Garma On Health » Brain Function

The “Miracle” Supplement for Depression, Arthritis and Liver Health

Joe Garma — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:36:22 +0000

ProHealth’s Rich Carson calls it, “almost a miracle drug”. I call SAM-e the “triple threat”, for it threatens to vanquish depression, arthritis and liver dysfunction. SAM-e is a powerful, natural supplement that can be superior to antidepressants and as effective as NSAIDs for osteoarthritis, without the negative side effects. Watch the video. Learn how to use it and where to get it below.

IN THIS post, Rich Carson and Karen Lee Richards team up to laud the multiple powers of the natural supplement, SAM-e. If you’d like to improve the health of your joints or liver, or could use a healthy mood enhancer, read Ms. Richards’ summary of the SAM-e research, and watch Rich Carson’s interview.

Rich Carson is my long-time friend, an expert on supplements and the founder of ProHealth, Inc. Karen Lee Richards is Lead Expert specializing in Fibromyalgia and ME/CFS, for HealthCentral’s ChronicPainConnection.

You couldn’t find two better people to tell you about how SAM-e helps promote a natural improvement in the symptoms of osteoarthritis, depression and liver disease.

I call SAM-e the triple threat supplement – relief from joint pain, blue moods and liver ills. I take 400 milligrams every morning.

Here, Rich Carson introduces you to the substantial benefits of SAM-e:

OK, now that you’ve absorbed the basics, I’d like to summarize some of Karen Lee Richard’s research on SAM-e from her article, SAM-e: a Hard-Working Molecule that May Help Ease Pain & Brighten Mood. (Thanks to ProHealth for reprint permission.)

Let’s start out by quoting Ms. Richard’s lead paragraph to set the stage:

“Clinical trials have shown SAM-e to be comparable to prescription antidepressants for depression and as effective as NSAIDs for osteoarthritis. But, as SAM-e supports the body’s natural mood and inflammation modulating functions, it doesn’t have all the negative side effects associated with those drugs.”

[I’d argue that SAM-e might be superior to prescription antidepressant, cause they’re ineffective for many users with mild to moderate depression, as Dr. Andrew Weil discusses in this post, Dr. Weil’s Four Alternatives to Antidepressant Drugs.]

Unlike most supplements, SAM-e (S-adenosyl methionine) is not an herb or a vitamin, but rather a molecule naturally produced in all living cells. It is sold as a dietary supplement in the U.S, although it is powerful enough to be designated as a drug, as it is in at least 14 countries.

Thousands of research studies have been conducted all around the world on SAM-e, investigating its supportive effect in those with many different diseases and conditions, including depression, osteoarthritis, chronic liver disease, fibromyalgia, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Let’s delve a bit into how SAM-e can help with each of these diseases and conditions.

SAM-e and Depression

Significant Improvement Seen in Major Depression with SAM-e

Based on my readings and simple, non-scientific self-experimentation, I’ve argued in Dr. Weil’s Four Alternatives to Antidepressant Drugs and A Little Depressed? 10 Actions That Help Me that antidepressant drugs are NOT the way to go for treating mild to moderate depression. (Get your doctor to weigh in here, cause I’m not one for sure!)

Consider three points that Ms. Richards presents about SAM-e’s value to helping with depression (and then note my comment right after):

• SAM-e has been studied extensively over three decades as a possible option for those with depression, perhaps because 29% to 46% of patients with major depressive disorder have no response or only a partial response to pharmaceutical antidepressants. At this point, there’s an impressive body of literature suggesting the mood-supporting efficacy of SAM-e.

• In an open trial, 20 outpatients with major depression were given SAM-e, beginning with 400 mg/day and gradually increasing to 1600 mg/day by day 12. Nine of the participants had a prior history of not responding to traditional antidepressant treatment. All 20 patients showed significant improvement with SAM-e, including seven of the non-treatment resistant and two of the treatment-resistant patients who experienced a full antidepressant response.

• A double-blind randomized trial compared the efficacy of supplemental SAM-e with the antidepressant desipramine in 26 patients with major depression. At the end of four weeks, 62% of those given SAM-e had significant improvement compared to 50% of those taking desipramine.

OK, here’s my note about the above three bullet points: The studies cited indicate what they indicate, but, frankly, I’d feel uncomfortable to suggest that people experiencing anything but mild to moderate depression trash their doctor prescribed antidepressants in favor of SAM-e. If you’ve been diagnosed as having strong/severe depression or other psychiatric issues, DO NOT trash your prescribed drugs in favor of SAM-e; rather, take counsel with your doctor!

SAM-e and Joints

Impressive Results in Osteoarthritis Patients Using SAM-e

In her article, Ms. Richards continues with her review of SAM-e, citing how it can benefit those suffering from Osteoarthritis.

She reports that an estimated 27 million people have osteoarthritis, making it the most common form of arthritis.

(Below, I reprint Ms. Richards words; the bold words are my emphasis…)

The pharmaceutical treatment for osteoarthritis is non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) – either over-the-counter medications like aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen, or prescription medications like Celebrex, Relafen, Daypro, etc.

