And why the anti-aging ingredient found in red wine may not live up to the hype. Discover how you can feel stronger, healthier, sharper, and have far more vitality. This invaluable information will help you block the free radicals that age your heart, brain, and joints; promote strong, healthy cell production; infuse your brain cells with youth-enhancing nourishment, and rejuvenate aging skin and connective tissue.
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Even those of us who had happy childhoods can recall certain experiences or periods that we wish we hadn’t lived through, but many people had to grow up under truly miserable, even traumatic, circumstances. We all know that the psychological effects of a difficult childhood linger into adulthood, but now medical researchers are examining how this plays out regarding physical health -- they’ve discovered that children who endured neglect, abuse, social isolation and/or poverty have a high likelihood of developing certain medical problems now that they are adults. Understanding how this happens will reveal what specific health measures can help better the odds that such people can have long, healthy -- and far happier lives.
Predictable Patterns
A study from Duke University followed a group of New Zealanders from birth for just over 30 years, at which time researchers evaluated the health of each participant. They discovered that those who experienced childhood trauma were twice as likely to suffer from serious adult health problems, including major depression and chronic inflammation (as measured by levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein), as well as metabolic markers (being overweight, high blood pressure and high total cholesterol, for example) that indicate a higher risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and dementia. Another long-range study -- this one from Kaiser-Permanente’s Department of Preventive Medicine -- found that half of the 286 obese people in its treatment program had been sexually abused as children.
While neither of these studies investigated what mechanism might be causing these later physical problems, researchers believe that overstimulation of the stress response in childhood continues to affect nervous, immune and endocrine functioning into adulthood. This is such a troubling situation that it made me wonder what people who suffered from early trauma might do to break free of its implications for their later health. I asked four different experts for their insights...
"When people experience trauma and emotional stress, the effects get lodged -- and sometimes stuck -- in the body, bringing physical and emotional rigidity because the memory of the trauma remains lodged in the muscles. People who have had these experiences don’t feel safe and open to the world -- they remain guarded, sometimes not even wanting to be touched or hugged. Trauma from the past absolutely can be healed, but you need to take on the task of releasing it, which will involve going back to the trauma and the feelings associated with it. Conventional therapy is important, but you can’t just talk your way out of trauma like this -- you have to involve the body as well."
What you can do: In addition to cognitive therapy, Dr. Orloff recommends that people with childhood trauma get regular massages to release the stress that is bound in the body. This relieves both old and new stress by relaxing the muscles. She notes that people who have suffered trauma often find that getting a massage brings to the surface memories of the stressful events that they have been "carrying in their bodies," for instance creating pain in the shoulders or lower back. Also she says, people may find they cry and, if this happens, it’s something positive. "Crying helps release memories -- it is the body’s mechanism to let go of stress and increase endorphins that will help the person feel better."
"The brain stores memories associated with trauma in two regions. One is the hippocampus, which stores and processes lasting memory -- such traumas are the experiences that people can talk about. Other memories are stored by the amygdala, which is involved with emotional learning and memories that tend to get blocked from consciousness. These memories dwell in the body and are expressed through body symptoms. Here is how: The amygdala is connected to the body’s autonomic nervous system, which affects the heart, the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and the immune system. When something in the world does not feel safe and secure, the immune system, heart and digestive tract will let you know through many kinds of illness and discomfort, including cold and flu, heart palpitations and nausea. When a similar painful event happens later in life, your body responds with the same type of reaction -- as if on "instant replay."
What you can do: Dr. Schulz recommends a type of cognitive therapy called Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (
www.BehavioralTech.com) that has been shown by research to "work phenomenally well for transforming childhood trauma." She explained that DBT enables patients to learn how to soothe themselves "the minute the first sense of the amygdala-autonomic nervous system’s panic, sadness or anger sets in, so the emotions don’t go down into your body and elicit all the physical reactions." Where mindful meditation teaches people how to handle symptoms, DBT goes further, teaching people how to deal with the emotions that lead to the symptoms -- and learning to regulate emotions before they start the domino effect -- freeing you from being a prisoner of your past.
Lixing Lao, PhD, LAc, senior researcher for Traditional Chinese Medicine at The Center for Integrative Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore
"In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), where organs are used to represent specific syndromes and problems, the kidney is associated with childhood development, including when it is damaged by adverse psychosocial experiences," says Dr. Lao. "The TCM theory is that in childhood the kidneys are still weak -- emotional abuse that damages the kidneys’ chi (or energy) can keep them from growing strong."
What you can do: Dr. Lao suggests starting with a visit to an acupuncturist or a TCM practitioner who can help release these problems with herbal treatments and acupuncture to support the kidneys. "We believe that people need to also work with the problem through active treatment as well," he noted. "For this, we advise tai chi quan, a slow martial art exercise. The movements are so slow that they quiet and calm the mind and keep its focus on the moment." Dr. Lao recommends practicing tai chi quan consistently, every day or every other day, noting that after a year you will find yourself noticeably stronger physically and mentally.
