NOVEMBER 2007 MAGAZINES - DR. MADELINE'S PICKS

The November magazines are full of surprises.

Who could guess that I'd find gorgeous ideas for gift wrapping in Yoga Journal, a moving article on home births in VOGUE, and a decent article about health in a man's magazine?

Dr. Madeline's picks from the November magazines:

VOGUE
1) "Lightness of Being" by Andre Leon Talley(ALT).
A bigger than life presence in the fashion industry, in both talent and girth, ALT unflinchingly updates readers on his current arc on the diet/lose weight/hit goal/stress/go back to old habits/gain all the weight back pendulm.

Having lost 3 colleagues this year and sustaining an ankle injury, ALT gained back all the weight lost on his previous diet and took this as an opportunity to relook at his approach.
He participates in a program at the Duke Diet Center (DFC), and what makes this column different, personal, is that the focus is on optimal health, not disease management, so ALT develops skills rather than guilt. And that, I believe will make all the difference for him.

The therapies include alternative care for his aches and pains, as well as for stress relief.
For anyone struggling with making friends with their body, I believe this article offers hope.

2) "Mother Knows Best"
I love this article. Deciding how to bring your child into the world is one of the biggest decisions a mother can make, and it is one of many times a mother has to transcend fear, both internal, and that created by the outside world.
The writer states "Natural childbirth appealed to me the same way organic food did: The absence of chemicals seemed better for me and my child."
The article covers the boom in midwives, what research results show, medical feedback and has details from a new documentary, "The Business of Being Born."
A great read for pregnant moms!

YOGA JOURNAL
1) "That's a Wrap"
As we move towards holiday gift giving season, this article is a perfect read for rethinking gift wrapping in a gorgeous, creative, and personal way.
One tip I'll definitely be using: Add a few drops of essential oil to fillers (the inside wrapping), what a great surprise when the gift is opened!

MEN'S HEALTH
1) "Beyond Balco: The Untold Dietary-Supplement Scandal."
This is a must read for anyone mixing up protein shakes and vitamins. Even the "healthy" ones sold at the Co-op. The business of supplements use to be about good news: exciting products, easy availability, and results. No longer, the bad news just keeps coming......it's time to be really sure about what goes in the body.

Happy reading!

Be Spine Tingling,
Dr. Madeline Behrendt
iwomenfilm@gmail.com
For education and information only.

SLEEPING AND EATING - NOW THAT'S GREAT RESEARCH

I LOVE the New York Times, I'm a big fan of their Fashion and Style coverage.
But it was never the place I went to for health information.
As a chiropractor, I always thought "Where are the articles about how we function, and knowing that, how to be well?"
Whoa, is that changing.
The NYT has so many great articles that explore wellness this week I thought I was reading something else. I hope their new curiosity continues!

A transformation is underway in how scientists view sleep, and here are two articles I happily recommend:

1) "The Elderly Always Sleep Worse, and Other Myths of Aging"
Fascinating! How people sleep during different lifecyles, and what factors can alter a good night's sleep.....I think that readers will be surprised by the results.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/23/health/23age.html?ref=health

2) "An Active, Purposeful Machine that Comes Out at Night to Play"
A new look at why people need sleep, and the emerging understanding of how sleeps relates to learning and memory storing.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/23/health/23memo.html?_r=1&ref=health&oref=slogin

And from the new "WELL" blog: "5 Easy Ways to Go Organic."
This article reads a bit like an advertisement for "Raising Baby Green," a book by pediatrician Dr. Alan Green, but the info is helpful. Even better are the comments, including the parent who did a "taste test" on broccoli, organic vs. commercial, and based on her 7 year old's choice, organic is better than commerical.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/22/five-easy-ways-to-go-organic/

Sleeping and eating, now that's great research!

Be Spine Tingling,
Dr. Madeline Behrendt
iwomenfilm@gmail.com
For information and education only.

YOUR BODY CRAVES PLEASURE.....

Do you hear the call to action yesterday?
OPRAH outed her own thyroid problems and set the tone for a show nudging women to take care of their health (Tuesday 10/16/07).

Her guest was Dr. Christianne Northrup, author of a number of best-selling books on women's health. The lifecyle of perimenopause and menopause was on their mind, and they jumped into plenty of tricky topics ----- including straight talk about sex (http://www.oprah.com/).

As a doctor my main role is to teach, so I love it when TV gets it right and I can recommend a feature with ease.
And it's no surprise that once Oprah looked at menopause, she's changing the way women approach this cycle.

There was a lot of information, I recommend the following as a compass:
Your body craves pleasure.

