In many people’s minds, acupuncture and pain can be synonymous terms and when asked, most think acupuncture is only used as a treatment for pain. It is true, acupuncture is a very effective form of treatment for pain, from any cause, but it is also an effective treatment for obesity, alcoholism and drug abuse.

Food Triggers Reward Centers in the Brain

Researchers at St. Louis’ Washington University School of Medicine have found that a risk for alcoholism also may put individuals at risk for obesity. Reporting in the Archives of General Psychiatry, Grucza and his team say individuals with a family history of alcoholism, particularly women, have an elevated obesity risk. The risk seems to be growing since the 1970s. Grucza speculates that increased availability of food as well as changes in food composition play a role in the increasing risk. The food we eat contains more calories, sugar, fat and salt than it did in the 1970s. These components trigger the reward centers of the brain, the same area that drugs and alcohol trigger ¹.

Acupuncture is an Effective Treatment for Drug Addiction

A number of studies with rats have shown that acupuncture reduces the rewarding effects induced by drugs ^{2, 3}. Researcher found that acupuncture causes a release in serotonin and suggest the possibility that acupuncture affects the reward system pathway of the brain by activation of serotonergic neurons ³.

Acupuncture Reduces Desire for Alcohol

In a large randomized placebo controlled trial published in Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, researchers randomized 503 alcohol substance abusers to either ear acupuncture, sham acupuncture, symptom based acupuncture or convention treatment alone. Alcohol use was assessed, along with depression, anxiety, functional status, and preference for therapy.

“Researchers found significant improvement was shown on nearly all measures. A significant, 49% of subjects reported acupuncture reduced their desire for alcohol. The placebo and preference for treatment measures did not materially effect the results. Generally, acupuncture was not found to make a significant contribution over and above that achieved by conventional treatment alone in reduction of alcohol use ⁴ .”

Acupuncture is Effective in Weight Loss

It has been reported that acupuncture application in obesity treatment is effective in procuring weight loss. It can affect appetite, intestinal motility, and metabolism, as well as emotional factors such as stress. It appears to work by increasing plasma levels of beta endorphin and serotonin ⁵.

Obesity, alcoholism and drug addiction continues to be a major problem in our society and all generally require multiple treatment approaches. Acupuncture is a safe and effective treatment approach that should be used in the treatment of obesity, alcoholism and drug abuse.

References:

1. Grucza, R. A., et. al. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2010;67(12) : 1301-1308. doi:10.1001/archgenpsyciatry.2010.155

2. Yang, C.H. et. al. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2008;5(3):257-266

3. Yoshimoto, K., et. al. Tohoku J of Exp Med. 2006;208 : 321-326

4. Bullock, M.L., et. al. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. 2002;22 :71-77. doi:10.1016/S0740-5472(01)00217-3

5. Cabýoglu M.T., Ergene N, Tan U. Int J Neruosci. 2006 Feb;116(2):165-75.

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Food Dyes were originally synthesized from cold tar, now come from petroleum and are of two types: water soluble dyes and insoluble lakes ¹. Many food dyes have been banned because of their adverse effects on laboratory animals. A report by Kobylewski and Jacobson found that many of the currently approved dyes raise health concerns ². Some food manufacturers including Kraft and M&M Mars have removed these dyes from the food supply in the UK but not the USA ³.

“Blue 1 was not found to be toxic in key rat and mouse studies, but an unpublished study suggested the possibility that Blue 1 caused kidney tumors in mice, and a preliminary in vitro study raised questions about possible effects on nerve cells. Blue 1 may not cause cancer, but confirmatory studies should be conducted. The dye can cause hypersensitivity reactions ².”

