Vitamin B Deficiency Symptoms

Before delving into the problems of vitamin B complex deficiency and its symptoms, it is first important to understand the difference between vitamins that are in pill form versus vitamins that are contained within nature’s foods. There is a world of difference — a difference between sickness and health. Vitamins just do not work like foods, and foods are what our bodies were designed to use for healing, prevention and energy. There is no substitute, and no matter how you look at it, vitamin pills are an invention of scientists, so they are prone to cause side effects, be incomplete and lack what we need to overcome our health problems.

Vitamins have been sold and marketed as the “magic bullet” for all health problems, yet food science researchers are bringing out the truth about vitamins, minerals, multivitamins and antioxidants— and it’s not an easy pill to swallow. The problem is that vitamins, when not still contained in their original food (oranges, bananas, spinach, broccoli, etc.) are merely chemicals. Our bodies do not recognize vitamins as nutrients, because they don’t work the same way as whole foods for these simple reasons:

• Foods contain not just vitamins, but the co-workers (synergists) and helper nutrients that allow vitamins to work
• Foods are never found in high potency, so you won’t suffer any toxic side effects that have been proven to exist with ALL vitamin pills. As one expert stated, “Foods never deliver toxic doses [of vitamins]. (Hamilton, p.205)
• Vitamins are just a small part of what our bodies require for health and healing. It is very often that it is the other food properties that help us while the vitamins are secondary.
• Vitamin pills need other nutrients in order to work.

For these reasons, and more, vitamin pills, despite their use and overuse, are not turning people’s health around. They are lacking the properties of real nutrition which can only come from eating nature’s real, whole, raw foods. The only supplement that someone should take, therefore, is a whole food formula WITHOUT any isolated (singular vitamin). This is an important point, because most supplements called “whole food” are combinations of real foods and isolated vitamins. You have to carefully read the labels to see. Look for these words to identify vitamin chemicals on a label:

• Pyridoxine
• Thiamine or thiamin
• Niacin or niacinamide
• Palmitate
• ascorbic acid
• Riboflavin
• Mixed tocopherols
• B12
• cyanocobalamin
• more

Vitamins are not foods, so instead of vitamins and minerals on a label, you should be looking for the names of foods and herbs on the label. Don’t be fooled by high milligrams, high potency, standardization or any other such terms that just do not apply to real foods from nature.

VITAMIN B COMPLEX DEFICIENCY:

MAJOR CAUSES

Vitamin B complex comprises a number of vitamins that exist as a family. They should not be taken individually. In this modern era, millions of people suffer from a deficiency of vitamin B for several reasons, chief among which are:

• Stress: Emotional, physical and spiritual
• Processed foods in the diet: these are not real foods and so they tax the body
• Refined sugar: The average person consumes at least 140 pounds of sugar a year which robs the body of its vitamin B stores
• Drugs: Both recreational and prescription drugs deplete vitamin B
• Toxins: Poisons in the environment and personal care products deplete vitamin B complex
• Malnutrition: Most people are malnourished because they are not eating the right kinds of foods
• Cooking: Most people do not eat enough real, raw foods, so vitamin B is killed or so depleted that people are not getting enough of it in the diet

DO YOU HAVE ANY OF THESE SYMPTOMS?

Once your body has been deprived of the vitamin B complex due to reasons stated above, it begins to show symptoms (signs) of altered, diminished or poor health. This is because the vitamin B complex (within foods, not vitamin pills) is responsible for such a wide variety of activities, including cellular differentiation, transmission of nerve electricity, health of nerve cells, heart pulse rate, muscular contraction, digestion, brain function, thought processes and energy production. Without adequate vitamin B complex from foods, you can experience one or more of any one of these symptoms:

• mental problems
• heart palpitations
• heart arrythmias
• fibrillation
• indigestion
• chronic fatigue
• chronic exhaustion
• paranoia, vague fears, fear that something dreadful is about to happen
• nervousness
• ADD (attention deficiency), inability to concentrate, irritability
• feeling of uneasiness
• thoughts of dying
• easy agitation, frustration
• inability to sleep (insomnia)
• restlessness
• tingling in hands
• tingling fingers and toes
• rashes
• crying spells, inability to cope
• soreness all over
• and so much more.

