Health & Fitness

03/15/22

Mechanism linking type 2 diabetes to Alzheimer’s disease

When it comes to sleep, it’s quality over quantity

Some people are gifted with genes that pack the benefits of slumber into an efficient time window, keeping them peppy on only four or six hours of sleep a night. In addition, the scientists said, these 'elite sleepers' show psychological resilience and resistance to neurodegenerative conditions that may point the way to fending off neurological disease.

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'Long COVID' linked to lasting airways disease

Disease of the small airways in the lungs is a potential long-lasting effect of COVID-19, according to a new study. The study found that small airways disease occurred independently of initial infection severity. The long-term consequences are unknown.

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Top Nine Tips for Coping With Social Anxiety

Social anxiety disorder, formerly known as social phobia, affects 7.1% of U.S. adults in any given year, while an estimated 12.1% of U.S. adults will experience the disorder at some point during their lives.¹ People with social anxiety disorder feel intense fear and anxiety in social situations, such that they may try to avoid such situations altogether.

With social anxiety disorder, there is an overriding fear of being negatively judged or rejected by others when in public. People with the condition may worry that others will notice their anxiety, leading to embarrassment and sometimes debilitating panic attacks.

In addition to blushing, shaking hands or stumbling over words, people with social anxiety disorder may experience rapid heart rate, nausea and sweating when in social or performance situations.²

The fear of being judged by others can be so powerful that it can cost those affected job opportunities, friendships and romantic relationships. The condition can range from mild to severe, with an estimated 29.9% of adults with social anxiety disorder having serious impairment while 38.8% have moderate impairment and 31.3% mild impairment.³

There are, however, strategies that can help people with social anxiety to cope and regain control of their lives without having to struggle through debilitating fear.

Social Anxiety Disorder Is Different From Shyness

It's commonly assumed that social anxiety is a form of extreme shyness, but there are distinct differences. While people who are shy may be more likely to suffer from social anxiety,⁴ shyness is considered to be a "normal" personality trait, which isn't associated with the significant fear felt by those with social anxiety.

Those with social anxiety experience more distress and disruptions to their daily life than people who are simply shy.⁵ While those with the disorder typically know their fears are irrational, they may feel powerless against the anxiety. The Social Anxiety Association explained:⁶

"People with social anxiety are many times seen by others as being shy, quiet, backward, withdrawn, inhibited, unfriendly, nervous, aloof, and disinterested. Paradoxically, people with social anxiety want to make friends, be included in groups, and be involved and engaged in social interactions.

But having social anxiety prevents people from being able to do the things they want to do. Although people with social anxiety want to be friendly, open, and sociable, it is fear (anxiety) that holds them back."

Different triggers may cause symptoms of social anxiety to flare up in different people. The most common symptom is a feeling of intense anxiety or fear, which may be accompanied by trembling, dry mouth, racing heart, muscle twitches and nervousness. Triggering symptoms may include:⁷

Meeting new people	Being teased or criticized
Being the center of attention	Making phone calls, writing or even swallowing in public
Being watched or observed	Having to speak in public
Meeting someone in an authority position	Making eye contact with others

Nine Top Tips for Coping With Social Anxiety

If you're struggling with social anxiety, taking steps to cope can be life-changing, but many people avoid seeking help. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, "Despite the availability of effective treatments, fewer than 5% of people with social anxiety disorder seek treatment in the year following initial onset and more than a third of people report symptoms for 10 or more years before seeking help."⁸

If your symptoms are debilitating, professional help is recommended. For mild or moderate cases, however, as well as to support treatment in severe cases, the following strategies can help.

1. Take Opportunities for Social Mishaps — Social mishap exposure practice is a technique that puts you in the very situations you fear most — such as singing in a public place — in order to help reinforce the notion that nothing catastrophic will happen as a result.

