Jim Whedon DC, Nancy Rugo NP
Grantham, New Hampshire

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Nancy Rugo, NP CMT


Jim Whedon, DC

Neurologic Fitness
In our practice we help people to achieve and maintain neurologic fitness.   Neurologic fitness is essential for health, for the prevention of illness and for combating the aging process. 

 

What is Neurologic Fitness?  It is a condition of vitality, ease and balance in the nervous system.  The maintenance of neurologic fitness is a life-long process.  Your nervous system functions in a constant state of flux, as you continually adapt to the ups and downs of life.  If your nervous system is fit and flexible it adapts to life’s joys and challenges with ease.  But if stretched to its limits, the adaptive capacity of your nervous system is compromised, the system becomes stressed, and pain and illness can result.

The Basis of Neurologic Fitness

The state of neurologic fitness is a natural and healthy condition.  It is a state of balance that is maintained by various components of the nervous system:

  • The Brain: The fundamental functioning of the brain is accomplished via neurotransmission - chemical signaling by which nerve cells communicate with each other.  The chemical messengers are known as neurotransmitters.  There are two broad classes of neurotransmitters: excitatory and inhibitory.   The healthy brain maintains a balance between excitation and inhibition.    
  • The Autonomic Nervous System:  The autonomic nervous system regulates many of the functions of the body that are not under our conscious control.  For example, the beating of the heart, breathing and digestion are regulated by the autonomic nervous system.  Specialized clusters of nerve cells in the brain, along the spine, and within the chest, abdomen and pelvis control the autonomic nervous system.  The autonomic nervous system is divided into two divisions, the excitatory sympathetic system, and the inhibitory parasympathetic system.  A healthy nervous system is balanced between the influences of the sympathetic and the parasympathetic systems.  Certain functions of the adrenal glands also strongly influence the balance of the autonomic nervous system.
     

    Adverse Influences

    Stress: Stress causes excitation of the nervous system.  For an acute stressful event, this is a normal and healthy response.  Severe or chronic stress however, can lead to development of a maladaptive response by the nervous system, resulting in a state of sympathetic dominance.

    Trauma: Trauma can involve direct physical injury to the nervous system, as well as damage from inflammation that develops in response to the injury.  Trauma also tends to be accompanied by psychosocial stress and the consequences described above.  Injuries to the head and spine are most likely to adversely affect neurologic fitness.

    Toxicity: Exposure to environmental toxins such as heavy metals can accumulation in nerve cells and poison the normal healthy functioning of the nervous system.


    Nervous system imbalance can take the form of excessive inhibition (parasympathetic dominance) or excessive excitation (sympathetic dominance   In most cases an imbalanced system tends toward a state of sympathetic dominance.  (Parasympathetic dominance is less common, but occurs under certain circumstances, such as spinal cord injury.)  If your nervous system is under sympathetic dominance, your system is under constant internally generated stress, predisposed to the development of chronic illness such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes. 

     

    Besides increasing your risk of chronic illness, neurologic imbalance may be a direct cause of numerous health problems, including: 

  • Anxiety

  • Depession

  • ADD/ADHD

  • Mood Disorder

  • Fatigue

  • Insomnia

  • Chronic Pain

  • Memory Problems

  • Trouble Concentrating

  • Headaches

  • Over-eating

  • Compulsive Behavior


    A state of sympathetic dominance is a state of unwellness that may predispose to all sorts of vague and minor complaints, and hastens the aging process.  (More than 75 years the ago, Dr. Hans Selye, the pioneering father of stress research, observed that patients with unbalanced nervous systems are often “just sick”, but have no clearly definable illness.  And without a diagnosis, physicians had no treatment to offer their suffering patients.  Today, that is no longer the case.  The emerging field of functional medicine recognizes that health and illness exist on a continuum.  It is no longer necessary or desirable to wait until you cross the arbitrary dividing line between “healthy” and “sick” before you can take action to restore your health.

