Article by Mila McManus MD

Many factors affect one’s sex drive,  including:
• Testosterone deficiency (male or female)
• Progesterone or Estrogen deficiency
• Stress/Fatigue/Depression
• Certain medications (e.g., anti-depressants)
• Birth control pills
• Poor Self-image (e.g., due to weight gain)
• Strained relationship
• Painful intercourse (e.g., due to vaginal dryness)
Low libido is often dismissed by doctors, but it is a serious concern for many people. It can strain relationships, leading to stress, which everyone knows will adversely affect the body. Stress, over time, negatively affects your immune system, which in turn will predispose you to all types of disease. If low libido is affecting your relationship, please read on.
HORMONES: More often than not, improving one’s sex drive requires addressing several causative factors simultaneously. It may take several months to tackle all of them, but it can be done. First, you should be evaluated for the need for supplementation /replacement with hormones. Moreover, when I say hormones, I’m talking about the use of bio-identical hormones, not synthetic ones. In our practice, we’ve found that blood tests for diagnosing hormone deficiencies are rarely helpful. Normal reference ranges for hormone levels are large and can often be misleading. I find it to be much more useful to evaluate one’s symptoms in determining hormonal imbalances and deficiencies. Click here to test yourself for hormonal imbalance and deficiency.

If you take an ANTI-DEPRESSANT, it’ll be important for you to address the underlying causes of your depression, so that you’ll have a chance to successfully wean off your antidepressant. Antidepressants are used to mask the symptoms of depression, but aren’t going to cure your problem. Hormonal deficiency is a very common cause of depression. Many of our patients have successfully weaned from their antidepressants after being on our wellness program for only a short period of time.

POOR SELF-IMAGE: If you feel your libido is down because of a poor self-image, then consider doing something about it. If you’ve gained weight and haven’t been able to lose it on your own, seek help. We offer several programs at TWIHW to help you reach your goals. You should also consider being evaluated for hormonal imbalance, as this could be working against you.

STRAINED RELATIONSHIP—There’s not enough progesterone or testosterone on Earth to make up for a bad relationship. Consider counseling. I’ve seen it make a huge difference in the lives of many people. Maybe you are harboring some subconscious resentment towards your mate and you don’t even realize you’re being passive aggressive.

PAINFUL intercourse will certainly affect one’s desire. If you suffer with vaginal dryness, there are treatments. If you suffer with vulvodynia/vaginismus (if you don’t know what these words mean, then you probably don’t have these conditions, or at least you haven’t been diagnosed with them yet), there are treatments for these as well. Biofeedback may help.

STRESS and FATIGUE are common contributing factors to low libido. You must take time for yourself. Take a day off, get a babysitter, plan a date with your mate. If life is dragging you down, your problems run much deeper than libido. Addressing the fatigue is certainly a good place to start.  Discussing the causes of, and treatments for, fatigue is beyond the scope of this article, so please visit our website for more information.

OTHER ways to enhance sex drive include various herbal blends you can find on the internet (e.g. Maca root), certain foods (e.g.chocolate), and novelty (e.g. hotel getaway).

If you eat or breathe, you are introducing toxins into your body.
The toxins we are ingesting and inhaling relate mostly to our diet, lifestyle, and the quality of air we breathe. Ridding our bodies of toxins requires, above all, avoidance of them. It’s much easier, more effective, and much more efficient to decrease your toxic load by avoidance than by trying to rev up detoxification with supplements, saunas, and chelation therapy (treatment for heavy metal toxicity). You can reduce your toxic load by up to 85% if you clean up your diet, don’t smoke, and purify the air in your home. A study done on non-exposed people (i.e. people not known to have been exposed to a particular toxin through their work, etc) showed an average of 91 toxins in their bodies, at least 50 of which that are carcinogenic, and others that cause birth defects and/or are toxic to the nervous system, endocrine (hormone) system, and immune system. Scary, huh !?

