CONSCIOUSNESS | ENTELECHY | INTENTIONAL HEALING COMMUNIT Y
_ Inviting _
r e i c m a A to &
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heal
again
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A Healing Gesture of a Gift From
Dr. Habib Sadeghi & Dr. Sherry Sami beingclarity.com
MegaZEN VOLUME 8
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ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS:
WELL-BEING JOURNAL
Health & Medicine M I N D - BODY W ELLN ESS Thyroid Protection
10
A Delicate Balance
86
Joint Venture
138
The Sun as Medicine
142
Parenting R A I S I N G H E A LT H Y K I D S Dogma for Dinner
12
The Father Factor
46
Badmouth Backfire
94
Divine Dilemma
112
Second Opinion TA K I N G A C LO S E R LO O K A Blind Eye
26
A Lie of the Mind
96
Fad or for Real
126
Food & Nutrition CHOICES FOR W ELL- B EI NG Organic VS. Conventional
56
Intermittent Fasting
62
Unwhole & Unwholesome
72
Fake Burger
118
Health & Tech D I G I TA L W E L L- B E I N G Digital Downsizing
78
What's on Your Phone
82
Blinded by the Light
108
L.I.G.H.T. Bests FAVO R I T E S O F T H E Y E A R Five Essential Questions for Life
44
The 4 Healing Agreements
58
Cycles of Nature & Wellness
68
Functional Analysis in Healthcare
148
Empowerment & Perspective
Eliminating pandemic fears through education and action
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t the time of this writing, we’re still in the midst of the COVID-19 social shutdown or partial shutdown. It’s not always clear, as it seems to change from week to week. It’s difficult to keep track of what stores and services are open or closed and whether we do or don’t need to wear masks to go the places we need to go in order to get things done. In short, just meeting the simple tasks of life like running errands and sending the children off to school (if they actually have in-class school) have become challenges. Life is now an exercise in improvisation. It’s precisely this sense of unpredictability or ambiguity, never knowing what life will look like from one day to the next that has unsettled many people and given them a dark view of the future. Without social interaction and the grounding force of leisurely activities that fulfill us, it’s easy for people to collapse emotionally and fall into hopelessness. That’s exactly what’s been happening for many people because we know the rate of suicides, attempted suicides, and depression have been increasing at an alarming pace as the shutdown drags on. Even so, we’ve done our best to find ways to feel empowered in spite of all the uncertainty. For us, helping others is a powerful way to take an active part in what’s happening rather than worrying and passively waiting for it to be over. If there ever was a time that we felt called forward to be of service in order to stand in the gap between hope and desperation for those who are struggling, it has been this past year.
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WELCOME TO THE 8TH VOLUME OF
We’ve regularly been appearing on KPFK public radio as health experts, answering questions from callers and working to dispel much of the mass media-driven hysteria. We’ve also hosted informative Instagram Live sessions and appeared on many podcasts, virtual conferences, and TV and radio shows in order to bring some balance and dispassionate critical thinking to the national conversation. It’s been said that Louis Pasteur, the renowned microbiologist, admitted prior to his death that infection isn’t determined by the power of the microbe, but by the susceptibility or terrain of the host. In other words, regardless of exposure, whether we become infected or not depends on our current health status and the strength of our immune system. Our terrain is also affected by how we treat our bodies, what we put into them, and things in our immediate environment like EMF radiation that impact our overall physical constitution and health. Of course, we can’t forget how our physical terrain is significantly impacted by our mental health through the quality of our relationships with family, friends, and the larger community. Instead of reacting in fear to potential illness, we really need to be asking ourselves what it is we’re exposing ourselves to that’s compromising our ability to be as healthy as we can be. That’s where MegaZEN comes in, the definitive guide to a healthy mind, body, and spirit. In this issue you’ll learn about the dangers of a vegan diet for children, how to avoid knee replacement surgery, why meat substitute products are unhealthy, the incredible benefits of intermittent fasting, how to use the sun as medicine, why a father’s presence in the home is vital for a child’s emotional wellbeing, and more. We would also encourage you to get out in nature as much as possible. In a world that seems turned upside down, the sights and sounds of nature have a powerful way of connecting us to the harmony and balance of the earth. We feel this strong grounding force every time we work on our little farm with our chickens, sheep, goats, quail, and ducks. Even though it’s hard work, it’s a valuable reminder of how interconnected everything is and that the divine is always in control of the process. Lastly, do your best to look deeper into what’s occurring at home and across the world. It’s clear that the earth is evolving, going through a fundamental rebirth, and all of us along with it. Although we’re experiencing the pangs of that upheaval right now, we’re confident that the resolution will bring us closer to spirit as well as each other, and that certainly is nothing to be feared.
Love, Light, and Clarity to You,
Dr. Habib Sadeghi & Dr. Sherry Sami 7
Life, Death and Dragonflies Understanding death improves quality of life By Dr. Habib Sadeghi
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8
saw a dragonfly buzzing around a cluster of flowers the other day and was amazed at how it was able to maneuver its long twig-like body with such precision. Glinting in the sun of iridescent blues and greens, it navigated what seemed like an awkward body effortlessly through the petals by flying up, down, sideways, and even backwards. I later learned that dragonflies are the only insect capable of such aerial versatility.
the water and can remain submerged anywhere from a few months to three years, even as the water surface freezes over in winter. When the time is right, they breach the surface of the water and enter into the world in their winged form. Once out in the open air, the damselfly’s lifespan in quite short. It has only two weeks to find a mate and lay the eggs of the next generation before it dies.
