Circadian Rhythms & Dinacharya
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The ayurvedic scholars and yogis knew the circadian rhythms long before the French geophysicist and astronomer, Jean-Jacques d’Ortous de Mairan, coined the term in 1719. The daily sadhana practices, are the external observances ayurvedic practitioners engage in, in order to maintain the synchronicity of our circadian rhythms. The daily sadhana practices, are collectively referred to as dinacharya. Dina means ‘day’ and acharya means, ‘to follow.’ As ayurvedic practitioners, we follow cues observed in nature with our behavior, so that our circadian rhythm is in line with the earth’s rotation. Ayurveda has taught, when we are out of sync with this rhythm, disease and imbalance can develop. Today it is known that circadian rhythm disharmony contribute to, and potentially cause, mood disorders such as depression, bi-polar disorder, adhd, and physical diseases such as heart disease, obesity, epilepsy, cancer, and Parkinson’s disease. Conversely, if we are able to align our circadian rhythm, we can maximize our health, mental alertness, immunity, awareness, and physical strength.
Our body’s ‘master clock’ that keeps the time of circadian rhythm is called the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN). It is found on the hypothalamus in the brain in many types of living creatures. Proteins called cryptochrome 1 & 2, originally discovered in plants, are also in the human eye, and respond to ranges from blue to ultraviolet on the light spectrum. When this light enters the eye it activates neurons that transform photons (light particles) into electrical signals, are then sent to the SCN. In response, the SCN suppresses the pineal gland from secreting the hormone melatonin when it is light, and stimulates melatonin secretion, when it is dark. Melatonin is an important hormone and antioxidant, responsible for stimulating the desire to sleep when it is secreted.
The circadian rhythms in the periphreal tissues are called “oscillators.” Upon our first exposure to light in the morning, the SCN informs the other cells in the rest of the body, who then augment their circadian rhythm accordingly. The SCN communicates its circadian signals, through several mediums such as the pituitary hormones and vagus nerve, to the peripheral tissues, such as the liver, kidneys, and gastrointestinal tract. The peripheral tissue oscillators integratively maintain numerous circadian rhythms in the body, such as respiration, temperature, hunger, tiredness and wakefulness.
Dusk and dawn are the most important zeitgebers to almost every living organism, including bacteria, animals, plants, and humans, on the planet. If the initial light exposure is different consistently over a period of time, circadian rhythms will shift. In normal circumstances this assists in our adjustment to seasonal changes. The sleep/wake cycle is the first circadian rhythm to shift to changing light exposures. The oscillators in the peripheral tissues take several days longer. This is harmless if it occurs slowly over time. When there are abrupt changes to light exposure, however, it is observed to cause imbalance. Researchers speculate that travel and dramatic schedule changes, can pose risks to circadian rhythm synchronicities. When circadian cycles in the peripheral tissues run autonomously from the SCN, they ‘free run,’ and the rhythms become ‘desynchronized.’ This desynchronization is observed in a wide variety of diseases. In clinical studies, cells taken from the SCN, and kept away from alternating exposure of light and darkness, continued its circadian cycle for up to 31-days before it began to ‘’free run.’’ It moved from the normal 24-hour cycle, to a 26-hour cycle. Cells taken from peripheral tissues ceased their circadian rhythm in only 9 days.
The pineal gland is a primary component in the sleep/wake cycle. It is primarily known for its secretion of melatonin, and is associated with the third eye in many Eastern traditions. Melatonin is a hormone that circulates through the body of many animals, and is believed to entrain the circadian rhythms of several biologic functions.It is sometimes called the ‘’hormone of darkness’’ because it triggers the desire for sleep. It is known to affect sleep cycles, circadian rhythms, suppress tumor growth, and act as a powerfult antioxidant. In healthy humans, it is secreted at low levels in dim light, and gradually increases over the next several hours, with peaks mid-sleep cycle.
