Get your Mo on for men's health!

It's that time of year again when men around town start sporting odd-looking facial hair, looking like someone out of a barbershop quartet or a bikie!

No, it's not a cyclical trend of course - it's Movember, where men grow moustaches in support of promoting men's health. The global, month-long charity which had its humble beginnings in Melbourne specifically raises money for research and awareness into prostate cancer and male mental health.

The statistics are quite frightening,  with rises in the diagnosis and treatment of depression (linked inextricably to incidences of suicide in seemingly-happy males). Male life expectancy is about 5-6 years less than women; The suicide rate in males is four times higher than women; and it is estimated that five men die prematurely each hour from potentially preventable illnesses.

The Movember movement has shown to be effective not just in raising awareness about andrological health in mens' minds, but also in making significant changes in their lifestyle - the most important being actually visiting a doctor and getting a health check! As I've written on this site before, men are often reluctant in going to see a doctor in order to get checked out, let alone if they are actually starting to feel sick. Prevention is far better than the cure, not just for the individual, but also is thought to significantly make a difference to the national budget on health and take the strain off an already struggling health system.

Chinese Medicine of course has as its fundamental axiom the principle of preventing disease before it happens. The idea of treating sickness was likened to trying to fill a well when the village is dying of thirst. With our unique diagnostic system, such as the observation of the pulse, the examination of the tongue, palpation of the channel system, and the interpretation of various signs and symptoms as part of a larger 'pattern', we are able to gain subtle insights into the state of an individual's health. Often, some of these signs reveal the beginnings of more serious conditions, signs that the average person wouldn't think twice about, or consider a sign of becoming something more serious.

These Signs include constant headaches, persistent lower back pain, dribbling after urination, decreased libido or sexual function, feelings of discontent, waking up tired, unable to fall asleep, bloating after meals, changes to regular bowel habits, putting on weight, constant irritability or short tempers, greying and loss of hair, inability to cope with stress, feeling overwhelmed, rib-side pain, acid reflux, indigestion, shoulder and neck tension, recurring colds and 'flus, and so on.

On their own, these things seem innocuous and harmless. But when there is a pattern of these symptoms occurring more than once or twice, they point to what Chinese Medicine practitioners refer to as a 'pattern of disharmony'. A presenting pattern may be nothing that causes a disruption to one's normal daily routine, but if left unaddressed it can progress on to other more serious and chronic conditions.

Being able to see these patterns and treat them is part of the preventative process. Treating these disorders gently and natural with Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture means reversing the disharmony gently, and then building the body, mind, and emotions up to be strong. Strength in men is important, as it allows us to be authentic individuals, to bring out our natural protective tendencies and to hold the space effectively for our wives, sisters, daughters, and mothers.

So whilst your grow your Mo this Movember, don't forget to come into the clinic for some preventative acupuncture and Chinese herbs. Take control of your health, your body, mind, and spirit, and start your new life with good health and happiness.

Click here to make a booking with our practitioners at Discover Chinese Medicine.

Click here to learn more about Movember 

Men need to "feel" how they feel

Talk to any man about their health and you'll usually get "yep, all fine", or no response at all.
According to the Australia's Health Report 2010, on average men rate their health better than what it actually is, and see a medical or health practitioner less than women.

Probably because of this, women are targeted more in health promotion and marketing, because they are more likely to seek out the assistance of a doctor or health practitioner earlier if a problem arises, or certainly in terms of preventative medicine. Mens' Health is often forgotten.....

While men are just as susceptible to chronic illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol levels, and overweight/obesity, they also have specific andrological illness to keep an eye out for, such as enlarged prostate (ether benign or malignant), problems with bladder control, and of course sexual-related issues such as low libido, premature ejaculation, and impotence.

The biggest and most insidious problem of course lies in mental health - depression, anxiety, etc
Men don't talk about their health, or consider illness to be a big deal, in the same way, they also don't talk about how they feel. This can often impact on their relationships with their loved ones, and partner. Often, this can be a significant contributing factor in sexual dysfunctions, and of the inability to please lover further compounds a sense of low self-esteem and self-worth.

Whilst men have to deal with their own individual issues - physiological as well as emotional - they also are continually bombarded by mixed messages in the media about what it means to be male: competitive, fit, well-groomed, tall, muscular (the 'six-pack abdomen'), successful, dominant, and outgoing. These images are supported by celebrities who fit these images; all too often however, these 'role models' turn out to be less than perfect, getting in trouble with the law, treating women poorly, being involved in brutish and loutish behaviour, drunkenness and drug addictions. These archetypes seem to lack a core masculinity, and when men feel they are not meeting those expectations, this can also lead to very uniquely-male reactions to ideas around self-worth.


