Living well march april 2018

alternative medicine MARCH/APRIL 2018

A Publication of the March/April 2018 ~ living well

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living well ~ March/April 2018

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018 VOL. 44

IN THIS ISSUE ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE

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ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

MASSAGE THERAPY

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NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE IN MONTANA

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CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY FOR CHILDREN

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MONTANA MIDWIFERY Page 12 SPRING IS TIME TO GET MOVING Page 14 OFF LABEL USE OF MEDICATION Page 16 March/April 2018 ~ living well

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Traditional Chinese Medicine not quite so Traditional anymore.

Douglas K. Womack, LAc, DOM, MMQ Acupuncture, Herbology and Tui-Na comprise the categories of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Acupuncture represents about 25% of TCM with Herbal Medicine claiming the largest portion. TCM Training in the United States is a four-year TCM medical school with over 2000 hours of training and then sitting for National Boards.

TCM dates back over 5000 years and the perception of many is that ancient medicine is what we are practicing today. A more accurate interpretation is that TCM has evolved over the last 5000 years. All societies developed their own healing modalities; however, they were generally passed down by word of mouth, lending to misunderstanding and error. Acupuncture documents date back to 328 B.C. The Emperor of China, approximately 2000 years ago, commissioned his court to congregate physicians from all parts of China, to share their healing arts, compare and critique, and then draft medical journals with the most effective treatment protocols.

TCM has spread to other countries as well. The Emperor of China gifted to Japan it’s Medical Journals and Japanese Acupuncture has been researched and developing for over 1500 years. Likewise, Korean Hand Acupuncture and French Auricular Acupuncture all have their particular peculiarities, but all find their origins in the more holistic TCM. The longevity and ancient beginnings of TCM has contributed to many misconceptions regarding the medicine. An ancient physician’s diagnoses were cached in the terminology of the period. If something was causing an illness, it was phrased an “evil.” Today it is called a pathogen. The physician would use Acupuncture and Herbal medicines to expel the “evil” and balance the body. In western medicine when an antibiotic is prescribed, the physician is following the same protocol which was described as balancing the “Humors” in Hippocrates’ day. The drugs and medical explanation may be new, the

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treatment philosophy is the same.

In the early 1900’s a French Diplomate, George Soulie de Morant translated ancient TCM medical text and presented them to France. He was not a physician. He interpreted “Qi” as an energy or life-force and vessels as “meridians.” Nigel Wiseman’s and Feng Ye’s A Practical Dictionary of Chinese Medicine has twelve definitions of Qi. Life force is not among them. They define breath (oxygen), various dynamic phenomena and functions of the body (metabolism, etc.). While metabolism does entail energy of the body, it is not some ethereal nebulous concept. Additionally, Morant in his later years admitted he may have misinterpreted vessels as energetic vessels as opposed to blood vessels.

TCM is no longer the “barefoot doctor” in some small village. The First Teaching Hospital University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Tianjin, China has over 2000 inpatient beds and treats more than 10,000 patients daily. Dr. Shi, known as the “Father of Acupuncture” has 40 years of research on stroke rehabilitation and was featured in the 2010 documentary 9000 Needles that followed Devin Dearth on his TCM journey after his stroke.

Many IVF doctors, including those in Spokane, have associated TCM practitioners into their protocols after a German study, using western scientific methodologies, determined that IVF efficacy was enhanced by over 39% with its inclusion.

The University of Washington Medical Center has referred migraine patients for Acupuncture stating it is evidence based and effective.

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, has had Acupuncturists on staff for many years.

They teach integrative medicine as well as providing a research database for practitioners on herbal medicinals.

The Cleveland Clinic, one of America’s top four hospitals, has a full Chinese Herbal Clinic noting that the Herbs are regulated by the FDA and held to the cGMP regulation under Title 21 CFR III. John Chen, Ph.D., O.M.D.,L.Ac. teaches pharmacology at USC and lectures worldwide on drug- herbal interactions and the benefits of integrative therapy.

MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, routinely ranked the top cancer hospital in the world, has had acupuncturists on staff for over 20 years and conducts

published research on integrated therapies. The American College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in Houston emphasizes integrative medicine and has a clinic in almost every major hospital in Houston.

