Then I started feeling stressed and anxious. But that started about the time I made our first married-couple budget, so I attributed the stress and anxiety to the fact that, while we have plenty of income to pay our bills, I need to bring in significantly more income if we’re going to get ahead and reach our financial goals. This reality just left me feeling a lot of pressure.

Meanwhile, I also felt scattered, like I couldn’t sit down and concentrate on anything. But, I reasoned, there are a lot of things going on in my life right now. I’m adjusting to married life (love it—about to celebrate six months); settling a new house (also love it—but the garage is still about one-quarter full of unpacked boxes, and the list of things yet to do inside the house is still long); doing all the housewife-ly duties like cooking, cleaning, laundry and sometimes yard work (believe it or not, love these things too); managing our finances—doing the budget, etc. (also love this); maintaining my massage business (I see about 2 or 3 clients a week right now, all of whom have come to me for four years or longer, so I genuinely enjoy seeing them each visit); starting a new blog and trying to get publicity for it (enjoying this); we traveled quite a bit over the summer; and then of course there are the usual things like trying to maintain a social life and keep up with my health and fitness goals.

Which I’m obviously not doing, because I gained 12 pounds in four months. But, before my wedding in April I ate more sparsely, so I figured the pendulum was just swinging the other direction. And of course, being a diligent, eager new wife, I make a sit-down dinner about five nights a week. Yeah, I cook healthy, but we rarely eat earlier than 6:30pm, often more like 7 or 7:30. Eating late has always made a difference in my weight. Then I started to notice myself “binge-eating”, which, for me, isn’t usually as bad as it sounds, but half a box of Kashi brand TLC crackers is still half a box of crackers! I craved carbs and sweets.

Two of my girl friends who also have “unstructured” work time—one is looking for a job and the other is a new stay-at-home mom/freelancer—have at different times been my morning walking/running partners. I love and appreciate both of them. For some reason, about halfway through the summer, the commitment to walk every morning felt overwhelming. I thought maybe I just needed to adjust to this new phase of life. Besides, I felt pressure to work more and felt unjustified spending the time with them.

Then came the guilt. I felt guilty for not working enough, I felt guilty for not spending as much time with my girl friends, I felt guilty for giving into my cravings, for not eating enough vegetables, and for gaining weight. Thoughts of stupid things I’ve done in the past began to pop into my brain, much like unwanted pop-up windows in your web browser: People I’ve let down or hurt, times I didn’t follow through on a commitment, careless things I’ve said or done; I felt guilty about all of them. I didn’t know what to make of the guilt. I thought about calling a counselor.

Then one day, I happened to click through to my article on depression, written several years ago, which I’d posted recently. In the seconds between landing on that page and proceeding to another, a glimpse of the list of depression’s nine major symptoms near the top of the article turned on the lightbulb.

Well that explains it, I thought. The fatigue, the anxiety, the difficulty concentrating, the weight gain, the withdrawal from social interaction, the guilt… It was back.

I’ve battled depression off and on for the last nine years or more. I say “or more” because I never labeled it until nine years ago. But as early as junior high, and at different times throughout high school and college, I can recall crying for little or no reason, withdrawing from social interaction, or feeling apathetic, but I never talked to anyone about it.

At its most severe, when I did label it nine years ago, I cried all the way to work and all the way home, got straight into bed, cried myself to sleep, and slept until I had to get up and go to work the next morning. Wash, rinse, repeat… I can’t remember exactly how long that lasted, maybe only a week. That time I talked briefly to a physician colleague about it, who dismissed it as ambiguity: Around that time I was considering quitting my job, moving to another state and going back to college. I didn’t tell him how bad it really was, or that the deep sadness started soon after an event which proved to be my biggest heartbreak and most faith-shaking experience to date. It seemed no coincidence to me, though.

Whatever the cause, by the time I got settled in my new environment and started school, the depression dissipated. Change always puts the blues on the back burner for me.

Still, my depression has continued to come and go over the last nine years. Once, reluctantly, I took medication (Wellbutrin). My doctor “reassured” me that my body might just need the antidepressant for the rest of my life, just like it needs thyroid medication. Small comfort. After about eight months I weaned myself off. Oh, the blues still came and went, but mostly I felt okay.