In Chinese Medicine, the inability to discuss how one feels is intimately linked with other more serious organic pathologies. This is called yu: constraint or stagnation. When Qi does not flow through the channel system properly, it is unable to reach other parts of the body. This can lead to issues with digestion such as abdominal bloating, heartburn or reflux; or even to sexual dysfunctions, such as low libido, impotence, or premature ejaculation. Prostatitis is often the result of this stagnation, especially in the channels associated with the genitals, after many years of this lack of free-flow. Constraint of this sort is also intimately linked with poor mental health, manifesting as depression, low mood, and even disorders such as anxiety or panic attacks; the latter also being linked with serious heart disease and hypertension.

Acupuncture is particularly useful at promoting that free-flow of Qi throughout the body, ensuring that all the vital substances are able to reach the various parts of the body that they are required. Many men notice how they "feel" better after an acupuncture treatment, even if they are coming for something 'physical'. Once Qi flows better, men are able to 'feel' how they feel, and are more likely to be able to embody the type of honourable man they know they should be.

Herbal medicine is of course beneficial at rebalancing the internal landscape of the body, correcting imbalances amongst substances (such as hormones, fluids, blood, etc.) and providing the material basis for such energetic/emotional shifts. This can be accentuated by following an appropriate diet, and exercising appropriately. Yoga, Qigong, Taichi, Pilates, walking, etc are all useful ways of keeping the body fit, the mind sharp, and the emotions flowing.

Men need to be encouraged to fully perceive how they feel about themselves, and seek help earlier. Most serious chronic illnesses can be prevented if addressed early enough. It is perfectly 'manly' to seek help, and accept that sometimes we are vulnerable - this is part of being a mature and capable male.

High Testosterone in women - it's more common than you think.

High testosterone levels in women are one of the leading causes of a range of conditions - the most prevalent and commonly diagnosed is PCOS. We have a large number of women attend our clinic with a diagnosis of PCOS, majority of them have never been told about the possibilities of what might cause their condition, that their condition is not necessarily permanent, and that there are things they can do on a daily basis that can change the course of their disease and improve their symptoms.

A range of underlying abnormalities lead to PCOS, infertility, abnormal menstrual cycles, hormonal acne, including:

• insulin resistance, often secondary to obesity
• elevated hormonal androgens, primarily testosterone
• lowered progesterone levels causing erratic ovulation.   

Signs of high tesosterone in women:

• darker hair growth on the body
• hair growth on face and bellow the belly button
• acne that appears on the face the same time every month

High testosterone is commonly found in the average city-dwelling under-the-pump working woman.

Treatment for the symptoms of high testosterone can vary according to the problem you report to your doctor. Treatments can range from:

• oral contraceptive medications to control hormonal acne
• clomiphene tablets to aid in ovulation for fertility issues/PCOS

Clomiphene tablets maybe combined with steroid tablets to suppress androgen production - most often in women who are wanting to conceive. However this does not address the underlying issue, and is unfortunately associated with an increased rate of miscarriage if conception does occur. Forcing ovulation with clomiphene is not useful for all women, and can cause damage to your fertility if it is not suitable for you.
To check your testosterone levels (and other hormones) you must see the free amount of hormone circulating in your body, this is done via saliva testing. The causes of elevated testosterone are:

• A high sugar and carbohydrate diet
• Ovarian and adrenal dysfunction
• Your body converts too much hormone precursors into testosterone (excess aromatisation)
• Impaired liver detoxification function
• Supplementation with testosterone
• Low sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG)
• Increased stress
• Insulin resistance
• Low thyroid function (TSH should be between 0.5 – 2)

Obesity and PCOS
Women who are obese may be predisposed to PCOS and elevated testosterone.  Fatty tissue produces oestrogen and stores oestrogen, leading to hormonal imbalances that affect the development and ripening of immature follicles within the ovary. Fatty tissue also secretes excess androgens leading to many of the masculine signs and symptoms of PCOS (eg facial hair).  Thus weight loss and control for those with weight issues is a must, especially if weight is carried around the abdomen.