Dragonflies were some of the very first insects to evolve and have remained virtually unchanged for millions of years because of their optimal design. The damselfly is a type of dragonfly, and one thing that has remained unchanged about it is its life cycle. Like many types of dragonflies, the damselfly lays its eggs underwater. When hatched, the damselfly larvae live off of microorganisms in
I’ve sat with many patients during their final hours before making their transition, and also witnessed the miracle of birth with others. What strikes me most about the lifecycle of the damselfly is how its brief existence mirrors our own temporary journey through life. Like the damselfly that initially lives underwater for years, we too existed long before we entered this
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“It’s important not to be fixated on the temporary experience we call life, because like the damselfly, it’s the tiniest part of our eternal beingness.” physical world. Life is so fleeting for humans, but as with the damselfly, it actually constitutes the smallest part of our existence. In its initial watery surroundings, the damselfly larvae are full of creative potential as they change, grow, and move through their metamorphosis. In the same way, we initially exist in the spirit realm among infinite possibility, waiting for the perfect time to break through the veil separating the worlds into the adventure that is life. It’s important not to be fixated on the temporary experience we call life, because like the damselfly, it’s the tiniest part of our eternal beingness. It’s easy to be fooled by what looks like the concrete nature of life and to get stuck in a rigid, polarized way of living. In my book The Clarity Cleanse, I refer to this as the concrete realm of limitations and judgments. Instead, we should aspire to live
our lives more like the damselfly, living with a defined purpose, but never clinging to the physical world because we know that we too will soon return to that realm of possibility and change when our time comes full circle. That realm is our real home where we will spend the vast majority of our eternal existence, interrupted with brief breaks through the surface to have temporary adventures in the material world. If we can always keep in mind the awareness of where we came from and that we’re not just participants in life but constitute the process of life itself, our lives take on more meaning and a greater sense of purpose regardless of whether they last 18 or 80 years. We can live in a fuller way because in celebrating life, we also honor death and welcome the transition that will take us on to the next phase of our own metamorphosis.
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A BLIND EYE
THE CDC IGNORES HOW THE GARDASIL VACCINE IS DEVASTATING THE LIVES OF YOUNG WOMEN
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By Dr. Habib Sadeghi
accine safety and efficacy have been hot button issues since the 1980s when the vaccine schedule for children began to climb dramatically, up from 5 shots of 3 vaccines in 1962, to 12 shots of 5 vaccines in 1986, and now 54 shots of 13 vaccines in 2019. As children began receiving more vaccines, the autism rate increased right along with it, and concerned parents and health officials demanded answers. As a result, it wasn’t a coincidence that in 1986 Congress passed the Childhood Vaccination Injury Act that gave pharmaceutical companies producing vaccines full federal protection from lawsuits. Many were right to ask, If vaccines were really safe, why did their makers need protection from liability? Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was ordered by Congress in 1986 to determine if vaccines like DTP, DTaP, Hep B, Hib, PCV 13, and IPV caused autism, the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), formerly Institute of Medicine, that was charged with supervising the CDC in this regard confirmed in a 2014 report1 that the research was never done.2 The only vaccine ever studied with regard to autism was the MMR vaccine, and senior CDC scientists have stated it does increase autism.3 Other scientists from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have submitted sworn affidavits to the Department of Justice stating the same of other vaccines. 4 Even now, as the autism rate in America has exploded from 1 in 2,500 pre-19865 to 1 in 36 today,6 the CDC still claims on its website that vaccines are safe and do not cause autism7 in spite of never having performed any research to prove that’s so. This baseless claim comes from the same agency that will spend tens of millions of dollars tracking a few hundred cases of measles, an illness that virtually no one dies from (1 in 10,000 or 0.01%),8 while turning a blind eye to the epidemic of 68,000 new cases of autism diagnosed each year.9 C ON T I N U E D. . .
THE FATHER FACTOR HAVING A DAD AT
HOME IS CRUCIAL TO
A CHILD’S DEVELOPMENT
By Dr. Habib Sadeghi
Q
uite some time ago I read a news article about how a greeting card company had donated thousands of Mother’s Day cards to prisons around the country so inmates could send them to their moms. The project was so successful that the company ran out of cards during a second shipment. When the company repeated the campaign for Father’s Day it was shocked when only a tiny percentage of the cards were used. This makes sense, however, when we realize statistics show the majority of people in U.S. jails and prisons grew up in fatherless homes.1,2 In spite of this sad reality, everyone from the media to politicians and women’s rights groups seem to be celebrating and even encouraging the disappearance of the father from the “new” American family. When Pew Research released a survey that stated 40% of all households with children under 18 included women who were the sole or primary source of income for the family, media pundits heralded it as a milestone of income equality and empowerment for women.3 The truth behind the headlines was that nearly two-thirds of those “breadwinner” moms were single mothers. They weren’t just the biggest earner in
their homes, they were the only earner. Only 37% of the “breadwinner” moms were married and making more than their husbands, but in many cases because the husband had lost his job. Of the 63% “breadwinner” single mothers, 29% weren’t working at all. 4 With their high profiles and even higher incomes, women in the entertainment industry are huge breadwinners who regularly promote the idea that a father is irrelevant to the family. With a sperm donor and in vitro fertilization, they can design their fatherless families in a way that fits perfectly with their career plans. A famous pop star not wanting to break up her busy concert schedule to find a husband and start a family said, “I don’t need a dude…We are living in the future; we don’t need anything. I’m not anti-men. I love men. But there is an option if someone doesn’t present himself.”5 An actress said, “Women are realizing they don’t have to settle with a man to have a child.”6 Diminishing a father’s importance entirely, author Pamela Paul stated in Are Fathers Necessary? “The bad news for Dad is that despite common perception, there's nothing objectively essential about his contribution.”7 C ON T I N U E D. . .
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THE 4 HEALING AGREEMENTS OBSERVATIONS FROM A LIFE IN MEDICINE By Dr. Habib Sadeghi
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s a young osteopathic physician, I saw hundreds of cases in my early career. Based on the similarities and differences between each case and whether the patient recovered or not, I began to ask myself some difficult questions about medicine, its capacity to heal us, and the amount of faith we put into doctors. Why do some people heal from a certain disease and others don’t? Why do people with a healthy diet and lifestyle still get sick? Isn’t it all just about genetics? It would have been easy to get disillusioned with medicine because of these seemingly unanswerable questions, but it soon became clear that there 58
was something greater at play in the process of health and healing. There was something above the doctor-patient-medicine paradigm that not only determined if patients recovered from illness but whether they got sick in the first place. That missing component was the patient’s mind. Over time as I talked with hundreds and then thousands of patients, I learned much about their personal lives. What became obvious to me was that patients struggling with a chronic illness in their physical body were most often also experiencing an upset in their emotional body. They were angry, resentful, depressed, guilt-ridden, self-hating, or
MEGAZEN
burdened with shame for any number of reasons that related to relationships, childhood, parenting,
jobs, or some other unresolved emotional issue from their past or present life. After years of treating these patients it became clear to me that the compounding stress effects on the patients’ bodies from these unresolved emotional issues played a primary role not only in their development of disease, but in sustaining it and its resistance to treatment. In order for the physical body to heal, the emotional body had to be treated as well. With the unresolved emotional issues fully reconciled and released, the body could respond to treatment in a new way.
