Healthy Life Newsletter, July 2018
Can Exercise Help Beat Depression?
Whether you’ve been diagnosed with mild to moderate depression or not, your likelihood of experiencing symptoms such as persistent low mood, feelings of sadness, fatigue, sleep pattern disturbances and difficulty concentrating decline if resistance exercise (weight and strength training) is a part of your regular routine.
That’s the conclusion from a research review published in JAMA Psychiatry, a journal of the American Medical Association, that analyzed 33 previous studies.
In total, the studies encompassed nearly 1,900 adults, approximately half of whom had been randomly assigned to participate in resistance training programs, while the other half were inactive during the tracking period. Participating in resistance workouts was associated with fewer depression symptoms whether or not the subject had an existing mental health problem; however, exercise had the greatest symptom impact on subjects with mild to moderate depression. The impact of resistance exercise on depression symptoms also appeared to be independent of how often the study subjects exercised, or whether they improved muscle strength or mass.
Exercise (not just resistance exercise) may reduce depression symptoms courtesy of the following mechanisms:
Releases “feel-good” brain chemicals (neurotransmitters, endorphins and endocannabinoids)
Reduces immune-system chemicals that have been implicated in depression
Increases body temperature, which may provide a sense of calm, reducing anxiety
Helps you deal with your depression in a healthy, productive way
Boosts self-confidence, which can make you feel better about yourself
May provide for more social interaction, improving your mood
Talk to your doctor for more information regarding the health and wellness benefits of consistent exercise and how exercise (and other nondrug strategies) can help you beat the blues. Antidepressant medications continue to be a first-line treatment for depression, but evidence suggests these drugs also may increase the risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior, particularly in children and adults younger than age 25.
The Early Bird Gets the Worm: Why Earlier Is Better for Your Health
It is believed that the expression “the early bird gets the worm” first appeared in a collection of English proverbs in the early 17th century, but its meaning and significance from a life and yes, health perspective, certainly transcends any time period.
When it comes to your health, earlier is indeed better; here are a few reasons why. As you’ll quickly appreciate, doing things early is generally healthier than doing them later (or not at all)…
\1. Early to Rise (and Fall) : Waking up early and getting to bed at a decent hour are both beneficial from a health and wellness perspective. First, the two are generally connected; wake up early and you won’t be as likely to push the midnight hour or later on a regular basis. Second, people who wake up early often find they accomplish more; in fact, many business executives and other successful people wake up early. You’ll be amazed at how much you can get done first thing in the morning, before the rest of the world joins you in the madness.
On the flip side, retiring for the evening before the clock strikes midnight (or whatever hour you consider “late”) ensures you avoid the unhealthy habits often associated with late nights. Turn in early, get a great night’s sleep, and then wake up early. Try it out and see how much better you feel.
\2. Early to the Treadmill : Working out first thing in the morning is a great way to invigorate your body and mind for the day ahead. If exercise isn’t your “religion,” it also ensures you get it done early, so the “I still need to work out” voice isn’t reverberating in your brain all day. Evidence also suggests that some people who exercise later, particularly within a few hours of bedtime, have more difficulty falling and staying asleep than people who exercise earlier in the day. And since the need for fuel, in the form of food, is high following a workout, early exercise promotes hunger, which increases the odds you’ll get to the breakfast table and reap the health benefits there, too.
3. Early to the Table: Speaking of the health benefits of breakfast, you can’t beat a balanced, nutritious breakfast when it comes to setting yourself up for a great day. There’s a reality in play here: You’ve been asleep for 7-8 hours, which means you probably haven’t eaten anything in at least 9-10 hours (since eating immediately before bedtime can also impair your ability to sleep). When do you ever go that long between meals – and what do you probably feel like when you do? Lethargic, unfocused, distracted (probably by the thought of food) and more likely to eat larger-than-needed amounts of whatever comes your way.
Start your day with a healthy breakfast; it doesn’t have to be enormous, but eat something that will give your body and brain something to work with. You’ll be glad you did.
\4. Early to “The List” : Ah, it’s the list you make every day (in your head, if not elsewhere) that rules your world and never, ever seems to get done. Want to at least have a chance to complete your daily To-Do List? Start by getting to it early. The power of a daily list is only exceeded by the sense of achievement and satisfaction you receive from completing items on the list. The earlier in the day you get started, the earlier in the day you’ll reap the positive benefits, including piece of mind that the list won’t still be hanging over (and in) your head when evening comes.
\5. Early to Reflect : We live in a world increasingly devoid of self-reflection. Instead of taking time to think, we click, swipe, tap, scroll and flash from one screen to the next; one activity to the next; one poorly evaluated choice to the next. Start the slow-down process by starting the process of reflection early and repeating it often throughout the day.
How do you feel about yourself? How is your day (week, month or year) going? If you’re feeling great, why – and how can you do more of it? If you’re down in the dumps, why – and how can you turn things around? Are you using your time wisely? Are you living for yourself – or someone else? Make time for less reality TV and more reality. It may be the healthiest choice you ever make.
Vitamin D for a Healthy Baby
Pregnant women who take vitamin D supplements are doing a great service to their child, suggests research, reducing the risk of the baby being born underweight, or even dying in the womb or during infancy.
Vitamin D supplementation also appears to improve infant calcium levels and overall growth during the first year of life, according to the review study in JAMA Pediatrics, a research journal of the American Medical Association.
