Daily Health Center
In my Daily Health Center, learn all about:

• The Straight Scoop on Vitamin A
• How to Pick a Good Multivitamin
• Dr. Sinatra's Personal Longevity Plan
• Dr. Sinatra's Program for Digestive and Heart Health
• Mixing Drugs and Vitamins: What Are the Dangers?
• Relax and Release Emotional Risk Factors Away
• Key Nutrients for Vegetarians
• Don't Sing the Holiday Blues
• The Power of Prayer in Healing

Dr. Sinatra's Top Recommendation for Daily Health

How to Pick a Good Multivitamin

When shopping for a "multi" here are the overall ranges of "the basics" that I recommend. Please note that I'm not a proponent of mega-dosing.

The following superantioxidant nutritionals can further promote heart health. These include:

Coenzyme Q10
L-carnitine
lutein
alpha lipoic acid
proanthocyanidins
N-acetylcysteine (NAC)
L-arginine

To learn more about Dr. Sinatra's top recommendation for daily health, click here.

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Dr. Sinatra's Personal Longevity Plan

Whenever I lecture to subscribers or patients, I frequently am asked about my own personal health regimen and longevity strategy. My interest in sharing this with you is to offer insight to what helps me balance the demanding (yet fulfilling) schedule I love with the healthy lifestyle I need.

You see, like so many people today (probably you, too!), my lifestyle early on in my career was leaving me extremely vulnerable to the culprits of aging. For many years, I subjected both my body and mind to the rigors of athletics, medical school, post-graduate training, and an 80-hour-a-week cardiology practice. So, while I've put some pretty tough demands on my body, I've also tried to compensate for them where I could.

You may find that not all of my personal guidelines will suit you—they shouldn't necessarily—and you'll want to customize your own. My thought here is to outline a simple approach to looking at your overall health and evaluating where it is today.

Next, ask yourself where you want your health to be—which areas are you already happy with, and which would you like to improve upon?

To get you started, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• As you read through my personal plan, look at this as an exercise to open your mind to the areas in your life that you might want to improve and to any attitudes or habits you wish to let go of.
• Try not to be too rigid. For example, I occasionally have a brownie, a small slice of pizza or maybe even more red meat than I should, but I don't "beat myself up" over it. It's okay to enjoy an occasional splurge, but try to center your thinking on doing right by your physical, emotional and spiritual body.
• It takes time to develop habits and time to change them, so be patient with yourself.
• See the overall lifestyle you want for yourself as healthy and mindful. If you're not completely there yet, remember that it's a process. Savor the process and look forward to its rewards!

This is my personal longevity program:

Basic eating plan: based on the way Mediterranean cultures eat. Through this approach and selection of food, my diet centers on:

• High fiber–greater than 30 grams a day.
• Fat–30 to 60 grams healthy fat a day from olive oil, nuts, seeds and protein sources.
• Protein from cold-water fish, shellfish, eggs, low-fat dairy and soy products.
• Plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables (with lots of garlic, onions and fresh herbs).
• Whole grains and cereals.

Water intake: 8 to 10 glasses of filtered water daily.

Sleep: 5 to 6 hours a night.

Exercise: 40 minutes, 5 times a week of aerobic, fast walking with my arms swinging; back and abdominal strengthening exercises; light resistance training with dumbbells (10 pounds for upper body strength); fly fishing, snow skiing, and walking my dogs.

Supplements: A good multivitamin and mineral formula that contains, among other nutrients, significant levels of antioxidants, calcium (one chewable at bedtime), magnesium, and folic acid. Other supplements I use are CoQ10 (I up my dose when I know I'm going to be out in the sun), L-carnitine, fish oil, quercetin (especially during allergy season), and additional vitamin E. I also take prostate and memory formulas. Also, consider my NattoPlus formula.

Herbs: Green tea daily; garlic (1 to 2 cloves a day) to support healthy cholesterol; ginger (500 mg a day) & cayenne pepper (250 mg a day) to boost my digestion and immunity.

