Beautiful Better Best Breasts 

(About Angelina’s Decision) 

The world is abuzz about Angelina’s recent decision to have both breasts removed — a double mastectomy. Angelina does not have cancer. She has the genetic marker(BRCA1 or BRCA2) for a specific form of breast cancer, thus, presumably, increasing her genetic predisposition for getting breast cancer at some point in her life. Angelina stated that she hopes “that other women will benefit” from her experience.

As a result of Angelina’s decision, and the favorable publicity surrounding it, it is expected that, indeed, she will influence women to do as she did, and that there will be a rash of prophylactic mastectomies in the future. In my eyes, this will be seriously unfortunate.

Even the National Cancer Institute is not sure of the implications of Angelina’s having the gene for BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations. This is a quote from their website:

“It is important to note, however, that most research related to BRCA1 and BRCA2 has been done on large families with many individuals affected by cancer. Estimates of breast and ovarian cancer risk associated with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations have been calculated from studies of these families. Because family members share a proportion of their genes and, often, their environment, it is possible that the large number of cancer cases seen in these families may be due in part to other genetic or environmental factors. Therefore, risk estimates that are based on families with many affected members may not accurately reflect the levels of risk for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers in the general population. In addition, no data are available from long-term studies of the general population comparing cancer risk in women who have harmful BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations with women who do not have such mutations. Therefore, the percentages given above are estimates that may change as more data become available.”

This bastion of orthodox thinking on cancer research is saying that the risk for breast cancer stems from a wide variety of “genetic or environmental factors.” They are admitting that they don’t really know what risk factor the presence of BRCA1 and BRCA2 yields.

It’s not that I don’t FEEL for Angelina. Like her, I have a substantially increased chance of developing breast cancer, as both my mother and sister were dead of cancer long before they would have reached the age I am now (67). When my sister developed breast cancer, she made the same decision Angelina made: after cancer in one breast, she had a preventative mastectomy in the other breast. Yet, it didn’t stop the cancer from showing up later in her lung, and that was the cancer that finally killed her.

In any case, Angelina, and so many other women, are unfortunately still thinking about cancer in a completely out-moded way with out-dated information. When I was Ruth Sackman’s assistant at the Foundation for Advancement of Cancer Therapies, I learned that cancer is a systematic disease reflecting whole-body toxicity as well as a de-activated immune system. Because lobbing off body parts only removes the cancer cells in that specific location, it makes no correction of the systemic aspects of the disease. Angelina’s doctor estimates that she reduced her cancer risk from 87% to 5%. What the good doc fails to say is that that statistic is specific only to breast cancer. Ummm. Makes sense. If she has no breasts, it is unlikely she would get cancer in her breast cavities. Here is the more complicated truth: a body that produces proliferating cancer cells to begin with is a body that will continue to produce proliferating cancer cells, no matter how many organs and tissues are removed. Cancer is smart: you take one of its homes away, it sometimes just finds a new home to settle into. To prevent or cure the disease, the biological/biochemical imbalance must be identified and corrected.

I myself have never had a mammogram, in spite of the increased risk I have of developing cancer. I have found an equally effective way of monitoring my breast wellness. It has several advantages over mammography: it doesn’t impart the radiation of mammograms; it’s not physically uncomfortable (as the mammogram is); it’s cheap; you can do it at home for a small investment.

This procedure is rooted in a procedure called Thermography, which is the use of heat for diagnostic purposes.

Thermo-diagnostics is a well researched diagnostic method. Practically every disease is accompanied by changes in microcirculation and thus, thermo-production: that is, an increase in heat temperature of the effected tissue or organ. The reason why every family has a mercury or digital thermometer is precisely because of these temperature changes in an afflicted body. But, the thermometers we use at home measure temperature only in three anatomic zones, the mouth, the ear or the anus.

There is now a thermodiagnostic that uses infra-red thermography. It allows the important advantage of assessing temperature distribution throughout the body. This six inch device will read the various points on your breast (or anywhere else you put it on your body), compare the locations thermograpically, and tell you precisely where there is an elevation in temperature. This rise in temperature is the first sign of inflammation. When this occurs in the breast, it is indicative of a lymphatic congestion. This is when you need to start being concerned about better breast health. This reading indicates potential and future problems with breast tissue long before a tumor would be evident on a mammogram. If the elevated temperature persists for a long enough period of time, the lymphatic disorder might well turn into cancer.