While the exact mechanisms of acupuncture have not been fully determined, one theory is that acupuncture stimulates the skin which activates nociceptors (specialized peripheral sensory neurons) which sends electrical signals to the midbrain (periaqueductal gray), which is the primary control center for descending pain modulation, producing enkephalin cells that suppress pain. Through thousands of years of trial and error, TCM has found and codified pathways to stimulate the skin to get the desired reaction. Sometimes the pathway lies in the leg to activate healing in the shoulder. One physician I treated for frozen shoulder by stimulating the leg area, recognized it had immediately increased her shoulder range of motion, commented “that should not work.” My response was yes it should and has for many patients. This is medicine, not magic, now science just needs to figure out why it should and does work. There is now worldwide research in that quest.

The diagnostic methodologies of TCM are still a mystery to allopathic physicians. When I asked the physician/patient to show me her tongue, she explained that there is an Internal Medicine Physician that now offers seminars teaching western doctors diagnostic

benefits of observing the tongue. The University of Washington Medical Center has engineers and doctors that are currently attempting to develop a computerized glove that will produce the readings that TCM practitioners utilize in their pulse diagnosis based on the work of the great Taiwanese doctor Jimmy WeiYen Chang, now based in California, who was able to integrate TCM pulse diagnosis with Western biomedical conditions and also correlate definitive pulses with herbal prescriptions.

One doctor commented that Medicine cannot always wait for science to catch up.

One of my professors, an oncologist from MD Anderson Cancer Center, stated that for years physicians felt that Fibromyalgia was a psychological disorder not a physical one, although Chinese medicine had been treating it for years. He said an MRI would not pick it up and that it was not until the PET scan was developed, that they were able to observe a chemical change in the brain during a fibromyalgia episode.

Medicine cannot always wait for science to catch up, but science is necessary to refine and advance the fields of all medicine.

Douglas K. Womack, LAc, DOM, MMQ is an acupuncturist and owner of Montana Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine

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Massage Therapy Henry Cloud The idea that touch can heal is an old one. So old that it predates all other forms of healing. Long before herbs, tinctures, salves, needles, drugs and surgery there was touch. Mention of it dates back 3,000 years to China. Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, in 400 B.C. stated, “The physician must be experienced in many things, but most assuredly in rubbing”.

Studies through the Universities of Harvard, Duke and Miami in conjunction with Touch Research Institute are confirming what 60 million people/year in America already know; “massage is medicine” as psychiatrist James Gordon so aptly expressed it. Touch is the first sense to develop in humans. Think about this. There are as many as 5 million touch receptors in our skin. Touch is built into our DNA. Decades of research have resulted in some very interesting massage findings: *Lowers blood pressure *Increases the release of ‘feel good’ hormones like serotonin and endorphins *Boosts immune function and mood in cancer patients and HIV positive patients *Lowers depression *Reduces apprehension in burn victims about to undergo debridement {“I started out thinking it was a bunch of hooey, but I’ve become a believer”, says Dr. C. Gillon Ward, medical director of Jackson Memorial Burn Center} *Enhances immune function *Lowers levels of stress hormones cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine *On average preemies are released from hospital care 6 days earlier if they receive 3 massages {10 minutes each} a day as they gain weight 47% faster than non 6

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massaged babies. *Helps asthmatics breathe easier *Decreases agitation in Alzheimer’s patients *Decreases pain in those with arthritis *Reduces spasticity and improves motor functioning in children with cerebral palsy *Decreases pain in fibromyalgia *Decreases pain, increases sleep and lessens anxiety in those with headaches and migraines *Decreases pain and anxiety, improves mood in pregnant women and their infants had fewer postnatal complications *Improves quality of gait and improved range of motion in Parkinson’s *Positively affects people with PTSD *Helps smokers in cessation by reducing anxiety, cravings and withdrawal symptoms as well as improving mood and reducing the number of cigarettes smoked.

Massage Therapy is licensed in 45 states with the remaining 5 states governed by municipalities.

Depending on the state 500 to 1000 hours of study are required by an accredited school to obtain a license.

Currently Montana requires 500 hours with required yearly continuing education.

