Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Must see video clip
It is by a neuroscientist Jill Taylor who had a stroke and lost touch with the left hemisphere of her brain and remained aware through the experience. The video is only 18 minutes long and is Jill talking about and showing the human brain and then briefly telling what happened to her and what she experienced. It is absolutely fascinating and I highly recommend it. Jill's video is at: http://www.microclesia.com/?p=320For any of you who haven't already watched this, check it out!!
Cravings and Theories on WHY we have them...
Rubman's Digestion Connection
Do you find yourself opening the freezer for a pint of ice cream when you need a lift? Does a late afternoon drop in energy send you in search of a candy bar? My husband sometimes says he feels like he really "needs" a steak. While no one knows exactly why cravings occur, theories for their root cause range from fluctuating hormones and blood sugar to the body's need to replenish missing nutrients. I asked Daily Health News contributing medical editor Andrew L. Rubman, ND, to explain what's behind our cravings for certain foods and how to decode the messages they send about what your body really needs.
MORE THAN JUST "IN THE MOOD" FOR SOMETHING SWEET
According to Dr. Rubman, "physiologic dysregulation" is often behind cravings. In other words, it's entirely possible something is out of balance in your gastrointestinal tract, your endocrine system or your central nervous system. For women, hormonal changes around ovulation, just before the menses and during pregnancy can lead to cravings for pickles or, more often, chocolate or other sweets.
In fact, the most common cravings are for sweets and refined or processed carbohydrates. This is because there is a complicated interplay among certain foods, blood sugar, and reproductive and stress hormones. Though these kinds of cravings -- and others too -- feel simple and straightforward, as in "I want a cookie and I want one now," their origins can be found in the complex mechanisms of our physiology.
EATING AMERICAN-STYLE
In this country, our diet is all too heavy on treats made with refined carbohydrates and simple sugars -- such as those in highly processed white bread, cereals, doughnuts, cookies, candy and ice cream. Whether muffins for breakfast or pizza at lunch, such refined or processed sources of carbohydrates are digested rapidly, flooding the bloodstream with a rush of blood sugar. To help pump all that glucose into the cells, the body's response is to have the pancreas send out a surge of insulin. But, since there is not a consistent supply of sugar to satisfy all that insulin, soon afterward blood sugar levels plummet as quickly as they spiked, leaving the body tired and starved for energy... and sending you back to the pantry for another ride on the blood sugar roller coaster.
Or sometimes it is more complicated. A craving for sweets can also be fueled by an underlying infection within the walls of the GI tract, caused by one or several of numerous species of the yeast Candida, which thrives on sugar. This leads to production of inflammatory compounds by causing physiologic stress, which triggers cravings.
STRESS-BASED CRAVINGS
Stress -- whether it is physical or psychological -- can be another instigator. People who give in often find that eating comfort foods like crackers or cookies becomes a way they self-medicate for stress, and there are clear physiological reasons why this happens. When anxiety, tension or physical illness throws your body out of sync or balance, the physiological response includes production of the stress hormone cortisol, which affects insulin indirectly by increasing glucose production, in turn causing food cravings. Past experience has already taught our bodies that the simplest, fastest relief of low blood sugar comes from sugar or carbohydrates, which are a quick source of energy, observes Dr. Rubman. The problem is it backfires when it generates an urgent request for yet more... and more.
OPTIMAL MANAGEMENT OF CRAVINGS
When what you crave is healthy, you should by all means give in to your yearnings -- in portions of appropriate size, of course. But, says Dr. Rubman, it's important to be conscious of your cravings and examine what may be behind them. Discuss them with your medical provider in conjunction with your diet and medical status, he suggests. For example, craving salty snacks after exercise may be an indication that you do not drink enough fluids when you work out, and as a result become dehydrated and possibly sodium deficient. Also common is a desire for protein, since the fat in animal protein sources promotes satiety. If you routinely experience a late-afternoon letdown, think about what you eat for lunch. Perhaps you need to consume more lean protein and healthful complex carbohydrates that will extend your energy throughout the long day. Possible tasty combos include grilled salmon on a bed of steamed kale, or baked chicken and avocado stuffed in a whole wheat pita pocket. And if you must have a snack, instead of a candy bar or cookies, grab a handful of walnuts or some almond butter on sticks of celery.
Then, of course, there are those troublesome carbohydrate cravings. (Remember the book Potatoes, Not Prozac?) Dr. Rubman says these cravings can result in serious long-term health consequences if repeatedly indulged. For instance, after long periods of eating excessive refined and processed carbs, some peoples' bodies eventually stop responding appropriately to insulin. Known as insulin resistance, this condition leads to blood sugar levels that are higher than normal, though perhaps not quite high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. It is associated with metabolic syndrome, which in turn leads to an increased risk for heart disease.
READ BETWEEN THE LINES
Don't just go for the easy way out and give in... listen, instead, to what's really being communicated. Consider your cravings to be messages about what your body needs. Your ultimate goal is to ensure that you control cravings, and don't allow them to control you.
