Written by Linda B. Elliot, MA, LMHC

Listening is both art and skill.  As our world grows busier, and faster, and louder, and fuller, the awareness of the importance of listening is easily lost.  But invariably, I find that one of the most intrinsic needs of every human being, is the opportunity to be heard.  And in order to be heard, someone must be willing to listen.

We have lots of reasons for not really listening.  Time. Competing demands for our attention. Noise.  Impatience.  Not feeling heard ourselves-why should I listen to you, you’re not listening to me…

But listening to others is a gift we not only give to the one we’re listening to, it’s a gift we give to ourselves.  Because the more I really listen to someone, the better I understand them.  The better I understand their thoughts, their feelings, their history, their reasoning, their perspective.  And when I take the time to listen, and to understand, the more connected I feel to them, and them to me.  The more I care about them, the more they care about me.  The more I am able to recognize our similarities and commonalities, the less our differences feel impossible to overcome.

But what does it mean to listen to someone?  In order to truly listen, we are required to:

• Stop talking – harder than we like to admit!
• Empathize – this means putting myself in the other person’s shoes.  Empathy allows us to demonstrate a deeper understanding of where they’re coming from and what is driving them to say what they’re saying.
• Focus on using “open” or “inviting” body language, such as making eye contact, uncrossing your arms, and turning your shoulders to face the person speaking.
• Avoid thinking about what you’re going to say next.  By reflecting back what you’ve heard, it will help you stay focused on listening, and not on your response.
• Be open minded and curious about learning the speaker’s perspective.  This helps you be less judgmental.
• Stop multi-tasking while listening.  Stop and actually pay attention to what is being said.
• Reschedule the conversation when possible if you can’t remove the distractions in that moment.
• Take what is said at face value and avoid mind-reading, or looking for unspoken messages.
• Don’t interrupt.
• Ask for clarification to gain better understanding.  Avoid asking “why”, but instead use expressions such as “can you tell me more about that?” or “what did that feel like?”.

When we consider it closely, being a good listener means treating the speaker the way we would like to be treated.  What people need today, is a good listening to!

The Fatigue Epidemic    
Americans are tired.  Look around.  Look in the mirror.  Are you tired?

Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms physicians encounter in their offices every day.  So here’s the question:  Is it normal?   Is being tired simply a normal part of the aging process.  Should I just accept the fact that I don’t have the energy I used to enjoy, and never will again?

The answer:  No.   

Over the past few years, the science of aging and the science of energy have exploded.  Armed with lots of new information, scientists understand not only HOW the body generates energy (we’ve actually known that for a long time), they now understand two very important processes that for years were beyond our comprehension.

First, we now understand WHY most of us tend to feel more tired as we age.  We understand the mechanisms underlying that dysfunction.  

Secondly, and here’s the good (actually, great!) news:  we’re now learning more and more about how to rekindle that energy-manufacturing process.  We’re learning what the body needs to make more energy.  We’re solving the fatigue epidemic.

ATP—The Gasoline of the Human Body
So what do we mean when we use the word energy?  What is it that fuels the human body?

The answer:  ATP.

For a very long time now, we’ve known that in order to do anything, anything at all, our bodies require a tiny little molecule called ATP.  It’s our fuel.  Just like gasoline fuels cars, ATP fuels us.  Without it, we can’t do anything.  We can’t lift a pencil, or digest food, or walk across the street, or even have a thought.  Without ATP, we’re dead.  No ATP?  No life.  It’s that simple.

Also for a very long time now, we’ve had a keen understanding of precisely how our bodies generate ATP.  We understand how all that works.  ATP is manufactured in every cell in our bodies.  In fact, inside every cell we find tiny little sub-cellular ATP factories, called mitochondria.  Without healthy, functioning mitochondria, we can’t make ATP.  Again, no mitochondria?  No life.  It’s that simple.

The Fatigue of Aging
Why do we feel more tired as we grow older?  Our mitochondria start breaking down, that’s why.  They stop functioning efficiently.       

Now, understanding that the human body is comprised of some 30 to 40 TRILLION cells, and acknowledging further that many cells may contain 2,000 mitochondria, it makes sense that it may take quite a long time for us to feel the effects of mitochondrial demise.  And it does take time.  It’s a process.  It’s the process we call “aging”. 

For some folks, that process clearly starts earlier and younger than it does for others.  But eventually, for all of us, that day will come.  We all, somewhere along the way, will begin to feel the effects of all that mitochondrial wear and tear and the resultant decline in ATP production.  We feel like we’re running on empty.  We feel like we’re running out of gas.  And that’s because, quite literally, we are.

Reversing the Process
About a year ago, Scientific American published a blog reporting that certain, specific nutrients can help reverse the aging process.

How do they do that?
The answer, though enormously complex, basically involves 2 steps.  Step number one involves repairing those broken down factories (the mitochondria).  Step number two involves making sure those factories have what it takes to stay healthy and to generate fuel (ATP) in abundance.