CHRONIC VITAMIN B DEFICIENCY

Vitamin B deficiency can sneak up on you, because it doesn’t have to create serious health problems right away. In fact, medical researchers have discovered that very often there can be no detectable signs according to scientific instrumentation, that you are experiencing a deficiency.

For example, “memory impairment due to vitamin B12 deficiency can precede blood symptoms of deficiency by years. Evidence that vitamin B12 deficiency accounts for some cognition deficits in older people comes from a study that revealed abnormal short-term memory in more than two-thirds of clients with pernicious anemia…The researchers recommend that a diagnosis of senile dementia should not be made, even in the absence of anemia, until vitamin B12 status is determined biochemically.” (Hamilton, p. 476)

This means that it is possible that certain mental disorders can be directly attributable to vitamin B complex deficiency, and it is easier to first start replenishing stores of vitamin B complex than to begin treating difficult mental illnesses with drugs, therapy or psychological counseling.

When vitamin B deficiency becomes chronic (long-lasting), other problems can occur, including troubles with your adrenal system. The adrenal glands serve many purposes, but in relation to this topic, they are the back up system for making energy. When there is a chronic lack of vitamin B complex then the adrenal glands are called upon to produce quick energy by injecting certain hormones like adrenaline into your system so that you can cope with life. If this goes on for a long time, then the adrenal glands become impaired or worn out, leading to even more health problems.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP YOURSELF

There are a number of things you can do to prevent and overcome vitamin B complex deficiency:

1. Stop taking vitamin pills and switch over to NutriPlex Whole Food Formulas products. The three most recommended to support you are: BFood Complex, AdrenaPlex and SuperGreens PhytoFood. These products are made only of foods and not parts of foods or isolated vitamins. They won’t add to your problems the way vitamin pills can, and they are not toxic the way vitamin pills can be.
2. Stop eating refined sugar.
3. Stop eating artificial ingredients. Read all labels on your foods and if there are names of chemicals, don’t eat them. (Read the author’s book, Illness Isn’t Caused by a Drug Deficiency. Switch to organic foods.
4. Reduce stress through a regular exercise program, meditation, counseling and/or hobbies
5. Stop drinking coffee; switch to organic decaffeinated coffee or organic green tea
6. Eat more vitamin B-containing foods — oats, barley, wheat bran, avocado, salmon, Brazil nuts and others.
7. Be patient. It took a while to create a vitamin B deficiency, so it takes a while to reverse the problem; with severe cases it can take a year or so, with milder cases it can take just a few days.
8. If you have a friend or relative with a mental or emotional disorder, think of the possibility of a vitamin B complex deficiency and then make suggestions for adjustments in their diet and take appropriate whole food formulas.
9. Always coordinate all of your health and treatment plans with all of your practitioners.
10. Avoid toxins in your life. This is a serious issue that causes more health problems than people commonly realize. (See the author’s book, Evil Genius in the Garden of Eden — how toxins make us sick and corporations profit from our illness).

BUY THE SUPPLEMENTS YOU NEED

NutriPlex BFood Complex

Order the supplements mentioned in this article here:

Buy BFood Complex – click here.

Buy AdrenaPlex – click here.

Buy SuperGreens Phytofood – click here.

Sources:

Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA); “Vitamins for Chronic Disease Prevention in Adults,” Clinical Applications, Robert H. Fletcher, MD,MSc; Kathleen M. Fairfield, MD,DrPH

JAMA. 2002;287:3127-3129.

Shayne, PhD, Vic, Man Cannot Live on Vitamins Alone, 2004

Shayne, PhD, Vic, Illness Isn’t Caused by a Drug Deficiency!, 2001

Hamilton, et.al, Nutrition Concepts & Controversies, 5th Ed., West Publishing, St. Paul, 1991

Stryer, PhD. Lubert, Biochemistry, 2nd Ed., Stanford University, WH Freeman & Co., San Francisco, 1981

About the Author

Dr. Vic Shayne is a doctor-consultant and food science researcher and author whose website is www.nutritionresearchcenter.org.

©2005 Dr. Vic Shayne. This article may not be used in conjunction with the promotion or sale of any product unless authorized in writing by the author.