There are many techniques that fall under the umbrella term of massage therapy or therapeutic massage. Some of these techniques or modalities are specialties that licensed massage therapists pursue after their initial education. This by no means is a complete list however my intention is to include as many as possible.

DeepTissue

MyoFascialRelease Swedish LomiLomi SportsMassage Shiatsu Thai Reflexology Natal Geriatric Watsu Relaxation Acupressure Bowen Craniosacral Therapy Tui Na Jin Shin Jyutsu Jin Shin Do Structural Integration Esalen Hellerwork Rolfing Lymphatic Ortho Bionomy Polarity Therapy Rosen Strain/Countersrain Trigger Point Therapy Trager Visceral Manipulation Feldenkrais Some, but not all, of these modalities have governing bodies or guilds that oversee their practice.

As you can see there are too many to go into detail in this limited space.

Most commonly asked questions about Massage Therapy: What should I expect during my massage?

You should expect to be treated with the utmost of respect. Before the session starts you will fill out an intake form about your health history. Your privacy should be honored and maintained at all times. You will be professionally draped at all times and you will be lying between clean sheets. Usually there is a blanket over the top sheet. Your therapist should explain that you should ‘dress down’ to your comfort level while they leave the room.

This is your session not the therapist’s. If you want to chat or be quiet that is your choice. At any time feel free to wiggle, squirm, scratch your nose, or change the position of your arms and legs; because your body may want to unwind as your muscles and tissues begin to soften and lengthen. Everyone is unique so the appropriate amount of pressure for one client may be too

light or too deep for another. You should always feel free to give your feedback to the therapist and they should respond in kind. Each session can be tailored to your specific needs. Some clients prefer work on their back, neck, shoulders, arms and neck while others may want specific work on their legs and feet only.

How long will my session be?

Once again this is your choice. Ask your therapist what they suggest. The most common option is one hour. Sessions range from half hour to two hours with fifteen minute increments.

What can I expect to pay?

Currently one hour sessions in Western Montana range from $65-$75.

Should I leave a tip?

That is entirely up to you. Tips are wonderful and appreciated but not expected.

How do I find a massage therapist that is right for me?

Most massage therapists will tell you that their best advertisement is word of mouth. So, ask your friends, coworkers, chiropractor, physical therapist or doctor if they can recommend someone. If one name keeps popping up then give them a call or check out their website. A free consultation to get acquainted is also appropriate.

What can I expect after my massage? A sense of lightness in your body is common. Spaceyness is also a common response. In this case it is important to ground yourself before driving. The following day you may feel achey or sore. Do not be alarmed. This is often the result of toxins being released from your musculature. This can be mitigated by increasing your water intake in the first 24 hours after your session. An Epsom salt bath is another way to flush these unwanted toxins out of your body. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Henry Cloud has a local practice in Massage Therapy, Craniosacral Therapy, Lymphatic massage and Feldenkrais. 406-239-4817 henrycloudmassage.com henrycloud48@gmail.com CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICE NETWORK “Building a stronger community.” a division of

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March/April 2018 ~ living well

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Naturopathic Medicine in Montana MT Association of Naturopathic Physicians

Montana’s naturopathic physicians (ND) are dedicated professionals who combine nature’s wisdom with the rigor of modern medical science. Engaging with a ND (Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine) means you will focus on comprehensive diagnosis, proactive prevention and effective natural therapies. By co-managing your care with your whole health care team, using treatments that minimize the risk of harm and offering education so you are contributing to your self-care, naturopathic physicians facilitate your in-born ability to restore and maintain optimal health.

Montana has licensed naturopathic physicians as primary care providers since 1991. NDs work in private practice, in hospitals and in community health centers.

Accountable and qualified, NDs undergo rigorous graduate-level naturopathic medical education and supervised training in federally accredited naturopathic medical colleges. To be eligible for licensure, a graduate ND must pass the NPLEX (Naturopathic Physicians Licensing Examination), in order to be regulated by a state or US territory as health-care practitioners.

Naturopathic medicine has something to offer very heath condition. NDs are prevention specialists!

Start your kids off right with personalized nutrition advice; learn how to adjust your own habits to reduce your health risks. Among the ailments naturopathic physicians treat are chronic conditions like allergies, pain syndromes, digestive and bowel issues, hormonal imbalances, obesity, respiratory conditions, heart disease, sleep disturbance, adrenal dysfunction, anxiety and depression as well as acute illnesses like colds and flu. NDs perform minor surgeries, such as removing cysts or closing superficial wounds.