So why would it come back now, when I finally have the life I’ve always dreamed of? I have the most wonderful husband. We bought a lovely home which, thanks to our generous wedding guests, actually looks put together rather than being furnished with the collection of mis-matched leftovers and yard sale pieces we had in our apartments! Moreover, I get to work my own hours at my own pace in my own space, doing something I enjoy, all while being as domestic as I want to be in our little house. I attend, and am sometimes involved in, a church I love and receive a blessing from every week. Granted, I’m still in Tennessee when a big part of me holds onto the hope of moving back to California, but eight years in one place means I finally have a fulfilling social circle and feel like I’m part of a community.

I can’t explain it, other than that according to the book Depression: The Way Out by Dr. Neil Nedley, I did almost everything wrong this summer…

Last year, in the midst of another bout of the blues, I attended Nedley’s Depression Recovery seminar and read his book cover to cover. (I highly recommend it if you battle depression.) I think a few of the things he says are his opinion (I used to attend church with this man and his family about ten years ago), but scientific research backs the vast majority of the information in his book. Determined to avoid medication if at all possible, I decided to put it to the test. (I’m not against medication in its place, but I believe that when lifestyle changes have been proven to positively impact a disease or condition, medication’s “place” is as a last resort. I want to treat the root cause, not just slap on a band-aid. Besides, medication gets expensive!)

Nedley explains that the causes of depression can be grouped into ten general “categories”:

1. Genetic: having a family history of depression
2. Developmental: a history of depression in adolescence, not being raised by both biological parents, suffering severe sexual abuse, and, for girls, starting puberty early (menstruation at age 11 or younger)
3. Nutritional: consuming a diet low in tryptophan, omega-3 fatty acids, folic acid or vitamin B12, or high in cholesterol, saturated fat and refined sugar. Also, anorexia and weight loss.
4. Social: having a lack of social support; experiencing negative, stressful life events; being in a low social class; grandparents who raise grandchildren; having an immediate family member who is an alcoholic or drug addict
5. Toxicities: lead, mercury, arsenic, bismuth or other toxins
6. Disruption of circadian rhythms: having regular insomnia; routinely sleeping more than nine hours or less than six hours per day; sleeping and eating irregularly—not being on a consistent schedule
7. Addictions: alcohol, smoking or tobacco, caffeine and illicit drugs
8. Lifestyle: lack of exercise, sunlight or fresh air
9. Medical conditions: hepatitis C, recent head injury, stroke, heart disease, terminal cancer, Parkinson’s disease, severe postpartum stress, premenstrual tension syndrome, lupus, and inadequately treated diabetes, thyroid or adrenal gland disease
10. Frontal lobe impairment: a diet low in carbohydrates or high in meat, cheese and other rich foods; regularly watching entertainment TV or movies; an addiction to “entertainment Internet” or chat rooms; undergoing hypnosis or practicing Eastern-style meditation; not enough abstract thinking; going against your conscience

Note that only two of these categories are out of our control—genetic and developmental factors; the remaining eight can largely be impacted by personal choices.
Based on Nedley’s recommendations, I developed some goals (roughly following the “Twenty-Week Cure” program outlined in Nedley’s seminar) and re-hired the life coach I’d worked with previously to keep me accountable to these new personal goals.

It worked. Within a few weeks I felt better. Normal, even. Then I got engaged and of course felt wonderful, and wedding plans consumed my life for the next seven months, pretty much crowding out all other concerns!

But this summer, the wedding receding into the past, basking in the glow of the honeymoon phase, I got careless. I stopped eating the “right” foods, and ate many of the “wrong” ones. My morning walk in the sunshine was hit or miss (partly because of a lot of rainy days). I ran out of my vitamins and supplements. Having a TV in the house for the first time in several years, I binged on it. I made my husband coffee almost every morning and had a cup or two myself.

All the wrong things, according to Nedley.

So I revisited my goals, pulled out the nerdy worksheet I put together last year, and started keeping track. I taped the worksheet to the inside of a kitchen cupboard and keep a pen handy so I can check things off as I do them each day. I know, it’s unbelievably nerdy, but it helps me stay on track.

Since the possible causes of depression are many and varied, Nedley stresses that treatment for depression must be individualized. He discusses numerous herbs, medications and lifestyle approaches in his book; those that I’ve listed below are the ones I identified as possible causes of my depression. I also have a strong family history of depression, was probably depressed in my adolescence, and started puberty on the early side—both uncontrollable factors. So while caffeine or watching lots of TV, for example, may pose no increase in the likelihood of your developing depression, they may be strong triggers for me.