You may need to seek the support of a professional to work through this, but the idea is that "patients are forced to re-evaluate the perceived threat of a social situation after experiencing that social mishaps do not lead to the feared long-lasting, irreversible and negative consequences."⁹

There is evidence that avoiding social interactions may make social anxiety worse. Similarly, this can lead to other problems, like smartphone addiction, which is associated with social anxiety.¹⁰ "Hiding" behind a cellphone is likely to make mental health worse, whereas social mishap exposure is intended to help desensitize those affected, making social experiences easier to handle. As explained in Cognitive and Behavioral Practice:¹¹

"An important reason why SAD [social anxiety disorder] is maintained in the presence of repeated exposure to social cues is because individuals with SAD engage in a variety of avoidance and safety behaviors to reduce the risk of rejection.

These avoidance tendencies, in turn, prevent patients from critically evaluating their feared outcomes and other catastrophic beliefs, leading to the maintenance and further exacerbation of the problem.

Social mishap exposures directly target the patients' exaggerated social cost by helping patients confront and experience the actual consequences of such mishaps without using any avoidance strategies."

2. Turn Negative Thoughts Into Positive Ones

A simple example of a positive coping strategy is the "yes, but" technique. You may think, "Yes, I'm going to be speaking at a meeting tomorrow, but I am well prepared and will be successful."¹² The positive affirmation helps to balance the negative thoughts and may help calm your mind.

Energy psychology tools such as the Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), demonstrated in the video above, can help you reduce your stress by correcting the bioelectrical short-circuiting that can happen when anxiety becomes chronic.

Research confirms EFT can be a powerful intervention for stress and anxiety,¹³ in part because it specifically targets your amygdala and hippocampus, which are the parts of your brain that help you decide whether or not something is a threat.¹⁴

EFT has also been shown to lower cortisol levels, which are elevated when you're stressed or anxious, while improving symptoms of psychological distress, including anxiety and depression.¹⁵

3. Avoid Alcohol — It may be tempting to ease anxiousness with alcohol, but drinking heavily will have the opposite effect, lowering mood and increasing anxiety throughout the next morning.¹⁶ Further, excessive alcohol use is common among people with social anxiety,¹⁷ so it's best to avoid this negative coping strategy in favor of the other positive options listed here.

4. Engage in Acts of Kindness — Engaging in acts of kindness, such as doing a roommate's dishes, was found to reduce the desire to avoid social situations in students with high levels of social anxiety.^18,¹⁹

In a news release, study author Jennifer Trew explained, "Acts of kindness may help to counter negative social expectations by promoting more positive perceptions and expectations of a person's social environment. It helps to reduce their levels of social anxiety and, in turn, makes them less likely to want to avoid social situations."²⁰

5. Protect Yourself From EMFs — Due to the pioneering work of Martin Pall, Professor Emeritus of biochemistry and basic medical sciences at Washington State University,²¹ we know that voltage gated calcium channels are over 7 million times more sensitive to microwave radiation than the charged particles inside and outside our cells. This means that the safety standards for this exposure are off by a factor of 7 million.

When EMFs hit your voltage gated calcium channels, nearly 1 million calcium ions per second are released into the cell, which then causes the cell to release excessive nitric oxide that then combines with superoxide to form peroxynitrate, which then forms the dangerous hydroxyl free radical that causes massive mitochondrial dysfunction.

The tissues that have the greatest density of voltage gated calcium channels are your nerves and tissues, like the pacemaker in your heart and your brain. When the channels in the brain are activated, it causes a major disruption in neurotransmitter and hormonal balance that can increase the risk for anxiety. You can learn how to reduce your EMF exposure here.

6. Use Healthy Breathing Techniques

According to Konstantin Buteyko, founder of the Buteyko Breathing Method, anxiety is triggered by an imbalance between gases in your body, specifically the ratio between carbon dioxide and oxygen. In the video above, Buteyko breathing coach Robert Litman explains how your breathing affects the ratio of these gases and demonstrates how you can literally breathe your way into a calmer state of mind.

A Buteyko breathing exercise that can help quell anxiety is also summarized below. This sequence helps retain and gently accumulate CO2, leading to calmer breathing and reduced anxiety. In other words, the urge to breathe will decline as you go into a more relaxed state.

