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- Meditation is the original approach to evoke full relaxation. Ten to twenty minutes daily of deep relaxation can leave you calm and refreshed. It also increases nitric oxide which promotes relaxation or dilation of the arteries.
- Seek optimism in your Outlook on life. A University of Pittsburgh study has found that optimistic women have less thickening of the carotid arteries. Thinking positive also is synonymous with serotonin levels. The "happy" neurotransmitters have a counter effect on stress hormones and their negative effects.
- Participate in friend/family orientated outings. Strong positive social communications help foster healthy habits and reduce heart damaging stress.
- Incorporate daily or regular exercise which includes a balance of strength, cardiovascular and relaxation techniques such as yoga.
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Type II Diabetes - Diabetic Recipes
Of course, the importance of diet
for Type II diabetics is well-established. Here are some easy—we hope stress-free—recipes for diabetics that their friends and family can also enjoy:
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 Nutrition research has provided a better understanding to how the brain reacts to different nutrients and foods. It is well known that the types and amounts of dietary fat we eat greatly influence how brain neurotransmitters communicate and function with each other. This is of no surprise when one considers that 60% of the brain matter is comprised of fat. The brain requires a certain balance of different types of fatty acids. The omega three fatty acids, primarily found in salmon, mackerel, trout, sardines, flaxseed and walnuts, have a strong antidepressant effect. The association of omega 3 fatty acids as an antidepressant stems from a handful of epidemiological studies which established that rates of depression among different countries were directly related to fish consumption. Hibbeln et al. published in the Lancet Journal a strong relationship of fish consumption with lower rates of depression in countries such as Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. He has also reported that high fish consuming nations have the lowest rate of post-partum depression. A more recent study by Nemets et al, studies the effects of the omega 3 fatty acid, EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), in twenty people with recurrent depression. These individuals received either a fish oil capsule or a sugar pill in addition to antidepressant medication. As soon as two weeks into the study, there was an improved sense of well being and sleeping patterns in the EPA group. By four weeks into the study, six of the ten individuals taking the EPA had a significant reduction in the symptoms of depression as compared to only one of the ten taking the sugar pill. The study concluded that the fatty acid, EPA may boost the antidepressant effect of the medication in depressed individuals.
Researchers have also attributed the antidepressant effects of EPA and DHA to be related to serotonin, an important chemical messenger responsible for a positive mood and an overall sense of well-being. EPA and DHA make it easier for serotonin to pass through the cell by influencing receptor activity.The way EPA and DHA affect serotonin levels is very similar to how many of the antidepressants and mood stabilizers work in the body. This relationship of serotonin with EPA and DHA is only one manner in which omega 3 fatty acids exert antidepressant effects. TOP
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Replacing the excessive amounts of vegetable oils with monounsaturated fats, such as olives, olive oil, nuts and canola oil, restores the balance of fatty acids, and will increase the concentration and activity of omega three fats in the cells. TOP
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Mind / Body Connection
by Connie Guttersen, RD PhD,
author of the Sonoma Diet
The idea that our thoughts and feelings, as well as the foods we eat, affect our health is becoming more important than ever imagined. The federal government's Neural Immune Program will be spending $16 million dollars on mind body research next year and some managed care organizations have started to cover mind-body practices in an attempt to reduce escalating health costs. According to a recent government survey, nearly half of all Americans used mind-body medicine interventions such as deep breathing relaxation, meditation and guided imagery in 2002. Wellness centers, hospitals and luxury spas are giving more emphasis to mind-body clinics and presenting ways to reduce stress through such things as yoga classes and healthy eating seminars. These healthy mind-body connections are gaining respect as an antidote for everything from type A stress to chronic pain, depression, heart disease, compromised immune function, infertility and overeating, as well as improving side effects of cancer treatment.
Emotions and Health
Anxiety, alienation, hopelessness, love, serenity, and optimism are not just feelings, they are physiological states which affect health--just as obesity or physical fitness can affect health. The pathway, which links emotions to medical conditions, lies in the brain. Emotions and diet affect the brain and become an important link in the prescription for well-being.