Researchers describe ‘belly fat’ an active "organ", one that churns out hormones and inflammatory substances. ‘Abdominal fat is thought to break down easily into fatty acids, which flow directly into the liver and into muscle’ according to Lewis Kuller MD DPH, professor and past chair of epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health.
The increase in hormone production and inflammatory substances produced in the abdominal fat lead to overworking the liver and reducing the effectiveness of hormonal clearance. In a cascade of endocrine effects, insulin becomes less effective in controlling blood sugar, insulin resistance can sets in, and here we have yet another cause of PCOS (see earlier post on PCOS).

Blood Sugar Levels and Testosterone

Type II diabetes OR high sugar intake in diet causes insulin resistance and is a major cause of PCOS. Type II diabetes is controlled with drugs like Metformin, or as studies have shown, a low carbohydrate combined with exercise is as effective but without the side effects of medication. A low GI sugar free diet is a must for anyone with PCOS symptoms. The close relationship between insulin resistance and diet control is a number one priority for anyone wanting to cure themselves of high testosterone or PCOS.  Insulin up-regulates the production of testosterone, and high blood sugar levels present in "carbohydrate specialists" who are eating muesli for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, fruit for snacks and pasta for dinner, are a big part of the problem for most women with hormonal imbalance.

Other factors that impact on insulin are low levels of magnesium, high carbohydrate and sugar intake, coffee and smoking.

The role of the liver
Dysfunctional liver detoxification pathways also contribute to hormonal imbalances in women, leading to acne, anovulation and PCOS. The liver is responsible for clearing built up hormones in the body, especially via the sulphation and glucoronidation pathways. When the liver is overloaded with the use of alcohol, caffeine, pharmaceutical or non-pharmaceutical drugs, the clearance of elevated stress hormone, environmental toxins, cleaning agents, aerosolized paints, thinners, or under attack by viral hepatitis, then the liver is unable to clear hormones from the blood stream. Estrogen and testosterone levels then build up. 

The treatment for a stressed liver is stress reduction, gut detox and liver detox. Look over the blog on stress (http://bit.ly/lxCh9o) to see that stress is not just physiological, and all stressors must be removed or reduced. Speak to a healthcare practitioner to guide you through a gut and liver detox (which may also aid in weight loss). Bacterial, yeast build up or parasites in the bowel prevent toxin and hormonal clearance from the body. The gut should always be checked for the presence of any of these problems and be addressed before commencing a liver detox, otherwise toxins and hormones are unable to be effectively cleared from the body and re-enter circulation.

Other Causes of PCOS
An Adrenal gland dysfunction, Chronic high stress levels or an adrenal tumor – Imbalanced levels of the stress hormone cortisol and sex hormone DHEA, both secreted from the adrenal glands create stress in the body which impacts on ovarian function, which causes PCOS.  Your diurnal variation of cortisol throughout the day can be tested at our clinic via a saliva test. Contact us for a referral for a saliva hormone testing kit.

Stress and PCOS
Stress, perhaps you may need to think about that one again…..Stress can not only cause ovarian dysfunction but cortisol can suck up our levels of progesterone, as progesterone is a precursor to make cortisol.  PCOS and the resulting lack of ovulation can be due to a lack of progesterone.

Low levels of Progesterone
The lack of progesterone is detected by the hypothalamus, which continues to try to stimulate the ovary by increasing its production of GnRH, which increases the pituitary production of FSH and LH. This stimulates the ovary to make more estrogen and androgens, which stimulates more follicles toward maturation. If these additional follicles are also unable to produce a matured ovum or make progesterone, the menstrual cycle is dominated by increased estrogen and androgen production without progesterone. This is the fundamental abnormality that creates PCOS. (Ref 5)

Progesterone can be supplemented with herbs and natural progesterone cream which we can write you a referral to get. Reduction of stress is paramount.


Low Sex Hormone Binding globulin
SHBG Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) or sex steroid-binding globulin (SSBG) binds to sex hormones, mostly to testosterone and estradiol. These hormones circulate in the bloodstream, bound mostly to SHBG and only a small fraction is unbound, or "free," and thus biologically active.  Thus,  SHBG inhibits the function of these hormones. (Ref 6 )

Causes of Low SHBG are: Use of the Oral Contraceptive Pill – OCP, Excess protein, alcohol, thyroid disease and excess soy consumption. (Ref 7)

Androstenediol can be taken to increase testosterone, as it converts directly into testosterone, and is used mostly by weight lifters to build strength and increase immunity.