The body is designed to experience pleasure.
When pleasure is denied or blocked, the body demands it another way.....and that's where the real trouble starts.

To increase pleasure Dr. Northrup listed exercise, meditation and sex.
For me, pleasure is about quality, and I have my own list.

When these pleasure enhancers are blocked, Dr. Northrup said women reach for caffeine, alcohol and sugar.
When I'm under stress, I'm deep into quantity and most likely covered in cookie crumbs (my weakness is butterscotch chocolate chip cookies from Wildflower bakery - can I get an amen!).

Really, pleasure isn't something to feel guilty about.
Pleasure is a natural state.
What blocks pleasure is STRESS.
So when stress invades, that's when "exercise, mediation and sex" are more important than ever. Or else you too could be leaving trails of cookie crumbs behind you.

Imagine:
Play with the concept this week, see what it changes for you.
Your body craves pleasure. Your body craves pleasure.
Your body craves pleasure..........

Be Spine Tingling,
Dr. Madeline Behrendt
iwomenfilm@gmail.com
For information and education only.

INFERTILITY BECOMES COMPETITIVE SPORT

The OPRAH show focused on infertility Tuesday 10/09, covering surrogacy through Indian women, as well as a live interview with Alexis Stewart (Martha Stewart's daughter), who is 42 and currently spending $28,000 per month on fertility drugs.

The surrogacy segment was very moving, but heartbreaking: a couple that had been through failed infertility treatment in the U.S. and now all they could afford were surrogate services outside the U.S. They went to a clinic in India that is known around the world for surrogate services and a "high" success rate, just over 40%.

The segment with Alexis was also heartbreaking. Money can't guarantee a baby - she's already been through three failed egg implantations. Alexis assumed she could get pregnant when she wanted - because "she's healthy."

I can say this is a place where people make a big mistake: they assume that if they don't have any diseases and they are fit ---- that equals health.
But as a holistic doctor, I look at function as the key marker in health, and reproductive function is part of that equation. So if a woman is infertile, no, she is not healthy.

This recent feature on OPRAH shows how the infertility industry is growing out of the reach of most women, it is becoming a competitive sport:
----How many women can fly to India several times in a year to hire a surrogate, visit during the pregnancy, and stay for two weeks after the birth?
----How many women can spend $28,000 per month on fertility drugs? For multiple cycles?

For me, there are too many questions that are not being asked:
1) Why are so many women (and men) infertile? What is behind this growing epidemic?
In the animal world, one of the first signs that a species is in danger is when the ability to reproduce disappears, so where's the attention on why human infertility is compromised?
Besides the notion that women are at fault for waiting.
There are too many young women with infertility issues to blame it all on peri-menopausal women.

2) What is going to happen to the women pouring large quanities of hormones into their bodies, month after month?
No one talks about the safety issues, all the focus is on getting pregnant.
What is happening to these women long-term?

3) More holistic care please!
I encourage infertile women to be evaluated by a holistic provider (chiropractor is my choice) - for correction, for stress relief, for proper nerve flow. It can make a big difference.
The series I directed on chiropractic and infertility received a tremendous response from women around the country, it was clear that women are very interested in learning about ALL their options. (www.jvsr.com/abstracts/abstracts_volume.asp?vol=infertility)

Note: OPRAH's link: http://www.oprah.com/

Be Spine Tingling,
Dr. Madeline Behrendt
iwomenfilm@gmail.com
For Information and Education only.

OCTOBER GREEN TIP - HALLOWEEN TREATS THAT WILL NOT MAKE YOU FEEL GHOULISH

For the imperfect among us (and who isn't?) Halloween kicks off the cycle of the annual fall/winter slide into debauchery.

But extra weight, sugar highs/crashes, and hating yourself doesn't have to happen. Really.

For Halloween, there are plenty of treats that will make both kids and moms happy.
Note: If your children have any allergies, such as peanuts or soy, or sugar concerns, be sure to read labels for everything you purchase.

Check these out:
TOP TEN HAPPY HALLOWEEN TREATS
(Individual wrapping for all - not green, but safe)
1) Stretch Island Fruit Leather
2) Organic Gummy Bears
3) Popcorn packages
4) Organic Lollipops
5) Potato chips or pretzel bags
6) Juice boxes
7) Jerky
8) Cliff bars (or other energy bars)
9) Nuts or sunflower seeds, bare or yogurt covered
10)Mini organic chocolate bars

And two bonus treat ideas for the creative:
1) Homemade trail mix
2) Homemade cupcakes

These treats can take some of the work out of Halloween so everyone can think about their costumes.....

Be Spine Tingling,
Dr. Madeline Behrendt
iwomenfilm@gmail.com
For information and education only.