It is well established that chronic stress has negative effects on our health. The body has a classic response to dealing with stress. It relates to a metabolic cascade which begins with a release of stress hormones and chemicals followed by cardiovascular changes. This short-term stress is often referred to as the fight or flight syndrome. During this response the body shifts into high gear, releasing a cascade of stress chemicals and hormones such as glucocorticoids; blood pressure rises and the body increases the delivery of oxygen and glucose to the muscles. In the blood steam, more glucose, fatty acids and blood clotting factors pour in. These responses are fine for acute or short periods of time, but over longer periods of time, such as daily chronic stress, these metabolic effects have a profound negative impact on health.
Elevated levels of stress chemicals and hormones increase abdominal fat deposition, insulin resistance and overeating by increasing the craving for sugary and fatty foods. During stress, neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, known as the "happy messengers," begin to malfunction and the body's nerve centers begin to receive mostly overstress messengers. This state often leaves an individual with fatigue, anxiety, depression, sleep disorders and a general feeling of being overwhelmed. The elevated blood pressure damages blood vessels, leading to inflammation and plaque formation. The elevated blood pressure can also rupture plaque formation within arteries to form a clot, thus leading to a stroke or heart attack. In addition, elevated levels of blood glucose and fatty acids alone can damage the arteries and veins. Another risk of the elevated blood pressure is related to irregular heart beats which occur as a result of a thickening of the tissue within the receiving heart chamber. TOP
| Chronic Stress |
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| Symptoms: |
Fatigue, Body Aches, Anxiety, Depression, Feeling Overwhelmed or Hopeless, Sleep Disturbances, Overeating, Impaired Memory |
Metabolic
Conditions: |
Weakened Immune Function, High Blood Pressure, Stomach Ulcers, Skin Problems, Digestive Problems, Abdominal Fat Deposition |
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Emotions and The Heart
It should also come as no surprise that emotions can affect the heart. Today we know that the simple ambition or competitive drive that motivates a type A personality is not a problem, however, the stress and emotions associated with anger and hostility may alter mind-body connections that damage the heart. High tech CT scanning conducted by the University of Utah shows that hostility and stress in individuals has been linked to tiny calcium deposits in the coronary arteries. The higher the degree of stress, the more severe this silent form atherosclerosis tended to be.
Study after study has also confirmed that social isolation, depression and poor marital relations contribute to heart disease. Patients who are depressed at the time of bypass surgery are more than twice as likely to die in the next five years as patients without clinical depression. In a major study published in the Lancet in 2004, researchers surveyed more than 11,000 heart attack sufferers from 52 countries and found that in the year before their heart attacks, the patients had been under significantly more stress and depression. The risk degree of stress was concluded to be comparable to risk factors of hypertension and abdominal obesity, a degree far greater than what would have been previously imagined. Psychological traits could affect blood vessel function via several pathways. Anger, hostility and depression combined with unhealthy fats, smoking and a lack of exercise affect the nervous system which in turn controls blood vessel function. A recent study published in the issue of Psychosomatic Medicine is one of the first to link psychological traits to impaired artery function in healthy women. A total of 193 women in the study were evaluated; women who had high levels of anger and Type A behavior and/or high levels of anxiety and depression also had the lowest amount of artery dilation--an early sign of narrowed and hardened arteries or atherosclerosis. TOP
Healing and the Mind
As researchers confirm the negative health effects of depression or hostility, there are also unprecedented insights into the mind's power to heal. There is mounting evidence that suggests that positive emotional experiences can improve our physical health and lay an important foundation for better and quicker healing responses. Researchers at UCLA have found that optimism is associated with stronger immune cell function. Harvard researchers found that deep relaxation, as achieved by yoga or deep breathing exercises, can help counter the effects of chronic stress. These researchers believe that when the body is deeply relaxed, it produces more nitric oxide, a molecule which has counter effects to stress hormones, such as cortisol and thus further helps to relax arteries. Recently, Kabat Zinn published a study, which found that when patients with psoriasis listened to meditation tapes during ultraviolet light therapy they healed four times faster than a control group. In an effort to understand the biological response to this effect, Kabat Zinn published another study which showed that participants who received meditation relaxation training had an associated increase in activity in the left section of the brain, the area responsible for a happier state of mind. When these individuals were given a flu vaccination, they had the greatest antibody response against the virus as compared to those participants who received no meditation relaxation training. At Maryland's Center for Integrative Medicine measures of inflammation, including gene expression for rheumatoid arthritis, are also being investigated. Relaxation exercises and stress management have also been found to be an important factor in blood glucose control for individuals with Type II diabetes. Emotional stress raises the body's level of cortisol and epinephrine, which results in more glucose in the blood. Since individuals with diabetes are not able to control these elevated levels of blood glucose, the glucose remains elevated long after the stress has ended. This of course leads to metabolic complications. TOP
