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The Dr. Glenn Report — June 2008

In this issue:

How I May be Able to Help You Sleep Better — Naturally...

Craig is a real patient of mine (we changed his name). He originally came to me for low back pain, but also asked if I could help him sleep better. He'd been reading the articles on strongerleanerbetter.com and wanted a little assistance.

Craig: I decided to ask Dr. Glenn for some help after years of sleeping problems. I own a small software company that requires my attention seven days a week. I travel frequently. I was using over-the-counter sleep aids like Tylenol PM to help me get about 4-5 hours of sleep each night. I knew this wasn't normal, and I just hit a point where I couldn't stand it anymore.

Dr Glenn: I was more than a little surprised by what Craig was telling me. He slept about four or five hours each night, used caffeine, and put in 10-12 hour days almost every day of the week(!). Right off the bat, I knew his cortisol levels were out of balance and that was driving his insomnia.

Cortisol is a hormone produced by your adrenal glands. It's your primary hormonal response to stress. Your cortisol levels should peak during the early morning hours and slowly level off during the day. They should be roughly 8 times higher in the morning than they are at night.

This natural cycle, or cortisol rhythm, is directed by light and dark. Daylight comes and cortisol rises, darkness fall and cortisol tapers off. But modern living can easily disrupt this rhythm. I knew that Craig's cortisol rhythm was off. But my guesses weren't good enough. Lab tests show what's really going on.

Craig: Dr. Hyman explained why my sleep problems were probably related to my cortisol levels. He explained that an Stress Hormone Lab Test was the best way to measure my cortisol levels. So I took the kit home. I was surprised that saliva samples were an accurate way to measure cortisol levels, but after doing some of my own research on the web, I found out it was true.

Dr. Glenn: Craig completed a stress hormone test that's called the "Functional Adrenal Stress Profile." It's Biohealth Diagnostics out of San Diego. This lab is run by a medical doctor and it's renowned for its accuracy. This particular test requires that you collect saliva samples at four different times throughout the day. Then you simply put the collection tubes into a small pre-paid Fed-Ex box and send the test to the lab.

When Craig's lab report came back, I was glad to see that his cortisol levels were right where I thought they'd be. I've included a copy of the actual report here.

As you can see, Craig had high cortisol levels in both the morning and the evening. That night time level, the 4.6 after 10PM was the reason it took him so long to fall asleep. That level is 50% higher than the reference range. Not good. Given that his morning cortisol was also elevated, it's safe to assume that Craig had elevated cortisol all night long. This is Stage 1 of Adrenal Burnout.

I usually address this problem on two fronts: with lifestyle changes and supplementation. We looked at Craig's history. The major problems were: too much caffeine, too much work, excessive exercise, and dietary stress. So we changed as much as we reasonably could.

Craig: Dr. Hyman gave me a few basic changes to make in my life. The first was cutting down the length of my work day. The second was a change in exercise. I used to take a break at about 4, drink an "energy drink" (caffeine) and go to the gym. I'd spend about 60-90 minutes lifting heavy weights and using a cardio machine. And I didn't have the world's greatest diet. I ate a lot of packaged foods and take out. Most mornings I'd skip breakfast and have a protein shake.

Dr. Glenn: I educated Craig about what he should be eating. No more junk food, no more protein shakes, no more takeout crap. We cut him down to a max of one hour in the gym three times a week. I also talked him into buying a mountain bike so he could get some outdoor exercise. I forced him to limit himself to 2 cups of coffee in the morning with absolutely no caffeine before working out. (Note: if you need to jack yourself up to work out because you're too tired, something is wrong.)

We also started an adrenal recovery supplement program. The supplements alone won't get the job done, lifestyle changes are at least 50% of the solution, but a rational supplement program is a crucial part of re-setting natural hormone rhythms.

Craig: I added the supplements into my lifestyle program, and quite frankly I wasn't sure they were doing anything. I was expecting immediate changes, and it didn't happen. But I wanted to believe Dr. Hyman could fix my sleep problem, so I stuck to the program.