The thermagram device is extremely user friendly. A push of a button at the end of the device takes the reading for any placement on the body. The digital reading shows up in the window on the device. For the breasts, you take the readings in five different spots on each breast; you record the temperature; you submit the readings via email, and a computer software program stores, interprets and creates a thermagraphical imaging picture of your breasts.

Although this system of thermagraphic reading was developed many years ago, it wasn’t until Michael Pizhadze developed the software for the home unit that we are now able to take our own readings. The unit is every bit as accurate as the high-end theramogprachic diagnostic equipement used in medical offices.  I have written about Michael and other technologies he has brought to this country — the Cem Tech and the Metatron – in past Musings. Michael first showed me this device shortly after I had broken my foot several years ago. We took readings from my foot; he submitted the information into the program, and viola, a second later, a picture of my foot appeared on my computer screen, with a big red spot on the fifth metatarsal. We compared the thermagraphic image to both the Xray as well as to the place on my foot that hurt most acutely; it was an absolutely correct and specific placement on the location of the break.

 








Michael currently has available a number of the Thermagrams, and he is offering them for $69. The maintenance program, in which you take your own readings and submit for the computer analysis is $59 a month (he recommends a new reading every month). You will email the readings to Michael, and within 24 hours, you will receive a picture of your thermagraphical imaging which will show you where precisely the “hot spots” (if you have any) are in your breasts. Michael is offering a discounted price to all friends of La Casa. If you use the code word “La Casa,” you will get a $10 discount on each of the products. To purchase the system, email Michael at [email protected].

There are also things you can do at home to assist in breast health (besides eating healthily and detoxifying). These at-home habits reduce breast pain, breast swelling, PMS breast symptoms, cystic issues, and calcifications. The Breast health Project recommends four steps. To get precise insturctions on how to do each of these, go to: breast health project.

ww.breasthealthproject.com/massage-reduce-ris

(1) Breathing Exercises

Deep breathing exercises massage the thoracic duct, which is the largest lymph vessel in the body. This helps to move the lymphatic fluid. There is a direct connection between quality of breathing habits and healthy lymph glands. Deep breathing also changes our stress response towards a more relaxed response. This helps our system function the way it was intended to function. More than 80% of disease is stress related. Stopping your stress response is a crucial component in disease prevention.

(2) Movement Exercises

Every study implicates the positive connection between exercise and good health. This relates to oxygen, energy and lymph because movement affects them all. There are many types of exercise that are effective for enhancing lymphatic function and energy movement. The Breast Health Project is promoting a set of very simple movements because they are specifically designed to open the energy channels in the chest. Because they are simple, it becomes easier to develop awareness of emotional patterns that may surface when energy begins to move in this area.

(3) Lymphatic Breast Massage

Lymphatic massage is different than regular massage in that it mimics how lymph moves naturally and exaggerates that movement. There are a number of lymph nodes in the armpit area and around the collarbone, which help to clean and filter the breast tissue. We can learn to enhance lymph movement in our breast using simple massage techniques.

(4) Energy Exercises

If your breast tissue and surrounding areas are sore, this is a sign that the energy in your chest area is not moving well. Keeping this area flowing and pain free is an important part of our breast health model. In Eastern medical theory, stagnant energy can create the condition in which disease can develop. The purpose of the energetic exercises that you’ll be taught in this model is to support continuous healthy flow of energy in the breast area. A premenstrual condition may cause breast tenderness. If this is the case and the area is too sore to touch, try these techniques after your period has started. These points stimulated regularly throughout the month will decrease premenstrual soreness.

So, take your pick: Would you rather have  your breasts cut off, or would you rather perform simple breast health exercises, and monitor your breast wellness on a monthly basis so that IF your breasts begin to show inflammation, you have time to research all available options for treating your condition without unnecessary surgery. Seems like a no-brainer to me.

A final word about Angelina’s decision. Ever to the front lines of political relevance on holistic matters, Mike Adams has some interesting speculations about the meaning and timing of Angelina’s decision. If you want to read his take on it, referring to the up-coming Supreme Court decision on corporate ownership of genes, go to:

Will you own your own genes?