     

    How can you regain and maintain neurologic fitness?  In our practice we provide services that you can utilize to correct functional imbalance of the nervous system, to regain and maintain neurologic fitness.  We provide: 

     Vibrational Chiropractic:  Most people think of chiropractic as a natural treatment for back pain, neck pain and headaches, and chiropractic care is indeed effective for such problems, but that’s not all.  Chiropractic offers profound benefits for the nervous system itself.  In our practice we assess the vibratory tone of the system and use very gentle low force spinal adjustments to calm the hyper-facilitated nervous system, discharge tension, increase flexibility, and engender a state of ease.  

    “I founded the science of Chiropractic upon the basic principle of tone. “  - DD Palmer, Founder of Chiropractic

     

    Massage Therapy to reduce stress, optimize muscle tone, induce relaxation, improve circulation, eliminate toxins and enhance neuroendocrine balance.


    Nutritional     Supplementation to fill in the gaps created by the inevitably suboptimal diets characteristic of modern lifestyles.  General nutritional support builds and protects organ reserve and prevents development of chronic illness.  We also provide nutritional support targeted specifically at maintaining healthy nerve cells and balancing nerve transmission.  Nutrition for the nervous system must be carefully formulated and prescribed because the vital nutrients must readily cross the blood-brain barrier.  Also important is nutritional support for the glandular system, especially the adrenal glands, which work in concert with the nervous system.  The adrenals are prone to fatigue and exhaustion.
      

    Botanical Medicine to tone the nervous system and support glandular function, especially the adrenals.


    Therapeutic Breathwork     too energize and oxygenate the system, and facilitate deeper respiration


    Chakra     Toning to strengthen the vibrational tone of the system and enhance self awareness

    Hormone Replacement to correct neuroendocrine imbalances due to stress and aging.  Whenever possible, we use bioidentical hormone replacement, the natural and safer alternative to hormone replacement drugs.

    Elimination Therapies     for detoxification of the nervous system.

    We also make recommendations and referrals for exercise, yoga, meditation, psychotherapy, energetic bodywork, and other practices.  When necessary as a bridge to wellness, conventional medication such as analgesics, psychotropics, or pharmacologic hormone replacement may be indicated.  If need be, we will refer you to conventional medical providers for imaging studies, laboratory testing, or further evaluation.

    Evaluation and Monitoring
    How do you know when you have achieved neurologic fitness?  New means of measuring the functioning of the nervous system have recently been developed, allowing us to measure and monitor the neurologic fitness.  We employ two kinds of measures:

    Biochemical measures:
    We test urine and saliva for concentrations of numerous neurotransmitters and hormones, including serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, cortisol, glutamate, gamma amino butyric acid, and many others.  Levels of neurotransmitter and hormones within the optimal range are supportive of neurologic fitness.  Occasionally, blood tests may be helpful.  Urinary analysis may also be used to detect the presence of toxins that may have accumulated in the nervous system.     

     

      Physiologic measures: We use physiologic measurements to asses the balance, tone and rhythm of the nervous system.  The most important physiologic measurement is heart rate variability (HRV).  HRV measures the strength of the parasympathetic system.  Optimal HRV is associated with reduced stress, reduced risk of degenerative illness, and an anti-aging effect.  The HRV monitor can also be used to monitor the effectiveness of chiropractic and massage treatments.


      Clinical Measures: Palpation (clinical examination by touch) of the spine and the musculature can reveal patterns of vertebral subluxation complex.  Vertebral subluxation complex is a condition characterized by misalignment, loss of spinal mobility and muscle tension.  Tension in the spine and muscles may reflect a deeper pattern of tension in the nervous system.  Restrictive patterns of breathing may also be associated with nervous system tension and imbalance. 

       

      These measurements allow us to assess the effectiveness of our treatments and practices.  There is no perfect measurement.  With a successful outcome, your clinical and laboratory indicators return to and remain within optimal ranges, consistent with a nervous system that is resilient, adaptable and balanced. This is the state of neurologic fitness.

       

      There is also a third measure of neurologic fitness, and it is perhaps the most important: how you feel.  Expect to feel better!  The subjective experience of neurologic fitness is measured not just by the reduction or elimination of pain, but also by feelings of increased energy, enthusiasm, happiness, and love.  At its best, a balanced nervous system endows us with ease and poise, and a greater capacity for emotion, creativity, peak experience, and spiritual aspiration. 

