|
Living With
& Preventing Chronic Liver Disease
by Kaycie Rosen
| It
is in our best interest to adopt habits that keep our
liver happy and working well, for the sake of our
long-term well being. |
It’s not a glamorous organ. You
can’t see it; it doesn’t make a lot of noise; and thinking about
it probably brings up childhood memories of yucky dinners. However, it
is of vital importance. And,
adopting a lifestyle that supports the long-term health of the liver
is important for everyone.
The liver is our primary organ
for processing everything that comes into the body. The liver decides
whether a substance is food or waste; it then packages the substance
and sends it off accordingly. When
we eat, everything absorbed by our intestines enters a part of the
blood circulation that goes directly to the liver.
As the nutrients arrive, they are transformed first into sugar
(which goes directly to the bloodstream to be used for energy), then
into glycogen (a storage sugar used for energy over the next several
hours), and then to triglycerides (the lipid that goes into long-term
storage in our fatty tissue). Anything
that is not recognized as helpful to the body is attached to another
molecule and excreted through the feces or urine. The liver also
processes old, broken-down blood cells into bilirubin, which is
attached to cholesterol and excreted by the gallbladder.
This process both allows us to break down the fats in our food
and is how our body is able to get rid of cholesterol and those old
blood cells. It is easy to see then that the liver is absolutely
crucial for maintenance of the body in many ways!
Chronic liver disease can occur
for a number of reasons. Often, it is associated with chronic exposure
to substances that are toxic to the organ, such as alcohol, or an
infectious cause, most commonly viral, as in Hepatitis B or C.
In the case of Hepatitis C, up to 90 percent of those infected
will develop chronic disease. Of
these cases, up to one third will develop cirrhosis, or a replacement
of functional cells with fibrous tissue.
This also puts a person at higher risk for developing liver
cancer.
According to the Centers for
Disease Control, 2.7 million Americans have Hepatitis C. In fact, it
is the most common blood borne infection in the
United States
. It is primarily passed through exposure to blood, and those most at
risk include: IV drug users, health care workers exposed to blood
products, hemophiliacs treated before 1987, or those who received a
blood transfusion or solid organ transplant before 1992.
Hepatitis B can be transmitted sexually, through the blood,
during childbirth from mother to infant, and through feces.
Of those infected with Hepatitis B, about one quarter will
develop chronic disease. With
either type, many people are unaware of the infection until many years
after the initial exposure. For
example, many people with Hepatitis C do not experience symptoms until
there is significant damage done to the liver, often 20 to 30 years
after it is contracted.
It is also important to note
that there is an increasing incidence of people with Benign Hepatic
Steatosis (replacement of normal liver cells with nonfunctional fatty
tissue) without a history of alcohol abuse or exposure to an
infectious agent. It has
been reported that up to 100 percent of markedly obese people and 75
percent of moderately obese people exhibit these fatty changes in the
liver, particularly those who are also diabetic.
This is postulated to be due to chronically elevated blood
sugars. As was stated before, the liver decides what to do with all of
our food. When there are
persistently high levels of sugar in the blood, the liver will be
making a large amount of fats for storage, some of which could
potentially replace normal cells in the liver itself.
Those who watched the movie “Supersize
Me” will probably remember the astonishment of the doctors
following the progress of the main character when they saw the
incredible rate at which damage occurred to his liver throughout the
course of a month. In
this context, it is good for us to keep in mind the profound effect
our lifestyle can have on this very important organ. Remember: our
dietary choices can and do wreak havoc on the body!
On the flip side, good choices
can also yield good results. In
the midst of these grim figures, the good news is twofold: first,
liver tissue is actually able to regenerate, so it is possible to
reverse some of the damage that may be caused by chronic disease. Secondly,
we know many ways to help support the liver.
Especially for those in earlier stages of liver disease,
dietary and lifestyle changes, along with natural substances that help
to boost liver function or even regenerate cells, can help reduce
long-term complications from liver disease.
In the case of Hepatitis C, for example, conventional therapy
is only initiated when there is already fibrosis present in the liver.