Embracing the Void:

La Casa got a write-up this week in Slate. The article chronicles Seth Stevenson’s introduction and subsequent devotion to the unique experience of floatation. To read the review, go to:

Embracing the Void

We have been floating clients for the whole 20 years that we have been alive as a spa. Our float clients are passionate about their float experiences. There’s been sufficient research on floatation to know the precise physiological and biochemical benefits, amongst which are:

* rejuvenative effect on the brain equivalent to five hours of sleep

* detoxifying effect on the body equivalent to a three-day fast

* drop in blood pressure

* slowing of pulse rate

* allows the blood to circulate more freely throughout the body

* increase in alpha and theta waves in the brain

* synchronous and symmetrical rhythms are achieved throughout the cortex

* decrease in levels of the hormones associated with stress, the “fight or flight” hormones of epinephrine, norepinephrine, ACTH and cortisol

* pH levels and electrolytes are balanced; reduction of acidity

* heavy metals detoxification

* improvement of skin elasticity

* re-mineralization of skin

The 800 pounds of Epsom salts in the floatation chamber is high in magnesium. It is thought that 68% of Americans are deficient in magnesium. Floating regularly is one of the best ways to making sure that you have enough magnesium in your body. Deficiency in magnesium can result in the following health issues:

* Heart disease

* High cholesterol

* High blood pressure

* Inflammation

* Depression

* Stress

* Anxiety

* Sleeplessness

* Muscle twitching

* Spasms

*Cramps

* Restless leg syndrome

* Sensitivity to light or sound

* Weak bones

Floating has become so popular that there is now an annual conference devoted to the experience. To hear illuminating information from float experts on the science behind it from last year’s conference, go to:

The nutritionist who saved my mother’s life from terminal cancer – Bernard Jensen – was fairly obsessed with bowels. He wrote a book called Tissue Cleansing through Bowel Management, which was a seminal book on understanding the relationship between the bowel/the gut and health. He also developed the colema board, a kind of home colonic unit that Ruth Sackman, founder of the Foundation of the Advancement of Cancer Therapies, had all her cancer patients using. My mother was one of Ruth’s patients, and she used it diligently as one of the methods of detoxifying her body. We attributed my mother’s cure from terminal cancer, in part, to her consistent cleansing of her bowel. (The other changes were committing to a nutritional program that emphasized live foods, and finding emotional balance through the process of psychoanalysis.)

Recently at La Casa, I was talking to a client who had come for a colonic. He’s a little older than I. He asked me if I remembered Mr. Baum back in the late 60′s/early 70′s. Indeed, I do. Mr. Baum was literally the only person in NYC who was giving colonics at that time. It was a kind of seedy place in mid-town. And he was a strange kind of guy. Going there almost had the feel of going for a backstreet abortion. But for bowel cleansing, he was the only game in town.

Now, colonics are almost downright mainstream. After Mr. Baum closed up his shop, La Casa opened its doors as the first NYC spa to offer colonics. La Casa now offers eight different kinds of colonics, each one affecting the body in a slightly different way, but each being a powerhouse of cleansing.

Since our first colonic administered 20 years ago, the world has changed in terms of what we have learned about the relationship between gut health and whole body health. The findings of even the last few years are nothing short of mind-bending.

Natural health people, for many years, have talked about the gut as the second brain. There is good reason for this. Developmentally, during fetal growth, the gut and the brain begin as the same tissue. Eventually, the central nervous system and the enteric nervous system differentiate and become separate entities within the body. But the close connection between gut and brain remain throughout one’s life.

Recently, researchers have identified yet a third brain: this is the brain that is not the digestive tract per se, but rather comprises the flora of the gut – all the little critters that live in the gut: microbes.

Since Pasteur’s discovery of the germ, we have become used to thinking about bacteria and viruses as causing illness. We have become obsessive about cleanliness as a way of getting rid of the tiny critters whom we see as malevolent enemies. But we now know that 99% of our microbial inhabitants provide essential services for our body’s health. As much as80% of the immune system is located in the gut. Gut microbes have the various jobs of breaking down environmental toxins, regulating lipid absorption, creating energy, synthesizing vitamins, producing neurotransmitters as well as amino acids, directing our immune and neurologic functions; they probably do lots more that we don’t even know about yet.

Microbes live in every part of our bodies, in every crevice, and on every surface. There are more bacterial cells on our bodily surfaces–collectively amounting to 100 trillion cells–than there are human cells in the entire body. The difference is a factor of 10:1. The combined weight of all the different types of microbes in our bodies is about two pounds.