       

     

     

     

     

 


Oligomeric Proanthocyanidins (OPCs)
Potent Antioxidant Supplements

Jim Whedon, DC

Oligomeric proanthocyanidin complexes (OPCs) are naturally occurring phytochemicals found in many fruits and vegetables. Classified as flavanols, OPCs tend to condense into oligomers and polymers. OPCs are powerful free radical-scavengers; they are bioavailable and water soluble, and can also penetrate lipid cellular membranes.1,2 Most notable for their antioxidant activity, these compounds also improve vascular function, and have been reported to exhibit antibiotic, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory properties.3 A wide spectrum of therapeutic effects support the potential clinical application of OPCs in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, immune disorders, neurodegenerative conditions and cancer,4 and even in promoting hair growth.5

Pycnogenol
Perhaps the most readily available source of OPCs is Pycnogenol, a standardized extract composed of a mixture of compounds, primarily proanthocyanidins and phenolic acids.4,6 Pycnogenol is widely marketed for use as a nutritional supplement and a phytochemical treatment for various disorders.7 Laboratory research has shown that Pycnogenol modulates nitric oxide metabolism,4,8,9 affects the activity of certain protein kinases important for cellular function,7 stimulates lipolysis,10 enhances killer cell cytotoxicity,11 and protects vascular endothelium from oxidative injury.12,13 Pycnogenol inhibits the activity of certain molecular modulators of inflammatory and immune responses that have been linked to the development of atherosclerosis, ischemic vascular disorders, diabetes, and cancer metastasis.14 Specifically, Pycnogenol may protect against the development of atherosclerosis through modulating the production of nitric oxide by vascular endothelial cells.9 Pycnogenol is just as effective as aspirin in inhibiting smoking-induced platelet aggregation, without increasing bleeding time.15 By protecting the vascular endothelium against beta-amyloid -induced damage, Pycnogenol may also prevent the development of Alzheimers disease.16

Botanical Sources of OPCs
OPCs cannot be produced endogenously by humans, but can be found in many food plants in varying degrees of concentration, as well as in the bark of various trees,2,3 including Terminalia arjuna, which has been used for centuries as a cardiac tonic in the Ayurvedic system of traditional Indian medicine. Preparations from the bark of T. arjuna have been shown to be effective in the treatment of coronary artery disease and cardiac failure.17 The richest sources of OPCs are the bark of the French maritime pine (Pinus maritima, the source of Pycnogenol) and grape seeds.18,19 A standardized extract of OPCs made from grape seeds and pine bark that has undergone extensive clinical and laboratory testing is now commercially available, and is widely utilized by dietary supplement manufacturers.2

Antioxidant Activity
Proanthocyanidins are highly active free radical scavengers as compared with the monomeric flavonols and flavones, and probably constitute the principal antioxidant agents in red wine and green tea.20 OPCs inhibit the peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids,21 and enhance the effectiveness of the cellular antioxidant network by protecting endogenous alpha-tocopherol from oxidative stress.12 A grape seed proanthocyanidin extract protects against acetaminophen -induced hepatic damage,22 and provides significantly better protection against oxidative damage in hepatic and brain tissues than certain dietary micronutrients, including vitamin E, vitamin C and beta-carotene.23 Administered to human subjects at a dosage of 600 mg/day, an OPC preparation extracted from grapes was shown to significantly increase serum antioxidant activity.24

Cardiovascular Benefits
OPCs have an affinity for structural proteins, particularly collagen and elastin.2 OPCs bound to collagen block the attachment sites and thus the activity of destructive enzymes, including hyaluronidase, collagenase, elastase and histidine decarboxylase. OPCs thus enhance the strength and elasticity of connective tissues in general, and of vascular and lymphatic membranes in particular, protecting the vascular wall by inhibiting lipid peroxidation, cholesterol deposition and platelet aggregation. They enhance microcirculation by promoting vasodilation, increasing the resistance of capillary walls, and reducing capillary permeability. 2,3,4,25,26,27 The OPC content of grape seeds may account for the anti-atherosclerotic effect and cardioprotective benefits that have been attributed to the moderate consumption of red wine.27 Laboratory animals fed OPCs exhibited enhanced recovery of post-ischemic contractile function, and less evidence of myocardial infarction, as compared to controls.28

