December 2014

The Truth About Salt

Published on December 29, 2014

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When we salt our food, we rarely think of salt as a crucial aspect of our physiology. In particular, we think it has absolutely nothing to do with anything other than taste and we certainly do not think of hormones. In this short post, I would like to clarify a few myths about salt and salt types and hint at their importance and hormonal connection.

The Myths of Designer Salts

Myth #1 sea salt versus table salt. There are hundreds of posts on the Internet about the benefits of sea salt over table salt. I would like everyone to know that there is only one salt on planet earth: sea salt. The fact that it may be called table salt simply suggests that some time ago it was clearly understood by all that all salt came from the sea. There was no need to place the word “sea” in front of salt; we all knew what it was. Somehow we have forgotten that salt comes from the sea. Now many designer salts have showed up with the word “sea” in front of the word salt and sell for much more than table salt. Don’t be fooled: all salts come from the sea! Preferences, of course, may mean you pick a designer salt over table salt, but I would like to make sure you know that in terms of salt, they are the same for the body.

You may ask: how can they be the same for the body if one contains all kinds of other elements as well as pure salt itself. The answer is very simple. In the body, salt molecules (NaCl) break down into ions (Na+ and Cl-) and only these two ions participate in what is called voltage activated sodium pumps (Na_v1.1-1.9) where 1.1 to 1.9 indicates that there are 9 such pumps and Na_v stands for voltage activated sodium pump. Thus, for the body only ions matter. Na+ is inside the cell and is positively charged. Cl- is outside the cell and is negatively charged. The two create the voltage necessary for the cell to function. Some of these pumps also have additional functions—such as sending pain message when a pump opens and does not close properly. The influx of Na+ and Cl- can cause the signal of pain to go off causing chronic pain. Much is yet to be understood by the function of salt but the one thing we already know: salt is NaCl and no additional organic matter matters.

Myth #2 refers to rock salt that comes from mountains like the Himalayas in various colors. They make beautiful lamps but in reality they are sea salts that have fossilized as the tectonic plates have shifted and lifted the Himalayans out from under the sea. Why are they pink or orange and very colorful in general? Because as the mountains were lifted, pressure increased on the salt deposits and the weight of the mountain pressing heat and metals through the salt created fossilized salt with various metals trapped in the salt itself. There is nothing wrong with eating fossilized rock salt except that by the nature of the fossilization process of high heat, pressure, and the many metals, a large percentage of these “minerals” entrapped in the salt are actually radioactive metals. Again, it is a taste question whether you prefer Himalayan or other salt but know what you are getting.

Myth #3 is Celtic and similar sea salts of various colors that are collected from clay pools and evaporated such that each sea salt crystal has little cavities of entrapped water with “minerals.” I see many lists of minerals for various sea salts but few of us actually consider where those minerals come from. I know we all love to eat sea food, fish, shellfish, and sea weeds as well. The mineral deposits in designer sea salts come from the debris of these sea animals, including their excrement and dead bodies. There is nothing wrong with eating fish poo and dead fish as long as you know that your choice of salt contains it. Some of these salts are proud to also include a bit of clay, and hence, the moisture must be kept else you will need a hammer and chisel to break the salt up. So, much of the charm about designer salts is trickery and harmless misinformation that takes advantage of those who are not aware.

The truth: salt, by chemical composition Sodium-Chloride (Na+, Cl-) is only these two elements combined, as discussed above. Our bodies use these chemicals only in ionic form. Salt is part of the baby’s amniotic fluid in our bodies (not Himalayan salt, and not various colored sea salts; just simple Na+ Cl-). This standard chemical element constitutes a very large part of the over 70% saline brine of our bodies. We are made of salt water. When we visit the emergency room with any illness, the most often used first step – the needle with a clear liquid dripped into our vein – is also saline water electrolyte. Electrolytes contain other elements to complete the full list of micro and macro nutrients of the 70% brine.

Other Minerals in Salt

What about the so called “minerals” that are in the designer salts? Do we need them?

Magnesium is a very important element that provides a key such that the cells can open at all given the proper electrical environment. Magnesium also provides crucial nutrient for the mitochondria (little bacteria in every single cell of our body that converts the food we eat to energy packets our cells can use). You get more magnesium out of a bite of food (just about any food) than from an entire box of designer salt.
Calcium is needed for high voltage channels where the neurotransmitters are released.
Potassium is needed to keep the balance of hydration in the cell and outside of the cell to ensure that the cell is not overly hydrated (potassium is a diuretic).
Phosphates. We also need phosphates and other elements and of course a ton of water, but the elements in designer salt sold as essential mineral are minuscule and meaningless.
Iodine. Another important factor is iodine. Designer salts do not contain iodine. In the US, the government has gone through great trouble placing iodine into our salt to eradicate goiter, a disease of the thyroid. Without adequate iodine our thyroid is not able to produce the right amount of hormone to keep our brain healthy. Recall also, in Japan after the nuclear plant released all that radiation, the first item sold out throughout the country was iodine. Iodine acts like a sponge, soaking up many toxins from our body to be able to eliminate them. Radioactivity is one of those things iodine can help clear from our bodies.

