Integrative Medicine refers to healthcare services and education not often found in traditional Western medical centers. The OSU Center for Integrative Medicine incorporates the art and science of caring for the whole person – body, mind and spirit – to treat and prevent disease, encouraging patients to create a condition of optimal health.

Located in Columbus, Ohio, The Ohio State University Medical Center is one of the largest and most diverse academic medical centers in the country and the only academic medical center in central Ohio.

The Center, located at 2000 Kenny Road, provides an evidence-based, patient-centered approach to holistic health care.  Some of the services include:

• Traditional Western Medicine
• Whole Alternative Medical Systems
• Mind-Body Medicine
• Biologically-Based Practices
• Manipulative and Body-Based Practices
• Energy Medicine

Driven by the mission to improve people’s lives through innovation in research, OSMUC saves lives and improves the quality of life by rapidly translating the latest discoveries from the research lab to the bedside. It educates a large percentage of the region’s physicians and provide advanced training and continuing education for clinicians.

Here are some vital statistics and information on “how our nutritional errors affect our health (both mind and body).  This is a known fact and nobody can ignore these. This has been shared by Dr. Glen Aukerman, MD, who is the Medical Director of OSMUC.  Worth reading it.

“It’s not just a matter of following food pyramid guidelines anymore, not plain and simple.”   The 1992 food pyramid originated in 1991 by the USDA based on the 1980’s general knowledge about nutrition but highly influenced by agribusiness interest groups.

The 2005 pyramid embodies the 1980s nutritional errors with little adjustments of food groups, but did add an exercise base to the pyramid from the fitness interest groups, but does not fix the negative nutritional impacts of today’s available foods on our human immune system of:

• Gluten imbedded as filler in most manufactured or processed foods
• Soy imbedded from prenatal lattes, to infant nutrition, to fitness and health promotion companies
• Flax which worsens the toxic omega-6 levels (is only, 0.2% converted as an omega-3)
• Latex-like proteins in foods out of season/out of region due to ethylene gas ripening process
• Deficiencies for 6 nutrients documented by the USDA food data base (published Dec 2004)
• Loss of Magnesium and Calcium from water supply, city, bottled, soft and reverse osmosis

Today’s food pyramids do not account for nutrition impacts of 5 new fields of knowledge:

• Human Genomic Project provides understanding of the power of nutrition on health
• Pharmacogenomics which looks at the impacts on genes of foods(grapefruit juice) on drugs
• Nutrigenomics which studies the impacts of nutrition on the gene and organ functions since food must provide complete nutrients for genes to manifest as healthy functions phenotypically
• Nutrigenetics (USDA)which restores food base crops to their full 1950 nutritional content
• Integrative Medicine, integrating Genomic Nutrition into Health, Prevention and medical treatments by understanding that the underlying cause of most chronic modern diseases begin in the immune system from the Nutrient-gene mismatch of the Food pyramid eating and our ‘casual grazing’ brought about by hurried lifestyles and the agribusiness fast-food marketing

Top opportunities and ways to help us live longer and manage stressful lives:

• Realize that the real cause of most modern chronic illnesses, including stress and fatique, begins with our food’s nutrient gene mismatch affecting the immune system,
• Consult an Integrative Medicine specialist for a Personalized Genomic Nutrition Intake and Evaluation which addresses and corrects the negative nutritional impacts of today’s available foods on our human immune system by correcting the;

o    Gluten imbedded as filler in most manufactured or processed foods
o    Soy imbedded from prenatal lattes, to infant nutrition, to fitness and health promotion companies
o    Flax which worsens the toxic omega-6 levels (is only , 0.2% converted as an omega-3)
o    Latex-like proteins in foods out of season/out of region due to ethylene gas ripening process
o    Deficiencies for 6 nutrients documented by the USDA food data base (published Dec 2004)
o    Loss of Magnesium and Calcium from water supply, city, bottled, soft and reverse osmosis
o    Addition of missing nutrients per USDA food database analysis(calcium, vit C, phosphorus

Reduction of the 20-30 times excess of omega-6 plant oils in the western diet by reducing:

• Poultry and farm-fed fish, due to being corn-fed
• Nuts and nut based products like nut butters
• Chips prepared with omega-6 plant oils from seeds like canola, sunflower etc
• Excessive Corn Products, tortillas, nachos, breads
• Flax, Soy, Trail-mix, grain-based snack products and bars, granola-like
• Garbanzo bean, hummus

Visit http://www.medicalcenter.osu.edu/go/integrative for class schedule and information for restoring your immune system.

From our upcoming workbook, Getting to Your Genomic Diet Plan

For the many who visit the OSU CIM, Integrative Medicine represents the hope for regaining their health. Many believe it stopped their ravages of premature aging, disease and death. Many patients ask me daily at their office visits, on reporting-in phone calls, at our community education lecture series, at the grocery stores, in restaurants, health food stores and even in the parking lot, “Doctor, Why am I not well?   What is wrong with me?  When / how did I get sick?  How can I ever regain the health I had as a child?”

This collection, in addition to the OSU CIM CORE Series of lectures and daily personalized-care research help each of us by “Getting to Your Genomic Diet, Where Everyone has Health” Glen Aukerman, MD

“Why I Am Not Well” is all about the silent food nutrient deterioration, and its Nutritional Impact.

In the beginning with Creation or over time with Evolution (depending on one’s belief system) the very narrowly fixed nutritional requirements of our human genome, its DNA, RNA, and the metabolic enzyme systems were set by foods of those times, leaving little variability in nutritional content of diet (monthly or annually) if one is to be truly healthy, disease free and fully functional today, tomorrow and beyond.