Relaxation: Prayer, cooking, reading, fly fishing, listening to soft classical music, petting my dogs, and walking with my partner.

Stress reliever: Playing with the dogs. I find emotional release through laughter, expressing anger, and by giving myself permission to cry any time it surfaces.

Mental exercise: Writing books, newsletters, articles, developing healthy products, and trying to outsmart fish.

Best habit: Being able to "surrender" and listen to my body. When I experience fatigue, I rest. Also, I remember to listen to the "spiritual messengers" around me.

Worst habit: "Shutting down" emotionally when I'm exhausted or overwhelmed with work or tasks.

Personal secrets: Keeping my heart open to love. Also, avoiding negative thinking, creating emotional support systems, and maintaining connections with people I care about and who genuinely care about me.

Environmental health: Whenever possible, I avoid exposure to heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium and lead, and toxic chemicals in cleaning and lawn care products. I use water filters, air filters and full-spectrum lighting in the home and office. I also avoid prolonged exposure to microwave ovens, TV, radiation, and any electromagnetic fields that I can. When I know I'm going to be out in the sun, I take extra CoQ10, wear a hat, sunglasses, and use the highest SPF sunblock I can find.

Once you map out a realistic plan of action for increasing your own health, longevity and well-being, check in with this web site and stay tuned to Dr. Sinatra's Heart, Health & Nutrition for helpful tips along the way. Enjoy your journey!

To learn more about Dr. Sinatra's top recommendation for daily health, click here.

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Dr. Sinatra's Program for Digestive and Heart Health 

If you suffer with symptoms of chronic indigestion and you have a heart condition, follow this program. Within weeks, you should notice a change for the better.

Eat 5 to 9 servings of fresh fruit and vegetables daily. Eat half the servings raw, the other half lightly cooked. Raw foods contain plant enzymes that promote better digestion of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and soluble fiber. Avoid microwaved foods. They do not contain live enzymes.

Juice at least twice a week. Juicing lets you rapidly take in enzymes that support digestion and boost energy. If you don't have a juicer, I encourage you to buy one. Juicing is also great for promoting bowel health.

Take digestive enzyme supplements. The supplements I like have vegetable enzyme extracts, ginger, peppermint, bromelain, lactase and carbohydrates that support friendly bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. I also like a combo of bifidobacterium and lactobacillus, helpful bacteria that support bowel health.

Consume green foods. Greens help support the GI tract and friendly bacteria (acidophilus and bifidus) in the gut that promote proper digestion, elimination, and colon health.

Drink eight glasses of filtered water per day. Drink a glass with each meal and when you take your vitamins and minerals. Water helps promote healthy digestion by flushing toxins through the kidneys. It also prevents dehydration, which can trigger constipation.

Limit gastric drugs. Don't use antacids regularly. Many contain aluminum, a nasty mineral that can cause constipation and promote Alzheimer's disease. Antacids with magnesium citrate or carbonate are preferable.

To learn more about Dr. Sinatra's top recommendation for daily health, click here.

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Mixing Drugs and Vitamins: What Are the Dangers? 

Many people ask me about taking various vitamins and herbs with pharmacological drugs. Be assured that most vitamin and mineral supplements, including coenzyme Q10, can be taken with drugs. 

I've been mixing conventional drugs with vitamin and mineral supplements for more than 20 years and, generally speaking, most of my patients have used combinations of vitamins and minerals and conventional drugs without any undue side effects.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't be cautious, however. The literature is loaded with studies demonstrating that herbs — like drugs — can trigger adverse and dangerous reactions.

With the following exceptions, most herbs and drugs can be safely mixed.