Cancer
OPCs also show some promise as agents for the chemoprevention of cancer. Pycnogenol protected against lung tumorigenesis induced in rats 29 and a grape seed extract protected against skin tumor formation in mice.30 Grape seed extracts exerted a significant cytotoxic effect in cell cultures of two types of human oral cancer,31 as well as breast and lung cancer, gastric adenocarcinoma, and chronic myelogenous leukemia. The same extracts also increased the viability of normal cells.32

 References
1. Vrgili F, Pagana G, Bourne L, et al. Ferulic acid excretion as a marker of consumption of a French maritime pine (Pinus maritima) bark extract. Free Radic Biol Med. 2000 Apr 15; 28(8): 1249-1256.
2. Primary Source, Inc. About OPC. [Primary Source, Inc. Web site]
3. Fine AM. Oligomeric proanthocyanidin complexes: history, structure, and phytopharmaceutical applications. Altern Med Rev. 2000 Apr; 5(2): 144-151.
4. Packer L, Rimbach G, Virgili F. Antioxidant activity and biologic properties of a procyanidin-rich extract from pine (Pinus maritima) bark, Pycnogenol. Free Radic Biol Med. 1999 Sep; 27(5-6): 704-724.
5. Takahashi T, Kamiya T, Yokoo Y. Proanthocyanidins from grape seeds promote proliferation of mouse hair follicle cells in vitro and convert hair cycle in vivo. Acta Derm Venereol. 1998 Nov; 78(6): 428-432.
6. Masquelier J, Michaud J, Laparra J, Dumon MC. Flavonoids and Pycnogenols [in French]. Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 1979; 49(3): 307-311.
7. Nardini M, Scaccini C, Packer L, Virgili F. In vitro inhibition of the activity of phosphorylase kinase, protein kinase C and protein kinase A by caffeic acid and a procyanidin-rich pine bark (Pinus maritima) extract. Biochim Biophys. Acta 2000 Apr 6; 1474(2): 219-225.
8. Virgili F, Kobuchi H, Packer L. Procyanidins extracted from Pinus maritima (Pycnogenol): scavengers of free radical species and modulators of nitrogen monoxide metabolism in activated murine RAW 264.7 macrophages. Free Radic Biol Med. 1998 May; 24(7-8): 1120-1129.
9. Fitzpatrick DF, Bing B, Rohdewald P. Endothelium-dependent vascular effects of Pycnogenol. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 1998 Oct; 32(4): 509-515.
10. Hasegawa N. Stimulation of lipolysis by pycnogenol. Phytother Res. 1999 Nov; 13(7): 619-620.
11. Cheshier JE, Ardestani-Kaboudanian S, Liang B, et al. Immunomodulation by pycnogenol in retrovirus-infected or ethanol-fed mice. Life Sci. 1996; 58(5): PL 87-96.
12. Virgili F, Kim D, Packer L. Procyanidins extracted from pine bark protect alpha-tocopherol in ECV 304 endothelial cells challenged by activated RAW 264.7 macrophages: role of nitric oxide and peroxynitrite. FEBS Lett. 1998 Jul 24; 431(3): 315-318.
13. Rong Y, Li L, Shah V, Lau BH. Pycnogenol protects vascular endothelial cells from t-butyl hydroperoxide induced oxidant injury. Biotechnol Ther. 1994-95; 5(3-4): 117-126.
14. Peng Q, Wei Z, Lau BH. Pycnogenol inhibits tumor necrosis factor-alpha-induced nuclear factor kappa B activation and adhesion molecule expression in human vascular endothelial cells. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2000 May; 57(5): 834-841.
15. Putter M, Grotemeyer KH, Wurthwein G, et al. Inhibition of smoking-induced platelet aggregation by aspirin and pycnogenol. Thromb Res. 1999 Aug 15; 95(4): 155-161.