The Brain and Digestion
The brain has also been linked to digestive functions since there is direct communication between the brain and the gut via an impressive network of hormones, neurotransmitters and gut peptides. When emotional distress occurs, a brain scan reflects this miscommunication, thus digestive problems then occur. Stress related digestive problems include heartburn, diarrhea and irritable bowl syndrome. TOP
Exercise Helps Depression
Relaxation is not the only way to beat stress and its negative effects on health. Regular exercise can strengthen the mind, mood and body. It has been well established that regular exercise is essential for weight loss, improving heart disease and diabetes risk factors, as well as many other metabolic diseases. Recently, Duke University researchers confirmed the therapeutic effects of exercise for depression. Duke University psychologist James Blumenthal placed depressed patients on a supervised exercise regimen and after four months 60 percent of the participants improved. This number was the same number as those receiving antidepressants. The astounding results were that 30 percent of those participants receiving antidepressants had relapse episodes of depression as compared to only 9 percent of the exercising participants. Exercise not only improves the body's circulation and oxygen delivery throughout the body, it alters a wide variety of chemical changes in the brain. The major effect is to boost the activity of mood enhancing neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin. It also increases the production of a neurotrophic factor, which helps brain neurons multiply and form new connections. Exercise also triggers the release of endorphins, which are responsible for relaxation and that "feel good feeling" we get from exercise. Regular exercise which is appropriate and tailored to ones individual needs is always a sure bet for beating the blues. TOP
Potential Mechanisms for Omega
Three as an Antidepressant
| • EPA and DHA regulate neuronal activity to prevent mood disorders. |
| • Omega three fatty acids are anti-inflammatory. EPA, the strongest of the omega three fatty acids, competes with arachidonic acid (omega 6 derived) to prevent the formation of specific pro-inflammatory compounds (cytokines) which are associated with depression. |
| • Once incorporated into the cell membrane, EPA and DHA affect the structure and fluidity of the cells. This has an influence on neurotransmitter balance and communication. All of these affect mood and depression. |
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In the last century, Americans have drastically increased their intake of omega six fatty acids (processed foods, vegetable oils, meat from grain fed animals) in relation to the intake of omega three fatty acids. Many of the heart healthy and weight loss diets also tend to replace the saturated fats with omega six fats, rather than emphasizing monounsaturated for a healthier balance and ratio to omega three intakes. Many researchers believe this excessive intake of omega six in relation to omega three is out of balance, thereby decreasing the beneficial effects of omega three in the brain and body. Replacing the excessive amounts of vegetable oils with monounsaturated fats, such as olives, olive oil, nuts and canola oil, restores the balance of fatty acids and will increase the concentration and activity of omega three fats in the cells. Also, as we age, brain cells require more monounsaturated fatty acids to maintain cellular structure--thereby benefiting our hearts and mood.
Recent medical literature also suggests that insulin resistance is associated with work related mental and emotional stress as well as other aspects of a stressful lifestyle. As the stress hormones increase with chronic stress so does a redistribution of stored energy to intra-abdominal cells, leading to insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is a group of health risk factors that increase the likelihood of heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. Other risk factors for insulin resistance, besides excessive abdominal body fat, include high blood sugar, high blood triglycerides, low high density lipoproteins and high blood pressure.
Insulin resistance is also affected by the type of dietary fat consumed. Preliminary studies in animals and humans suggest that insulin resistance is increased by an increased consumption of saturated fat and improved by the increased consumption of monounsaturated fats and omega three fatty acids.
The implications of what happens to the heart and body during chronic stress are not only dramatic for developing heart disease but also for treating it. When individuals gain a sense of emotional well being, it helps them to follow a better diet and exercise plan. More exercise means further reductions in stress and depression. This healthy cycle has three focal points: diet, exercise and stress management, which support and promote each others health benefits. TOP
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