While over the last 10,000 years since our modern human genome is believe to have become fixed,  there have been major shifts in the agriculture and the foods available to our ancestors, it now appears that the most devastating changes have occurred in the last 500 years since the Western hemisphere-based foods began to be introduced to the Eastern hemisphere-based sub-populations (European, Mediterranean,  Asian, African, etc.) for whom corn, tomatoes, peppers, peanuts, and coffee had no genomic experience. Similar nutritional genetic chaos began with the introduction of foods from those Eastern hemisphere regions (wheat, barley, rye and condiments) to the native sub-populations of the Western hemisphere for which they have no genomic experience. While the prior minor sub-continental food exchanges are likely to have occurred many times over the preceding thousands of years, most were likely mere samplings of new-to-the-genome foods and unlikely to have been consumed in amounts large enough on a continuous enough basis to produce the devastating genomic metabolic illness or impacts evidenced in modern day.

Onset of the industrial revolution, agribusiness and expanded commercial shipping, the genomes of the entire planet became exposed to increased dietary complexity issues, toxicity of latex in foods, and the fabulous fakes of the food industry (MSG, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, colorings, and flavorings). Starting in about 1909, the food industry began to incorporate ever increasing amounts of omega-6 plant oils (soybean oil at first, then a cascade of other plant oils) into the increasingly complex food base. Only recently have we known that the three essential oils need to be in a 1:1:1 ratio for optimal health, omega (n)-3 from animals (fish, lard, and butter), omega (n)-6 from plants (canola, soybean, corn, cottonseed, safflower, sunflower, and coconut) and omega (n)-9 from trees (olive oil). Alterations from this ratio are known to lead to most modern chronic diseases such as heart disease, hypertension, obesity, depression, etc. and even acute conditions such as panic disorder, pain, fatigue, cancers, diabetes, etc.

Loss of Magnesium in Food and Water since the late 1950 as we shifted from the use of animal-based magnesium / trace minerals-rich fertilizers from the manure of animals eating grass for food-crops to mineral deficient commercial fertilizers. This loss of natural magnesium in the soils has led to an increasing deficit of magnesium in the current grocery-based food supply, compounded by shift of western populations’ food sources from the magnesium-rich home garden to become dependent on grocery-based magnesium deficient produce and fruits. Concurrently, western societies have moved away from the magnesium, potassium and calcium rich well-water to magnesium, potassium and calcium depleted city, softened and bottled water which appears to be a major contributing cause for conditions such as osteopenia, osteoporosis, gastroesophageal reflux disorder, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, hypertension, headaches, insomnia, arthritis, constipation, fatigue, and enhanced pain disorders.

The USDA reports declines since 1950 in Nutrient Content of All 43 US Garden Fruits / Vegetables

• Protein – 6%, leading to protein calorie malnutrition,
• Calcium – 16% / Phosphorus – 9% leading to osteoporosis, osteopenia and muscle bone weakness
• Iron – 15%, leading to anemia,
• Riboflavin decreased by 38%, leading to beriberi symptom complex known at chronic fatigue, irritability, memory problems, insomnia, fatigue, depression, nausea, dermatitis, muscular pains, sleep disturbances, impaired coordination, naso-lateral seborrhea (rosacea), glossitis, pellagra with diarrhea, dermatitis, dementia, growth failure, cheilosis, angular stomatitis, beriberi, polyneuritis, and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome,
• Vitamin C – 15%, leading to immune deficiency disorders / lowered resistance to infections.

These deficits in nutrient content are due to changes in cultivated varieties between 1950-1999, a trade-off of greater yield for less nutrient content, leading to large percentages of the world’s population suffering from deficiency disorders with symptoms of B vitamin deficiency that are devastating to quality of life.

Since Geneticists estimate that we take 10,000 years to adapt our genome to new food introductions.

Here are seven steps to Improved Health and Longevity – by eating more like our ancestors ate:

1. Answer is to move toward those original foods available when the genome became fixed which allowed our ancestors to be healthy enough to survive, flourish, and become our ancestors.
2. Select Original foods match the foods that were responsible for our specific genome surviving, the foods fit for our genome, allowing our DNA and mRNA to work optimally for health and longevity.
3. Avoiding the fabulous fakes of the food industry such as MSG, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, colorings, and flavors we have less to be detoxified by our liver.
4. Limiting foods entering the food system in the last 500 years (corn, tomatoes, peppers, peanuts, wheat, barley, rye, condiments and coffee).  Reduce gluten, soy and avoid flax products completely.
5. Avoiding and limit extracted omega-6 plant oils of the last 100 years, such as canola, soybean, corn, cottonseed, safflower, sunflower, coconut oils.
6. Avoid and limit  foods that accumulate omega-6 corn oil (chicken, turkey and farm-fed fish)
7. Avoid fruits / vegetables (picked early out of season / out of region) = Latex exposed to ethylene gas =  increased latex-like injury protein in our fruits and vegetables, even by organic suppliers >1959

Dr. Glen Aukerman M.D.
Medical Director
Ohio State University Center for Integrative Medicine

Glen Aukerman – A biography

Dr. Aukerman, M.D. is a tenured Professor of Family Medicine in the Department of Family Medicine at The Ohio State University and Medical Director for the University’s Center for Integrative Medicine.

Glen Aukerman has served as a professor in the OSU School of Medicine’s Department of Family Medicine since 1995 and as chair of the department from 1995-1998. He was one of four OSU Family Medicine practitioners named to Best Doctors in America in 2003-2004. He also serves as interim medical director for The Ohio State University Managed Health Care System.

Among other positions, he has also served as chief medical officer at the National Practitioner Data Bank and as deputy director and chief medical officer in the Division of Quality Assurance for the Bureau of Health Professions of the Health Resources and Services Administration in Rockville, Md.

Dr. Aukerman’s other areas of expertise include managed care and medical quality assurance. He served in 1993 on the White House Health Reform Task Force Speakers Panel and is a past president of the American Academy of Family Physicians. He has served on many steering and development committees addressing managed care issues.

Related articles

• US replaces food pyramid with “healthy plate” (beinghealthyhomeandaway.blogspot.com)

While stressful situations may be inevitable, the damage and side-effects of stress are not. There is a way to stop stress from affecting your body and mind. Fortunately nature has equipped our bodies with the perfect antidote to stress. It’s called the relaxation response.