“In order for patients to have the best chance at recovery, they must not only understand the role their unresolved emotional issues are playing in their physical illness, but commit to doing the necessary work to resolve it — a responsibility that is solely their own in which the doctor can only prescribe and advise, but not perform this for them.”
Volume 8
After more than 20 years of treating patients, I have found the mind-body approach to healing to be the most effective, particularly in cases of chronic illness. Since a disease in the physical body is usually the echo of an older dis-ease in the emotional body or mind, a physician must work on both levels if healing is to be complete and lasting. Witnessing the dramatic recoveries in many of my patients who have exhausted their options at some of the most prestigious medical centers around the world continues to confirm this truth for me. In order for patients to have the best chance at recovery, they must not only understand the role their unresolved emotional issues are playing in their physical illness, but commit to doing the necessary work to resolve it—a responsibility that is solely their own in which the doctor can only prescribe and advise, but not perform this for them. This requires much more than taking medications as prescribed, and then waiting until the next appointment. Patients who commit to this kind of work are what Dr. Bernie Siegel called exceptional patients, and often they see exceptional results for their efforts. With this in mind, I have devised The Four Healing Agreements or the four most fundamental principles of mind-body healing that patients must commit to in order to see exceptional results on their healing journey.
THE FOUR HEALING AGREEMENTS
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I can only experience the quality of healing that is directly proportional to my level of understanding about what disease really is and its purpose for me. In order to heal, it is essential that the patient understand the mind and body work together to produce our current state of health and that each part, the mental and physical, must be treated equally for healing to happen. What starts in the mind as emotional upset becomes somaticized in the body as disease over time, so special attention must be paid to the emotional aspect of illness. Patients must also understand that disease doesn’t happen randomly. Their struggle with physical illness is a calling to heal a specific unresolved emotional issue of which they may or may not yet be aware. Doing the proper work to realize and release this issue is an opportunity to learn about themselves and grow through self-awareness. Free of the resentment, guilt, shame or other negative emotions associated with the issue, the patient will have a better quality of life with greater personal insight. In this way, the primary purpose of physical disease is to bring our attention to the unresolved issues inside of us that need healing so that we may grow emotionally and spiritually. This kind of personal evolution is the purpose of life, and physical disease is just one of the ways through which we learn and grow. The degree to which a patient is conscious of and clear on this higher purpose of illness will determine the level of healing he or she experiences.
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INTERMITTENT
FASTING THE MOST ASKED QUESTIONS ANSWERED
By Dr. Habib Sadeghi
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ncient religions and sages of old have spoken regularly about the benefits of fasting to purify and renew the spirit. That may be so, but research is showing there are astounding health and weight loss benefits to fasting that could only be described as miraculous in spiritual terms. In the last decade, intermittent fasting (I.F.) has become a powerful tool used by physicians, as well as health and fitness experts, to change the lives of millions of people. The best part is it’s easy to understand and doesn’t require costly supplements or anything else. As with any lifestyle change, if you’re currently under a doctor’s care, it’s always a good idea to consult him or her before starting I.F. Now, let’s see what all the excitement is about. WHAT IS I.F.?
The real issue is what I.F. is not. It’s not a diet. It has nothing to do with counting calories, excluding certain foods, or even weighing yourself. It’s also not the traditional idea of fasting that comes to mind of abstaining from food for multiple days. I.F. is a meal timing plan. It focuses on extended periods of time where you’re not eating or fasting and consolidates your meals into a smaller time window. Hence, you’re doing extended fasts intermittently between periods of eating, so it’s not about going days without food. I.F. works so well because our bodies evolved to consume food this way. For much of history, human beings were locked into ice ages when food was scarce and at times entirely unavailable. Fasting is a natural function of the body. Relatively speaking, the three-mealsa-day way of eating is a very new invention for humanity. 62
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WHAT ARE THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF I.F.? The body responds quickly to I.F. because it triggers an ancient biological process that knows how to keep us healthy in times when food isn’t available. Our bodies actually go through this process every night when we sleep because we’re not eating and technically in a fasting state. During that time the body has the opportunity to divert the enormous amounts of energy normally required for digestion toward removing old and damaged cells, destroying harmful microbes, generating new cells, cleansing, and more. The minute we eat, these processes mostly stop and digestion begins. By fasting, we can extend this time of healing and rejuvenation while compounding its benefits, just some of which are: DRAMATIC FAT LOSS: Fasting increases the production of catecholamines (adrenaline,
epinephrine and norepinephrine) which allow the body to shift from burning sugar (glucose) for fuel to burning fat through the activation of hormone sensitive lipase (HSL) and the lipid protein, Perilipin. This process allows the body to tap into fat stores for energy while preserving lean muscle.1 Researchers studied two groups of men of roughly the same age with the same amount of lean muscle who worked out regularly for the last five years. They were assigned the exact same meals with the same caloric value and supervised doing the same workout routine with the same level of intensity for two months. The only difference was that one group practiced I.F., eating their meals in an 8-hour window at 1pm, 4pm, and 8pm, while the other group ate theirs on a traditional 3-meal-a-day schedule at 8am, 1pm, and 8pm. While both groups saw small increases in muscle mass and strength, the I.F. group experienced a 16.3% reduction in body fat compared to 2.8% for the 3-meal-a-day group. In addition, the I.F. group had lower triglycerides, and a significant decrease in inflammation.2 The I.F. group saw dramatic benefits all from eating the same food but in a different way. REDUCES CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RISK:
I.F. lowers both blood pressure and heart rate for improved cardiovascular health. It also lowers triglycerides. While both HDL and LDL cholesterol are slightly elevated during the fast, this has no negative effect on blood pressure or arterial health.3 This is because in the absence of glucose the body burns fat cells for fuel, as well as the cholesterol they contain. 4 After the fast, levels return to normal.5 REDUCES INSULIN RESISTANCE:
Fat cells inhibit insulin sensitivity. The more fat cells a person has, the more insulin resistant they will be. Because I.F. causes the body to consume fat cells instead of glucose for energy, it improves insulin sensitivity. 6,7 Because diabetes and cardiovascular disease often go hand-in-hand, doctors are using I.F. successfully as an intervention for both conditions. ANTI-AGING AND LONGEVITY:
Human growth hormone (HGH) has powerful anti-aging effects because it protects lean muscle mass and improves metabolic health. HGH production is triggered and accelerated by fasting. During a 24-hour fast, HGH levels rose 1,300% in women and 2,000% in men. 8 Cycles of prolonged fasting have been shown to trigger stem cell-based regeneration of an organ or system. Not only does it protect immune function, but it awakens dormant stem cells to regenerate a damaged immune system, particularly after chemotherapy. During a fast, white blood cell counts drop. Without glucose, the body looks for anything it can metabolize for fuel, including old and damaged immune cells. When
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UNWHOLE & UNWHOLESOME
WHOLE FOODS. HOLISTIC HEALTH. EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED.