The Basic Toxins we carry:
• DDT (a pesticide banned in 1972 that persists in the environment): Sources include fish from the great lakes, and plants grown in contaminated soil.
• PCBs (eg. dioxins): Sources include fish (especially farmed salmon), butter, meat, fluorescent light fixtures, coolants and lubricants for electronic transformers

• Parabens: Sources include shampoos and conditioners, moisturizers, hair care products, shave gels, cosmetics, personal lubricants, sunscreen and tanning lotions, deodorants, toothpastes, food additives, and topical and parenteral pharmaceuticals
• Phthalates: Sources include adhesives, plastics, detergents, flooring, cleaning products, cosmetics, shampoos, perfumes, aerosols, paints, lotions, air fresheners, lubricants, medications, medical bags and tubing, nail polish, and false fingernails.
• BPAs: Sources include air, dust, water, food and beverage containers, canned vegetables, toothpastes
• Solvents: Sources include, oil, gas, paints, nail polish, adhesives, cleaning agents
• Chlordanes (pesticides): Has been banned for 20+ years, but are still found in contaminated soil (and therefore whatever is grown in it), and homes treated for termites
• Organophosphates (pesticides): Sources include food crops, livestock, pet collars, grass, stored grains
• Heavy metals (e.g. mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium): Sources include fish, shrimp, cigarette smoke, amalgam dental fillings, contaminated air we breathe
Visit Environmental Working Group www.ewg.org to learn about environmental toxins in your community, and get news updates on politics, farming, etc as it pertains to your health. EWG staff experts scrutinize government data, legal documents, scientific studies and their own laboratory tests to expose threats to your health and the environment, and to find solutions. Their research brings to light unsettling facts that you have a right to know. http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ is a database where you can discover what toxic chemicals are in your cosmetics, lotions, and sunscreen products. http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov is a federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ATSDR serves the public by using the best science, taking responsive public health actions, and providing trusted health information to prevent harmful exposures and diseases related to toxic substances. This is an excellent database to research various toxins, including sources and health effects. You can also search on this site to find out how close you are to toxic sites, such as chemical companies, dump sites, and chemical spills, for example. www.scorecard.org Get an in-depth pollution report for your county, covering air, water, chemicals, and more. Just enter your zip code and voila!
Another great resource is a book called Slow Death by Rubber Duck: The Secret Danger of Everyday Things by authors Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie. So how do you get toxins out of the body? Well, some chemicals have a very short half-life and are out of the body within 24 hours, while others hang around in your body for several decades.
The following are items that will help you rid toxins from your body:
White or green tea
• Brown rice
• Green vegetables
• Seaweed
Remember that avoidance is KEY! See Nancy’s nutritional nugget below about which NON-organic produce to avoid. There are 2 specific foods I’d like to discuss in this article that I think you should know about.
SALMON: It’s very important to distinguish the different species of salmon because Pacific (Alaskan) salmon is acceptable, whereas Atlantic (farmed) salmon is ONE OF THE MOST TOXIC FOODS YOU CAN EAT! Atlantic salmon is hearty and, therefore, easily farmed. Pacific salmon, however, is a different genus with 3 different species known as king salmon (aka Chinook), silver salmon (aka coho), and red salmon (aka sock-eye). The great majority of salmon at markets and restaurants is farmed Atlantic salmon. This is HIGHLY toxic due to the salmon being fed pesticide-laden grains. Don’t be fooled by fancy names. “Scottish Salmon” is Atlantic salmon farmed in Scotland. “Norwegian Salmon” is Atlantic salmon farmed in Norway.
BUTTER: Butter is ubiquitous in the diet, so I felt that this is another food to be addressed. Toxins are stored in fat cells. Butter is cow fat extracted from the cows’ milk. When you eat butter, you are eating a heavy load of toxins (e.g. pesticides sprayed on the grains that cows are fed). The only butter that’s fit for human consumption, in my opinion, is Irish butter that’s made from grass fed cows. You can find this at most grocery stores. The brand I use is KerryGold.

