At the recent annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology came the following report of acupuncture improving heart rate variability.  The article below is taken from the Internal Medicine News website:

CHICAGO – Traditional acupuncture improves heart rate variability, and it may prove to reduce the risk of sudden death for patients with established coronary heart disease, a pilot study suggests.

The blinded study with a sham-acupuncture control arm demonstrated that acupuncture accomplishes autonomic remodeling via sympathovagal modulation as reflected in increased heart rate variability (HRV), according to Dr. Puja K. Mehta of the Women’s Heart Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles. The clinically meaningful improvements in heart rate variability in this pilot study lay the groundwork for a future large outcome-based clinical trial of traditional acupuncture in patients with known CHD.

Diminished HRV in patients with CHD is accepted as a predictor of sudden cardiac death risk in clinical trials, Dr. Mehta noted at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology.

Sudden cardiac death accounts for roughly 150,000 deaths annually in Americans with established CHD. Traditional cardiovascular risk factors don’t fully account for the sudden cardiac death risk.

She reported on 151 patients with established CHD who were randomized to traditional acupuncture, sham acupuncture, or a wait-list control arm. The acupuncture, performed with stainless steel needles, was done three times per week for 12 weeks. Eight active CHD-specific traditional acupuncture sites were targeted. The sham-treatment group received a previously validated sham procedure at nonacupuncture sites. Patients were blinded as to whether they got real or sham acupuncture.

Heart rate variability was measured at baseline and after 12 weeks using 24-hour time and frequency domain measures and during a 5-minute mental arithmetic stress test and a 5-minute forehead cold pressor test.

Compared with the sham-treated controls, the traditional acupuncture recipients had 17% more high frequency HRV as determined by efferent vagal activity and 31% more heart rate variability on mental arithmetic stress testing at study’s end.

Dr. Mehta said that these results may actually underestimate the true clinical effect size of traditional acupuncture because sham acupuncture has previously been shown to have some mild therapeutic benefit compared with conventional placebos.

At study’s end, there were no differences between the acupuncture and sham control groups in blood pressure, serum lipids, insulin resistance, C-reactive protein, salivary cortisol, paroxysmal atrial tachyarrhythmia, or psychosocial variables, she noted.

The pilot study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health-National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, the Barbara Streisand Women’s Cardiovascular Research and Education Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and foundation grants. Dr. Mehta reported having no financial conflicts.

This is not selective breeding.  I hear pro GMO folks say well ‘we are just speeding up evolution.’  That statement is a fallacy as evolution is a process of slow change.  Our immune systems and digestive systems are not changing and adapting along with the GMO foods

The danger of GMO foods trumps bisphenol-A (BPA) worries.  It trumps chemical toxins accumulating in the fat of livestock.   It is far more disastrous than aeriel spraying pesticides on crops.  All of the aforementioned issues can somehow be contained, so they are not the threat that GMOs pose. Once GMO food gets loose in the environment it can cross pollinate into organic food (which it has already done).   And once GMOs cross pollinate then food as our bodies know it can become an immunological nightmare.  Physicians that deal with allergies, hypersensitivities and environmental illnesses are very concerned about GMOs.     Click here for a study demonstrating GMOs inducing food hypersensitivities in mice (i.e. inflammatory mediator release and a loss of oral tolerance to common foods).

GMO crops have been banned in many countries and most EU countries require labeling.  In addition Australia, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Brazil all require labeling.   Closer to home Boulder Colorado just banned the planting of GMO foods in the county.  Way to go Boulder!  (I lived in Boulder when it was the first city in the US to ban smoking in bars. I remember how radical that idea was back then.  Not so strange nowadays!).  As usual California is leading the way as there is a strong push to require all GMO foods to be labeled.

So why is the Federal government putting lobbying profits and multinational corporation profits before the health of people?   Why did Obama put a former Monsanto VP on the FDA?  Why did Obama appoint a Monsanto lobbyist to an important agricultural position?  What happened to Michelle’s White House organic garden?    Do Michelle and Barack fight when it comes time to cook?