Where you can find it:
Frito-Lay Sun Chips French Onion and other Frito-Lay products; some Yoplait products; some JELL-O dessert products; Fruity Cheerios; Trix; Froot-Loops; Apple Jacks; Quaker Cap’N Crunch’s Crunch Berries; some Pop-Tarts products; some Oscar Mayer Lunchables; Duncan Hines Whipped Frosting Chocolate; Edy’s ice cream products; Skittles candies; Jolly Ranchers Screaming Sours Soft & Chew Candy; Eclipse gum; Fanta Grape ³.

“Blue 2 cannot be considered safe given the statistically significant incidence of tumors, particularly brain gliomas, in male rats. It should not be used in foods ².”

Where you can find it:
Froot-Loops; Post Fruity Pebbles; Pop-Tarts products; Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Strawberry Supreme Premium Cake Mix; Betty Crocker Frosting Rich & Creamy Cherry; M&M’s Milk Chocolate Candies; M&M’s Milk Chocolate Peanut Candies; Wonka Nerds Grape/Strawberry; pet foods ³.

“Citrus Red 2, which is permitted only for coloring the skins of oranges not used for processing, is toxic to rodents at modest levels and caused tumors of the urinary bladder and possibly other organs. The dye poses minimal human risk, because it is only used at minuscule levels and only on orange peels, but it still has no place in the food supply ².”

Where you can find it:
fresh orange peels ³.

“Green 3 caused significant increases in bladder and testes tumors in male rats. Though the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers it safe, this little-used dye must remain suspect until further testing is conducted ².”

Where you can find it:
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Glazed Doughnut Holes Blueberry, Safeway Select Mint Jelly, Panera Bread Very Chocolate Brownie, Edy’s Sherbet Tropical Rainbow ³.

“Orange B is approved for use only in sausage casings, but has not been used for many years. Limited industry testing did not reveal any problems ².”

“Red 3 was recognized in 1990 by the FDA as a thyroid carcinogen in animals and is banned in cosmetics and externally applied drugs. All uses of Red 3 lakes (combinations of dyes and salts that are insoluble and used in low-moisture foods) are also banned. However, the FDA still permits Red 3 in ingested drugs and foods, with about 200,000 pounds of the dye being used annually. The FDA needs to revoke that approval ².”

Where you can find it:
Many prepackaged baking mixes, Cupcake Pebbles, Quaker Bacon Instant grits, Kids Cuisine meals, Chips Ahoy Candy Blasts, Goldfish Colors, Hot Tamales candy ³.

“Red 40, the most-widely used dye, may accelerate the appearance of immune system tumors in mice. The dye causes hypersensitivity (allergy-like) reactions in a small number of consumers and might trigger hyperactivity in children. Considering the safety questions and its non-essentiality, Red 40 should be excluded from foods unless and until new tests clearly demonstrate its safety ².”

Where you can find it:
Some Frito-Lay products; some Yoplait products; JELL-O Gelatin desserts; Quaker Instant Oatmeal; Trix; Froot-Loops; Apple Jacks; some Pop-Tart products; Kid Cuisine Kung Fu Panda products; Oscar Mayer Lunchables products; Hostess Twinkies; some Pillsbury rolls and frostings; some Betty Crocker and Duncan Hines frostings; and more ³.

“Yellow 5 was not carcinogenic in rats, but was not adequately tested in mice. It may be contaminated with several cancer-causing chemicals. In addition, Yellow 5 causes, sometimes, severe hypersensitivity reactions in a small number of people and might trigger hyperactivity and other behavioral effects in children. Posing some risks, while serving no nutritional or safety purpose, Yellow 5 should not be allowed in foods ².”

Where you can find it:
Nabisco Cheese Nips Four Cheese; Frito-Lay Sun Chips Harvest Cheddar and other Frito-Lay products; some Hunt’s Snack Pack Pudding products; Lucky Charms; Eggo waffles and other waffle products; some Pop-Tarts products; various Kraft macaroni and cheese products; Betty Crocker Hamburger Helper and other products ³.

