“POPPING THE QUESTION” – What is BHRT?
O.K. As we said last week, there are a lot of things we don’t know about our bodies. So, let’s get on to some more questions and answers. Mainly, what is BHRT? (Who doesn’t love Q and A’s?)
WHAT ARE PROBIOTICS?
“Aren’t they what create bionic heroes?
DIGEST THIS
Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that are good for your health, especially your digestive system. We usually think of bacteria as something that causes diseases. But your body is full of bacteria, both good and bad. Probiotics are often called “good” or “helpful” bacteria because they help keep your gut healthy. Probiotics are naturally found in your body.
The term came into common use after 1980 but the concept was first put forward by Ilya Metchnikoff, a Russian Nobel scientist born in 1845 who thought the colon was a “vestigial cesspool” and hypothesized that the friendly microbes in yogurt might help improve the population of the bacteria in your gut.
Bacteria have a reputation for causing disease, so the idea of tossing down a few billions of these creepy critters a day for your health might seem — literally and figuratively — hard to swallow. But a growing body of scientific evidence suggests that you can treat and even prevent some illnesses with foods and supplements containing certain kinds of live bacteria.
Some of the health problems that research has shown to help are:
- Brain function
- Cholesterol
- Blood pressure
- Infections
- Skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Urinary and vaginal health
- Oral health
- Preventing allergies and colds
Then in the 1910s, Isaac Carasso, a Balkan industrialist, became aware of the fact that many children suffered from intestinal disorders. In 1919, inspired by Metchnikoff’s work, he started a yogurt company in Barcelona, Spain, and marketed his yogurt as medicine, sold in pharmacies. He named the company Danone, a Catalan variation on his son’s nickname, “Little Daniel.” After Carasso’s death, Daniel took over the company and expanded it into the United States, where it was branded Dannon. Yeah, Dannon.
EVERY PROBIOTIC HAS ITS MOMENT
Probiotics are having a moment. The tiny buggers are marketed as health enhancers for adults, for kids, and even for dogs (in a beef flavor, of course). You can now pop a capsule, swig a fruit drink or eat an energy bar that’s been spiked with probiotics, which the World Health Organization defines as “live microorganisms” that “confer a health benefit on the host”. Nearly a century after Ilya Metchnikoff’s death, consumers are snapping up the products based on his idea. According to the National Health Interview Survey, 3.9 million U.S. adults reported using probiotics or prebiotics in 2012, the most recent year for which data is available. Imagine what it has jumped to today.
YOU CAN FEEL IT IN YOUR GUT
As we’ve mentioned above about ways to get probiotics into your system, there’s another way to view it. Essentially, probiotics are bugs in a capsule. But if you want to get technical: probiotics are active bacteria that have been grown and cultured in the laboratory and are believed to be helpful or beneficial to the human microbiome, or the human gut. Probiotic supplements are not regulated by the FDA, which means they are not tested as a drug.
Some digestive disease specialists are recommending them for disorders that frustrate conventional medicine, such as irritable bowel syndrome. Since the mid-1990s, clinical studies suggest that probiotic therapy can help treat several gastrointestinal ills.
Some common conditions they treat are:
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
- Infectious diarrhea (caused by viruses, bacteria, or parasites)
The best case for probiotic therapy has been in the treatment of diarrhea. Controlled trials have shown that probiotics can shorten the course of infectious diarrhea in infants and children (but not adults). Although studies are limited and data are inconsistent, two large reviews, taken together, suggest that probiotics reduce antibiotic-associated diarrhea by 60%, when compared with a placebo.
YES, NO, MAYBE?
Do probiotics work?
“There’s been a lot of anecdotal evidence that suggest taking a probiotic could help a lot, but it’s hard to frame it in a scientific way,” according to Mayo Clinic’s Center for Individualized Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota. “The probiotic field is not one that has included a lot of controlled clinical trials, so there’s no firm answer. Unfortunately, researchers just don’t know enough about the bacteria that live in our body to know how to treat them. We have more bugs in our body than body cells.” So which are good? Which our friends? Which are healthy, which are not healthy? Research is providing early clues, but more needs to be done. The little snippets of information are patchy and haven’t been reproduced. For instance, the authors of the UCLA fermented milk study wrote that they weren’t sure whether or not it was a good thing that the substance can affect brain activity.
