Interesting discovery on probiotics

Bio-K+CL1285® Probiotics may ease fatigue syndrome anxiety 

 Like the above video "Probiotics may ease fatigue syndrome anxiety" said, probiotics found in yoghurt and supplements not only are used to treat digestive systems but also are found to lift our moods, due to the brain-body connection. It is interesting to note that researchers doing a study on chronic fatigue syndrome found that those given daily doses of probiotics had their depression and anxiety lifted, and Dr Alison Bested said they felt calmer, were sleeping better, and had less palpitations and other symptoms of anxiety. I decided to buy yoghurt again about a couple of weeks ago, and I will continue to do so as I like the taste as well as the knowledge that it is beneficial for my gut health. 

Probiotics and Mental Health

I also learnt from the above video "Probiotics and Mental Health : that based on a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of a probiotic in emotional symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, the researchers found "a significant rise in both lactobacillus and bifidobacteria without taking the LcS, and there was also a significant decrease in anxiety symptoms among those taking the probiotics vs controls. These results lend further support to the presence of a gut-brain interface, one that may be mediated by microbes that reside or pass through the intestinal tract.... Another study provide further evidence that gut microflora play a role in stress, anxiety and depression perhaps via the enteric nervous system as well as centrally." Indeed, as the video concluded, "this ability of probiotics to affect central nervous system processes is perhaps one of the most exciting recent development in probiotic research."

Alleviating pain and enhancing beauty with acupressure

According to this informative article, there are seven key acupressure points that can be stimulated using the fingers to bring about the body's natural self-curative abilities. I learnt that these acupressure points are Zu San Li, Tai Chong, San Yin Jiao, Yang Ling Quan, Nei Guan, Lie Que and He Gu. 

TAI CHONG (Liver 3)

I decided to google some of these acupressure points to find out if there are pictures showing their specific locations in the body, and I find the diagram in this website useful to identify where Tai Chong is and I learnt it is also known as Liver 3. 

 http://acutakehealth.com/why-are-you-doing-that-point-lv3-li4

"Liver 3—also known as Taichong (Chinese name), Great Rushing (English translation) and LV3 (acupuncturist lingo)—is located on the foot, between the first and second toes.

Liver 3 is what’s known as a source point. Every meridian has one. Source points behave sort of like central stations on subway lines. They are hubs where internal and external energies gather and transform. They are single, high-concentration points that grant access to the larger system.

Because Liver 3 has such far-reaching effects, it is indicated for a very wide variety of conditions. John Pirog, in The Practical Application of Meridian Style Acupuncture, says Liver 3 is “probably the most important point for stagnation of the inner body.”

Liver 3 is used for menstrual cramps, headaches, vision problems, coastal-region pain and shortness of breath, low back pain, insomnia, and more. The list truly goes on and on. Feeling stuck? Hello, Liver 3. This point gets things moving.

Liver 3′s extensive effects are palpable. Needling it usually causes a strong achy sensation, either locally at the site of insertion, throughout the entire foot, or sometimes even up into the leg along the Liver meridian."

NEI GUAN

I also find the diagram in this website helpful to locate Nei Guan around the wrist.

 http://www.diyacu.com/self-acupuncture-blog/all-about-the-neiguan-acupuncture-point.html

"Altogether, the Neiguan point is renowned to help to treat and manage:

• Sickness and nausea
• Chest and abdominal pains and problems
• Angina
• Stomach problems and upsets
• Inflammation of the pericardium

The Neiguan acupuncture point is a very “balancing” point, which is why it can have a positive effect on a wide range of complaints and conditions that involve relaxing the muscles, such as those in the diaphragm and the chest."

HE GU (Large Intestine 4)

As for He Gu, I learnt that it is also known as LI4 (or Large Intestine 4), which can be stimulated to bring relief to pain and stress. 

http://www.acupuncture.com/education/points/largeintestine/li4.htm

"Chinese Name: Hegu (English translation: Joining Valley)

Location:  On the dorsum of the hand, between the 1st and 2nd metacarpal bones, in the middle of the 2nd metacarpal bone on the radial side."