NDs are educated as primary care providers and experience supervised training in the therapeutic use of prescription drugs. Your ND may prescribe certain medications you require, and will help you manage drug side effects as well. There are categories of wholly synthetic drugs that NDs are not licensed to prescribe in Montana. The core of naturopathic practice philosophy is patient education, self-care and prevention, attention to the whole person, accurate and thorough diagnosis and the safe, effective therapeutic use of natural healing agents.

You will be assessed in all the familiar and appropriate ways, through physical exam, testing of body fluids or cells, and diagnostic imaging as indicated.

Your ND may also offer condition-specific specialty testing. Cultural- and gender sensitivity are universal values among the naturopathic community. You will 8

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be educated about your diagnosis and involved in creating your plan of care. You will be a full partner in your healing process. Your naturopathic physician will always optimize your nutrition with whole food choices as well as vitamin, mineral, amino acid and fatty acid supplements. Your treatment may include botanical tinctures or teas; you may benefit from infusion or injection therapy. A naturopathic physician will employ cognitive behavioral therapies or teach you relaxation techniques or therapeutic breathing if these make sense for you. Your ND can act as a gatekeeper on your health care support team when your best interests are served by referral to a medical specialist, an acupuncturist, a yoga teacher or a surgeon. Your ND will collaborate with your whole health care team in order to serve your needs thoroughly and effectively.

In Montana, private insurance companies are required by law to offer coverage for naturopathic medicine. However, this does not mean your specific plan includes naturopathic medical coverage. Insurance companies with naturopathic physicians among their providers in Montana include: Blue Cross Blue Shield; Pacific Source; Montana Health Coop and Allegiance.

The Montana State Employee and the Missoula County employee plans also cover naturopathic medical services. Many NDs are out-of-network providers for additional plans; you can use your Health Savings Account to pay for naturopathic medical services.

Federal programs like Medicare and the Veterans Administration do not cover naturopathic services.

Montana’s Medicare program for children, Healthy Montana Kids, covered ND care for low income kids, until 2016, when an administrative rule change eliminated that choice. The Montana Association of Naturopathic Physicians and the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians are at work to address this limitation in your health care choices.

Every naturopathic physicians’ office will have a way to help you understand your payment options. Be sure to check with your insurance plan to learn what your policy says about naturopathic medicine before you call for your first appointment; the doctor’s office will not be able to answer questions about your specific policy for you.

Montana Association of Naturopathic Physicians www.montanaND.org Nan Dunne Byington, ND Executive Director PO Box 8932 – Missoula, MT 59807 Phone: 877-728-4777 ~ email: info@MontanaND.org

CranioSacral Therapy for Children James V. Fix, CS, RM How can CranioSacral Therapy help my child?

CranioSacral Therapy (CST) is a gentle, hands-on method of evaluating and enhancing the functioning of the physiological body system called the craniosacral system.

The craniosacral system is comprised of the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord (the central nervous system). By freeing the central nervous system to perform at its best, CST naturally reduces pain and stress, strengthens one’s resistance to disease, and enhances health and well-being. CST helps to align the body structurally and facilitates the bodily systems to work properly. And because it’s so gentle and noninvasive, CranioSacral Therapy has proven effective for all ages, from newborns to elders.

What are the benefits of early intervention?

It’s widely recognized that in certain instances, the birth process can generate mild to severe central nervous system abnormalities. CranioSacral Therapy carried out in the delivery room, or within the first few days of life, can potentially reduce a wide spectrum of health challenges, many of which might not otherwise become apparent until the child is in school. It can even address problems with head shape and skull-bone override, naturally.

Many congenital and acquired health challenges also respond well to CranioSacral Therapy. It has shown to be effective a improving and maintaining a healthy immune system, and because of its gentle, non-invasive qualities, it seamlessly accommodates other therapies delivered by early-intervention medical teams.

What to expect in your child’s CST session.

