#5 Sound Sleep and Sweet Dreams

Chapter 5 The Health Manifesto, a simple guide to living a longer healthier life published by Dr. Joan Coff

 

Restful sleep is important to long-term health. Sleep recharges your body, and is the time when your body repairs the wear and tear of daily living. There are a few things you can do to increase your chances of getting a restful night’s sleep.

First, you might need to change your bedroom. If at all possible, make it a sleeping-only place with just a bed and nightstand. Most of us also store clothing in the bedroom. If you can, keep your clothes in the closets and remove the dresser, which often becomes a “clutter holder.” Remove the computer, the exercise equipment, the TV, the desk, and all other clutter. Think of this as setting the stage for restful sleep.

Watching TV or playing computer games are activities that stimulate the brain. If you’re awake enough to want to do these things, get out of the bedroom. Don’t watch violent programs or the news right before bed. Studies show that just watching such programs stimulates the manufacture of certain chemicals by your body. These are not the chemicals that make you sleep!

Turn off the radio or stereo. Your brain is supposed to be resting (or, according to Carl Jung, processing the events of the day), not listening to music. If you can hear the world outside, or feel you can’t sleep in total quiet, invest in a “white-noise” machine. You can use a box fan (they hum), or an inexpensive natural sound machine with such choices as “Ocean Surf” and “Spring Rain.”

If you live in an area that’s artificially lit all night by streetlights, parking-lot lights, or security lamps, then dark shades and curtains are essential. When you set the stage for restful sleep, you want it to be as dark as possible.

Choose a firm mattress, the best you can afford, then add padding. The idea is to support your spine and to cushion your muscles. An “egg-crate” mattress cover or a feather bed will work equally well over a firm mattress. Pick sheets and covers of a soothing color and that are soft to the touch. Make sure the room temperature is set properly: not too hot, not too cold, but just right for you.

Now the stage is set: How do you get ready for sleep? First, get into a routine: Go to bed at the same time each night and get up at the same time each day. Take at least half an hour before bedtime to unwind. Take a bath, drink a cup of herb tea, or listen to soothing music. If you like to read, choose light reading-and by “light” I don’t mean the latest best-selling horror novel. If you have a lot on your mind, spend a few minutes writing your cares down in a notebook; it’s a way of putting your troubles to rest for the night.

Remember, changing your habits takes time. Set the stage, get into a routine, and give yourself a chance to adapt. If you still can’t sleep, use natural herbal sleep aids that relax your body without making your sleep drug-induced. Sweet dreams!

Further Reading

How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep, by Norman Ford

Exercise Doesn't Have to be a Chore! Chapter 4

 

What hasn’t already been said about exercise? It’s a topic that’s been talked and talked and talked about. I know you know that exercise is good for you. So why haven’t you been doing it?

In case you’ve forgotten, exercise strengthens the body-the muscles, bones, and heart. It burns calories and helps keep you trim. It increases oxygen in the body. It gets your blood flowing and your heart pumping. It makes you sweat, which takes toxins out of the body. Exercise can elevate your mood, and is a fantastic form of stress relief. Exercise can make you sleep better. And fitness is in-exercise even makes you more attractive to potential mates.

I have a confession: I don’t like to “exercise” any more than you do. As far back as I can remember, I’ve preferred reading a book to running around outside. As a child, I was no good at sports, and I’m still not that interested. Yes, I did my time working out in the gym, mainly because I had to be able to do it myself if I was going to recommend it to patients. I did become strong, but I didn’t enjoy the process that much. 

Now you know where I’m coming from when I say that exercise is important and you really should find a way to include it in your life. But how do you find time for at least twenty minutes of exercise, three times a week?

You can start by walking with your kids or spouse-make exercise a family-time activity. A 30-minute walk each day will give you time to catch up with what’s going on in your family, and bring you closer together. You could also put the exercise equipment in front of the TV, and each day choose one 30-minute program that you enjoy to be your cue that it’s exercise time. You’ll be amazed at how fast thirty minutes on the exercise bike can fly by when you’re watching something you like.