What causes you to lack energy, want to fall over on the floor or not show up for the day? If it helps, you are definitely not alone. Millions of people every single day feel like they would rather lay on the couch or take a nap an hour after they get up.

Energy is supposed to be a naturally created resource, but for too many people it is not. Why? Because, although your cells are designed to produce energy, what you are lacking is the proper fuel. Energy comes from real, whole foods — specific ones that your cells use and convert into electrical impulses and dancing molecules.

And another thing… there are many things people do to quickly use up their energy, other than just running around. These energy-enervators include:

• stress
• lack of fuel foods
• drugs (including all prescription drugs)
• junk food
• smoking
• overweight conditions
• lack of daily exercise
• worries
• mentally exhausting problems and disinterest
• negative people and their stupid opinions
• illness

If you want more energy, take a close look at these factors.

In two studies, researchers asked subjects to identify the sex of a series of faces. In the first study, androgynous faces with lowered eyebrows and tight lips (angry expressions) were more likely to be identified as male, and faces with smiles and raised eyebrows (expressions of happiness and fear) were often labeled feminine.

The second study used male and female faces wearing expressions of happiness, anger, sadness, fear or a neutral expression. Overall, subjects were able to identify male faces more quickly than female faces, and female faces that expressed anger took the longest to identify.

“The present research shows that the association between anger and men and happiness and women is so strong that it can influence the decisions about the gender of another person when that person is viewed briefly,” said Ursula Hess, PhD, from the Department of Psychology, University of Quebec at Montreal.

According to the report, the findings from this study as well as others lead to the idea that “the face is a complex social signaling system in which signals for emotion, behavioral intentions and sex all overlap.”

Hess said that the same cues that make a face appear male – a high forehead, a square jaw and thicker eyebrows – have been linked to perceptions of dominance. Likewise, features that make a face appear female – a rounded, baby face with large eyes – have been linked to perceptions of the individual being approachable and warm.

“This difference in how the emotions and social traits of the two sexes are perceived could have significant implications for social interactions in a number of settings. Our research demonstrates that equivalent levels of anger are perceived as more intense when shown by men rather than women, and happiness as more intense when shown by women rather than men. It also suggests that it is less likely for men to be perceived as warm and caring and for women to be perceived as dominant.”

This research is part of a larger set of studies showing that men’s faces are perceived as angrier and women’s faces as happier. Hess’ team is also investigating other facial features that affect the way people perceive emotion, including the effect of signs of aging such as wrinkles and furrows on the perception of emotions in the faces of the elderly.

###

Source: eurekalert.org.  The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) is the largest eye and vision research organization in the world. Members include more than 12,500 eye and vision researchers from over 80 countries. ARVO encourages and assists research, training, publication and knowledge-sharing in vision and ophthalmology.

Imagine your cells as little batteries that keep you going.

You may remember this from science class: foods with the right kind of biochemical make-up are able to enter the cells where energy is produced and act as fuel.

These foods are contained in our whole food supplement Cell Power.

I have written many times about foods that heal and foods that hurt. Cell Power has great nutritional power to be used as cellular energy. There’s a lot of science to the excellent ingredients for achieving this, including alfalfa, ginseng, kola nut, kelp, quinoa and more. These foods contain vitamins, minerals, trace mineral activators, enzymes and essential proteins — ingredients you WILL NOT find in a vitamin pill of any kind, anywhere.

For energy, based on my clinical experience over the past twenty years, I recommend Cell Power and BFood Complex. These unique products will produce energy naturally, without any artificial ingredients or synthetic stimulants. Science proves that nature’s foods have the answer. And be sure to cut out refined sugars and caffeine, as they deplete your adrenal glands and just make you more sluggish in the long run.

Click here and Learn more about the Energy Benefits of CellPower.

Where do you think the BEST source of your energy comes from?

Imagine your body’s cells as a bank account for energy. The more you move around, work, worry, eat, sleep and think, the more energy you take out of the bank. How do you replace the spent energy? The answer is with certain nutrients found in nature that produce energy in the cells.

We have the answer with an amazing whole food supplement. It’s called Cell Power because it contains a number of foods that, without any sugars or artificial ingredients, your cells use to convert into energy. Cell Power contains alfalfa, kelp, liver, ginseng, quinoa and astragalus, to name a few. These foods are shown to fuel the energy process so you can recharge your life!