Like last year, my goals, in no particular order, are to:

• Get at least 45 minutes of aerobic exercise 6 times per week. Exercise causes the brain to produce more serotonin and norepinephrine, both important neurotransmitters in the brain for alleviating depression. Duke University researchers discovered that as little as 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three times per week decreased depression as well as antidepressant medication, and better than counseling, though the results from exercise may take slightly longer to manifest than from medication. For most people, it takes a week or more of daily exercise before the depression lifts. Though results have been shown with as little as 30 minutes 3 times per week, I’ve set my goal for 45 minutes six times a week because 1) I want to get the maximum benefit, and 2) I want to improve, not just maintain, my physical fitness. Exercise also fosters deep breathing, another treatment proven to improve mental performance and mood by increasing oxygen levels in the blood.
• Take SAMe, 200-1600 mg/day. S-adenosyl-methionine is a brain chemical that occurs naturally and works to improve mood, probably by increasing the brain’s production of serotonin and norephinephrine. Studies in which SAMe was administered by injection have shown it to be very effective, though studies using oral doses have been inconclusive. Some side effects may occur, though fewer than most antidepressant medications. People with a history of mania or bipolar disorder are not advised to use SAMe.
• Take St. John’s Wort, 900 mg two to three times a day. Studies have shown that this herb, a top anti-depressant in Germany, can improve depression symptoms as much as 40-55 percent and has few side effects. It appears to work like an MAO inhibitor. It may interfere with the effectiveness of some other medications and shouldn’t be taken with antidepressants.
• Take Vitamin B12 every day. B12 deficiency is common in vegetarians, especially strict vegetarians, because unfortified plant foods don’t have B12 in them unless they are grown in soils with organic fertilizers that are very rich in B12. Nedley recommends fortified plant sources, such as dry cereals like Total, but I take a B12 supplement.
• Take Vitamin D-3, 4000 to 5000 IU per day. Nedley doesn’t discuss D-3 in his book, but I’ve heard from other sources that it is helpful to improve mood.
• Get 2 tbsp of flaxseed every day. Flaxseed is high in omega-3 fatty acids, a relatively scarce essential fat. Even a high-fat diet can be too low in omega-3 fats. The amount of omega-3 in the blood, especially in relation to omega-6, has a direct relationship with rates of depression. A low omega-3 to omega-6 ratio makes depression more likely. Fish are common sources of omega-3 fats, but because of the high rates of contamination in both fish and the water they swim in, I choose to get my omega-3s from plant sources. (Anyway, the fish get theirs from plants—seaweed!) The best plant sources of omega-3s, in order highest to lowest, are flaxseed oil, English walnuts, canola oil, black walnuts, wheat germ oil, soybean oil and soybeans. I prefer to eat flaxseed (ground, because the body digests it better than whole) or soybeans rather than the oils because of the high concentration of calories in any kind of oil.
• Eat 1-2 servings per day of foods high in tryptophan. Tryptophan must be present in order for the brain to make serotonin. For maximum serotonin production, it’s also important to avoid foods (such as meat and dairy products) that are high in certain amino acids which block the flow of tryptophan to the brain. The best sources of tryptophan, in order highest to lowest are tofu, pumpkin seeds, gluten flour, sesame seeds, almonds, black walnuts and black-eyed peas. (Based on some research and personal experience, I recommend tofu in moderation because of the phytoestrogens it contains.)
• Eat 1 serving per day of foods high in folic acid. A folic acid deficiency has been shown to be a direct cause of depression, though this deficiency is much more common in people who eat meat than in vegetarians. People whose depression is caused by a folate deficiency don’t usually respond at all to antidepressants. The best sources of folic acid, in order highest to lowest, are chickpeas (garbanzo beans), black-eyed peas, lentils and red kidney beans.
• Limit my refined sugar intake to once or twice a week. Large amounts of refined carbohydrates appear to impair frontal lobe function. On the other hand, a low-protein, high-complex carbohydrate diet intake can increase serotonin production—in other words, a plant-based diet high in vegetables, fruits and whole grains as close to their most natural state as possible. (Funny, that sounds familiar… Isn’t that the eating style also proven to promote weight loss, reverse heart disease and type 2 diabetes and reduce the risk of cancer??)