I guess Obama is just doing what Bush,Clinton, Bush,Reagan have all done.   It is about $$ and lobbyi$t$.  There are plethora of studies showing the deleterious effects of GMOs on animals. Why can’t we put a moratorium on the introduction of GMOs until further testing is done to prove safety?  Peru just instituted a 10 year ban until further study.  Instead our FDA that is supposed to protect our health is now speeding up the process of GMO approval!  Amazing that they can ban my Chinese herbs that have a 2000 year written history of safety (when used correctly) but approve GMO alfalfa  (oh right the FDA guy approving the alfalfa was the VP of Monsanto).

We absolutely need to take action unless you are a healthcare provider and want the job security of making sick people well.  I really don’t know if these web petitions do a darn thing.  But might as well fill in and hit ‘send’.  Please tell the FDA to require labeling.

Yours In Health

George Mandler
Licensed Dietitian/Nutritionist
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Licensed Acupuncturist
Boston,MA
Stow,MA

Taking vitamin D supplements during pregnancy may relieve the problem, they suggest.

“Adequate vitamin D levels among pregnant women may be important for the optimal development of their baby,” said lead researcher Andrew Whitehouse, an associate professor and reader in developmental psychopathology at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research at the University of Western Australia. “However, it is important for the findings of this study to be replicated before any strong conclusions are made.”

Vitamin D levels among pregnant women have decreased steadily over the past 20 years, most likely because of less exposure to sunlight, Whitehouse said.

“The effects of lower maternal vitamin D levels on the developing offspring is not fully understood,” he said. “The current study found that women with vitamin D insufficiency during pregnancy have an increased risk of having a child with developmental language difficulties.”

The report was published in the Feb. 13 online edition of Pediatrics.

For the study, Whitehouse’s team looked at vitamin D levels in more than 700 pregnant women. They also measured their children’s behavior at ages 2, 5, 8, 10, 14 and 17.

In addition, the researchers measured language development when the children were ages 5 and 10.

The researchers found that vitamin D levels during pregnancy had no effect on behavioral or emotional problems of the children.

However, there were significant differences in language development among children whose mothers had low levels of vitamin D during pregnancy.

Language difficulties increased twofold for children whose mothers had the lowest level of vitamin D, compared with children whose mothers had normal levels of vitamin D, Whitehouse’s group found.

“The findings suggest that there may be a link between maternal vitamin D levels during pregnancy and offspring neurodevelopment,” Whitehouse said.

However, while the study uncovered an association between the expectant mothers’ vitamin D levels and their children’s language development, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

“If vitamin D insufficiency during prenatal life is a cause of childhood language difficulties — and this still needs to be determined conclusively — then vitamin D supplementation of pregnant women may be an important next step,” he said.

Dr. Jennifer Wu, an obstetrician/gynecologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, thinks that vitamin D is important for pregnant women.

“Women should get their vitamin D levels checked. We would like to correct these deficiencies before pregnancy,” she said.

“Luckily, most [pregnant] women are on a prenatal vitamin and it contains 1,200 international units (IU) of vitamin D, so most women are supplemented throughout pregnancy,” Wu added.

Women who are deficient in vitamin D may need as much as 10,000 IU a day, she said.

“If you are starting to try to get pregnant, you should start your prenatal vitamin,” Wu said. “It has a lot of good things in it that will be onboard when you get pregnant.”

Another expert, Dr. Michael F. Holick, a professor of medicine, physiology and biophysics at Boston University School of Medicine, noted that vitamin D deficiency increases the risk for preeclampsia (a condition marked by increased blood pressure and protein in the urine during pregnancy) and the need for a cesarean delivery.

“So, I am not surprised that developmental issues are also a concern for fetuses that are developing in a vitamin D-deficient state,” he said.

“Pregnant women should be increasing their vitamin D intake to levels recommended by the Endocrine Society, which is 1,500 to 2,000 IU a day,” Holick said.