However, it can be very beneficial to support the liver before
it reaches this state of destruction.
In the case of fatty change in the liver, weight loss along
with controlling the blood sugar (and, of course, elimination of
alcohol) can help to reverse these changes.
Additionally, there are many foods that have been shown to
improve liver function. These include: beets, chard, artichoke,
Jerusalem artichoke, carrots, and organic liver.
Studies have also shown extracts from the plant medicine milk
thistle (Silybum marianum)
to accelerate recovery from acute and symptomatic hepatitis and
improve the health of liver cells.
Finally, it is important to remember that even those in more
advanced stages of liver disease can benefit from these changes. For
example, N-Acetyl Cysteine, a potent antioxidant, has been shown to
help decrease liver enzymes and viral load in combination with
conventional Hepatitis C therapy.
The good news about living with
chronic liver disease is that there are so many ways to improve both
the health of the organ and the quality of life of the person
experiencing the disease. For
all of us, it is in our best interest to adopt habits that keep our
liver happy and working well, for the sake of our long-term well
being. So lie down,
stretch out, reach down under your rib cage on the right hand side,
and give your liver a little thank-you pat for all it does for you.
Kaycie Rosen
,
ND
, is a family practice doctor specializing in infectious disease.
She works at
Avante
Medical
Center
, and can be reached at 770-6700.
|
Cardiovascular
Health Update:
Atherosclerosis
by Kaycie Rosen
This
disease develops over decades, causes no symptoms until late
in its progression, is deadly in many cases, and yet is for
the most part preventable.
|
Imagine a widespread
silent disease affecting the majority of the population. This disease
develops over decades, causes no symptoms until late in its progression,
is deadly in many cases, and yet is for the most part preventable. In
the developed world, this disease is called atherosclerosis.
From its Latin root, the
word atherosclerosis means a
hardening of a blood vessel, specifically an artery. When this happens,
it becomes more difficult for blood to move through arteries to the
places it is needed. For this reason, our organs that use the most blood
are critically affected by this condition.
Ischemic heart disease
(disease of the heart muscle caused by not receiving enough blood) is
the number one cause of death in the United States. The complications of
atherosclerosis include this disease, in addition to heart attack,
stroke, and gangrene of the extremities. Did you know that these
conditions account for over half of the deaths in the United States each
year? For this reason, it is critical for us to understand what
atherosclerosis is and how we can prevent its progression.
How does atherosclerosis
develop in the body? It is not a fast process. Research has shown
that it takes about 25 years in between the beginning of these changes
in the blood vessels and when a person starts to develop symptoms of
disease.
There are several
theories as to a specific cause, but the basic progression in the body
is as follows: First, some sort of injury takes place in the wall
of the blood vessel. This injury leads to infiltration of the area with
Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL), the type of cholesterol your doctor may
have told you is “bad” cholesterol. Macrophages (a type of immune or
white blood cell) then come to the area and start to engulf the LDLs.
The cholesterols are then oxidized and the macrophages release them back
into the area (this is called a “foamy” macrophage), which causes
even more damage to the blood vessel wall. Platelets, or clotting cells,
and the cells of the blood vessel wall then come in to try to patch the
area, covering up the oxidized cholesterols. This is called a fibrofatty
plaque, which eventually can grow into the opening of the vessel and
obstruct blood flow, thereby causing the problems listed above.
There are several known
risk factors for atherosclerosis, most of which are modifiable.
Nonmodifiable risk factors include older age and being male. Modifiable
factors include high blood pressure, or hypertension, which is thought
to increase the pressure on the vessels and thereby increase damage to
the walls.
High blood LDLs are also
correlated with increased rates of death from heart disease as well as
increased atherosclerosis. Cigarette smoking is an additional risk
factor, presumably from oxidative damage done to the inside of the
vessel walls. Although it is not fully known why, diabetes is a risk
factor as well, possibly because increased blood sugars are turned into
LDLs by the liver. Stress and physical inactivity are also strongly
correlated with the development of atherosclerosis; both lead to
increased levels of circulating cholesterols in the blood and decreased
ability to regulate blood sugar.