Most people rely on artificial and disease-causing means to create energy such as caffeine, sugar, drugs and carbs. This leads you down a slippery slope. Instead, you should do something GREAT for your body WITHOUT SIDE EFFECTS. Real foods make a real difference in your energy system.

Buy CellPower click here!

(Ideally taken with BFood Complex)

Many physicians have referred to it as hypochondria or idiopathic disease (meaning that it has no known cause), but now more and more doctors are recognizing the reality of chronic fatigue as a valid medical complaint. Just as the name implies, this means that people suffering from chronic fatigue always feel tired or exhausted. Of course most of us know what it’s like to be very tired or worn out, but chronic fatigue takes this to a new level; instead of being tired occasionally, the sufferer feels worn out all of the time. When this happens, all of life comes to a grinding halt, because without energy you can’t get things done, and without energy, the body begins to break down in many ways.

Adjunctive Nutritional Schedule*
(long-term schedule)
BFood Complex: 12 tablets a day, or 1T of the powder
CellPower: 6 tablets a day, or 1teasp of the powder
CalMag Balance: 6 tablets a day
Fish Oils: 6 capsules a day
AdrenaPlex: 6 capsules
SuperGreens PhytoFood: 6 capsules or 1 teasp powder

It is also possible to take the powder versions of these foods and blend them in a smoothie, taking half the dosage in the morning and the other half in late afternoon.

Why the exhaustion? Well, as Dr. Bernard Jensen (author, Vibrant Health from Your Kitchen) used to say, it takes time to build a disease. In other words, health problems like chronic fatigue do not come on suddenly. There are many factors that can rob you of energy, including another illness, low iron, low mineral intake, liver problems, digestive problems, excessive work without proper rest, overweight conditions, excessive stress (emotional and physical), and improper/insufficient nutrition. In all causes, nutrition remains at the top of the list of importance, because if you don’t feed your body the correct foods, it won’t have the building blocks for health. Nerves, muscles, the mind, the brain, the internal organs, the glands and the cells all need good nutrition to function optimally. If they don’t have this, then they will be lacking in energy, which leads to chronic fatigue.

Symptoms
There are many foods that build energy, and topping the list are the foods that contain vitamin B complex (See BFood Complex). Note that we say that the foods are important to eat rather than the vitamin pills. Many cases of chronic fatigue have failed to respond to vitamin pills, yet have responded to the foods that contain the vitamins, among other nutrients that only nature’s foods can offer. When there is a deficiency of vitamin B complex, as is very common in cases of exhaustion, some symptoms include:
• fatigue, tiredness
• inability to think clearly
• problems focusing
• sleepiness
• insomnia
• anxiety
• feelings of dread/ something terrible is going to happen
• inability to cope with stress
• intolerance for noise
• moodiness
• heart palpitations
• fear of the unknown

When exhaustion becomes chronic, the adrenal glands may be adversely affected, leading to adrenal fatigue. The adrenal system is the backup energy program for the body, and it needs vitamin C foods such as citrus, cherries and other fruits and vegetables. (See AdrenalPlex)

Minerals are also important in creating energy and maintaining the health, including calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, sulfur, potassium, sodium and selenium. (See SuperGreens PhytoFood) And essential fatty acids are needed by the body for nerve transmission, brain function and immune response. (See FishOils) Further, there are many foods that create energy in the mitochondria (energy factories) of the cells, including alfalfa, ginseng root, quinoa, fig, spirulina, and others. (See EnergyFood)

The biggest mistake made by people with chronic fatigue is to take herbs or drugs that artificially stimulate energy. But this causes not only side effects, but since such actions do not solve the nutrition deficiency underlying the problem, new health problems are created and the condition is made worse. The wisest course of action is to take whole food supplements, change your diet for the better, get plenty of rest, enroll in a stress-reduction course or therapy, and seek psychological counseling to ease you through the recovery process.

* Adjunctive Nutritional Schedules are not meant to treat or cure disease, but rather to offer the body a variety of food nutrients that can be used for health support.