We are born 90% human, 10% microbes. Although babies begin their life’s journey in the sterile environment of the womb, rather instantly babies become colonized with microbes, picking up these little hitchhikers as the baby travels through the mother’s birth canal. In contrast, babies born by cesarean section are colonized with bacteria more commonly found on the mother’s skin, or on the skins of other infants, nursing staff, and even in the air in the hospital. This difference between children who are naturally born and those who aren’t are shown to have life-long differences in terms of health. For instance, cesarean-section babies are more prone to developing food allergies and asthma. The difference in initial colonization is certainly a contributing factor in why this difference occurs.

As we develop and grow, our microbes develop and grow with us. They grow much faster than we grow. They also develop complex ecosystems. An elaborate system of communication forms: eventually microbial molecules can tell how many neighbors they have and how friendly they are to the neighboring colonies. When there is enough of a collective growth, all the bacteria begin to act as a synchronized group – a kind of beautiful harmonious symphonic song and dance they do with each other.

By the time most of us die, we will have reversed the proportion of human to microbes, and we will have become 90% microbial. One might be tempted to say that at the time of our death, we are more microbial than human.

With a recently developed system of DNA sequencing, we have discovered vast numbers of microbes in and on our bodies that, until a few years ago, we had no idea were there. Researchers have found archaea, for instance, previously thought to live only in extreme environments – at the bottom of the ocean, or at the Arctic. But we know now that they colonize in the human mouth, teeth and gut.

The implications of this recent research are far-reaching. But, truthfully, we are only at the beginning of understanding the profound implications of our humanness converting over to a microbial existence.

Why Colonics?

Although most of the microbes we house are useful – even essential – it is the remaining ones that we have to worry about. Co-existing next to the friendly flora, we also give residence to bad guests. Think about the bad bacteria as a gang of evil creatures. Thieves that they are, they will eat your food. They will even eat you. And while they are having a scrumptious meal at your expense, they then do the offensive equivalent of pooping right into your bodily systems. They emit waste that is poison as well as carcinogenic; they create a multi-layer of dead cells wherever they nest. This putrefying gook prevents nutrients from being absorbed. Fecal liquids from the bad bacteria are reabsorbed, recycled over and over, resulting in an undernourished, toxic, tired, irritable, and eventually sick body.

Toxicity of the gut seeps out to the rest of the body/brain. It is thought to be a contributing factor in a wide range of diseases, including digestive disorders as well as the various mental disorders of autism, ADHD, dyslexia, depression and schizophrenia.

Colonics are internal baths to the intestinal tract. Yes, as opponents of colonics often argue, with intestinal washing the good bacteria as well as the bad bacteria will be swept away. But this is an easily remedied problem. Feed your body healthy whole foods (especially raw greens), and your gut will begin to normalize with the right ratio of good to bad bacteria. You can also supplement your diet with probiotics and digestive flora.

Do Colonics Make You Thinner?

OK. I admit. I’ve always been a snob about this kind of thing. I know that other colonic facilities answer “yes” to this question. But I thought they were just trying to drum up business for themselves. So when La Casa clients ask that question, we haven’t had an emphatic yes-answer. We explain that if there is gas in your belly, the colonic will reduce that bloating, and yes, your stomach will go down. But, of course, that is not really making you thinner.

But I have come across some recent research on the relationship between gut bacteria and body weight that makes me re-evaluate my position on this question. Researchers have now found that the balance of microflora in the gut can be an important predictor of obesity. 

There are three major classes of microbes that populate the gut: Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria. Jeffrey Gordon, MD, a molecular biologist at my alma mater, Washington University, found that the gut flora of obese humans and obese mice have fewer than normal Bacteroidetes and more than normal Firmicutes. After his discovery, Gordon did something really interesting: he took bacteria from obese mice and transplanted them into the intestinal tract of thin mice. The result was that the thin mice became obese even though they continued to eat the same diet.

This is a very profound finding. All of us have had conversations with overweight people who claim to eat scantily. Mostly, we tend to not believe them. But Gordon’s finding leaves open various possibilities: maybe a person’s intestinal microecology has developed a microbial imbalance that disrupts the normal neurochemical feedback loops that control satiety. Or maybe the person isn’t really eating that much more food than a thin person, but intestinal bacteria are metabolizing the food in a different way.