A typical CranioSacral Therapy session takes place in a quit, peaceful setting. Parents are encouraged to bring toys and blankets to the session that the child will associate with comfort. The child remains clothed, and is treated on a padded table or therapy floor.

Parents stay in the therapy room and participate in the child’s session. They may lie on the table or floor with the

child, if that helps the child feel more secure.

Reactions to CST vary. Children may sleep through the session, while others may be alert, and even crawling around (toys come in handy to distract them and keep them stationary). Older children are usually comfortable lying on the table and relaxing. Children may be silent or vocal, and sometimes may cry. The therapist works with the child to help them feel secure and relaxed.

Through gentle touch, the therapist begins monitoring the rhythm of the fluid that is flowing around the central nervous system. Delicate manual techniques are then used to release restrictions in the child’s body and head, thus improving the function of the central nervous system. The sessions are generally deeply relaxing, creating feelings of warmth or gentle pulsing in the areas where the therapist is working.

How CST can help children with special needs.

- CST has been shown to ease the tension patterns in children. This has been show to help children on the autism spectrum to feel more comfortable and aware of the world around them.

- CST assists children in relaxing. This can benefit children with ADHD, as it can help their brain slow down ints cataloging activity when they relax.

- CST helps reduce tension patterns around the eyes and ears, so the areas of the brain that process language may function better. This may help dyslexic children, as they often have difficultly processing visual and auditory information.

James V. Fix, CS, RM Certified Reiki Master, CranioSacral Therapy practitioner, and EFT practitionerspecializing in CranioSacral Therapy for Conception, Pregnancy, Birthing & Pediatrics, CranioSacral Therapy for Adults, SomatoEmotional Release, Reiki, Emotional Freedom Techniques Cell: (406) 210-9805, YourEnergyFix.com March/April 2018 ~ living well

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Montana Midwifery History Sheehan Ednie-Rosen, Licensed Midwife and Montana Midwifery Association Secretary

Montana enjoys a long and rich history of midwifery and homebirth, whether that be with the aid of friends and relatives, the local wise women, nuns, physicians, or formally trained midwives. In the early territory days, Montana’s unique geography and rural setting made reaching hospital based and physician attended birth a challenge. Midwives served women in rural ranch communities, burgeoning mining towns and Catholic mission sites. Today the travel may be easier and the hospitals more accessible, but Montana families continue to choose midwife attended birth at one of the highest rates in the country.

Midwifery is alive and well in Montana Montanans now have the choice of Nurse Midwives and Direct-Entry Midwives. Nurse Midwives go through nursing school and have advanced practice education in midwifery. Most Nurse Midwives work in hospitals, but some of them do operate birthing centers or attend homebirths. Montana Direct-Entry Midwives do not usually have nursing school training, but gain 12

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experience through a variety of education pathways and apprenticeship with licensed midwives in different settings. In 1988, Missoula midwife Dolly Browder was sued by the Montana Board of Medical Examiners for practicing lay-midwifery. The suit ultimately resulted in Montana’s 1991 Direct-Entry Midwifery law. The law states that parents may deliver their babies where and with whom they choose and it set up a Board to oversee the licensing and regulation of midwifery practice. As of this writing, there are more than 30 licensed Direct-Entry Midwives and more than a dozen apprentices in the state working in a variety of settings and communities.

Midwives Model of Care In general, Direct-Entry Midwives follow what is called “The Midwives Model of Care”. It was developed by a number of national midwifery organizations in 1996.

“The Midwives Model of Care is based on the fact that pregnancy and birth are normal life processes.

The Midwives Model of Care includes: • Monitoring the physical, psychological, and social well-being of the mother throughout the childbearing cycle • Providing the mother with individualized education, counseling, and prenatal care, continuous hands-on assistance during labor and delivery, and postpartum support • Minimizing technological interventions • Identifying and referring women who require obstetrical attention The application of this woman-centered model of care has been proven to reduce the incidence of birth injury, trauma, and cesarean section.” -Midwifery Task Force, Inc. Many families are drawn to midwifery care because of the personalized attention they receive, greater maternal autonomy and low level of intervention during birth, and the family-centered approach. An emphasis is placed on complication prevention by encouraging good health through diet, movement, individualized prenatal and childbirth education, stress management, and emotional well-being. Midwives view conception, pregnancy, birth and parenting as part of a continuum in a woman’s life, not discreet events or stages separate from the rest of her life experience. The whole family is welcome and encouraged to be part of the care.