I know one person who walks every time she gets into a long conversation with a friend on her cell phone. All the time she’s talking, she’s walking around the back yard. You can also lift small weights while watching TV or talking on the phone. Walking for twenty minutes while you talk on the phone may not seem like significant exercise, but it’s a lot better than sitting while you talk. Every little bit makes a difference.

Discover a new sport. If you’re like me and were not very good at sports as a child, you probably think you can’t play sports, and haven’t tried since. But, encouraged by friends, I learned to golf and ski at the age of forty. I was thrilled to discover I could be good at sports, and even more to find that there really are some exercises I don’t mind doing. I don’t golf or ski three times a week (I wish I could), but the once or twice a week I do is better than the nothing I used to do.

Join a sports league (the phone numbers are in your local paper). Leagues are designed to promote sports; they love new members, and most leagues welcome beginners. Take some type of regular sports lessons, and practice between lessons. For instance, ice rinks have beginning skate and hockey classes, and have regular hours for you to practice your new skills. Check with your local college or university for continuing-education classes. I like to swim; it’s another painless sport for me. My point is to encourage you to discover a new sport you can fall in love with; if you do, “exercise” will never be the same.

If you want to try the gym—I recommend it—hire a trainer to help you learn how to exercise without injuring yourself. If you get hurt at the gym in the first few days you work out (and most people do if they don’t have help), then you won’t want to go back. If you can afford to work out with a trainer each time, especially in the beginning, do so. I found that having an appointment at the gym made it a higher priority for me; once I got into the routine, I continued on my own.

Get out on the dance floor! Zumba, Jazzercise, belly dancing or other aerobic classes can be really fun. And what about dance classes? Exercise, meet new friends, and learn a new skill at the same time-what a deal! Where I live, we have a Country and Western dance club that offers lessons twice a week for a very small fee. I hear that there are also square-dance and swing clubs. Maybe you have a local heritage club you can join, one that teaches folk dances. If you already know how to dance, go out and shake your booty once or twice a week. Exercise can be so much more than lifting weights.

These days almost every town has one or more Yoga centers, and although it looks easy, Yoga can be a great exercise that tones and strengthens not only the body, but the mind as well. The whole family can participate, learn the yoga moves, and then practice at home together as well.

Exercise creatively. Volunteer to walk dogs for an elderly neighbor, or help in their yard. I met a member of the Aloha Patrol on the beach at Waikiki. Patrol members walk up and down the beach assisting tourists and alerting the police to problems. The volunteer I spoke with got plenty of exercise and met people from all over the world. Make an exercise outing to the local zoo or art museum, where you have to walk to see the exhibits.

Remember, you can make a big difference with a little exercise, and you can exercise even if you aren’t “athletic.” You can exercise without lifting a single weight. You can find a sport that you love. You can make exercise a social activity. You can make exercise creative and fun. And you can pat yourself on the back for every effort you make to include exercise in your life.

Avoid Medications if Possible- chapter 3

I do not advocate that you should never take medicines. Sometimes you have to, but the average American is way overmedicated-if not from their MD, then from their own medicine cabinet.

Drugs should be taken only when absolutely necessary. Do you think that a drug is safe just because it’s sold over the counter? Take a look at the statistics on deaths from non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs such as Tylenol and ibuprofen. Remember, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Every drug you take has side effects. These side effects may be small (some are large), but over time, they add up.

To give you an example of how much American culture depends on drugs, look at the fact that our homes are built with a place to store our drug supply. Who doesn’t have a drug cabinet in their bathroom? What does that say to our kids, who are supposed to “just say no” to drugs? We’ve taught them from childhood that drugs make them feel better. Remember orange-flavored “baby aspirin” and Children’s Tylenol?

Most of us take drugs to make our symptoms go away, to make it easier for us to ignore the warning signals our bodies are giving us-in other words, so we can ignore our own ill health. A symptom is a signal that something is wrong, like a warning light on your car’s dashboard. When one of those lights comes on-maybe it’s the oil light, or the brake light-it’s telling you there’s a problem somewhere that needs to be fixed. You wouldn’t continue to drive your car with one of those little red lights glaring at you. You’d take your car to the mechanic to see why the light is on, and fix the underlying problem.