SOURCES: Andrew Whitehouse, Ph.D., associate professor and reader, developmental psychopathology, Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia; Michael F. Holick, M.D., Ph.D., professor, medicine, physiology and biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine; Jennifer Wu, M.D., obstetrician/gynecologist, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City; Feb. 13, 2012, Pediatrics, online

But the dark side of chocolate is where does it come from?   CNN did a feature a couple of weeks ago looking into the cocoa slave trade, click here for the link as it is well worth a conscience chocolate lover’s time. (will open in a new window/tab).

After seeing that video doesn’t it make you question your source of chocolate?  Unfortunately nowadays with a global economy a large portion of our everyday items are made by enslaved people.   However for many of the slave labor goods we buy it is hard it is hard for us to find alternatives without spending a fortune. (or not buying an Apple product in my case).  Fortunately for chocolate lovers there are many options that won’t break the bankroll and also have a heart.    Even in the land of Chocolates, the Swiss, think the child cocoa slavery is awful.

So what are better chocolate options?  If you buy organic at least you know that environmentally there was minimal impact and you are not getting any pesticide residues.   Here is a list of chocolate buyers to consider and ones to avoid.   However,  organic chocolate has its share of human rights concerns as well. So if you are concerned about how people (children!) are treated then the great option for buying chocolate is organic and  look for the Fair Trade logo.

Locally here in Massachusetts there is a great local CoOp called Equal Exchange.   They do have delicious dark chocolate and I love the 80% Panama dark chocolate.  If you have kids (or for the kid in you) here is a good M&M alternative, called Sun Drops.   Another organization whose chocolate should be considered is Rainforest Alliance.   I am sure I missed some so please let me know.

The important point is that this Valentine’s Day let’s think about buying chocolate that is not only organic so better for the environment, but also one that doesn’t contribute to human trafficking.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Yours In Health
George Mandler
Licensed Acupuncturist
Licensed Dietitian / Nutritionist

Today a video with a similar theme was posted on a Functional Medicine listserv I am on. If you want to see digestion of wholesome foods vs. processed foods you need to check out this video. Amazing how long long those Ramen noodles are intact in the stomach. I guess we can also just use a compost bin to compare processed vs. whole instead of expensive technology.

Given the work I do with food sensitivities I am convinced that the garbage processed ‘foods’ with dyes and chemicals are playing a large role in the behavioral and emotional imbalances that seem to be running rampant. Undigested foods can cause damage to the gut lining and cause inappropriate immune response and food sensitivities.  I see first hand via MRT blood testing that everyone reacts differently to the same foods.  What is one person’s nectar is another person’s poison.

Weekly I hear patient’s report often how happier and mentally clearer they feel after following an oligoantigenic diet (low antigen diet) determined by food sensitivity testing.  Food antigens often cause inflammation which in turn can cause inflammation in the brain leading to depression, ADD, ADHD, brain fog, dementia etc.  These foods we are talking about eliminating are so called healthy foods, it just so happens that a person is reactive to them.  Now imagine what the body will do when exposed over and over to chemicals that is has no idea how to handle!  That is what is discussed in the “Driven to Distraction: Food, chemicals and child behavior” webinar. But until that is available chew your noodles (and everything else!) really well!

Yours In Health,
George Mandler
Licensed Acupuncturist
Licensed Dietitian/Nutritionist

It is known that low folate also contributes to cognitive decline. That is because B12 and folate work together – they are both methylators.   They support DNA replication – so if either are inadequate we make larger than normal red blood cell sizes and see an increase in MCV.   This is a first marker of inadequate B12 status.

The symptoms of low B12 or folate have extraordinary breadth.   There are a multitude of potential symptoms and causes.     One medically induced cause is acid blocking medication.  (If you are on an acid blocking medication give me a call so we can correct the underlying cause and get you off of it!)    Here are other symptoms of B12 deficiency:

 
Mental confusions
Memory Issues
Headaches
Depression
Fatigue
Pins and Needles
Weight Loss
Constipation


Shortness of Breath
Sore Tongue
White spots on forearm
Insomnia
Rapid Heartbeat
Vertigo

A study that was just released showed improvement in cognitive function in 900 adults aged 60–74  with elevated psychological distress by supplementing with folic acid and B12 over the course of 2 years.   The study used small amounts of B12 (only 100 micrograms).  I wonder if larger amounts were used such as what one would receive in a B12 shot if greater improvement would have been realized.   I typically use 5mg dosages or 50 times the study in my office and patients respond very favorably.  They also used folic acid, the synthetic form that up to 40% of people cannot metabolize properly because of a genetic trait.   Therefore it is important to use a natural form of folate. The  better supplement companies are now switching to natural folate because of synthetic folic acid’s potential cancer risk.

