The Hemp Connection:
brain

From inCYSTER Karen Siegel…contact information for her Houston clinic is listed below.

"Yes. Another reason to keep encouraging the fish oil supplementation."

Public release date: 16-Dec-2009

Contact: Public Affairs Office
public.affairs@apa.org
202-336-5700 202-336-5700
American Psychological Association

New study links DHA type of omega-3 to better nervous-system function
Deficiencies may factor into mental illnesses
WASHINGTON — The omega-3 essential fatty acids commonly found in fatty fish and algae help animals avoid sensory overload, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. The finding connects low omega-3s to the information-processing problems found in people with schizophrenia; bipolar, obsessive-compulsive, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders; Huntington's disease; and other afflictions of the nervous system.

The study, reported in the journal Behavioral Neuroscience, provides more evidence that fish is brain food. The key finding was that two omega-3 fatty acids – docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) – appear to be most useful in the nervous system, maybe by maintaining nerve-cell membranes.

"It is an uphill battle now to reverse the message that 'fats are bad,' and to increase omega-3 fats in our diet," said Norman Salem Jr., PhD, who led this study at the Laboratory of Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

The body cannot make these essential nutrients from scratch. It gets them by metabolizing their precursor, α-linolenic acid (LNA), or from foods or dietary supplements with DHA and EPA in a readily usable form."Humans can convert less than one percent of the precursor into DHA, making DHA an essential nutrient in the human diet," added Irina Fedorova, PhD, one of the paper's co-authors. EPA is already known for its anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular effects, but DHA makes up more than 90 percent of the omega-3s in the brain (which has no EPA), retina and nervous system in general.

In the study, the researchers fed four different diets with no or varying types and amounts of omega-3s to four groups of pregnant mice and then their offspring. They measured how the offspring, once grown, responded to a classic test of nervous-system function in which healthy animals are exposed to a sudden loud noise. Normally, animals flinch. However, when they hear a softer tone in advance, they flinch much less. It appears that normal nervous systems use that gentle warning to prepare instinctively for future stimuli, an adaptive process called sensorimotor gating.

Only the mice raised on DHA and EPA, but not their precursor of LNA, showed normal, adaptive sensorimotor gating by responding in a significantly calmer way to the loud noises that followed soft tones. The mice in all other groups, when warned, were startled nearly as much by the loud sound. When DHA was deficient, the nervous system most obviously did not downshift. That resulted in an abnormal state that could leave animals perpetually startled and easily overwhelmed by sensory stimuli.

The authors concluded that not enough DHA in the diet may reduce the ability to handle sensory input."It only takes a small decrement in brain DHA to produce losses in brain function," said Salem.

In humans, weak sensorimotor gating is a hallmark of many nervous-system disorders such as schizophrenia or ADHD. Given mounting evidence of the role omega-3s play in the nervous system, there is intense interest in their therapeutic potential, perhaps as a supplement to medicines. For example, people with schizophrenia have lower levels of essential fatty acids, possibly from a genetic variation that results in poor metabolism of these nutrients.

More broadly, the typical American diet is much lower in all types of omega-3 than in omega-6 essential fatty acids, according to Salem. High intake of omega-6, or linoleic acid, reduces the body's ability to incorporate omega-3s. As a result,"we have the double whammy of low omega-3 intake and high omega-6 intake," he said.

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Article:"Deficit in Prepulse Inhibition in Mice Caused by Dietary n-3 Fatty Acid Deficiency"; Irina Fedorova, PhD, Laboratory of Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health; Anita R. Alvheim, PhD candidate, Laboratory of Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, and National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research, Bergen, Norway; and Nahed Hussein, PhD and Norman Salem Jr., PhD, Laboratory of Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health; Behavioral Neuroscience, Vol. 123, No. 6.

(Full text of the article is available from the APA Public Affairs Office)

Norman Salem Jr. can be reached at nsalem@martek.com or at (443) 542-2370 (443) 542-2370. He was with the National Institutes of Health until 2008, when he became the chief scientific officer and vice president of Martek Biosciences Corp. in Columbia, Md., an ingredient supplier of DHA. He states that he and his co-authors conducted this research while with the NIH.

