April 2012 Classical Medicine Health and Wellness Journal

 

  

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4 April 2012

 

"It's all in your head."

 

Who hasn't heard -- or said -- those words in a multitude of circumstances? When you're on the receiving end, this is sometimes a comforting concept. But sometimes, it sounds pejorative or dismissive. It might also be factual. According to the Tampa Bay Times, new evidence in brain scan technology is showing that meditation changes the brain's reaction to pain. So the pain from the brain can be tamed ... with a lot of practice, focus and perseverance. Still, an encouraging idea and for dedicated meditators, life-altering. Must be why this was the #2 most-read Classical Medicine Journal story in March.

 

What held that #1 spot? Thanks to the vagrancy of the Internet, a story we ran last March about The Who front-man Roger Daltrey crediting homeopathy with saving his son's life. Some celebrities have an eternal shelf life and it's always nice when one voices support for a non-mainstream alternative. Their words resonate.

 

A handful of the other top stories were focused on "don'ts." No one likes a know-it-all so we're glad readers forgave us a bit of crowing about our early reports on some statin complications (new FDA warnings); and kept reading even though the news discouraged diet soda consumption (potential link to heart disease); and even pushed through a study on the perils of eating red meat (increases risk of heart disease and cancer by 20%).

 

But don't let this news keep you up at night. No, really; don't. Because another new study warns of the danger of consistent use of sleeping aids thought safe until very recently. Reactions among MDs are mixed but it's well worth a read if you or anyone you love uses the products on a regular basis.

 

Looks like there's only one answer: we need to grow our own vegetables, eat no meat, drink no diet sodas and above all else, meditate. If the Debbie Downer news we share today isn't sufficient motivation to practice the latter, watch a classic except from Bill Moyers' ground-breaking special on China that features a qi gong demonstration by Master Shi. There is no trick photography at work here. The slight elderly man is literally up-ending the young bucks with a flick of his wrist. If that.

 

If you're in the Tampa Bay area and want to learn a little qi gong for yourself, class info is here. If you want to veg, check out PCRM's Kickstarter Plan. But above all else, vow to make this your summer quaff:

Cheers!

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For appointment information or to send a message to Martin Keane, AP, CCH

please call (727) 821-7771 or write

          

January 2012 Classical Medicine Health and Wellness Journal

 

  

This post covers December 2011 - January 2012

 

3 January 2012

 

Where did the lovely holiday season go so quickly? And oh, what an interminable horse race we face in 2012. Even tonight, it begins. A recent Classical Medicine Journal post casts a surprising slant on why our divided selves can't seem to see each other's point of view. A simple experiment performed by researchers at New York University and UCLA shows that liberals and conservations actually think differently. This news falls somewhere between extremely encouraging and highly depressing; but no matter what, it's an interesting read. Both Right and Left might want to heed research published in theJournal of Neuroscience that reveals increasing the concentration of magnesium in the brain increases cognitive ability, the facility that controls fear and anxiety. More magnesium leads to less anxiety. So, instead of arguing politics, perhaps we should all break broccoli together?

 

End-of-the-year reading brought some treats for people interested in homeopathy: a summary of results from an observational study in Austria that showed homeopathic allergy treatment delivered success without side-effects; an announcement from India of the first study using humans to test the effectiveness of homeopathy to combat Japanese Encephalitis (JE); and an almost poetic look at new research into the possibility of water retaining "memory."

 

Another popular post profiled Mr. Li Qing Yun, a Chinese medicine physician, herbal expert and qi gong master who was believed to be 256 years old when he died in 1933. Mr. Li's advice for achieving such longevity? “Keep a quiet heart, sit like a tortoise, walk sprightly like a pigeon, sleep like a dog.” He drank goji berry tea but not "hard liquor." A vegatarian and non-smoker, he embodied the "early to bed, early to rise" adage. He also liked to play cards and gamble, doing both badly and always maintaining a cheerful demeanor while losing. There has to be a lesson in all that. If you're in the Tampa Bay area, you can learn some of his daily qi gong routine at these weekly classes. BYO goji juice.

 

By the way, it's probably best to severely limit the amount of time any laptop device spends in your lap. A study in the journal Fertility and Sterility found that exposure to radiation from laptop WiFi for four hours damaged sperm DNA and decreased motility. Of course, this adverse effect was only observed in sperm. But could it be good for ovaries, either? Might just have to dust off one of those old paperbacks. You knew you kept some around for a reason.

 

Happy New Year. Let's all resolve in 2012 to eat broccoli, not words -- or friends with differing views.

 

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November 2011 Classical Medicine Health and Wellness Journal

 

  

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9 November 2011

 

Now that yoga is virtually mainstream and everyone has an older relative with at least one tai chi DVD sitting around (albeit dusty -- and perhaps it's a video tape), can qi gong be far behind?

This begs the question: what exactly is qi gong? Cue a stock photo of a contemplative person, probably a man, holding up his hands at 90-degree angles and peering off with a compassionate but firm look about him. Instead, here's a definition from the International Institute of Medical Qigong:

"Qigong is a combination of two ideas: "Qi" (pronounced chee), which means air, breath of life, or vital life-force energy; and "Gong" (pronounced gung, as in lung) which is the skill of working with, or cultivating, self-discipline and achievement.

Qigong is a mind-body practice that improves ones mental and physical health by integrating postures, movement, breathing techniques, and focused intention."

Articles recently posted in the Classical Medicine Journal highlight benefits of a regular qi gong practice (practice being the operative word here, as all once and future yogis will appreciate); perhaps making time for a regular qi gong class will become the next big thing. Here's some inspiration for that aspiration:

First, new research suggests practicing qi gong can help control diabetes symptoms.  And too, practicing qi gong can help regulate high blood pressure (it's in with the "Breathe Deeply" set of recommendations). Perhaps the most dramatic is an article published in the CMJ today which reports on new research suggesting qi gong massage for young children with autism, administered by a trained parent, "resulted in improvement of measures of autism as well as improvement of abnormal sensory responses and self-regulation." This is pretty exciting news by our accounting. Time to learn how to breathe deeply while standing and staring contemplatively off in space. Just teasing -- there's a lot more to it. But qi gong has to be the easiest form of "exercise" ever invented, and it was invented a long, long time ago.

More good news for couch potatoes (ie, most of us): even 15 minutes a day of exercise is beneficial. The excuses are getting harder and harder to find.

No sense in fretting over the inevitability of our need to "eat less, move more." Readers sought out an article on nine different foods that naturally elevate moods for good reason. How about some walnuts and sunflower seeds for that cottage cheese? Go ahead and binge on avocados and oranges. But somehow, bananas in lentils just doesn't sound appetizing.

One more story to check out if you missed it comes from Cuba, whose research seems trapped behind an iron curtain still. Then again, due to a lack of infrastructure and funding, Cuba has liberally experimented with various forms of alternative medicine and consequently, has large samples for their results. Good news about alternative therapies is not welcomed in all quarters of our own country, despite our much-touted freedom of the press. The recent article is about the release of the world's first the world's first therapeutic vaccine against lung cancer. Previously published articles detail stunning results using a homeopathic vaccine to divert a projected outbreak of a vile tropical fever -- not to mention the article about Vidatox, the so-called homeopathic anti-tumor cancer drug developed in Cuba from the venom of the blue scorpion.

Wishing you a peace-filled Thanksgiving and a happy holiday season. Don't let any scorpions bite you -- unless they're blue.

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For appointment information or to send a message to Martin Keane, AP, CCH

please call (727) 821-7771 or write