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Dear Reader,
It’s hard to believe that
it’s September already. Summer is winding to an end, and soon enough,
temperatures will be cooling down and the green leaves that sprouted in spring
will begin their shift to the brilliant reds, yellows, and oranges of fall
foliage. As we are drawing closer to this time of transition, I felt that it would
be a perfect time to reflect on summer and its health application, and to talk
about how it will affect us in the upcoming season.
Before we do that, however, I
wanted to let you know about another new development: My clinic, Amitabha Medical Clinic and
Healing Center in Sebastopol, California, will be offering monthly Q&A
health sessions that are free to the public every second Tuesday of the month,
from 5:30pm to 6:30pm. Space is limited, so you will need to RSVP at
707-829-5900. It’s a wonderful opportunity for us to meet and talk in person,
and I look forward to seeing many of you there.
Now back to our discussion: In
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), summer relates to the fire element. In
terms of our physiology, summer relates to the heart and to circulation. As
daylight increases, our energy and activities will naturally expand, reaching
further away from our core. This
situation requires a heart and circulatory system that are functioning well.
They are our pump, the vehicle for getting our nutrients and information to
every part of our body.
Western medicine and
allopathic physicians are finally realizing that there are important components
of circulatory and heart diseases that reach well beyond elevated cholesterol—and
it’s about time! Arteriosclerosis, one
of the underlying mechanisms behind heart and circulatory diseases, is now
properly understood as a multi-factorial condition. This broader set of influencing
factors includes a list of elements that can interfere with proper circulation
or cardiovascular health. They include:
- Hyperviscosity,
or “thickness of the blood.” This condition
is sometimes due to genetic tendency (approximately 25 percent of the
population exhibits one or more “defects”—such as elevated Lp(a), PAI-1, or homocysteine),
but hyperviscosity can also be caused by lifestyle, dietary habits, and
infections or other traumas.
- Inflammation—the
hallmark of every chronic illness including arteriosclerosis and cancer.
- Infections and
traumas.
- Inappropriate
immune response.
- Hyperlipidemia,
including high total cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and a poor LDL (“bad”
cholesterol) to HDL (“good” cholesterol) ratio.
- Oxidative stress.
Excessive free radicals causes peroxidation of LDL to its damaging form and causes
DNA damage directly.
As we review these causative
factors we quickly realize that these are the same factors which contribute to
the pathogenesis (formation) of most of the chronic illnesses. Ultimately, if
we can overcome these mechanisms, we will contribute to our longevity and well
being.
When inflammation and hyperviscosity
come together, they affect every system in the body. A healthy immune system
requires proper inflammatory response. If we have no inflammatory response at
all, our immune system can’t respond properly. If the response is
inappropriate, on the other hand, we can develop allergies, autoimmune diseases
(the body’s immune system through an inflammatory response attacking itself),
and other degenerative changes. Strong immunity requires balance, with
inflammation responses presenting only at necessary times and with necessary
force.
So what can we do to support
this intricate relationship between healthy circulation, inflammation and
immune response? Most of you probably know the answer already:
Proper hydration—in the form
of at least eight glasses of fresh, clean water on a daily basis—is absolutely
essential. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, unprocessed whole grains, and
essential fatty acids (like you’ll find in nuts and fish) is also crucial to
strong, healthy circulatory and immune system. The antioxidants, fiber, and
omega-3s that such a diet provides serve to minimize the damaging effects of
free radicals, inhibit the build-up of plaque in the arteries, and soothe inflammation.
Stress relief is also an
important factor in immune and cardiovascular health—so while it isn’t always
easy, it’s vital that you make time in your day for relaxation. Whether it’s in
the form of art, music, or meditation, taking a moment or two to slow down can
work wonders for your health. Activities like yoga and Tai Chi are also great
choices, since they also provide your body with some of the exercise it needs
to stay healthy. (I cannot stress the importance of exercise enough—even a
simple 15 minute walk each day can contribute significantly to the strength of
your immune system.)