A typical prenatal visit with a homebirth midwife lasts at least 45 minutes. During that time, the mother’s and baby’s health are assessed and then much more time is spent talking about how the mother is doing and what is going on in her life. Preparation for the birth and baby, as well as what the family hopes for and dreams of, are also discussed. During the birth, midwives support the family physically and emotionally with direct hands-on care, they encourage the mother to trust her body and baby, to move freely, and to nourish herself as desired. Midwives have lower rates of intervention, and because they care for low-risk women, lower rates of complications and cesarean section. Midwives are trained to support normal, physiologic pregnancy and birth and to recognize when things are no longer normal. Most midwives have reliable relationships with consulting physicians and hospitals should the need for their expertise arise. Midwives continue to visit families often during the 6 weeks after birth to monitor the health of mother and baby. They also provide breastfeeding and parenting support, advice for postpartum recovery, and often a little housecleaning as well.

to have your baby. Hospitals and birth centers may advertise their services pretty widely, but most families still find their homebirth midwife by word of mouth. In almost any Montana community you will meet someone who has had a baby at home. Many midwives also have web pages or list their services on the state organization website or other listing service. Montana midwives tend to be concentrated in more urban areas with the greatest number in the Western part of the state. Many Montana homebirth midwives travel quite far to meet the needs of families in areas that do not have midwives.

It’s a good idea to interview a few midwives if you are able. Midwives have different backgrounds, world views and experience; a good match is important because of the unique bond and high level of trust that parents and midwives form together.

Montana Midwifery Association The Montana Midwifery Association arose out the need to organize and protect homebirth in Montana.

Today, the organization continues to play a role in addressing state legislative activity. Over the years, the organization has also sponsored community outreach activities and conferences. The MMA maintains a website where you can find out more about becoming a midwife or locate a midwife in your area. You can visit their website at www.montanamidwives.org

Finding a midwife If you are looking into midwifery care, where you find your midwife will depend a lot on where you want March/April 2018 ~ living well

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Spring is time to get Moving!

Dr. Tavis Johansson As spring comes around it is a natural time for us to become more active and get moving. Movement is a key component of health for a variety of reasons. In this article I would like to share with you some concepts on how movement is a critical aspect of our overall health and wellbeing.

We all are aware that exercise is a cornerstone to the larger picture of our health and well-being.

From a fundamental perspective, exercise serves to challenge the body and strengthen muscles, improve circulation and tone our cardiovascular and respiratory systems.

More than that, movement serves to tone our nervous system including the brain and the neural connections throughout our body.

The nervous system is an often forgotten driver of the body and all that we do. From the basic functions of the body such as breath regulation and heart rate, our nervous system is constantly monitoring and adjusting for our changing needs. Certain aspects of this regulation and monitoring that the nervous system carries out, happens without conscious input.

Other aspects of our nervous system we can directly affect.

For example, our nervous system monitors all of our body’s movements and changes in muscles tone. Again some of this an automatic process of the nervous system 14

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monitoring the body’s positioning in space, called proprioception.

Simple things like turning your head triggers information to be sent up to the brain and the brain to then send signals down to the body to support and facilitate the change in orientation.

In the example of the turning the head, certain muscles will be activated and therefore shortened and others will need to relax and lengthen to accommodate the movement. This process is how the body both monitors and facilitates even the most basic of movements and changes in body positioning.

How does this relate to the health of the body in general? How can we consciously utilize these systems that are in place to facilitate better health for ourselves?

Every time we move, we are consciously and unconsciously setting off a dominos of neurological events. Throughout our entire bodies, we have proprioceptive neurological sensors, that part of our nervous system that is monitoring and adapting to where we are in space. So with each movement

we do we are laying down new neural networks, paths through our brains and into our peripheral nervous system that not only help and facilitate our movement, but also remember and enable those movements for future use.

In our development from babies to adults we were in a constant state of creating new neural pathways and literally growing our nervous system to adapt to new things. As children, our nervous system is very pliable and plastic, a term that refers to the “agility” of the brain and nervous system to adapt to new things.