• Limit my intake of foods high in saturated fat to once or twice a week. Certain amino acids found in meat and dairy products block the flow of tryptophan to the brain.
• Limit my caffeine intake to once or twice a week. Caffeine elevates stress hormones, and a strong correlation exists between stress/anxiety and depression. Also, caffeine decreases blood flow to the frontal lobe of the brain. Women appear to have a higher risk than men of developing depression as a result of heavy caffeine use. Another reason to limit caffeine intake is its addictive properties. I love coffee, but I never want to get to a point that I feel like I have to have caffeine in order to function. Nedley, of course, strongly recommends eliminating caffeine entirely; I’ve chosen to allow for a small amount because I enjoy the taste of coffee and the morning ritual of making and drinking a cup with my husband.
• Get up at the same time every weekday, and no more than an hour later on the weekends. The disruption of circadian rhythms has a direct impact on depression. Getting plenty of restful sleep is essential for combating depression, yet sometimes the depression itself can lead to sleep disturbances. Thankfully, some of the other lifestyle treatments for depression can also impact insomnia—regular exercise; daily exposure to sunlight, especially in the morning; even dietary changes.
• Get 30 minutes per day of sunlight, preferably within the first hour of sunrise. Sunlight increases serotonin production during the day, treating depression and fatigue, and melatonin levels at night, allowing for more restful sleep. Exposure to bright light for 30 minutes per day has been used to successfully treat Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a condition with identical symptoms to depression which commonly affects people who live in places like Scandinavia and Alaska where the winters are long and dark. For depression, the best light therapy is outdoors in the morning within 30 minutes of sunrise, but afternoon or evening sunlight is better than none at all. Another alternative is a therapeutic light box that can be used indoors. In any method, only the eyes must be exposed to the light.
• Spend 30 minutes per week, or one hour every other week, just listening to classical music, keeping my imagination active, and thinking about an area of concern in my life. In one study, individuals who listened to the music of classical composers such as Bach and Brahms while thinking of one to three areas of concern in their lives, discussed with a therapist the images that came to their minds while listening to the music. They subsequently experienced a significant drop in their stress hormone levels, improvement in mood and energy, and decreased depression. Interestingly, only traditional classical music has been shown to improve mental health both subjectively and objectively. I’ve read somewhere else that classical music stimulates creativity, so I’ve developed a personal, un-tested theory that this exercise can help you solve some of your most troubling problems by stimulating your creativity while you’re pondering the problem!
• Spend time in prayer and Bible reading every day. Unfortunately, being “religious” or “spiritual” does not immunize an individual from depression. If you are a Christian experiencing major depression, don’t let anyone make you feel guilty by implying you’re not a good enough Christian. (Consider the lives of some of the Bible’s major characters such as Job, David, Solomon or Jeremiah, all of whom struggled with depression!) Still, studies have shown that strong religious faith can help to both treat and prevent depression. Duke University researchers demonstrated that people with an intrinsic religious experience tend to recover from depression more quickly than those without a religious experience. Going to church is a good start, but the experience must be deeper and more personal than simply outward behaviors. If you are new to prayer and Bible study, try reading and contemplating one of Proverbs’ 31 chapters each day of the month.
• And finally, track how much time I spend watching TV/movies. This is something I’d like to do more research on (or maybe I don’t…). Nedley references some studies which show that the rapid scene changes typical of entertainment TV and movies suppress frontal lobe function, which in turn could enhance susceptibility to depression. I’d just as soon not have a TV, but since we do, and I do enjoy watching movies and certain shows, and they’re mostly available online anyway, I’ve chosen for now simply to track how much I’m watching and see if I notice a correlation in how I feel.

