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to your Address Book or Safe List. Learn how here. | August 14, 2011 | |  |  | Biotherapeutic Drainage for Your Digestive Woes | | | Learn a Language in 10 Days | | | Why Men Fall Asleep After Sex | | | Arthritis Vanishes in Minutes | | | Which Artery-Clearing Procedure Is Safest for Women? | | | |  |  | |  | |
 | | Biotherapeutic Drainage for Your Digestive Woes If you suffer from chronic gastrointestinal problems, you know how aggravating such conditions can be. Recurrent abdominal pain, cramping, bloating, constipation and/or diarrhea are not only extremely uncomfortable, they can really hinder your everyday life. While conventional medications may help relieve symptoms of gastrointestinal distress, they also can have side effects and may not address the underlying cause of the symptoms. So when I heard that a homeopathic treatment called biotherapeutic drainage could alleviate digestive problems, I went looking for hard-and-fast evidence on it. Unfortunately, this is limited—and a primary reason, proponents say, is that homeopathy is not a one-size-fits-all therapy. Rather, the various remedies must be carefully matched to each person’s particular symptoms and to his or her physical and mental reactions to these symptoms. This individualization makes it nearly impossible to devise clinical studies that accurately reflect the therapy’s effectiveness. Even so, given how intractable gastrointestinal woes can be, I think it’s worth telling you about... WHAT IT IS AND HOW IT WORKS Put simply, biotherapeutic drainage is a method of removing (or "draining") toxins from the body, I heard from Dickson Thom, DDS, ND, a professor and past chair of naturopathic medicine at the National College of Natural Medicine. The therapy can ease symptoms and/or help cure a variety of gastrointestinal conditions (as well as other types of ailments, though in this article, we are focusing specifically on digestive woes). These include gastroesophageal reflux disease... irritable bowel syndrome... and inflammatory bowel diseases, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. This therapy, like all homeopathic approaches, is based on the principle that "like cures like." The concept: Certain substances of plant or mineral origin that can cause symptoms of disease also can reduce or eliminate those symptoms when taken in very tiny, diluted doses because they modulate the immune system (much as a vaccine would) and thus help the body heal itself. A biotherapeutic drainage product line called UNDA numbers includes 76 specific formulas. "Each of the 76 remedies contains a combination of certain plants and/or minerals that have a specific action on certain organs or tissues," Dr. Thom explained. Generally, the plant extracts target a specific organ or system and help it function better... while the mineral extracts catalyze the detoxification process within cells. UNDA remedies work by helping the body remove accumulated toxins and metabolic waste via the emunctories, or avenues of elimination. Emunctories include the intestines, kidneys and liver, of course, but also the lungs (which expel carbon dioxide)... the skin (which eliminates toxins via sweat)... and even the mind (which can work to dispel the stress, anxiety and depression that often contribute to digestive ills and other health problems). Dr. Thom explained, "The whole concept of drainage is to facilitate optimal function of these emunctories, allowing the discharge of toxic materials and permitting a person to return to a state of health." I asked Dr. Thom how this therapy differs from other types of detoxification, such as a detox diet. He said, "The principle of a detox diet is simply to lighten the load on the digestive system with the hope that the body will be able to eliminate stored toxins. The advantage of using the UNDA numbers is that they have the ability to stimulate the correct organs and/or tissues to more effectively and efficiently eliminate toxins. Thus, the addition of UNDA numbers to any detox plan—be it diet, botanicals, exercise, etc.—will enhance the effectiveness of that program." WHAT TO EXPECT DURING TREATMENT Biotherapeutic drainage typically is offered by practitioners of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), such as naturopathic physicians. Dr. Thom recommended contacting CAM practitioners in your area to ask if they are experienced with UDNA remedies. Caution: Though you can buy UNDA numbers on the Internet, for the therapy to be effective, you need to work with a knowledgeable professional. If used inappropriately, Dr. Thom said, UNDA numbers may create very uncomfortable side effects. Office visits and UNDA remedies are sometimes covered by insurance. Treatment usually begins with a detailed history and exam to determine which UNDA numbers would be most appropriate for a particular patient. Three UNDA remedies generally are prescribed to work together on a single tissue, organ or system. Typically patients take the remedies in droplet form three times a day for three weeks, then are reevaluated to see whether treatment should continue or whether different UNDA numbers should be prescribed. Initially, some patients may experience