ABNORMAL SLEEP PERIODS INCREASE CARDIOVASCULAR RISK: A study has shown that, even among healthy people, those who regularly get five hours or less sleep a night have more than double the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Also, people who regularly get nine or more hours of sleep a night have a greater than fifty percent increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Perhaps more surprising, people who get six or eight hours sleep also have a higher – but far less dramatic – increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The study advised that seven hours sleep per night, not six or eight or anything more extreme, was the ideal regular sleep period for cardiovascular health. But how could sleep period affect heart health? The researchers suggested that shorter sleep times can cause “impaired glucose tolerance, reduced insulin sensitivity, increased sympathetic [nerve] activity and elevated blood pressure, all of which increase the risk of hardening of the arteries. And longer sleep duration may be related to an underlying sleep-related breathing disorder or poor sleep quality. The study was published in the August 1, 2010...
Topic: Chinese Medicine
Overheard in the Healthfood Store Two friends, Linda and Jenna, who work at Rainbow Foods in beautiful downtown Juneau, Alaska, agreed to pick out a few quirky popular requests from customers and pass them along to me.
The adrenal glands are walnut sized, when healthy, and sit above the kidneys. That’s what their name means: “Ad” is Latin for above and “Renal” means relating to kidneys. The main secretion of the adrenal glands is adrenaline, also known as epinephrine. Adrenaline has an extremely short half-life, which means it dissipates quickly in the bloodstream, so we really can’t measure your levels of adrenaline. However, the adrenals also secrete cortisol (from the outer layer, or cortex, of the glands) which has a more prolonged effect, and can be measured. Adrenaline is the “fight and flight” neurotransmitter and causes numerous physical responses such as narrowed peripheral blood vessels, shunting blood to the internal vessels, such as in the big leg muscles and the heart and away from the digestive organs. An adrenaline rush might feel like a strong shot of caffeine, or the heart-twanging scare of a near-miss on a busy highway. Humans evolved, for many thousands of years, in an environment much less cozy than what many of us enjoy today. We were built to outwit and kill larger...
New Research on Ginseng: Pharmacogenomics and the Yin/Yang actions of ginseng: anti-tumor, angiomodulating and steroid-like activities of ginsenosides. Chinese Medicine 2007 Long known as a whole-body tonic (the root plant, precious for centuries in Asian countries, is shaped like a person) new evidence validates and explains some of ginseng’s healing actions. In Chinese medicine, ginseng (Panax ginseng) has long been used as a general tonic or an adaptogen to promote longevity and enhance bodily functions. It has also been claimed to be effective in combating stress, fatigue, oxidants, cancer and diabetes mellitus. Most previous studies have claimed that the pharmacological effects of ginseng are attributed to its bioactive constituents such as ginsenosides, saponins, phytosterols, peptides, polysaccharides, fatty acids, polyacetylenes, vitamins and minerals. In this new research, the focus was the recent advances in the studies of ginsenosides on the formation of blood vessels, which is a common denominator of many diseases, such as cancer and some cardiovascular disorders. Specifically, the root has been shown to inhibit new blood vessel growth in rapidly growing tissue: that is, tumors. The medical term...
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a 3000+ year old system of diagnosis and therapeutcs which works primarily in stimulating the body’s natural “vital force” (known as Qi – prnounced chee). There are several areas of TCM, including diet and nutrition, acupuncture and moxibustion (a stick of copressed mugwort which is burned and held close to the body to insert Qi into the area of distress), Qi Gong (slow breth and movement exercises) and medicinal herbs. Chinese medicinal herbs to be considered to prevent or perhaps even remedy osteoarthritis are listed below. Please consult with a qualified acupuncturist (certified from the NCCA) or Chinese herbalist.
Health, as defined by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), is balance. The Qi (pronounced chee), or vital force, will flow smoothly through all the meridians when Yin and Yang are balanced in the body. This also implies a balance between cold and hot elements, resistance to both internal and external pathogens, and neither conditions of excess nor deficiency. To treat “excessive” conditions, such as obesity or acute infections, the Licensed Acupuncturist must use “reducing” techniques. The treatment principle for “deficient” conditions is to “tonify” which means building up strength, endurance and flexibility.