Animal researchers had found that Firmicutes bacteria possess a wider array of digestive enzymes that make them more efficient at extracting energy from food than Bacteroidetes. Thus, higher concentrations of Firmicutes could lead to obesity even without an increase in caloric intake. It also appears that certain bacteria are better at metabolizing food than other types. As we can now see, the issue of overweight is much more complicated than we previously thought, and is intimately related to the condition of our gut microecology.

 Colonics don’t replace bad bacteria with good bacteria. But they do wash out a supply of the bad bacteria, and thus leave room for the renewed growth of friendly flora. Consider the colonic as your first step toward health. What you do with your eating habits after you leave La Casa is the next step, and ultimately the most important step.

Are We Like the Mice?

A few adventuresome clinicians have assumed that we are. They have been conducting a procedure that has come to be known as fecal implants, or human probiotic infusions. It’s essentially the same procedure that Gordon did with the rats. Thomas Borody in Australia pioneered the procedure, and currently a number of centers around the world (and in NYC) are now performing this procedure on patients suffering from severe imbalances of flora. 

There are a number of studies that show that it is possible to take an extract of fecal material from a healthy person, process it minimally, and then put the organisms into the GI tract of another person. This can be done by nasogastric tube, colonoscopy, or enema.  The results are the produce of a significant and long-lasting alteration of the new host’s gut flora. Dr. Borody has published case studies of people with ulcerative colitis who have gone into permanent remission after getting fecal transplants.

Mice don’t generally get colonics. But we humans can. Even mainstream medicine understands the need for a clean gut before surgery. If you’ve ever had surgery, you will remember that nasty stuff they give you to drink to clean out your digestive tract, and the enemas, too. Better to just have a clean healthy gut all the time. Seasonal colonics are one step toward this goal.

La Casa’s Newest Colonic:

We call it the Bio-Colonic. Whilst you are having the colonic irrigation, you are lying atop the Bio-Mat, and your body is absorbing a surfeit of both negative ions and far-infrared waves.

Negative ions infuse the body with health-enhancing properties. Urban areas typically have much lower concentrations of negative ions in the air than rural areas. NYC is one of the worse offenders. Ionization is mandatory in most European and Russian hospitals. A recent study by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture found that ionizing a room led to 52% less dust in the air, and 95% less bacteria in the air (since many of the pollutants found in the air reside on floating dust particles).

Specific to digestion and elimination, negative ionspromote better digestion by counteracting over-arousal of the sympathetic nervous system.  Tension in the stomach and intestines Is eased, promoting the production of digestive enzyme and enhancing both digestion and elimination.

Other over-all effects on the body/brain of negative ions include:

• increasing oxygen levels in the blood and increase flow of oxygen to the brain;
• stabilizing brain function, effecting relaxation and calmness;
• aiding in blood purification by increasing the levels of calcium and sodium in the blood stream; 
• restoring a healthy (slightly alkaline) pH balance to the blood;
• increasing metabolism by stimulating exchange of electronic substances in cells;
• strengthening the immune system by promoting production of globulin (proteins that are found extensively in blood plasma) in the blood, resulting in stronger resistance to illness;
• balancing autonomic nervous system by balancing the opposing sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system;
• revitalizing cell metabolism;
• enhancing vitality of muscle tissue and strengthening internal organs.

Far Infrared waves, also emitted in the Bio-Colonic, have far-reaching health benefits. Heart studies done by The Mayo Clinic found that infrared waves significantly improved blood vessel functioning in high-cholesterol, diabetes and smoking patients. The therapy also was found to increase circulation, lower blood pressure, lower blood sugar, and help in weight loss.

Specific to its usefulness in the Bio-Colonic, the exposure to far infrared waves increases enzyme activity in the digestive tract. As well, it helps to break down trapped fat, waste, cellulite, and other toxic substances.

As an intro to the Bio-Colonic, we are offering a substantial discount!

How far you can reach beyond your toes from a sitting position, back against the wall, legs straight out in front of you? It may sound like an unimportant question, but it may actually be an important predictor of your longevity.

There are several accurate predictors of longevity that I have written about in prior Musings, including the length of our telomeres and our lung capacity. But another one that I have not yet written about is our flexibility. The health, flexibility and aging process of our connective tissues – tendons, ligaments and fascia — are extremely accurate predictors of how long we are going to live.
 Collectively, the connective tissues in the body are a three-dimensional network that runs throughout the body, giving us our shape and form as well as the framework for the organs, bone, teeth, blood vessels, muscles, and cartilage.