While NSAIDs can be effective pain relievers, their regular use can result in some devastating side effects such as ulcers and other gastrointestinal problems, increased blood pressure and kidney damage.

Notwithstanding the side effects, in the long run NSAIDs may actually worsen joint problems because they slow the production of collagen and proteoglycans, which help to make cartilage an effective shock absorber.

By contrast, SAM-e seems to support an anti-inflammatory response equivalent to the effect of NSAIDs, but without the toxic side effects. SAM-e does not harm the digestive tract, nor does it contribute to the breakdown of cartilage. Instead, one study shows it may actually help the body restore damaged cartilage.

• A meta-analysis of 11 clinical trials involving 1,142 patients was done looking at SAM-e for support of osteoarthritis symptom relief. The study authors concluded, “SAM-e appears to be as effective as NSAIDs in reducing pain and improving functional limitation in patients with OA without the adverse effects often associated with NSAID therapies.”

• A randomized double-blind cross-over study of 56 patients diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the knee compared SAM-e (1200 mg) with the prescription drug celecoxib (Celebrex 200 mg). The results showed no significant difference between the two – both patient cohorts demonstrated significant improvements in pain and joint function – leading the researchers to conclude that SAM-e was as effective as celecoxib in managing the symptoms of knee osteoarthritis.

• In a German study, 21 patients with finger osteoarthritis were given SAM-e for three months. MRI scans done on their hands both before and after the treatment period revealed significant structural improvement in the cartilage.

SAM-e and the Liver

SAM-e Supports the Prevention and Improvement of Liver Disease

I’m still amazed when I think about how unique is the liver. The liver is unique because it is the only internal human organ capable of regenerating itself. Did you know that a liver reduced to 25% of its normal size could regenerate into a whole liver again?

SAM-e plays a leading role in that regeneration.

SAM-e is thought to be beneficial for those with liver disease by acting as a precursor of antioxidant glutathione; repairing the mitochondrial glutathione transport system; inhibiting the toxic effects of proinflammatory cytokines; and increasing DNA methylation.

There are nearly a thousand published studies documenting SAM-e’s ability to support prevention and improvement in liver disease. Back to Ms. Richards:

• In a study of hepatic glutathione levels in patients with liver disease, participants were divided into four groups. Nine patients with alcoholic liver disease were given SAM-e; seven patients with non-alcoholic liver disease were given SAM-e; 8 patients with alcoholic liver disease were given a placebo; and 15 normal subjects served as a control group. Prior to beginning treatment, all patients had very low hepatic glutathione levels compared to controls. Following treatment, patients receiving the SAM-e had a significant increase in their hepatic glutathione levels compared with both the placebo-treated group and controls.

• When SAM-e was given to 62 patients with alcoholic cirrhosis in a clinical trial, they were significantly less likely to die or require a liver transplant within the next two years, compared with 61 patients who had received a placebo.

SAM-e and Fibromyaliga

SAM-e Is Promising for Fibromyalgia Patients

Although SAM-e has not been studied yet as much for support of fibromyalgia patients as for those with some other illnesses, the results thus far are encouraging. In one double-blind study of 44 patients with primary fibromyalgia, improvements were seen in the areas of clinical disease activity, pain, fatigue, morning stiffness and mood.

SAM-e and Alzheimer’s Disease

SAM-e May Help Prevent or Delay Alzheimer’s Disease

Since extremely low levels of SAM-e were found in the cerebrodpinal fluid and brain regions of Alzheimer’s patients in a 1996 study, researchers are examining the potential benefits of supplemental SAM-e in Alzheimer’s.(11) A recent study stated, “…our findings suggest that dietary supplementation with SAM… holds promise as a therapeutic approach to prevent or delay AD. A preliminary study indicates that SAM can provide some cognitive improvement in AD patients.”

How to Use SAM-e

Facts About SAM-e You Need to Know

Dosage: Recommended therapeutic doses usually range between 400 – 1600 mg a day, although some individuals may require higher doses. Studies suggest that 400 mg per day may be adequate for osteoarthritis patients, while up to 1600 mg a day is often needed for mood support. The usual dose for those with liver disorders has been 1600 mg a day. (As with any addition to your health support regimen, supplementation with SAM-e should be considered only with the approval of your professional healthcare team.)

How to Take SAM-e: SAM-e works best when taken on an empty stomach. Because it is absorbed mainly in the intestine, enteric-coated tablets that allow it to pass through the stomach intact are preferable. Leave tablets in their foil or foil blister packs until you are ready to take them in order to maintain their stability.

Adverse Effects: There seem to be few adverse effects with SAM-e, even at high doses. Occasionally mild gastrointestinal distress has been reported. Since SAM-e can sometimes lead to insomnia, it is usually best to take it early in the morning. Because it plays a role in mood support, SAM-e may trigger manic episodes in people with bipolar disorder.