Look for a sublingual B12 that ideally has ‘methylcobalamin’ and/or ‘adenosylcobalamin’ and natural folate.   If you see the words “Folate(folic acid)” that means it is synthetic.  You want the label to say something like “Folinic Acid” or “Folate” or “Tetrahydrafolate” or “5MTHF” or something of the like, just not folic acid.   Whole food supplement companies such as RightFoods or New Chapter say something like “Folate (from Spinach)”, then you know it is whole foods.

A B12/folate sublingual supplement is an inexpensive way to support our health as we get older.   If you suspect you may be getting low get some blood work and compare to previous years blood work.  Again a CBC is the better screening tool rather than a B12 test.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Yours In Health,

George Mandler

Licensed Acupuncturist

Licensed Dietitian/ Nutritionist

With genetically modified (GE) foods we are adding foreign proteins to foods, not just pesticides.   The potential for cross reactivity and new food sensitivities (and allergies) are enormous and largely unknown. A study from 16 years ago in the prestigious NEJM concluded, “Our study shows that an allergen from a food known to be allergenic can be transferred into another food by genetic engineering.”  Unfortunately because of money and deep corporate pockets our government lets this continue and we are the test subjects.

In addition, just like antibiotics are creating “super-bugs” GE foods are creating resistant bugs. It has been documented to wipe out entire Iowa corn fields planted with Monsonto GE corn.    Here is a story from Bloomberg as well as a denial of a problem by Monsanto.

If you are concerned about developing new immune reactions to foods that has never caused you a problem then please take action to support mandatory labeling of GE foods.

Yours In Health,

George Mandler CNS LDN LicAc

One of the mechanisms whereby acupuncture may help with conception is by reducing stress.   There is little doubt that inserting needles into someone causing positive physiological responses that are beyond one just lying on a table listing to relaxing music. Also we’ve heard stories where a couple ‘tried and tried’ to get pregnant, but then gave up or went on vacation and got pregnant.    A recent study concluded (full text here) that “Acupuncture may be a useful intervention to assist with the reduction of infertility-related stress.”    It certainly depends on each individual.  Some people just cannot turn off their minds to calm their nervous system (which is a major cause of ‘unexplained infertility’) enough to let the needles do their job (it is subtle energy).   The individuals may benefit from other mind-body awareness exercises such as biofeedback and deep tissue massages or just a vacation with their loved one to a warm and sunny place.  But for the majority of fertility patients acupuncture is a wonderful tool to assist the conception process whether they are choosing to use ART or conceive naturally.

Yours In Health,

George Mandler

Licensed Acupuncturist, Licensed Dietitian, Chinese Herbalist

HOUSTON – When given alongside radiation therapy for head and neck cancer, acupuncture has shown for the first time to reduce the debilitating side effect of xerostomia, according to new research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center.

The study, published in the journal Cancer, reported findings from the first randomized controlled trial of acupuncture for the prevention of xerostomia.

Xerostomia, or severe dry mouth, is characterized by reduced salivary flow, which commonly affects patients receiving radiotherapy for head and neck cancer. Most current treatments are palliative and offer limited benefit, according to Lorenzo Cohen, Ph.D., professor in MD Anderson’s Departments of General Oncology and Behavioral Science and director of the Integrative Medicine Program.

The condition impairs quality of life for patients, as it creates difficulties eating, speaking and sleeping, while also increasing the risk for oral infections.