Another important risk
factor to consider is homocysteine, which is toxic to the cells that
line the blood vessels. High levels of homocysteine in the blood have
been found to be a greater risk factor for atherosclerosis than
cigarette smoking or high cholesterol. The risk increases when high
homocysteine is combined with smoking or high blood pressure.
Homocysteine is produced when the body makes amino acids to build
proteins, or can be broken down for use in cellular energy production.
However, homocysteine itself is not used by the body, and it is
therefore advantageous to help the body transform it into something
useful. The compounds that are necessary for this reaction are folic
acid, Vitamin B12, and Vitamin B6.
Another strategy for
preventing and treating atherosclerosis is to prevent oxidative damage
to cells. Oxidative damage (caused by free radicals present in rancid
fats, cigarette smoke, other environmental toxins and the LDLs oxidized
by macrophages listed above) disrupts and is toxic to the cells that
line the inside of the blood vessel. This is a first step in the
progression of atherosclerosis. This can be prevented or mediated to
some degree by bringing antioxidants into the system. Antioxidant
Vitamins, such as Vitamins C, A, and E, can be useful. Some plant
sources of antioxidants include the bioflavonoids found in deep red and
blue fruits, such as raspberry, bilberry, blueberry, and pomegranate.
These compounds have been found to stabilize the membranes of the cells
in the blood vessel walls. The plant medicine made from the leaves and
berries of Hawthorne (Crataegus
oxycantha) has also been useful for this purpose.
Even though it can be a
challenge to see the big picture before we feel something is wrong, the
best time to prevent atherosclerosis is decades before we suffer the
negative consequences. From the examples given above, it can be seen
that atherosclerosis—especially in the early stages—is most
effectively addressed with diet and lifestyle. Some of the other crucial
aspects of prevention include reducing the amount of LDLs circulating in
the blood; reducing blood sugar; reducing elevated blood pressure;
reducing stress; and increasing exercise.
Making good food choices
is an integral part of this process. It is also of paramount importance
to create a lifestyle that allows for handling the stresses of life
gracefully. That is, the way you live should make you feel good!
Kaycie Rosen, ND,
is a family doctor practicing at Avante Medical Center. She can be
reached at 770-6700.
|
Gall
Bladders: Who Needs One, Anyway?
By
Sandra Talt
….just
because you can survive without your gall bladder doesn’t
mean it didn’t do anything for you!
|
Emergency
gall bladder removal is a life-saving surgery that you don’t need to
think twice about: When your gall bladder goes bad, you gotta get it
out!
But
just because you can survive without your gall bladder doesn’t mean it
didn’t do anything for you. Furthermore, it doesn’t mean that there
is nothing you can do about its departure.
So,
what is the gall bladder and what does it do? To begin, here are a few
gall bladder basics:
 |
Gall
bladders store bile.
|
|
Bile carries
used hormones and drugs out of your body.
|
|
Bile
digests fat.
|
|
Fat
gives you vitamins A, E, D, and essential fatty acids.
|
|
You
need these vitamins and essential fatty acids for brain function,
sex hormones, vision, bone building and many other vital functions.
|
What
if you no longer have a gall bladder or if yours isn’t functioning
very well? Does that mean
you have no bile, and are destined to a life of poor health and early
demise because you can’t get any fat soluble vitamins and essential
fatty acids? Fortunately, it
isn’t that grim.
You
see, bile is made by the liver, so even without a gall bladder, your
liver will still produce bile and you will receive its benefits.
However, without a gall bladder to store bile, your digestive system no
longer receives bile in the quantity that it once did. Thus, your
ability to digest fat decreases dramatically—though not completely.
This is why many people without gall bladders eventually begin to
experience bloating and gas after eating. They simply don’t digest
fats as well as they once did.
But
help is available! An
inexpensive supplement called Cholacol, by Standard Process, provides
bile salts. Take two when
you eat a meal, and your fat digestion improves immediately.
If your gall bladder has been removed, Cholacol should be on your
lifelong supplement list so that you continue to get the benefits of fat
digestion.