Contraindications: While there are no confirmed drug interactions with SAM-e, individuals using prescribed medications such as antidepressants, including serotonin re-uptake Inhibitors and MAO inhibitors, should consult a physician before using. Individuals with Parkinson’s disease, bipolar disorder or manic depression should not take SAM-e.

Some Final Words About SAM-e

The Data

The assertions reproduced here are footnoted by Karen Lee Richards’ article her from which they’re extracted. If you’re interested in the studies she cites, please go to her article, SAM-e: a Hard-Working Molecule that May Help Ease Pain & Brighten Mood.

You’ll discover that more than three decades of solid research support the use of SAM-e to help promote natural improvement in symptoms of osteoarthritis, depression and liver disease.

Where to Buy SAM-e

I suggest you get it at ProHealth, where I get mine. SAM-e has been one of the cornerstone supplements offered by ProHealth for many years because it’s useful for so many chronic aliments.

This is how I present it in the Products section of this site:

ProSAMe This supplement is a wunderkind – it helps to stabilize moods, support healthy joints AND liver function. It’s an important part of my arsenal, but I refrain from taking it all the time, as I like to check in, unadulterated, to see how my natural emotional well being is doing.

Note: I have an affiliate marketing arrangement with ProHealth, which means if you buy SAM-e from the above link, I will get a commission from them. This does not at all affect the price you pay. If you don’t wish for me to get a commission, simply go to ProHealth, search for SAM-e and buy it there.

Well, lots to digest with this post. If you have comments or questions, please submit them in the Comments section below.

Get Relief from Depression with Rumi

Joe Garma — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 04:01:28 +0000

Using antidepressants are not the only way give relief to mild from moderate depression. Dr. Weil has four suggestions, I’ve written about 10. Here’s how a little walk with Rumi can help relieve the blues.

BEFORE I go amend a post I wrote a while back suggesting some actions to help alleviate depression (or the moody blues), I want to more fully explore a simple but wonderful act with you right here.

Late last November, I wrote a post I named, A Little Depressed? 10 Actions That Help Me. As I wrote it, I knew that over time I’d keep adding to it as new “acts” arose in my life that I found were worthwhile behaviors that can clearly shifts one’s (or at least my) mind set.

It all began with finding the iPod that I thought was lost forever. Not one to listen much to music on iPods, I was, nevertheless, so pleased to find it that I affixed the ear plugs, grabbed my walking shoes and went for a jaunt.

I wasn’t in a foul mood at all, but it soon occurred to me that the walking combined with the music – a particular kind (in fact, not music per se at all) – carried me to a place that cradled me with sweet endorphins that swept all my cares away.

Now, readers of my various posts on depression, such as Dr. Weil’s Four Alternatives to Antidepressant Drugs (great pod cast interview there with Dr. Weil), know that I believe (as does Dr. Weil) that many people with mild to moderate depression may be able to control it without antidepressants (go to the above link for more on this).

Dr. Weil has his “four alternatives” and I have my “10 (now 11) actions”, and if you throw them in a shaker jar and shake, shake, shake… just maybe those antidepressant pills can be shaken from the pill box into the garbage.

A Music Recommendation (not quite)

Yeah, whatever moves you, whatever can shift you to a better mental state… that’s the recommendation. But for me today, the music itself was a minor, background harp plucking here and there. What was front and center, and largely responsible for my shift in consciousness, was Rumi.

For those of you who don’t know, Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī was a brilliant and revolutionary Persian Sufi, mystic, poet and philosopher of the 13th Century. He’s considered one of the best poets of all time.

It was Rumi’s poetry, as translated and spoken by the wonderfully erudite Coleman Barks, that made that walk great, and inspired this post.

Check it out. Go here and you can listen to the Coleman Barks album, What Was Said to the Rose. Start with the first selection, What Was Told and keep going till you’re mesmerized. For your own happy walk, download What Was Said to the Rose on whatever device will play it and go outside and take a walk, particularly the next time you’re blue.

P.S. I’d really enjoy it if you’d share your favorite poem in the Comments section below.

Dr. Weil’s Four Alternatives to Antidepressant Drugs

Joe Garma — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 22:18:59 +0000

ONE OF my favorite doctors in the public arena is Dr. Andrew Weil. Among the many reasons that I like him is that he’s joyful, smart, articulate, iconoclastic, has debunked many myths and misrepresentations in the health field, written insightful books, and has promoted “functional medicine”, which seeks to understand and treat a person’s entire body as it relates to the root causes of disease or dysfunction, not simply wrestle with symptoms. (Whew!)

So, when I heard that the good doctor was to be interviewed by Ira Flatow on Talk of the Nation about his new book, Spontaneous Happiness: How to Discover and Embrace Your Body’s Natural Ability to Maintain and Heal Itself, I tuned my dial to KQED and opened my mind to be educated.

Mr. Flatow set the stage before introducing Dr. Weil by citing some ugly statistics: In America, use of medications are up by over 400% since 1988, and one in ten people over the age of 12 take antidepressant drugs according to the CDC.

(Listen to the podcast here.)

