We are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of sleep in maintaining our overall health and wellness. Adequate sleep is essential to repair and restore our organ systems such as our muscles and immune system.  It’s vital for memory, creativity and quality of life. Sleep helps to curb inflammation while helping us maintain a healthy weight.

A recent observational study of a half million people in China linked insomnia to higher rates of heart attacks and strokes. Interestingly enough this was most apparent in younger adults who had normal blood pressure.

Three insomnia symptoms were studied: trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, awakening too early, and daytime dysfunction related to poor sleep.

The research supports our current knowledge about the contribution of impaired sleep for both cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease.

The information gleaned from this study is extremely useful, but there are limitations to consider; insomnia symptoms were self-reported and were assessed only at baseline. Like many observational studies, association but not necessarily causation can be claimed.

You can read the original article from MedPageToday by clicking HERE.

Source Reference: Zheng B, et al "Insomnia symptoms and risk of cardiovascular diseases among 0.5 million adults: A 10-year cohort" Neurology 2019; DOI:10.1212/WNL.0000000000008581.

It is common knowledge that most of us eat more than we actually need. It has also become increasingly more apparent that fasting on one level or another brings a myriad of benefits. A recent study from Duke University demonstrated that caloric restriction helped improve all factors of metabolic syndrome in patients without obesity. (CALORIE trial)

This was a very modest restriction, a 12% reduction or 300 fewer calories a day. Following this plan for 2 years, there were significant improvements in multiple cardiovascular risk factors:

• Systolic blood pressure

• Diastolic blood pressure

• LDL or the “lousy” cholesterol

• Total cholesterol to HDL “healthy” cholesterol ratio

• Triglycerides

Other benefits include lowering of fasting insulin, fasting blood sugar and C-reactive protein (a sensitive measure of inflammation).

Considered groundbreaking, this is the first long-term caloric restriction intervention in non-obese young and middle age subjects. Furthermore, there was a very low dropout rate, which connotes that a modest restriction in calories is doable.

I find this study very exciting but not surprising. The benefits of restricted caloric intake go way beyond cardiovascular health. This strategy is being studied for extending lifespan and anti-aging in general.  

Read Original Article HERE

Dr. Elkin, known as The Medical Advocate, will be presenting to the Functional Medicine Discussion Group of Santa Monica at the Santa Monica Public Library at 6:30 pm on June 27, 2019.

As an integrative cardiologist, Dr. Elkin will address how to best stratify one’s cardiac risk using the latest in cutting edge laboratory testing. After all, it’s not merely how low the cholesterol numbers are, but one’s actual risk  of contracting a heart attack or stroke 

Emphasis will be on lifestyle, a healthy diet of the 21st century, and appropriate supplementation.

A Press Release by prnewswire.com on my Earthing Case Study was sent out recently and I want to share it with you!

WHITTIER, Calif., March 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A novel study by a Southern California cardiologist has shown for the first time that Planet Earth's own natural energy has the potential to help reduce high blood pressure.

The study tested the lifestyle concept of grounding, also known as Earthing − the discovery that contact with the Earth's natural, subtle electric charge can lower pain and stress.  You can ground yourself by spending time barefoot outdoors on natural surfaces, like grass, soil, gravel, stone, and sand, and indoors using special conductive mats and patches while sitting or sleeping.

The study, appearing in the journal Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, involved 10 participants with various degrees of hypertension and trouble controlling blood pressure. Multiple measurements over several months while they were grounded resulted in significant improvement of blood pressure and better control, in many cases well within that time frame. 

The participants slept grounded and grounded themselves for several more hours during the day.  Subjectively, they reported better sleep, more calmness, and less aches and pains. 

According to the Earthing Institute, an online resource for grounding information, grounding restores a healing energetic connection with the Earth lost over time due to human lifestyle, such as living/working elevated off the ground and wearing synthetic soled shoes that block the Earth's energy underfoot.  

Grounding may improve blood pressure in a variety of ways:  

- A calming effect on the nervous system.

- A normalizing effect on the stress hormone cortisol.

- Reduction of inflammation and pain.

- Better sleep.

- Improved blood flow.

The study was inspired by anecdotal feedback describing a lowering of high blood pressure after people start grounding.  

"The objective was to test the validity of such reports by measuring blood pressure among grounded hypertensive patients over time," says integrative cardiologist Howard Elkin, M.D., who practices in Whittier and Santa Monica, California.  "The study, although small in size, gives a glimpse as to the possibility that grounding may be a simple lifestyle strategy for improving blood pressure. Obviously, larger studies are needed to definitively validate such an effect for hypertensive patients. This is a first step."

Hypertension carries serious health risks, including heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease, and affects some 75 million American adults (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

Source: www.earthinginstitute.net 
Dr. Elkin's office, 1-562-945-3753, https://www.heartwise.com/ 
To view the study, click here.  Read additional grounding research, here   
Questions on grounding, info@earthinginstitute.net 

Grounding Patients With Hypertension Improves Blood Pressure: A Case History Series Study