Take a small breath into your nose, a small breath out; hold your nose for five seconds in order to hold your breath, and then release to resume breathing.
Breathe normally for 10 seconds.
Repeat the sequence several more times: small breath in through your nose, small breath out; hold your breath for five seconds, then let go and breathe normally for 10 seconds.

7. Eat Fermented Foods — Fermented foods have been shown to curb social anxiety disorder in young adults, likely by helping to optimize the gut microbiome.²² Good bacteria, or probiotics, have also been shown to help normalize anxiety-like behavior in mice with infectious colitis.²³ Along these lines, clean up your diet to help stabilize your mood by eating more of these anxiety-busting foods.

8. Try Lavender Aromatherapy — Aromatherapy is a simple, DIY tool you can use to help calm your nerves. In one study, 100 patients admitted to a medical center for ambulatory surgery were given either lavender aromatherapy (inhaled) or standard nursing care (the control group) while in the preoperative waiting room.

Their levels of anxiety were recorded upon arrival to the waiting area and again upon departure. Those who received the aromatherapy had a greater reduction in anxiety compared to the control group.²⁴

Research published in Phytomedicine also found that an orally administered lavender oil preparation was as effective as the drug Lorazepam for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder.²⁵

9. Consider Ashwagandha — Ashwagandha is a powerful adaptogenic herb that helps your body manage and adapt to stress. In a 2009 study, patients diagnosed with moderate to severe anxiety lasting longer than six weeks who were treated with 300 milligrams of ashwagandha root for three months reported "significantly decreased" symptoms compared to those undergoing standard psychotherapy.²⁶

Be Wary of Drugs for Treating Anxiety

Antidepressant therapy with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) is sometimes recommended for anxiety disorders based on the "chemical imbalance" theory that anxiety disorders (and depression) may be due to low serotonin levels. Yet, research suggests people with social anxiety disorder may actually have increased serotonin synthesis,²⁷ making treatment with SSRIs highly questionable.

Other commonly prescribed drugs for anxiety include benzodiazepine drugs like Ativan, Xanax and Valium. They exert a calming effect by boosting the action of a neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the same way as opioids (heroin) and cannabinoids (cannabis) do.

This in turn activates the gratification hormone, dopamine, in your brain. Since the identical brain "reward pathways" are used by both types of drugs, they can be addictive.

If you're struggling with social anxiety, you have nothing to lose, and everything to gain, by applying lifestyle modifications before trying medication, and you may find that these strategies help lessen your anxiety naturally, helping you to embrace life once again.

As mentioned, if your anxiety is so severe that it's interfering with your daily life, speak with a holistic health care provider who can help you develop a comprehensive treatment plan.

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Moderate dose of this stress promotes longevity

Stress is a response in the body that enables us to run, take down prey or run from predators, also known as the flight-or-fight response. Unfortunately, many of the same life-saving reactions your body uses to protect you from danger may also be triggered as a response to cope with the rising prices of gasoline, a fear of public speaking or dealing with difficult bosses.

In other words, the body sometimes has a difficult time turning stress off. The good news is there are several strategies you might consider to relieve the response and reduce the negative health effects if you are dealing with a lot of psychological or physical stress. However, while TV commercials and other advertising may insinuate that we should all be living in a perfect world, in truth, a world without stress may kill you.

According to Psychology Today,¹ stress is the perceived disconnection between what is happening and your resources to deal with the situation. This means stress could be a real or imagined threat since the operative word is perceived.

Psychologists say too much is toxic but a little is needed for mental and physical resiliency.² For instance, without societal stress to do well in school, students may not study or show up for class. However, major stressors may be debilitating, such as caring for someone with a chronic or debilitating disease or losing your job.

Researchers have also found mild physical stress may help improve development. A team from Johns Hopkins University³ followed 137 pregnant women and followed up with their 2-year-old children. They found a mild amount of anxiety and stress during pregnancy was associated with more advanced physical development in their children.

The researchers found prenatal maternal stress did not impact the child's temperament, attention or their ability to control behavior.⁴ As with most biological processes, there is a balance, as too much has a negative impact and too little may not offer enough challenge to bodily systems.