Here are the drug/vitamin/herb mixtures you should avoid: 

• Never take long-acting niacin if you take statin-like drugs. A combination of the two could cause excessive metabolic stress to the liver. Remember, long-acting niacin in gram doses acts like a drug (don't worry if you're taking small doses of short-acting preparations).
• Do not take standard dosages of ginkgo biloba (120-240 mg daily) if you're on Coumadin.
• If you're on Digoxin, take hawthorne berry only under a physician's guidance. This combo could cause your heart rate to slow too much.
• If you're taking Digoxin with beta blockers, stay away from large doses of vitamin E (more than 800 IU) and magnesium (more than 600 mg), as a combination of this mixture may cause additional heart-rate slowing.
• Never use Kava Kava or St. John's wort, natural supplements for depression, with anti-depression drugs like Paxil, Prozac or Zoloft. An overdose of serotonin, the brain's happy hormone, may occur, resulting in serotonin excess, which manifests itself as irritability, dry mouth and insomnia.
• Do not use the herbs valerian root or passion flower if you take tranquilizers like Valium or Xanax because this combination can make you drowsy.

To learn more about Dr. Sinatra's top recommendation for daily health, click here.

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Relax and Release Emotional Risk Factors Away 

I have often reported on the harmful effects that the body experiences due to such negative emotions as chronic stress and tension, repressed anger, hurried behavior, and worry. The relaxation response is the opposite of the “fight or flight response”—that automatic reaction of increased heart rate, blood pressure, blood sugar and blood flow we get in response to an immediate threat or crisis. The relaxation response works to calm the overactive nervous system and return the body to a more balanced state.

The research on relaxation shows that it can temper the stress hormones (adrenaline and cortisol) that contribute to emotional and physical distress. Over time, stress can weaken your immune system and make you vulnerable to illness and infections. The physiological characteristics of the relaxation response are:

• Reduced oxygen consumption,
• Slower breathing,
• Slower heart rate,
• Reduced muscle tension,
• Normalized blood pressure, and
• Increased alpha brain waves (associated with rest and relaxation).

Through these responses, relaxation can help tune up your immune system. It’s also been used to prepare patients for surgery, to reduce post-injury stress, to help with sleeping problems and breathing difficulties, to enhance memory, and as an adjunct to a variety of other conventional medical treatments.

Relaxation can be achieved through a variety of methods—such as imagery, visualization, deep breathing, prayer, Tai Chi, Qigong (chee-gong), massage, and music. I try to relax at the end of each day by doing one or all of the following: cook, sit by a fire, pray, massage my dogs, listen to soothing music.

You can easily learn to induce the relaxation response as a part of your daily routine. Recent research has demonstrated that the relaxation response can be elicited even in a busy environment such as an office or crowded subway train, so there’s no excuse for not finding time. The techniques I’m going to tell you about will help you retreat mentally from your surroundings while you relax your muscles and empty anxiety and tension from your mind.

Treat Yourself . . . Relax

Sit in a relaxed, comfortable position with your eyes closed. Start at one end of your body and alternately tense, and then relax, specific muscle groups. For example, starting with the head, tense the muscles of your face, hold it for five seconds, then relax for five seconds. Next, move to the jaw—tense and hold to the count of five, then relax to the count of five. Move to your shoulders, chest, upper arms, lower arms, hands, stomach, buttocks, thighs, and so on down to the toes.

If uncomfortable with this method, I suggest you try one of the following (all sitting down, eyes closed):

• Relax and Let Go: Follow the same relaxation procedure as above, but instead of alternating between tensing and relaxing, simply relax each muscle group in turn, proceeding from head to toes or toes to head. Instead of counting, just focus on each muscle group, saying slowly to yourself, “relax and let go” three times.
  
  
• Follow the Breath: Simply inhale to the count of five, hold to the count of five, and exhale to the count of five. Feel free to adjust the count to a length that is comfortable.
  
  
• Open Focus: Repeat a soothing word or sound such as “one,” “ohm,” “peace,” “relax,” “love” or whatever is relaxing or has meaning for you. Continue to repeat it slowly, over and over to yourself as you let yourself be calm and relax to the repetitive rhythm.

Calm Yourself Daily

These techniques are simple and can even be combined. They can also be used in combination with meditation, relaxing music, and prayer. Feel free to adjust your technique to the situation or time frame you have. “Follow the Breath” and “Open Focus” can be done when your time is more limited (five to 10 minutes), while the two muscle group relaxation techniques are better suited to when you have 15 to 30 minutes to devote to them.