Luckily, I already make exercise and healthy eating a priority; some of those high-tryptophan and high-folic acid foods are among my favorites; I developed an appreciation for classical music a long time ago; and I already have a personal spiritual experience, so these goals require a relatively subtle lifestyle change for me. But others are harder—I love coffee, sweets, and cheese; it’s hard to rationalize 30 minutes a week to sit and “do nothing” while listening to classical music; it’s a challenge to go to bed and get up at the same time every day. And despite my personal connection with God, it even takes discipline to spend time praying and studying the Bible on a regular basis.

I know for other people these kinds of goals would mean a drastic lifestyle change. The toughest part about depression is that while you must take action to feel better, you have very little energy to do so! I know, I’ve been there. But in my experience, taking even a small step towards recovery, whether it be going to talk to a counselor, getting out there and exercising, or checking things off on my nerdy tracking worksheet, has always made me feel better. If this list of “lifestyle remedies” seems daunting, pick one and work on it for a week or two. Then pick another one or two and work on those. Start with what feels doable. As the saying goes, you can eat a whole elephant if you do it just one bite at a time.

Do I follow my self-prescribed depression recovery program perfectly? No. And yet within 4 or 5 weeks this fall, I felt noticeably better again. Normal again. I still have down days, or more often just down parts-of-days, but the trend now is normal rather than depressed.

When I realized a couple of months ago that my depression had come back and decided I needed to resume my “program,” I resigned myself to the fact that this is just going to have to be a way of life for me. Perhaps I’ll have more “acute” phases and have to follow these recommendations to the letter, but likely there will be less acute phases during which I can slack off a bit. And I’m sure I will. Because I’m human. And I like cheese, and sugar, and coffee, and TV, and movies, and music other than classical, and staying up late and sleeping in…

I hope reading about my journey helps you in some small way. My point is, if you struggle with depression, you can feel normal again too. I hope you do, soon.

This article and the “remedies” described herein are not intended to replace medical treatment. If you suffer from major depression, consult with your physician immediately and get on a treatment program that’s right for you.

Blindness. Impotence. Burning, aching, numb and tingling feet. Poor circulation. Slow-healing wounds, gangrene and amputation. Heart disease and death. These devastating complications accompany a disease afflicting nearly 21 million Americans.

Good news! Diabetes can be controlled

A person experiencing five of depression’s nine symptoms for two weeks is classified as having major depression; two of these symptoms for two weeks constitutes mild depression. Symptoms persisting for two years are considered chronic. Depression’s symptoms are:

• Deep sadness or emptiness
• Apathy
• Agitation or restlessness
• Changes in sleep patterns-either more or less
• Changes in appetite and weight loss or gain
• Lack of concentration
• Feelings of excessive guilt or worthlessness
• Morbid thoughts
• Fatigue

Depression shrinks the hippocampus, the part of the brain involved in memory and learning, and raises stress hormone levels. Osteoporosis, hypertension, asthma, headaches, physical disabilities and infertility may result from depression. It increases risk of seizures, makes blood sugar control difficult for people with diabetes and worsens the effect of diseases such as stroke, heart attack, and cancer.

Some causes of depression cannot be helped, such as age, gender, or family history. Does this sound depressing? There is hope! Often the cause of depression is traced to nutritional deficiencies, lifestyle factors or other medical conditions. In these cases, simple changes can effect significant improvement.

Numerous studies reveal nutrition’s crucial role in mental health. For example, tryptophan is necessary in order for the brain to manufacture the serotonin it needs for proper functioning. Foods highest in tryptophan are tofu, pumpkin seeds, gluten flour, sesame seeds, almonds and black walnuts. Omega-3 fatty acids are necessary for optimum brain functioning but are not found abundantly in foods, so even if your caloric intake is more than adequate your diet may be deficient. Flaxseed, walnuts, canola oil, wheat germ, soybeans and spinach all contain omega-3. Folic acid, another essential ingredient for a healthy brain, is found in chickpeas, black-eyed peas, lentils and kidney beans. Finally, vitamin B₁₂ helps improve depressed moods. The highest concentration of B₁₂ is found in animal products but it can also be found in soymilk and fortified grain products.

Other lifestyle factors may be even more important than nutrition in treating depression. Thirty minutes of exercise three to six times a week can prevent depression, and may be just as effective a treatment as antidepressant medications. Irregular sleep is strongly linked to mental illness. In one study, participants who lost only a little sleep were 60 percent more likely to become depressed, and the risk of major depression was 40 times higher for insomniacs than for those with no trouble sleeping. Exposure to bright light for at least 30 minutes a day increases serotonin levels, treating both depression and fatigue. Avoiding negative thinking by replacing a negative thought with a positive one immediately upon becoming aware of it reduces anxiety and depression. Counseling, specifically cognitive behavioral therapy, is extremely helpful in discovering and altering negative thought patterns. In addition, a personal spiritual experience aids in recovery from depression. In another study, participants’ likelihood of recovery from depression increased exponentially in direct correlation with their personal faith and religious practices.

These lifestyle treatments should be your first defense against depression. However, some cases may require additional treatment such as herbs or medication. St. Johns Wort is Germany’s leading antidepressant, most effective in treating mild depression by allowing more serotonin and norepinephrine to collect in the central nervous system. SAMe,  sometimes called “Sammy”, boosts mood and outlook by increasing serotonin and norepinephrine production. The body metabolizes another herb, 5-HTP, taken from the African plant Griffonia simplicifolia, into serotonin. Other herbs that appear to have a therapeutic effect are chamomile, feverfew, ginkgo biloba, kava-kava, lavender, lemon balm, and valerian. Always exercise caution when taking herbs; ask your doctor if the herbs you want to try will interfere with other medications you may be taking.

