mechanism that leads to the production of DHT in men while also containing Beta-Sitosterol; a plant substance that binds to the prostate to help reduce swelling.  An analysis of 2,939 men with symptomatic BPH found that those taking saw palmetto extract reported greater improvement of urinary tract symptoms and urinary flow measures compared to control subjects.

Pygeum Bark is used as an anti-inflammatory that can help reduce the enlarged prostate’s size. In a clinical trial, 47 patients with chronic prostatitis received 100 mg of pygeum daily for five to seven weeks. 89% percent reported a complete remission of symptoms.2

Stinging Nettle Leaf inhibits the conversion of testosterone to DHT while simultaneously blocking the synthesis of estrogen, helping restore a healthy hormonal balance. Even more assuring, Stinging Nettle is widely used as the first line of defense against enlarged prostate related symptoms in European countries like Germany, Austria, and Italy.

Guess what - Garlic is not just good for your love life, but for your heart health as well.  Garlic fights heart disease, decreases blood pressure, lowers cholesterol and prevents blood clots.  Prostate enlargement affects men as they age, but a diet high in garlic and onions lowers the risk of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).  One study found that men who ate garlic had a 28% lower risk of BPH compared to men who never ate garlic.  Onions had an even bigger effect on preventing BPH.

Garlic contains allicin, antibacterial and antiviral properties.  Studies have shown that people who eat garlic are less likely to get sick. If you do catch a cold, chewing and swallowing a small amount of fresh, raw garlic helps break up nasal congestion.

As always, seek the advice of your personal medical professional.

See you next month

https://www.cancer.gov/types/prostate/understanding-prostate-changes/prostate-booklet.pdf

https://www.cancer.gov/publications/patient-education/understanding-prostate-changes

https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/resources/features/prostatecancer/index.htm

http://www.webmd.com/prostate-cancer/news/20030204/selenium-may-fight-prostate-damage

http://www.prostateremedyreviews.org/gr/enlarged-prostate-v1.html

https://prostate.net/articles/garlic-health-benefits-for-men