Emotions & Bone Archives

From fear to empowerment

January 21, 2013/0 Comments/in Emotions & Bone /by Dr. Susan E. Brown

What is it that allows someone to look at a difficult, even life-threatening, event as a source of empowerment, instead of being overcome with fear? Allow me to introduce you to Carole Baggerly, the founder of Grassroots Health, a nonprofit organization focusing on public education and health advocacy through vitamin D use and research.

Carole’s amazing story starts with a diagnosis of both breast cancer and osteoporosis. She says she “reached the same freezing point the public now has — I didn’t know what to do.”

However, instead of staying frozen fear, Carole was driven to find out everything she could about vitamin D and cancer. Her research convinced her that the public needed to know about the benefits of vitamin D.

Now, Carole has become a true leader of the movement to show and share the true power of vitamin D, despite what certain government organizations or pharmaceutical companies may say about it.

I invited Carole to lecture here in Syracuse. She was just beginning to go on the road to raise public awareness about vitamin D and bringing together experts interested in helping the public. What I recall most about Carole was dynamism and her commitment to spreading the word on the new, life-saving, science of vitamin D.

Now we can all share in the results of Carole’s efforts through weekly webinars featuring vitamin D researchers who use their expertise to answer questions submitted by participants. View all Grassroots video webinars at https://grassrootshealth.net/project/videos.

My prescription: laugh every day

December 3, 2012/0 Comments/in Emotions & Bone /by Dr. Susan E. Brown

What makes you crack up laughing no matter what? For me, I really get a kick out of Jon Stewart’s political and social satire. For one of my friends, it’s those crazy cat videos on YouTube — even when she’s watching the same video again — for the 100th time. While I tend to be more of a dog person, how can I argue with her choice for laughter? Laugh every day; it’s good for you.

Improving our bone health (and more) certainly includes a prescription for fun and laughter. It’s well-known that chronic stress, excessive worry, and sustained fear create health issues — including the disruption of neuroendocrine functioning and weakening of bone. Numerous studies show that laughter helps to decrease stress, improve immune function and even reduce our response to pain. So, why not laugh every day?

Reasons to laugh everyday

I just read a study comparing the physical response during a hearty chuckle to what happens during exercise. Researchers found people who belly-laughed at funny videos could tolerate pain more effectively than those who had watched a dry documentary. This reaction is likely due to an increase in the laughters’ pain-managing endorphins, which is the same response that occurs when we exercise.

Of course, we’ve all experienced the way sharing a good joke or being silly brings us together and strengthens our feelings of belonging and acceptance by others. What’s more, anthropologists continue to investigate how laughter has promoted human connection throughout our history and in different cultures today.

With all the clear benefits of laughter, I suggest we all be open to the possibilities of increasing opportunities for humor and joy in our lives. Here’s my prescription: Since you’re 30 times more likely to laugh in a social setting than alone, reach out now to friends, family or others and do or say something that makes you all laugh out loud — laugh every day!

References:

Dunbar, R.I.M., (2011). Social laughter is correlated with an elevated pain threshold. Proc. R. Soc. B 22 March 2012 vol. 279 no. 1731 1161-1167. Published online September 14, 2011 doi: 10.1098/rspb.2011.1373

Provine, R. R., & Fischer, K. R. (1989). Laughing, smiling, and talking: Relation to sleeping and social context in humans. Ethology, 83(4), 295-305.

How challenging emotional experiences can help us stay healthy

October 2, 2012/0 Comments/in Emotions & Bone /by Dr. Susan E. Brown

I sent my teenage son off to college this fall. Like thousands of other families, we spent a good part of the summer organizing and planning to make sure he would be ready for the start of classes. By the time he was finally on campus, we were both thrilled about this exciting new phase of his life. I had even taken the time to consider how I might feel about my son leaving home and thought I was fully prepared.

But I wasn’t.

To be honest, my emotions surprised me. I had a pit in my stomach and was sadder than I had anticipated. But at the same time, I felt proud and happy for my son.

Strong emotional events usually lead to deeper self-awareness — spiritually and physically

As we continue the journey of our lives, we are inevitably confronted by events that stir our emotions, whether it’s a child’s passage into adulthood, personal trauma or loss, or the illness of someone we love. While we know that staying positive and upbeat are keys elements of better bones and good health, we should also make sure to let ourselves “feel the pinch” of life’s changes. And it’s not all doom and gloom because there are good lessons to be learned.
When something life-changing happens — good or bad — we often feel scared, and our physical bodies reflect it. Maybe you get butterflies in your stomach, or feel nauseated, or lose your appetite altogether. While this is unnerving when it happens, it can make you more aware of the impact that an event can have on your emotions and well being.

What’s the upside to a challenging emotional experience?

You can’t go through life without stress, loss, or sadness and you certainly can’t just flick a switch to be happy. Instead, give yourself the space and time to accept what’s happened so you can process it in a realistic, productive way. And you can use it as an opportunity to learn more about yourself and life in general.

I know that when you’re sad, unhappy, or anxious the feeling seems as if it will last forever. But time has a funny, wonderful way of helping us heal from difficult emotional challenges. It doesn’t take long before we begin to feel better, more like ourselves.