A severe case of major depression may not respond to lifestyle and herbal remedies alone, but these simple treatments will enhance the effectiveness of medications. There is hope!

Nearly 50 million Americans have a cluster of symptoms known as metabolic syndrome. The syndrome appears mostly in adults, but even some schoolchildren (as many as one in eight) are now displaying symptoms. The good news is, if you or someone you know has these symptoms, there is hope! Hundreds of my clients have lost weight and significantly lowered their cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure simply by changing their lifestyles.

The National Cholesterol Education Program defines metabolic syndrome, also known as syndrome X or insulin resistance syndrome, as the presence of three or more of the following symptoms:

• Waist size greater than 35 (women) or 40 inches (men). In the presence of a genetic predisposition (indicated by Hispanic or Asian descent or a family history of diabetes), waist size greater than 31 (women) or 37 inches (men).
• Triglycerides equal to or greater than 150, or use of triglyceride medication
• HDL equal to or less than 40 (men) or 50 (women), or use of cholesterol medication
• Blood pressure equal to or greater than 130/85, or use of blood pressure medication
• Fasting blood sugar equal to or greater than 100, or use of blood sugar medication

Having only one of these symptoms doesn’t indicate metabolic syndrome; however, the more of them you have, the greater your risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. If you have at least one of these symptoms, such as high blood pressure or an apple-shaped body, visit your doctor; you may have others as well and not realize it.

What’s the correlation between these varied symptoms? Here’s a (very) basic physiology lesson: Your digestive system breaks your food down into sugar, or glucose, which your cells need for energy in order to perform the most basic functions. As glucose is released into the bloodstream, your pancreas produces insulin which acts like a key to let the glucose into your cells. If you are insulin resistant, your cells don’t respond to insulin the way they should and the glucose can’t get in. Your pancreas doesn’t understand this, however, so it simply produces more insulin. High levels of both blood sugar and insulin in the bloodstream are problematic; even a slightly high blood sugar interferes with your body’s normal functioning. Too much insulin, a storage hormone, elevates triglycerides and cholesterol levels and makes weight loss difficult. It also affects kidney function, in turn raising blood pressure. Combined, these conditions seriously increase your risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

Metabolic syndrome is still not completely understood on a molecular level so it’s difficult to say what causes the cluster of symptoms. Race and age may play a role; Hispanics and Asians seem to be more susceptible, as are people in their 60s versus those in their 20s. There also appears to be a correlation between polycystic ovary syndrome and the risk for metabolic syndrome. Ironically, some blood pressure medications can decrease insulin sensitivity. Those with a history of diabetes during pregnancy or a family history of type 2 diabetes are also at greater risk. However, while a genetic component may exist, remember that heredity may load the gun, but lifestyle pulls the trigger!

Physical inactivity, a high fat diet and obesity activate any pre-existing genetic predispositions, and in fact may cause the syndrome in individuals without a genetic predisposition.

Thus, make lifestyle change the first line of treatment. If you have been diagnosed or suspect you may have the syndrome, address your individual symptoms. Conveniently, the same lifestyle changes that work for weight loss will help you lower your blood pressure and triglycerides, raise your HDL, control your blood sugar, and prevent metabolic syndrome from developing in the first place.

• Get at least 30 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity five to seven days per week.
• Eat whole foods, primarily vegetables, fruits, beans and whole grains.
• Eliminate added salt.
•  Avoid processed and fried foods, the primary sources of trans fats.
• Eliminate or strictly limit saturated fat and cholesterol, found exclusively in meat and dairy products.
• And if you smoke, stop.

Don’t underestimate these lifestyle changes in importance or effectiveness! The best way to reduce insulin resistance is through weight loss and increased physical activity. Don’t use medication as an easy out; tell your doctor you’d like it to be a last resort, then go home and take your lifestyle change seriously.

A lifestyle resort in the Arbuckle Mountains of southern Oklahoma, the Lifestyle Center of America does just that. Built on the dream and fortune of Dr. Otey Johnson, a physician-turned-oil-tycoon, the Lifestyle Center opened its doors in 1996. Since then, the Lifestyle Center has offered comprehensive health education to more than 3000 clients, primarily individuals with diabetes, but also people battling heart disease and obesity as well as other lifestyle-related diseases. The Lifestyle Center works to “stop diabetes before it stops you,” implementing the old wisdom of plant-based nutrition and exercise, and teaching you new habits that will improve your quality of life, all within a non-denominational Christian context. In 2007, the Lifestyle Center expanded to offer a 5-day program at an offsite location in Sedona, Arizona.