Low thyroid Function
A poorly functioning thyroid gland affects adrenal gland function, and the liver's ability to detoxify testosterone via the sulphation and glucoronidation pathways. This leads to higher testosterone levels and lower SHBG, see above.

Pituitary dysfunction
This will lead to an abnormal secretion of other menstrual related hormones, causing anovulation, and a build up of follicles within the ovaries. This is the last call, and should be checked if all else fails.

Low levels of Magnesium
Recently, there are  reports about correlations between insulin resistance and deficiency of magnesium.  Some of mechanisms is when there is magnesium deficiency, magnesium fails to activate tyrosine kinase of insulin receptor and hyperinsulinemia stimulates magnesium excretion. It is expected that the exact mechanisms between insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and magnesium metabolism. (Ref 8)


Elevated Boron levels in the blood
Unknown to the vegetable of fruit consumer, toxic Boron levels are in soils derived from marine evaporites and marine argillaceous sediment, which can carry thourgh into the food we eat, unless eating organically.  The most important source is irrigation water, but others include wastes from surface mining, fly ash, and industrial chemicals (ref 9). Hair levels of iron, boron, calcium, and zinc are often concomitantly elevated with lead burden. Lead exposure includes welding, old leaded paint (chips/dust), drinking water, some fertilizers, industrial pollution, lead-glazed pottery, and newsprint. (Ref 10)
Boron's link with high testosterone is via its effects on decreasing serum magnesium serum which can impact on insulin resistance (Ref 7).

Elevated Copper 
Copper reduces adrenal and thyroid function, see above.
Medical conditions that may be associated with excess copper include: biliary obstruction (reduced ability to excrete Cu), liver disease (hepatitis or cirrhosis), and renal dysfunction. Symptoms associated with excess Cu accumulation are muscle and joint pain, depression, irritability, tremor, hemolytic anemia, learning disabilities, and behavioral disorders. See Dr Kaslow webpage on copper-zinc imbalances.
However, it is important first to rule out contamination from hair products and dyes, bleaches, swimming pool/hot tub water, and washing hair in acidic water carried through copper pipes. In the case of contamination from hair preparations, other elements (aluminum, silver, nickel, titanium) are usually also elevated.

Sources of excessive copper include contaminated food or drinking water, excessive Cu supplementation, and occupational or environmental exposures. Insufficient intake of competitively absorbed elements such as zinc or molybdenum can lead to, or worsen Cu excess.  (Ref 11)

Copper and Boron may be tested via hair mineral analysis, with a referral from our clinic.

Aromatises Inhibitors
Aromatise inhibitors (AIs) are a class of drugs used in the treatment of breast cancer, ovarian cancer and in post menopausal women

Anti-estrogen aromatase inhibitors offer their anti estrogenic effect by blocking the enzyme responsible for synthesizing or converting testosterone into estrogen via a process called aromatization. Thus their effect is to decrease estrogen and increase free testosterone and insulin growth factor levels in the body. 

I think I might have a problem with my testosterone levels
Although there are many causes for elevated testosterone, we can usually determine which cause is related to your symptoms quite quickly and effectively. At the Discover clinic we use clinically proven herbal and nutritional supplements to directly bring down testosterone levels, regulate insulin levels, treat thyroid imbalances, increase liver detoxification pathways and help clear heavy metal build up.  With the correct treatment, and sound advice on diet PCOS can be very well treated. PCOS is definitely not a life sentence.


References

4. 2007, ‘Risks of Belly Fat’, WebMD, viewed 7/7/11 - www.webmd.com/diet/risks-weight-around-waist-7/belly-risks?page=2
5. PCOS and Infertility viewed on the 27/10/11 at http://www.ovarian-cysts-pcos.com/progesterone.html
6. Wikipedia, viewed on the 27/10/11 at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_hormone-binding_globulin
7.   ARL pathology, Healthscope Manual, pg 96
8. 2005,  Higashiura K, ‘Magnesium and insulin resistance’,  Clin Calcium. PUBMED, 2005 Feb;15(2):251-4. [Article in Japanese] Second Department of Internal Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine. PMID:15692165, [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
9.  Ross O, 1997,    Boron toxicity,      Plant and Soil, Chapter 12,  193: 181–198, CSIRO Land and Water, P.M.B., P.O. Aitkenvale, QLD 4814, Australia_, 2Water Management Research, Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands.
10. Jeremy E. Kaslow, MD, FACP, FACAAI Physician and Surgeon,  Lead, Found on  the 24/10/11 on the  Dr.Kaslow.com site  - http://www.drkaslow.com/html/hair_analysis.html
11. Viewed on the 27/10 11 at -http://www.drkaslow.com/html/hair_analysis.html

Stress - How it creates havoc for our health.