How
about folks who have a gall bladder, but still aren’t digesting fats
well? They fall into the
group of poorly functioning gall bladders.
In these cases, I usually recommend A-F Betafood to thin the
bile, thus allowing the liver and gall bladder to function better.
With
all this talk of problems, perhaps you are now wondering, “How do I
know if my gall bladder is functioning well?” Here are a few classic
signs of gall bladder malfunction:
|
Gas
and bloating after eating, especially after eating fats and oils;
|
|
Pain
at the right shoulder blade, particularly the tip of the shoulder
blade; and
|
|
Any
hormonal related problem, as discussed below.
|
Gall
bladder function can be further evaluated with blood tests and/or
advanced imaging techniques of ultrasound and dye-injection x-rays.
If
you find out you have gall stones, you don’t have to rush into
surgery. There are several
natural substances that are thought to help dissolve gall stones,
including Magnesium Citrate, Taurine, N-Acetyl Cysteine, lecithin, malic
acid, Omega-3 oils (cold water Alaska salmon is a great source of
Omega-3’s), S-adenosymmethionine, D-limonene, rice bran and Vitamin C.
So
far we have discussed the gall bladder in relation to fat digestion.
Now, let’s look at the bile’s role in removing used hormones
and drugs from your body. In
brief, it works like this:
|
Used
hormones and drugs are cleaned from the blood stream by the liver.
|
|
The
liver deposits used hormones into bile.
|
|
Bile
travels to the gall bladder where it is stored until you eat a meal
with fat or oil.
|
|
When
you eat that fat containing meal, your gall bladder empties bile
into the small intestine, where fat digestion takes place.
|
|
The
used bile is excreted in your feces, along with the used hormones
and drugs. (Of course, you need good colon function to carry the
feces out of the body to prevent reabsorbing the hormones and drugs
excreted with the bile, but that is a different article!)
|
Why
is used hormone excretion important?
Because used hormones that aren’t excreted may be reabsorbed by
the bloodstream. Reabsorbed hormones then alter the amount of hormones
circulating in your body, possibly giving you too much of one hormone in
relation to another. If the
proportions of hormones get out of balance due to reabsorption, you can
have problems. Some of you
may already be familiar with such problems if you have PMS or menopausal
symptoms. Adrenal hormones
are also excreted in this way, and they affect water retention, blood
pressure and your ability to handle stress.
This applies to both men and women.
No
article on gall bladders and natural health would be complete without
mentioning gall bladder flushes. While I am not advocating gall bladder
flushes, I do want to explain them.
First, a warning:
Never do any gall bladder flush unless you are near a hospital.
If you have gall stones, there is the possibility of a gall stone
lodging in the bile duct that empties bile from the gall bladder.
This is what leads to emergency gall bladder surgery.
Theoretically, a gall bladder flush could loosen a stone that
would lodge in the bile duct. I
have never heard of this happening, but why take chances? A small
comfort: If a gall stone
lodges in your bile duct while doing a flush, it would have been only a
matter of time before it happened anyway.
Gall
bladder/liver flush regimens can be found at your local health food
store. The basics are taking
apple juice and acid drops for a few days, eating a fruit salad with
whipping cream, then taking oil and lemon juice afterwards.
Some regimens include enemas and the use of Epsom salts.
Here is the thinking behind the regimen:
|
Apple
juice and acid drops soften the gall stones.
|
|
Fruit
salad gives the colon bulk and provides a laxative effect so that
the colon is ready to excrete whatever the gall bladder empties into
it.
|
|
Whipped
cream urges the gall bladder to empty all of its bile into the
intestine.
|
|
The
latter dose of oil again urges the gall bladder to empty. However,
as it has already emptied all its bile, it now pushes out stones.
|
|
The
lemon juice helps soften the stones so they push out more easily.
|
|
Enemas
and Epsom salts encourage colon function, thus emptying quickly all
the waste that the gall bladder emptied into the colon.
|
Lots
of people who have done gall bladder flushes report feeling better.