On nearly every day of the year and a half I worked there, one of our guests experienced a miracle. Perhaps the miracle was a tally of upwards of 20 pounds lost; perhaps it was gaining control of a previously out-of-control blood sugar; perhaps it was restored sensation in the feet or hands of a diabetes patient with severe neuropathy; perhaps it was lowering cholesterol by 80-100 points; perhaps it was a re-awakened spiritual connection; perhaps it was walking a mile for the first time in ten years.

Participants of the 12- or 19-day programs come to the Lifestyle Center’s 5-star Sulphur, Oklahoma facility and receive personalized care from physicians, nurses, dieticians, personal trainers and massage therapists. The health education program includes dietary counseling, cooking instruction, personal training and massage therapy throughout their stay. Today, the Lifestyle Center offers a variety of additional programs to meet just about anyone’s time or financial constraints, from teleseminars you can participate in at home to 5-day residential programs at their remote location in Sedona, Arizona.

When a stroke occurs, blood vessels carrying oxygen and nutrients to the brain either burst or are blocked by a clot. Ischemic strokes are caused by clots that block an artery; hemorrhagic strokes are caused by ruptured blood vessels.

A high-fat diet hardens the arteries, making them more resilient to hemorrhagic strokes. A low-fat diet that is high in sodium leaves your arteries vulnerable. Don’t feel you now have license to go out and eat a hamburger and fries, however; eliminating saturated fats and reducing sodium are both necessary to lower your risk of cardiovascular disease.

On a high-sodium diet, blood pressure can remain normal for years and then rise seemingly overnight due to excessive stimulation of the nervous system. Alternately, you may live with hypertension for many years and be unaware of the problem. Your heart, brain and kidneys can cope with hypertension for a long time but eventually stroke, heart attack and heart or kidney failure may ensue. Heart attack risk increases exponentially when other risk factors such as obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes and smoking are also present.

Contrary to popular belief, blood pressure should not rise with age. Blood pressures considered healthy for children in the U.S. (80/50 to 110/60) are common among adults in indigenous tribes who do not consume sodium. In most cases, the lower your blood pressure the better, as long as you don’t experience symptoms such as lightheadedness or fainting. Ideally, your blood pressure should be lower than 120/80.

If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, take steps now to correct the problem. Reduce your sodium intake; aim to consume less than 1000 mg per day, especially if you have high or borderline high blood pressure or a family history of hypertension. One study demonstrated that reducing sodium intake even to 2,400 mg per day had twice the lowering effect of 45 minutes per day of aerobic exercise! Sometimes, however, blood pressure reduction from a low-sodium diet may take as much as a few years to be fully achieved.

A simple guideline is to avoid packaged foods with more than 1 mg of sodium per calorie per serving. For example, if a food has 200 calories per serving, it should have less than 200 mg of sodium. Another helpful tip: Rinsing canned beans eliminates a significant amount of their sodium content.

Many people now consume sea salt thinking it is somehow healthier than regular table salt. But salt affects the body exactly the same whether it comes from table salt, the sea, or Mars!

Other key steps for lowering blood pressure are to drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water every day and reduce the amount of saturated fat (found primarily in animal products) in your diet. Include plenty of healthy fats such as omega-3 fatty acids. These are found in nuts, seeds and fish. Walnuts and flaxseed are particularly good non-animal sources of omega-3 fatty acids.

If you are overweight, strive to achieve your ideal body weight, defined as a body mass index of less than 25. (A bodybuilder with higher-than-normal muscle mass would have a higher BMI.) Calculate your BMI with the following formula:

Weight in pounds x 703

Height in inches, squared

Another way to assess ideal weight is to measure your waist size. Measured around the belly button with the abdomen relaxed, a man’s waist size should be no larger than 35 inches and a woman’s should be no larger than 32 inches.

Finally, exercise! If you do not currently have an exercise routine, implement one. Find an activity you enjoy—such as walking, aerobics, biking or swimming—and participate in it regularly. Start with whatever amount you are able to do. Each week add one day until you are exercising six days per week, then add five minutes to your time until you are exercising for 45 minutes six times per week.