Probiotics are normally consumed in fermented foods with active live cultures such as yogurt. Probiotics are also available in supplement form as capsules, liquid and chewables. You probably won’t have trouble finding a doctor who recommends taking a probiotic, but there are certainly some who will flat-out refuse to do so. If you want to go rogue, probiotics are available over the counter; you can easily ease over to the drug store and buy a bottle without consulting your physician. However, there are some stronger probiotics that claim to be so potent that the makers urge they be used only under medical supervision. Take note..you shouldn’t take a probiotic as if it’s a multivitamin.
WHAT IS SHINGLES?
“I’m pretty sure they’re not good…”
HORRORS…HERPES!
Shingles is a painful skin rash. It is caused by the varicella zoster virus. Shingles usually appears in a band, a strip, or a small area on one side of the face or body. It is also called herpes zoster.
Shingles is most common in older adults and people who have weak immune systems because of stress, injury, certain medicines, or other reasons. There are approximately 1 million estimated cases per year in the U.S., with almost one out of every three people developing shingles at some point in their lifetime. Most people who get shingles will get better and will not get it again. But it is possible to get shingles more than once.
Shingles symptoms happen in stages. At first you may have a headache or be sensitive to light. You may also feel like you have the flu but not have a fever. Later, you may feel itching, tingling, or pain in a certain area. That’s where a band, strip, or small area of rash may occur a few days later. The rash turns into clusters of blisters. The blisters fill with fluid and then crust over. It takes 2 to 4 weeks for the blisters to heal, and they may leave scars. Some people only get a mild rash. And some do not get a rash at all. It’s possible that you could also feel dizzy or weak. Or you could have long-term pain or a rash on your face, changes in your vision, changes in how well you can think, or a rash that spreads. Rash news, huh?
DON’T BLAME CHICKENS
The name chickenpox has been around for centuries, and there are a number of theories as to how it got its name. One is that it’s from the blisters that are seen with the illness. These red spots — which are about 1/5 inch to 2/5 inch (5mm to 10mm) wide — were once thought to look like chickpeas (garbanzo beans).
Another theory is that the rash of chickenpox looks like the peck marks caused by a chicken. But, in case you were wondering, chickenpox can’t be caught from a chicken! Anyone who has had chickenpox can get shingles. Shingles occurs when the virus that causes chickenpox starts up again in your body. After you get better from chickenpox, the virus “sleeps” (is dormant) in your nerve roots. In some people, it stays dormant forever. In others, the virus “wakes up” when disease, stress, or aging weakens the immune system. Some medicines may trigger the virus to wake up and cause a shingles rash. It is not clear why this happens. But after the virus becomes active again, it can only cause shingles, not chickenpox.
You can’t catch shingles from someone else who has shingles. But there is a small chance that a person with a shingles rash can spread the virus to another person who hasn’t had chickenpox and who hasn’t gotten the chickenpox vaccine.
ITCHING TO KNOW MORE
Shingles is treated with medicines. These medicines include antiviral medicines and medicines for pain. Starting antiviral medicine right away can help your rash heal faster and be less painful. So if you think you may have shingles, see your doctor right away.
Good home care also can help you feel better faster. Take care of any skin sores, and keep them clean. Take your medicines as directed. If you are bothered by pain, tell your doctor. He or she may write a prescription for pain medicine or suggest an over-the-counter pain medicine.
There is a shingles vaccine for adults. It lowers your chances of getting shingles and prevents long-term pain that can occur after shingles. And if you do get shingles, having the vaccine makes it more likely that you will have less pain and your rash will clear up more quickly.
Is herpes zoster the same herpes that causes cold sores, fever blisters or genital herpes? Nope.
That’s a whole other topic.
WHAT IS GLUTEN FREE?
“I do know it’s pretty popular right now.”
THE GLUE THAT HOLDS IT ALL TOGETHER
Gluten refers to the proteins found in cereal grain’s endosperm (a type of tissue produced in seeds that are ground to make flour). Gluten both nourishes plant embryos during germination and later effects the elasticity of dough, which in turn affects the chewiness of baked products.
Gluten is actually composed of two different proteins: gliadin and glutenin. (There go those technical terms again.) Though “true gluten” is sometimes defined as being specific to wheat, gluten is also found in barley, rye and a grain that is a cross between wheat and rye called triticale, according to the Mayo Clinic.