However, there is a limit to the size of stones a flush can expel.
While a flush is not for everyone, if you do it, please also
remember my warning!
So,
now you know why you should treasure your gall bladder for its role in
digesting fats, allowing you to benefit from fat-soluble vitamins, and
disposing of used hormones and drugs. Give your gall bladder the treat
of regular Omega-3 oils. If
you don’t have a gall bladder, be kind to the rest of your body by
using Cholacol or another bile salt supplement.
Sandra
Talt, D.C., celebrates her 20th anniversary of providing
chiropractic care. See her at the
Anchorage
Women's Show! Call 337-6770 or visit http://sandratalt.chiroweb.com
for more information.
|
|
For
a Great Time: Dial 1-800-The Brain
by Mike Macy
|
Almost
at the speed of thought, brain work can move us from victims and
survivors to thrivers. |
If you have encountered
obstacles on the road to the new you, don’t assume that the cause is
some personal weakness or having made poor choices. Instead, the
culprit may be locked in your tissues. An especially fruitful place to
look is in the control room of your nervous system. Whether your
immediate goal is to surmount a chronic health or behavioral
challenge or find and accomplish your purpose here on earth,
optimizing the various substructures of your brain can help
tremendously.
The brain’s
subcomponents have basic needs: adequate space, blood, and
cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). When any of these are lacking, function is
impaired. The source of the problem can be physical (mechanical,
chemical, or spatial), conceptual (erroneous beliefs), emotional,
spiritual, and/or energetic. New CranioSacral Therapy techniques make
it relatively easy to determine whether these basic needs have been
met, and if not, to rectify the situation.
The techniques
come from Dr. John Upledger, a pioneering osteopath, who, with his
students, began talking to the substructures less than a decade ago.
That research has provided a clearer idea exactly what these
structures do. Much of what was learned confirmed prevailing
scientific thought; however, the research also answered questions
scientists tend to neglect, but which are especially relevant to
personal and spiritual growth.
What Dr.
Upledger and his associates did was to verbally question the various
substructures of the brain. The substructures replied using the
patient’s voice. The patient’s body then guides the therapist’s
hands to where they need to go to release restrictions deep in the
brain and optimize internal operating conditions. If this sounds like
child’s play, it is! (For more on this work, see “Finally, A Magic
Bullet for Chronic Life and Health Problems” at: www.alaskawellness.com/BodyworkGeneralArchive.htm#magic%20bullet.)
My clinical
experience suggests that there is an undiagnosed epidemic of people
whose nervous systems are stuck in an elevated alert mode. This
includes but is hardly limited to those who have been diagnosed with
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Typically, these patients will not
even be aware of the situation, as they’ve been in it for such a
long time. The patient is
usually aware of one or more of the common symptoms: compromised
digestion, immunity, and concentration; chronic muscle tension;
adrenal overload/exhaustion. Structures involved in perpetuating the
problem include the entire reticular formation:
cerebellum, pons, medulla, spinal portion of the central
nervous system, and the adrenal glands.
Medicine has
not recognized this elevated alert syndrome. Oblivious to the
underlying cause and the biomechanical needs of the body, most doctors
focus on medicating a few of the symptoms. Unfortunately, this
symptomatic approach is ineffective, expensive, time-consuming, and
often counterproductive. By
contrast, treating the cause is extremely easy for an appropriately
trained manual therapist. Lowering the alert level terminates the
symptoms en masse and makes it possible for patients to find their
bliss—whether that entails enjoying screaming grandchildren,
meditation, or both. Paradoxically, lowering the alert level enables
the patient to detect danger earlier and respond more appropriately;
in other words, the patient is safer.
The cerebellum
is fertile ground for those interested in personal growth.
Cerebellar function is often compromised, owing to chronic
elevated alert status, chronic muscle tension, whiplash, mechanical
trauma, and stored emotions. In addition to having a say in basic
life-support, the cerebellum plays a major role in coordinating
voluntary motor muscle movement and also makes timing, content, and
audience decisions when we speak. Optimizing the cerebellum’s
operating conditions can bestow previously unrealized athletic grace
and oratorical powers, both of which contribute to confidence and
self-esteem and bring us that much closer to our goals.
