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Talking Women’s Health with

Dr. Christina Captain

by Mary-Elizabeth Schurrer

May is recognized as National Women’s Health Month, and in this current landscape, it’s more crucial than ever for women of all ages to make both their physical and mental well-being a priority. This includes nutrition, hormone balance, detoxification, stress management, sexual or reproductive health, and other lifestyle factors that contribute to optimal functioning.

For an insider’s take on how women can be their own wellness advocates—both during Women’s Health Month and even all year round—I sought the expertise of Dr. Christina Captain. As a nationally board-certified Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, as well as the founder of Sarasota Center for Acupuncture and Nutrition, Dr. Captain offers a breadth of knowledge and experience on the topic, as outlined in our conversation below.

Natural Awakenings: What are some key facets of a comprehensive healthcare plan for women’s bodies, and how does your practice address them?

Dr. Christina Captain: It’s all relative, depending on each person’s needs, as well as the phase of life. For adolescent girls, it’s all about making sure their menarche experience (the first occurrence of menstruation) is manageable, and their subsequent cycles are regular and painless. Nutrition and acupuncture are both major components of this.

As women move into their child bearing years, I focus on both fertility and pregnancy health. Targeted nutrition and acupuncture play a significant role here as well, then labor induction and postpartum care are next. Later in life, I emphasize healthy aging and hormonal balance. Sometimes this means dealing with the effects of medications, life challenges such as cancer, or treatments such as chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN).

In the later years, I also address menopausal symptoms, sexual health maintenance, and the deterioration of joints, organs, and other body parts (e.g. incontinence or vision issues), so that women feel assisted and supported in the limitations of an aging body.

My treatment protocol during all of these life phases is uniquely tailored to the patient, but frequently includes nutritional planning, acupuncture, detoxification (mental and physical) and target supplementation based on laboratory analysis. The main focus is on whole health—looking at all aspects of wellness and making specialist referrals where necessary. This team approach is the best for the patient, and one I also utilize for myself.

NA: As a woman in the healthcare profession, what do you want other women to know about being empowered to advocate for and take control of their own well-being?

Dr. Captain: Women are the bedrock of their families, so it often falls on them to seek out positive and effective healthcare solutions for each member of the family. During my 21 years in practice, I have been honored to treat generations of families, and with each patient, I utilize education to facilitate empowerment.

We all need to ask questions and challenge the “why” behind a treatment or procedure. I encourage my patients to inquire about alternatives and know all the options available before they make a healthcare de-

cision. A number physicians do this now, but there are still those who remain in practice by keeping medicine a secret.

These physicians might tell a patient, “The ‘why’ is for me to know—you can trust my expertise. There is a reason it’s called doctor’s orders, right?” However, the state of Florida requires by law that patients receive, to the best of their understanding, all the transparent facts about a medical treatment including the pros, cons and alternatives.

I consistently strive to empower my own patients to take ownership of their bodies and be proactive in asking questions about their course of treatment. I encourage them to view their healthcare team as an advisory board, not as a command center. When patients are active in the process and have a full understanding, they can make informed decisions.

NA: How has your practice changed or pivoted this last year in response to the pandemic, and what measures have you taken to ensure both staff and patient safety?

As an essential business, my practice never closed, but so much has changed about our daily operations. We now pre-screen the temperatures of all staff members, and are actively seeking vaccinations for them. At this time, we are 50 percent vaccinated as a team, and we have also changed from street clothes and labcoats to scrubs full-time.

In addition, we are masked 100 percent from the start to finish of each day, and we no longer use linens in our treatment rooms— only paper and disposable everything. Before patients enter our office, we also pre-screen their temperatures and ask about their overall health or current symptoms. Masks are required for entry as well, and if a patient feels sick or has been exposed to someone who might have COVID-19, we ask them not to come in.

Due to the limited space in our practice, we allow one person in the lobby at a time, and we sanitize every room after each patient. I am not a fan of chemicals, so I use soap and water to clean all surfaces. I was grateful when the CDC recently came out with new information that COVID-19 is not spread through surface contact, but Lysol, masks and handwashing are imperative. The last year has been an undeniable challenge, but my practice has weathered both the crisis of 9–11 and the recession of 2008—I know we’ll survive this too.

Dr. Christina Captain, DAOM, MSAOM, MSHN, MA, AP, is nationally board-certified by the National Commission for Certification in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). She is the lead practitioner at Sarasota Center for Acupuncture and Nutrition. Her practice is located at 2650 Bahia Vista Street, Suite 101, Sarasota. For more information, call 941-951-1119 or email DrCaptain@SCANsrq.com.

Mary-Elizabeth Schurrer is the Managing Editor of Natural Awakenings Sarasota–Manatee. She also works as a freelance writer, blogger and social media marketer. Her personal blog HealthBeAHippie.Wordpress.com features tips for embracing an active, nutritious, balanced and empowered lifestyle. $20 off first visit

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NEUROPATHY RELIEF

by Eric Winder, DC

Neuropathy of the feet or hands can range from mild to severely limiting for life activities, and it can even cause safety issues. There are limited options to treat this condition of nerve damage— mostly using conventional methods—but at our office, we see tremendous improvements in most cases by using low-level laser therapy and fascia release techniques. For many patients. there are improvements in symptoms after just the first or second treatment.