The test I have described – called “sit and reach” – is a diagnostic method used to determine the flexibility of a person’s body. The degree of flexibility is indicative of how stiff the arteries are. And because arterial stiffness often precedes cardiovascular disease, this simple test is a quick measure of risk for early mortality from either heart attack or stroke.

According to a recent study, arterial stiffness among middle age and older people is correlated with trunk flexibility. Interestingly — because of all the current emphasis on cardio exercise — the effect was independent of both muscle strength and cardiorespiratory fitness. Another recent study found that middle age and older adults who began a regular stretch exercise program significantly improved the flexibility of their carotids, a major artery found in the neck that feeds the brain.

In the animal world, too, flexibility has a direct correlation with aging. Research documents that tendons age slower in animals that have longer life spans, and tendons age faster in animals with shorter life spans.

Flexibility confers significant advantages to the body in a number of ways. Healthy blood vessels are elastic, and elasticity helps to moderate blood pressure. With flexibility comes better health of the blood vessels, as they are enabled to expand and contract more easily. Both lymphatic drainage and blood circulation are improved. There is more efficient removal of toxins as well as better muscle use, and joint and organ function. Tissue lubricants are stimulated, making mobility easier.

Back when we were hunter-gatherers, we got the daily exercise we needed to keep our bodies flexible and healthy. But modern, sedentary life is not the only culprit that constricts muscles and joints. Even with activity, the body dehydrates and stiffens with age. By the time most of us have reached adulthood, our tissues will have lost 15 percent of their moisture content, becoming less supple and more prone to injury. Too, muscle fibers begin to adhere to each other, developing cellular cross-links that make tissue become more unyielding. This aging of tissues is distressingly similar to the process that turns animal hides into leather.

Joint immobility can be manifested anywhere in the body, but it is most common in the hips and knees. More than one million hip and knee replacements are done every year. Arthritis is now the most common cause of pain and disability, and though it was once thought of as a disease of the elderly, 2/3 of those diagnosed today with arthritis are under 65.

When we think about flexibility, we usually think about muscles. We are told to stretch our muscles before workouts and after. But tendons, ligaments and fascia are also involved in flexibility, and it is now clear that they play an equally important role in both flexibility and the over-all health of the body. Ligaments connect bone to bone; tendons connect bone to muscle. Fascia is considered to be the most important of the three connective tissues as it connects all parts of our body, from head to toe, and from our skin to the deepest recesses of our body. Because of fascia, the internal parts of the body are able to slide smoothly over other tissues. Healthy fascia is strong; it can withstand up to 2,000 pounds of pressure per square inch. If we were somehow able to separate the entirety of the fascia webbing, intact, from the rest of the body structures, a perfect outline of the body would become visible. We would be enabled to see the exact shape of every part of the body, both on the inside and the outside.

Each of the connective tissues is comprised almost totally of collagen. Collagen is an interesting substance in the body: it is the “glue” that literally holds the body together as a coherent whole and it comprises 90% of what holds the body together.

Although the collagen webbing stays with us for life, over time it changes. It can stretch from trauma; it can shorten from scar tissue; it can tear or get damaged from injury, inflammation or nutritional deficiencies. It can be cut from surgery. Most of the injuries that we sustain throughout our lives are from damage to the connective tissue. Even those aches and pains that we experience as being joint problems usually involve connective tissue damage.

By far, the most common problem with connective tissue is tightening. Once collagen begins its journey toward degradation, our ability to move is impeded; wrinkles form in our skin; we lose our sense of balance; our posture changes; we get shorter; our joints hurt; and we develop the need for reading glasses. It’s the process that we call, in sum, “aging.” But, the aging that we are seeing today is usually premature accelerated aging. It’s not aging at all. It’s an abnormal process that is illness that we’re passing off as a normal process of aging.

It now appears that collagen is also involved in the prevention of Alzheimer’s. Until recently, it was unknown that collagen VI is made by neurons in the brain and that it can fulfill important neuro-protective functions. Scientists from the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, UCSF and Stanford have discovered that collagen VI, protects brain cells against amyloid-beta (Aβ) proteins. These are the proteins that are widely thought to cause or be correlated with Alzheimer’s disease.

There are a number of ways that we can curtail the abnormal process of collagen degradation. I’m going to refer to three methods: yoga; a specialized form of neuromuscular therapy called Spiral Techniques; and collagen supplementation.