Early on, Helicor decided to focus on creating a personal, affordable medical device. Typical medical-grade biofeedback systems cost thousands of dollars and require a person to be attached to a computer. Helicor team chose to create a unit that would be self-contained, portable and had no external wires or leads to attach. It is intended to be used for relaxation, relaxation training, and stress reduction.

After 4 1/2 years of design development, prototyping, testing, programming, and user feedback, the StressEraser was launched at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in August 2005. First customer shipments began in October 2005.

Biofeedback and Heart Rate Variability

The StressEraser provides a daily points-based system that allows each user to tailor the relaxation training to his schedule. The points-based system also allows the therapist to tailor the relaxation training homework to the individual treatment needs of the client.

The StressEraser personal biofeedback device is intended to be used solely for stress reduction, relaxation, and relaxation training. The device has not been clinically tested for the treatment of any psychological or physical medical conditions such as insomnia, hypertension, anxiety disorders, chronic pain, etc. The product is not intended to be used for the treatment or diagnosis of any medical condition.

The Science of the StressEraser — how it works

Your Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) controls functions in the body that normally occur unconsciously, such as heart rate, respiration rate and digestion. This system is responsible for keeping your body in a regulated, balanced state. This balance is created by the constant back and forth nature of the two primary branches of your ANS: the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) and the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS).

Your SNS is involved in mobilization responses that enable “fight or flight” behaviors known as the stress response. Your PNS is involved in “rest and renew” behaviors that enable growth and restoration and are known as the relaxation response. Parasympathetic activity is regulated by your vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is the longest nerve in your body, extending from the brain stem to the base of the spine and to several organs and your heart. When the vagus nerve activates, the relaxation response is turned on. When the vagus nerve is inactive, the relaxation response is also inactive.

Your “fight or flight” or stress response can become activated by both major and minor stressors. Even states of excitement and emotions such as anger and fear activate the SNS. The primary pacifying nerve in your body, the vagus nerve, mediates the activity of the “rest and renew” or relaxation response. Overall, activation of the PNS promotes calming so you can recuperate from day-to-day stress, keeping the ANS in balance. To know more about SNS and PNS, click here.

Ideally, the SNS and PNS operate in an evenly balanced manner, keeping your body in a state of physiological homeostasis. Although there are exceptions, in general when SNS activity increases, PNS activity decreases. In particular, when SNS activity increases, the activity of the vagus nerve decreases. SNS changes in your body are all extremely important, particularly if you are in a life threatening situation in which you have to fight or escape. When the stressful moment has passed, the PNS response kicks in to relax your body and return it to a balanced state.

Our nervous systems have not yet adapted to the type of ongoing stress we face today. Ongoing minor stresses such as traffic jams, work demands, problems at home, or financial concerns tend to build up. Emotions such as anger, fear and anxiety will cause your SNS to activate. As stress accumulates, your stress response remains active for longer than your body can handle. Your relaxation response, therefore, is less active, which throws your ANS out of balance. Over time, repeated stressors and negative emotions have a cumulative wear and tear on the body that can lead to significant health problems. This is called “allostatic load.” When you are healthy, your nervous system returns to normal functioning after a stressed situation by increasing vagus nerve activity. This helps the system to recover.

When you are faced with stress on a daily basis, however, your stress response fails to shut off in a timely manner. Allostatic load leads to reduced activity of your vagus nerve. As a result, your system becomes hyperactive or begins to burn out. Hyperactive stress responses cause your system to remain in fight-or-flight mode for an extended period of time. Burn-out inhibits both your SNS and PNS from activating. In both cases, your body becomes out of balance, making your system less flexible and less able to effectively adapt to external demands. Over time, allosatic load can cause significant health problems. There is now a large literature on the relationship to stress and disease. According to the American Institute of Stress, “it is hard to think of any disease in which stress cannot play an aggravating role.” In fact, the Institute reports that up to 90% of doctors visits are stress related.

Perhaps the two most important methods of actively triggering your relaxation response are:

1. learning to change your breathing and
2. learning to change your focus. By changing your breathing and your focus, you can increase the vagal influence on your heart—and therefore relax your body.

There is growing literature on the effects of these relaxation exercises on stress-related illnesses and performance. In particular, breathing slowly can activate the vagus nerve to help enhance autonomic control. However, slow breathing without physiological biofeedback—which provides the cues that you are doing it correctly—can actually be counter-productive because you are not breathing in sync with your nervous system.

The StressEraser is a tangible biofeedback device that was specifically designed to help you find the unique breathing pattern that maximizes RSA, maintains your focus, and most efficiently triggers increased vagal influences on your heart.

Greater variability, especially due to larger rhythmic changes associated with breathing, leads to a higher amplitude RSA wave – and therefore more parasympathetic (relaxation) activity. When there is greater parasympathetic tone, it supports health, growth, and restoration.

As you learn to find this breathing pattern, the StressEraser simultaneously guides you to focus your attention, a key aspect of proper physiological relaxation. The goal of this strategy is transform a heart rate pattern characterized by short, jagged RSA waves into one characterized by large, smooth RSA waves. The StressEraser is the only portable HRV/RSA biofeedback device that allows you to follow and manipulate your RSA wave in real time. When used properly, it enhances the state of your nervous system, while inducing feelings of calm and relaxation.

The StressEraser measures your real-time beat-to-beat heart rate via an infrared finger sensor. The finger sensor has a built-in photoplethysmograph to identify the pulsation associated with each heart beat. The StressEraser accurately identifies the time of each pulse and calculates heart rate based on the time that has elapsed between the two most recent pulses. The StressEraser plots the up and down, wavelike movement and displays the pulse rate wave on the LCD screen.

By observing the RSA wave derived from your beat-to-beat pulse rate, the StressEraser provides a window into the activity of your vagus nerve.

The StressEraser then breaks down the RSA waves to analyze the frequency of each individual wave.