The American Psychological Association, in Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 150,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting health, education and human welfare.
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Karen Siegel, MPH, MS, RD, LD, LAc
Acupuncture & Nutrition Clinic
9660 Hillcroft, Suite 202
Houston, TX 77096
713/721-7755 713/721-7755
www.AcupunctureandNutritionClinic.com
or
www.Karensclinic.com

Something I am committed to with this work is making sure that every mother out there who plans to get pregnant or who is pregnant understands, is that they need marine oils in their diet. I don't care if you get them from algae, I don't care if you get them from fish…I care that you get them.

We've gone so overboard in steering women away from fish that we're creating more problems than we're solving.

Our brains and nervous systems are in large part made of marine oils. When pregnant, especially in the final trimester, a significant percentage of those oils are given to our developing babies. That is the time during pregnancy when the brain and nervous system develop. In one study, between the 28th week and delivery, blood DHA levels were measured and found to decrease. It didn't matter if the baby was born prematurely, to term, or late, the trend persisted. It happened even in women who were eating what they considered to be a lot of fish.

It bothers me greatly that a population that may actually need to be supplemented with fish…is encouraged to stay away from the very nutrient they need larger quantities of. And then we wonder why problems such as autism are epidemic.

I am hoping that the pregnant and future pregnant readers of this blog use this information to their benefit, and share it with anyone who could use it. We just aren't making sense with our recommendations when it comes to this crucial nutrient.

Bonham MP, Duffy EM, Wallace JM, Robson PJ, Myers GJ, Davidson PW, Clarkson TW, Shamlaye CF, Strain JJ. Habitual fish consumption does not prevent a decrease in LCPUFA status in pregnant women (the Seychelles Child Development Nutrition Study). Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2008 Jun;78(6):343-350. Epub 2008 Jun 26.

I've had two different clients share a similar observation in the last couple of weeks, and I thought I'd write about it since it's not uncommon to feel this way in early recovery.

First of all, I want to share with you an article on depression that was recently in the Boston Globe.

This article presents the argument that depression is not about a deficiency of neurotransmitters that need to be balanced with medication, but rather, a condition in which neurons are dying a slow death and gradually losing their function. I've had this premise for awhile; it is the basis of my treatment philosophy for PCOS. Fish oil is the best compound nature has for restoring life to neurons, and when you put it into your diet, the brain begins to function again.

My two clients have both observed that as they began taking fish oil, they felt more alert and their memory and concentration seemed to be better. Signs that Elvis is back in the building!

These two clients also observed, though, that they were feeling more emotional. Not all emotions, especially anger and sadness, are easy to feel. So when you begin to feel these emotions, it can feel like things are getting"worse", not better.

Keep in mind, when neurons are malnourished, that means ALL neurons stop functioning, not just the ones affecting memory. The ones affecting emotion, the ones affecting appetite, and the ones affecting hormones.

If you've had PCOS, your hormones have not been functioning as they should, perhaps for a very long time. And that means you've not had the experience other women have, of fluctuating energy, emotions, you name it. Those fluctuations are normal!

So I often get the question,"What can I do?" The most important advice I can give is, be patient with yourself. Become used to what it means to truly cycle. Get to know what a healthy body feels like. It means it is normal to feel bloated, even constipated, just before your period. Your weight might fluctuate. The cycle should be around 28 days when you're back on track, and every single day within that 28 days may feel different. There may be no such thing as getting on the scale and weighing the same thing every single day.

With regard to your emotions, perhaps as your brain becomes more aware, this is an opportunity to experience what emotions might be about. Emotions are messages from the brain, telling you how you are with regard to balance, and what you need to do to restore balance if it isn't there. Anger is often a clue that a boundary has been violated. Loneliness means you need to seek companionship of some sort. Fear suggests that you need to remove yourself from danger. If they didn't feel uncomfortable, you would not be motivated to engage in behaviors that keep you healthy and safe. So rather than running from emotions, embrace them! They're telling you that your health is returning and things are getting back to normal.

PCOS is so hormone driven that emotions end up on the back burner. Excesses of androgens and stress hormones put anxiety and anger in control. But if you find that these feelings are persistent and do not wane after time, or that they seem to be there even when nothing in your life can explain them, they may be signs of hormone excesses and not really environmentally or event-stimulated emotions. When your hormones have you constantly revved up, it can feel strange to not have that kind of energy rush.