Chromatin key to stress response and longevity

Recent research from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research found that chromatin stress triggers a cellular response that may lead to a longer life. In order for an organism to survive they must be able to adapt to changing conditions. The cellular response dedicated to this affects how the genome is structured.⁵

Inside cells that contain a nucleus, DNA is packaged with histone proteins to create a structure known as nucleosomes, which are further condensed into chromatin.⁶ The overall packaging determines the expression of your genetic code. This expression is impacted by environmental stress.⁷

Everything involved in reading your DNA must deal with the chromatin structure, according to scientists from the Baylor College of Medicine.⁸ Corresponding author Weiwei Dang⁹ explained that when a particular gene is expressed, enzymes will interact with the chromatin to negotiate access in order to translate the information into specific proteins.

With chromatin stress, the disruption may also lead to unwanted changes in genetic expression. During this study, the team worked with yeast to determine how histone genes would affect longevity.¹⁰ The team deleted histone H3-H4 minor locus HHT1-HHF1,¹¹ unexpectedly finding that with this reduced number of genes, the yeast replicated longer.

The response to chromatin disruption in the yeast changed the activation to genes that eventually promoted longevity of the yeast cells. This stress occurred in other organisms as well, including a laboratory worm and fruit fly as well as mouse embryonic stem cells, all promoting longevity.¹²

Mitochondria produce energy and sustain life

Your mitochondria have enormous potential to influence your health. They are essentially tiny powerhouses found in most of the cells in your body. They form an interconnected network allowing the distribution of energy.¹³

Mitochondria work by transferring electrons from fat and sugars into oxygen during the process of generating adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This is the “energy currency” used by your body’s cells.¹⁴

Mitochondria are unique in that they have their own genetic code different from nuclear DNA,¹⁵ known as mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). They also have cellular, molecular and behavioral responses to stress that require more energy.¹⁶

Mitochondria intersect psychological and biological stress

During stress, mitochondrial function changes to guard against disease as you age. One stress response pathway in the cells is called the unfolded protein response (UPR) with several divisions that handle a number of functions at the cellular level.¹⁷

Changes in DNA expression are affected by the structure of chromatin.¹⁸ One study¹⁹ demonstrated that enzymes that modify histones have a significant role in the UPR response. By using genetic screening, the team found the LIN-65 gene was important to the induction of mitochondrial UPR to extend lifespan, but it occurred even in the absence of LIN-65, which could mean there were other pathways.

As well as being important to increasing longevity, the mitochondrial stress response may also be “an intersection point between psychosocial experiences and biological stress responses.”²⁰ In a review of 23 animal studies it was noted that the evidence indicates acute and chronic stress influence mitochondrial biology.

Maladaptive changes in the mitochondria, called mitochondrial allostatic load,²¹ are potentially able to convert psychosocial experiences into physiological changes.²² This understanding has far-reaching consequences.

Chromatin remodeling may affect physiological change

For instance, in one study²³ researchers found initial evidence that different types of interactions with infants and young children generates differences triggering chromatin remodeling. This gives us one possible explanation for why molecular changes in early development result in lifelong emotional responses.

Researchers hypothesize this may provide insights into how experiences move from external stimuli to internal biological changes through chromatin remodeling, and then emotional changes as an adult.²⁴ In other words, mitochondrial stress changes chromatin early in life and may have a significant impact on later development.

An animal study²⁵ from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia showed how alterations in mitochondria could lead to physiological changes in response to mild stress.

This also affected how the mammals responded to changes in their environment and may have profound implications on the idea that neuropsychiatric diseases are hereditary. Researchers find the implication in this study may suggest new therapies for neuropsychiatric diseases and make people more resilient to environmental changes.²⁶

Exercise stress produces beneficial mitochondrial change

Since mitochondria supply energy for growth and development, this means they are responsible for the lifespan of most cells. A buildup of the remnants of proteins and oxidative damage, among other things (known as “debris”) drives biological aging, chronic inflammation and cell deterioration.²⁷

In one study²⁸ from Mayo Clinic, 72 men and women were split into younger and older groups and then further split into three exercise programs: high intensity, strength training and a combination. The researchers’ goal was to evaluate exercise stress on gene transcription and mitochondrial respiration.