Once the frequency of the wave is computed, you receive immediate feedback on whether the wave was sufficiently long and smooth to receive credit. If you are breathing in your unique optimal pattern – and have a calm, neutral mind – you score 1 point for a large smooth wave, as marked by three vertical squares. The goal is to achieve this type of wave continuously. If the wave is long enough to indicate sufficient, but not optimal RSA, the user receives 1/2 point as marked by two vertical squares. If the wave is too short, the user receives no points, as marked by one square. (Note: Seniors and beginners can set a goal for continuous two-square waves.)

The minimum suggested session is 30 points (about 5-7 minutes) with a goal of 100 points per day (approximately 20 minutes).

To achieve continuous three-square waves, you are instructed to inhale until your heart rate peaks. This point is marked by a triangle. The triangle indicates the moment that a natural burst of vagal activity is about to begin, indicating your parasympathetic response. When the triangle appears, begin your exhale and shift your thoughts to a calming focus phrase (such as counting your exhale). Then, extend your exhale until the wave begins to rise again. At the end of your exhale, inhale until the next triangle appears.

The slow breathing rate required to create this wave varies from person to person, but is usually somewhere between 4.5 and 7 breaths per minute. Your unique pattern is called your “resonant frequency.” When you attain your own resonant frequency pattern, there is a perfect phase relationship between your breathing rhythms and your heart rhythms. That is, they are in perfect sync with one another.

Breathing and heart rhythms are the two most important mechanisms involved in the neuroregulation of the heart. As with your breathing, you can consciously alter your natural heart rhythm (known as the “baroreflex”) to a certain extent. When they are in perfect sync, studies show that it helps strengthen and balance the autonomic nervous system. Once you learn to find your resonant frequency pattern, you will notice it induces feelings of mind-body relaxation.

One of the most useful features of the StressEraser is that it does not give credit if there is a disruption or “break” in the flow of a wave because of withdrawal of vagus nerve activity. These breaks might be caused by a variety of factors, including:

• Extending the exhale for too long
• Strained or improper breathing
• Excessive emotion
• Being highly distracted
• Fever or illness
• Specific medications blocking vagal regulation
• Or irregular heartbeats

The StressEraser recognizes these breaks and informs you that a disruption occurred. Since the StressEraser’s feedback is in real-time, you can immediately correct the behavior that caused the wave break. Typically, a wave break is your cue to re-focus on your breathing.

In summary, the StressEraser is a tangible biofeedback device that was specifically designed to help you find the unique breathing pattern that maximizes RSA, maintains your focus, and most efficiently triggers increased vagal influences on your heart. Therefore, the StressEraser promotes health and calmness. It can be used to reduce stress for those who have issues dealing with constant stress, brief stressors (i.e., deadlines, public speaking) or to simply enhance health, performance and overall feelings of calmness.

How to Use the StressEraser

There are two primary goals of each StressEraser session – to relax your body and to calm your mind.

1. Your first goal is to relax your body by making tall, wide, smooth waves. Because breathing directly affects your HRV, the most effective way to relax is to dramatically slow your breathing. When your waves are tall, wide, and smooth, you have engaged the natural relaxation response in your body. Repeating for 10-15 minutes at a time has a lasting effect.
2. Your second goal is to calm your mind by reducing negative emotions and thoughts. Even when you are breathing properly, negative emotions will cause your waves to get shorter or to become jagged. You can reduce negative thoughts by focusing on your waves and by counting during your exhale. This exercise will clear your mind.

Practice Slow Breathing. Before you start your first StressEraser session, it is important that you practice breathing slowly. This will give you a feel for the type of breathing you will be doing with the StressEraser. To practice, inhale for 4 seconds and then exhale for 5 seconds. Feel free to follow your watch or to simply count slowly to yourself. Continue breathing at the 4-second/5-second pace for about 2 minutes. Remember, your goal is to learn to breathe slowly – not deeply. As long as you are breathing slowly, depth will come. Your breathing should always feel relaxed, not strained. Creating a wave pattern similar to the pictures below may take a while. So take your time and do the best you can.

Your First Session

1. Press the POWER button on the right side panel (not one of the buttons on the front).
2. When prompted, insert your left index finger into the clip. Wait 5 seconds for the sensor to adjust to your pulse rate.
3. As soon as your wave appears on the screen, press the BREATHE button.
4. Whenever you are ready, inhale slowly and gently. When a new triangle appears above the wave, exhale slowly and gently. During your exhale, slowly count 1.2.3.4.5.
5. When your wave begins to rise, start your next inhale.

Note: While triangles cue your exhale, there is no cue for the inhale. If you like, you can use the squares as an approximate cue. Begin your inhale when you see the squares appear under the previous wave. Alternatively, you can count 1 second after your wave has started to rise – whichever works best for you.

Score your waves. Your goal is to consistently score 2 and 3-squares under each wave. You get no credit for 1-square waves. Each 2-square wave is worth 1/2 point. Each 3-square wave is worth 1 point. To get 2 squares, follow the instructions to create waves that are tall, wide, and smooth. Keep exhaling at the triangle and counting your exhale.

Your optimal exhale count. If 5 is an uncomfortable count for you – or if you’re not scoring 2 and 3-square waves – try exhaling for a count of 4 or 6. You can try even faster or slower, depending on your comfort level. Once you have found an exhale count that is comfortable and consistently results in 2 and 3-square waves, you have found your optimal exhale count. Continue with that count until you have scored at least 5points. (Your points accumulate in the top-left corner of the screen.)

Breathing Tips:

1. Don’t lean. For best results, find a comfortable place to sit or recline. Don’t lean forward – make sure your sitting position enables you to keep your air passages and abdominal muscles free. Breathe in and out through your nose or mouth, whichever is more comfortable for you.
2. Pursed lips. If you are having trouble breathing slowly, try pursing your lips. To do this, pucker or “purse” your lips as if you are going to whistle. This will release less air as you exhale and will help slow down your breathing.
3. Always comfortable. Remember, your breathing should always be gentle, quiet, smooth and comfortable. You should not be straining, taking long inhales, holding your breath, or doing anything that is at all uncomfortable.
4. Slow not deep. StressEraser breathing is NOT “deep” breathing. Depth will come as long as you are breathing slowly. Breathing deeply too quickly can cause you to feel dizzy or lightheaded. StressEraser breathing is like normal breathing, except it is a little slower. And of course it is synchronized with the activity of your nervous system.
5. Extend your exhale. Once you are familiar with the StressEraser and are consistently scoring 3 squares, extend your exhale as long as you can until your wave starts to rise again – then begin your inhale. Remember, you benefit from making your exhales longer and longer, as long as your breathing remains comfortable and relaxed. The idea is to extend your exhale for as long as your nervous system can handle.