I couldn't figure out why, when I first started recommending yoga to clients, they would come back after one class and tell me they hated it. I figured out eventually, that yoga slowed their bodies down but their heads were still spinning. And being pinned to the floor in a yoga pose while your head is thinking angry thoughts can be a very uncomfortable place to be. Those clients got the same advice I'm giving you. Give the new changes some time. Don't abandon your new lifestyle because it initially feels uncomfortable. It's been a long time since your body has felt normal. Be gentle with your self and get to know/understand that"normal" involves hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly cycles. There is no such thing as being the same weight, temperature, size, or temperament every single minute of every single day.

Our philosophy is a little different than what many physicians will have you do. We're not trying to control your hormones, your weight, or even your diet. We're not trying to force a cycle, a pregnancy, or a clothing size. We're guiding you toward healthy choices that allow your body to be in balance. Sometimes giving up control, and letting the body speak to you instead of the other way around, is the absolute best way to get there.

So if things seem a little chaotic and you feel like you're charting uncharted territory, welcome to the world of female physiology! Ask questions, observe, and embrace the wonderful lesson you're learning, that your body will heal if you let it. There is no such thing as being past the point of no return or"stuck" where you are.

Hello everyone,

It's great to be back with the new team of PCOS course graduates! I hope you enjoyed Susan Dopart's recipe and that other contributions will be educational and practically useful.

Today I wanted to share some recent findings about the effects of elevated glucose on a developing baby. If you have PCOS and you are pregnant, you are at risk for gestational diabetes. I realized while reading this study that rarely is the effect of hyperglycemia on the fetus ever discussed. You might hear that it can effect your weight and the baby's weight, but can it do anything else? Some researchers think so.

A group of chick eggs were injected with glucose. Significant changes were found in the babies that developed from those eggs, including:
--their own hyperglycemia
--elevated oxidative (degenerative) activity in body and brain tissue
--lower body weight
--lower brain weight
There also seems to be lower levels of DHA in babies exposed to hyperglycemia. This may be due to the elevated oxidative activity destroying any DHA that might be there.

You're likely aware that taking folate is pretty much an across the board recommendation to pregnant women. In this study, hyperglycemia seemed to induce a level of oxidation/inflammation that was not significantly helped with a folate supplement.

Bottom line, it's important to eat well not just to avoid weight gain or to keep your blood sugar low to keep your doctor and dietitian happy, but because your baby's brain and body depend on you to do so.

I did not write this post to scare you, I did it to make you aware. However, if you're feeling as if you now don't know what's right to eat, or you're trying and having a hard time, please take a look at the right hand of this blog screen. There is a whole list of professionals ready and waiting to help you figure it out.

Most of my clients express surprise that healthy eating includes as many tasty foods as it does. So before you write off a visit to the dietitian because you're afraid of what you WON'T be able to eat, consider that it may be your ticket to freedom and guilt relief to work with someone who can introduce you to the many foods that will BENEFIT you and baby!

Cole NW, Weaver KR, Walcher BN, Adams ZF, Miller RR Jr. Hyperglycemia-induced membrane lipid peroxidation and elevated homocysteine levels are poorly attenuated by exogenous folate in embryonic chick brains. Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol. 2008 Jul;150(3):338-43.

I apologize in advance for the irony of using a technologically-based medium to share information about the potential health risk that technology may pose…but then again, if you're using a computer to read this, and you've got PCOS, you may be a member of the exact choir I need to preach to.

Earlier this week, a New York Times article described research about the effect on the brain that constant brain stimulation from tech toys may be having. When rats have a unique experience, they seem to better retain what they learned from that experience if they are allowed to give their brain a break from the stimulation.

Every time a neuron is required to process information, you can consider that an oxidative moment. If you are constantly using your neurons without giving them a break, you are allowing them to be broken down more rapidly, and not providing them with the rest they need to recover. Eventually, they can't keep up with the input and they lose the ability to do their job efficiently.

As we have become able to carry the Internet with us, we've become less tolerant of quiet moments. We immediately jump to Facebook, Twitter, or IM's to fill the void. (The other day, I actually watched my clerk at the convenience store alternate texting someone while he rang up my purchase!) Shortened attention spans only decrease our patience, and that carries over to other aspects of our lives. We can't tolerate a half hour workout. We can't stick with a new way of eating long enough for it to work. We can't follow through with our wellness goals, because the discomfort that new behaviors inevitably brings can be avoided by Googling for the next best diet or exercise plan.

You've heard of mindfulness? I encourage you to work toward what I'm starting to call Technomindfulness. If you ignore it, you can't possibly be aware of how you feel, how hungry you really are, what kinds of stress signals your body might be trying to send to you in order to get some rejuvenation time.