By Cynthia Liu
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e ste r n med ic i ne h a s t ra d it io n a l ly compartmentalized the body into separate parts, each treated by a specialist who is myopically absorbed in an area of expertise. Conventional health care practitioners don’t look at the big picture to treat the underlying problem—they often only manage the symptoms. Human beings aren’t houses. Yet medicine customarily perceives people that way and treats diseases in silos. Trouble breathing? Visit the pulmonologist (or HVAC repair). The neurologist or electrician takes care of nerve issues. The infectious disease expert is like the pest control guy. But what if seemingly disparate problems are related to a root cause? What if the HVAC is broken because rats chewed the electrical wires that connect the HVAC system? What if a virus attacked the lungs and also affected the nerve cells responsible for smell? This is why we need to view situations as a whole. When Dr. Sherry Sami practices integrative orthodontics, she doesn’t just straighten teeth for cosmetic reasons. She analyzes patients’ jaw and skull structures to determine if they may be causing breathing difficulties, which can affect sleep and lead to ADHD, obesity, and other chronic medical conditions. An infant having difficulty breastfeeding may have a tongue-tie, where the tissue connecting the tongue to the floor of the mouth restricts the tongue’s range of motion. This can result in sleep issues, tooth decay, chronic fatigue, acid reflux, and migraines later in life. Likewise, Dr. Habib Sadeghi combines mind and body in his medical practice, and utilizes both Eastern and Western treatment modalities. With a master’s degree in spiritual psychology, he believes in the importance of psychological well-being in order to facilitate physical healing. I teach healthy eating as part of lifestyle medicine courses offered by a large health care organization. Lifestyle medicine is holistic—a healthful diet is essential, but quality sleep, exercise, and stress management play equally significant roles in wellness. ***
You’ve probably heard that whole foods are crucial to a nutritious diet. There’s even the ubiquitous grocery store called Whole Foods. What’s the big deal about whole foods? Processed food or supplements synthesized in a laboratory aren’t whole foods. Nutrients such as healthy fats, vitamins, and fiber have been stripped away. 73
Digital Downsizing Minimizing media technology for a better life By Dr. Habib Sadeghi
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was recently a guest on the Dr. Oz podcast speaking about mental clarity and the role it plays in health. During the conversation, I mentioned how a life saturated in media technology can easily keep the mind so overly stimulated that there’s no room left to make space where clarity can occur. This is happening to all of us to some extent, but we don’t notice it because digital technology is ubiquitous to the 21st century lifestyle where chronic hyper-stimulation has become the norm. When we stay in a hyper-stimulated mode for long periods of time, we live our lives in a mild state of fight-or-flight where cortisol levels remain elevated. Unfortunately, this has health consequences down the road because elevated cortisol has been implicated in hundreds of health problems. In fact, overdosing on technology, which is easy to do, not only poses risks to physical health but decreases the quality of relationships and even alters the way we think, learn, and remember.
So to create more mental clarity in my life (and for all the other obvious reasons), I’m 78
digitally downsizing my life. While I can’t get rid of technology completely, I’m taking steps to de-emphasize its prominence in my life and reducing my temptation to use it mindlessly. When I got off all social media, I received frantic phone calls from friends wondering if something terrible had happened to me. On the contrary, it’s all good. I’ve gotten rid of my smartphone and gone back to a flip phone. Yes, they still make them. Not having internet access on my phone eliminates the temptation to check email, visit Twitter, watch videos, and surf the web when I need to be engaged with the world and people around me. I’ve also gone back to using a pager so that I use my phone to return only the most important calls. So, I’m living like it’s 1999 again. I don’t mean to imply that it’s easy; it’s not, but I’ve committed a full year to what I call my media detox sabbatical. It should be a very interesting experiment. I’ll be sure to let you know the changes I experience as a result of it. In the meantime, you might want to think about how you could benefit from digitally downsizing your life in one or two ways. Don’t worry. You don’t have to get a flip phone.
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“You might want to think about how you could benefit from digitally downsizing your life in one or two ways.”