Basically that means embarking on a course of taking, in the form of select supplements, those key nutrients that are known to repair and restore mitochondrial function.  Understandably, this can be a time-consuming process.  It can take many, many months, in fact.  It makes sense that the time required for optimal repair depends on the severity of the problem in the first place.

But that time is going to pass one way or another anyway.  And at the end of that time, at the end of those months, we’re either going to feel even more tired than we do right now (because the process of mitochondrial repair doesn’t happen on its own), or we’ll be on the road to recovery.  We’ll have more energy.  More vitality.  More life.

Interested in Learning More?
Call for an appointment with Dr. Elliott today.     

Energy Boosters: Focus on Supplements

• Energy Booster of the Day: ATP Fuel
  Made by Researched Nutritionals, ATP Fuel, has been extensively studied and found to be a powerful contributor to restoring and optimizing mitochondrial function and energy production.
  
• Energy Booster of the Day: Niacel
  Made by Thorne, Niacel improves intracellular levels of NAD, an important ingredient needed to optimize mitochondrial function and energy production.
  
• Energy Booster of the Day: Resveratrol Supreme
  Resveratrol has been well known for years as an important and potent anti-aging supplement.  Now we know how it works:  by enhancing and improving mitochondrial function.  While you can get a little resveratrol from red wine, it’s just that:  a very little bit.  You’d have to drink way too much red wine to derive significant benefit.  Resveratrol Supreme is made by Designs for Health.  
  
• Energy Booster of the Day: Corvalen D-Ribose
  
• Ribose is a very special type of sugar.  Unlike glucose, fructose, sucrose, or other sugars, it serves two basic functions.  First, it’s a key constituent of both DNA and RNA, those specific molecules that make each of “us” uniquely, well, “us”.  Secondly, mitochondria use D-ribose to make ATP.  Made by Douglas Labs, Corvalen D-Ribose offers a simple way to enhance energy production.  Also:  it’s not the kind of sugar that makes you gain weight.  
  
• Energy Booster of the Day: L-Carnitine
  Here’s the analogy.  Mitochondria are our intracellular factories that make ATP.  ATP is the fuel, the gasoline, for the human body.  So where does L-Carnitine fit into the picture?  L-Carnitine is the train that transports the raw material (the crude oil, so to speak) into the factory (the mitochondria) so that it can do what it does:  make gasoline (ATP).  Made by Orthomolecular, L-Carnitine helps make energy production more efficient.
  
• Energy Booster of the Day: CoEnzyme Q-10, or CoQ-10
  A number of prescription medications actually deplete your CoQ-10, which is a necessary component in the metabolic process mitochondria go through to produce ATP.  Statins (cholesterol lower medications) are among the worst offenders.  But even folks not taking statins can benefit in a number of ways from supplementing with CoQ-10, not the least of which is a boost in energy.  But be careful with this one.  CoQ-10 can be rather pricey, so knowing that you’re getting yours from a reputable, high-quality manufacturer, is crucial.
  

Q:  First, why consider taking supplements in the first place?
A:  Two good reasons, actually.  First, the Standard American Diet (i.e., SAD) is just that, … rather “sad.”  As a nation we tend to eat very poorly.  In fact, truth be told, it’s simply far too easy to eat badly in America today.  It takes a lot of effort and discipline and INTENTION (we like that word) to eat well consistently.  Unfortunately, ours is a culture that values convenience extremely highly, often at the expense of everything else, even health.  We’re simply surrounded and bombarded by quick, cheap food — at restaurants, in the grocery aisle, on TV, on the internet, everywhere!  Everywhere you look you find lots of quick and simple — and incredibly bad — food choices.

Secondly, even when we DO try to eat well, to make wise choices, often our food comes from nutrient-depleted, pesticide- and herbicide-laden soil.  Truly nutritious, real, whole foods are harder to come by than you might first imagine. 
 
Q:  But how do I know what I really need?
A:  That’s a great question.  The answer is simple.  Your nutritional status, your nutritional strengths and weakness, can be measured very easily and very accurately.  It doesn’t have to be a guessing game.  You can be a very smart consumer.
 
Q:  There are so many products out there, how do I choose?  If I’m going to do this, I want to do it right.  I want to make sure I’m investing wisely.
A:  Of course you do, and you’re absolutely right to be cautious.  The supplement industry, with its myriad offerings, claims, and slick advertising, can be very enticing and misleading at the same time.  (“Wow!  That product sounds amazing!  Surely I could benefit from THAT!”)  While over the years we’re seeing a greater degree of regulation when it comes to quality and safety, not all manufacturers are the same.  Some (a growing number, in fact) are VERY good.  Others, unfortunately, are not.
 
Q:  So how do I know whom to trust?
A:  I asked that very same question several years ago when I first ventured into the study and practice of Functional Medicine, and for the past many years I’ve gone about a very intentional process of investigating that question, of weeding out the good from the bad.  Encouragingly, I’m pleased to report that my list of trusted manufacturers has grown over time and continues to do so.