For Most, Antidepressant Drugs Don’t Work

Dr. Weil is not the only health practitioner who thinks that this state of affairs is ridiculous. He and others (notably, Dr. Mark Hyman) point out that not only can antidepressant pharmaceutical drugs cause dangerous side effects, but that for mild to moderate depression, they do not work any better than placebos.

The common antidepressant drugs are of a drug classification called “Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors”, or “SSRI”. Over the years, the pharmaceutical companies with their ubiquitous TV ads have done a good job of convincing too many of us that normal, cyclical (like with the onset of winter) bouts of mild to moderate depression is a big problem that you better not cope with all by yourself, so take this drug.

Problem is, antidepressant drugs don’t work for mild to moderate depression* – you’ll do as well with a sugar pill, on average, but (adding injury to insult), they can cause pernicious side effects, such as:

Nausea
Dry mouth
Headache
Diarrhea
Nervousness, agitation or restlessness
Reduced sexual desire or difficulty reaching orgasm
Inability to maintain an erection (erectile dysfunction)
Rash
Increased sweating
Weight gain
Drowsiness
Insomnia

(*Bi-polar and severe depression is in a completely different category, and those with these conditions need to stay on their meds.)

And there’s another pretty whomping problem with the SSRI class of antidepressant drugs… with long-term use SSRIs can produce the very same problem – depression – that they’re made to alleviate. This situation is described by the “homeostasis effect”, whereby a system, like the body, endeavors to bring itself back to the norm when an outside or unnatural agent is introduced into the system.

Although not often described as such, we hear about this all the time when a doctor or news report describes that some bacteria has become resistant to inoculants, and as such are called, “drug-resistant bacteria”. This also is common with allergy or acid reflex drugs, wherein for some people the more they’re used, the less effective they become.

The Role of Inflammation on Depression

Over the past few years, scientists have been isolating inflammation as a root cause of many degenerative diseases, such as arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, irritable bowel syndrome, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and others. I just got 162,000,000 results from a Google search for “inflammation-based diseases”. Naturally, given this growing understanding of the linkage of inflammation and disease, the marketplace now offers us “Inflammation Diets”, including the spot-on inflammation-reducing tips from Dr. Weil himself.

Inflammation is a prevalent physical and mental health problem because of the poor food choices we make. In the Talk of the Nation radio interview, Dr. Weil briefly describes how processed and manufactured food can cause inflammation, in part by disrupting the right balance between Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids, as well as by dominating the banquet of food choices which consists of poorly grown meat (animals fed grains not grass), simple carbohydrates (white flours, rice, food in boxes) and fats (saturated, trans fat, hydrogenated).

The first clue about the causal link between inflammation markers in the body and depression happened on farms in the 1950s. Farmers recognized that when their cows, sheep and pigs were sick because they exhibited a specific behaviors: they became anti-social, maintained distance from the herd, were listless.

In the 1970s, scientists discovered inflammation markers in the blood supply of sick animals that they termed, “Blood Factor X”. They soon understood that much of the sickness exhibited by farm animals had to do with inflammation. In people, the researchers discovered that inflammation could induce changes in the brain that could instigate depression, leading some very few in the medical field to treat mild to moderate depression via anti-inflammatory foods and treatments.

Four Steps to Reduce Depression

Back now to Dr. Weil’s new book, Spontaneous Happiness. This book presents a step-by-step, week-by-week , scientifically-based road map for improving, or eliminating mild to moderate depression. (There’s a link to it below.)

I have not read the book, but from Dr. Weil’s radio interview, I can summarize what I’ll call “four steps to reduce depression”. Step one is to avoid foods that cause inflammation — those processed, manufactured foods — and to eat instead anti-inflammatory foods. Step two is to take certain, proven supplements proven to reduce mild to moderate depression. Step three is to exercise. Step four is to change one’s perception, a cognitive behavioral shift, if you will.

Step 1 – Eat Anti-inflammatory Foods

Feed animals that eat grass rather than grain (like corn) have substantially more omega-3 fatty acids in their meat. Flaxseed oil, pumpkin seed oil, walnut oil and fish oil are rich in omega-3 fatty acids; wherein corn, safflower, sunflower, soybean, cottonseed oil, and olive oil (olive oil being a perfectly good oil in moderation and appropriate for cooking) contain omega-6 fatty acids.

A healthy diet should consist of roughly 2 – 4 times more omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3 fatty acids. The typical American diet tends to contain 14 – 25 times more omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3 fatty acids, and many researchers believe this imbalance is a significant factor in the rising rate of inflammatory disorders in the United States.

[Want to learn more about healthy and unhealthy fats? Read Eating Fat is Good… Maybe…Could Be… Sometimes.]

Recently, the FDA established a new food pyramid that is no longer a pyramid, but a plate. I describe it in Yes, Choose My Food Plate and The New Food Pyramid is a Plate. Dr. Weil responded by creating a plate of his own, but ahhh, kept it as a pyramid. Confused? Don’t be… be it plate or pyramid, the point is to know what foods to eat, and Dr. Weil conscientiously chooses inflammation-fighting foods.