Additional relaxation techniques, including some that are particularly beneficial to women, can be found in Minding the Body, Mending the Mind (Bantam) by Joan Borysenko, Ph.D. Used copies of the book in excellent condition can be found on Amazon.com.

For best results, relaxation techniques should be practiced for 20 to 30 minutes a day, as many days of the week as possible—even if it just means closing your eyes and listening to soothing music.

Whatever way you ultimately use to elicit a relaxation response, the bottom line is that you have the ability, all on your own, to trigger a series of physiological changes that offer advantages to your physical health. 

Emotions: Reconnect with the Good and Release the Bad

All the muscles in your body have a type of “memory”—including your heart. So, when faced with a stressful moment, visualize a time when you felt tremendously happy. It doesn’t matter what the occasion was. It could be the birth of a child, an engagement or marriage, an “A” in a particularly difficult or rewarding class, or being recognized for an accomplishment.

The key is to choose an event that brings up overwhelmingly positive feelings. Then put yourself back in that moment—feel it, smell it, taste it, and live it all over again.

The upshot of re-living positive emotions is that you effectively cancel out negative ones. Research at the Institute of HeartMath (IHM) supports this type of approach to stress. IHM has found that the heart and brain interact with each other in a unique way. Whereas it’s often thought that the brain tells the heart what to do, IHM says the heart’s function is also influenced by its own memory and its own simplified nervous system.

Normally, the heart and brain send signals to each other that affect how both of them function. But when faced with stress, the heart’s signals tend to override the brain’s signals. That’s one of the reasons why, in stressful situations, your heart keeps racing even though your brain is thinking, “Be calm!”

The key to defusing the stress you feel in that sort of situation is to redirect your heart’s focus away from the negative situation and toward a fantastically positive memory. So choose your memory and keep it close at hand. You never know when you may need to call on it! (For more information on IHM visit it online at www.heartmath.com.)

Be in the Moment

Beyond focusing on past experiences of good emotions, you should also be sure to actually experience emotion in the present. For a variety of reasons, many people have learned to suppress their emotions—both good and bad. Whether you feel joy, sadness, shame, or anger, honor those feelings by allowing yourself to experience them.

Don’t try to figure out why you feel the way you do—that’s not as important as simply letting the emotion out. When it subsides, let it go. Repressed emotions can wreak havoc on the body, especially the heart.

Put More Laughter in Your Life

Children laugh an average of 400 times a day. Adults, only 15. Somewhere on the way to adulthood we lose 385 laughs a day! Increase your laughter quotient with comedy videos or playing with your grandkids.

In one study with cardiac patients, which lasted more than a year, people who watched a comedy show on a daily basis had significantly lower stress hormone levels and blood pressure readings, and they needed less medication.

Learn to Say “No”

Always accommodating others is a wonderful trait; however, we can easily become overwhelmed and fatigued in the process. Say “no” when confronted by a personal request you think will probably be too stressful or time-consuming (I wouldn’t recommend telling your boss “no” when asked to do something).

When it comes to family, friends, and neighbors, you need to realize that you can’t always please everybody. Moreover, no one will respect you unless you respect yourself and your personal time.

Taking on requests that you resent (perhaps even subconsciously) only leads to repressed anger and other negative emotions—so only agree to those personal requests that you know you’ll have time for and that you really don’t mind doing for your family and friends.

The Healing Power of Music

Certain music, particularly classical and baroque, may be something you already enjoy, but did you know that it’s another vehicle for relaxation and healing? The melody, pitch, timing, and beat of baroque classics and Gregorian chants can alter your state of being by quieting your mind and allowing you to enter its spiritual recesses.

Most scores of classical music range between 60 and 140 beats per minute. The resting heart beats approximately 50 to 80 times per minute, so it would appear that soothing music in range of 60 to 80 beats per minute can induce calm. It may be, too, that the thumping rhythm of this range unconsciously takes us back to the safety of the womb.