Whenever I encounter a new manufacturer I’m not familiar with, I reach out and contact them with three simple, very pointed questions, all related to specific aspects of manufacturing, quality, and safety.  Most of the time I never hear back, but sometimes (about 10-15% of the time), I do.  And in those cases, thus far at least, those who respond have had the right answers.  My take-home message is simply this:  Those that ARE doing it right, who DO invest in and care about quality and safety, want us to know that they are.  For those that don’t respond, I simply can’t say either good or bad.  I just don’t know.  And because I don’t know, I can’t recommend them. 
 
Q:  Where can I get these really good, safe supplements?
A:  First please know this:  We have no expectation — and certainly no requirement — that our patients purchase their supplements from us.  While we offer a number of supplements as a convenience to our patients, we do so simply for that reason — as a convenience.  WHERE you purchase your supplements is entirely up to you.  My primary concern is that  those you DO purchase are both safe and of the highest quality.

Most of the supplements I recommend are those we stock here in our office.  However, many of these may also be found in select higher-end health food stores and/or on-line, and we invite you to shop around and invest in your health wisely. 

For our patients and clients who do choose to purchase their supplements here we automatically provide a 10% discount from the manufacturers suggested retail price across the board.
 
Q:  Anything else?
A:  One final important note:  The vast majority of my supplement recommendations are based on the results of specific testing we’ve done to uncover the true “root cause” of the particular concern(s) we’re addressing.  Altering this plan (by selecting “similar” alternatives, or by adding items to it, or by eliminating items from it) often results in sub-optimal or even negative outcomes.  Always sensitive to cost, the recommendations I make are those I believe will not only be the most beneficial but also the most cost-effective of possible options.

Cholesterol is bad, perhaps even evil, right?  Wrong!
 
Cholesterol, in fact, is an absolutely essential and beneficial part of every cell in your body.  We literally couldn’t live without it. 
 
Now I know what you’re thinking:  “That can’t be right.  No way!  …  Can it?” 
 
Here’s the deal:  Scientists have known for at least 80 years that there is NO connection — none at all — between your cholesterol level and your risk of heart disease.
 
So now you may be thinking, “So why am I (or my husband, or my mom, or…) taking a “statin” prescription.  You know something?  That’s an extremely good question.  (See box below.)
 
Why?  Because we have been misled and misinformed, that’s why.  It’s that simple.
 
Which leads me to my point.  Our greatest risk for heart disease isn’t cholesterol.  Or diabetes.  Or hypertension.  Or family history.  Or obesity.  Or smoking.   It’s not that these are unimportant.  Not at all.  They’re all very important (except for cholesterol, as just noted).
 
Our greatest risk, the worst of all, is disinformation.
 
Disinformation like this:  The idea that heart disease is mostly a male problem.  The truth is that heart disease is the #1 killer for women and men alike, and that mortality is the same for both sexes.
 
Or this:  For women, breast cancer is more dangerous than heart disease.
In actual fact, 5 times as many women die of heart disease than breast cancer.
 
Or this:  Women experience chest pain the same as men.
That’s just not true.  For women, symptoms are different.  In fact, very few women experience actual chest pain as a warning sign that something dangerous is happening.
 
Or this:  A low-fat, no-cholesterol diet protects against heart disease.
Nothing could be further from the truth!  With the exception of trans-fats (so bad that New York City banned them in 2007) fats are actually an extremely important part of a healthy, heart-friendly diet.
 
My point?  Disinformation is the enemy.  It’s the most dangerous risk factor of all.
 
Why the disinformation?  Don’t get me started.  The answers to that question lie well beyond the scope of this brief article.
 
Back to the point.  What we need, most of all, is the truth.  We simply need to know the truth. 
 
And that means asking questions.  And challenging the status quo.  It means taking charge of your health.  It means understanding that the answer, the real answer to almost every health concern, isn’t a prescription.
 
Granted, it’s now considered “normal” in America to take a prescription medication.  Or two.  Or three.  Or more.
 
But think about it.  Does that make sense?  Wouldn’t it make more sense to figure out WHY something’s not right and then to solve that problem naturally.  Sure, that may take more time.  And more effort.  And some real lifestyle change.  But if it leads to true health, and to really feeling strong and vital, isn’t it worth it?

The number one risk factor?  Disinformation.  Ask questions.

Symptoms in Women

• Instead of chest pain, women experience an intense pressure or squeezing sensation.
• Jaw, neck, shoulder, or arm pain in either arm.
• Difficulty breathing.
• Abdominal pain.
• Nausea.
• Sweating.
• Fatigue.

 
The Truth About Statins

• Statins increase the risk of diabetes (which actually increases the risk of heart disease, Alzheimers, and cancer).
• Statins can cause severe, debilitating PAIN.
• Statins can cause severe, debilitating FATIGUE.
• Still, despite these well-established risks, more than 250 MILLION statin prescriptions are written and filled every year in the US alone.
  • Q:  Does that make sense.
  • A:  No.  (So ask questions.)