“Yellow 6 caused adrenal tumors in animals, though that is disputed by industry and the FDA. It may be contaminated with cancer-causing chemicals and occasionally causes severe hypersensitivity reactions. Yellow 6 adds an unnecessary risk to the food supply ².”

Where you can find it:
Frito-Lay Cheetos Flamin’ Hot Crunchy and other Frito-Lay products; Betty Crocker Fruit Roll-ups; some JELL-O gelatin deserts and instant puddings; Fruity Cheerios; Trix; some Eggo waffle products; some Kid Cuisine Kung Fu Panda products; some Kraft macaroni and cheese dinners; some Betty Crocker frostings; some M&M’s and Skittles candies; Sunkist Orange Soda; Fanta Orange ³.

References:

(1) Institute for Agriculture and Trade and Policy. http://www.iatp.org/iatp/publications.cfm?accountID=421&refID=105204

(2) Kobylewski, Sarah, Jacobson, Michael; Center for Science in the Public Interest: http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/food-dyes-rainbow-of-risks.pdf

(2) Center for Science in the Public Interest http://www.iatp.org/brainfoodselector

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Vomiting, gut pain, headaches, severe tiredness, skin problems, and depression. These sound very much like the symptoms of those who suffer from the modern day syndromes such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue or any one of a number of syndromes of unknown origin that exists.

So, are these symptoms of a complicated illness that requires multiple medications and visits to physicians who sub-specialize in the corresponding body parts? Or are they symptoms of something so simple that it is entirely overlooked? Who would have thought Darwin, the father of evolution, was plagued by these very symptoms! Read how Darwin cured himself, as written by authors Campbell and Matthews.

“After returning from the Beagle in 1836, Charles Darwin suffered for over 40 years from long bouts of vomiting, gut pain, headaches, severe tiredness, skin problems, and depression. Twenty doctors failed to treat him. Many books and papers have explained Darwin’s mystery illness as organic or psychosomatic, including arsenic poisoning, Chagas’ disease, multiple allergy, hypochondria, or bereavement syndrome. None stand up to full scrutiny. His medical history shows he had an organic problem, exacerbated by depression. Here we show that all Darwin’s symptoms match systemic lactose intolerance. Vomiting and gut problems showed up two to three hours after a meal, the time it takes for lactose to reach the large intestine. His family history shows a major inherited component, as with genetically predisposed hypolactasia. Darwin only got better when, by chance, he stopped taking milk and cream. Darwin’s illness highlights something else he missed–the importance of lactose in mammalian and human evolution¹.”

Because physicians often look for more serious disease, something as simple as a food intolerance is often overlooked. The sufferer often wanders from physician to physician searching for answers to their health issues, but end up powerless, over-medicated, and hopeless.
Maybe we should look at our diet first when we become sick or depressed. Maybe it is that simple, if so, we could save ourselves a lot of angst and money.

Postgrad Med J. 2005 Apr;81(954):248-51.

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Today, a dear friend of mine forwarded me a link from Dr. Mercola entitled, “Cutting carbohydrates from your diet can make you live longer.” Like usual, I clicked the link and read the article.

In my opinion Dr. Mercola sometimes oversimplifies research, makes erroneous assumptions and draws conclusions that are not there. I think this newsletter of his is one of those instances and I will explain why.

Dr. Mercola, references research done by Dr. Cynthia Kenyon, a well-known professor from UCSF, known for her anti-ageing research in the small worm known as c. elegans. Her laboratory discovered that a single gene, DAF-2, speeds up aging and when the mutated, increases life span by two-fold in the organism. The hormones, insulin and IGF-1, activates the DAF-2 gene and promotes aging¹. Her research has implications for humans since we have both insulin and IGF-1 genes and leads one to believe, we could live longer if we have less glucose and insulin in our blood.