As we get older, we do less overall movement and this is not a good thing. Not only in terms of the basics of keeping muscles strong, or toning our cardiovascular system, but more movement means more challenges to the nervous system. More challenges to the nervous system equates to more agility in the nervous system.

Just as we know that doing things like a crossword puzzle or Sudoku, helps keep our cognitive brains active and functional; movements, particularly new and challenging movements, help to keep our brain plastic or agile.

For those of us that find ourselves in a lifestyle that doesn’t challenge our bodies, the agility of our nervous system starts to wane. If we are not challenging the nervous system we start to lose the adaptability of our nervous system and our “neural agility” fades.

Why do we want an agile nervous system? Quite simply, the better your brain and nervous system is at adapting and changing the more versatile it is at accepting other changes within the body. One example of neural agility is a friend of mine who suffered a stroke.

He was a healthy person, and active personal trainer who was constantly challenging his body and nervous system. However, due to a malfunction of the heart, he had an event that caused a stroke, which means that part of the brain died essentially.

In a stroke, the portion of the brain that is affected is essentially cut off from the blood supply, and those cells die off. The functions of those cells are now lost and whatever information and neural networks that those cells managed are gone. This is where things such as paralysis, speech pathologies etc arise from.

How does this play into movement and neurological adaptability? Back to the story of my friend, he was found to have had a massive stroke and the doctors cautioned him, that he would likely have to relearn things like walking etc, due to the damage he sustained.

However he was back to teaching kettlebells a week later!

This is due in large part to the fact that he was constantly challenging himself and therefore his nervous system.

The effect of the constant changes in input created a pliable and agile nervous system that was conditioned to creating new neural networks on a regular basis. It

was this adaptability that he had fostered that allowed the brain to essentially re-wire the lost neural pathways from the stroke through different circuits of the brain and regain the functions that otherwise would have been lost to him.

So, movement is an incredibly important aspect to our health.. Every time we move and exercise, there is a great deal of neurological activity occurring. Just as other functions of the brain operate best when consistently challenged and utilized, movement hones the nervous system.

As we get into movement lapses, and by this I mean, if we don’t exercise, if we don’t challenge our bodies the adaptability of our nervous system declines. It is in our best interest, to move, to move regularly and ideally move in new ways. So challenge your system and try something new, a new sport, a martial art, yoga etc. Moreover, if you can incorporate activities that are not completely predictable, where you have to adapt to changing conditions, that is a great way to keep challenging the nervous system.

Chiropractic adjustments and overall treatment approach is very much centered around movement and how that relates to the nervous system. When asked “what does a chiropractor do?”, I often relate back to the movement and neurological piece. When we have segments of our spine, the vertebrae, that are out of alignment, they are not moving properly. As we now know from this article, if the vertebrae isn’t moving properly, it is also relaying misinformation back to the brain and the brain is then sending signals back to the muscles surrounding that vertebrae based off that “misinformation”. So, much of what chiropractors do is to restore proper motion within the spine, or other joints of the body, that not only helps to relive pain and tightness in those areas, but also re-establish proper body-to brain-to body connections.

There are many aspects to good health. Eat well, get adequate sleep, avoid excesses of poor food, or other lifestyle choices. We also must MOVE! Move for the sake of exercise in general, but also realize that moving tones and refines our nervous system and that is a benefit not to be underestimated.

Dr. Tavis Johansson is a local chiropractor in Missoula, MT with 3 Rivers Chiropractic.

He also teaches martial arts, yoga and movement.

March/April 2018 ~ living well

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Off-Label Use of Medications:

Kay Jennings, BSN, MHSA, MSN, PMHNP-BC

Off-label use of medications is defined as “relating to the prescription of a drug for a condition other than that for which it has been officially approved�. Many older drugs have patents that have expired so there is no incentive for pharmaceutical companies to pick up the tab for costly research to get the drug approved other uses. This is the case with two medications that I will briefly discuss today and of which I have been using with great success in a number of my patients. I will also discuss what has become known as The Cinderella Story Mineral.

Ketamine for Severe Depression The first medication that has multiple off-label uses is Ketamine. Ketamine was first synthesized in 1962

by Parke Davis Laboratories and was trialed as an anaesthetic. Since then it has been used successfully for anaesthesia for children, adults, and the elderly.