Nitric Oxide Nitric Oxide was named “Molecule of the Year” in 1992 by the American scientific community. And in 1998, the discovery of Nitric Oxide as a critical signaling molecule was awarded a Nobel Prize in physiology/medicine. The Talking Molecule Nitric Oxide revolutionized conventional scientific reasoning because it was the first molecule discovered to literally communicate with another molecule.
Why does that matter? When Nitric Oxide is made by the cells in our blood vessels, it signals the surrounding arterial tissues to relax. This action lowers blood pressure, expands narrow blood vessels, eliminates dangerous clots and reduces the formation of artery-clogging plaque. Better Circulation Means Better Living

• Nitric Oxide optimizes circulation and is involved in virtually every organ system in our body. • More blood flow means better brain function and better attention.
• More blood flow means better oxygen transfer and more energy.
• More blood flow means a better sex life. (increasing Nitric
Oxide is a key function of many well-known erectile dysfunction products)
• Other benefits of nitric oxide: o reduce pain and swelling of arthritis
• reduce asthma symptoms
• protect bones from osteoporosis
• enhance effectiveness of anti- depressants
• assist the immune system with killing bacteria
• limit skin damage from the sun Nitric Oxide is Critical Nitric Oxide is critical to life.
In fact, many scientists believe Nitric Oxide to be as important to humans as oxygen. Unfortunately, most adults over 40 don’t produce enough in order to achieve optimal health. For information on how to test your Nitric Oxide levels, see our supplement of the month section and be sure to read Nancy’s Nugget below for ideas on raising your levels.
Source: www.neogenis.com

2012

Since this is the month to celebrate love, we thought it would be nice to share nine ways that sex (once a week) can benefit your health:
1. Fewer colds due to an increase in IgA, an antibody that fights infection
2. Women can get more predictable periods because of exposure to male pheromones
3. A better physical response to stress
4. Lower blood pressure
5. Lower your bad cholesterol and increase your good cholesterol
6. Help tone your abs, gluts and pretty much any muscle in your body
7. Natural increases in estrogen improve the appearance of your hair, skin and nails
8. Improve your memory due to increased blood flow to your brain
9. Increased feelings of motivation due to the release of endorphins Sex has also been found to boost self-esteem and improve intimacy in your relationship.
This is due to increased levels of oxytocin, the “love” hormone, which helps you feel bonded to your partner.

Genetic Modification, also known as biotechnology, is the alteration of the genetic makeup of organisms such as plants, animals or bacteria. GM products include medicines, vaccines, foods and food ingredients, feeds and fibers.

Scientists identify a favorable genetic trait in one organism’s DNA and transfer that favorable gene trait to another organism’s DNA. Examples include conferring insect resistance, fungal resistance, desired nutrients, ripening speed or overall yield to an organism lacking in these characteristics.

But as with many new technologies and good intentions, do we really understand the risks and long-term effects of what we are doing? It is serious business when we tinker with the
fundamental intelligence of every cell – our genes or DNA, and it can pose a number of frightening prospects. Did you know?

• The American Academy of Environmental Medicine has issued a warning urging the public to avoid genetically modified foods as a result of its own studies that strongly point to GM foods causing serious adverse health effects including rapid aging, severe alterations to major bodily organs, infertility, immune problems, gastrointestinal dysfunction and disruption to proper insulin regulation.

• GMO’s can live and reproduce in the intestinal flora of the body long after being eaten, transferring GMO genes into the DNA of favorable, intestinal bacteria so essential in optimal digestion and good health.

• Female rats fed a diet of GM soy had drastically higher infant death rate, and surviving infants were much smaller and less fertile than the offspring of rats fed a non-GM soy diet.

• Animals that have consumed crops that were genetically modified to produce the pesticide Bt (approved for consumption in the US), have died by the thousands and upon autopsy black patches on the liver and intestines along with internal bleeding were discovered.

• Genetically modified tomatoes fed to rats were shown to cause bleeding stomachs and eventually killed many of the rats.
• Japan, China, Germany, Spain, Italy, France, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Australia, New Zealand are just some of the world’s countries that have banned or restricted the import, distribution, sale, utilization, field trials and commercial planting of GMO’s
• Despite the fact that FDA scientists have been aware of these health concerns since the early 1990’s, Washington is unwilling to ban them, label them or require safety studies.
Approximately 95% of soy in the US is genetically modified, and that includes all the products on the shelves that contain soy (which is most products!!). NOTE: Eat organic whenever possible. If a food product is labeled ‘certified organic’, it, by definition, cannot be genetically modified.