Overwhelmingly, emails I receive mostly revolve around problems with low energy. We live in a world that saps our energy via:

1. Too much stress
2. Not enough energy foods
3. Too many energy-depleting foods
4. Environmental chemicals
5. Too little exercise

Energy producing foods are in two main categories:

1. vitamin B complex-containing foods such as brown rice, barley, liver, etc., and
2. foods that create energy production in the cells’ power plants.

Other support comes from foods that contain electrolytes, or energy (electrical) conductors. These are mainly in green foods and comprise of minerals such as sodium, potassium, calcium and so forth. Altogether, the three powerful supplements to achieve this energy crisis are: BFood Complex, CellPower and GreenNutrients. So, if you have problems with low energy, this is a great place to begin. If you can’t do the whole program, my recommendation is to begin with the BFood Complex.

If you can’t get enough of these in your diet, my clinical experience shows that certain whole food supplements come to the rescue! You’d be amazed how fast these foods work, too, because they contain not just vitamins and minerals, but subfactors, cofactors, enzymes and helper nutrients that your body requires to store, use and replenish lost energy.

By Annie Shattuck
Food First, September 24, 2008

Between the sub-prime housing mess, volatile oil prices, food price inflation, and a massive trade deficit, the American economy is in the worst shape we’ve seen since the Great Depression.[i] Now [comes] the government['s] $700 billion dollar bail-out to Wall Street, equivalent to $1500 from every person in America. Government intervention is certainly warranted, but we need an intervention that addresses the root causes of all these crises; from food to housing to speculation. Both the food crisis and the financial crisis are rooted in similar polices that have fed on each other for years. Both crises find their origins in the failings of free market fundamentalism.

In the late 1970′s Washington and the international finance institutions under its tutelage, began a sharp departure from the interventionist policies that had brought the US out of the Great Depression. Free market reforms worldwide, championed by the U.S. and enforced under loan conditions of the International Monetary Fund, eroded support for local agriculture through the elimination of grain reserves, government supports, extension, and credit services. Tariffs on agricultural imports were loosened throughout the 1980′s and 1990′s, a result of which was massive consolidation in the agriculture industry. In 1988 the top ten seed companies controlled 30% of the global market.[ii] Now that same share is controlled by just the top three.[iii] The top three agricultural exporters in the world, Cargill, Bunge and ADM, now control 90% of the world’s grain supply.[iv]

In the same period, deregulation in the financial services industry allowed banks to cross over their investments: small banks that traditionally held mortgages were allowed to invest in other areas of the economy (Think the Savings and Loan crisis of the 80′s). Large banks quickly swallowed up small banks. Between 1980 and 1998 alone there were over 8,000 bank mergers in the US, accounting for over $2.4 trillion in assets.[v] As banking became more centralized, loans to small businesses, including farms, became harder to come by,[vi] which in combination with falling prices and expensive chemical and seed packages, left many farmers to get big or get out. Commodities traders increasingly invested in other financial services, large traders crossed over into futures markets, and some banks began to trade in financial instruments, including commodities, in order to protect their loans.[vii] Some financial services companies, like Goldman Sachs, even became importers of physical goods,[viii] while traditional agribusinesses, like Cargill, now have investment banking arms that deal in everything from real estate, corporate securities and IT technology.[ix]

Deregulation and consolidation both make markets extremely vulnerable to shock. When the sub-prime mortgage crisis hit in 2007, investors began to scramble for safe places to put their investments. At least some of the rampant food price inflation that began at the beginning of this year was caused by exactly that scramble-a combination of investing in agricultural commodities and oil, which drove up the price of food and farm inputs.[x] Looking for safer investments, traders that may or may not be in business related to food at all, put their money into commodities futures. This kind of speculative trading that is so exacerbating the food crisis was not possible on this scale until financial services deregulation in the 1980′s.[xi]

This system of deregulation has caught our economy and our food system in a negative feedback loop. Less regulation breeds more consolidation and subsequently, less stability in both agricultural and financial markets. The irony is that now because markets and investments are so intertwined, we stand to face a breakdown in the world’s food and financial systems at the same time.

Food riots, foreclosures, lost pensions, destabilized governments, the threat of “financial Armageddon” and an increasingly hungry planet are all evidence of the same failed policies. A $700 billion dollar bail out to Wall Street may or may not stabilize markets in the short run, but will do nothing to address the root causes of the current crisis, nor will it stave off the next one. A real solution must include measures to stabilize both food and financial markets. We need strong oversight on large traders and financial services, and increased support to local economies, small farmers, small, local banks, and small borrowers. Most of all, we need a dramatic departure from the free-market fundamentalism that brought us here in the first place.