Think of your body as being exactly what it is-a vehicle that can’t be replaced-and think of your symptoms as your dashboard warning lights. Hiding the discomfort with drugs doesn’t make the problem go away; it merely lets you ignore it until it gets much worse and medical intervention is needed. This is not the way to take care of your body.

To reduce your drug use, you must fix the underlying conditions that are causing the symptoms. An example: If you constantly have indigestion and find you have to take digestive aids or antacids, that means your digestive system is not functioning correctly. But why? Maybe you need to change your diet, stop eating foods you’re allergic to, quit eating on the run, and add friendly bacteria to your diet.

If you have headaches all the time, rather than popping aspirin after aspirin, you need to ask, why do I have headaches? Clearly, it’s not because of a lack of aspirin in your system. Remember, you’re not supposed to be in pain. Patients often say they just have “normal” headaches. Headaches are not normal, but they are common. Lots of people have them, but that doesn’t mean they are normal; it just means lots of people have them!

If the headache warning light on your particular dashboard is the one that keeps flashing, maybe you need to have your neck bones adjusted by a chiropractor. Maybe those tense muscles need to be worked on by a massage therapist. Maybe the MSG in that take-out Chinese lunch you have every day should be eliminated. Maybe you need a new eyeglasses prescription. Maybe your computer screen should be moved to eliminate glare. Maybe your teenager needs to turn the stereo down. Maybe you have a brain tumor.

A brain tumor? Am I kidding? No. Many people consume drugs to cover up symptoms that turn out to be signs of a very serious problem-a problem that could have been caught much earlier and treated much more effectively had the patient only listened to their symptoms rather than covering them up.

Before you reach for a drug, ask yourself: What could be causing this symptom? Look for drug-free solutions for your health problems. Ask a nutritionist, chiropractor, massage therapist, acupuncturist, homeopath, or some other provider of drug-free healthcare for advice. Ask your MD what you can do besides take drugs.

Remember, each time you take a pill to cover up a symptom, you’re allowing the underlying problem to get worse. And the longer that problem is there, the harder it will be (and the more it will cost) to fix.

One more thing: Be a good example to your kids and empty your medicine cabinet. Keep only what you’d need for an emergency: bandages, ipecac syrup, and antibacterial salve. You can keep your toothbrush.

Further Reading

 

How to Raise Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor, by Robert Mendelson,  M.D.
Confessions of a Medical Heretic, by Robert Mendelson,  M.D.
Under the Influence of Modern Medicine, by Terry A. Rondberg, D.

Chapter 2 of The Health Manifesto- a simple guide to living a longer healthier life

Chapter 2

Complete Nutrition in Sixty Seconds

Your body has to have the proper food to function. To your body, food is not a sandwich or a plate of pasta, but the tiny components that help make up those foods: vitamins and minerals. Think of it like this: Would you expect your car to start and run properly each day if you never put enough oil or gas in it? Of course not. You can’t expect your body to run without the proper nutrients.

 Vitamins and minerals are absolutely essential. Imagine that each of the bazillion cells of your body has a furnace. Vitamins and minerals are the fuel for these microscopic furnaces-your cells burn them in complex chemical reactions that give your body life. Without fuel, these complex chemical reactions can’t take place, and your body will begin to break down. At first, this deterioration may not be as obvious as your car running out of gas, but over time you’ll notice a lack of health and energy, and a slowness to heal.

 Patients often tell me that they eat enough, so they don’t think they need to use vitamin and mineral supplements. You may eat enough (actually, most Americans eat too much), but how nutritious is the food you eat? What is the day’s nutritional value of, say, a bowl of sugary cereal for breakfast, a fast-food lunch, and a microwaved dinner? Not what your body needs for the day, that’s for sure.

 I believe it is impossible to get all the fuel your body needs from the food you eat, even if your diet consists entirely of organically grown, naturally produced fresh foods that are not packaged or processed. Do you know anyone with a diet like that? Neither do I. Supplements are the only way to ensure that you’re getting the fuel you need for optimal health.