Here are some ways to engage in Technomindfulness.

1. Challenge yourself to step away from your computer and your smart phone for a half hour. If it's hard, try 10 minutes. Gradually increase your time away. See how long you can go without checking for IM's and e-mails.

2. Limit Twitter use to the beginning and end of the day. Utilize a program such as Tweet Deck that can help you to organize your incoming information into categories.

3. Regularly review your Facebook friends list and remove individuals you have no productive need to keep up with. Again, keep a Facebook schedule.

4. Challenge yourself to exercise outdoors, without an iPod.

5. Keep your technology away from your dinner table and your bedroom.

6. Limit yourself to the use of one gadget at a time…no multitasking!

7. Challenge yourself to refrain from Tweeting about an event you may be at until the event is over. Just enjoy the event…you went to experience it, not Tweet about it!

8. Ask yourself when you have the urge to IM, if the person you were IM'ing were right in front of you, would you be having the same conversation? Or are you pushing buttons and sending messages simply because you can't tolerate that lack of stimulation.

9. Turn your IM program off for a day!

10. Save up your time reading our blog for one or two times a week. The information isn't going anywhere. I'd rather you read it and then log off and disappear for awhile…because then I know you're actually using it. Reading it at the expense of your exercise program is not how I intended us to be used!

Last night I had a consultation with a client who is in her mid 50's. She doesn't officially have PCOS, but she has many of the symptoms, and I believe if she were younger, trying to have children, she might have the diagnosis. What is really interesting about this case is that this woman was born 2 months prematurely and spent several weeks in a neonatal intensive care unit before being able to go home. This was long before this was commonplace.

A very high percentage of my clients were born prematurely. This is a huge risk factor because it is during the last trimester of pregnancy that the brain and nervous system does the majority of its development. When the baby's nervous system is forced to grow and develop in an unfamiliar and unnatural…and stressful…environment, it just can't thrive like a nervous system that is at home in the womb.

Secondly, inside momma, there is at least a little bit of exposure to nutrients that are needed for this development. Outside the womb, we can do our best, but we can never completely replicate nature. In the case of my client, her intensive care stay happened long before we even knew much of this, and before omega-3 fatty acids were added to the feedings of babies in intensive care units. So my client, essentially, has been playing catch up at least since the day she was born.

A recent study confirmed what I just described, and what I've been teaching for several years. In a study comparing 28 babies categorized as"small for gestational age", 28 babies whose weight was statistically normal, and 56 normal-weight babies. An additional comparison was made between 60 premature babies, 20 of which were"small for gestational age" and 40 whose weight was normal.

Preterm babies seemed to have higher levels of building blocks of essential fatty acids, but the important omegas that they needed were not there, indicating that something about preterm birth may impair the conversion process. Term, normal weight babies had higher levels of DHA (one of those essential omegas), and higher ratios of endpoint to building block compounds. This suggested that the term babies were better able to convert building blocks into active omega-3's.

Term but small babies had higher levels of eicosapentaenoic acid, which is an intermediate in the conversion, meaning perhaps that lower weight babies also have important metabolic differences.

So, it seems, there are two important goals: (1) keep that baby in utero as long as possible, and (2) don't get so caught up in your pregnancy weight gain that you restrict your baby's development. Goal #1, interestingly, has been shown to be more achievable in mothers who consume adequate omega-3s! Goal #2 is a little more challenging, especially if you are being managed for gestational diabetes and your weight is being more closely monitored. That's when quality or what you do eat becomes important. It's going to be hard to get enough omega-3's, optimize your baby's weight gain, and keep your insulin function under control, if your focus is not on nutritionally dense foods that give you a bang for your buck.

That's why inCYST works so hard to train its professionals. They love to do this work, and they would love to help you figure it out!

Agostoni C, Marangoni F, Stival G, Gatelli I, Pinto F, Risé P, Giovannini M, Galli C, Riva E. Whole Blood Fatty Acid Composition Differs in Term Vs Mildly Preterm Infants: Small Vs Matched Appropriate For Gestational Age. Pediatr Res. 2008 Apr 3.

I love blueberries. And recently they've gotten a lot of press, making practically every nutritional top ten list for their antioxidant content. Even so, it's always bothered me a little that they're not the most sustainable choice for someone like me, living in the desert, far from any blueberry farm. So I've been in search of alternatives that might be more logical choices when blueberries are not in season, and for people who do not live where blueberries are cultivated.