There are serval ways to lower circulating glucose and insulin levels. One method is through calorie restriction, a very well established method for increasing longevity in rodents². The second way to achieve this is by limiting dietary foods that cause a rapid surge in glucose or insulin; the most obvious being sugary foods. Sugar, when consumed, causes rapid rise in both glucose and insulin. Drs. John McDougall, Dean Ornish and others use this approach with their patients, and is thought to have the same benefit as calorie restriction.

Chronic elevations of either insulin or glucose can damage the infrastructure of the cell and reduces longevity. Many people, mistakenly believe that sugary foods are the is biggest culprit driving the glucose and insulin pathway. I presume this is why Dr. Mercola wrote his article in the fashion that he did. However, research by others suggests that more is at play than carbohydrates alone.

Research by Holt et.al. concluded, that “insulin responses are not closely related to the carbohydrate content or glycemic effects of some foods ³.” Many dietary proteins and fats raise blood insulin levels without raising glucose ⁴. Remember, both chronically high levels of both glucose and insulin are bad. Furthermore, NOT all grains cause a rapid rise in glucose. In fact, some proteins can raise insulin as much as carbohydrates. For example, beef can trigger an insulin surge that is on par with brown rice and fish can raise insulin levels about the same amount as grain bread³.

I think Mercola is being too simplistic with his prima facie statement, “Limit your intake of carbohydrates, primarily in the form of fructose and grains, and you’ll achieve these results without any negative drug-induced side effects!” I think we need to limit foods that spike both insulin and glucose, i.e. overly processed foods, including proteins and fat, not simply carbohydrates.

If you are interested in learning more about Dr. Cynthia Kenyon’s work on c. elegans, she has a video series posted on Youtube. The first video of the series is posted here.

1. Kenyon, C. A Conserved Regulatory System Minireview for Aging. Cell, Vol. 105, 165–168, April 20, 2001
2. Mattson MP “Energy intake, meal frequency, and health: a neurobiological perspective”. Annu. Rev. Nutr. 25: 237–60. doi:10.1146/annurev.nutr.25.050304.092526. PMID 16011467
3. Holt, Susanne HA, Miller, Janette C, Petocz, Peter. An insulin index of foods:the insulin demand generated by
1000-kJ portions of common foods. Am J Clin Nutr November 1997 vol. 66 no. 5 1264-1276
4. Shepherd, P. R. Secrets of insulin and IGF-1 regulation of insulin secretion revealed. Biochem. J. (2004) 377
5. Toyoshima, Y. Dietary protein deprivation upregulates insulin signaling and inhibits gluconeogenesis in rat liver. Journal of Molecular Endocrinology (2010) 45 329-340; DOI: 10.1677/JME-10-0102

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Then you may want to consider getting an acupuncture treatment. Acupuncture is the most commonly used treatment in complementary and alternative medicine. In the general population, acupuncture is frequently used for pain and to relieve common ailments such as headache, neck and back pain, osteoarthritis of the knee, tendonitis, and many other types of pain.
In collegiate athletes, however, acupuncture is used not only used for pain but also used to increase flexibility, increase aerobic activity and improve muscle strength¹.
In a recent publication of the European Journal of Applied Physiology, researchers show that a single acupuncture treatment could boost strength in recreational athletes. The author concluded, “These results might have implications not only for athletic performance enhancement, but also for rehabilitation programs aimed at restoring neuromuscular function².”

References:

1. Pelham, T.W., L.E. Holt, and R. Stalker. Acupuncture in human performance. J. Strength Cond. Res. 15 (2):266–271. 2001.

2. Markus Hübscher, Lutz Vogt, Thomas Ziebart and Winfried Banzer. Eu. J. Applied Physio. 110 (2) 353-358, DOI: 10.1007/s00421-010-1510-y

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Researchers report in America Journal of Gastroenterology that red meat consumption increases relative risk of esophageal and stomach cancer. The top 20 percent of meat eaters were 79% more likely to develop cancer than those in the lower 20%.