The following pieces of classical and baroque music—all of which approximate the thumping of the human heart—may help you reduce anxiety and stress:

• Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 4, second movement
• Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 2, Sarabande
• Gustav Holst: The Planets, “Venus”
• Ravel: Mother Goose Suite, first movement

Music can transport you because it doesn’t involve a logical thought process. When listening to music, you use the right side of your brain, which is the creative, intuitive half that’s responsible for dreams and expressions. I’m convinced that the right brain needs to be exercised if healing is to truly take place.

To pursue music therapy in more depth, visit the American Music Therapy Association online at www.musictherapy.org or call them at 301-589-3300. And if you’d like further insight into the power of music, rent the movie Immortal Beloved.

The Power of Prayer

More and more physicians and health care providers are discovering spirituality as an untapped therapy in healing. In a conference at Harvard Medical School several years ago, research was cited showing that people who attend church frequently or pray regularly have lower rates of heart disease, hypertension, and suicide. Those who prayed even lived longer than those who did not.

When you include prayer or meditation in your daily life (prayer is a form of meditation), you will notice some changes. You may become more open to life, less rigid, and more centered. You may find it easier to resolve your problems and cope with stressful situations. Your relationships with others will deepen. All of this will be reflected in your healing heart, and you will indeed feel closer to a spiritual power.

Throughout most of recorded human history, medicine and religion are entwined traditions of healing. Physician and rabbi Eric Braverman believes, and I agree, that physicians should have religious and humanistic training.

Spiritual practices lower stress—no doubt about it. Dozens of published studies have shown that Transcendental Meditation (TM) has a powerful effect on the heart and overall health. A report in the Annals of Internal Medicine indicates it significantly improves heart rate variability as well.

Learning TM can be expensive, though. Visit www.tm.org for more information. I learned TM in 1977 for $125, and it’s been worth every penny over the past 30 years!

The Power of Pets

Those of you who have lived on farms appreciate working partnerships with animals. In the last few decades, we’ve come to understand that animals possess a unique intelligence. We also have the benefit of research that confirms what many of us have known all along. Animals can be good for your health—especially those pets with whom you’ve had a long-term relationship.

Here’s something to think about. Research shows that the survival rate of people who suffered a heart attack is five times greater for those who come home from the hospital to a loving pet than folks who come home to a lonely house or a judgmental spouse!

In other words, that dog or cat you have—whose biggest moment of the day is your homecoming—could be saving your life with that wet kiss or that happy purr!

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Key Nutrients for Vegetarians

A vegetarian diet is healthier than the typical American diet in many ways. It’s low in saturated fat, high in fiber, and contains antioxidants and a score of phytonutrients that may help reduce the risk of many serious diseases.

However, if you’re one of the millions who follow a vegetarian diet—or are considering a change in that direction—it’s important to know that there is much more to being a vegetarian than simply excluding meat, fish, and fowl. This is especially true for strict vegetarians, or vegans—vegetarians who avoid using any products from animals (including dairy and eggs in their diet, and supplements from animal sources).

As I wrote in my September newsletter, virtually every vegetarian I’ve examined has been deficient in nutrients commonly found in animal products. These deficiencies include protein, omega-3 essential fatty acids, vitamin B12, and carnitine (along with a few others).

Vegetarians must be sure to get the critical nutrients that are contained in the foods that they have excluded from their diet—which means finding other food sources or supplements. So here’s how you can make up the deficit and avoid health problems related to the deficiencies.

Be Proactive in Getting Your Protein

The first of the nutrients that is deficient in most vegetarian diets is probably the easiest to address from plant sources. Good vegetarian sources for protein include tofu, nuts, and quinoa—a grain that grows in the Andes.

In fact, quinoa is the only vegetable source I know that contains a balanced set of the essential amino acids. It’s also high in fiber, phosphorus, magnesium, and iron. I use it instead of rice when I fix stir fry—which, of course, is great with extra-firm tofu in place of pork, chicken, shrimp, or other forms of meat.

For a tougher texture, slice your extra firm tofu and freeze it for a few days. Then let it thaw. Squeeze all the water from each thawed slice and you will have tofu that has an even firmer texture—but with all the protein and other nutrients that tofu is famous for.