TOO MANY PEOPLE TOOTIN’ ABOUT GLUTEN
You hear it all the time. “I need to be gluten-free. My kids need to be gluten-free.” How do they know? Well, according to them, they just do. In reality, there are three major reasons why someone might need to give up gluten for health reasons: if they’ve been diagnosed with celiac disease, if they have a gluten intolerance, or if they have an allergic reaction to wheat.
- Celiac Disease – According to the Mayo Clinic, people with celiac disease have an immune reaction to the gluten in wheat, rye, and barley that causes damage to the small intestine and interferes with the absorption of vital nutrients. Symptoms can be as mild as digestive problems and minor skin rashes or as severe as anemia, arthritis, and intense abdominal pain. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly how many people have celiac disease in the United States, mostly because so many people go undiagnosed, but most health experts put it in the range of 2 to 3 million people.
- Gluten Intolerance – There are also a large number of people who have a sensitivity to gluten or are gluten intolerant. These people experience many of the same symptoms as those with celiac disease, but without the accompanying damage to the small intestine. There are also some theories and studies linking gluten intolerance to things like chronic fatigue, depression, irritability, and anxiety.
- Wheat Allergy – A wheat allergy is actually a completely separate condition from gluten sensitivity or celiac disease. It’s a histamine reaction to wheat, much like a peanut allergy or a shellfish allergy. People with this allergy usually show hives, rashes, or stomach pain after consuming wheat.
JUMPING ON THE BANDWAGON
Americans Spend Over $4.2 Billion Per Year on Gluten-Free Food.
Jimmy Kimmel started a big Internet conversation over gluten-free. It’s a riot, and so true.
One percent of the U.S. population actually has Celiac, according to Food Allergy Research and Education reports, which doesn’t seem to justify the $4.2 billion spent annually on gluten-free foods. Common misconceptions include, “gluten makes you fat” or “gluten is an unhealthy part of your diet.” In fact, some gluten-free foods are unhealthier than gluten-filled foods because they sometimes contain more calories or sugar to make up for the loss of gluten.
According to faux gluten-free advocates, gluten is perfectly reasonable to consume, and contrary to popular belief, does not contribute to obesity, cancer, heart disease, or any other ailment.
More and more Americans are on the anti-wheat warpath trend, as the label “gluten free” appears on everything from craft beer to cat food.
CRAVE NO MORE
Most people think going gluten free is a big boring tasteless boo-hoo. That it’s no cakewalk to stay gluten-free.
Baloney.
Which, by the way is gluten-free-cool from Boar’s Head, Oscar Mayer and Tyson Foods.
Today there isn’t a food category you really have to bid “bye-bye” to. There are gluten free versions of almost everything-from bread to pasta, snacks to sweets. Choices. Choices. More choices. Yes, bread. Yes, bagels, muffins and croissants. Yes, oh yes, pizza. Yes, ice cream. Yes, wine. Even the big boys are going gluten-free: Chex, Rice Krispies and yay! even Cheerios. So there’s no mourning the loss of everything you love. Your mission? Just check the label to make sure it says “100 gluten-free.”
WHAT IS A CHARLEY HORSE?
“I never had one, but…”
CRAMPING YOUR STYLE
You could be out for a run or drifting off to sleep when it happens: The muscles of your calf or foot suddenly become hard, tight, and extremely painful. You are having a muscle cramp, sometimes called charley horses, particularly when they are in the calf muscles. These cramps are caused by muscle spasms, involuntary contractions of one or more muscles. In addition to the foot and calf muscles, other muscles prone to spasms include the front and back of the thigh, the hands, arms, abdomen, and muscles along the rib cage. Almost everyone experiences muscle cramps, which come without warning and if you’re sleeping, can wake you up in a second, as the contracting muscles don’t relax immediately. Charley horses that are severe enough can result in the muscle being sore for a few hours or even a day. This is normal, as long as the pain isn’t prolonged or recurring.
GIDDYUP
So what can cause a charley horse to rear its ugly head?