This research is consistent with the 2007 reviews by the World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research, both non-profit groups, who concluded that red and processed meats were associated with a “limited suggestive increased risk” of esophageal cancer.

In a defensive response, tantamount to calling the research junk science, the American Meat Institute Foundation called the study data “weak” and stated the “findings that do not meet the evidence threshold that would merit concern.”  To drive the point home, the following statistics on smoking were cited as a comparison:  ”As general rule of thumb within the field of epidemiology holds that an odds ratio below “2.0” is not viewed as a strong relationship and may actually have occurred merely by chance. Epidemiological studies thought to have truly uncovered significant associations and cause for concern – like studies looking at tobacco and lung cancer — found odds ratios in the 10-25 range.

The fact of the matter is that data is not weak, the researchers followed 500,000 people for 10 years. The mere size of the study population makes the seemingly small odds ratio number of 2.0 rather significant. The same tactic was used to try to discredit health authorities on the dangers of passive smoking and cancer (odds ratio 1.2) and cardiovascular disease risk elevation for exposure to passive smoke (odds ratio=1.3).

The SAD diet (Standard American Diet), high in meat, sugar and processed foods are associated with cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Stop eating like an American if you do not want these diseases.

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The science is clear. Stop eating an American diet, stop smoking, start exercising and you will cut your cancer risks by 30% and significantly lower you risk, possibly to 0%, for cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. It is that easy.
For reasons I, and obviously others do not understand, people continue to eat unhealthy diets and place themselves at risk for future diseases.
Pharmaceutical companies bank on these folks. The waistlines of these companies expand with every pill and slug of water people down. However, as patent protection reaches the expiratory deadline, new uses for products are sought after. New use patents are real commodities.
Today, I read a study published in the American Journal of Cardiology that just might have pharmaceutical patent attorneys chomping at their bits.
The article juxtaposed the risky behavior of fast food consumption with the risk reduction of statin use.
The authors reasoned that individuals who engage in risky behaviors, i.e. motorcycle riding, driving, smoking or eating at fast food establishments often minimize those risks with other safety precautions such as helmets, seat belts, cigarette filters and statins.
The authors concluded that statins neutralize the risk of eating a Quarter Pounder with cheese and a shake. They claim benefit to risk reduction is significant enough that statins should be offered as a condiment along with the pickles, lettuce and tomatoes.
I’ll have a statin shake and Quarter Pounder with cheese, please. Oh, add the equivalent kid sized dose to the kids meal too.

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I was reading a nutrition blog the other day that recommended avoidance of root vegetables for diabetics and those wanting to lose weight. The author argued that root vegetables are high in sugar, and sugar, being incompatible with weight loss and diabetes, should be avoided.

Over the years, my own clients have told me they also avoid carrots for similar reasons. I began to wonder why root vegetables were getting such a bad rap, because I put at least one root veggie, and sometimes two (if it is a carrot) in my green drink every morning. I am losing weight, so what possible harm am I doing to myself? After all, people have been eating root vegetables since the beginning of time, right?

I began my research with a website called NutritionData.com for analyses. Along with providing the standard nutritional data, they also have additional tools such as fullness factor, glycemic load and inflammation factor which are useful to determine which foods are capable of causing or preventing disease.

For the ease of comparison, I took the standard portion size of one bag of instant oatmeal (155 g) and compare it to a similar size serving of carrots (158g), this is about 2 carrots.

Results:

Summary:

Carrots contain fewer calories, less fat, protein, sodium, folate and sugar than oatmeal; but, essentially contains more of every other vitamin than oatmeal. Furthermore, carrots also contain more that 100 phytonutrients (plant chemicals) that are important in the prevention of disease.

More importantly, at least in my mind, is the strong anti-inflammatory properties of carrots. Inflammation is thought to be the underlying cause of diabetes, coronary artery disease, and cancer.

It is apparent to me that we should be eating more carrots and not less. Carrot juice anyone?

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