NYANP Newsletter March 2010

Welcome!

The New York Association of Naturopathic Physicians (NYANP) is a not for profit organization representing Naturopathic Medicine in New York State. Our mission is: Healthy Patients, Licensed NDs. We want to make it possible for all New Yorkers to benefit from Naturopathic Medicine, and to pass state legislation to license Naturopathic Doctors.

We'd like to welcome you to our monthly newsletter, intended to inform, heal and unite. Articles are contributed by professional members of the NYANP.

Please direct questions and submissions to Caroline Budhan at caroline@nyanp.org.

Dr. Donielle Wilson

NYANP President and Executive Director

Contents

• Welcome!
• Probiotics and Immune Support by Sean E. Heerey, ND, MA, CCC/SLP
• Blood Sugar Control: Prevent and Treat Diabetes Naturally by Peter Bongiorno ND, LAc
• Cultivating Spirituality by Steven Koda, ND
• Mammograms Misunderstood by Dr. Sarah Cimperman, ND

Probiotics and Immune Support by Sean E. Heerey, ND, MA, CCC/SLP

Numerous blogs and websites are telling the American public to support their immune system. There are even television commercials advertising products that can boost immune function. This may be a new concept to advertisers but Naturopathic Physicians have been making these types of recommendations for decades.

A safe and effective way to support the immune system in children and adults is with probiotics. Probiotics are beneficial organisms that inhabit our digestive tract.

An August 2009 study in the Journal Pediatrics looked at the effect of single and combination probiotic products on cold and influenza-like symptoms. Children ages 3-5 were treated twice a day for six months. When compared to a placebo group single strain probiotics reduced the incidence of fevers by over 50% and combination probiotics reduced fever by 72%, incidence of coughing reduced by 41% for single and 62% for combination probiotics, and incidence of runny nose reduced by 28% for single and 58% for combination products. Duration of fever, cough and runny nose was reduced by 32% for single probiotic and 48% for combination probiotic products. Compared to placebo, antibiotic use was reduced by 68% for single probiotic and 84% for combination probiotics.

More than just immune support, daily consumption of probiotics can be a powerful component of your family’s wellness care and prevention plans. There are many quality probiotics available that are free of potential allergens such as wheat, starch, yeast, corn, sodium, artificial coloring, flavoring or preservatives.

Ask your Naturopathic Physician about quality probiotic products and how they can fit into you and your child’s daily routine.

Pediatrics. 2009 Aug; 124(2):e172-9. Epub 2009 Jul 27.

Probiotic effects on cold and influenza-like symptom incidence and duration in children.

Leyer GJ, Li S, Mubasher ME, , Ouwehand AC.

Sean E. Heerey, ND
Naturopathic Doctor (Oregon Naturopathic Doctor License)
www.drseanheerey.com
Individualized Nutrition for Chronic Disease
Phone: 212.239.4544
clinic@drseanheerey.com

Blood Sugar Control: Prevent and Treat Diabetes Naturally by Peter Bongiorno ND, LAc

One in 8 New Yorkers have diabetes and 25% do not know it. Many more have ‘pre-diabetes’ or hypoglycemia, both of which can lead to diabetes later in life.

Fortunately, naturopathic medicine has a very effective array of lifestyle and nutrient recommendations to prevent this condition, and these have helped bring blood sugar back to normal for many patients.

Exercise is a key to improve insulin sensitivity, which helps sugar move into the cells and out of the blood, where it can cause damage to blood vessels, the kidneys and the eyes. Low glycemic load foods are wonderful to keep blood sugar from spiking.

Vegetables, legumes, fish and natural and organic lean meats can tastefully help keep blood sugar under control. There are so many wonderful and tasteful, blood sugar-friendly foods out there to try. Nutrients such as chromium and magnesium are typically low in patients with diabetes, and supplementation will help allow the body to manage glucose best. Herbs such as gymnema, bitter melon, can also help as well as drugs without the side effects.

Special fibers like glucomannan will keep extra sugars from being absorbed, and keep digestive movement healthful. Stress is an important part of blood sugar control, for stress will increase the amount of sugar in your blood - learning relaxation techniques will help all the above recommendations work their best.