What is Dr. Weil’s Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid?

It is a practical eating guide that consumers of all ages can use, with tips on how to reduce risks of age-related diseases and improve overall health through diet.
It is an interactive educational graphic to help today’s families prevent disease while eating well.
It is a simple tool that promotes optimum health and healthy aging by providing dietary advice that addresses inflammation.

Learn more about it here.

As mentioned, the key foods to avoid are those that are processed and manufactured (in boxes, cans and plastic); grain-fed meat and dairy as opposed to animals raised on grass; simple carbs such as white bread, white rice, potatoes; and unhealthy fats, such as trans fats, saturated fats and partially hydrogenated oils.

Here’s a list of Dr. Weil’s recommended food choices

Step 2 – Take Antidepressant Supplements

The proven supplements to help ameliorate mild to moderate depression include fish oil, vitamin D3, vitamin B12 and SAMe.

I’ve written about SAMe and a powerful type of fish oil called, “krill oil” in Emotional Wellbeing (Chemistry Helps!), and about Vitamin D3 here and here.

Dr. Weil recommends two to four grams of fish oil per day.

Don’t worry about contaminant in your fish oil supplement if manufactured from a reliable brand, as typically they are molecularly distilled and thus free from PCBs and mercury, etc.

Step 3 – Exercise!

Exercise is a proven method to improve mild to moderate depression. Whether you’re doing an aerobic or anaerobic exercise, it does a body, and a mind good. One reason is that exercise decreases the stress hormones such as cortisol, and increases those “feel-good” endorphins, such as epinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine.

I have two rules for beginner exercisers:

1. Recruit a buddy to do it with you, and

2. Begin with an exercise routine that you’re willing to consistently do.

If you’re completely out of shape, walk, and walk quickly. When this becomes comfortable, walk up hills. If you can, begin jogging. In between walking days, learn and do yoga or some strength-producing exercises, such as push-ups and squats. Begin on your knees if you need to for the push-ups, and hold on to a chair for the squats.

Step 4 – Change Your Perception

A teacher once told me and the rest of the class, “Attitude is everything!”. The near-miracle is being able to change it, cause for most of us our attitude is cemented in place, and perhaps it’s not a very good place.

But for those of you that are willing to work on shifting your mind set to improve your mental well being, consider the following information gleaned from Dr. Weil, with a healthy (hopefully) dose of my interpretation.

First, it’s helpful to know that some amount of depression is quite normal. What would be abnormal for all except Buddhist monks is to be always happy. Getting a bit depressed is common during specific times of your life and in seasons of the year. Common times to feel low in life are after child birth, when the kids fly the nest, during menopause, during a career shift, when middle age first hits, during illness, etc. The onset of winter, with its cold and reduced light, can also ignite depression.

Know that when mild to moderate depression happens – the kind that DOES NOT bring you to the highest bridge or building in the neighborhood – there are better methods to combat it than drugs, as this post has been imploring. Along with the three steps already described, working on changing your perception could be very helpful.

Dr. Weil suggests to begin improving your perception/cognition with shutting off the things that make your mind flutter, meaning things that distract you from being present, from being focused on one thing at a time.

Turns out, whether you believe it true for you or not, humans are not good at multi-tasking. This has been studied exhaustively. The brain doesn’t multi-task well, so what it does is shift back and forth between the things you’re doing, trying to focus individually on each thing, and not doing it well. This does not produce calmness – just the opposite.

So, the first thing to awaken to is how you manage your day. If too much multi-tasking is happening, try to simply focus on one thing at a time till it’s as complete as you need it to be for the day. Improve your well-being by turning off the TV and all the electronics that compete for your attention, like every time that “ping” sound happens on your cell phone to alert you to a new text message. That sound and inevitable reaction, takes you from your focus. On a subtle level, it’s stressful if frequently repeated.

There are two things to practice in order to shift perception and improve mild to moderate depression, says Dr. Weil in this radio interview: Meditation and Gratitude.

Meditation takes practice. No one’s good at it immediately. But it’s worth trying because meditation helps you change your reaction to things. As the saying goes, “You can’t change what happens to you, but you can change your reaction to it”.

One basic method to learn to meditate is simply to sit comfortably in a place where there’ll be no distractions for 15 minutes (to start), close your eyes and follow your breath. “Follow your breath” means to stay focused on it, allowing the breath to come in and go out as it will. Soon, just by focusing on it, the inhalation and exhalation will become longer and deeper. When your mind drifts, gently bring it back. If silently reciting some mantra, or affirmation helps, add that. If focusing on an object in your mind’s eye helps, do that. But first get used to following your breath. Over time, you’ll realize that every stress point in your life is being handled with greater ease.

Be grateful. Even those of us in very bad situations can find something day to day to be grateful about. Try… you will find something. The key for this to improve your mindset is to recognize those things for which you’re grateful, and express it. This can be done each evening before bed when you write down the things for which you have gratitude that happened, or were recognized that day.