Melatonin has been studied and used in the treatment of several diseases, including, cancer, immune disorders, sleep disorders, cardiovascular disease, and others. Artificial light from computers and t.v.s, are known to suppress the production of melatonin in the body, disturb circadian rhythm, and deprive the body of a precious natural antioxidant.Chronic light exposure inhibits melatonin secretion, and causes insomnia in some individuals. Even a single light bulb for a ½-hour can reduce melatonin production by 50%.
Some Vedic researchers theorize that melatonin is soma, a legendary immortality elixir believed to be secreted from the pineal gland (third eye) during meditation. A study done by Ulleval University Hospital in Oslow, Norway compared 27 meditators with 29 non-meditators, and showed that blood plasma levels of melatonin increased substantially for meditators, and declined slowly over a period of three hours.
Melatonin and light therapy are primary therapeutic adjuncts used to treat circadian rhythm disorders. Melatonin supplementation is advised by the world health organization (WHO), who named night shift work as a probable cause of cancer in 2007.Recent research has shown that eating times can also influence our circadian rhythms. In ayurveda, we use dinacharya practices to maintain and restore our circadian rhythms such as sleep hygiene, mediation, exercise, and daily cleansing.
Tri-Doshic Raw Vegan Chocolate Mousse
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Tri-Doshic
Avoid in high ama or kapha conditions.
Every once in a while you just have to have some chocolate. And raw chocolate we should! It is loaded with antioxidants, high in magnesium, naturally low in caffeine, and contains natural MAO inhibitors that increase serotonin. Raw chocolate (cacoa), is bitter like bakers chocolate, and therefore usually requires a sweetener for most palates. I like to use agave, which is a natural prebiotic (feeds beneficial flora).
To make an easy mousse using raw cacoa and agave, combine it with avocado. It may sound suspicious, but I promise it is delicious. Cacoa is stimulating, and therefore can provoke both pitta and vata, but reduce kapha. Avocado is sweet and heavy, and reduces the dry, heating, and stimulating effect of the cacoa.
This recipe combines all of the tastes qualifying it as a ayurvedically balanced dessert! The chocolate is bitter and astringent. The cayenne is pungent. The raspberries are sweet and sour. The salt is salty. The avocado and agave are both sweet.
2 large ripe avocados
1/2 cup organic unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup agave nectar, plus more to taste
4-6 large dates
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 pint fresh raspberries
1/4 tsp celtic sea salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
*If blood sugar is an issue, exclude dates and increase agave to 1/2 cup.
Alternate version: 4-8 drops of rose essential oil; exclude cayenne pepper, and raspberries.
Cut a ripe avocado in half
Remove seed
Spoon out the meat of the avocado, put in separate bowl
Remove seeds and blend dates in a food processor.
Add remaining ingredients except: avocado, raspberries, and agave.
Add avocado, and slowly add agave until desired consistency.
Put in refridgerator for 2 or more hours.
Top with raspberries and serve! Enjoy!
H1N1 Vaccine
By · CommentsGovernment Wants to Force Vaccines Against Medical Community’s Concerns
Doctor would not give H1N1 to his own child.
Med Watch
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Zyvox: FDA has received reports of serious CNS reactions when Zyvox is given to patients taking a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) or a serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI). Similar reports are cited between SSRI/SNRI. Linezolid is used to treat infections, including pneumonia, infections of the skin, and infections caused by a resistant bacterium (Enterococcus faecium). It is a reversible monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI). Although the exact mechanism of this drug interaction is unknown, linezolid inhibits the action of monoamine oxidase A — an enzyme responsible for breaking down serotonin in the brain. It is believed that when linezolid is given to patients taking serotonergic psychiatric medications, high levels of serotonin can build up in the brain, causing toxicity. This is referred to as Serotonin Syndrome — signs and symptoms include mental changes (confusion, hyperactivity, memory problems), muscle twitching, excessive sweating, shivering or shaking, diarrhea, trouble with coordination and/or fever.