Nearly one in three American adults has hypertension, or high blood pressure, and probably one-third of them don’t know it. With no symptoms, hypertension is called “the silent killer.” Check yours today!

Note: 1 tsp table salt = 2000 mg sodium

Lipid Profile

Total Cholesterol

LDL

HDL

Triglycerides

Fasting Glucose

Ideal

<150

<70

>60

<100

60-90

Good

<180

<100

>50

<110

<90

Current Standard

(some risk)

<200

<130

>40 for men

>45 for women

<150

60-110

Higher Risk

200-239

>130

<40 for men

<45 for women

>150

110-125

High Risk

240+

>160

Risk increases as HDL levels drop

Risk increases as triglyceride levels increase

125+

Reducing sodium intake, losing weight and establishing a consistent exercise program are three foundational keys to reducing blood pressure. Practicing healthy stress management techniques can also help.

If you are on blood pressure medication and have changed your eating habits, work with your doctor to adjust your dosage to avoid becoming overmedicated.

Because it correlates well with how much fat is being stored within the abdominal wall, waist size may be the single most reliable indicator of risk for diabetes and heart disease.

For the purpose of standardization, measure your waist around your belly button with your abdomen relaxed, regardless of where your actual waist is.

“Dairy products are far from the solution, and may very well be a cause of the problem,” says Anna Quisel, M.D. in an article about osteoporosis. The dairy industry has done a terrific job of convincing the public that drinking milk is the key to adequate calcium consumption and strong bones. However, the calcium in dairy products is not as easily absorbed by the body as is the calcium in plant foods. But many people are unaware that calcium is even available in any other foods. Moreover, dairy products pose a host of undesirable risks.

Milk is touted as protection against osteoporosis. When calcium levels in the blood get low, little cells are activated that begin to break down bone tissue and release calcium. When calcium levels in the blood are high, the little cells that build bone are activated and they begin to store calcium. It seems simple: Want strong bones? Consume more calcium. But it’s actually a bit more complicated.

As it turns out, countries such as the U.S. and Canada where diets are highest in calcium also have the highest rates of osteoporotic bone fractures. In a typical American diet, calcium comes from milk, milk products and supplements. In Japan, daily calcium intake is less than in the U.S. and it comes from soy products and vegetables. Yet Japanese women have fewer hip fractures. How can this be?

One reason is that animal proteins tend to pull calcium from the bones and excrete it in the urine; plant proteins do not have this effect. Another reason is that while milk may appear to have more calcium when compared by serving size to other sources such as leafy green vegetables or soy beans, less of the calcium found in dairy products is absorbed than that found in plant foods. Consider a one-hundred calorie serving of skim milk; it has 334 mg of calcium, but only 107 mg—approximately one-third—are absorbed. In contrast, 100 calories of kale or bok choy offer 449 mg and 787 mg of calcium, respectively. More than half of the calcium in these nutrient-rich foods—59% of kale’s calcium and 54% of bok choy’s—is absorbed by the body! Plant foods also contain magnesium, which the body uses along with calcium to build bone.

The following table lists other nutrient-rich sources of calcium:

Besides their extra calcium availability, these foods don’t carry the problematic milk sugars and proteins found in dairy products. Milk proteins are the leading cause of food allergies. Found even in low fat and fat free dairy products, these proteins may cause an immune system response that has been linked to severe cases of atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. A similar immune response has also been linked to Type I diabetes; in fact, there is a direct correlation between Type I diabetes and the amount of dairy products consumed. For some people, immune responses to dairy products may aggravate rheumatoid arthritis; many individuals have found that eliminating these foods from their diets reduces rheumatoid arthiritis symptoms. Because milk is deficient in iron and can even bind with the iron in other food sources and prevent its absorption, milk is the number one cause of iron-deficiency anemia in children. The lack of fiber in dairy products is another count against them; low-fiber diets lead to constipation, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, hiatal hernias, and colon cancer. Growth hormones injected into dairy cows raise the levels of a substance called IGF-1 which may increase the risk of certain cancers. Even low fat dairy products contain saturated fat, the culprit in both heart attacks and cancers, the two leading causes of death in America. The hormones and saturated fat in milk and milk products can also worsen symptoms of both PMS and menopause. Recall the plant-based Japanese diet? The Japanese don’t even have a word for hot flashes!

Compared calorie for calorie, milk just doesn’t stack up. The healthiest sources of calcium are leafy green vegetables and legumes. Build your diet around vegetables and fruits, limiting the use of animal products to one or two servings per week.