TEN WAYS TECHNOLOGY CAN MINIMIZE YOUR LIFE: Overstimulation from technology (TV, computers, cellphones, notebooks, etc.) has consistently been shown to be associated with impaired learning, executive function 1 and attention deficit,2 increased impulsivity, and cognitive delays.3 The brain requires downtime to process new experiences, committing them to long-term memory. Overstimulation short circuits this learning process. 4 Sixteen international studies showed brain scans of internet and game-addicted teens revealed gray matter atrophy in areas involved with planning, prioritization, organization, impulse control, cognitive control, and emotional processing, as well as reduced cortical thickness of the frontal lobe related to cognitive impairment.5 When we’re multitasking (on the phone while doing something else) the hippocampus, which controls memory recall, switches off creating new, less efficient neural pathways that make remembering more difficult. 6 GPS is causing people7 and taxi drivers8 to lose their spatial relation capabilities. Increasing use of texts, email, and social media reduces the ability to read social and nonverbal cues, body language, and the emotional state of others.9 By staring at screens barely 12 inches from our faces, myopia (near-sightedness) has increased 66% in Americans ages 12 to 54.10 In China, 90% of young adults are myopic, as are 95% of 19-year-old males in Seoul, Korea, largely attributed to screen-based technology.11 The World Health Organization and experts like Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez have been warning the public for years about the possible carcinogenic and neurological effects of overexposure to EMF waves from electronic devices, wireless technology, and cell phones.12 Our attention span is shrinking. The average visit to a webpage lasts 10 to 20 seconds.13 A New York Times poll found 1 in 7 people spend less time with their partner because of media, while 1 in 10 spend less time with their children.14 As electronic communication between spouses increases, marital satisfaction decreases.15
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A DELICATE BALANCE HOW FASTING BLOOD SUGAR AND INSULIN PREDICT HEALTH
MEGAZEN
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By Dr.Habib Sadeghi
T
he body needs sugar, but in very small amounts. Too little and you’ll slide into hypoglycemic shock, a deadly condition if left untreated. Too much and you’ll slowly waste away through tissue and organ degeneration. Getting blood sugar right for health is a delicate balance. This is why it’s important for patients to understand how and why their doctors measure blood sugar, what the numbers mean, how they predict health (especially fasting blood sugar), and how to keep it under control. EXIT STR ATEGIES
In a fasted state, the average person has between four to seven grams of sugar (glucose) circulating throughout their body. That’s about a teaspoonful. How can this be when we know most people consume large amounts of sugar, including starchy/simple carbs that convert quickly to sugar, throughout the day? Because sugar is pro-inflammatory, it’s largely toxic to the body and has to be removed from the bloodstream as soon as possible. So the body converts and stores much of it in the liver and muscles as glycogen for future energy. Some we burn for energy we need at the moment, while any leftovers get converted to fat in the liver. It’s when we can’t get the majority of sugar out of the blood through these pathways that it reaches unsafe levels and diabetes occurs. Before going there, let’s look at the different ways blood sugar levels are tested and what the numbers mean. TEST TYPES
The most common way to test for blood sugar is to prick the finger, place the blood on a test insert, and do the analysis. After the finger prick test, it’s very common to do a fasting blood sugar test. That’s a blood draw after the patient hasn’t eaten or drunk anything but water for at least eight hours. Any fasting blood sugar level under 100 mg/dl is considered “normal”. A higher level in a fasted state may well be a sign of insulin resistance. It means that you’re not getting enough of the sugar out of your blood, and its damaging inflammation is affecting the whole body, significantly raising the risk of a host of diseases, including diabetes. Much research shows a fasting blood sugar test is a reliable tool to predict future health, which we’ll discuss later. We’ll also explore whether the modern “normal” range of fasting blood sugar is actually safe and why we should probably be aiming for lower levels. A postprandial blood sugar test is taken after eating and measures blood sugar response to food, as well as the ability to dispose of glucose. An HbA1C test measures the degree of glycation in the red blood cells’ hemoglobin. Glycation is a reaction that happens when simple sugar molecules become attached to protein or fat molecules in the bloodstream and results in harmful compounds being created known as advanced glycation end products (AGE). Also known as glycotoxins, AGEs create a high level of oxidative damage and are considered pathogenic with a significant link to diabetes and other chronic diseases.1 This test is a measure of how much blood sugar red blood cells are exposed to over time, usually two to three months because that’s the general lifespan of a red blood cell. Cells that have been exposed to more sugar will have more glycation. So the HbA1C test seeks to establish the average level of blood sugar circulating through the body across the life cycle of the red blood cells, rather than tracking blood sugar numbers that fluctuate throughout the day, week, or month. It measures chronic not acute blood sugar levels. Becoming more common is the continuous glucose monitor. It’s a wearable device that measures blood sugar at various points throughout the day and night. This gives doctors a unique view of how levels change in response to meals, exercise, fasts, stress, etc. Since high blood sugar does its damage over the long-term, a test such as this gives doctors valuable information that they can’t obtain from some something like a finger prick test that only captures one moment in time. C ON T I N U E D. . .
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BLINDED BY
THE L GHT THE RISK OF LEDS TO VISION HEALTH
By Dr. Habib Sadeghi
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he human eye is designed to see and process light in its most natural form, that being light emitted by the sun. Sunlight contains all the colors of the light spectrum in their natural wavelengths and intensity so the eyes can view the world properly and remain healthy. In 2009, as part of an effort to make energy consumption more efficient and reduce costs, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) established regulations to completely phase out production of the traditional incandescent light bulb we all grew up with, replacing them with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) and light emitting diodes (LED) by 2020. Unfortunately, research shows that the artificial light emitted by these hybrid bulbs poses a serious risk to vision health that far outweighs the nominal savings in energy usage or cost when compared to traditional incandescent light bulbs. ADDED TOXICITY
Both CFLs and LEDs are considered photo-toxic, meaning that they emit light at unnatural wavelengths and at levels of intensity that are detrimental not only to vision but to overall health. While this article focuses on LEDs, it should be noted that CFLs (those swirly-looking light bulbs) are equally dangerous with the added toxicity of mercury. In fact, in the event one is broken the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has special rules for cleaning it up that involve far more than a broom and dustpan. All windows must be opened to air out the room. Air conditioning and heat must be shut off for
hours so the escaped mercury will not become airborne and inhaled. Consumers are required to call their local governments with regard to rules regulating the disposal of toxic waste, in this case the shards of glass, and poison control if necessary.1 Because of the semiconductor at their base, CFLs also produce what’s known as “dirty” electricity in the 62 KHz range, frequencies that can negatively impact our biology with everything from headaches to heart arrhythmias. BLUE LIGHT BLUES
Of all the wavelengths in the light spectrum, blue light has the most potential to do harm to vision, particularly if the wavelengths are below 455 nanometers and the intensity is high. This is exactly the kind of light emitted by LEDs which can lead to loss of retinal cells and diminished sharpness. Unfortunately, LED lights are now found in most homes, offices, electronic toys, computers, cell phones, streetlamps, and headlights. LEDs emit unnatural wavelengths of blue light and at high intensities because of their construction. They consist of a semiconductor chip positioned on a reflective surface. When electricity passes through the chip it produces an unnatural form of light in its spectrum which is then reflected off a mirror-like surface, making it even more intense. By comparison, traditional incandescent light bulbs produce far less blue light than LEDs and CFLS, and in a range much closer to natural sunlight. C ON T I N U E D. . .