Salt and Hormones

So the question then is: what does salt have to do with our hormones? Does it matter? Indeed, it does. Those who have read the migraine series 3-part posts know that the most critical element in preventing and treating migraines is salt. Every single neuron in our brain has several voltage-gated sodium pumps (sodium-potassium pumps) to generate voltage. Without such voltage the neurons are not able to manufacture and release their neurotransmitters-hormones in the body. Thus, restricting salt in your diet retards the hormone manufacturing of your body. In previous articles, I showed how studies show that low salt diets are harmful even for those with preexisting heart conditions and hypertension. Salt does not increase blood pressure, provided that salt is consumed with sufficient amount of water, along with potassium and the other minerals and nutrients, I listed above.

Sodium retains water thereby hydrating the cells. Sodium chloride maintains the polarity differences between the inside and the outside of the cell membrane to control the electrical activity, which then open the pumps. Having enough salt in your brain makes the difference between having a headache/migraine or not. What if it also helps prevent other diseases of the brain? There are suggestions that fibromyalgia and neuropathy may be connected to one of the Na_v pumps. I wonder if other conditions such as bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, and even depression could be, at least partly, caused by an inappropriate level of sodium in the brain?

Possible Role for Sodium – Potassium Pumps in Disease

Let’s investigate one of the voltage activated sodium pumps. The one we seem to know most about so far: Na_v1.7. According to recent research, this particular pump has a critical role in chronic pain dampening. Experiments on various poisonous animals—including the Chinese red-headed centipede and the snake black mamba—show that their venom seems to selectively choose this particular pump to dampen the pain associated with some types of chronic pain. The pain signals need not be located in any one particular location of the body, but are relayed by the brain as hormones release for the pain message. People with neuropathy, such as Type 2 Diabetes or those who have been been floxed (suffered an adverse reaction to a fluoroquinolone antibiotics) are very familiar with this pain. Nothing seems to help with this type of pain except a very few types of strong drugs of the brain, some (like Gabapentin) inhibit nearly all activities in the body in near-full-force. The drugs of the brain are systemic whereas the venom is capable of acting on only one sodium-potassium pump, the Nav1.7. Perhaps, in the future, this finding can be applied to reduce neuropathic pain without global nervous system dampening.

My Two Cents

I suspect most ailments of the central nervous system that include a hyper-sensitivity for pain will become a subject of sodium pump malfunction research. There are also indications that there is a switch in the connection of the peripheral nervous system to the spine, and thereby the central nervous system, where there should be a relay station to either inhibit or amplify the pain. Apparently, at this relay station the switch is flipped backwards and what should be inhibiting actually amplifies. Pain experienced from these crossed wires is called allodyna. I suspect we will be hearing much about this term in the future and how it connects to various sodium pump malfunctions that today we do not yet understand.

Sources:

Pain Scientific American December 2014; p:62-67

Do Cesarean Births Increase the Risk of Uterine Rupture?

by Elena Perez

Published on December 22, 2014

2146 views

The uterus has incredible elasticity: It has the ability to grow from the size of a fist to, well, the size of a baby. In recent years, there have been numerous debates over whether women who have had previous c-sections can or should deliver vaginally with subsequent pregnancies. The primary risk associated with a VBAC, or vaginal birth after cesarean, is uterine rupture. Though rare, at 2 per 10,000 deliveries, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, issued practice guidelines requiring both the obstetrician and anesthesiologist be ‘immediately available’ during the entire delivery. This effectively eliminated the possibility of VBACs in US hospitals. As a result, VBACs have declined significantly since 1999 and the number of c-sections has increased to nearly 38% in some states.

In the UK, while the c-section rate is much lower, hovering around 23%, the question of VBACs still remain: Does the cesarean birth increase the risk for uterine rupture, and if so how much?

In March, 2012, the UK Obstetric Surveillance System (UKOSS) published a study that found 87% of women with uterine ruptures previously had cesarean deliveries. The risk of uterine rupture increased for those who had VBACS, as opposed to c-sections, (from .3 to 2.1 per 1,000 incidences). Women with two or more cesarean deliveries increased their chances of uterine rupture further, as did a shorter interval between c-sections (within 12 -24 months), labor induction using prostaglandin and/or the use of oxytocin during labor.

Though the scientists recognize that there may be some inaccuracies with the data (for example, they relied on data provided by participating hospitals, and therefore may have omitted some data), the information can still help expecting mothers start a dialogue with their doctors to prepare for future deliveries.

Endometriosis and Clear Cell Carcinoma – Ovarian Cancer

by Linda Parkinson-Hardman

Published on December 22, 2014

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Endometriosis is a common disease amongst women and is thought to occur in between 7 and 10% of the female population. Whilst it is known that the vast majority of these women will never go on to develop any form of cancer, the work that has been done recently in demonstrating a link between endometriosis and particular types of ovarian cancer could provide an easier way to provide the necessary screening for a disease which is notoriously difficult to diagnose.

A team of researchers from Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium (OCAC) have recently revisited a set of thirteen independent pieces of research into the link between endometriosis and ovarian and cancer and have now confirmed that women with self-reported history of endometriosis have significantly increased risk of developing clear cell carcinoma. Clear cell carcinoma is a cancer in which malignant cells form in the tissue covering the ovary. About 6% of common epithelial tumours are known to be clear cell and of those, 50% are known to be associated with endometriosis. The majority of patients with this type of cancer are between 40 and 80 years of age.

The researchers also showed that there was a clear link between endometriosis and what is called low-grade serous ovarian carcinomas, which are slow growing cancers. They discovered that endometriosis doubled the risk for women developing the disease; however, they also learned that there was no association between endometriosis and high-grade serous carcinomas, which develop much faster and are more aggressive, or other subtypes of ovarian cancer in the study.