16. Liu F, Lau BH, Peng Q, Shah V. Pycnogenol protects vascular endothelial cells from beta-amyloid-induced injury. Biol Pharm Bull. 2000 Jun; 23(6): 735-737.
17. Terminalia arjuna. Altern Med Rev. 1999 Dec; 4(6): 436-437.
18. Kahkonen MP, Hopia AI, Vuorela HJ, et al. Antioxidant activity of plant extracts containing phenolic compounds. J Agric Food Chem. 1999 Oct; 47(10): 3954-3962.
19. Bertelli AA, Bertelli A. Cardioprotection of red wine: role of polyphenolic antioxidants. Drugs Exp Clin Res. 1999; 25(2-3): 115-120.
20. Bors W, Michel C. Antioxidant capacity of flavanols and gallate esters: pulse radiolysis studies. Free Radic Biol Med. 1999 Dec; 27(11-12): 1413-1426.
21. Bouhamidi R, Prevost V, Nouvelot A. High protection by grape seed proanthocyanidins (GSPC) of polyunsaturated fatty acids against UV-C induced peroxidation. C R Acad Sci III. 1998 Jan; 321(1): 31-38. 22. Ray SD, Kumar MA, Bagchi D. A novel proanthocyanidin IH636 grape seed extract increases in vivo Bcl-XL expression and prevents acetaminophen-induced programmed and unprogrammed cell death in mouse liver. Arch Biochem Biophys. 1999 Sep 1; 369(1): 42-58.
23. Bagchi D, Garg A, Krohn RL, et al. Protective effects of grape seed proanthocyanidins and selected antioxidants against TPA-induced hepatic and brain lipid peroxidation and DNA fragmentation, and peritoneal macrophage activation in mice. Gen Pharmacol. 1998 May; 30(5): 771-776.
24. Nuttall SL, Kendall MJ, Bombardelli E, Morazzoni P. An evaluation of the antioxidant activity of a standardized grape seed extract, Leucoselect. J Clin Pharm Ther. 1998 Oct; 23(5): 385-389.
25. Wegrowski J, Robert AM, Moczar M. The effect of procyanidolic oligomers on the composition of normal and hypercholesterolemic rabbit aortas. Biochem Pharmacol. 1984 Nov 1; 33(21): 3491-3497.
26. Robert L, Godeau G, Gavignet-Jeannin C, Groult N, Six C, Robert AM. The effect of procyanidolic oligomers on vascular permeability. A study using quantitative morphology [in French]. Pathol Biol. 1990 Jun; 38(6): 608-616.
27. Yamakoshi J, Kataoka S, Koga T, Ariga T. Proanthocyanidin-rich extract from grape seeds attenuates the development of aortic atherosclerosis in cholesterol-fed rabbits. Atherosclerosis. 1999 Jan; 142(1): 139-149.
28. Sato M, Maulik G, Ray PS, Bagchi D, Das DK. Cardioprotective effects of grape seed proanthocyanidin against ischemic reperfusion injury. J Mol Cell Cardiol. 1999 Jun; 31(6): 1289-1297.
29. Huynh HT, Teel RW. Effects of intragastrically administered Pycnogenol on NNK metabolism in F344 rats. Anticancer Res. 1999 May-Jun; 19(3A): 2095-2099.
30. Bomser JA, Singletary KW, Wallig MA, Smith MA. Inhibition of TPA-induced tumor promotion in CD-1 mouse epidermis by a polyphenolic fraction from grape seeds. Cancer Lett. 1999 Jan 29; 135(2): 151-157.
31. Shirataki Y, Kawase M, Saito S, et al. Selective cytotoxic activity of grape peel and seed extracts against oral tumor cell lines. Anticancer Res. 2000 Jan-Feb; 20(1A): 423-426.
32. Ye X, Krohn RL, Liu W, et al. The cytotoxic effects of a novel IH636 grape seed proanthocyanidin extract on cultured human cancer cells. Mol Cell Biochem. 1999 Jun; 196(1-2): 99-108.

Jim Whedon DC, Nancy Rugo NP
Grantham, NH
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