Stress can be caused from a wide array of bad lifestyle choices and difficult circumstances. Stress is mostly unavoidable in the modern age. From a health perspective, when we are talking about stress we are making the distinction between stress and feeling overwhelmed. The majority of us have many stressors in our lives, but we don't consider ourselves to be suffering from stress. However this feeling of being "stressed" is what we would call feeling overwhelmed which is usually experienced once stress levels start to get really high. In daily life a certain amount of stress can be useful, however if you have filled your life with work and family commitments plus social commitments, charity work etc and couple it with inadequate relaxation time and less than amazing nutrition - even if you're coping well with it all - it's a recipe that we call stress. If our daily lives are filled with the body combating many stressors, then there is very limited leeway for dealing with life's challenges that inevitably come our way.

One of the least understood and unrecognised aspects of stress are that stress includes physical, chemical, emotional and electromagnetic factors. The major stressors follow:

Physical                                                   Chemical              
Inactivity                                                  Sugar      
Toxins (including drugs,                             Infection
Pesticides, additives, immunizations ect)    Nutritional Imbalance
Inadequate light                                        Nicotine
Allergens                                                 Caffeine
Temperature extremes                              Alcohol
Trauma                                                    Xeno-estrogens from plastics
No sunshine for at least an hour a day
Being indoors in “managed” air
Sleeping outside of our natural circadian rhythm

Emotional                                               Electromagnetic     - Positive ions  
Fear                                                       Mobiles              
Anger                                                     Refrigerators, microwaves      
Guilt                                                       Television
Anxiety                                                  Computers
Depression                                             Printers, photocopiers      
Pain                                                       Airplanes
Inadequate sleep, shift work (sleeping     Fluorescent lights
during the day)
Lack of meaning or purpose in life
          
1. (Shealy, pg.7, 1996)

Normally the body is able to balance these stressors, and align the body to a homeostatic level. However, if stress continues the body can adapt, which changes the efficiency of the stress reaction. Every time we adapt to one stressor, whether it be nicotine, electromagnetic radiation, inadequate sleep ect, then we lower our threshold for a new stressor. 2. (Selye,1974)

A non coffee drinking individual would ordinarily require a cup of coffee to double norepinephrine production, and someone who has adapted to cigarettes might only require two-thirds or half a cup of coffee. When you have adapted to three or four stressors, or even hundreds, it may take less than half as much of a new stress to cause an alarm reaction. The Stress builds up, and we become vulnerable to small stressors more and more.

Even though we become vulnerable to stress, interestingly enough we can also become addicted to the sensation of stress, especially if we grew up in a stressful environment, or were encouraged to place ourselves in stressful situations as teenagers to achieve success, higher grades, accolades and for winning competitions.
The neurotransmitter serotonin is also elevated during stressful times. Serrotinin tends to make us feel satiated or satisfied, and also makes us feel slightly euphoric. The release of high levels of serritonin could be a link to our addiction to stress.

Like caffeine, when Serotonin is released it triggers the release of adrenaline, which allows the body to work through the stress, as It kick starts our sympathetic nervous system (the Fight or Flight response) which quickens the heart rate, elevates blood pressure, increases our sensitivity to pain, light, sound and smell, increases aggression and speeds up mental activity.

This is obviously useful in life or death situations, and in stressful circumstances that we can not avoid. However, when we get bombarded by exogenous stressors mentioned in the chart above then we start to tax the body in many ways, which leads to a long list of health issues.

An overproduction of adrenaline causes nervousness, panic attacks, anxiety, phobias, extreme mood swings and bouts of aggression.  Also, as adrenalin is not quickly renewed,  if we become addicted to the sensation of serotonin and adrenalin in the body, stress, and or caffeine for that matter, for long duration's, our adrenal reserves get used up. This leads to symptoms of exhaustion, anxiety and depression, known as adrenal fatigue.

Over time the serotonin levels can decrease and we may develop a deficiency of Serotonin in the brain which can cause depression (now causes by adrenal fatigue and low serotonin) and it can also upset the appetite mechanism which may lead to obesity or other eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia nervosa and may be responsible for insomnia, as serotonin converts to melatonin which helps us sleep.