If you are not able to make out the above instructions, you can watch the video to understand more.

Results may vary

The indicated use of the StressEraser is for relaxation, relaxation training and stress reduction. The StressEraser is currently being tested in numerous controlled clinical trials at leading academic institutions for stress-related issues such as Anxiety, Asthma, Depression, Insomnia, Migraine Headaches, Performance (occupational & sports), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD, Stress levels in physicians and pregnant women, etc

Several StressEraser studies have been completed and overall results indicate users both prefer and find the StressEraser more helpful than other relaxation techniques. Immediately after using the device, users report significant reductions in feelings of stress related anxiety, increases in feelings of calmness and relaxation, increases in cognitive performance and decreases in heart rate. Moreover, results indicate that the more efficient someone is at using the device, the more they report improvement in stress related symptoms of anxiety.

Studies reveal that the StressEraser reduces feelings of stress-related anxiety and anger, increases objective indicators of work performance, and increases heart rate variability. You can access more published work here.

Fred Muench
Stress Eraser

Fred Muench – A biography

Frederick Muench has a PhD in Clinical Psychology and is currently serving as the Director of Clinical Research and Development, Helicor, New York, NY where he is responsible for new project development, clinical trials and professional education and consulting for the StressEraser biofeedback medical device. He is also an adjunct Professor in the Department of Applied Psychology at New York University in New York, NY.

About Stress Eraser

StressEraser is an award-winning small portable medical device, that relaxes the body and calms the mind in 15 minutes. The StressEraser can be used to quiet the mind before sleeping, rapidly relieve intense stress, and even to stay calm during highly stressful situations.

From beat to beat, your heart rate reflects the activity of your stimulating and pacifying nerves. The StressEraser displays these tiny changes as a wave. By watching your wave characteristics in realtime, you learn to adjust your breathing and mental focus. This decreases the activity of the stimulating nerves (thereby decreasing stress) and increases the activity of the pacifying nerves (thereby increasing relaxation).

The StressEraser is classified by the FDA as a Class II 510(k) exempt medical device. The indicated use is for relaxation, relaxation training and stress reduction. The StressEraser is available for $299 from the StressEraser web site at http://stresseraser.com. The StressEraser is currently available to U.S. residents only.

BodyMedia.

From their website:

Have you ever wondered how many calories you burn while playing with your kids? Or how active you really are over the course of a week? Now you’ll know – with BodyMedia^® FIT, the clinically proven system that turns your body’s everyday information into a tool to help you manage a healthy lifestyle.

Simply wear the BodyMedia Armband during the course of your day, then log onto your personalized BodyMedia FIT Activity Manager. You’ll get accurate, easy-to-digest information about the calories you’ve burned, plus a calorie consumption calculator and tips for how to best reach your fitness and lifestyle goals.

The BodyMedia FIT System also measures sleep duration and efficiency – so that you can begin to understand the influence your bedtime has on your overall health.

Congratulations to Bob G. of Chester, NH who was the first to correctly identify the reasons why everyone should own the CarMD diagnostic kit. Our thanks go out to CarMD for providing this great diagnostic tool to one of our listeners.

Congratulations to Brian S. of Manchester and Todd E. of Nashua, our winners of the Klipsch S4 in-ear speakers. These high-end in-ear speakers will allow them to have a private concert experience anytime they listen. Thank you to Klipsch for providing these give-aways to our listeners.

Can you manage your airflow at home from your cell phone from a distance?  It’s now possible with Trane ComfortLink II Residential Communicating System.

Trane is the world leader in air conditioning systems, services and solutions. Trane controls the comfort of the air for people in homes and many of the world’s largest and most famous commercial, industrial and institutional buildings. Trane applies its expertise in environmental technology and energy conservation to make a difference in energy efficiency around the globe.

Trane has been catering cooling systems to residential homes besides commercial. Trane has developed a new communication system which can talk to one another. Most people are not aware what’s happening behind their home.

If you have the Trane ComfortLink II fully integrated, self-configuring system, then it will verify proper installation and maintain proper airflow calibration over the whole life of the system. Your Trane heating and cooling products are now started talking to one another about how to keep your family comfortable — whether they’re in the living room or thousands of miles away.

The Trane ComfortLink II Residential Communicating System represents a breakthrough in product design and efficiency. Advanced technology has been incorporated inside. Specific air conditioning and heating system products allows components to communicate with one another so that they’re always automatically configured and calibrated to your preferred settings, constantly troubleshooting to achieve utmost efficiency.

Special technology is built into specific Trane products, allowing them to “communicate” with each other. Consumers can receive the benefits of the Trane ComfortLink II by having a complete heating and cooling system that’s perfectly matched and designed for how and where they live.

The hallmark of the Trane ComfortLink II Residential Communicating System is very ease to set-up, install and service.

You can view more ComfortLink II products here.

Randy Scott
Vice President, Product Systems Management
Trane Residential Systems

Randy Scott – A biography

Randy Scott, Vice President, Product Systems Management for Trane Residential Systems, has an extensive career in sales, marketing and business development roles with the company. Randy has twenty four years of experience in the HVAC industry.

Randy recently led the successful commercialization of several industry exclusive products including Trane CleanEffects, XV95 gas furnace, XL16c packaged unit and most recently the ComfortLink II communicating system with Charge Assist.

Randy is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Management with Honor.