From the
perspective of attaining the new you, another particularly significant
structure is the pituitary, which occupies the very headwaters of the
endocrine system. Optimizing this small gland’s operating conditions
can rectify a host of problems downstream in the hypothalamus,
thyroid, parathyroid, thymus, and reproductive organs and all the
other organs and tissues they affect. Pituitary is also a great
problem solver and pharmacist: Pituitary
can resolve conflicts between other structures and can arrange the
production of virtually any chemical or compound the body needs.
Not as
independent as you would like? Check the pituitary! When we have not
fully cut the apron strings, our mother’s energy can crowd pituitary
to such an extent that neither we nor our mom thrives. When this is
the case, evicting Mom is a simple matter and has profound and often
immediate positive effects for mother, adult child, and their
relationship.
Often called
the master gland, hypothalamus is a very busy structure, producing
several critical neurotransmitters which regulate temperature,
metabolism, mood, alertness, and other activities. Buried deep in the
center of the cranium, the hypothalamus theoretically enjoys
considerable protection from external forces and distractions. But too
often, hypothalamus is crowded and impaired by neighboring and distant
structures, chemical residues, and emotions stuck in the body. While
extremely busy and therefore reluctant to engage in casual
conversation, hypothalamus nonetheless will usually take time out to
help you identify and resolve a wide variety of problems. If your goal
is to lose weight, for example, and you’ve tried everything else
with no lasting effect, a simple request to hypothalamus to increase
the metabolic rate might do the trick.
From a
personal/spiritual growth perspective, centrum is one of the most
important and useful structures in our body. In this regard, arguably
only the heart comes close in importance. And for many of us, knowing
and listening to what’s in our hearts can be quite problematic as a
result of childhood trauma and the din of competing familial and
societal messages (which the cerebral cortex is happy to parrot ad
nauseum—quite literally until we are sick) . This is precisely where
centrum’s full value becomes obvious.
A triangular,
prism-shaped structure, centrum surrounds the third eye and, like the
Nike swoosh, extends through the cerebral cortex clear to the
cerebellum and down spinal portion of the central nervous system.
Hundreds of centrum have confirmed that they are our personal and
direct uplink to the Divine. In other words, if you want answers to
the big and important questions (What
is my purpose in life? Why did such and such a thing happen? What
should I do about a given situation?) centrum can access that
information for you—provided, again, that centrum’s basic needs
for adequate space, blood, and CSF have
been met.
No matter how
wise and well-intentioned they may be, friends, family members,
mentors, and therapists typically cannot compete with centrum when it
comes to providing unbiased, unimpeachable advice, custom-tailored to
your soul and path.
One of the
pleasures of working with the brain’s sub-structures is that each
has its own personality. Hypothalamus, for example, often comes across
as extremely busy, even harried. Therefore, it appreciates a very
direct, business-like approach. On talking to centrum, on the other
hand, don’t be surprised if it sounds authoritative and serious, as
in THE VOICE OF GOD—which isn’t to say, however, that centrum
doesn’t have a sense of humor.
Any one of the
score of other structures in your brain may hold the key to regaining
physical health or attaining your personal and spiritual goals. One of
the great things about the CranioSacral Therapy brain work is that it
puts the patient in the driver’s seat in terms of troubleshooting
and resolving problems wherever they occur. Through this process,
patients gain a deep appreciation for their nervous system and the
innate wisdom therein. Equally important, patients gain the
encouragement and confidence necessary to assume an ever greater role
in their own healthcare and spiritual growth.
Almost
at the speed of thought, brain work can move us from victims and
survivors to thrivers. In other words, it can very quickly position us
to discover and fulfill our life’s purpose, whatever that may be.
A CranioSacral therapist
in Anchorage, Mike Macy
works with Centrum, Hypothalamus, Pituitary and other substructures of
the brain to locate and address the causes of chronic and mysterious
health challenges (258-7261).
|
|
