Ease into fall with this healthy wonder

Summer vacation is over,  and you just may need something to keep in your desk to ease the transition back into faster, more hurried times. My pick? Dark chocolate. Think really dark, as in 70 percent cocoa.  The very dark chocolates contain less fat and sugar, and much more of chocolate’s spectacular mood-enhancing and health-imbuing compounds.

Tropical origins

The rainforest tree from which cocoa originates is Theobroma cacao, which means food of the gods. There is a dispute among experts regarding the origin of cacao.  But recent DNA research supports the notion that Venezuela’s Maracaibo basin marks the spot where the food of the gods first sprang forth in nature. Sometime around 1000 B.C. the Maya, whose civilization flourished from the Yucatan Peninsula to the Pacific coast of Guatemala, are believed to have cultivated the cacao tree for the very first time. The Maya so highly valued cacao, they used cocoa beans as currency, and to pay taxes.  From the very onset of its use, cocoa was assigned high status.

When Hernan Cortez returned to Spain from the New World in 1528, he told of a widely consumed food made from the fruit seeds of a tree. Cortez and his conquistadores described great plantations of Theobroma cacao throughout Mexico. His account of chocolate, its popularity and value, greatly piqued the interest of the Spanish. Cortez was chocolate’s first and most important trans-continental messenger.

Cacao, The Tree

While Theobroma cacao may grow appreciably taller in the wild, the cultivated tree ranges between 13 – 26 feet in height. The large, distinctive fruit pods of the tree jut out directly from the trunk and the lower branches. Young fruit pods tend to be greenish in color, but as they mature over the course of 5 – 6 months they become elliptical in shape and bright red or yellow in color. The fruit pods average about nine inches in length, and typically contain 30 – 40 almond-sized seeds (what we know as cocoa beans) nestled in a pale white flesh. 

Cacao is now cultivated in virtually every tropical area in the world. Cacao is grown commercially throughout Central and South America, Africa, the Caribbean, Indonesia, Malayasia, and the Pacific islands. This widespread distribution is testimony to the popularity of the tree and the heavenly fruit from which chocolate is made.

The Greatest Mood Food

Of the multitudinous compounds in cocoa, one is PEA, or phenethylamine. This chemical, which occurs in chocolate in small quantities, stimulates the nervous system and triggers the release of pleasurable opium-like compounds known as endorphins. It also potentiates the activity of dopamine, a neurochemical directly associated with sexual arousal and pleasure. Phenethylamine increases in the brain when we fall in love, and during orgasm.

Cocoa additionally boosts a sense of well being by increasing brain levels of serotonin, the so-called feel-good brain chemical. For this reason cocoa and chocolate provide a highly desirable mood boost to women during PMS and menstruation, when serotonin levels are often down. In fact, women are consistently more sensitive to chocolate than men. Women typically experience stronger chocolate cravings than men. 

Yet another constituent in cocoa alters mental state in pleasurable ways. Anandamide (whose name derives from the Sanskrit word ananda, which means bliss), is a cannabinoid, a member of the same psychoactive substances found in cannabis. Anandamide produces a global feeling of euphoria. This compound may account for why some people become euphoric or blissed-out when they eat chocolate.

Cocoa contains a wealth of naturally-occurring compounds. Of these, the most thoroughly studied are the methylxanthines. The two methylxanthines in chocolate are caffeine and theobromine. According to the Chocolate Information Center, a 50 gram piece of dark chocolate will yield between 10 – 60 milligrams of caffeine, as compared with a five ounce cup of coffee, which can yield up to 180 milligrams. Theobromine, the second methylxanthine, occurs at a concentration of about 250 milligrams in a 50 gram bar of dark chocolate. Like caffeine, theobromine is a central nervous system stimulant, though it is appreciably weaker.

Good For Your Heart!

Substantive science now shows that cocoa is very good for us indeed. Cocoa, which is the primary ingredient in finished chocolate, is rich in antioxidant polyphenols, a group of protective chemicals found in many plant foods such as red wine and tea, which have been the objects of scientific investigation for their beneficial influence on cardiovascular health.