LIE QUE

Lie Que: Relieves sadness, grief and depression. The vibrant magnetic aspect of a woman suffers most from these emotional issues. Poor posture, respiratory problems, and various skin conditions may be prevented with the use of this point. The Lie Que point is located on the thumb side of the wrist, beside the head of the radial bone (just below the base of the thumb) approximately one inch from the crease of the wrist (toward the elbow).

Thoughts on The Conscious Lifestyle: Facing Your Stress

Walking meditation in Nature
(Source: http://mettarefuge.wordpress.com)

In this article "The Conscious Lifestyle: Facing Your Stress", I think Deepak Chopra has put the issue of stress in its proper perspective in terms of long-term health because I have heard and read some other articles saying that some stress is good for people. Then again, these articles are probably written from the perspective of living in a modern society where people are expected to perform in work and studies, and see stress as a form of motivation. But Deepak goes deeper into the issue, noting that the primitive fight-or-flight response is an inheritance from our pre-human past, and "No one can healthily sustain the heightened alertness, quick burst of energy, rapid heart rate, elevated blood pressure, and other marks of the fight-or-flight response."

Yes, while our lifestyle may have changed to adapt to a fast pace of living in a modern society, our body remains physiologically and psychologically unchanged, and I have come to learn that our body is designed to function optimally when we are peaceful and rested as much and as often as possible. On looking back in my life, I can see why on some days I would have symptoms such as constipation - it must have been partly due to stress which caused various processes in my body (growth, digestion, oxygenation of muscles, etc) to temporarily shut down.

So I have been learning to be mindful not to allow "normal stresses" such as being stuck in traffic, trying to meet deadlines at work, etc affect my health. As noted in the article, diet, exercise, meditation and stress reduction are ways to manage stress and improve heart conditions (and overall health too).

Related post
Some more helpful tips on walking meditation

Combating fatigue with Chicken Essence

Brands Chicken Essence is a common health tonic in Singapore, and I learnt that it is also available in Canada in Chinatown and Chinese drug stores as well as major Chinese grocery stores.

http://www.brandsworld.com.my/main.aspx?sid=389#canada

Canada

BRAND'S^® Essence of Chicken (EOC)

1. BRAND'S^® EOC
2. BRAND'S^® EOC with Cordyceps
3. BRAND'S^® EOC with Lingzhi

Where to find:

• Major Chinese Groceries
• Chinese Drug stores
• Chinatown

You can take it straight from the bottle, warm or chill it. It's excellent for brain alertness, boost immunity as well as helps in metabolism. Once you have bought the chicken essence, you can place the unopened bottle in 1/2 cup of hot water for a while to warm it and then drink straight from the bottle, without adding water. This way, you will have full benefits of the undiluted essence. The Brand's chicken essence is scientifically proven for its efficacy.

When I used to study for exams or work late or sleep late at night, I would sometimes take Brand's chicken essence, and I would feel slightly more rested and invigorated the next day. It takes a combination of sufficient rest and drinking this health tonic (once a day on average), besides eating healthy high fibre natural diet and exercise, to overcome chronic fatigue in the long run, I believe.

Here's also sharing a post below that summarises some effective ways to feel less tired, which I find helpful.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AqHqeUBMUkw8O8kFP7XqIEQjzKIX;_ylv=3?qid=20090912120159AAfL4QO

"Do you get about seven to eight hours of quality sleep every night? Your body needs an uninterrupted seven to eight hours of sleep to feel rejuvenated and fresh. But good sleep is not the only factor. We feel tired when we are experiencing low energy levels mentally or physically. In order to perk up your physical energy, you need to eat healthy, nutrient dense foods like whole grains, nuts and fresh fruits and vegetables and stay away from refined, processed food such as canned food high in salt, fats and simple sugars. Take a fresh approach to your daily diet and try to eat at least every 2 ½ to 3 hours. You also need to schedule in some exercise, although it may sound contradictory, the body is more energized after a workout. Nothing too tough, a quick 30 min brisk walk or jog is a great energy booster. Mental fatigue can be dealt with by taking the right supplements such as essence of chicken and managing stress through exercise such as yoga. Getting enough rest and sleep at night is also crucial to alleviate fatigue. If required, take a 15-30min power nap in the afternoon. It can be a great pick-me-up, especially after a heavy lunch. However, you should not nap for more than 30minutes as it may affect the quality of sleep at night."