Dr. Glenn: A true recovery plan takes time. Rather than throwing a fast-acting drug at the symptoms, a natural approach looks to correct the underlying physiological cause of the problem. This does take a little longer to kick in, but it's a long-lasting correction of the problem, not a temporary masking of the symptoms.

Craig: About a month into the program, I started falling asleep earlier. And I stayed asleep. At first, I was shocked that I was getting 6 hours. I remember waking up three or four days in a row and just being thrilled that I was getting more sleep. Then I started forcing myself to get into bed earlier. I started sleeping from 10:30 to about 6:30 AM, every night. On weekends I'd sleep longer. It was truly unbelievable.

Dr. Glenn: After 6 months, we stopped Craig's supplements and re-tested his adrenals. They were within the normal range, so we put him on a high-quality multivitamin supplement and made sure he stayed on his high-quality diet. His sleep is dramatically better. We re-established normal cortisol rhythms naturally and in a way that lasts. Now, it's up to Craig to maintain the lifestyle that will keep him balanced or he'll mess himself up again.

If you've been having trouble with sleep, maybe I can help. Take advantage of this month's "Help me sleep! Special."

How to Strengthen Your Weak Feet to Prevent Foot Problems and Shin Splints

When I started training for the June 21st Xterra Triathlon in Buffalo Creek (www.youtriit.com) two things started to hurt — my feet and my shins. I guess that's four things. Luckily, I know what to do about those problems. Here are 4 great preventative and rehabilitative exercises that you can use to help yourself. Do them barefoot or in socks if you prefer — but no shoes!

Foot Circles:

Foot Circles

With this one, it's actually the foot on the ground that's doing the work. You'll figure that out really quickly.

Stand on one foot and pull the arch up using your calf muscles. Maintain the arch throughout this exercise. First, hold your "flying foot" in front of you and make 10 clockwise circles. Then do 10 circles in the other direction. Then hold your foot behind and do the same thing. Finally, hold your foot straight out to the side and do 10 more circles in each direction. Switch feet and repeat.

Barefoot Teeter-Totters

Barefoot Teeter-Totters

Once again, strive to maintain a healthy arch in the planted foot. Most of you will have to do this by consciously pulling up. Keep your "flying leg" straight in relation to your torso while you move forward around your planted leg's hip. Remember to keep your planted knee slightly bent, also known as a soft knee. Move slowly, touch the ground and come back up. Do five reps on this side and then switch.

Toe Squats

Toe Squats

This one's an advanced exercise for the strong and brave. In a nutshell, you're up on your toes and going through a full squat. It's a great way to strengthen your feet. Just start with one slow rep and try to work up to 10. If you can do this ten times on your toes, you have very strong feet and should brag to anyone who'll listen.

Heel Sitting

Heel Sitting

This is the most effective method for stretching the plantar fascia that I've found. As a warning, for most people it's not a comfortable experience.

From the toe-squat position, let your knees come to the floor and sit on the floor. Rest your butt on your heels. For most of you, this will be very uncomfortable. Try to work up to three minutes in this position. Come up on to your toes, stick your hands about in front of you and squat down. If you can squat full-range, great. Come to a full stop at the bottom, count to 3, and come back up.

If you've been putting up with annoying problems like shin splints or foot pain, there's a good chance that you have scar tissue that's accumulated in your muscles. We can break that up with Active Release, and get you using some corrective exercises to help fix the problem. In my experience, these problems usually get worse, so give me a call and come on in for some help. Call me at 303.300.0424 to make an appointment.