Just one century ago, people consumed about 15 grams of sugar a day mostly from pure cane sugar. Today, the typical person consumes a whopping 73 grams of sugar a day mostly in foods sweetened using the cheaper corn fructose sugar. A more subtle source of “sugar” intake comes from whole, sprouted and refined grains in the Standard American Diet (SAD). Research continues to reveal the damage that sugar is having on our body. Most of the research is pointed at the impact of sugar on weight gain, diabetes, obesity, ADD/ADHD and cancer. However, more and more research is drawing a very direct relationship between sugar, especially fructose, and heart disease.
• Sugar can increase your systolic blood pressure.
• Sugar can cause hardening of the arteries and heart disease.
• Sugar can cause abnormal metabolic processes in normal, healthy individuals and thus promoten degenerative diseases.
• Fructose specifically, for example in fresh fruit juices, and processed soft drinks or sports drinks, has been shown to raise triglyceride levels, and increased risk for heart disease.
Excess deep belly or visceral fat, associated with obesity, is caused by consuming sugar and grains which break down quickly to glucose, elevating insulin levels, the hormone that tells the body to store fat. Visceral fat has been connected to the release of proteins and hormones in the body, which cause inflammation, in turn damaging arteries. So it comes down to this:

Sugar and grains are inflammatory foods which promote degeneration of our cellular structure which leads us to today’s most common reasons for death, all of which are degenerative diseases.

They are heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and now obesity. Interesting don’t you think, that just one hundred years ago, the top causes for death were upper respiratory infections like pneumonia, flu and tuberculosis? Could it be our lifestyles? Could it be what we eat, our stressful lives, our lack of sleep and lack of exercise? Choosing health means choosing a better lifestyle. Let us help you make those choices.

Acute Stress
Acute stress is the body’s physiological reaction to a new challenge or sudden unexpected occurrence. Events such as a near-miss automobile accident, an argument with a family member or a costly mistake at work can trigger the body to turn on the “flight or fight” response. Acute stress isn’t always caused by negative stress. It can occur when riding a roller coaster or having a person jump out at you in a haunted house. Isolated episodes of acute stress generally leave no lingering health effects. In fact, some level of stress might actually be healthy, as these stressful situations provide the body and brain ‘practice’ in developing the best response to stressful situations that may occur in the future.

Chronic Stress
If acute stress isn’t resolved and begins to increase or last for long periods of time, a condition known as chronic stress results. Chronic stress can be detrimental to health, as it can contribute to serious diseases or health risks such as heart disease, cancer, lung disease, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide.

Adrenal Glands and their Role:
Stress impacts the adrenal glands. Adrenal glands are responsible for one of the most important body functions: managing stress. When the adrenal glands are impacted by chronic emotional and/or physical stress, a condition known as adrenal fatigue sets in. The entire body is involved in the form of extreme exhaustion. It’s estimated that during their lifetimes, up to 80 percent of adults experience adrenal fatigue, yet it remains one of the most under-diagnosed illnesses in the United States.

Managing Stress
The goal of stress management isn’t to rid yourself of it completely. Rather, the goal is to identify a person’s stressors — those things, events or people — that cause the most problems or demand the most energy, and find ways to overcome the negative stress those factors induce.

Tips for Managing Stress
If able to isolate your major stressors, you can work (by yourself, with friends, with family, with a professional counselor, or a combination of these) to create individual resolutions to each issue. Here are some ideas to consider as a means to reduce stress:

• Take charge of your schedule
  Prioritize your daily, weekly, and other tasks. Delegate some tasks as appropriate. The more you are in control of your schedule, the less stress you will feel.
• Set limits on your commitments
  Even though being involved in activities, such as volunteering or attending social events can be rewarding and fulfilling, heavy demands on your time may be more than you can handle without feeling stressed.
• Take a break
  Mounting stress and pressure may begin to weigh down on your shoulders like a load of bricks. Before you let stress impair you, take a break. Feeling drained? Don’t reach for a cup of coffee or soda for energy. Instead, take a walk, go outside, get some fresh air.
• Don’t neglect your health
  When deadlines are looming and you’re fighting to stay above water, it’s too easy to let health priorities fall by the wayside. Get regular sleep. Eat a balanced diet. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco.
• Get regular exercise
  An integral part of nurturing health is physical activity. Exercise can boost your feel-good endorphins, counteract the damage stress is doing to your body, and get your mind off what’s stressing you. Can’t squeeze in a full 30 minute exercise each day? Good news: Three separate ten-minute sessions are just as beneficial.
• Practice relaxation techniques
  Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, yoga, stretching, visualization, and massage are all great ways to work out physical and mental effects of chronic stress.
• Seek professional help
  Have a consultation with a licensed counselor/therapist to learn your options. Also, for more information on how we can help, please contact one of our wellness consultants at 281.298.6742. Source: Portions extracted from http://www.mayclinic.com & http://www.mercola.com