Methylene Blue: Methylene blue is not an FDA-approved drug at this time, and limited data exist regarding its use in various settings, it is not known whether there is a risk of serotonin syndrome in patients taking serotonergic psychiatric medications who are given methylene blue by other routes (e.g., orally or by local tissue injection) or at intravenous doses lower than 1 mg/kg.
In addition, not all serotonergic psychiatric drugs have an equal capacity to cause serotonin syndrome with methylene blue. The cases of serotonin syndrome with methylene blue occurred in patients taking specific serotonergic psychiatric drugs, namely a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), a serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI), or clomipramine. It is unclear at this time whether intravenous methylene blue administration in patients receiving other psychiatric drugs with lesser degrees of serotonergic activity poses a comparable risk.
Orap (pimozide): The drug is metabolized by CYP 2D6; concomitant use with paroxetine or other strong CYP 2D6 inhibitors is contraindicated. Individuals with genetic variations resulting in poor CYP 2D6 metabolism (5 – 10% of the population) exhibit higher pimozide concentrations; alternative dosing strategies are recommended in such patients. Possible risk factors for leukopenia/neutropenia include pre-existing low white blood cell count (WBC) and history of drug-induced leukopenia/neutropenia. Patients with a history of a clinically significant low WBC or drug-induced leukopenia/neutropenia should have their complete blood count (CBC) monitored frequently during the first few months of therapy and discontinuation of Orap should be considered at the first sign of a clinically significant decline in WBC in the absence of other causative factors.
Risperdal (risperidone) tablets, oral solution, Risperdal M-Tab orally disintegrating tablets, Risperdal Consta injection : Atypical antipsychotics have been associated with metabolic changes that may increase cardiovascular/cerebrovascular risk (hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, weight gain). While all drugs in the class have been shown to produce metabolic changes, each drug has its own specific risk profile.
Chantix (varenicline) : Monitor patients for neuropsychiatric symptoms. DA informed healthcare professionals of reports of suicidal thoughts and aggressive and erratic behavior in patient who have taken Chantix, a smoking cessation product. There are also reports of patients experiencing drowsiness that affected their ability to drive or operate machinery. FDA is currently reviewing these cases, along with other recent reports. A preliminary assessment reveals that many of the cases reflect new-onset of depressed mood, suicidal ideation, and changes in emotion and behavior within days to weeks of initiating Chantix treatment. The role of Chantix in these cases is not clear because smoking cessation, with or without treatment, is associated with nicotine withdrawal symptoms and has also been associated with the exacerbation of underlying psychiatric illness. However, not all patients described in the cases had preexisting psychiatric illness and not all had discontinued smoking.
Sprycel (dasatinib): May increase the risk of pulmonary arterial hypertension.FDA notified healthcare professionals that Sprycel (dasatinib) may increase the risk of a rare but serious condition in which there is abnormally high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs (pulmonary arterial hypertension [PAH]). Symptoms of PAH may include shortness of breath, fatigue, and swelling of the body (such as the ankles and legs). In reported cases, patients developed PAH after starting Sprycel, including after more than one year of treatment.
Nostrilla Nasal Decongestant: Bacterial contamination with Burkholderia cepacia: Insight Pharmaceuticals, LLC recalled one lot (lot #11G075, UPC Code 6373673005, 34,092 bottles) of Nostrilla Nasal Decongestant nasal spray to the consumer level, because it may contain the bacteria Burkholderia cepacia. Burkholderia cepacia may cause serious infection in individuals with a compromised immune system or chronic lung condition (i.e. cystic fibrosis).
Uprizing 2.0: Contains an undeclared drug ingredient, superdrol, a synthetic steroid. DA notified the manufacturer that lab analyses found that the product, sold as a testosterone booster, contains superdrol, a synthetic steroid, making it an unapproved new drug. Acute liver injury is known to be a possible harmful effect of using products containing synthetic anabolic steroids. In addition, use of synthetic anabolic steroids may cause other serious long-term adverse health consequences in men, women, and children. These include shrinkage of the testes and male infertility, masculinization of women, breast enlargement in males, short stature in children, a higher predilection to misuse other drugs and alcohol, adverse effects on blood lipid levels, and increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and death.