I close this post with the admonition that all that’s written may be considered helpful tips to help reduce mild to moderate depression, not severe depression. If you’re on a doctor-prescribed antidepressant, you will need to work with your doctor to wean yourself from the drug as you incorporate the suggestions here reported.

Many blessings to you.

7 Ways Meditation Builds Your Brain

Joe Garma — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 22:32:20 +0000

Meditation delivers better health, emotional resiliency and brain power. All you have to do is… to do it a bit each day. The science is clear – -meditation builds a better you. Here are seven benefits of meditation.

MY BUDDY, Steve, is a peripatetic searcher for knowledge, particularly self-knowledge. He has boundless energy, few preconceptions that he’s unwilling to challenge, punches through fears, and over the last few years has done what the cartoonist Stine made popular with his greeting cards — Steve is willing to “look in to find out.”

We’re talking live-in workshop retreats and various deep dive psychotherapies. And now, Steve has added meditation to the list. He recently learned Transcendental Meditation, and now sits daily and relaxes into the vibe.

“It’s making a difference”, Steve announced to me at our café hangout last weekend. I looked up from the section of Sunday’s New York Times that he gave me to give him an inquiring look. I said nothing but wondered how he could pin point the benefits of meditation given all the other modalities in which he’s immersed.

He punctuated the pause with a smirk, and we both returned to our respective reads. It doesn’t matter that we didn’t dive into how meditation is affecting Steve, for we both know.

I’ve been an on and off meditator for 30 years. It’s value is obvious to me. And now with all the gadgets available to measure brain activity, scientists are learning just what’s going on. Here are some…

Seven Benefits of Meditation

1. A more plastic brain. This is a strange term, but it’s nearly literal because consistent meditation leads to what’s referred to as neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to respond to certain inputs by changing itself structurally and functionally. Now, there are even methods presented online that studies show can improve your brains, such as the games developed by Lumosity. That the brain is actually “plastic” – can change – is a big deal, as scientists formerly believed that the brain essentially stopped changing after adulthood.

2. A thicker brain. Get a thicker brain in just 40 minutes a day! A 2005 study on American men and women who meditated a mere 40 minutes a day showed that they had thicker cortical walls than non-meditators. Thicker biceps, yes, but why would you want a thicker brain? Well, a thicker brain results in a brain that’s aging at a slower rate, better decision making, attention and memory. Thick brains are better than thick biceps after all.

3. A more alert brain. In a 2006 study, college students were asked to either sleep, meditate or watch TV. They were then tested on their alertness by being asked to hit a button every time a light flashed on a screen. By a significant 10%, the meditators did better than the nappers and TV watchers .

4. A more relaxed brain. Do you have high blood pressure? In 2008, Dr. Randy Zusman, a doctor at the Massachusetts General Hospital, asked patients suffering from high blood pressure, but not on medication, to try a meditation-based relaxation program for three months. After meditating regularly for three months, 40 of the 60 patients showed significant drops in blood pressure levels . The reason? Relaxation results in the formation of nitric oxide which opens up your blood vessels.

5. A longer-lived brain. Telomeres — the protective caps at the end of our chromosomes — are the new frontier of anti-aging science. (Watch Nobel prize winner Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn tell you about telomeres in Three Months to Longer Life. ) Having longer telomeres mean that you’re likely to live longer. Research done by the University of California, Davis’ Shamatha Project has shown that meditators have significantly higher telomerase activity that non-meditators. Telomerase is the enzyme that helps build telomeres. When telomerase activity shifts into high gear, it can translate into stronger and longer telomeres .

6. A more resilient brain. Meaning, a better immune system. A 2008 study on HIV positive patients found that, after an eight-week meditation course, patients who’d meditated showed no decline in lymphocyte content compared with non-meditators who showed significant reduction in lymphocytes. Lymphocytes or white blood cells are the “brain” of the body’s immune system, and are particularly important for HIV positive people. The study also found that lymphocyte levels actually went up with each meditation session.

7. A pain-free brain. Well, the brain itself doesn’t actually feel pain, but it does command how you feel it. Earlier this year, a study conducted by Wake Forest Baptist University found that meditation could reduce pain intensity by 40 percent and pain unpleasantness by 57 percent. Pretty impressive given that morphine and other pain-relieving drugs typically show a pain reduction of only 25 percent.

There’s some more information for each of these seven at the original article that inspired this summary, so if interested, go take a read here.

Niko Alm and the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

Joe Garma — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 17:35:13 +0000

Watch this news report about Niko Alm and the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster as Niko bends the Austrian government to his will and gets his driver’s license with his photo of himself wearing a pasta strainer on his head.

YEAH, THIS is off topic, whatever the topic is here at GarmaOnHealth, but, nonetheless, this is a funny, satirical swipe at religion that I wanted to share.

Now, before anyone bludgeons me for being anti-religion, let me state at the outset that I’m not. Not anti-religion. (Though I get it that most people subscribing to a religion are pretty much anti other people’s religions, competing as they are for the one sacred Truth.)