Many people have felt sad or depressed at times. Depression occurs without regard to gender, age and lifestyle. Feeling depressed can be a normal reaction to loss, life’s struggles or an injured self-esteem. But when feelings of intense sadness — including feeling helpless, hopeless and worthless — last for days or weeks and keep you from functioning normally, your depression may be something more.

Facts*:
• Depression is a common condition, affecting about 121 million people worldwide.
• According to a 2009 report in the New York Times, the use of antidepressants doubled between 1996 and 2005. Today, it’s estimated that 10% of Americans take antidepressant medication — that’s 32 million sufferers.
• Depression is among the leading causes of disability worldwide.
• Depression can be reliably diagnosed and treated in a primary care setting.
• Fewer than 25% of those affected by depression have access to effective treatments.

Signs of Depression**:
Two major signs of depression are:
1) Loss of interest in activities normally enjoyed and,
2) Overwhelming sense of hopelessness or pessimism.

Other symptoms or behavioral indicators for depression include:
• Persistent sad, anxious or “empty” feelings
• Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in nearly all activities most of the time
• Excessive or inappropriate feelings of guilt or worthlessness
• Irritability
• Sluggishness, loss of energy or fatigue most of the time
• Difficulty concentrating
• Insomnia, especially early morning awakening, or excessive sleeping
• Increase or decrease in appetite
• Recurrent suicidal thoughts or attempts
• Constant pains, headaches or stomach problems that do not respond to treatment

Every individual may exhibit different signs and symptoms with different frequency or severity. But if five or more of these symptoms apply to you or someone you know, it could signal depression.

Depression can affect everyone***:
Depression can be prevalent in a specific phase of a person’s life. For example, teen depression is a serious condition that affects emotions, thoughts and behaviors. Although teen depression isn’t medically different from adult depression, teenagers often have unique challenges and symptoms. Issues such as peer pressure, academic expectations and changing body types can cause various moods, and ups and downs for teens. For some teens, the lows are more than just temporary feelings; they’re a sign of depression.

Many moms experience the “baby blues” after childbirth. Most common are mood swings and crying spells. Some experience a more severe, long-lasting form of depression known as postpartum depression.

Men also go through “andropause,” which is the equivalent of menopause in females. Andropause correlates directly with depression, a significant factor in the so-called mid-life crisis men experience during their late 40s to late 50s. There are a variety of symptoms and conditions that hormone-impaired men experience during this mid-life transition, including irritability, loss of libido, lack of energy and weight gain.

No matter how you look at it, depression can be a disabling condition, if left untreated.

Treatment:
Traditional therapies used to treat most emotional distress are antidepressants. Common among them are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Prozac, Lexapro and Zoloft. These drugs have been shown in clinical trials to be no more effective than a placebo for the vast majority of those taking them. Worse, they have a long list of side effects, including weight gain, sexual dysfunction and increased risk of suicide and violent behavior.***

Treatment options offered at The Woodlands Institute target the underlying causes of depression, which may be related to dietary habits, vitamin deficiencies, food sensitivities and hormonal imbalance (despite normal blood levels of hormones). Depression is NOT caused by a deficiency in a pharmaceutical drug!

If you or a loved one is suffering from any form of depression, please call 281-298-6742 and ask to speak to a wellness consultant, who will assist you in finding the program that will best fit your symptoms and specific health goals.

Sources:
Some excerpts of this article have been derived from http://www.articles.mercola.com and from http://www.doctoroz.com
*Statistics from WorldHealthOrganization.com
**Adapted from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition and http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles
***Source: http://www.alternativementalhealth.com