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DIVINE DILEMMA TEACHING CHILDREN ABOUT SPIRITUALITY By Dr. Habib Sadeghi
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s increasing numbers of people continue to move away from organized religion into a more spiritual lifestyle, teaching children about spirituality can be a challenge. While religions use people, places, and stories to demonstrate their principles, it’s more difficult to convey abstract concepts like consciousness and the interconnectedness of all things to young children, and even adolescents. It’s thought that by age six or seven children have the ability to ponder the rudimentary aspects of spirituality. With the right approach, children can grow up learning about spirituality in an organic way that sets the foundation for a healthy practice in adulthood.
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DEFINE SPIRITUALITY VS. RELIGION If you don’t attend regular services anywhere, you can help children begin to understand the difference between spirituality and the traditional religions by comparing them in terms of worship. Tell children that churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples are places where people worship or connect with spirit/God in a formal way as a member of a community. Be sure to stress that we can also connect with spirit/God anywhere including outside in nature, at school, or in our bedroom. Let your child know that there are many ways to connect to spirit/God, and that they are all equally valid.
FIND ONENESS IN NATURE Nowhere is the spirit more connected to all that is than in nature. Take hikes with children, and let them feel the expansiveness of great vistas. Go camping and stargaze at night to help them get the sense that they’re part of something much greater than themselves. Awe and wonder awaken within us an instinctual knowing that life involves forces far greater than what we can see with our eyes. It’s something that has to be felt to be understood, and nature provides those kinds of experiences. To demonstrate the interconnectedness of all things, point out how the rain helps trees grow, which in turn provide food and shelter for many creatures, and how flowers give their nectar to bees in exchange for helping them pollinate. Remind your children that they are also part of this process, and that the love and protection of nature is a sacred act.
CREATE HABITS OF REVERENCE Prayers, rites, and rituals help strengthen our commitment to and respect for what we believe. Feel free to borrow prayers or poems from other sources and tailor them to the principles you’d like your child to live by. When a loved one is sick, hold hands, close your eyes, and send them healing energy by thinking about how much you love them. When you pass an ambulance on the road, send good thoughts to the person that’s waiting for it. Light a candle at night and share a moment of something wonderful that happened that day.
CONTRIBUTION IS KEY Teach your children that when they contribute to helping nature or others, they help themselves. Not only does this reinforce the idea that everything in life is interconnected, but it emphasizes the importance of contribution as part of a spiritual life. Doing so helps children feel empowered and understand that their efforts make a difference. It also cultivates empathy and compassion, which are fundamental to any spiritual practice. Take your children to volunteer at a local nursing home, children’s hospital, or animal rescue service. Even picking litter up at a local park teaches children to be good stewards of the earth.
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MOTHER'S
EULOGY By Julia Ain-Krupa
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n preparing for this day, I’ve been wondering how I can possibly fit the book of my life onto one page? But for you, mama, I will try.
How can I put into words what we have been through and what you mean to me? How you raised me in a song? Mama, I see all these faces before me, people who have gathered here to honor you, and, like always, I’m searching for your face. These past few weeks, I’ve spent a lot of time listening to your music. I turn on the recordings, I listen. I plan for this day. And I cry. “An artist always needs to buy time,” you often told me. You were ready for more, but your body had already crossed that finish line.
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When you were in the hospital, I would call out to you and say “mama,” out loud, as often as I could, just so that I could hear your response, which had become monosyllabic. And when, annoyed, you said, “what, what, what, what,” I was so happy, because you heard me, and because you were alive. Mama, because of your illness, I learned early on never to take love and presence for granted, especially not yours. I knew the gift of every day, every time, and it helped teach me how to savor love, especially yours. When you were in the hospital, we played you a recording of a beautiful Cantorial concert from Krakow, in Poland. When you began to moan, I thought I’d surely tapped into something deep and important, something that could possibly even boost you spiritually, but soon you gave us a
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pointed thumb’s down, and Dotan and I laughed. Instead, we gave you Yemenite sisters from the desert, Aoova, Terry Riley’s in C. “Goodnight,” you said, over and over. This was the closest you could come to saying goodbye. You had become so good at living, that it was hard for you to let go. “It’s almost like you live in two bodies,” I used to tell you, and you’d smile conspiratorially. “I like that,” you’d say, a gleam on those painted red lips. A smile that I still see when I remember how you could delight in me. Who lives with cancer for thirty years? You did. And I cannot tell you how many people have said to me, “I thought she would never die.” I also still find it hard to believe, but sometimes I can sense you peeking in from behind that veil. Sometimes, when I was taking care of you, I wanted to turn to you, and to show you. I was awaiting one of your emphatic statements, your encouragement, but I found there was nowhere to turn. I was like a figurine spinning, destination unknown. That’s when I had to start to listen from the inside. When you were a child, your name was Susan, and they would call you Susie Snowflake, because you’d get snowflakes caught in your hair. When you were an adult, you changed your name to Noa, which suited you better, and which changed your life. As a small child, you played Beethoven on your record player, and you’d sit listening to music in your little rocking chair.
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York, the Upper West Side. You are the Wisla River, in Krakow, the country roads extending past the city limits. You are the rainbow that sometimes appears, reminding me of tencza, my second name. You are wild hair, beautiful clothes, you are art, and you are music. You are everywhere, but then again, you always were. You are also the phone that doesn’t ring, the absence at every turn, the presence. You are in the dreams, the laughter. You are a lipstick stain, hair on the floor, an impatient gesture, a knowing look. You are the moon on the ground, stories collected and saved, but for whom? For what? You were the one who understood the sadness, and all the beauty. You were the one who listened, who made it fun, who set me straight, but who was so proud. You are the one who made me feel beautiful and beloved, the one who made friends everywhere. Impossible, wonderful, you. An old friend of yours in Poland told me, “Be happy that you had such a mother.” And I am. Someone else said, “Your mom is leaving light.” You always dreamt of having a ceremony in Central Park, of creating a ritual to marry yourself. I wanted to help give you that celebration, to give you everything, but this is what we have. A room filled with people who loved you, and your soul through music. Yours is the spirit that extended out, past your body, and into the room. Now you can finally occupy the space that you deserve. The universe.