And that may be the most surprising emotion of all.

Positive intention for getting to sleep and staying asleep

March 5, 2012/0 Comments/in Emotions & Bone /by Dr. Susan E. Brown

Science has shown that sleep plays a critical role in bone health. However, from my patients’ experiences — as well as a few nights spent tossing and turning myself — I’ve also learned that getting a good night’s sleep may be easier said than done for many of us.

When we’ve been having trouble sleeping night after night, it becomes a habit to crawl into bed every night already stressed that we won’t be able to fall asleep.

Unfortunately, while this worry is understandable, it may be the very stress that is keeping us awake. That’s because sustained stress increases cortisol levels, which in turn tell our bodies to stay alert — and awake.

One of the first ideas I introduce to my patients who have trouble sleeping is the idea of developing a focused, positive intention to sleep soundly through the night.

Here are some ways to do so

Visualize sleeping through the night and waking up refreshed in the morning.
As you lie down, become aware of the relaxing sensation of your bed, sheets, and pillows — notice how good they feel and take a deep stretch. On cold winter nights I love getting into a warm bed, so I heat it up with an electric blanket (unplugging before I get in). I take time to appreciate the warmth and I bask in a feeling of well being.
Take calming breaths deep into the belly and intentionally let go of any thoughts or worries. Imagine them floating off into space and know they’ll be fine for the night to be picked up tomorrow — if you choose.
Uncover hidden stimulants. Most women with sleep issues are already avoiding coffee and chocolate because of the caffeine content. These women would also do well to pay close attention to reducing intake of decaffeinated coffee and tea, mate, coffee-flavored ice cream and yogurt, and some sodas — all of which may contain enough caffeine to disturb sleep.
Watching TV or reading horror or high-intensity novels right before bed can also be agitating and interfere with sleep.

Positive intentions for sleep can begin well before bedtime. I have recently begun studying with a Qi gong master to learn how practicing mindfulness can help normalize our body rhythms, as well as clear and calm the mind throughout the day.

I also set aside the half hour before climbing into bed for relaxing activities. Some of us need as little as 15 minutes to wind down, while others benefit from up to an hour of rest/relaxation time, for activities such as a hot bath or meditation. And what is considered relaxing can be different for each one of us — so take some time to find what works best for you.

My favorite detox techniques—for the mind

September 6, 2011/0 Comments/in Emotions & Bone /by Dr. Susan E. Brown

In a recent blog post, I introduced you to some of my favorite detoxification techniques for the body.

I also pay careful attention to emotional detox. Over the years I have come to terms with anxiety and worry and generally unhealthy feelings. Rather than this being an academic interest, my coming to terms is because I was a born “worry wart,” to use my mother’s phrase, and it took some undoing to overcome this pattern of being.

3 approaches for emotional detox

While my path to freedom took many twists and turns, in the end three approaches worked for me:

One was classical homeopathy, as prescribed by an expert classical homeopath — the doctor found the correct remedy and the anxiety was gone.
Another is a series of Korean Qi Gong breathing and movement exercises which, after three days of one hour sessions each, always bring me a feeling of well-being for no reason. (By the way, I have learned that a feeling of well-being for no good reason is the soundest and most blessed of all feelings of well-being).
The third technique concerns the recognition that “What we put our attention on grows stronger in our life.” Intellectually I know that if I put attention on what I don’t want (worry); I will attract more of it. My antidote is to make a clear list of what I do want, carry that list around, and give attention to those things, while setting aside — that is releasing — worries and concerns I do not want to amplify.

Techniques to quiet my turbulent mind

The mind is like a monkey that jumps from branch to branch — all wisdom-driven cultures hold quieting the mind as a pathway to internal peace. My mind is as much a monkey as the best of them, so I have come to incorporate many practices for purifying and calming the mind. Here are a few:

Meditation: I sit quietly, releasing thoughts and resistance for 15-20 minutes twice a day.
Breathing exercises: When stressed or worried, I try to remember to stop, sit back, and take a few deeps breaths. I have come to realize the mind can’t do two things at once, so if I am paying attention to my breathing, I cannot worry at the same time.
Being out in nature: Spending a bit of quiet time out in nature really helps to slow down and calm my mind. I try to do this daily — even if for only 10 minutes. I move my attention to the colors, forms, and beauty around me, and, when I remember, I make a silent list of gratitudes.

Finally, I do believe in the attention to spirit for both detox and quieting of the mind. We are spiritual beings with an occasional human existence, and frequently I deliberately detox worry, fear, and sadness with uplifting thoughts from the wisdom of the ages and from current teachers of Spirit. There are so many to choose from. I am sure you have your favorites — go back to them often.

The Tao of bone: is fear weakening our bones?

June 6, 2011/0 Comments/in Emotions & Bone /by Dr. Susan E. Brown

I recently had the privilege of attending a retreat given by a foremost Taoist master, Dr. Nan Lu, director of the Traditional Chinese Medicine World Foundation in New York City. Always intrigued by how ancient cultures look at bone health, I jumped right in asking questions.