In most cases, neuropathy involves a combination of numbness, tingling or pain. It has many different causes, but the most common neuropathy stems from diabetes. This is caused by chemical changes from high blood sugar, but researchers cannot explain why some diabetics with wellcontrolled sugar experience neuropathy, while others with higher blood sugar levels do not. The other two most common types of neuropathy I see in my practice are chemotherapy-induced neuropathy and idiopathic (cause unknown) neuropathy. There are many other types, but those tend to be much less common.

While our current protocols help over 90 percent of neuropathy patients, this was not always the case. We helped many people to improve their symptoms, but our overall success rate was closer to 60 percent. However, by adding in a new type of fascia release therapy that we had not used before, we are now able to help almost all of our patients with the three most common neuropathy types listed above.

Fascia is the sheet-like connective tissue that covers other tissues, including muscles and joints. The new fascia therapy technique we added to neuropathy treatment focuses on treating restrictions in the superficial fascia, located just under the skin. It is the connective tissue that joins the skin to the muscles underneath, while also allowing the skin to flex and move. We added this new treatment to our typical muscle and joint fascia release therapy for neuropathy patients. To complete each treatment, we use low-level laser therapy in the infrared wavelengths. This promotes increased energy production and metabolism in the injured nerve cells.

A patient whom I will refer to as Marilyn is a prime example of the success of using this protocol. Her diabetes had caused painful numbness in her feet that was severe enough to cause poor balance. She carried a cane with her for reassurance, and had greatly reduced her activities such as beach walks and even shopping due to worries about falling. The pain in her feet would often wake her at night.

As with all of my neuropathy patients, I tested her sensation perception in her feet. A sharp point felt dull to her on the arches and balls of her feet, and Marilyn could feel nothing at all on the pads of her toes. After one treatment at our office, she felt better balance on her feet. After two treatments, she began to feel dull sensation in her toe pads.

After the third treatment, she could feel the sharpness of a pointed object pressed against her arches, and her balance improved enough to elicit confidence in walking without her cane. After two months of treatment, Marilyn enjoyed beach walks again, and was able to sleep through the night without pain. While her feet are still slightly numb, we are able to maintain her improvements with just occasional treatment visits.

It is truly exciting to see the consistent results that neuropathy patients can experience with this combination of fascia release therapies and low-level laser therapy. Medications often help the pain of neuropathy but not the loss of sensation and balance. Neuropathy medications also often have strong side-effects, and I have treated many patients who are not able to tolerate taking them. Fortunately, there is a non-drug approach that works effectively for most people, and I am thrilled to help patients get relief with such a difficult problem.

Eric Winder, D.C., uses gentle manual therapy and rehab techniques, without forceful manipulation, to help patients with a wide range of pain and injury problems. For more information, call 941-957-8390 or visit Gentlebay.com. Dr. Winder’s offices are located in Sarasota and Osprey.

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Fascia, a fibrous connective tissue, is the “structural fabric” of your body. It houses the position sense nerve endings which allow for coordination, muscular balance, and joint stability. Restrictions in fascia can cause a wide range of pain problems from tendinitis to back pain and from chronic headaches to joint arthritis. Fascia therapy relieves this pain and restores flexibility. We are open and accepting new patients, while adhering to strict hygiene protocols in light of COVID-19.

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INTEGRATIVE WOMEN’S WELLNESS

Five Top Health Concerns and What to Do

by Ronica O’Hara

Anyone walking into a U.S. hospital today will notice something that was inconceivable 50 years ago—one in three practicing physicians is a woman, and among physicians under age 35, it’s three in five. That compares to one in 14 in 1970. For women needing health care, that fact can change everything. “Research says that female physicians provide better care to female patients than male physicians do,” says Harvard Medical School Associate Professor Alice Domar, Ph.D., a pioneer in women’s mind-body medicine. “They are more likely to listen carefully and take complaints seriously.”

That’s just one factor in how health care is improving for women. Only three decades ago, women were simply considered “small men” in medical research and rarely included as subjects in clinical studies. Today, after a 1993 federal mandate ensured their inclusion, it’s been well established that women metabolize drugs differently than men, respond to health threats with a more robust immune system and are more likely to experience side effects. These findings have helped spur major changes for women in standards, dosages, medications and procedures—resulting in fewer cancer deaths, better treatment of autoimmune disorders and more nuanced cardiac care strategies. Although much has improved about women’s health, much more remains to be done.

Cancer

About one in three women is diagnosed with cancer in the course of a lifetime, and they have better survival rates than men, of which one in two receives that diagnosis. Between 2001 and 2017, the overall cancer death rate for women declined by 1.4 percent each year as diagnoses and treatments became more refined and targeted. The number one cancer killer for women is lung cancer, although 19 percent diagnosed have never smoked. The next most deadly are cancers of the breast, colon/rectum, pancreas and ovaries.