Mark Stengler, NMD, founder and director of Stengler Center for Integrative Medicine, Encinitas, California, and author of Bottom Line Natural Healing
Finally, I asked our frequent contributor Mark Stengler, NMD, what therapies and treatments he recommends to people suffering from long-ago abuse or other trauma. He, too, reinforced that the mind is connected to the nervous and immune systems, which is why unresolved mental and emotional traumas continue to affect the body throughout the years. In addition to counseling, Dr. Stengler says that eating a healthful diet and using nutritional supplements that promote physical health, such as fish oil and B vitamins, will improve chances of emotional healing by keeping the body strong. In addition, he treats patients with homeopathic substances that help heal emotional grief and trauma, among them Natrum Muriaticum and Pulsatilla. For optimal healing, he recommends working with a holistic practitioner because that is the way to get the individualized homeopathic therapy that is best for your specific situation.
Lixing Lao, MD, PhD, LAc, senior researcher for Traditional Chinese Medicine at The Center for Integrative Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore.
Mark Stengler, NMD, founder and director, Stengler Center for Integrative Medicine, Encinitas, California, and author of Bottom Line Natural Healing newsletter.
The 10 Biggest and Deadliest Heart Myths
The number of heart attacks has increased by 27 percent over the past 20 years, in spite of all the supposed advances of modern medicine. What's going on here?
Could we be mistaken about some things? Perhaps we're under some major misconceptions about heart disease. Like...
Myth #1 -- Heart disease and heart attacks are an inevitable part of aging.
Myth #2 -- Cholesterol is the main cause of heart disease and heart attacks.
Myth #3 -- Blood pressure drugs help you avoid heart problems and live longer.
Myth #4 -- Aggressive, "type A" behavior increases your risk of a heart attack.
Myth #5 -- Low-fat, low cholesterol diets are good for you and your heart.
Learn more...
Insomnia Cure from Cherries... How Sweet
Can a glass of juice improve the quality of your sleep at night? Perhaps so -- researchers have found evidence that drinking tart cherry juice at bedtime helps insomniacs sleep through the night.
About seven years ago, scientists at a new company called CherryPharm began studying the health benefits of juice made from fresh tart cherries, a type of cherry that is loaded with phytochemicals and antioxidants. Several company-sponsored studies indicated that this juice helps ease inflammation and sore muscles in marathoners and heavy exercisers. Coincidentally some of the people in those studies mentioned that they also slept better after drinking the juice. This prompted the company to ask the University of Rochester Medical Center’s sleep research lab to investigate whether the juice might ease insomnia in older adults. The result? They conducted an eight-week double-blind study, which included 15 men and women, average age of 71.6, in good health and of normal weight, who experienced moderate-to-severe insomnia, especially wakefulness in the night. For two weeks, one group drank two eight-ounce glasses of tart cherry juice a day (one in the morning and the other one to two hours before bed) and the other drank a placebo -- then, after two more weeks to wash out any effect of the juice, the groups switched their regimens. Findings: Drinking the tart cherry juice brought significant improvement in sleep continuity. In fact, the juice worked better than the popular herbal sleep aid valerian and at least as well as melatonin, which had been evaluated in similar sleep studies. However, tart cherry juice did not help any other types of sleep problems, such as trouble falling asleep, and overall the researchers noted that engaging in cognitive and behavior modification therapies (such as adhering to a regular sleep schedule and developing a bedtime routine) work better for improving sleep in general.
Two Theories on Why It Works
But the cherry juice -- simple, safe and natural -- did help. When I contacted Wilfred R. Pigeon, PhD, head of the study and author of
The Sleep Manual, he told me that researchers have two theories about how tart cherry juice helps keep people asleep. First, tart cherries naturally contain melatonin, which is known to improve sleep in some people. The other possibility relates to the juice’s anti-inflammatory properties -- it’s known that inflammatory substances that naturally occur in the body are associated with the regulation of sleep and that poor sleep is associated with elevated levels of these substances. This was just a small study, Dr. Pigeon was quick to point out. While further investigation is needed, he said that these preliminary findings suggest that tart cherry juice may provide some aid for insomnia.
The study used Montmorency tart cherries, available at specialty and high-end supermarkets. One eight-ounce bottle of tart cherry juice contains the juice from 50 tart cherries along with a bit of apple juice and has a fresh, slightly sour taste -- and, it must be noted, it packs quite a sugar wallop, with 28 grams of sugar. (You can buy tart cherry juice that is sweetened with stevia, which contains 17 g of sugar.) Another option is to take a cherry supplement that contains freeze-dried extract of tart cherries in capsule form. As always, check with your doctor first.
Be well,
Carole Jackson
Bottom Line's Daily Health News
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