————————————————————————
i Reuters. “Obama, McCain Battle Over U.S. Financial Crisis” September 23, 2008.
ii RAFI Rural Advancement Foundation International. 1998. “Seed Industry Consolidation: Who Owns Whom?” Communique. July/August 1998.
iii ETC Group 2007. “The World’s Top Ten Seed Companies 2006” October 2007.
iv http://www.etcgroup.org/en/materials/publications.html?pu…
O’Driscoll, Peter. “Part of the Problem: Trade, Transnational Corporations and Hunger.” Center Focus. Center of Concern, Washington D.C. Issue #166, March 2005.
v Rhoades, Stephen A. “Bank Mergers and Banking Structure in the United States, 1980-98.” Staff Study 174. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. August 2000.
vi De Windt, Claudia S., Isis Marquez, Rodrigo Martinez, Oscar Ceville, and Xiaohang Liu. “Liberalization of Financial Services Under NAFTA and its Effect on the Environmental Performance of the Agicultural Sector in Mexico.” presentation Fourth North American Symposium on Trade and the Environment. Organization of American States. Phoenix, Arizona, USA. April 2008.
vii Talbot, John M. Grounds for Agreement: The Political Economy of the Coffee Commodity Chain. Roman and Littlefield. Lanham, Maryland. 2004.
viii Ibid.
ix Cargill Corporation website http://www.cargill.com/products/risk/ps_investment.htm
x Gordon, Gretchen. 2008. Food Crisis in the Age of Unregulated Global Markets. Institute for Food and Development Policy. Oakland, CA. April 18 2008.
xi Moberg, David. “Let Them Eat Free Markets: How deregulation fuels the global food crisis” In These Times. July 23, 2008. http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3801/

“Help! I have low energy. I don’t know if my thyroid is working and I can’t figure anything out! What’s wrong with me?” — D. Q.

To figure out most health problems, you need a detective or you need to become a detective. A thorough investigation usually gets to the bottom of your problem, though even then it may take a while.

There’s more to low energy than just the thyroid, but of course one of the main blood tests can determine whether your thyroid is working up to par.

If you are having problems with a thyroid drug, you should know that all medications (drugs) have side effects. Your prescribing physician needs to know of your side effects to determine whether the drugs are too strong.

If your thyroid values are normal but your doctor has you on thyroid medication anyway, you should ask your doctor why. If they are normal, why do you need thyroid medication? Your doctor gets paid by you, so never be intimidated to ask questions. If he doesn’t like to answer your questions, find another physician. There are plenty of good MDs out there!

In the meanwhile BFood Complex can be taken without any fear of side effects or drug contradictions.

Here are some strategies to pursue your personal Energy Investigation:

What is your diet like? Keep a daily food journal.

Your diet, stress factors and environment are very important because all of these affect your energy levels and the way you feel. A daily journal of everything you eat, every stressful moment and all the supplements and medications you take should be kept. This includes what you drink as well. After doing this for a week or so you may be able to detect a pattern or cause-and-effect to see if something you are eating or doing is creating ill feelings. Regardless of your doctor this is a good idea for you.

Further, if you suspect you have allergies, this daily journal is a must. If your problem is caused by a gluten intolerance, (read more on this here) and you stop eating all gluten, then it can take up to six months of being off of gluten to see a real change. This is a long time, but the problem is that the body takes at least that long to heal itself. When you have had a gluten intolerance that has gone on without correction, then the small intestine has become full of tiny holes through which food particles leak into your bloodstream. As a result, your body recognizes these particles and goes on alert and a war is waged inside of you, causing many possible side effects.

The body is a very complex system and so is each individual.