fatigue, headaches, muscle soreness, increased urination and/or loose stools as toxins are released. These symptoms, if they occur at all, generally are minimal if a patient follows a healthful lifestyle (including making appropriate dietary choices and drinking adequate amounts of water). Generally, patients using UNDA numbers for digestive problems start feeling significantly better within a month—experiencing less bloating, tolerating food better and having more energy, Dr. Thom said. In some cases, achieving maximal effects may take up to a year. Source: Dickson Thom, DDS, ND, is a professor and past chair of naturopathic medicine at the National College of Natural Medicine (NCNM), a clinic instructor at the NCNM Clinic and a private practitioner at the Bambú Clinic, all in Portland, Oregon. He also is the author of Coping with Food Intolerances (Sterling) and UNDA Numbers: An Energetic Journey to Homeostasis and Wellness (Jeld). www.BambuClinic.com
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 | | Why Men Fall Asleep After Sex It can be annoying to have your man do the postcoital passing-out routine just when you are settling in for a nice snuggle. But don’t take it too personally—because it doesn’t mean that he’s "just not that into you." Louann Brizendine, MD, a neuropsychiatrist at the University of California, San Francisco, and author of The Male Brain, explained to me what’s really going on inside the man’s head... After orgasm, she said, both the female and the male brain are flooded with oxytocin and dopamine, hormones that promote pleasurable, safe, warm feelings. In a woman’s brain, the hormonal blast sparks an urge to cuddle and talk so she can continue to feel a connection. The theory, Dr. Brizendine explained, is that this hormonal cocktail is the same one a woman gets when breast-feeding and snuggling with her baby. But: For reasons we don’t yet understand, in men this hormonal flood acts like a natural sleeping pill. Want to keep your partner awake for a while? Consider this: Both men and women tend to unconsciously hold their breath when they are in the throes of sex to heighten the erotic tension. The lack of oxygen, especially during such exertion, can be exhausting. So ask your partner to start taking deep breaths when he gets close to climax and to consciously breathe all the way through his orgasm—doing so may provide the energy boost he needs to stay awake for some afterglow. When I asked Dr. Brizendine if this breathing technique would make the man’s orgasm less intense, she said, "No, it won’t interfere with his pleasure—and if per chance it does, believe me, he will tell you!" Source: Louann Brizendine, MD, is a neuropsychiatrist and author of The Male Brain (Three Rivers) and The Female Brain (Broadway). She also is a professor of clinical psychiatry and founder and director of The Female Brain Clinic, both at the University of California, San Francisco. www.DrLouann.ning.com
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| | | Which Artery-Clearing Procedure Is Safest for Women? It’s scary to be told that your carotid arteries—the big blood vessels in your neck that supply oxygenated blood to the brain—are dangerously clogged with plaque, leaving you at increased risk for stroke. People with this condition, called carotid artery stenosis, often undergo one of two different surgical procedures... and in men, both surgeries appear to have similar benefits and risks. But: Among women, one of the procedures seems to be significantly riskier than the other, according to a new study published in The Lancet Neurology. Researchers recruited more than 2,500 patients from 117 centers in the US and Canada. The two procedures being compared were the traditional carotid endarterectomy, in which a surgeon makes an incision to open the carotid artery, removes the plaque and then stitches up the artery... and the newer carotid artery stenting, a less invasive procedure in which a stent (mesh tube) is inserted into the carotid via a catheter and left in place to keep the artery open. Results: Compared with women who underwent endarterectomy, women who got stents were more than twice as likely to have a stroke within 30 days after their surgery. Bottom line: If your doctor recommends carotid artery stenting rather than endarterectomy, be sure to discuss the gender-based differences in stroke risk found in this study. Source: Virginia J. Howard, PhD, is an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health, and lead author of a study of 2,502 people.
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 | |  Tamara Eberlein, the editor of HealthyWoman from Bottom Line, has been a health journalist for nearly three decades. An award-winning author or coauthor of four books, she is committed to helping other women in midlife and beyond live healthy, fulfilling lives. Her latest book is the updated, third edition of When You’re Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads (HarperCollins). She is also the "chief health adviser" to her husband of 26 years and three college-age children. | |  | | Bottom Line Publications | 281 Tresser Boulevard, 8th Floor | Stamford, CT 06901
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