 How will taking supplements affect long-term health? Let me ask you this: Does your car last longer if you change the oil and lube it regularly? Of course it does. So will your body, if you give it the proper supplements. Not only will you have more energy, but your body will have all the building blocks it needs to replace damaged cells (remember, your cells are constantly being replaced).

Would you ask a bricklayer to build your house without enough bricks, or without mortar? No, you would not. Don’t ask your body to rebuild its damaged cells, day after day, year after year, without the vitamins and minerals it needs to do the job.

 Now you understand why you need to take supplements. But which supplements should you take? Take a supplement that’s all natural, with no sugar or artificial colors. Learn to read the label. One brand I won’t name has such good advertising that lots of people take it, but it’s really not that good. A large, expensive advertising campaign is not the place to go to find solid information about good vitamins.

 Good vitamin tablets can be large and expensive. They’re usually large because their all-natural ingredients are not so condensed and compressed that your body can’t break the pill down. You can cut or crush them. Good vitamins also usually smell terrible (another result of using all-natural ingredients), so hold your nose. And good vitamins usually cost more. But in this case, you really do get what you pay for. That doesn’t mean you have to buy the most expensive brand, but it does mean you should choose the best vitamin that will fit your budget. This investment in your most precious possession-your health-will save you money in the long run, in your healthier older years.

 The science of supplementation is very complex. Vitamins and minerals work together to fuel those little fires in the furnaces of your cells. Too much of one vitamin or not enough of another can affect how well and how steadily that fire burns.

 As a general rule, take a high-potency multivitamin, multimineral supplement daily, as well as extra vitamin C. “High-potency” means at least twice the required daily amount, or RDA. (Most people don’t know that the RDA is how much of a given substance your body needs for basic functions under conditions of no stress and no illness. Do you know anyone like that?) Add other supplements if you need them and can afford to. Most health-food stores have well-trained supplement salespeople who can help you choose a multivitamin. Even better, consult a nutritionist well versed in supplementation.

You might add extra coenzyme- Q and vitamin E for your heart, glucosamine and chondrotin for joint health, calcium and magnesium for bone strength. The list goes on and on. Talk to a nutritionist or read a book on vitamins and their use.

 Many people say they don’t have time to eat right. Fortunately, it takes only a minute to down your vitamins in the morning. Keep your supplements somewhere that you’ll see them, so you’ll remember to take them. Or put them near your toothbrush, on the breakfast table, or near your car keys-anyplace you look each morning will do. I keep mine by the coffeepot.

 Always read the label. Most vitamin dosages are based on taking more than one tablet at a time. Some vitamin bottles tell you to split the dose into one tablet three times a day. I find that this doesn’t work for most people, who are out of the house all day. I’d much rather see you take all three tablets together in the morning than to have you take only one a day because that’s all you can conveniently remember.

 Taking vitamins every day is one of the best ways to ensure future good health. Make a promise to yourself to stop by the health-food store and stock up on fuel for your body.

Further Reading

Nutritional Almanac, by Lavon J. Dunne

First instalment of the book "The Health Manifesto", written by Dr. Joan Coff

 Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink.

You know how the saying goes, and you’ve probably heard, over and over, that you need

to drink more water. The question is, why?

 Water is known as the universal solvent. The type of atoms in a water molecule (two hydrogen atoms attached to one oxygen atom, or H₂O) give it such a charge that it bonds to everything, as a magnet does to metal. Water flows with gravity, so it pulls things apart and carries them away. Water carries molecules you need into your body, reacts with other molecules to cause good chemical reactions in your cells, and attaches to waste products in your body and carries them away.

 Imagine a water molecule already bonded to something that it can’t easily let go of, like the heavy metals found in many water sources. The water molecule already has its hands full, so it can’t pick up waste products and take them out of your body. The water molecule also has a problem getting into your cells, because the heavy metals it carries

make it too large to go through the tiny “water only” doors in your cell membranes.

 Picture a person who comes to a Halloween party as a bunch of grapes. This person represents a water molecule, and the purple “grape” balloons attached to this person

represent the metal molecules attached to the water. This person spends the whole party standing on the patio because they can’t squeeze through the door. If you’re drinking water that’s not pure, you have water, water, everywhere, but not a drop for your cells to drink.