MAP & Crohn’s Disease
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Pathogenic Bacteria have long been suspected to contribute to IBD, however, a specific strain has not been conclusively identified. Elevated antibody levels and characteristic changes in intestinal flora, between IBD and infectious bowel diseases inspire researchers to investigate a shared bacterial trigger. Some researchers theorize, invasive pathogenic bacteria cause IBD, while others believe IBD patients have a hyper immune response to normal gastrointestinal bacteria. IBD reactions have been observed from both pathogenic and normal bacteria, and include severe intestinal inflammation, degradation of mucosa, and cytokine hyper production. Research indicates that predispositions differentiate bacterial responses from person to person, further complicating the quest to identify a single cause for every individual. The most commonly indicated bacteria involved in IBD include mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis, M. paramyxovirus, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Helicobacter hepaticus.
Internationally recognized Chron’s disease expert, Dr. Jon Hermon-Taylor, and several researchers, believe the bacteria mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis, (MAP) is responsible for the Chron’s disease epidemic, and is transferable through bovine milk and contaminated water. MAP is a bacterium responsible for Johne’s disease, and causes chronic inflammation and fatal intestinal disease in several domestic animals, especially dairy cows, and has similar characteristics as Chron’s disease. MAP can be detected in commercially purchased dairy products and meat, but because it is not considered a human pathogen, MAP may be continually entering the food chain. Presently, tests used to identify MAP are costly and take 10-14 days to complete, and impede dairy processing which leads to financial loss. There is no way to visibly identify MAP in cattle until the latter stages when the animal is approaching death. MAP has the ability to survive high levels of heat. In one study done by the Department of Food Science in Ireland, several pasteurization methods were exercised on cow dairy including variables in duration, heat and homogenization. Results concluded that MAP is capable of surviving commercial pasteurization regardless of method applied. Samples have been identified in milk pasteurized at temperatures up to 179.6 degrees, but countries such as America, only require farms to pasteurize at 71.1 degrees. The American Journal of Gastroenterology printed in 2005 that MAP bacteria exist in the intestinal lesions of most Crohn’s disease patients, and can be detected by blood in 50% of those same patients, indicating that like livestock infected with MAP, the bacteria is capable of traveling into the human circulatory system from the gastrointestinal tract, and provoke additional complications. In one recent study, biopsies from the intestinal lesions of Chron’s disease patients contained MAP bacteria in 83% of patients compared to zero levels in controls.
Crohn’s disease occurs concurrently with MAP prevalent areas affecting small groups of people, called cluster patients, who live in the same geographic location. Map contamination runs off livestock areas, and into river systems that feed areas that have higher incidences of crohn’s disease diagnosis. In Olmstead County Minnesota there was a shocking 31% increase in the diagnosis of crohn’s disease between 1991 to 2000. Clusters of Crohn’s disease patients living in close proximity, who did not know each other, developed the disease and positively tested for MAP bacteria, as did their water supply. Local water sources including a frequently swam in lake, and rivers contained significant levels of MAP. Water treatment and chlorination do not typically kill MAP bacteria. Cluster cases of Crohn’s disease reported in correlation with water contamination by MAP and other pathogenic bacteria have come from several countries over the world. The Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of northern France is of great interest to health practitioners for its extremely high incidence of IBD disorders and diagnosis. One study indicated that two out of every 100,000 children developed Chron’s disease in Northern France. Clustering of Crohn’s disease in Mankato, Minnesota analyzed a group of high school students who graduated in 1980. 7 out of 285 contacted students were positive for crohn’s disease; an incident rate of 2,400 out 100,000, that gives strong evidence to a pathogenic bacteria cause. Local water testing showed high levels of fecal contamination from animals and/or humans in 52-67% of samples.