Energy is produced in a few main ways:

1. with foods that contain B vitamins
2. with good fats (Fish Oils, Evening Primrose oil, unrefined olive oil, flaxseed oil)
3. via the thyroid
4. with certain foods that produce energy in the cells
5. complex carbohydrates

Factors that sap energy include (but are not limited to):

1. junk food
2. coffee (offers a short term boost, but in the long run can run you down)
3. sugar (for the same reason as above)
4. refined carbohydrates (ditto)
5. medications (always read the side effects in the PDR)
6. bad fats
7. stress

Never Underestimate Stress

Stress is a major issue affecting your health, although it is commonly overlooked, ignored or marginalized. Trauma is part of stress as well. Your body is affected by your mind and emotions even if you don’t consciously realize this is happening. All cells in your body are affected by trauma and stress of from your mind and emotions. The best way to work on this is with a counselor (preferably a psychologist) who uses EMDR, NLP or Brainspotting.

Hopefully by exploring some of the above leads, you will come closer to solving the mystery of your own Energy Crisis. Almost all problems have a clear solution and when you do find draw your conclusions, you might just realize it was something quite “Elementary” the whole time.

A recent psychology finding states that chronic loneliness belongs among health risk factors such as smoking, obesity or lack of exercise.1

The mind-body connection is not to be underestimated because when emotions are out of balance then the body responds. Although it is popularly understood that stress can cause heart problems and nervousness can cause stomach upset, the mind-body connection goes a lot further.

Feeling connected to others is vital to a person’s mental well-being, as well as physical health, research at the University of Chicago shows.

The studies, reported in a new book, Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection, show that a sense of rejection or isolation disrupts not only abilities, will power and perseverance, but also key cellular processes deep within the human body.

The findings suggest that chronic loneliness belongs among health risk factors such as smoking, obesity or lack of exercise, according to lead author John Cacioppo, the Tiffany & Margaret Blake Distinguished Service Professor in Psychology at the University.

“Loneliness not only alters behavior, but loneliness is related to greater resistance to blood flow through your cardiovascular system,” Cacioppo said.

“Loneliness leads to higher rises in morning levels of the stress hormone cortisol, altered gene expression in immune cells, poorer immune function, higher blood pressure and an increased level of depression.

Loneliness also is related to difficulty getting a deep sleep and a faster progression of Alzheimer’s disease, said Cacioppo.1

There have been a number of researchers who have shown that each emotional state creates one or more physiological changes that frequently manifest in symptoms and disease. When we look closely at this fact we begin to understand not only that our mental states can cause illness, but that by improving these mental states we may actually be able to reverse illness. In essence, this is accomplished by creating a positive impact on the cells that have been negatively impacted by trauma.

Much of what we first learned about the power of the mind to affect the body comes from peoples who have practiced mind-body medicine and meditative techniques over the centuries, including Chinese chi gung practitioners and Tibetan monks.

“Through the deeply meditative practice of Tum-mo yoga, Tibetan monks are able to dry wet sheets placed on their bodies in near-freezing temperatures by raising their skin temperatures 17 degrees. How the human body can perform this remarkable feat is still unknown, yet it serves as a striking demonstration of the awesome mind-body powers we all possess.”4

The scientific evidence for the mind’s influence on the body now comes from three converging areas of research:

o Physiological research, which investigates the biological and biochemical connections between the brain and the body’s systems. The key physiological question is whether the biological changes that stem from psychological factors actually make a difference to health. For example, even if stress or depression does lower the effectiveness of the immune system, is the drop in activity great enough to increase the risk of illness?

o Epidemiological research, which shows correlations between certain psychological factors and certain illnesses in the population at large. Some researchers are now trying to unravel the reasons why upsetting experiences are associated with illness and why strong social networks are linked to better health.

o Clinical research, which tests the effectiveness of mind/body approaches in preventing, alleviating, or treating diseases. For instance, support groups for patients might work because they encourage better compliance with what their physicians tell them to do, or because the emotional changes the groups produce help boost immunity directly.5

Sources:

1. Nauert, PhD, Rick, Loneliness Harms Health, PsychCentral, Sept. 2008
2. Marano, Hana Estroff, The Blues Can Break Your Heart; Depression and heart disease can go hand in hand. Either one can bring on the other; Psychology Today, Mar 04
3. Benson, Herbert, Mind-Body Pioneer; The connection between your mind and body is stronger than you may think; Psychology Today, May 01
4. ibid, Benson, Psychology Today
5. Mind/body medicine–at last; Psychology Today, Mar 93
6. Cromie, William J, Meditation Changes Temperatures, Harvard University Gazette,