Get Your Critical Fatty Acids

In addition to protein, vegans need to be sure to get their omega-3 fatty acids—something most Americans don’t get enough of even if they’re not vegetarians. The best source for the important omega-3s known as EPA and DHA is cold-water fish such as salmon, sardines, and tuna.

EPA plays an important part in cardiovascular health, and DHA is one of the most abundant fats in the brain. It’s vital for optimal brain function, including mood and memory. If you’re a vegan, which means you won’t eat fish or take a fish oil supplement, you’ll need to get these omega-3s from other sources.

Flaxseed oil is the richest source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the essential omega-3 that is found in plant sources. However, you should also make sure your diet contains plenty of green leafy vegetables—such as spinach and mustard greens. Additionally, wheat germ, walnuts, and tofu also contain ALA in varying amounts.

One excellent way of getting high amounts of ALA is by eating a salad that includes spinach and mustard greens sprinkled with wheat germ and walnuts and topped with a vinaigrette dressing made with flaxseed oil. It’s a delicious way to get your ALA, fiber, and a host of other important phytonutrients.

Most people are able to convert ALA into EPA and DHA. However, your body’s ability to make the conversion may decline as you age. Even if your body’s conversion ability is running at peak efficiency, you’ll probably only be able to use about 18 percent of the ALA you take in.

If you eat fish or take a fish oil supplement, it’s still a good idea to add ALA to your diet. A recent Harvard study concluded that ALA may help improve cardiovascular health through various biological mechanisms—including platelet function, inflammation reduction, endothelial cell activity, and arrhythmia control.

Don’t Be B12 Deficient

Additionally, vegetarians must consider their need for vitamin B12. The natural sources for this key member of the family of B vitamins are meat and dairy, which means vegans are often deficient in this crucial nutrient that helps maintain nervous system function and normal homocysteine levels while also helping to prevent pernicious anemia.

There aren’t any plant sources for vitamin B12, so vegetarians must take a supplement to get what they need. The good news here is that supplemental B12 is vegan friendly. It’s a synthetic form called cyanocobalamin.

Keep in mind that it’s important to have a wide array of B vitamins and to not just supplement with one of them. So your best bet is a high-quality multinutrient that not only gives you 200 mcg of B12 per day but that also gives you a wide range of other B vitamins—such as 20 mg of thiamine (B1), 20 mg of riboflavin (B2), 40 mg of niacin (B3), 40 mg of B6, and 800 mcg of folic acid or folate (B9).

There are other B vitamins, but the important thing to keep in mind is that a quality multinutrient will provide you with a full range of the members of the vitamin B family.

Keep Keen on Carnitine

As the name indicates, carnitine comes from meat (carni being Latin for flesh or meat). Lamb and mutton are the best sources for this nutrient that crosses into the mitochondria (the powerhouse of the cells). Carnitine helps do at least three things for your body: turn fat into energy, deliver and balance oxygen supplies, and prevent the production of some toxins.

As with B12, if you don’t get your carnitine from meat, you’ll have to get it from a supplement. Although the body can produce its own carnitine if it has the proper enzymes and co-enzymes, studies have indicated that vegetarians aren’t able to make adequate amounts on their own—which is why supplemental carnitine is essential.

Even meat eaters should look to a full-spectrum carnitine supplement. Again, the good news for vegans is that the carnitine used in supplements is synthetic.

Remember CoQ10, Taurine, and Alpha Lipoic Acid

Everyone should supplement with coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), but vegetarians need to be even more vigilant. Over the years that I’ve been measuring blood levels for this critical nutrient, I’ve found low levels in some of my vegetarian patients who don’t take a CoQ10 supplement.

Two other nutrients that vegetarians are usually low in are taurine and alpha lipoic acid. As with B12 and carnitine, it’s important to get synthetic forms of these nutrients in a supplement if you’re not consuming organic meat and dairy. Be aware, though, that the gelatin used for most supplement capsules will have an animal source, so vegans will need to look for supplements that use “veggie caps.”