In the UK, women have a 2% chance of developing ovarian cancer during their lifetime, this translates roughly into one woman in every 50 developing the disease. Of these figures, around 9 out of every 10 cases will be of the Epithelial Ovarian Cancer type and only 6% of these cases will be of the Clear Cell Carcinoma type (roughly half of one woman in every 50).

About the author: Linda started The Hysterectomy Association in 1996 after having a hysterectomy herself at the age of 32 to deal with the severe endometriosis she had suffered from since she was 16.

The organization came to be when she decided to use the subject of the information needs of women having a hysterectomy as the basis of a thesis for her MSc in Information Studies at Loughborough University. When the research was completed, she was asked by the ladies who had taken part in the research to start an organization just for them; a place that would provide them with a place to go for information and support.

Click on this link to download a copy of the short report detailing the findings from the research.

Linda has written four books, three of them about hysterectomy and the fourth about using the Internet for business. You can find out more about Linda and her other roles by viewing her LinkedIn profile – if you are in business yourself, you may well want to join her too – just let her know that you’re from The Hysterectomy Association. You can also find her on Facebook at: facebook.com/LindaParkinsonHardman

What is Immunity?

by Kelly Brogan, MD

Published on December 16, 2014

3622 views

Arguably, my primary intellectual concerns around modern day infectious disease management and “prevention”, is an acute awareness of how little we know about our relationship to microbes in and around us, and about our immune system. We are just beginning to appreciate the role of the several trillion bacteria that inhabit our guts, dictate our immune responses, and synthesize nutrients. Add to this very steep learning curve, multiple layers of epigenetic expression and biochemical individuality and we have a recipe for disaster with a one-size-fits all vaccination schedule and rampant application of antibiotics.

Antibody-Response: Is that Immunity?

We have been led to believe that antibody-response to vaccine administration is in any way equivalent to protection from illness. This sadly rudimentary model of “immunization” is antiquated beyond acceptability, and in no way encompasses what we have learned about the relevance of the innate immune system, cytokines, and the role of nutrient sufficiency in vulnerability to infection. Beyond the well-documented incidence of outbreaks of illness such as pertussis, mumps, measles, tetanus, polio, rotavirus, and chicken pox, in highly vaccinated populations, we have also learned that antibodies often play no role in the course of infectious diseases such as lethal vesicular stomatitis virus, discussed here. We also know that agammaglobulinemics (those born without limited capacity for immunoglobulin antibody production) contract and recover from measles in the usual fashion. So, it seems like we may have fundamentally misunderstood the role of antibodies in immunity.

This would be an excusable and understandable step in the evolution of biological sciences if we weren’t wielding the application of this misunderstanding in a lethal and morbid way. Room for primary vaccine failure based on fundamental misattribution of disease-protection to antibody production (which is always temporary) is one thing, but inducing chronic disease, atopy, neurodevelopmental delay, inflammation, autoimmunity, and death as a part of this effort, is quite another.

Auto-immunity and Evolving Theories of Immune Function

We are witnessing epidemic rates of autoimmunity in the American population and we are learning that vulnerability is more than genes + environment. In fact, theories of immunity have evolved considerably since the 1950s when it consisted only of self vs non-self mechanisms. The most all-encompassing theory is called the Danger theory, which posits that the immune system targets self-tissues when there is a “danger signal” or inflammation from the tissue itself. Here is where the role of oxidative stress and inflammation play into immunity and autoimmunity in a significant way, and why the “terrain” is, in fact, everything and the germ is, in fact, nothing.

Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of Vaccines and Medications

The fact that there is such an evolving conceptualization of immunity and one that only begins to account for the role of diet, environmental toxins, and gene expression variation should serve as a serious wake up call to those who believe that modern-day physicians and pharmaceutical companies are in any position to make recommendations, let alone mandates, about how we, as individuals, should manage our risks of infection. The truth is, once interventions such as vaccines and antibiotics have perturbed our natural mechanisms, there is very little that Western medicine can to do help. Chronic disease and autoimmunity are not the forte of the average doc, so gambling with that potential risk should certainly be done with thought and care.

To that end, there are so many tremendous resources out there, but the latest and greatest is Dissolving Illusions, which takes you on a meticulously documented tour of the role of hygiene and diet in the epidemiology of infectious disease and the misconceptions surrounding vaccinology and health.

For more practical tips, Saying No To Vaccines is an important guide for new parents to educate yourselves about each and every vaccine, because each and every one is a major medical intervention that should be scrutinized independently.

We need to remain humble about what we don’t know, measured in our assumptions about the safety and efficacy of our pharmaceutical interventions, and reliant on time-tested ways to support natural immunity through nutrient dense diet, minimized environmental chemical exposures, and stress reduction. We need to lose the fear we have been conditioned to bring to conversations about infectious disease.

After all, germs are all around and within us, we need them, and they need us. We’ve spent quite a long time developing a sophisticated language with which to communicate, and we are only beginning to decode it.

About the author. Dr. Brogan is an M.I.T/Cornell/Bellevue-trained psychiatrist specialized in holistic women’s health. She is a mother of two and has a busy practice in Manhattan. A passion for understanding the intersection between health, nutrition, and the environment are the bedrock of her wellness approach with patients and at home. Visit her site at: Kelly Brogan, MD, Holistic Women’s Health Psychiatry.