I get that many people need to believe in something and that if this something is indoctrinated early in your live, that this becomes your lifelong truth. I’m not against your lifelong truth. Or the other guy’s lifelong truth that’s different from yours. What I’m for is that everyone refrain from beating the other guy over the head with their truth.

Now to Niko Alm and the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster…

… Yes, Austrian Niko Alm, it’s reported, has battled with Austrian authorities over his demand that he wear a pasta strainer on his head for his driver’s license photo.

Why?

Well, naturally, because the pasta strainer must be worn at all times by members of his church, the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, known as “pastafarianism”.

Founded in 2005, the date when Kansas schools considered teaching creationism instead of evolution, Pastafarianism rejects creationism and posits that an invisible flying spaghetti monster created the universe.

They believe it. It’s their sacred Truth. And damn it, they’re gonna be recognized. Watch:

A Teaching Inspired by 9-11 and Joseph Campbell

Four Ways to Build a Better Brain

Joe Garma — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 18:47:09 +0000

LAST NIGHT I was flipping through some old magazines that I saved in case I ever made the time to read them. Last night, had the time and inclination. And the article I’d like to share with you is from a January 2011 edition of Newsweek.

The title: “Grow Your Mind… the truth about how to boost your brain’s performance”. The startling conclusion – even for an avid exerciser like me – I’ve already suggested: exercise improves the brain more than various brain games and cognitive skill exercisers (along with one other thing, #4 below). This fact is particularly important to those middle aged and beyond.

Neuroscientists admit that they know little about the mechanisms of cognition. They don’t know much about why one brain is smart and the other… well, not so. They simply do not know the mechanism of cognitive enhancement.

What neuroscientists do know is that greater cognitive capacity occurs from having more neurons or synapses, higher levels of neurogenesis, and increased production of compounds, such as BDNF (brain-derived neurotropic factor), which stimulates the production of neurons and synapses.

All that stuff in the above paragraph boost learning, memory, reasoning and creativity – all the stuff you and your brain would be happy to have more of.

Want to improve your brain function?

Do this, particularly numbers 3 and 4:

Learn new, difficult things, like a language. Doing this necessitates the creation of new brain “circuits”, and the more of them you have and the more often you use them, the stronger your brain gets.
Focus and train. This is part of #1 above, for you can’t do something like learn new, difficult things without focusing and training.
Exercise. Along with #4 below, exercise is one of two activities that does more than benefit the specific task at hand… in other words, the cognitive capacity increased by exercise transfers to other things, does generalize to other tasks. Note this: a year of exercise can give a 70-year old the neuron connectivity of a 30-year old, improving memory, planning, dealing with ambiguity, and multitasking.
Meditation. This is the second activity, along with exercise, that studies have found increases a brain’s overall capacity that transfers to new cognitive tasks. Meditation builds focus, and such focus results in enhancing mental agility and attention.

All this is personally good to know, for I have consistently exercised and almost-consistently meditated throughout my adult life. So, some day I expect to wake up smarter. Hope springs eternal.

Go read more about this in the Newsweek article, Grow Your Mind.

Be here now: “Gerry’s” Dharma Lesson

Joe Garma — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 21:28:52 +0000

A Dharma lesson from a Zen Center poignantly shows how even in the midst of a lesson on being present, our mind wrestles with the past and present. A technique to “Be Here Now”.

I HAVE a guest, let’s call him Gerry*, staying with me, and he said this morning, “Hey, it’s Sunday… let’s go listen to the Dharma lecture at the Green Gulch Farm Zen Center.” (We were too lazy to get up early enough to get there to sit zazen and hear the lecture afterward.)

After a winding ride up and then partially down the small mountain that is prominently positioned here in marvy Marin County, we parked the car about a quarter mile away from the Zen Center and trod to it over the muddy path, dodging puddles and rain.

Contemplation hung with the mist and covered everything.

The bald-headed abbot sat square and large on a slightly raised platform and delivered the lecture. Two things punctuated my mind:

Be present. Today is not yesterday. Today is not tomorrow. Today is where you’re at. Be with today. To quote Ram Dass, “Be here now.”
Whatever has your full focus is “famous” to you. This comes from a Zen poem, the meaning being that the things that you make meaningful, you can be fully present with.

Along the walk back to the car, Gerry said, “I wasn’t present too much during the lecture, but was off in the weeds with Marlene*.” I nodded knowingly because he appeared distracted, and I knew of his struggles to come to terms with being let go by a woman he truly felt he loved unabashedly.

“Funny that at a Dharma lecture about being present, you weren’t”, I said. He looked at me sheepishly. “The thing is”, I continued, “that’s par for the course… it’s the very thing every mind needs to deal with when trying to be present. Past and future and everything contained in them compete for our attention like a crying baby.”

“Yeah, that email Marlene sent last night just pulled me back into it all…didn’t think I’d ever hear from her again”, he said.

“Did you want to be distracted by thoughts of her?”