“There have been a number of small studies examining the benefits of acupuncture after xerostomia develops, but no one previously examined if it could prevent xerostomia,” said Cohen, who is also the study’s principal investigator. “We found incorporating acupuncture alongside radiotherapy diminished the incidence and severity of this side effect.”

Cohen and his colleagues examined 86 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, treated at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center. Forty patients were randomized to acupuncture and 46 to the standard of care. Those in the treatment arm received acupuncture therapy three times per week during the seven-week course of radiotherapy. Patients were evaluated before radiotherapy, weekly during radiotherapy, and then again one and six months later.

The results were based on data derived from two self-report questionnaires and measuring actual saliva flow. Patients completed the Xerostomia Questionnaire (XQ), an eight-item survey which assessed symptoms consistent with the condition. XQ scores under 30 corresponded to mild or no symptoms of xerostomia.

The second measure, MD Anderson Symptom Inventory Head and Neck (MDASI-HN), ranked the severity of cancer-related symptoms, other than xerostomia, and their interference with quality of life. The team also measured saliva flow rates using standardized sialometry collection techniques.

Benefits Noticed Quickly

“What was quite remarkable was that we started to see group differences as early as three weeks into radiotherapy for the development of xerostomia, cancer-related symptoms that interfere with quality of life, and saliva flow rates – an important objective measure,” said Zhiqiang Meng, M.D., Ph.D., co-principle investigator of the study and deputy chair of the Department of Integrative Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center.

The largest group differences in XQ scores were seen by the end of radiotherapy, but the differences persisted over time. By one month after the end of radiotherapy, 54.3 percent of the acupuncture group reported XQ scores greater than 30, compared to the control group at 86.1 percent. By six months after radiotherapy, the numbers dropped to 24.1 percent in the acupuncture group and 63.6 percent of the control group still reporting symptoms of xerostomia. Saliva flow rates were also greater in the acupuncture group, starting at three weeks into radiotherapy and persisting through the one and six month follow-up.

Acupuncture also helped cancer-related symptoms, other than xerostomia, as measured by the MDASI-HN questionnaire, with differences that emerged in week three and continued through six months.

“The medical implications are quite profound in terms of quality of life, because while chronic dry mouth may sound benign, it has a significant impact on sleeping, eating and speaking,” Cohen said. “Without saliva, there can be an increase in microbial growth, possible bone infection and irreversible nutritional deficits.”

Additional studies are needed to determine the mechanisms for the benefits of acupuncture, and while the study didn’t examine this issue, Cohen said it may have an impact on local blood flux, specifically at the parotid gland.

Further research is planned, including a large trial conducted at MD Anderson in collaboration with Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center. Both centers will enroll 150 patients undergoing radiotherapy for head and neck cancer: 50 will receive acupuncture, 50 sham acupuncture and 50 will be enrolled in a control group. Researchers will also examine saliva constituents and a number of other measures to better determine the mechanisms of acupuncture.

In addition to Cohen, other authors on the study include, from MD Anderson: M. Kay Garcia, Dr. P.H., Integrative Medicine Program; Joseph Chiang, M.D., Department of Anesthesiology; Mark Chambers, D.M.D, Department of Dental Oncology; David Rosenthal, M.D., Department of Radiation Oncology; J. Lynn Palmer, Ph.D., Department of Biostatistics; Amy Spelman, Ph.D., and Qi Wei, M.S., both in the Integrative Medicine Program. From Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Hospital: Huiting Peng, M.D., Ying Zhang, Luming Liu, M.D., Ph.D., all in Department of Integrative Oncology, Chaosu Hu, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Radiation Oncology. From Fudan University College of Public Health: Qi Zhao, Ph.D. and Genming Zhao, Ph.D., both in Department of Statistics.

Support for the study was provided, in part, through grants from the National Cancer Institute and the Chinese Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality.

About MD Anderson
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston ranks as one of the world’s most respected centers focused on cancer patient care, research, education and prevention. MD Anderson is one of only 40 comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute. For eight of the past 10 years, including 2011, MD Anderson has ranked No. 1 in cancer care in “America’s Best Hospitals,” a survey published annually in U.S. News & World Report.