A person low in Serotonin will be inclined to consume greater amounts of sugar in an attempt to increase Serotonin production and this may lead to sugar addiction. 3.  (J. Plesman, The serotonin connection). Remembering sugar is an addictive and stressful chemical on the body, which may have gotten us here in the first place. Sugar addiction can then lead to insulin resistance, which causes unstable concentrations of blood glucose, causing fatigue, moodiness and sugar cravings, and can then lead to diabetes over time.

As we eat large amounts of sugar or refined carbohydrates, our insulin levels increase to mop up the sugar. The spike in insulin can also create a spike in some of our hormones known as androgen, mostly androstenedione and testosterone. This can then create hormonal imbalances, which can create PCOS, hirsutism (male hair growth patterns in women), male pattern balding, and over time aromatizes into estrogens. High Estrogens are linked in with incidence of endometriosis, fibroids, cysts, heavy / irregular periods and breast cancer.

This elevated insulin in this circumstance blocks the utilization of fat cells as a source of energy, thus causing obesity, or storing fat around the waist line. Wild fluctuations in blood sugar levels causes the body to produce excess adrenaline, once again.  The cycle continues.

These interrelationships of stress are almost certainly a prime contributor to the body’s loss of homeostasis and a gradual progression of chronic stress adaptation-maladaptation-exhaustion stages. It is probable that by the time you adapt to any given stress that it will be difficult for you body to maintain in balance in all hormonal levels.


The results of Chronic Stresss (Exhaustion)

Stress hormone Cortisol increases 24 hours a day
Sex hormone DHEA decreases
Insulin erratic (metabolic fluctuation)
Poor sleep recovery
Immune system significantly deficient
Major illnesses begin
-    Heart disease
-    Stroke
-    Cancer
-    Infection
-    Autoimmune disorders
-    Degenerative diseases

Although research shows a strong correlation between chemical, physical and emotional stress and patients diverse symptoms, most physicians do not evaluate even the most basic measures of stress, or address hormonal fluctuations.

When Cortisol (our stress hormone) is elevated in our body’s from Chronic stress and from the adaptation stress response then the body must use up a master hormone called Pregnenolone to then make Cortisol. The more Pregnenolone used up to make Cortisol, the less there is to make other hormones such as Progesterone, estrogen, DHEA, testosterone ect., which then has a cascade effect on mood, energy levels, libido, menstrual issues, fertility, immunity response, youthfulness, weight issues, high cholesterol, diabetes from insulin insufficiency, susceptibility to heart attack, stroke, cancer, osteoporosis and much more.


How to Combat Stress

Moderate exercise,

Increase water to 8 glasses a day,

Avoid creating a build up of serotonin in the body by allowing the serotonin to convert to melatonin at night time by going to bed before 10.00pm and having at least 8 hours rest a night in complete darkness. (See blog on Are you sleeping in the dark?).

Avoid situations that create volatile emotions

Avoid stressful situations that you can avoid like long distance running, sky diving, or driving to work in the city.

Meditate

Qi Gong, Yoga, deepen your breath

Listen to music.

Go for a walk.

Acupuncture and herbal medicine.

Avoid stressful foods like sugar and caffeine.

Avoid the use of SSRIS (Serotonin reuptake inhibitors). For depression try an everyday   a Hatha yoga or Tai qi class or practice at home. Eat food with Tryptophan, take B vitamin supplement and SAMe.

Reducing the use of electronic equipment which releases positive ions. Also use a negative ionizing machine, which will help balance serotonin levels.  (The Ionizing study) http://www.djclarke.co.uk/file06.html

Correct chemical and hormonal imbalances by a hypoglycemic diet together with an omega-3 fatty acids supplement.

Considering exposure to emotional stress may be  the main cause of symptoms, it is to seek some sort of emotional transformative counseling and or kinesiology.

Observe your addictions, and ask yourself “Why do I crave this, and does this serve me”?

This is THE treatment to restore a person to health.



1.    C. Shealy M.D. PhD, DHEA, The Youth and Health Hormone, Keats Publishing, Connecticut, 1996,  
2.    Selye.  H, Stress without Distress, Lippincott co, Philadelphia, 1974
3.    J. Plesman, BA(Psych), Post Grad Dip Clin Nut, The Serotonin Connection. www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/serotonin_connection.html