Now that you are gone, are you more a part of me, or more separate? My answer is, both. You are the moon at every phase, you are the clouds, the spiders and their webs. You are New
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FAKE BURGER THE TOXICITY AND DEFICIENCY OF MEAT SUBSTITUTE PRODUCTS By Dr. Habib Sadeghi
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n the last few years, meat substitute products have become regularly available at grocery stores. Made for a vegetarian and vegan consumer base, these products are heavily promoted as health foods. But with a laundry list of questionable ingredients and a high level of processing, these meat mimics aren’t good for the environment and even less so for your body. Now, Burger King is offering the first fast food no-meat burger, and health experts are raising objections with regard to how it’s being compared to real beef. WHOLE FOOD? HARDLY.
According to those who have tried the Impossible Whopper, as it’s called, it tastes good and remarkably similar to beef. Yet, if the idea is to draw people away from meat, why make a product that tastes like beef and keeps consumers’ taste buds primed for meat? Isn’t the idea of vegetarianism to eschew animal products altogether? It seems a bit hypocritical or at least counter-productive. In any case, when Dr. James Stangle compared the ingredients and nutrition profile of Burger King’s Impossible Whopper with their original beef Whopper, some alarming facts were revealed 1 about their new, allegedly eco-friendly invention. In the meat patty of the original Whopper, there is one ingredient, beef. The composite patty of the Impossible Whopper has 21 ingredients.2 As much as I’ve stressed the importance of a whole foods diet for health, this fact alone should be a dead giveaway that the Impossible Whopper is not a healthy choice.
We’ll examine some of those ingredients in more detail shortly, but an initial glance over the nutrition profile3 of both burgers shows that the Impossible Whopper has virtually the same number of calories as the beef Whopper at 630 vs. 660, which come mostly from added oils. It also has more carbs, sugar, and significantly more sodium. Although the Impossible Whopper has virtually the same amount of saturated fat as the beef Whopper (11g vs. 12g), it comes entirely from vegetable oils that are completely devoid of vital nutrients that exist only in animal fat such as true vitamin A and vitamin D. (Carrots only contain pro-vitamin A, which must be converted to vitamin A with the assistance of saturated fat.) Vitamins E and K are found abundantly in animal fat, but only in some plants. This is why vitamin E must be added to the Impossible Whopper, along with a host of other vital nutrients its ingredients naturally lack such as zinc and vitamins C, B1, B2, B6, and B12. A BIG FAT PROBLEM
Although the Impossible Whopper contains coconut oil, a good plant-based saturated fat that’s still nutritionally inferior to animal fat, it also includes sunflower oil as one of the main ingredients. As an industrially processed commercial oil along with others like canola oil, safflower oil, vegetable oil, and corn oil, sunflower oil is highly inflammatory in the body because it’s full of omega 6 fatty acids, which become pro-inflammatory if they’re not balanced out by anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids. The percentage of omega 6 to 3 fatty acids in sunflower
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JOINT
VENTURE HOW TO PREVENT OR POSTPONE KNEE REPLACEMENT SURGERY By Dr. Habib Sadeghi
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trong and flexible joints are one of the things most of us take for granted about our health. Then one day we realize climbing the stairs takes a bit more effort than it used to or crouching down to grab something from under the kitchen sink is starting to feel uncomfortable. Of all the joints in the human body, the knees tend to experience the most wear and tear over a lifetime.
Nearly 1.5 million total knee athroplasties or replacements (TKA) are performed worldwide each year.1 Most people are between 50 and 70 with the average patient being a 66–year-old female.2 Women make up about 62% of all TKA patients, and men 38%.3 Although they’re becoming more common, TKA’s are considered major surgery and shouldn’t be taken lightly. When things go well, a TKA will last 10 to 15 years. 4 Nearly 2 out of 10 patients (18.3%) experience a failure of the apparatus and require a second surgery or revision. Over 80% of all failures happen in the first two years after surgery with the majority (44%) involving infection, followed by pain and stiffness (23%). Complications can also include problems with the mechanism’s extension capacity and fracturing (18%). Loosening can also occur due to osteolysis, when particles of the apparatus break off and embed themselves in surrounding tissue, generating an inflammatory response that causes bone degeneration, which loosens the implant (5%). Blood clots are a rare but serious cause for failure (4%), while general instability is also a factor (3%).5 With regard to any of these complications, TKA can be unpredictable even in the same patient. Oftentimes an implant in one knee works well, while the other knee done only a few years later experiences problems. Whether your knees are still healthy or starting to get a little creaky, there is much one can do to prevent knee replacement surgery or at least put it off as long as possible. Consider incorporating one or more of these tips into your knee preservation plan. STRENGTHEN MUSCLES
The most important part of preserving a joint is to strengthen the surrounding muscles that support it. To improve the stability of the knees, this means strengthening the quadriceps and hamstrings. The stronger these muscles are, the lesser the load will be transferred to the knee joints when walking or during weight-bearing activities. Leg extension and hamstring curl machines at the gym are perfect for conditioning these muscles. Using ankle weights while doing leg lifts on the living room floor works too, as well as isometric exercises of intermittent tensing and release. LOSE WEIGHT
If you’re overweight, the downward force of gravity is putting extensive pressure on your knee joints even when you’re standing still. The good news is that research shows for every one pound lost, the knees experience a 4lb reduction in vertical load pressure. 6 That means losing 50lbs takes 200lbs of pressure off the knees when standing or walking. Just be sure to find a sensible diet that helps you lose weight at a healthy pace and that you can stick with for life. 138
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THE SUN AS
MEDICINE IT’S ABOUT MORE THAN VITAMIN D By Dr. Habib Sadeghi
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E