A few weeks ago I was excited to learn that hibiscus contains the same anthocyanins as blueberries. It's a popular tea here in the desert, and I've begun to ask for it in coffeehouses and restaurants.

Yesterday, on behalf of a reader living in the Netherlands who posted that she was looking for good teas over there, I looked up rosehips, a popular tea in Europe. And bingo! They contain anthocyanins as well. They also contain twice the daily recommendations for vitamin C, another powerful antioxidant.

Rosehips are readily available in Europe and the United States. They were popular with Native Americans in their cooking. Supports my"big picture" theory that if you are knowledgeable about local foods, you can often find the essentials right in your backyard. No need to import expensive foods from exotic locations in order to eat completely.

Plus, you can use hibiscus and rosehips teas while managing the overall carbohydrate content of your diet more effectively than you could eating large amounts of fruit. (Not that fruit is bad, it just needs to be consumed with respect.)

Interestingly, one reference I found described a rosehips-hibiscus tea that I'm interested in…that would definitely be a find for my suntea collection!

An interesting note, several places on the Internet mentioned that rosehips contain vitamin D, but I have not been able to find credible references to verify that. You'll best insure good vitamin D balance if you include other foods for that nutrient.

One of the most frustrating things about PCOS, from my perspective, is that, although we share a common constellation of symptoms (or else we wouldn’t have the diagnosis), every woman’s body is unique. So the dietary treatment of this condition is constantly evolving. I spend a lot of time studying the impacts of food on mood and brain health, and of course, in the great scientific tradition of self-experimentation, I’m always trying out new theories on myself. I wonder, watch, consume, and observe various foods, quantities, and combinations, and then see what happens. I also make observations based on my client’s self-reports, and my interpretation of what happens to their mood and overall sense of well-being, as affected by what they consume. My findings from this moderately unscientific study: • There are no absolutes • The rules change all the time • People believe an astonishing variety of things about food, many of them bearing absolutely no basis in science or reality • Science is probably way behind where it needs to be to support our health • M.D.s are highly unlikely to offer sound advice about food – far better to seek out the services of a dietician • The only thing the food police can agree on is that we should all be eating plenty of organic dark leafy greens • The body is fine with certain foods on some days, and not so fine on others • PMS induces chocolate consumption, wild carb cravings, and a desire for rare, salty beef • Almost everyone with PCOS gets out of control when they over-consume refined carbs • If you’re gluten-sensitive, you will get brain fog if you abuse gluten • It is true that weighing yourself daily, or multiple times a day, contributes to anxiety, and may well be a symptom of an eating disorder • Everything you ban is that much likelier to become the object of your obsession, unless you take steps to balance out your body and your brain chemistry • Details matter • Consistency matters • Treats are really good for staying on track, if they’re chosen wisely • Weight loss is rarely easy; maintenance is even harder • Depressed women with PCOS almost always overeat, not undereat • The less you sleep, the more you eat • Caffeine can be devilishly addictive, or of little consequence • Dairy is the subject of much debate, and a great deal of angst, given its popularity as a self-soothing food category • Carbs are not evil – they’re necessary for healthy brain function – but the belief that they are is remarkably fixed. My point here is that we must consider the challenges of modern dietetics, medical science, and brain treatment (from either a pharmacological or psychological/therapeutic perspective) as a process of constant evolution. If you’re doing something that isn’t working, change it up. If what you’re doing is working, but not working well enough, change it up. If you have a gut sense that something’s bogus, listen to yourself. And if you’re feeling burned out, disgusted, and hopeless about trying to figure this out, give yourself a break, retreat, do the best you can, and come back at it with renewed vigor, a calmer mind, and a more balanced perspective. Seek consultation with experts. Read up a bit. It’s all just information – no judgment. The ability to thrive depends upon your ability to adapt. Gretchen Kubacky, Psy.D. is a Health Psychologist in private practice in West Los Angeles, California. She has completed the inCYST training. She specializes in counseling women and couples who are coping with infertility, PCOS, and related endocrine disorders and chronic illnesses. If you would like to learn more about Dr. HOUSE or her practice, or obtain referrals in the Los Angeles area, please visit her website at www.drhousemd.com, or e-mail her at AskDrHouseMD@gmail.com. You can also follow her on Twitter @askdrhousemd.