There you have it. Adopting a vegetarian diet can be a healthy move, but you have to play it smart. Your best efforts may backfire unless you make sure you get the critical nutrients you need from other sources.

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Don't Sing the Holiday Blues

With the holiday season ahead of us, it's not unusual for many of us to feel the "holiday blues" as we become overwhelmed with commitments and all of the commercial hype. Unfortunately, melancholy moods are very common this time of year.

I'd like to tell you how to keep up your spirits by simply reconnecting with yourself. It's not a new trick. It's called relaxation and, yes, it can be learned.

Relaxation Enhances Healing

Relaxation can calm the sympathetic nervous system and return your body to a more normalized, less stressed state. You can achieve the best relaxation through imagery, visualization, deep breathing, prayer, mediation, T'ai Chi, Qigong (chee-gong), massage, or music. You can also try positive affirmations like: "This is going to be a good day," "I am a good person," "My life will continue to bring good things to me."

I try to relax at the end of each day, which is one of the reasons I believe I don't have health problems. I do one or more of the following: cook, sit by a fire, pray, massage my dogs, and listen to soothing music.

The research on relaxation shows that it can temper over-secretion of the stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisol, which contribute to emotional and physical distress. Over time, stress can weaken your immune system and make you vulnerable to illness.

How Relaxation Helps

Relaxation helps tune up your immune system before you get sick. It has also been known to enhance memory, improve blood pressure, optimize respiration, boost blood flow to muscles, and reduce both muscle tension and adrenaline secretion. And that's just the stuff researchers have checked into so far. You might even think of other health benefits that come from focusing on relaxation techniques.

An additional relaxation benefit that comes to my mind is overcoming "burnout." A little relaxation can go a long way toward helping restore energy and enthusiasm for daily routines and tasks that can seem more difficult when you're stressed!

Relaxation Methods That Are Easy to Do

Relaxation skills are helpful for all of us. The good news is you don't have to sign up for expensive programs or scout around for helpful tools. Below are a few of my favorite ways to get on the road to relaxation.

Abdominal Breathing

Put your hand on your belly, take a deep breath through your nose and feel your hand rise on your abdomen. Exhale through your mouth. Do this 15 to 20 times at least once a day while either lying down or sitting. If trying to relax in a lying or sitting position doesn't work for you, try this exercise while walking.

Mental Imaging

I use mental imaging, sometimes known as guided imagery or visualization, with my patients, and I teach them how to use it. Basically, you imagine you are experiencing something, and your body reacts as if it's actually happening. For instance, if you create a strong mental image of relaxing at your favorite vacation spot—say the beach or hiking in the mountains, whatever is truly enjoyable to you—then your body will respond to that mental image.

Focus your imagination on reliving personal experiences that were highly enjoyable and/or comforting. Your body will appreciate your imaginative trip down memory lane.

The Healing Power of Music

Listening to certain kinds of music—particularly classical and baroque—have been shown to enhance relaxation. The melody, pitch, timing, and beat of such music can alter your state of being by quieting your mind and allowing you to enter its spiritual recesses. I recommend "Pachelbel's Canon" and other baroque classics as well as "Chant" by the Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos.

When it's resting, the human heart beats approximately 50 to 80 times per minute, so soothing scores in this range may be the best for inducing a sense of tranquilty. It may be, too, that the thumping rhythm of this range unconsciously takes us back to the safety of the womb. The following pieces of classical and baroque music—all of which approximate the thumping of the human heart—may help reduce anxiety and stress.

Music can transport you because it doesn't involve a logical thought process. When listening to music, you use the right brain, which thinks in images. This is the creative, intuitive half of your brain that's responsible for dreams and expressive art forms like music and painting.

For those of you who wish to pursue music therapy in more depth, call the American Music Therapy Association, 301-589-3300. And if you'd like further insight into the power of music, rent the movie Immortal Beloved.