Trane Inc. (NYSE: TT), previously named American Standard Companies Inc., provides systems and services that enhance the quality and comfort of the air in homes and buildings around the world. The company offers customers a broad range of energy-efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems; dehumidifying and air cleaning products; service and parts support; advanced building controls and financing solutions. Selling under both the Trane and American Standard Heating & Air Conditioning brand names, the company’s systems and services have leading positions in premium commercial, residential, institutional and industrial markets; a reputation for reliability, high quality and product innovation; and a powerful distribution network.

In 2006 the business generated annual revenues of approximately $6.8 billion with $4.9 billion coming from equipment systems and $1.9 billion from parts, services and solutions. Trane has more than 29,000 employees and 29 production facilities worldwide. For more information, visit www.trane.com.

Go online to eBay, and check out ebay reviews by Catherine to find latest gadgets and toys for a great value.

With these gadgets, you can keep your kids occupied on a road trip. Some of the toys that they may be interested in are Disney’s MixMax and Leapfrog Didj. These will keep them smiling and rocking at the backseat of your car. Right now, there are more than 2,500 Leapfrog items available on eBay!

This summer, you can have even more fun in the sun and still stay connected with WiFi. Now with many cities are offering Wi-Fi in parks and public areas, work outside on a MacBook Pro or check email on the new Blackberry Curve. Or take a break with a BackPack Beach Chair or Pop Up Changing Room. But, beware of spy sitting in the parks to steal your data. Make sure you enable the firewall for safety and security.

If you’re intend to spend quality time by the pool, check out these new water-friendly toys & gadgets like the Grace Digital Weatherproof Submersible Speakers, Kid Tough Digital Camera, Waterproof TV, Underwater Case for Flip Video or an Underwater Camera Mask. You can find a great selection of poolside gadgets and gears on eBay.

One of the big trends for travel this summer is going hands-free when hitting the road. Get ready to travel safely with gadgets like the Nokia BH902, Jabra BT 3030 and Venturi Mini.

Cooking and eating outside is one of the best way to enjoy the summer sun. Check out gadgets like the MP3 Playing Outdoor Grill, Cuisinart Ice Cream Profession or Q Grill.

Cat Schwartz
eBay Gadget and Toy Director

Catherine Schwartz – A biography

Catherine Schwartz is one of the foremost tech experts in the country. She is widely known for her electric commentary on the hottest gadgets and how to use them. As The HiTechMommy and eBay Gadget Director, Schwartz educates consumers on the wide breadth and depth of consumer electronics in an approachable way.

As the tech go-to-girl, Schwartz developed new high-tech ways for distributing TV content over the Web. In 2003, she produced and hosted TechTV’s “The Screen Savers” followed by the live computer show “Call for Help.” For the next three years, Schwartz gained a dedicated following both on the show and on her blog, , a catchy mix of tech spiced with Schwartz’s personal musings on parenting.

Schwartz has appeared on The Today Show, Howard Stern, CNBC, MSNBC, Tyra, Live with Regis and Kelly, InStyle, and in Stuff. In addition to her picks and pans as eBay Gadget Director, Schwartz’s fans can catch her up-to-the-minute tech talk on her eponymous site, as well as on media outlets around the country. She also serves as an early childhood development expert on VTech’s Advisory Council, offering her expertise to parents raising digital kids.

Camp is the best demonstration of moral and spiritual order—democracy is the core purpose. Children learn life skills that become habits of the heart. It is tough to be a kid these days. It is tough to be a parent. In a society where the nature of the family, the work place, and the community have changed dramatically, we can no longer assume that the natural process of growing up will provide children the experiences and the resources they need to become successful, contributing adults.

The American Camp Association, New England is dedicated to enriching the lives of children and families through quality camp experiences.

The American Camp Association, New England is a community of camp professionals who, for more than one hundred years, have joined together to share knowledge and experience and to ensure the quality of camp programs. ACA New England accredits nearly 350 day and overnight summer camps in the six New England states.

ACA conducts camps for all ages and offers various types of camps.

Day camp can begin as early as age three and is geared to children who get to experience camp and still return home each evening! They have the best of both worlds—the camp community which is built exclusively for kids and their own home which provides the security they need at a tender age. Day camp focuses on “what is right” than “what is wrong.” Day Camps typically serve children ages 3-15 during daytime only. For more information, click here.

Camp provides one of the very few links with a world larger than the consumer culture we inhabit—and day camp is one important choice in a quiver of options. The camp experience helps children and youth develop an appreciation of their place and their responsibility in a much larger universe. A preschooler—or even an older child who might be reluctant to go to overnight camp—can join a community that is created especially for her to practice growing up.

Specialty Camps offer a program for every interest. It can be found at day or resident camps and offer opportunities to concentrate on certain program areas such as horseback riding, the arts, travel, sports or computers, among others. Imagine a place where you get to be totally immersed in the thing you love to do (or want to try) the most . . . from being wrist-deep in cake batter or filming a movie to jamming all day with rock stars or learning to drive a race car. Specialty camps offer just that type of fantasy-come-true experience – from fine arts, performing arts, and chef camp, to learning a foreign language, science, engineering, motor sports . . . and much, much more. These camps have very focused programs, they typically have more intensive and professional-level instruction, and often include guest speakers, such as artists, musicians, and those who’ve made a career of that particular activity.

Many specialty camps have informal, hands-on, or immersion approaches to various academic subjects, such as math, science, or language, which may help children who struggle in a traditional classroom to learn material and develop confidence for the upcoming school year. For example, at Camp Motorsport, a race car driving specialty camp for kids ages ten to sixteen, campers participate in racing-related activities that convert abstract math and science concepts into hands-on applications—such as figuring out how resistance and drag impact making the car go faster.

Overnight / Resident / Sleepaway Camps usually serve children ages 6-17 for one to eight weeks at a time; children sleep at camp.

General Camps offer a range of activities. Many provide opportunities to focus on one or two activities while allowing campers to try a variety of others. General camps sometimes offer the opportunity to specialize in an activity.

Trip & Travel programs are often camp-based. Most involve adventure and wilderness. Campers spend most of their time traveling away from base camp.

Camps for Special Populations serve specific clientele such as children with particular medical conditions or diseases or individuals with special needs.