According to the 5,000-year-old Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective, the physical body is energized and informed by “rivers” of energy and information known as meridians. The meridians are named for the organs of the body. For example, there is a lung meridian, a heart meridian, a kidney meridian, and so on. These meridians refer to a particular field of energy and information that flows through the entire body, not just the named organ. A healthy, balanced flow of energy through the meridians is the key to good health.

Here are some highlights from my conversation with Dr. Lu

Meridian energy flow is disrupted most notably by emotional and mental distress.
Bone health is controlled by the energy and information of the kidney meridian.
Most of all, the emotion of fear disrupts the kidney meridian energy, and thus fear damages bone.

Dr. Lu’s answer to my question about what most affects bone was immediate and clear: fear. He explained that our culture is rather fear-based, and because of this we have a special challenge in building and maintaining bone health.

Later I’ll be writing more about traditional Chinese medical perspectives, but for now, and just for the fun of it, you might reflect on your “fear index.” Do you have faith in your body’s ability to heal? Do you believe things will turn out okay? Do you believe things happen for a reason?

It seems the ancient Chinese agree with the Ancient Indian Vedic scholars in that“Nothing holds more power over the body than thoughts held in the mind.”

Unhealthy weight loss and bone health

January 11, 2011/0 Comments/in Emotions & Bone /by Dr. Susan E. Brown

I was very pleased to be interviewed by Vogue magazine for a story in their January 2011 issue that related one woman’s experience with an osteopenia diagnosis. But when the issue came out, I was struck by the picture on the cover. It shows Natalie Portman, a 29-year-old actress, looking wisp-slender in a sexy, low-cut dress. The picture was advertising Vogue’s story about her latest film, Black Swan, in which she plays an emotionally disturbed ballerina. The photo reminded me of the many “thin and worried women” I see at the Center for Better Bones. Becoming thin by way of unhealthy weight loss is detrimental to bone health.

I use this phrase a lot when it comes to bone health, but what I really mean is thin and stressed — seriously stressed. These may be women who are prone to anxiety, worry, and other fear-based emotional states, but they’re also women who are stressed physiologically, either from too much physical exercise (from something as demanding as ballet) or from the less-than-ideal nutrition that many girls and women use to reach the wafer-thin look that’s expected of models in the pages of a magazine like Vogue – unhealthy weight loss is not ideal, it’s dangerous.

Either one of these stresses, emotional or physical, can have a powerful impact on bone health, but put them together — as in the case of Natalie Portman’s character in Black Swan — and you have a woman whose bones, sooner or later, will suffer.
I don’t know how many emotionally disturbed ballerinas there are in the world, but there are a lot of girls and women who strive to be model-thin, and who grow anxious or despondent if they can’t reach that “beauty ideal” — an ideal of thinness that Vogue and other fashion magazines actively promote. Some women are born with a fine-boned body type, and that’s OK — I’m certainly not suggesting that thin women can’t have healthy bones! But many women can only reach (and keep) that shape by greatly restricting what they eat and drink, by exercising very hard many hours each day, or by combining the two practices. None of this promotes optimal health. In fact, it can create a tremendous amount of emotional stress that our bones may pay for in the long-term.

I love that Vogue’s article is raising awareness of the need for women to maximize their bone health through natural means. But when I look at the women represented in its pages, I can’t help but think about future osteoporosis diagnoses. Such women could free themselves from a lot of emotional and physical distress simply by setting a goal of being healthy rather than thin. Because contrary to what popular wisdom tells us, the two aren’t the same thing.

If there’s anything I wish would come back into fashion, it’s the idea that beauty = health — or more to the point, that beauty is bone deep rather than skin deep!

For more information about how to achieve healthy bones naturally, take our Bone Health Profile.

Bone health pearls from Jerilynn C. Prior, M.D

August 10, 2010/0 Comments/in Emotions & Bone /by Dr. Susan E. Brown

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Jerilynn Prior, a renowned endocrinologist and bone health expert. Dr. Prior, professor at the University of British Columbia, is a noted physician, author, researcher, and one of the foremost scholars on bone and menstrual health. Here are a few of her many interesting observations and research findings.

Hip bone loss begins earlier than we had expected, in both men and women. Large population-based Canadian studies in which she participated show that bone loss in the hip begins in the early 20’s for both women and men, while bone loss in the spine doesn’t begin until the mid 30’s.
Ovulatory disturbances — meaning that there was less progesterone produced than normal — commonly occur but go unrecognized because they are silent within regular menstrual cycles.
Women are silently losing bone if they experience more than the average proportion of ovulatory disturbances, despite normal estrogen levels and regular menstruation.
Women who learn to track their cycles and ovulation seem more likely to recover normal cycles and ovulation and even recover from infertility.
Of all the stressors that can affect bone health — poor nutrition, environmental challenges, and emotional disturbances — emotional stress is “the big driver” of ovulatory disturbances and bone loss. So feeling good about your life and the choices you’ve made is important for healthy bones.

Stay tuned, more complete selections from my interview with Dr. Prior will be posted on the Better Bones website soon! To assess your bone health, take our fracture risk assessment.