Migraines and Hormones: Behind the Curtain

by Angela A Stanton, PhD

Published on December 15, 2014

7170 views

Before puberty, migraines are three times more frequent in males than in females but after puberty the tides turn and females are more likely to suffer from migraines than males. An Oxford study found that females are twice as likely to have migraines and that

“brains are deferentially affected by migraine in females compared with males. Furthermore, the results also support the notion that sex differences involve both brain structure as well as functional circuits, in that emotional circuitry compared with sensory processing appears involved to a greater degree in female than male migraineurs.”

The overwhelming belief is that the connection is clear: the hormones kick in for women at puberty and that must be the reason. This begs the questions: 1) Do males have the same hormonal problems before puberty as females do after puberty? If hormones are at root of the problems, then there must be some similarities, right? 2) If female hormones are responsible for migraines, do all females have migraines when they reach puberty? 3) Do migraines cease when hormones stop changing after menopause? 4) What about pregnancy or postpartum, how do hormones impact women then? And finally, 5) Do men stop having migraines after puberty?

Some of the answers to these questions will surprise you and may make you wonder if hormones have anything to do with migraines at all. In this post, I show you that while there are some connections between hormones and migraine they might not be the primary drivers of migraine. The relationship between hormones and migraine is not in the presence of hormonal changes but what those changes require in terms of brain energy, the lack of which causes migraines.

First, I would like to respond in quick the five questions I asked earlier: 1) Do males have the same hormonal problems before puberty as females do after puberty that causes them migraines? The answer to this is no. 2) If female hormones are responsible for migraines, do all females have migraines when they reach puberty? The answer to this also is no. 3) Do migraines stop after menopause? Many women have more migraines and some even start migraines in their menopause, so the answer is no. 4) Do migraine increase or decrease during pregnancy or postpartum? The answer is no during pregnancy, but yes postpartum. 5) Do men stop having migraines after puberty? No they do not.

It is not obvious that the cause of migraines must have anything to do with female monthly cycles and their associated hormones. Given also that many women have migraines after puberty, we are safe to assume that some other factors may play a role. It would be hard to envision a world full of children in which our evolutionary road took women to necessarily experience migraines with their menstrual cycles. So what is the connection to hormones; how do women end up with migraines; and why?

Rather than listing all the hormones that activate throughout the monthly cycle of a woman, let’s take a look at what is happening in the body of that woman backstage, during the hormonal changes. First, in a small review I cover in a few sentences what a migraine is.

Migraine is a collection of symptoms that have an underlying physiological mechanism based on chemical (ionic) imbalance in the brain. Migraine is a neurovascular event that Dr. Charles at UCLA called “spectacular neuro-physiological event” that changes the neurophysiology or chemistry of the brain itself. This can be seen using fMRI technology where oxygenation of brain regions shows where activity occurs during migraine—albeit this does not show why it occurs. The same article also suggests that though medications are available to treat the pain associated with migraines, half the sufferers do not receive any pain relief benefit from the drugs. I find this statement alone interesting because if migraine was truly understood, the pain medication would work for all. This clearly is not the case. To understand what is happening, we must think out of the box and leave behind the hormonal theory of migraines.

Moving Beyond the Hormone Migraine Theory

We now visit the female body all through a month. Let’s start two days after her menstrual cycle has ended. As female, we feel great, no pain, no bleeding, life is awesome. But what we don’t see works hard in the background using up important energy: the brain. Our hormonal changes are happening every moment of the day only we don’t feel it—hormonal changes are directed by the brain. Because we don’t feel the changes, we are ill-prepared for the inevitable day when it reaches a threshold point of not enough brain energy and the migraine starts. This typically happens 2-4 days prior to menses. I do not think migraines are caused by hormones, but rather they are triggered by the lack of energy available to the brain as the hormones cycle. When the brain runs out of energy, a wave of cortical depression begins in some part of the brain. This is what we feel as a migraine.

What actually happens that uses all that energy? After the menstrual cycle is over, the female body immediately prepares for the next menstrual cycle. There is no downtime for rest. The brain turns off one group of hormones and turns on others thereby manipulating how women see the world prior to and during estrus (fertile time). After a menstrual cycle is over, the brain turns on the estrogen to do a few things:

Prepare the uterus with a new fertile lining to accept the fertilized egg should one arrive and start a new life.
In order to make such fertilized egg happen, the egg must be prepared in the ovaries so hormones initiate the ripening of a new egg.
The woman’s body goes through amazing visible changes at this time of the month. If she had pimples, they magically disappear. If she was bloated, her bloating goes away. Her face becomes the most symmetrical it possibly can; the more symmetrical the more sexually appealing she becomes to the opposite sex.
She becomes extremely attracted to high testosterone males requiring her pheromones to change and to be able to sense a high testosterone pheromone male’s presence. This high testosterone attraction changes after estrus to attraction to low testosterone males for the safety of the child, should mating end in a baby.

With all this activity going on in the female body that she cannot feel, she is in danger of exceeding the threshold of brain energy-shortage without prior notice or preparation. The cost of all of these activities behind the curtains in the female body is very high in terms of brain energy and hydration. These are sex-hormonal functions that only exist for a certain period of time during the female life. Females are known to be born with all of their eggs they will ever ripen for possible babies. Only these eggs are not “ripe” at birth. Every month one egg ripens in one of two ovaries (sometimes in both and sometimes in none). This egg breaks out of the ovary and starts its journey down the ovarian tube where it either gets fertilized by a sperm or not. If the egg is fertilized, it attaches to the wall of the uterus lining—later to become the placenta of the baby—and a new life cycle begins in the mother-to-be. If however there is no sperm able to penetrate the egg, while it descends in the ovarian tube, the egg will have to be cleared from the uterus together with the nutritious blood vessel rich lining created. This happens with the menstrual bleeding. This we can see and feel.