At the end of the experiment, biopsies were taken from participants’ thigh muscles and the molecular makeup was compared against those from members of the control group. The control group had not been exercising. Researchers discovered²⁹ that strength training may build muscle but high intensity interval training (HIIT) has the most value on a cellular level.

HIIT exercise appeared to minimize damage to mitochondria from the accumulation of debris as we age.³⁰ Those who were in the HIIT group experienced greater insulin sensitivity but less growth of muscle strength.

The younger participants taking part in the interval training experienced up to a 49% increase in mitochondrial capacity, but it was the older participants who experienced a more dramatic response of a 69% increase.³¹

Physical stress also affects brain tissue

Another research group undertook an animal study³² to determine if some of the same mitochondrial benefits experienced in skeletal muscle happened in brain tissue. They believe the results of their study suggest exercise training, even in older mice, could improve neurological mitochondrial function.

The results of these studies support a past paper³³ in which the authors proposed that while advancements have increased life expectancy, knowledge of what's happening on the molecular and cellular level may extend maximal lifespan.

In reviewing the literature, they found a common thread emerging in experiments using plants and animals: The regulation of life and aging is in the mitochondrial system. Additionally, decay may be counteracted with physical activity and regular aerobic exercise may increase or prolong life at the mitochondrial level.³⁴

Dietary factors promote mitochondrial longevity

Past research³⁵ involving lab animals has demonstrated that limiting calorie intake has a positive impact on realizing a longer lifespan. Manipulating mitochondrial networks through fasting or genetic manipulation has demonstrated the ability to increase lifespan.

A study³⁶ by a Harvard research team investigated the basic biology involved and how dietary restriction promotes healthy aging. The researchers used nematode worms. These worms have a normal lifespan of just two weeks, and allowed the team to study lifespans in real time.³⁷

Restricting the worm’s diet, or genetically altering their mitochondria, kept the mitochondrial network in a more youthful state and increased the worms’ lifespans. The researchers believe their results demonstrate how the flexibility of mitochondrial networks is used in a fasting state to lengthen a person’s life.³⁸

Scientists who conducted a different study³⁹ evaluated the damage done by dietary overload on mitochondrial function, which may lead to premature tissue aging. They designed weekly schedules of fasting and demonstrated it was effective in limiting mitochondrial damage.

The test subjects’ tissues were able to maintain efficient mitochondrial respiration in skeletal muscle and showed an improvement in blood glucose profiles. The team concluded⁴⁰ fasting might represent an effective strategy to limit mitochondrial impairment and improve metabolic flexibility, which is not found in those who typically consume a western diet.

Strategies to mediate overwhelming stress response

Although a slight amount of stress helps your mitochondria stay healthy and lengthen your life, overwhelming stress has the opposite effect. Excess stress plays a role in negatively affecting your immune system, gut health, emotions and sleep.⁴¹

Stress is one of the biggest challenges facing many U.S. adults,^42,⁴³ negatively impacting mental and physical health.⁴⁴ The American Psychological Association’s 2015 Stress in America survey⁴⁵ revealed a sizable number of adults do not feel they are doing enough to manage their stress.

Stress levels are also rising as 25% in 2015 said they felt over the past month “fairly often” or “very often” problems were piling up so high they couldn’t overcome them, compared to 16% in 2014. On average, those who reported having emotional support experienced lower stress levels than those who reported no emotional support.⁴⁶

While a little stress helps your body to accommodate to change and increases your longevity, overwhelming stress may affect your mental and physical health. In the following articles you’ll find strategies to help alleviate your stress levels. Some strategies you may try under acute stress no matter where you are, and others you may use to help alleviate and control stress long-term.

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Elevated inflammation persists in immune cells months after mild COVID-19

There is a lack of understanding as to why some people suffer from long-lasting symptoms after COVID-19 infection. A new study now demonstrates that a certain type of immune cell called macrophages show altered inflammatory and metabolic expression several months after mild COVID-19.

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