 Ideally, the water you drink is H₂O molecules bonded with minerals. Once in the body, these minerals easily detach from the H₂O to perform important chores for your body. The H₂O then either enters cells to quench their thirst, or attaches to waste products and leaves the body via urine or sweat.

 But tap water is clean, you say. Well, it may be clean, but it’s not pure. Tap water is filtered to remove dangerous bacteria and some of the metals, but don’t forget that other compounds are then added, such as chlorine and fluoride, which bond with the H₂O. The tap water in the United States is better than the unprocessed water in many parts of the world, but it’s not pure H₂O by any stretch of the imagination.

Among the easily available types of purified water, water filtered by reverse osmosis is,

in my opinion, the best. It is pure H₂O molecules. In nature, these molecules would be taking minerals into your body. Minerals are collected from the earth as the water flows across it. To reproduce this natural scenario, add liquid minerals (available at the health-food store) to your reverse-osmosis water before drinking.

You can buy a reverse-osmosis filter for your sink. A filtering unit may cost in the low hundreds of dollars and last a lifetime; the filters must be changed on a regular basis. You can also buy RO water in bottles at any grocery store; if your store doesn’t carry it, they can order it. (If you’re thinking you can’t afford this, look at the priorities section of this book  in chapter 39 and remember how much you spent on Christmas last year. Wouldn’t a water filter be a nice family gift this year?)

Drink lots of pure water every day. Other beverages, such as tea, coffee, and sodas, don’t count—remember, we don’t want anything bonded to the H₂O except the minerals your body needs to function. Some people tell me they can’t drink a lot of water because they don’t like the taste. Pure water has no taste, so that shouldn’t be a barrier for you.

 What, you ask, is “lots” of water? Well, let’s go for the standard formula: take your body weight in pounds and divide it by two; that is the minimum number of ounces of water you should drink each day. For example, if you weigh 130 pounds, you need to drink 65

ounces of pure water a day, or eight 8-oz. glasses. That will probably be a challenge for many of you. How do you manage it? First of all, don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink! Intracellular dehydration causes the thirst mechanism in the hypothalamus to tell you that your body is thirsty. What this means is that, before you even feel thirsty, your brain is already dehydrated.

 Always use at least an 8-oz. glass or cup for drinking. When you’re thirsty, drink a whole glass rather than a few sips. Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning, before any other beverage. Keep a water bottle with you during the day, and drink a glass of water at every break you have. Make a commitment to drink your quota of water before you drink any other beverage, or a commitment to drink a glass of water with every other beverage you choose throughout the day.

 Some people have told me they don’t have time to drink enough water. But if you don’t have time to drink a glass of water, you have serious time-management issues that need to be addressed. It takes just 60 seconds to down an 8-oz. glass. You have time.

 Have a glass of water first with your meals, and then have another beverage if you desire it. Have a glass of water each time you talk on the phone, read a book, start viewing a TV program, or have a snack. Have a glass of water before bed. When you wake up at night to use the bathroom (and you will), drink another glass.

 Yes, you are going to have to urinate more often—but that’s the idea. You’re giving your body enough water to be flushed clean at all times. There are always exceptions to the rules; for instance, when you’re about to get in the car and drive for hours. In such cases, maybe you’d want to decrease your water intake until the end of your journey.

 That covers the water we drink. What about the water we bathe in? Did you know that your body absorbs chlorine through the skin? In my opinion, that’s not a good idea (think of your cells being bleached by chlorine). Any chemicals your body absorbs must be processed, and that makes more work for your body. Chlorine is toxic.

 I recommend you also buy a shower water filter that removes chlorine. This type of filter is relatively inexpensive, lasts a long time, and, I believe, will contribute to a longer, healthier life. Besides that, you’ll love the soft, silky feel of your skin and hair after showering without chlorine!

 

Further Reading

 

Your Body’s Many Cries For Water, F. Batmanfhelidj, M.D.

The Sierra Club Guide to Safe Drinking Water, by Scott Alan Lewis

The Drinking Water Book, by Colin Ingram