My Theory: Why Hormone Changes are not the Cause of Migraines

As shown earlier, migraines are not equally present in everyone’s life. Other factors, such as genetic predisposition to sensory organ hyper sensitivities (SOHS) that require more energy, may be the cause. Recent research hints at ionic balance (meaning energy available for use) is crucial in maintaining optimal function and the slightest imbalance can cause major problems (Wei et al.).

When the body is tasked with demanding activities the cells responsible for completing those extra tasks are doing extra chores and need extra energy. The brain regulates the creation of extra hormones for the menstrual cycle. The brain manages the clearing of the uterus after the fertile layer was not used.

By the third day after the cycle, the brain is ordering an egg to ripen—this takes extra energy. This is a once a month event. The brain must have extra energy to complete this task. Ever tried to run a marathon on empty or run your car the extra mile without fuel in your tank? Not possible. Something must break. The brain is the logical one for those who are predisposed to SOHS. If their brain runs out of energy, the neurons cannot generate voltage and stop creating neurotransmitters that instruct the production of hormones in the body. This leads to cortical depression and migraine.

Migraine during Pregnancy

Hands up: how many of you had migraines during pregnancy? Up to 75% of migraineurs do not have migraines during pregnancy. Why you may ask? There is more than one reason for this. The first and most important reason is that while the mom-to-be is pregnant, she has no menstrual cycles so the brain has no monthly cyclical job and it need not use extra energy. Even if the pregnancy comes with a menstrual flow here and there—as it sometimes happens—there is no egg that ripens and there is no uterus layer to remove. It is only a bit of bleeding but no extra energy was needed by the brain for this menstrual flow.

The second important factor is that during pregnancy the mom-to-be seems is more cognizant of what her and her baby-to-be needs. She eat more, tends to eat what she craves and is less likely to be good-looking-body conscious during this time. Pickles with ice cream are famous cravings of women. All the nutrients the brain craves for re-creating energy and feed the brain to prevent migraines: salt, calcium, magnesium, and fat that converts to sugar in the brain.

Migraine during Postpartum

After giving birth nearly, nearly all women immediately revert to eating for a good looking body, lose all the baby fat, and get back into the size zero genes. They stop eating brain-healthy after pregnancy (they never realized they ate brain healthy the first place). Nearly all women return to their migraines postpartum as they return to their old dietary habits.

Post-Menopausal and Menopausal Migraines

We are often told that after we enter menopause or are post-menopausal, our migraines will disappear. Yet, I talk to many women, who have more migraines after their fertile period of life has passed. I am one of those women who experienced more migraines in menopause than in early life. Thus, being no longer fertile, no longer ‘hormonal’ does not mean that we become migraine free; further pointing to the lack of connection of migraines to hormonal fluctuations. In menopause, many women are still very body conscious and watch their dress size more than their health. Others, however, recognize the value of a body supporting diet that may not create a body to fit into such small jeans but may be healthier for an older woman. This second group probably stops experiencing migraines (like I did) whereas the first group remains dehydrated and lacks brain nutrition to work those SOHS brains. They end up continuing their migraines as they had them before.

Of course, we already know from my previous posts that migraines are genetic so not everyone abusing her body will end up as migraineur. To be migraine free, everyone, male or female, must follow the rules of brain fuel.

Fuel for Migraines (Hormonal or Not)

What exactly is the fuel for migraines of any kind? I am leading you back to the first post on migraine that tells you what nutrition the brain needs to return to energy and fuel-filled comfortable homeostasis. The brain works on electricity, which requires specific charge differences inside and outside the cell’s membrane. This voltage is created by salt (sodium and chloride) in ample supply. Sodium also retains water inside the cells for hydrations and opens the sodium-potassium gate to allow nutritional exchange. I am also linking you back to the second post on migraines that explains the anatomy of migraines and what actually happens when the brain in not in homeostasis. How a migraine starts is now visible in fMRI. If you follow the posts I linked to and read the book on how to prevent and fight migraines, chances are, you may never have to face another migraine in your life.

Sources:

Fighting the Migraine Epidemic; A complete Guide. An Insider’s View by Angela A. Stanton, Ph.D. Authorhouse, February 2014. https://www.amazon.com/Fighting-Migraine-Epidemic-Complete-Migraines/dp/154697637X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1518636023&sr=8-1
Why Women Suffer More Migraines Than Men by Patty Neighmond, NOR April 16, 2012 3:17 AM ET http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/04/16/150525391/why-women-suffer-more-migraines-than-men
Her versus his migraine: multiple sex differences in brain function and structure by Maleki et al. BRAIN. 2012: 135; 2546–2559, http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/content/brain/135/8/2546.full.pdf
Hormones & desire Hormones associated with the menstrual cycle appear to drive sexual attraction more than we know. American Psychological Association By Bridget Murray Law. March 2011, Vol 42, No. 3 Print version: page 44 http://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/03/hormones.aspx
Human Oestrus by Steven W Gangestad, Randy Thornhill. The Royal Society, Proceedings B May 2008 http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/275/1638/991
Ovulating Women are STRIPPING Men of their Money. Cal Poly Bio 502 class lecture notes article. A blog about human evolution, economics, and sexual physiology. Why do strippers make more money at different times of the month? By Hayley Chilton http://physiologizing.blogspot.com/2013/01/ovulating-women-are-stripping-men-of.html
Migraine and Children. Migraine Research Foundation http://www.migraineresearchfoundation.org/Migraine%20in%20Children.html
Prevalence and Burden of Migraine in the United States: Data From the American Migraine Study II; Richard B. Lipton, MD; Walter F. Stewart, MPH, PhD; Seymour Diamond, MD; Merle L. Diamond, MD; Michael Reed, PhD. Journal Headache; 646:657
Population-based survey in 2,600 women. Karli et al., The Journal of Headache and Pain October 2012, Volume 13, Issue 7, pp 557-565 http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10194-012-0475-0
Multisensory Integration in Migraine Todd J. Schwedt, MD, MSCI. Curr Opin Neurol. Jun 2013; 26(3): 248–253
Unification of Neuronal Spikes, Seizures, and Spreading Depression. Wei et al., The Journal of Neuroscience, August 27, 2014 • 34(35):11733–11743 • 11733

From Anorexia to Athlete

by Lisbeth Prifogle, MFA

Published on December 10, 2014

2751 views

Recently, I had a conversation with some girlfriends about working out and specifically doing push-ups. One friend invited us to do a push up program where you start out doing as many as you can and build up to 100 (even if you can’t do 1 it’s designed to build you up to 100 over time). She decided she was going to do it, but not the whole program because she was afraid, “it will make my boobs even smaller, which is the one downfall to losing weight.”

Another girlfriend confirmed this fear. I added my two cents on the matter, “it should make your breasts look perkier and larger when you build up the pectoral muscle behind them.” That didn’t matter, their fears of looking less feminine outweighed their fitness goal for more strength.

Of course why wouldn’t it? In a culture that punishes female Olympians with the ridicule of taking a gender test if they don’t look feminine enough or break a new record that women weren’t supposed to be able to break (read more here Are the 2012 Olympics the Year of the Woman?).

I’m not saying that I’ve never been afraid of loosing what little breasts I have or that I’ve hated the fact that my little sister wore a bigger bra size then me by the time she turned 16. It’s only recently that I’ve been able to conquer my own self-hatred of my body by accepting that it just that – a body. It’s been a long battle, but on most days I sit on the side of victory and look in the mirror and see flesh, bones, muscles and organs that help me achieve my goals – physical, mental, and spiritual enlightenment and acceptance.

Battling Anorexia

Not too long ago, I looked in the mirror and thought that I was obese, grotesquely obese. I’m nearly 6’ tall and have never weighed over 165 lbs. I’ve never been close to obesity, but on my darkest days there was no way you could convince me of what I wasn’t or why it really mattered. Becoming an athlete, someone who sets physical goals and goes out to achieve them, not only saved my life, but also enhanced it. As an athlete I push myself not only on the track (or in whatever sport arena I participate in), but in life as well. The lessons go beyond accepting my body for what it is, but loving my ability to run 26.2 miles, jump up and do pull ups, participate in Spartan Adventure Races, and most recently complete various Cross Fit workouts (which short of the Marine Corps, are the most challenging work outs I’ve ever done). Of course, it’s been a long journey to get here.

I spent the better part of my late teens and early twenties hungry and malnourished by choice. In college, I woke up at 5 or 6 AM every morning to run 6 miles (10-15 miles on the weekends). I then carefully monitored how many calories I consumed during the day to make sure I didn’t exceed my limit of 1000 calories. I beat myself up if I didn’t go to bed with a growling stomach. At one point, my friend Joel would not let me get up from the table until I had consumed what he considered enough for me (he’s a rather large and intimidating man so when I say force, I do mean by loving force). Of course, I simply found excuses not to eat with my friends in order not to exceed my strict calorie limit, but Joel always (and to this day still) asks me if I’m taking care of myself in a way that makes me realize that food is not the demon, the perceptions in my head are.

Becoming an Athlete

When I was 24-years-old, I decided that I was going to be a Marine Corps Officer. I trained for the nine months prior to leaving for Officer Candidate School (OCS) by running six miles and weight training. I worked out at the gym at the recruiters’ office. They were the first mentors that discussed proper nutrition for an athlete with me. All of my coaches in high school somehow missed this important subject. They put it very simply, “You are going to burn more calories than you can possibly consume at OCS. Libby, you’re going to have to eat if you want to make it through. If you don’t, you’ll end up a medical drop.”

I have no idea where this determination to be a Marine came from, it was certainly a relatively new life goal, but I heeded their advice and ate everything the cafeteria workers piled on my plate. I wanted to be a Marine more than I wanted to be thin enough, enough for what I still don’t know. I was amazed by how much energy I had, how much I enjoyed food and how much time I had wasted counting calories.

Today, I don’t count calories, or get on scales. I don’t let myself partake in the idea that there is some invisible standard set by the media, Hollywood and society that I’ll never reach, but should keep trying at all cost, because if I don’t reach it I won’t be loved/successful/fill in the blank. On my bad days, when I tell my boyfriend I feel fat even though I know I’m not, he simply laughs at me. I remind myself that my body is my vessel and needs to be fueled properly. I wonder if this will be a battle I will always fight? If so, I know that as long as I constantly challenge myself, both physically and mentally, and know that I won’t meet my goals without the proper fuel, I will win. My latest challenge is Cross Fit, but I still enjoy running and other various sports. In September I start classes for holistic health with a focus on nutrition.