Easy healthy fajitas that anyone can make

Chicken Fajitas

Anyone who eats a healthy diet can tell you that you have to look for ways to make chicken more interesting. This is a pretty easy way to do that. Here's what you need:

  • 1-2 pounds of all-natural or organic boneless chicken breasts (steak works, too!)
  • Optional Barbecue Sauce (Austin's Own available at Whole Foods)
  • A yellow onion (optional)
  • 2-3 bell peppers, preferably organic and of different colors
  • Salsa (try to get one that's fresh-made or at least without chemicals)
  • Sour cream (whole or 2%, I use whole, but not tons of it)
  • Tortillas — Corn (corn is gluten-free) or whole wheat

I like to grill the chicken. In fact, I like to grill a lot.

As long as you grill at lower temperatures and don't burn anything, that's fine.

Chicken on the grill is much faster than chicken in the oven. So start by pre-heating the grill.

Preheat a nice iron skillet with some olive oil in it. Use a medium heat. Slice up the peppers into thin strips, and chop the onion up as well. Throw it all into the skillet.

Cover the chicken with barbecue sauce and put it on the grill at medium heat. Cook until done. The secret to perfectly grilled chicken is turning it frequently. When it's done, slice the chicken into thin strips. Bring the sliced chicken and the peppers to the table. Put the sour cream and salsa on the table. Warm the tortillas. The rest is selfexplanatory.

This is a great recipe for kids because they get to eat with their hands and make a mess. My two-year-old loves fajitas. The whole thing should be ready from start to finish in 30 minutes. Make sure you make enough for leftovers lunch tomorrow.

How We Taught Our Kids to Love Vegetables

By Meredith Hyman

Glenn and I are the proud parents of two little boys, Andrew and Jason. Andrew is almost 3 and Jason is 7 months old. Whenever we are having dinner with friends or relatives, people are always shocked that Andrew loves vegetables. This wasn't an accident, it's the result of a consistent effort. Here's a little insight into how we did it. We can't claim all of these ideas as our own, but advice from books, other parents, a nutritionist, and a pediatrician have certainly helped this process!

  1. Start early and often. Both of our boys' first food (after rice cereal, of course) was vegetables. We heard the theory that this would help them get a "taste" for vegetables. Before starting fruit , we made sure that they had tried many different veggies. Even after they moved on to other foods, veggies still remained part of the daily routine. Jason still prefers veggies to fruit.
  2. Make it fun! As Andrew started to learn his colors, he enjoyed having several different colors at dinner. Fajitas are still one of his favorite meals (green peppers are his favorite, but he insists on having orange, red, and yellow peppers in his fajita as well).
  3. Get them involved! We belong to a community supported agriculture (CSA) farm called Monroe Organic Farms (www.monroefarm.com). Every Tuesday Glenn picks up a wonderful variety of fresh organic fruits and vegetables from a drop off point in Denver. Andrew calls this "vegetable day". When Glenn gets home, we all go outside to wash the produce. Andrew then gets to pick which veggies he wants for dinner.
  4. Fun treats! Andrew loves a snack called Veggie Booty (we buy it at Whole Foods or Vitamin Cottage). They are rice and corn puffs covered with broccoli, kale, carrot, cabbage, and parsley powders. Mmmmm!
  5. Keep frozen vegetables handy. OK, fresh is best, but frozen are easy and healthy. Here is a fun trick for frozen vegetables: when Andrew comes home from school he is ready to eat dinner right away, but we still have to cook. A small bowl of frozen veggies cook quickly in the microwave and make a healthy appetizer.

Save $25 and start sleeping better!

This month's Help Me Sleep Special could be your ticket to finally getting a good night's sleep — night after night.

This special includes:

  • A Sleep Consultation, where we'll talk about your sleep problems,
  • A Stress Hormone Profile lab test (saliva sample) that will measure your Cortisol and DHEA levels throughout the day.
  • A Test Results Consultation, where we'll interpret your test and figure out what you need to do to start sleeping better.

You get all this for only $125. This package usually goes for $150, but between now and July 3rd, 2008, you can save $25.

This is the same test that Craig used to get his sleep problem fixed. Now you can use it, too.

Call 303.300.0424 or send me an email to get started.

Isn't it time you started sleeping better?

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