Source(s): Andrew L. Rubman, ND, director, Southbury Clinic for Traditional Medicines, Southbury, Connecticut.
Do you find yourself opening the freezer for a pint of ice cream when you need a lift? Does a late afternoon drop in energy send you in search of a candy bar? My husband sometimes says he feels like he really "needs" a steak. While no one knows exactly why cravings occur, theories for their root cause range from fluctuating hormones and blood sugar to the body's need to replenish missing nutrients. I asked Daily Health News contributing medical editor Andrew L. Rubman, ND, to explain what's behind our cravings for certain foods and how to decode the messages they send about what your body really needs.
MORE THAN JUST "IN THE MOOD" FOR SOMETHING SWEET
According to Dr. Rubman, "physiologic dysregulation" is often behind cravings. In other words, it's entirely possible something is out of balance in your gastrointestinal tract, your endocrine system or your central nervous system. For women, hormonal changes around ovulation, just before the menses and during pregnancy can lead to cravings for pickles or, more often, chocolate or other sweets.
In fact, the most common cravings are for sweets and refined or processed carbohydrates. This is because there is a complicated interplay among certain foods, blood sugar, and reproductive and stress hormones. Though these kinds of cravings -- and others too -- feel simple and straightforward, as in "I want a cookie and I want one now," their origins can be found in the complex mechanisms of our physiology.
EATING AMERICAN-STYLE
In this country, our diet is all too heavy on treats made with refined carbohydrates and simple sugars -- such as those in highly processed white bread, cereals, doughnuts, cookies, candy and ice cream. Whether muffins for breakfast or pizza at lunch, such refined or processed sources of carbohydrates are digested rapidly, flooding the bloodstream with a rush of blood sugar. To help pump all that glucose into the cells, the body's response is to have the pancreas send out a surge of insulin. But, since there is not a consistent supply of sugar to satisfy all that insulin, soon afterward blood sugar levels plummet as quickly as they spiked, leaving the body tired and starved for energy... and sending you back to the pantry for another ride on the blood sugar roller coaster.
Or sometimes it is more complicated. A craving for sweets can also be fueled by an underlying infection within the walls of the GI tract, caused by one or several of numerous species of the yeast Candida, which thrives on sugar. This leads to production of inflammatory compounds by causing physiologic stress, which triggers cravings.
STRESS-BASED CRAVINGS
Stress -- whether it is physical or psychological -- can be another instigator. People who give in often find that eating comfort foods like crackers or cookies becomes a way they self-medicate for stress, and there are clear physiological reasons why this happens. When anxiety, tension or physical illness throws your body out of sync or balance, the physiological response includes production of the stress hormone cortisol, which affects insulin indirectly by increasing glucose production, in turn causing food cravings. Past experience has already taught our bodies that the simplest, fastest relief of low blood sugar comes from sugar or carbohydrates, which are a quick source of energy, observes Dr. Rubman. The problem is it backfires when it generates an urgent request for yet more... and more.
OPTIMAL MANAGEMENT OF CRAVINGS
When what you crave is healthy, you should by all means give in to your yearnings -- in portions of appropriate size, of course. But, says Dr. Rubman, it's important to be conscious of your cravings and examine what may be behind them. Discuss them with your medical provider in conjunction with your diet and medical status, he suggests. For example, craving salty snacks after exercise may be an indication that you do not drink enough fluids when you work out, and as a result become dehydrated and possibly sodium deficient. Also common is a desire for protein, since the fat in animal protein sources promotes satiety. If you routinely experience a late-afternoon letdown, think about what you eat for lunch. Perhaps you need to consume more lean protein and healthful complex carbohydrates that will extend your energy throughout the long day. Possible tasty combos include grilled salmon on a bed of steamed kale, or baked chicken and avocado stuffed in a whole wheat pita pocket. And if you must have a snack, instead of a candy bar or cookies, grab a handful of walnuts or some almond butter on sticks of celery.
Then, of course, there are those troublesome carbohydrate cravings. (Remember the book Potatoes, Not Prozac?) Dr. Rubman says these cravings can result in serious long-term health consequences if repeatedly indulged. For instance, after long periods of eating excessive refined and processed carbs, some peoples' bodies eventually stop responding appropriately to insulin. Known as insulin resistance, this condition leads to blood sugar levels that are higher than normal, though perhaps not quite high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. It is associated with metabolic syndrome, which in turn leads to an increased risk for heart disease.
READ BETWEEN THE LINES
Don't just go for the easy way out and give in... listen, instead, to what's really being communicated. Consider your cravings to be messages about what your body needs. Your ultimate goal is to ensure that you control cravings, and don't allow them to control you.
Source(s): Andrew L. Rubman, ND, director, Southbury Clinic for Traditional Medicines, Southbury, Connecticut.
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