Vitamin D supplementation up to 2,000 daily International Units (IU) reduced the risk of an underweight baby by 55 percent and the risk of the baby dying in the womb or during infancy by 65 percent. The researchers’ findings were based on a review of 24 clinical trials encompassing more than 5,000 participants.
While vitamin D supplementation did not reduce the risk of birth defects compared to expectant mothers who did not supplement with vitamin D, a complete daily multivitamin/mineral that contains the B vitamin folic acid certainly can, with a substantial body of research linking folic acid intake to lower risks of severe brain and spinal complications (anencephaly and spina bifida, respectively). Talk to your doctor to learn more.
(Note from Dr. Mha Atma: more recent research indicates that taking 5,000 IU per day of Vitamin D is likely a healthyand quite safe dose for most women, and up to 10,000/day may be appropriate based on vitamin D blood testing. Pregnant women should ask their doctor on first visit to test their D levels, and take enough to get the levels up near 60 ng/ml.)
“If I Were Stuck on a Desert Island with ONE Back Exercise, I’d Want This One.”
That’s what I (Dr. Mha Atma) tell patients when I show them this exercise (actually it’s two: one warmup followed by a stabilization exercise):
First, begin with a simple warm- up involving the cat/camel (also known as cat/cow) exercise on all fours, arching the back up and down. This should be performed first thing in the morning and then prior to your training exercises. 8 to10 slow repetitions are all that are needed. Think of the cat/camel as a limbering, rather than stretching movement.
After performing the cat/camel you are ready for a simple exercise which will begin to improve the endurance of your back muscles. This is called the quadruped single leg raise While positioned on all fours extend one leg behind you as far as you can while gradually raising it up until it is level with your waist. Try to keep your back and abdominal muscles tightened and your pelvis squared off during this maneuver. Start with 3 to 4 repetitions and progress until you can perform 10 to 12 repetitions while holding each rep for 5 to 6 seconds. This routine should be performed once or twice a day.
You can see pictures and read more details at drmhaatma.com.
Smoking Leads to Spine Surgery
If you’re a current smoker, we hope you’re speaking with a health care professional right now about how to quit. If you’re not, we urge you to consider doing so, because your risk of suffering one or more of any number of diseases appears to increase dramatically if you’re a smoker.
In fact, even back pain occurs more frequently if you’re a smoker, and the pain may lead to surgery.
Lumbar spinal stenosis, a condition characterized by spinal canal narrowing that causes low back pain due to the increased pressure on spinal nerves, appears to be more prevalent in smokers because nicotine constricts blood flow and promotes inflammation. In a study published in The Spine Journal, researchers discovered that smokers were more likely not only to suffer from lumbar spinal stenosis, but also to eventually undergo surgery for the condition. In fact, compared to nonsmokers, heavy smokers (15 or more cigarettes per day) were 46 percent more likely to undergo surgery, while moderate smokers (14 or less cigarettes daily) had a 31 percent higher risk and even former smokers had a 13 percent increased risk.
What’s the takeaway? Smoking can lead to back pain requiring surgery, and the more you smoke, the worse the risk. And while even ex-smokers have a small increased risk compared to nonsmokers, it’s significantly lower than the risk inherited by smokers. Just another reason to say no to smoking. Talk to your doctor about the smoking cessation program that’s right for you
Can Vitamin D Reduce the Health Inequities of Black Infants?
A recent article published in the East-Bay Area of California makes a rousing cry for change within the healthcare system in order to protect Black mothers and their babies. The very detailed article interviews doctors, nurses, mothers, and activists to come up with a complete picture surrounding Black births. The article exposes startling statistics around Black births and introduces some initiatives trying to solve the problem. Do any of them mention vitamin D?
Statistics uncovered In the East Bay (California)
Black women are nearly three times as likely to give birth to a low-birthweight (less than 5.5 lbs) than white women
While 21.3% of births in Oakland are Black infants, they account for 45.8% of infant deaths
Black women are twice as likely to have a preterm birth than women of other races
Could vitamin D help?
Allison Bryant, a Boston-based physician and member of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health is quoted in the article as saying “There’s no smoking gun. There’s no one thing that you could fix that would then drive the preterm birth rates down by half. Every little bit helps.”
Well, actually there is a low-cost, safe, effective protocol that COULD reduce over 50% of preterm birth, maybe even a higher number for Black babies. GrassrootsHealth’s mission is to get this research into practice and will be contacting the doctors and organizations mentioned in this article.
How does vitamin D help?
Research has shown that getting maternal vitamin D levels above 40 ng/ml (100 nmol/L) could indeed reduce all preterm birth by over 60%, sometimes more with high-risk groups (previous preterm birth, Black women). It can also reduce other complications in pregnancy such as pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, and post-partum depression. In addition, by having the mother be sufficient this provides a better nesting ground for the baby and research shows a reduction in common colds, ear infections, type 1 diabetes, and improved language development. Read the summary of research.
Can this be rolled out to a community?
Yes! When the research first came in, 2006… 2011… 2013, and all the findings were similar –
Vitamin D levels above 40 ng/ml reduced pregnancy complications
There were NO adverse cases (in the studies women took between 2,000 – 6,400 IU/day)
Grassroots Health developed a program, Protect our Children NOW!, which can be rolled out to a community, healthcare center, or hospital. It was implemented at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in 2015. After one year and over 1,000 births, data was published to show again that vitamin D supplementation was safe and effective in reducing preterm births.