For blood tests, consider having your fasting blood sugar checked regularly, and ask for a hemoglobin A1C, which tests for long term sugar in the blood. Also, check your blood lipids and blood pressure regularly, for people with blood sugar problems often have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Peter Bongiorno will teach you the specifics about what you need to know by giving a lecture on the best naturopathic approaches blood sugar and diabetes on Monday, March 8th at the Natural Gourmet Institute on 21st Street (Chelsea area) in New York City. Please contact info@innersourcehealth.com or call 718.354.7339 for more details.

Peter Bongiorno, ND, LAc
Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine (WA State Licensed), Licensed Acupuncturist (NY Licensed)
Vice President, NY Association of Naturopathic Physicians
www.innersourcehealth.com
Email: drpeter@innersourcehealth.com

Appointments:

New York City: reception@innersourcehealth.com, 718.354.7339

Long Island: info@innersourcehealth.com, 631.421.1848

Sign up for InnerSource's free newsletter: www.innersourcehealth.com

Cultivating Spirituality by Steven Koda, ND

A spiritual perspective helps me to make sense, or at least be more accepting, of the objective world. It helps me to nurture an inner core, which serves as my compass for navigating through life.

When I get away from my spiritual practices for too long, it becomes harder to cope with the demands on me. I lay awake at night repeating the same thoughts. My day becomes more mechanistic. I am distracted in the evening, rather than enjoying my family. I need to cultivate spirituality to connect with life and get joy from the simple things in life. And it does not take money, a good job, or a Ph.D. to get that joy. It does require surrender.

So what is spirituality?

We use the term spiritual in so many contexts, such as cosmogenesis, anthropomorphic genesis, religion, wisdom, life practices, and nonmaterial aspects of a life form, morphic fields, and more. I am talking about spirituality as an experience of recognizing, accessing and engaging an inner subjective part of your being so as to achieve a more optimal state of wellbeing.

Cultivating spirituality is a process of looking beyond the material, objective reality and letting go of rational, mechanistic thought. This entails an element of surrender and often engenders a sense of vulnerability.

In looking beyond and letting go, we may receive inspiration, see a subjective inner world, or find subjective meaning from an objective outer world event or form. This is not escapism, nor is it fantasy. It is seeing from a more expansive perspective, feeling with naïve innocence, and being connected to clarity and knowingness.

Eastern religions teach physical and mental disciplines for cultivating spirituality. Examples include: meditation, asana yoga (physical postures), Bhakti yoga (devotional practices), and Buddhist dharma (life practices/values/wisdom).

These practices help us to connect with our body and slow down recurring thoughts. The Judeo-Christian religions also teach practices for cultivating spirituality, such as prayer, contemplation (including introspection and reflection), brotherhood (community), and sacrifice. These practices help us to connect with our inner core and embrace a reality greater than ourselves.

Steven Koda, ND
Vital Stream Naturopathy
2 Overhill Road, Suite 430
Scarsdale, NY 10583-5340
Phone: 866.362.5632

www.vsnaturopathy.com

Mammograms Misunderstood by Dr. Sarah Cimperman, ND

The United States Preventive Services Task Force recently changed their recommendations regarding screening mammography. After a thorough review of the research, this independent panel of experts appointed by the Department of Health and Human Services concluded that most women should be tested every two years between the ages of 50 and 74, replacing previous recommendations for yearly lifelong tests starting at age 40.

The new guidelines have been met with confusion and outrage. Critics have dismissed them as a cost-cutting measure and described them as “a giant step backward.” The new recommendations have been called “deadly for women” and even “gendercide.” Although they could save billions of dollars in unnecessary testing and treatment, the financial savings are only a bonus. The new guidelines really are good for women and a review of the literature can quickly clear up the controversy.

The full article can be viewed on my blog: Mammograms Misunderstood

Sarah Cimperman, ND
19 West 34^th Street Penthouses: NYC, Port Jefferson (Long Island) and Stamford, CT
New York, NY 10001
Phone: 646.234.2918
www.drsarahcimperman.com