In 2000 a clinical trial concluded that Ketamine, at low doses, produces a rapid response in treatmentresistant depressed patients (treatment-resistant patients are those who have failed to respond to at least 2 antidepressants). Since that time there have been many more studies on depression treatment with Ketamine, as well as its use in the treatment of PTSD, OCD, Anxiety, Bipolar Depression, and most importantly Suicidal Thinking.

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living well ~ March/April 2018

How is Ketamine Administered?

Ketamine is usually administered intravenously over 45 minutes in a controlled clinic setting. During the infusion the patient is comfortably reclined and a professional sits with the patient. Some may experience some dissociation, nausea or elevated blood pressure, all which are monitored by the professional staff member.

The patient is awake during the treatment and does have recall afterwards.

The patient is evaluated by several standard tests and the scores are compared throughout the treatment, often showing drastic reductions in suicidal thoughts after the first or second treatment and depression scores slowly come down by the 6th treatment.

The most unfortunate part of the treatment is that most if not all insurance companies will not pay for off-label use of this treatment despite the great success patients are having around the world.

Low Dose Naltrexone, The Immune System, and Endorphins The next medication with multiple uses is Low Dose Naltrexone, or LDN. I recently learned about the many uses for this amazing drug at a conference in Portland and have since started using it in my practice.

Naltrexone at the full dose is primarily used to manage alcohol dependence and opioid dependence. At a much

Crusading for Patient Benefit lower dose (ten to forty times lower), it has been found to have an effect on the immune system. Many diseases are due to a malfunctioning immune system and related inflammation. LDN also causes the body to increase production of endorphins, the feel good chemical, thus LDN has been used for depression as well.

Here is a partial list of conditions that can benefit from the use of LDN by a well-trained practitioner: Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, Thyroid Disorders, Restless Leg Syndrome, Autism, and some cancers. LDN also plays a role in the RECODE protocol, which is an acronym for “REversing COgnitive DEcline”.

Nutritional Lithium for Brain Health Another of my new favorite treatments is the use of Low Dose Lithium. Number 3 on the Periodic Table, Lithium is a naturally occurring element.

Psychiatrist James Greenblatt, MD considers it the most effective nutritional supplement for psychiatric and neurological conditions in his recent book, “Nutritional Lithium – A Cinderella Story: The Untold Tale of a Mineral That Transforms Lives and Heals the Brain.”

Lithium at high pharmaceutical levels, such as 900 mg per day, can cause thyroid and kidney problems and severe tremors. It is effective for mood stability but the side effects can be significant. However, low dose

nutritional lithium, 5-20 mg, has been found to impact the brain in multiple positive ways. It increases Brain Derived Neurotropic Factor (BDNF) which is considered brain food. It helps to balance neurotransmitters, quell inflammation, assists in B12 transport, reduces free radicals, and helps with neural growth and integrity, to name only a few of its amazing characteristics. It is also inexpensive. I take this daily for my overall brain health.

Will These Treatments Become Widely Available?

It will be up to a small group of practitioners who are either crusaders or entrepreneurs or a combination of both who will move the use of these drugs forward to benefit millions of patients. I happen to be one of those crusaders!

Kay Jennings has been practicing Functional Integrative Psychiatry for 8 years. She offers Ketamine Infusions for treatment resistant depression along with a functional approach to find the root cause. Her practice incorporates nutrition and hormone balance with mental health, physical fitness, and permanent weight control. She is also a frequent lecturer and author. To learn more, call 406 721 2537.

March/April 2018 ~ living well

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Living Well Feldenkrais® Movement Education CranioSacral Therapy Massage Therapies

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Integrative, breath centered practices, grounded in yogaadapted with you, for you.

Douglas Womack, LAC, DOM, MMQ Montana Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine 320 A Expressway, Missoula, MT 59808 406-541-2399 mtacupuncture@montana.com montana-acupuncture.com

DR. MARGARET COFFEY 406-926-6780

2875 Tina Ave, Suite 24 • Missoula, MT

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3 Rivers Chiropractic Dr. Tavis Johansson D.C.

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living well ~ March/April 2018

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March/April 2018 ~ living well

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