Meditation and Prayer

Meditation is a great way to put the brakes on stress hormones naturally. There are many forms of meditation—including prayer, which is a form of meditation that can soothe your spirit as well as your mind. Additionally, yoga and T'ai Chi are effective physical exercises that have a meditative aspect. To get the most of your meditation, find a quiet place where you can be alone, get away from phones and other disturbances, and get comfortable. Then, do the following:

1.  Focus on Abdominal Breathing: Sit in a relaxed, comfortable position and simply breathe in the manner I described earlier.
   
2.  Relax Your Muscles: Working from your head to your toes, relax each muscle group in turn.
   
3.  Focus on a Word or Recite a Prayer: Repeat something soothing to yourself. It can be anything—a sound, a single word, or a phrase. If you're religious, you may want to repeat a phrase like "the Lord is my shepherd." If you're not religious, you may want to focus on a happy childhood memory and say a word that comes to mind. Repeat it slowly, over and over, and relax to the repetitive rhythm.

Additionally, be sure to have any negative thoughts that creep into your mind while meditating simply pass through. Don't let them linger. Stay focused on your meditation and/or prayer.

Remember, the holiday season is a time to focus on the joy of life and the company of loved ones. It's not supposed to be about enduring stressful situations and a sense of melancholy. If you're feeling overwhelmed, put the commercial hype out of your mind by turning off the television and focusing on the affirmations of Thanksgiving and the religious holidays of the winter season.

Also, don't allow expectations on your time drain you of your energy and enthusiasm. If you feel the need, stop what you're doing and use one or more of the relaxation tips I've mentioned. You'll be jazzing up your energy levels instead of singing the holiday blues.

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The Power of Prayer in Healing

I love the holiday season! It doesn't matter what our individual beliefs may be, the many and various winter holidays carry the same great message whether we celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, or any of the other numerous winter holidays that exist throughout the world. It's a message that nearly everyone can agree we must keep as the focus of our respective prayers: Peace on Earth.

I know that prayers for peace can help to bring about the desired effect because prayer is a powerful meditative process that has been shown to work. Many physicians and health care providers have discovered it to be an incredibly effective healing therapy.

Nearly 15 years ago, research was presented during a conference at Harvard Medical School that showed that people who attend church frequently or pray regularly have lower rates of heart disease, hypertension, and suicide. Those who prayed even lived longer than those who did not.

A Personal Experience with Healing Prayers

I had a first-hand experience of what the power of prayer can accomplish. Several years ago, my son Drew was a 15-year-old place kicker on his high school football team. He injured his knee on the last play of the final game of the season. An MRI revealed blood in the joint, torn cartilage, and possible ligament damage. The orthopedic surgeon told Drew his "football career was over," but he also advised us to get a second opinion.

In the days that followed, many people, including a group at our church, prayed for the healing of Drew's knee. As the word spread, many family, friends, and even strangers joined in the circle of prayers. It was then that I believe a miracle happened. When an orthopedic surgeon at Yale New Haven Hospital examined Drew three weeks later for our second opinion, he found the knee to be perfectly intact—no inflammation, swelling, or pain. The examining physician declared that the knee had healed.

The Miracle of Prayer

According to Rosemary Ellen Guiley, author of The Miracle of Prayer and other books on spirituality and consciousness, our prayers are always answered. Guiley reminds us that "answers" come in many forms—such as events, opportunities, synchronicities, or even a word spoken by others. Sometimes we may not recognize the response because we expected too much and are used to having obvious answers.

In her book, which is no longer in print but can be purchased through used book dealers on www.Amazon.com, Guiley talks about seven essentials that will enrich your prayer life:

When you include prayer in your daily life, you will begin to notice some changes. You may become more open to life, less rigid and inflexible, and more centered. You may find it easier to resolve your problems and cope with stressful situations. Your relationships with others will deepen. All of this will be reflected in your healing heart, and you will, indeed, feel closer to a higher power.

Medicine and religion are indeed the twin traditions of healing. Physician and Rabbi Eric R. Braverman, M.D., believes that physicians should have spiritual and secular training. Drawing on the power of the divine, the efficacy of prayer can have tremendous implications in healing your heart. I encourage you to go with it, and if you have heart disease or any other health problem, pray for the health of your heart and bless every day that you are alive.

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