Yoga:

In recent years, biomedical research has begun to investigate and appreciate what yogis have known for centuries: stretching keeps us limber, youthful, and healthy.

Of course yoga stretches the muscles, releasing lactic acid that builds up with muscle use and causes stiffness, tension, pain, and fatigue. But yoga also stretches all of the soft tissues, including ligaments, tendons, and fascia. And progress in yoga usually happens quickly. In one study, participants had up to 35% improvement in flexibility after only eight weeks of yoga. The greatest gains were in shoulder and trunk flexibility.

The seated forward bend I described at the beginning of this Musings is not only a diagnostic predictor, but a therapeutic exercise as well, and is commonly performed in yoga classes. The exercise stretches a muscle chain that begins at the Achilles tendon, extends up the back of the legs and pelvis, then continues up along the spine to end at the base of the head. According to yoga understanding, this asana rejuvenates the vertebral column and tones the internal organs, massaging the heart, kidneys, and abdomen. One study showed that yoga can help with stroke recovery. Participants in the study had a history of stroke, and took group yoga classes twice a week. At the end of eight weeks, participants showed clinically meaningful improvements in balance, motor function, independence, and quality of life.

Neuro-Muscular Therapy:

As the owner of a day spa, I have wonderful blissful massages every week. But when it comes to needing REALLY therapeutic bodywork, I turn to my trusted neuro-muscular therapy guy, Art Jaffe. Art has developed a specialized form of deep tissue work that he calls “Spiral Techniques.” Derived from a form of body-work developed by Mark Lamb called Bio-Sync, this is an unwinding technique that is highly effective in restoring flexibility as well as stimulating maximum blood flow, thereby bringing nutrients to tissues and cells and enabling them to remove toxins and waste in a more efficient manner. As a result, hardened and tightened connective tissue is released, eliminating nerve impingement and pain.

As Art talks about his technique, he begins to talk about energy and matter, and the interface of the two. He describes that matter moves in a spiral movement. From the smallest atom, to the double helix of our own DNA, to the largest galaxy, the spiral form represents movement that is continuous and infinite. As well, the spiral form has absolute integrity of structure: it can be lengthened or shortened, but never loses its inherent spiral organization. And it is this specific quality that is replicated in our body’s connective tissue: it can stretch or contract, but it has the ability to always return to its original position. When our connective tissue is exposed to a spiral movement, it inherently recognizes its own nature and resonates readily with it. Whereas most body practitioners use their arms and hands in the application of their healing work, in Spiral Techniques the practitioner uses his whole body to first gather, then channel and focus, and finally project the energy into areas needing release. The points of physical contact between practitioner and client are far beyond tactile. It is touch as well as energy transfer. Art can be reached at 646-644-0990. His associate, Karine Vermenot, brings a more feminine touch to the same work, and can be reached at 917-584-5183.

Supplemental Collagen:

There are 14 different kinds of collagen, but the most predominant one in the body is collagen type II. If you want to increase the amount of collagen II in your body, there are various ways of accomplishing that.

There is injectable collagen, which physicians use to fill in wrinkles, lines and scars on the face. This is a purely cosmetic procedure, and has no over-all health benefits. Usually there are no ill-effects (except an occasional allergic reaction), but it can yield a kind of lumpiness once it settles into the face. At times, collagen is injected directly into joints, such as the knee. One can get relief from pain with this treatment, but, to my mind, it is healing in the reverse order. An injection heals from the outside-in, but healing from the inside-out is usually a more long-lasting healing effect.

Collagen can also be applied topically, and is an ingredient in many facial products. However, most scientists believe that topical collagen is not effective in reducing wrinkles because naturally occurring collagen molecules are too big to penetrate the depths of the skin.

Collagen can also be taken orally, in both powder and liquid form. A plant-derived product that I have found is called BioSil.  Most collagen on the market, however, is derived from animal sources. Collagen MD is a powder product made from bovine collagen. These are both available on the internet. Jusuru BioCell collagen is the only liquid product I have found, and is taken from the sternum of free-range chicks  6-8 weeks old.  I am told that the liquid gets the best results because the process of nutrient absorption begins immediately in the mucous membrane of the mouth. Jusuru is a MLM product. If one is willing to consume an animal product, Jurusu is probably the way to go. If you want to hear testimonials about the Jusuru product, call 530-881-1499, access code 871489, or go to pictures. If you want to order the product, you can email La Casa.