As for supplements to support
immunity and circulatory health, medicinal mushrooms (such as MycoPhyto Complex)
are among my favorite. A complex blend of several of the most powerful
mushrooms will act to effectively train your immune system against attack—and
its safety for long-term use makes it ideal for both prevention and treatment
of acute illnesses.
In the fight against chronic
inflammation and poor circulation—and against all the various diseases to which
these conditions are linked—an equally broad and integrative approach in
crucial. Since these conditions, like so many others, are complicated and
multi-symptomatic in nature, a protocol that embraces the concept of balance
and total-body wellness (that is, not just treating single symptoms
individually) is going to be your most effective solution. Remarkably, practitioners
of Tibetan Medicine had this relationship figured out many centuries ago.
Embracing balance through Tibetan medicine
Within the Classical Tibetan
framework, good health means maintaining a dynamic equilibrium of the universal
elemental forces—and illness is always a manifestation of imbalance. As such, therapeutic
intervention in this holistic medical system aims at restoring balance by
treating the cause of the imbalance, not just the symptoms that are
manifest. Using these principles as a
guide, an effective formula for optimal circulation, immunity, overall health
would have to meet three basic requirements.
First, it must be a cooling
formula. Our body system, which is a reflection of our life style and culture
in the West, tends to “heat up.” The excess heat is a result of running too
fast and for too long without a break, a rest, a time to slow down and re
group. Sound familiar? It’s the way most of us run our lives: eating on the
run, not sleeping enough, eating foods which are too rich, etc.
For example, what happens to
our car if it runs too much and too fast without enough lubrication? It heats
up. And if it heats up enough, it will eventually crack and break down. In our
body, the result of the heating process is inflammation. We know that
inflammation is the hallmark of literally every chronic disease from
cardiovascular diseases, cancer, autoimmune diseases, infections etc.
Regulating inflammation will therefore have immense benefits to our health. And
since inflammation causes oxidative stress, an effective anti-inflammatory
formula will naturally have profound antioxidant value.
In addition to this “cooling”
ability, an effective formula must also enhance the movement of wind. A
simplified way of understanding this concept is to view it as regulating the
flow in the body. As things heat up, they tend to get stickier and not move in
a harmonious way. If we can regulate the movement, things don’t get as “stuck.”
In Western medicine, this stickiness can be translated to issues such as hyperviscosity
or thickness in the blood and to diseases such as circulatory blockages and
cancer.
Lastly, the ideal protocol
will also be able to vitalize blood—the natural result of moving wind. As the
system cools down to a normal temperature or function level and it flows at a
harmonious pace, the end result is naturally better circulation. This will
again influence multiple systems from memory to cardiovascular health to
circulatory health to immunity.
The Tibetan formula Padma
Basic is an excellent example of a formula that embraces the philosophy and
principles outlined above. Not only does it gently restore the balance that is
so crucial to circulatory and cardiovascular health, but it also boosts
immunity against colds, the flu, and other illnesses.
In my clinical experience,
there is no limit to Padma Basic’s applications—and I can’t say enough about
the health-saving properties of this novel and powerful formula.
Indeed, the more we learn
about the formation of all types of disease, the more meaningful (and
necessary) this type of unique approach becomes.
Next month, I’d like to talk
a little bit more about how you can prepare for the changing seasons with some
tips for fall detox. As winter approaches, it’s an important time for
reflection and cleansing—an opportunity to lighten our body and lessen our
load—so I’ll be discussing several natural and effective ways to achieve this.
In the meantime, I hope that
you’re enjoying the final days of summer. And once again, if you live in or
around the Sebastopol area, I look forward to
seeing you at one of my upcoming Q&A sessions soon. Also, you’re invited to
check out two new video segments that focus on Padma Basic and how to fight
disease through better blood flow.
Yours in good health,
Isaac Gabriel Eliaz, M.D., L.Ac., M.S.
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