Breast cancer deaths have dropped by 40 percent since 1989, thanks to greater awareness, early detection and better treat-

ments. “Women learned from the AIDS crisis that making noise gets results,” says Domar. “Look at how far breast cancer research and treatment has come in the past 10 to 20 years, how powerful Breast Cancer Awareness Month is, and that everyone recognizes that pink ribbon.” Common symptoms: Bowel changes, lingering sores, fatigue, lumps, unusual discharge, difficulty digesting or swallowing, nagging cough or hoarseness, belly or back pain. New research: An international research team has identified a direct molecular link between meat and dairy diets and the development of antibodies in the blood that increases the chances of developing cancer. Medical advances: Painful, invasive biopsies may become a thing of the past. Mayo Clinic researchers have developed a simple blood test that detects more than 50 types of cancer, as well as their location within the body, with a high degree of accuracy, and the City of Hope Cancer Center, in Los Angeles, has developed a urine test that analyzes cell-free fragments of DNA to detect cancer. Preventive strategies: Vitamin D supplementation lowers the risk of mortality across all cancers, German researchers found, estimating that if all Germans older than 50 took such supplements, up to 30,000 cancer deaths per year might be avoided. A 10-year study found that people between 55 and 74 that took a low-dose aspirin at least three times each week lowered their risk of all types of cancer by 15 percent and overall mortality by 19 percent.

Heart Disease

One in three American women die from heart disease, more than all cancers combined. “Unfortunately, awareness that heart disease can and does happen to women remains low, and this results in delay of care,” says cardiologist Nicole Harkin of Whole Heart Cardiology, in San Francisco. “Women tend to seek medical care later in the course of their heart attack and with more risk factors, resulting in poorer outcomes, and they are more likely than men to die of their first heart attack.”

Women have different symptoms of heart disease than men, are often misdiagnosed and have a 20 percent greater risk of dying within five years of a heart attack. Pregnant women that develop hypertension are two to five times more likely to later develop cardiovascular disease. Common symptoms: Heart pressure, fatigue, breathlessness and pain between the shoulder blades. New research: Eating more than seven servings per day of refined grains like croissants and white bread increased the risk of heart disease by 33 percent and stroke by 47 percent, concluded a study in The British Medical Journal. In a Stanford study, participants that ate plant-based meat for eight weeks had improved markers of heart health, lower LDL levels and lost two pounds compared to those eating meat. Medical advance: To successfully fix a floppy mitral valve that’ s hampering blood flow in the heart, doctors can guide a catheter up a patient’s leg vein and staple the troubled parts of the valve with a tiny clip, a safer and less invasive procedure than openheart surgery. Preventive strategies: Eating nuts several times a week lowers by 30 to 50 percent the risk of heart attacks, sudden cardiac death and cardiovascular disease, four large cohort studies have shown. Older women with high fitness levels have one quarter the risk of dying from heart disease as women that are out of shape, report Spanish researchers.

Autoimmune Diseases

The prevalence of autoimmune diseases has grown by one half in two decades, even as medications and targeted therapies have kept more patients active and out of wheelchairs. “Where it used to be the norm for many physicians to consider women with some autoimmune illnesses to be neurotic, that approach is now being recognized as being abusive and unacceptable. This is a critical step towards recovery,” says chronic fatigue expert Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D., author of From Fatigued to Fantastic!

About 80 percent of the 23 million Americans that suffer from debilitating autoimmune diseases are women, and those conditions tend to develop during childbearing years. The eighth-leading cause of death among women, these illnesses shorten lifespan by an average of eight years. The 80-plus diseases, including fibromyalgia, lupus, celiac disease, Type 1 diabetes, psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis, are linked to genetics, environmental triggers, some medications, obesity, injuries and stress. Common symptoms: These vary widely, but may include achy muscles, fatigue, recurring low-grade fever, joint pain and swelling, skin problems, abdominal pain and swelling, hair loss, swollen glands and tingling in hands and feet. New research: Eating significantly fewer foods containing the amino acid methionine, found at high levels in meat, fish, dairy and eggs, could slow the onset and progression of autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis in high-risk individuals, reports a study in Cell Metabolism. Medical advance: Evidence is mounting that low doses of naltrexone, a substance-abuse treatment drug, can treat conditions like lupus, Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis by normalizing the immune system and relieving pain with few side effects. “It costs only about 70 cents a day, is made by compounding pharmacists and is remarkably beneficial for a host of autoimmune conditions,” says Teitelbaum. Preventive strategy: To fight inflammation, take a daily turmeric or curcumin supplement that includes piperine (black pepper) for better absorption. A University of Houston meta-study in Nutrients found that curcumin supplements improved symptoms in 14 osteoarthritis, two ulcerative colitis and eight Type 2 diabetes studies.