I can understand the fatigue, and it probably takes some time to fully recover from stress and lack of rest (or sleep/rest debt). It took me a few months to fully recover from fatigue and heart palpitations in 2009. So yes, making rest your priority is the way to go. 

Last night I drank a bottle of Chicken Essence, and this morning I woke up feeling a bit more refreshed as the health tonic helped me sleep a little better. 

http://www.brandsworld.com.sg/main.aspx?sid=145

http://www.euyansang.com/index.php/product/health-foods/essence-of-chicken-series

"Eu Yan Sang’s Essence of Chicken series is made from the 100% pure essence of premium-grade chicken, with no caramel colouring added. It does not contain any flavouring, preservatives and additional salt, and is cholesterol-free. It can be taken chilled or warmed, every day by everyone, and is particularly suitable for those recuperating from an illness, pregnant and post-pregnant women, students preparing for their examinations, and the aged who feel weak."

Here's a scientific report on how drinking chicken essence helps to overcome or relieve fatigue.   http://www.lwjuan.com/2011/12/20/is-taking-chicken-essence-effective/

Folk wisdom suggests that chicken extract is useful for recovery from physical and mental fatigue. To explore this question, the physiological effect of Brand’s Essence of Chicken (BEC), a popular chicken extract used as a traditional remedy, was assessed during recovering from mental stress. We quantitated the blood levels of stress-related substances, and examined the task performance and subjects’ mood states during mental workloads. Subjects were 20, healthy male students who have never tasted BEC. They took two bottles of BEC or a placebo (70 ml/bottle) daily in the morning for 7 days. On the final experimental day, two mental workload tests were performed: (A) a mental arithmetic test (MAT; 1600 trials of two or three figure-addition or subtraction for 40 min). (B) a short-term memory test (SMT; 20 trials of memorizing 9 digit numbers). Blood was collected before and after each workload task. After the mental workload, the recovery of mean cortisol level of subjects who consumed BEC was significantly faster than that for those consuming the placebo. The task performance of subjects performing the MAT and SMT was also improved with BEC consumption compared with placebo. According to the profile of mood state questionnaire, subjects felt more active and less fatigued during the workload when they took BEC regularly. We conclude that the extract of chicken has the potential to metabolize stress-related substance in blood and to promote recovery from mental fatigue.

Ways to overcome depression naturally

Here's sharing some excerpts of an informative and comprehensive article below that identifies the causes of depression, which reassures the readers that it is normal to experience depression from time to time as part of life. For example, the following excerpt says that depression is like any emotion such as sadness, joy and excitement.

"Like sadness, joy, excitement, anger, fear, jealousy, and worry, depression is a normal human emotion that plays an important role in mental health and well-being. Just as with any emotion, to hide it or to deny it is to risk encouraging it to snowball into a larger and more formidable issue.

All emotions, including depression, require that we first acknowledge their presence and influence upon our psyches before they can be successfully resolved. This is the primary value in any effective form of talk therapy. Verbalize it, process it, assimilate the implications, release it, and move on. Depression of this type serves a very important function. It provides the impetus that allows us to reflect upon the decisions we have made and the actions that we have taken, which play a large role in the direction our life has taken. Depression allows for critical course corrections that can make a world of a difference in the long run.

Depression is commonly the result of letting other unprocessed emotions and life issues build up over time. Men are particularly prone to depression that comes from their macho, stiff upper lip conditioning, which discourages them from expressing how they really feel. They have thoroughly assimilated the twisted cultural message that to express anything but a false sense of strength and control is akin to being weak, impotent, and inadequate. Little do many men - and women - know, that it is a true sign of strength and courage to be able to face one's emotions and issues squarely without hesitation. Most of the time this is all that is required because, once that first step is taken, resolution is usually not far off."

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/036149_depression_chemical_imbalance_causes.html#ixzz2AMu73iul

Like what the excerpt says, our culture may discourage people from expressing how they really feel as it can be a sign of being weak and inadequate, but that is not true and it is actually a false sense of strength and control. I grew up in a mainly conservative and repressive family and social environment where open expression of emotions of happiness and sadness is usually frowned upon, and it takes me a long time to learn how to express how I really feel, such as through writing poems, and more recently through blogging. Expressing our emotions through these safe and healthy ways goes a long way for our emotional healing and internal resolution.