Feminine Enough

As an athlete, or at least a very fit person, I face a new battle. Looking “feminine enough.” Again I ask, feminine enough for what? As women push their bodies and break records in the Olympics, I listen to the sportscasters, friends and strangers comment about their lack of female curves. My own boyfriend has voiced concern that I will look “manly” if I get to strong (to which I laughed). I am, always have been, likely will always be a svelte person. Without the aid of plastic surgery, I will never look like Marilyn Monroe, and that is okay. I have learned, the hard way, that suffering in order to fit into someone else’s idea of beauty, health, success, etc., will only make you suffer. In the end it will never be enough because it’s not what you want.

Love Thyself

It was a slow progression from obsessive calorie counter to amateur athlete. Today, I eat until I am full and enjoy healthy fats and, gasp, carbs! I have a slight dark chocolate addiction and am healthier and fitter at 31 than I was at 21. I hope that my girlfriends realize that their goals should always trump someone else’s ideal of worthiness. If a woman wants to work up to 100 push-ups or run a marathon or become a racecar driver, she shouldn’t let society’s preconceived notion of gender roles and standards of femininity/beauty stand in her way. I wasted too many years avoiding the pleasure and nourishment of food in hopes of being thin enough and learned that in the end you are just starving for self-acceptance and participating in the life you want to live. I honestly believe that becoming an athlete saved me from Anorexia.

Decline in Mammograms – Good or Bad?

by Elena Perez

Published on December 9, 2014

3079 views

In 2009, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released a statement in which they recommended against mammograms for women aged 40 to 49, which contrasted with the recommendation made seven years prior that women begin screening at the age of 40.

What’s a Mammogram?

Mammograms are x-ray examinations that help doctors determine if there are any changes to the breast tissue that could not be felt during clinical breast examinations. It’s normal for breasts to change, but doctors specifically look for changes that may indicate the patient has breast cancer.

Doctors use mammograms to try to determine if lumps in the breasts are cancerous and compare findings to previous mammograms to identify physical changes in the breast.

Breast Changes May Be Hormonal

Of course, it’s important to note that changes in the breasts are not necessarily cancerous, and can actually be hormonal. The University of Maryland Medical Center refers to this as “fibrocystic change,” in which the breasts become lumpy and painful right before one’s menstrual period, a result of hormones being produced in the ovaries.

More than 50% of women experience fibrocystic changes during their menstrual cycle, which means a majority of women experience physical changes in their breasts regularly.

As a woman, it is helpful to be aware of cyclical changes that the breasts undergo, and if possible, keep track. Hormonal changes in the breast don’t usually begin until a woman is 30, symptoms may be impacted by hormonal drugs (such as hormone replacement therapy or birth control pills), and fibrocystic changes usually stop after menopause.

Understanding natural changes to the breasts can supplement a doctor’s knowledge during mammography screenings. Such knowledge may even help a woman better plan breast examinations according to her menstrual cycle, so doctors can identify new changes as opposed to recurring ones.

So Why Delay Mammography?

Even in 2002, the USPSTF stated there was little evidence that women benefited from screening for breast cancer sooner than 50 years of age. The report noted that negative consequences of mammograms include “anxiety, discomfort and cost associated with positive test results, many of which are false positive, and the diagnostic procedures they generate.”

In addition, since the breast is exposed to small doses of radiation during mammography, the repeated exposure can increase a woman’s risk of cancer. The risk of getting cancer is small, however, and the benefits of mammography usually outweigh the risks. But the USPSTF started to question whether the benefits outweigh the risks for women in their 40s.

Though mammograms can benefit those with breast cancer, the incidence of breast cancer in women in their 40s is much lower than it is for women in their 50s. Since most women are not likely to have breast cancer in their 40s, women in this age group are more likely to suffer adverse effects from the examination.

The USPSTF stated the decision to have a mammogram should be an individual one that takes into account family medical history and other pertinent information.

Decline in Mammograms among 40-year-old Women

The impact of these recommendations can be seen in recent data recorded by Mayo Clinic, which shows there have been 54,000 fewer mammograms among women in their 40s, or a 5.72% decline.

It’s difficult to determine whether this decrease in mammography among women in their 40s is good or not, as some experts still recommend screening as early as 40, including Mayo Clinic, which follows the recommendations given by the American Cancer Society.

Now What?

Women should identify any regular physical breast changes, continue to conduct self breast examinations along with clinical breast examinations, and openly discuss this information, as well as any possible genetic predisposition to breast cancer, with their doctors. Through discourse, women can decide what the best course of action is for their specific needs.