Space Car Camp deal more with real experience of space shuttle and its working.

Going Green and preserving environment:

ACA also encourages Children to go green. Camps across the country are encouraging children to put on their plates only what they will eat, then camps teach children about recycling by converting the leftovers into compost. The compost is then used to fertilize the fields that create food for the campers!

Many camps implement an environmental awareness program entitled, “Leave No Trace.” This program teaches and encourages children to clean up after themselves in nature, so as to not pollute the environment.

Camps create educational programs with local wildlife agencies or even the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

A Camp for Every Budget

While it’s hard to put a price tag on your child’s learning and growth, you certainly have your family’s budget to think about when you consider camp. The good news is that there is a camp program to fit nearly every budget.

For more information about fee, click here

Here are some benefits of ACA Camps:

• Every child deserves a camp experience.

The unique power of a camp experience complements and reinforces what children are taught at school, at home and at extracurricular activities — rounding out children’s development in optimal ways. Camps specialize in providing physical activity, time spent in the out-of-doors and experiences in teambuilding, athletics and the arts — activities that have been eliminated or are at risk of elimination for more and more school systems.

• Childhood is compromised without a camp experience.

Camp is vital! Camps have the capacity to change children’s lives — influencing, even transforming, their choices and chances and their characters and capabilities.

• Campers learn life lessons.

Camp memories often stay alive in people’s hearts and minds well into adulthood. Lessons include: becoming a responsible member of a group and community, personal and group decision-making, the art of compromise, resilience, how to bust out of one’s own comfort zone to try something new and many more. Campers are often attracted by a specific activity or two; they usually get an added bonus and learn something new and important about themselves at camp.

• Camp gives kids a world of good.

Expect camper growth in independence, self-esteem, leadership ability, peer relationship skills, spirituality, environmental awareness and decision-making when children attend day or resident camp. The largest study of camper outcomes in the U.S., conducted by Philiber Research Associates and ACA, confirmed these benefits of the camp experience — that camp gives kids a world of good!

ACA also offers volunteering and employment opportunities for adults.

Bette S. Bussel
Executive Director
American Camp Association, New England

Bette S. Bussel – A biography

“I had no idea when I went to summer camp at age 4 that one day I’d be in charge of thousands of campers who are looking for a positive summer camp experience, just like I was. Life is truly one big circle.”

Bette has been involved with camps since age 4, where she began as a day camper. She evolved to an overnight camper, Counselor-in-Training (CIT), Counselor, Program Director, Camp Director and is now the Executive Director of ACA New England. Bette brings a rare blend of organizational and interpersonal skills to this position, which she has held for more than 17 years. She has established herself as a person with professional competence, strong commitment and the ability to build on the established strengths and esteemed history of the regional nonprofit organization she leads.

Bette received a Bachelor of Science in Recreation Management from Ithaca College and a Master of Science in Recreation Management from the University of Maryland.

Prior to coming to ACA New England, she served as the Program Director, Teen Director, Group Services Director and Day Camp Director for the Jewish Community Center of Greater New Haven. In those roles she received a special citation from the Kovod Society of the JCC, and a Women in Leadership award from the YWCA.

Since taking over as ACA New England’s Executive Director in 1990, Bette has been honored with the New England AIC Award (1994), National AIC Award (1996), ACA National Service Award (1999), and ACA Special Recognition Award (2004).

Bette is a well-informed resource on legislative issues that impact camps throughout New England. She has been effective establishing positive relationships with legislative and regulatory bodies that monitor camps and has worked to strengthen respect of and input by camp professionals in legislative matters.

Bette serves as a member of the national ACA’s Technology Task Force, which advises all 24 regional offices of the association on the use of technology. Currently, Bette plays a leadership role on a committee which is reinventing ACA’s online camp search tool—the Find A Camp Tool.

Since time began, in every corner of the globe, people have looked for ways to purify themselves, to find balance and contentment through natural means. Martha Orellana Vice President of Mr. Steam joins Craig to discuss Steam, sauna, and aromatherapy and how all can play an important role in your personal stress and health management.

Steambathing promotes feelings of relaxation and rejuvenation and is an effective way to reduce stress and detoxify the body and help restore balance.

Holistic benefits are enhanced with the use of Aromasteam™ system, Chromasteam™ system and in-shower music therapy speakers.

Installing a steam unit is not just a product available to the wealthy, with Mr. Steam it is now affordable to create a private spa in your home

About Martha Orellana, Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Mr.Steam:
As vice president of sales and marketing for Sussman Lifestyle Group, Martha Orellana has responsibility for managing the company’s sales force in the Western United States, Mexico and Canada.

Since joining the company more than 21 years ago, she has held management positions of increasing responsibility, including import/export manager, customer service manager, product manager and sales manager, where she was instrumental in organizing and establishing the rep firms now in place across the U.S.

About Mr. Steam:
Mr.Steam provides the finest quality steambath generators, towel warmers, sauna rooms and sauna heaters for residential and commercial use. Mr.Steam’s innovative steam systems, towel warmers and saunas enable people around the world to enjoy a healthy and luxurious lifestyle and spa experience. For more than 50 years, discerning consumers, interior designers, architects, builders and plumbing contractors have chosen Mr.Steam products. The company continues to redefine quality and reliability. Mr.Steam places great emphasis on customer service by offering builders and consumers design and technical assistance through our locations on the east and west coasts, as well as our expansive website at www.mrsteam.com. Mr.Steam products are backed by consumer-friendly, limited warranties that exemplify the company’s total commitment to customer satisfaction and provide exclusive remedy to the purchasers.

For more information on Mr.Steam’s and its other fine products, visit www.mrsteam.com or call 1.800.76.STEAM.

What is brain fitness?

Brain Fitness is the general state of a good, sharp brain and mind, especially as the result of mental and physical exercise, stress management and proper nutrition. Much like physical muscles, “mental muscles” can be strengthened to improve memory, focus and decision-making skills among others, as well as help delay the onset of age-related dementias such as Alzheimer’s.

Why has this become such a talked-about trend?