A number of factors may cause a muscle to cramp or spasm. The most common causes of charley horses include:
- inadequate blood flow to the muscle
- muscle injuries
- exercising in excessive heat or cold
- side effects of different medications
- overuse of a specific muscle during exercise
- stress, most often in the neck muscles
- not stretching before exercise
- nerve compression in the spine
- taking diuretics, which can lead to low potassium levels
- mineral depletion, too little calcium, potassium, and sodium in the blood
DEHYDRATION
People who are obese are more likely to experience charley horses because of poor circulation in their legs. Athletes often experience charley horses because of muscle fatigue or overuse. Actually, muscle spasms that cause charley horses while we sleep are common, but are not entirely understood. It’s thought that part of the reason they occur so frequently during sleep is the result of a person lying in an awkward position for a long period of time that can cause a muscle spasm. Whatever the cause, when you get them, they get you bad.
PUT SOME MUSCLE IN IT
When muscle cramps occur, there are several things you can do to help ease them, such as massaging, stretching, or icing the muscle, warming the muscle, or taking a bath with Epsom salt.
For a charley horse in the calf or a cramp in the back of the thigh (hamstring), try putting your weight on the affected leg and bending your knee slightly, or sit or lie down with your leg out straight and pull the top of your foot toward your head. For a cramp in the front of the thigh (quadriceps), hold onto a chair to steady yourself and pull your foot back toward your buttock. To help reduce the risk of cramps in the future, try the following:
- Eat more foods high in vitamins, magnesium and calcium
- Stay well hydrated
- Stretch properly before exercise.
In most cases, self-care measures are sufficient for dealing with muscle cramps, which typically go away within minutes. But if you experience them frequently or for no apparent reason, you should speak to your doctor. They could signal a medical problem that requires treatment.
OF ALL THE NERVE
If your doctor suspects that nerve damage or other complex causes are to blame, you may be referred to a physical therapist or other specialist. The treatment for charley horses depends on their underlying cause. Recurrent charley horses require more aggressive treatment. Pain medications may be prescribed if ibuprofen isn’t enough to ease your discomfort. In severe cases, your doctor may prescribe antispasmodic medication. Physical therapy can help you cope with muscle spasms and prevent further complications. In extreme cases, surgery may be recommended. When all other treatments have failed, surgery can be used to enlarge the space around a nerve to relieve pressure. If your spasms are caused by nerve compression, this may help.
“GOT ME ON THAT ONE.”
BHRT STANDS FOR BIOIDENTICAL HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY.
ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS CONTRIBUTING TO YOUR OVERALL WELL-BEING ARE HORMONES. HORMONES ARE CHEMICAL STRUCTURES THAT ACT LIKE MESSENGER MOLECULES IN THE BODY. THEY HELP CONTROL HOW CELLS AND ORGANS DO THEIR WORK. IMBALANCE IN THESE HORMONES CAN LEAD TO A LONG LIST OF AILMENTS FROM MOOD SWINGS TO MENOPAUSE. BHRT IS USED TO TREAT HORMONE IMBALANCE WITH HORMONES THAT THAT CONTAIN HORMONES THAT HAVE THE SAME CHEMICAL FORMULA AS THOSE MADE NATURALLY IN THE BODY, INSTEAD OF CONVENTIONAL HORMONE THERAPY WITH SYNTHETIC HORMONES. WHEN AN IMBALANCE HAS A NEGATIVE EFFECT ON YOUR BODY, THE MOST POSTIVE THING YOU CAN DO IS SEE DR. STEPHEN A. GOLDSTEIN, M.D, F.A.C.S. AT DENVER HORMONE HEALTH. DR. GOLDSTEIN IS AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE FIELD OF BHRT. THE EXTENT OF HIS EXPERTISE AND EXPERIENCE IS ONLY PART OF THE REASON HE IS THE RIGHT SPECIALIST TO SEE. FOR HIM, T’S ALL ABOUT YOU AND YOUR HEALTH. WITH STATE-OF-THE-ART TESTING, HE CAN DETERMINE YOUR EXACT DEFICIENCIES OR EXCESSES OF DIFFERENT HORMONES IN YOUR BODY. IF YOU NEED HELP, HE’LL KNOW JUST WHAT YOU NEED, CREATING AN INTEGRATED UNIQUE SOLUTION TO HELP RESTORE THE BALANCE THAT WILL HELP YOU GET RELIEF AND LIVE A HEALTHIER LIFE.
FOR BHRT, HE’S THE BEST, TO THE LETTER.