veryone is aware of the important relationship between vitamin D and sun exposure. When sunlight hits the skin, the ultraviolet-B (UVB) radiation activates the body’s ability to synthesize vitamin D. The fairer the skin, the more vitamin D is produced. Research has shown that just 30 minutes in the sun wearing a swimsuit generates 50,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D in Caucasian people, 20,000 to 30,000 IU in tanned people, and 8,000 to 10,000 IU in dark-skinned people.1 This is good news when it comes to building healthy bones and hormonal balance,2 for which vitamin D is crucial. The sun also helps us in many ways that you might not expect. Some of those benefits involve vitamin D while others don’t. Because the sun is vital to all life on earth, it only makes sense that it benefits us in more ways than one. Here are just a few. ELEVATES MOOD
There’s a reason why a “sunny” disposition is equated with a happy, upbeat person. It’s because sunlight has powerful mood-lifting capabilities. As soon as it’s detected by the retina, it triggers an increase in the production of serotonin, the hormone that helps us feel calm and focused.3 Because of this, research has shown it has powerful antidepressant effects. 4 Without enough sun exposure, serotonin levels can drop leading to darker moods and depression. Many people suffer from seasonal affective disorder which causes depressive symptoms during the winter months when the days are shorter. In most cases, phototherapy (exposure to light that mimics sunlight) is often enough to generate more serotonin for these people. LOWERS BLOOD PRESSURE
Sunlight also happens to be an excellent way to reduce blood pressure. In a British study, healthy volunteers were exposed to ultraviolet-A (UVA) light from tanning lamps in one 20-minute session. In a separate 20-minute session, the UVA rays were blocked and the subjects were only exposed to the heat of the lamp. During the UVA session, the subjects’ blood vessels dilated, improving blood flow and significantly lowering blood pressure. These effects were the result of the UVA rays triggering nitric oxide production in the skin, which acts as a vasodilator by relaxing the smooth muscle cells inside the blood vessel walls. A 20-minute session that exposed subjects to just the heat of the lamp and no UVA rays resulted in no change.5 Researchers stated: These results are significant to the ongoing debate about potential health benefits of sunlight…It may be an opportune time to reassess the risks and benefits of sunlight for human health and to take a fresh look at current public health advice. Avoiding excess sunlight exposure is critical to prevent skin cancer, but not being exposed to it at all out of fear or as a result of a certain lifestyle could increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. 6
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A REASON FOR
LIVING
A MEANINGFUL LIFE SUPPORTS RESILIENCY By Dr. Habib Sadeghi
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tudies consistently show that in order for humans to live a satisfying life, they have to live by values or for reasons that are greater than themselves.1 A scientist’s passion for life might come from his desire to find a cure for a particular disease. A musician is often energized by the joy his music brings to the audience. In order to feel fulfilled, we can’t just live a life of idle amusement for our own gratification. We have to feel like what we’re doing is part of something bigger that will benefit others in some way, even after we’re gone.
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In fact, having such a reason for living is directly connected to our longevity. Research shows that people who retire and don’t replace their old jobs with some other type of meaningful activity but instead play golf and take cruise ship vacations consistently die earlier than people who work longer or find a new purpose for their lives.2 A study sponsored by National Geographic found that people who had a life purpose and could clearly explain it lived an average of seven years longer than others.3 REASONS & RESILIENCE
Assigning meaning to our lives or living for a particular purpose not only helps us live longer, but also makes us more resilient when challenges arise. Drs. Steve and Sybil Wolin, authors of The Resilient Self, 4 say that creativity is key when learning how to overcome the difficulties of life, particularly when we’re faced with finding new meaning because of a challenge so big it has altered life as we know it forever. A prime example of this kind of resilience is Agustin, a Honduran man from the mountain village of Siguatepeque. Born into poverty and handicapped from polio in his youth, Agustin could easily have given up and chosen to live life by just getting from one day to the next. Instead, he chose to provide meaning to his life by giving himself a purpose; he decided to build a helicopter. OVERCOMING OBSTACLES
It didn’t matter to him that he was confined to a wheelchair and had no money or education in aerodynamic technology. He made building a helicopter his life purpose, and he began to do so
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with a passion. He collected materials of all sorts wherever he could find them, bicycle parts, rebar from old concrete structures, and even wood. First begun in 1958, Agustin is still working on his passion project that consumes his days. Featured in the independent short film Everything is Incredible, by Tyler Bastian, Agustin can be seen hovering over some section of the helicopter that contains tens of thousands of moving parts. Although his tenacity is admired by some, Agustin is also ridiculed by others who say his machine will never fly. One of his critics was his brother, who Agustin says used to call him the idiot of the family for believing in such a ridiculous scheme. Consequently his brother, who was an alcoholic and had no purpose in life, passed away many years ago. Meanwhile, Agustin continues to tinker away at his passion project. While it’s mostly a kinetic sculpture, it’s clear that Agustin’s helicopter will never fly, but that doesn’t matter. It’s the passion of his purpose that gives Agustin’s life meaning and energizes his body to keep on living, particularly because he has a specific reason to live. He’s determined to see his helicopter fly. Whether it actually does or not is irrelevant to his body, which is fueled by his passion. When interviewed in the documentary film, the local mission director had this to say about Agustin’s seemingly pointless project. “And you say, ‘What has he gotten out of it?’ Maybe it’s kept him alive. Maybe it’s been able to conquer loneliness. Maybe it’s been able to conquer poverty.”5 Perhaps it’s all those things. That’s the power of living a meaningful life.
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WELL-BEING JOURNAL
CON T R IBU TORS EDITORS IN CHIEF Dr. Habib Sadeghi Dr. Sherry Sami
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Dr. Habib Sadeghi Dr. Sherry Sami Luke Cowles Cynthia Liu
Julia Ain-Krupa David Booth Lori Putoto
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Dr. Habib Sadeghi Luke Cowles David Ord
MAGAZINE DESIGN & CREATIVE DIRECTION Persius Creative
ART DIRECTION & ILLUSTRATION Persius Creative
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Kourosh M. Khajavi Rodin Eckenroth
MANAGING DIRECTORS OF BEING CLARITY PUBLICATION Dr. Habib Sadeghi Dr. Sherry Sami Hutch Morton
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