The trend has emerged because the science is now available to test and assess the effects of brain training, including: fMRI and neuroimaging; biofeedback for emotional regulation using “Heart Rate Variability” (HRV); and a growing body of clinical evidence. Just like the fitness revolution 30 years ago when people realized how much physical exercise could impact their bodies, improve their energy levels and increase their lifespan, people are now understanding that they can significantly impact their minds with brain exercise. And they are achieving the same results: a more acute and active mind that is lasting them later into life.

How does exercising your brain improve memory, concentration, etc?

A person’s brain is constantly undergoing neurogenesis, the creation of new neurons and connections between neurons. The more active a particular brain cell is, the more connections it develops. If these neurons aren’t cultivated by learning, they will wither and die without ever becoming integrated into your brain — much like an unused muscle that atrophies.

What can individuals do to exercise their brains?

While crossword puzzles, sudoku, and other mind games provide some exercise, they only address limited areas of the brain. The most effective way to stimulate and sustain neurogenesis is through programs specifically designed to offer a variety of tasks that engage a wide range of mental muscles using the right mix of novelty, variety and “stretching” practice.

What is SharpBrains?

SharpBrains is an online brain fitness center that provides state-of-the-art, science-based information, assessments and programs. The company’s goal is to help members of all ages find the best computer-based program to exercise their brains, and then support them with educational materials, interactive tools such as blogs and forums and one-on-one assistance from online brain fitness coaches.

Highlights of Brain Science

Thanks to new neuroimaging techniques, regarded “as important for neuroscience as telescopes were for astronomy”, neuroscientists are finding that the brain has a number of “core capacities” and “mental muscles” that can be exercised through novelty, variety and practice, and that exercising our brain influences the generation of new neurons and their connections.

Previous beliefs about our brain and how it works have been proven false. Some beliefs that have been debunked include claims that adult brains can not create new neurons (proven false by Berkeley scientists Marian Diamond and Mark Rosenzweig, and Salk Institute’s Fred Gage), notions that working memory has a maximum limit of 6 or 7 items (Karolinska Institute’s Torkel Klingberg), and assumptions that the brain’s basic processes can not be reorganized by repeated practice (UCSF’s Drs. Paula Tallal and Michael Merzenich). Some links and references are available below. The “mental muscles” we can train include attention, stress and emotional management, memory, visual/ spatial, auditory processes and language, motor coordination and executive functions like planning and problem-solving.

Mental stimulation is important if done in the right supportive and engaging environment. Stanford’s Robert Sapolsky has proven that chronic stress and cortical inhibition, which may be aggravated due to imposed mental stimulation, may prove counterproductive. Having the right motivation is essential.

A surprising and promising area of scientific inquiry is Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). An increasing number of neuroscientists (such as UMass Medical School’s Jon Kabat-Zinn and University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Richard Davidson) are investigating the ability of trained meditators to develop and sustain attention and visualizations and to work positively with powerful emotional states and stress through the directed mental processes of meditation practices.

Key Scientific Concepts in Brain and Mind Fitness

Chronic Stress: ongoing, long-term physiological arousal where stressors block the formation of new neurons and negatively impact the immune system’s defenses.

Cortical facilitation: state of mind which is associated with improved comprehension, memory recall and the ability to solve problems. The opposite is cortical inhibition, where reactions are slowed and we cannot think clearly and where the more refined mental processes– such as abstract reasoning or comprehending the deeper meaning of what is being read or said– are especially affected.

Cognitive training: consists of a variety of brain exercises designed to help work out “mental muscles”. The principle underlying cognitive training is to help improve the “core” abilities, which most people mistakenly consider as instincts.

Cognitive Reserve (or Brain Reserve): hypothesis that addresses the fact that individuals vary considerably in the severity of cognitive aging and clinical dementia. Mental stimulation, education and occupational level are believed to be major active components of building a cognitive reserve that can help resist the attacks of mental disease.

fMRI: functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a non-invasive neuroimaging technique that enables researchers see images of changing blood flow in the brain associated with neural activity. This allows images to be generated that reflect which structures are activated (and how) during performance of different tasks.

Heart Rate Variability: describes the frequency of the cardiac cycle. There is a two-way communication system between the heart and the brain that regulates heart rate and blood pressure, and it is the interaction of signals flowing between the two that causes the heart rate to vary with each beat.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR): yoga and meditation practices designed to enable effective responses to stress, pain, and illness.

Neuroimaging: includes the use of various techniques to either directly or indirectly image the structure, function, or pharmacology of the brain. It is a relatively new discipline within medicine and neuroscience.

Neuroplasticity: the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new connections throughout life.

Working memory: the ability to keep information current for a short period while using this information. Working memory is used for controlling attention, and deficits in working memory capacity lead to attention problems.

ABOUT NEAL COHEN, PSY.D

Neal Cohen, Psy.D., SharpBrains Head Brain Fitness Coach, is a licensed psychologist with expertise in neurocognitive and psychological testing; memory training; AD/HD; and learning disabilities. Dr. Cohen has spent more than a decade studying how mental exercise and stress management can improve human behavior and performance.

Dr. Cohen earned his Masters Degree and Doctorate of Psychology at the Georgia School of Professional Psychology. He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Philosophy, Magna Cum Laude, from Boston University. Dr. Cohen is a licensed provider of working memory training, with a private practice in Roswell, GA.

ABOUT SHARPBRAINS

SharpBrains.com is the first online brain fitness center to provide education and tools to help people of all ages and skill levels achieve improved brain function by exercising their minds. Through personalized, computer-based brain fitness programs, SharpBrains helps individuals improve memory, concentration, decision-making and planning skills, reaction time, stress management, and other core capacities, as well as help delay the onset of age-related dementias. The company also offers education about the science behind the technology, support tools and one-on-one assistance from online brain fitness coaches to optimize mental training sessions.

A person’s brain is constantly undergoing neurogenesis, the creation of new neurons and connections between neurons. The more active a particular brain cell is, the more connections it develops. SharpBrains’ programs are designed to work out these cells with targeted mental exercises.