“No”.

“If you had a way to tune her out, would you do it?”

“Yes.”

“What, then, is helpful, is to choose a technique designed to help you stay present when there are distractions acting like crying babies inside your head.”

“What do you mean… what kind of technique?”

“Well, here’s one thing that I do, and I’ll apply it to your situation. Marlene comes into your consciousness and pushes the poor abbot out. You rather listen to the abbot, but Marlene is insistent. Here’s what you do: Face Marlene and tell her that there will be plenty of time for her later. Pick her up in your arms and carry her to a place that you know she will like. Hug her goodbye and tell her again that you’ll be together soon. And then turn around and enter the present moment. If she returns, don’t get upset; simply do it again.”

“That’s really cool”, Gerry said. “I think that might work.”

I smiled at him and said simply, “It’s worth trying.”

*Note: Gerry and Marlene are fictitious names assigned to truly real people.

Your Brain on the Cell Phone — Watch Dr. Mercola

Joe Garma — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 21:00:38 +0000

News about potential harmful effects of cell phones on your health is in the airwaves and print lately due to a new study. Read about it, what Dr. Mercola’s views are, and simple precautions you can take.

REMEMBER THAT old commercial that shows an egg frying on a griddle and the voice over says, “This is your brain on drugs”?

Well, led by Dr. Nora D. Volkow, researchers from the National Institutes of Health have found that 50 minutes of cell phone use does effect the brain.

Brain scans demonstrated increased glucose metabolism happening in the area closest to the cell phone antenna, as the image above shows.

The vital question is – “Does this basically prove that cell phone use is dangerous”?

There have been several cell phone studies aimed at determining if using a cell phone is deleterious to your health. The results have been equivocal. Perhaps what’s different about this study is that is proves that something is happening in the brain due to cell phone use. There’s no denying that something is going on… you can see it (note the pictures above and below).

Again, what’s important to know is whether this brain response effect is harmful.

Personally, I’m not waiting to amend my cell phone behavior until the science is conclusive. It’s very easy to substantially reduce, or eliminate the brain’s reaction to cell phone use by doing one of three simple actions:

Use the cell phone’s speaker phone option.

Use an ear plug… but… if you really want to err on the side of health, don’t use one that has its own power source; rather one that is simply a conduit of the sound emanating from the cell phone. (See below.)

Keep the cell phone away from your body as much as possible, particularly away from your reproductive parts.

Long term health problems are the ones that are most devastating to ourselves and to society at large. They tend to happen because there’s something in human nature that ignores problems that are not banging on your head right now. So, we blithely go about our days eating anything, sitting on the couch, drinking soda/alcohol etc., largely without worry about the future.

Same with cell phones. If it does wind up creating some cancer or some other major debilitation, we won’t know it for many years. Don’t make the bet that it won’t prove to be harmful, or won’t happen to you.

My sister just bought one of those Blue Tube cell phone headsets recommended by Dr. Mercola. Watch what he has to say about the potential dangers of cell phones (below), and use the link (below the video) to check out the Blue Tube headset.

Amazon has a variety of Blue Tube cell phone headsets for you to evaluate.

Remember Your Memory

Joe Garma — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 06:03:34 +0000

Video: How to Improve Your Memory

“Brain Fog” happens to the best of us. Those moments when we enter a room and forget why. Approach the car but forgot to bring along the keys, or where they were last placed. These are not necessarily symptoms of any cognitive malfunction or senility; nor should occasional memory lapses cause you to search for pharmaceutical or supplement solutions.

But if you’re getting concerned about how much fogging is going on in your life, you may consider taking nutritional supplements designed to feed the brain’s neurotransmitters, herbs that replenish vital brain nutrients, and compounds for overall cellular support to help keep your brain’s synapses firing properly.

I take Ginko Biloba from time to time just for the hell of it, as I have yet to be concerned about brain fog per se. There are, however, many other supplements that might be useful, these being the two about which I’m most familiar:

Ginkgo Biloba Over the last 30 years, more that 300 clinical studies show that Ginko Biloba can improve mental alertness, elevate mood and restore energy. Ginkgo is gaining recognition as a brain supplement that enhances memory because of its positive effects on the vascular system, especially in the cerebellum.

Think Clear This one I haven’t tried but it’s garnered strong testimonials about its effectiveness. Think Clear utilizes four top-rated nutrients for brain and memory health to effectively support cognitive function: Ginkgo biloba, Huperzine A, DHA, and Vinpocetine. This complex formula enhances circulation and oxygen flow to the brain to promote optimal cell health, as well as supporting information transmission from cell to cell.

Go here for a list of Product Categories.

Watch this video about “How to Improve Your Memory”:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Supplement Disclaimer

Just as with the descriptive statements made at the various company sites that manufacture and/or sell the supplement products presented in this blog, none, or nearly none, of the potential benefits stated here have been evaluated by the FDA. Likewise none, or nearly none, of the products here can be represented to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Before engaging a supplement program, it always makes sense to get the advice of your health practitioner.