The article continues to talk about other causes of depression, such as chronic pain, grief (as a normal response to loss), painful situations, and hormonal changes.

"Another variety of depression is the type that accompanies female hormonal changes. Unfortunately, this is a very common problem that is not caused by faulty brain chemistry as much as it is a function of hormonal imbalance. Such imbalances can be triggered by normal hormonal events such as the first onset of menses, pregnancy, miscarriage, labor and delivery, and menopause. Another factor that can alter normal hormonal function is the ever-increasing presence of hormonally active substances that have found their way into the food chain through big agriculture and pharmaceutical waste products."

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/036149_depression_chemical_imbalance_causes.html#ixzz2AMwLcoZV

Anti-depressant drugs not only have side effects but also worsen the symptoms. I think it is unfortunate that modern medicine tends to treat only the symptoms instead of the underlying causes such as the above causes, and the drugs tend to do more harm than good in the long run. I have taken Xanax (an anti-anxiety drug) for example, a few years ago from recovering from stress and burnout, and while it induces a sense of euphoria for a period of time, I found myself feeling worse when the euphoric feeling wore off (I think it's part of the withdrawal symptoms). I counted myself fortunate that I have not developed an addiction for this medication.

The following websites explain the adverse effects of antidepressant medications or drugs.

"(NaturalNews) A recent industry-funded study on antidepressant drugs has revealed that the medications can cause roughly 20 percent of patients to get worse depression symptoms than if they simply took nothing. Published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry, the study, which was largely controlled by drug giant Eli Lilly, is an eye-opener for those who still put their faith in antidepressants like Cymbalta (duloxetine), which carry with them life-altering side effects."

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/034447_antidepressant_drugs_depression_symptoms.html#ixzz2AMz1zxKA

"(NaturalNews) Antidepressants are the most prescribed (often overprescribed) medication in the United States. But, contrary to popular belief - taking Zoloft, Prozac and Lexapro (to name a few) can be very dangerous to your health. These selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI's) can cause physical pain, involuntary movement, sexual dysfunction and life-threatening drug interactions. Clearly, most people have NOT been told the entire story. (keep reading)"

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/036910_psychiatric_drugs_health_warnings_side_effects.html#ixzz2AMyKvri1

This website below recommends some ways to treat depression naturally and avoid harmful drugs.

"Herbs that can be taken for depression include balm, borage, limeflower, oats, rosemary and vervain. These can be taken as herbal teas, taken in tablet form or added to bath water. Oats in the diet contain a rich source of antidepressant B vitamins."

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/028048_depression_remedies.html#ixzz2AMyeaOD8

Besides herbal teas, I learnt that drinking plenty of water can help alleviate depression and anxiety too. This is a good reminder for me as well to continue to drink adequate water to stay hydrated and refreshed. http://voices.yahoo.com/can-drinking-water-really-help-depression-and-3721330.html

Related link:
Rethinking Creativity and Depression

Overcoming anxiety attacks naturally

I have taken Xanax before a few times around 2005-2009 when I was experiencing stress symptoms such as heart palpitations. It only gave temporary relief, and it caused me to experience mild withdrawal symptoms after that.

I learnt that natural remedies to anxiety, stomach tightness and insomnia, such as chamomile tea, may help. You can read more about its health benefits in this Natural News article. http://www.naturalnews.com/034454_chamom…

Drinking more water may help too, since water is a great "anxiety quencher", according to a holistic health website. http://www.freedrinkingwater.com/water-e…

Try taking naps in the afternoon if you do not have enough sleep at night. I usually take naps in the afternoon to catch up on sleep if I have not slept well the night before. Napping is a good way to catch up on rest and promote overall health and wellbeing.

Last but not least, you could get a thyroid test done because anxiety attacks could well be due to an overactive or underactive thyroid gland. I learnt that someone who has hyperthyroidism can manage the disorder by monitoring his diet (like avoiding gluten, processed soy, eggs, sugar; and eating anti-inflammatory foods and cruciferous vegetables), taking Vitamin D supplements (or getting natural Vitamin D from sunshine) and avoiding environmental toxins.
http://www.understand-andcure-anxietyatt…
http://www.naturalnews.com/004300.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/031642_hypert…