Psychiatric Side Effects of Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics

by Lisa Bloomquist

Published on December 8, 2014

60923 views

Lisa Bloomquist flouroquinolone antibiotics

In a survey of 94 people who experienced adverse reactions to Levaquin/levofloxacin, a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, 72% reported experiencing anxiety, 62% reported depression, 48% reported insomnia, 37% reported panic attacks, 33% reported brain fog and/or cognitive impairment, 29% reported depersonalization and/or derealization, 24% reported thoughts of suicide and 22% reported psychosis. Case-studies and research papers also reveal that fluoroquinolone antibiotics can cause severe psychiatric adverse reactions. Some of the studies include, Acute Psychosis Following the Use of Topical Ciprofloxacin, A Possible Case of Levofloxacin Associated Amnesia, Depression, and Paresthesia, Levofloxacin-induced acute psychosis, Ofloxacin-induced hallucinations, and others. Fluoroquinolone antibiotics, Cipro/ciprofloxacin, Levaquin/levofloxacin, Avelox/moxifloxacin and Floxin/ofloxacin, can cause severe psychiatric adverse reactions. These psychiatric adverse reactions, like other adverse reactions to fluoroquinolones that are encompassed in fluoroquinolone toxicity syndrome, can be long-lasting and are sometimes permanent.

Petitioning the FDA about Fluoroquinolone Safety

A citizen petition has been submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting that increased warnings about the severe psychiatric effects of Levaquin/levofloxacin be added to the official warning labels. The petition, which was submitted by Dr. Charles Bennett of the Southern Network on Adverse Reactions (SONAR), requests that a black box warning about serious psychiatric adverse events be added to the Levaquin/levofloxacin warning label. Black box warnings are the “strongest warning that the FDA requires, and signifies that medical studies indicate that the drug carries a significant risk of serious or even life-threatening adverse effects.”

Psychiatric Side Effects of Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics: From the Survivors

The psychiatric adverse effects of fluoroquinolones are severe, life-altering and sometimes life-threatening. People with no history of psychiatric problems have experienced depression, paranoia, psychosis, anxiety, etc. after taking fluoroquinolone antibiotics. Traci describes the effects of Cipro on her mental and physical health as follows:

“It has almost been 3 years since I took a 30 day supply of Cipro for a UTI and just like most of the stories, my life has changed drastically. First came the weakness and fatigue, enough to where I would sleep for days and started wrapping my wrists, arms and feet with k tape on a daily basis. My eye sight started going bad very quickly, and just constant tingling, numbness, brittle, depression that I couldn’t control, loss of balance, anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia that lasted for days at a time, nightmares.
I’ve lost a couple of years with my children and husband that I will never get back. I left a very good job/company thinking stress was the cause and went to another smaller company only to get let go a few months after starting as I couldn’t make it to work every day.
My first doctor seemed angry when I asked her if the Cipro could be the cause and made me feel like an idiot. I went to holistic doctor, didn’t mention the Cipro this time as I thought I was wrong about the cause. She diagnosed me with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome and wanted to run tests to find toxins in my system, but due to job loss I could no longer afford. She was on the right track and I’m grateful for the things she has taught me in my short time with her, but I am still down more days than I am up and I lost a really good salary that has put pressure on my whole family. Finally when I heard FDA announced the link to peripheral neuropathy and started reading about what Cipro has done to others I at least know I am not crazy.”

Traci’s story of multiple psychiatric symptoms, including depression, anxiety and panic attacks, and the effects of those symptoms on her life, are unfortunately familiar for many people who have taken fluoroquinolones. Another victim of Cipro/ciprofloxacin, Ruth, reported:

“A couple days after stopping the Cipro, I experienced terrifying panic attacks every time I fell asleep. It was like being shoved down into hell: a place of loneliness and terror. I had never felt fear and hopelessness like that. It was like being thrust into a horrible place from which there was no escape.”

The adverse psychiatric effects of fluoroquinolones can seem to come out of nowhere, with panic and anxiety attacks striking while doing normal activities like watching television, driving, or falling asleep. Adverse reactions to fluoroquinolones are often delayed for weeks or even months after administration of the drugs has stopped; leaving victims and physicians alike with difficulty connecting the drugs to the ensuing psychiatric problems.

Serious and Life Altering Psychiatric Side Effects

The psychiatric symptoms described by Traci and Ruth are serious and life-altering. Neither physicians nor patients currently have adequate information about the severity of adverse psychiatric effects caused by fluoroquinolone antibiotics because the psychiatric effects are currently buried in the “Central Nervous System Effects” heading of the warning label. As the citizen petition notes, these effects should have their own heading and a black box warning. Perhaps when a black box warning of serious psychiatric events is added to the warning labels for Cipro/ciprofloxacin, Levaquin/levofloxacin, Avelox/moxifloxacin and Floxin/ofloxacin it will be realized that people who are suddenly suffering from panic and anxiety attacks, insomnia, paranoia, excessive fearfulness, psychosis, bipolar disorder, etc. after taking a fluoroquinolone aren’t suddenly crazy or deciding to be difficult, they’re suffering from fluoroquinolone toxicity syndrome – an iatrogenic disease and a tragic assault to victims’ bodies and minds.

I hope that the FDA responds to Dr. Bennett and SONAR’s call for increased warnings about the psychiatric effects of fluoroquinolones by both adding the warnings requested, and by restricting the rampant use of fluoroquinolones when other, safer, antibiotics are available. Loss of mental health is not an appropriate price to pay for treatment of a urinary tract infection, traveler’s diarrhea, sinus infection or any other infection that isn’t life-threatening.

Information about Fluoroquinolone Toxicity

Information about the author, and adverse reactions to fluoroquinolone antibiotics (Cipro/ciprofloxacin, Levaquin/levofloxacin, Avelox/moxifloxacin and Floxin/ofloxacin) can be found on Lisa Bloomquist’s site, www.floxiehope.com.

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