Polyphenols are reportedly cardioprotective in two ways. First, they help to reduce the oxidation of low-density lipoproteins (LDL), or so-called ‘bad cholesterol.” Oxidation of LDL is considered a major factor in the promotion of coronary disease, most notably heart attack and stroke.  Additionally, polyphenols inhibit blood platelets from clumping together. This clumping process, called aggregation, leads to atherosclerosis, hardening of the arteries. By inhibiting aggregation, polyphenols reduce the risk of atherosclerosis. Since atherosclerosis is a major killer of American adults, the protection provided by the polyphenols in cocoa is of real value.

Cocoa not only inhibits platelet aggregation, but it thins the blood, thus slowing coagulation. In a study of healthy subjects given a strong cocoa beverage, platelet aggregation was reduced and fewer microparticles had formed than normal. Additionally, blood from the subjects took longer to form a clot than blood from control subjects. This study showed that cocoa performs the same beneficial anti-clotting activity as aspirin. 

Daily Chocolate Rx

If you are diabetic, then only pure, unsweetened cocoa is advisable for you. Use it in baking and in smoothies. Otherwise, half a bar daily of semi-sweet strong dark chocolate will put a groove in your mood, protect the cells in your body, and help to maintain heart health. And, it will make running in the rat race just a bit more enjoyable. That’s not bad for the world’s most beloved confection.

Chris Kilham is a medicine hunter who researches natural remedies all over the world, from the Amazon to Siberia. He teaches ethnobotany at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he is Explorer In Residence. Chris advises herbal, cosmetic and pharmaceutical companies and is a regular guest on radio and TV programs worldwide.  His field research is largely sponsored by Naturex of Avignon, France. Read more at www.MedicineHunter.com

Ask, and you shall receive…

Here at FOX News Health, it’s been our mission to provide you with the best health news coverage available on the Web.

Now, we’re taking that coverage a step further, with a new 30-minute weekly show, exclusively for FOXNews.com. The “Ask Dr. Manny” show will extend the lead in health coverage that you, the viewers, have helped us to achieve.

Because of your positive feedback and constant hunger for more information, we’ve combined some of our best features — and added some new ones, to bring you a dynamic show that covers all areas of health and medicine — from skincare to sex and weight loss — we’re even sharing the secrets to living a longer life!

Each week, we’ll be tackling a new topic, providing viewers with vital health information by taking a look into the lives of real people, answering your e-mails, and getting to the bottom of health news making headlines — with a little help from our resident know-it-all Dr. Cynara Coomer.

And remember, this isn’t like any old trip to the doctor — so you can count on it being fun and entertaining — but you’ll still be healthier after tuning in.

“Ask Doctor Manny” will premiere next Wednesday, September 2nd at 4 p.m. EDT on “The Strategy Room.”  Then every following Wednesday at 4 p.m. we’ll bring you a new, web-exclusive episode. 

And if you can’t catch it at its regular time — we’ve got you covered! You can check out what you’ve missed after the show airs by logging onto foxnewshealth.com. After airing on the Strategy Room every episode will be there!  Think of it as your own DVR full of vital health and medical information.

For a sneak peak at some of the highlights, click here: Ask Dr. Manny Show  …and let us know what you think by e-mailing drmanny@foxnews.com!

And as always, thanks for counting on us to keep you informed!

Thanks,
Dr. Manny

Infuriated by a deteriorating economy and blatant abuse of American taxpayers, the public is taking a strong stand to prevent banking executives from getting away with fiscal robbery. What many have failed to realize is that another industry — the health insurance industry — is getting away with murder, perhaps literally, by putting their bottom lines above your welfare, and this time it could be hazardous to your health.

Across the health care community from doctors to pharmaceutical companies to hospital organizations, steps have been taken to implement ethical standards. Codes of conduct are hardly a new idea. Most are self-imposed by professional organizations or trade groups on their members, often in an effort to voluntarily level up their members’ general behavior, especially in the wake of legal or political scrutiny. For example, the pharmaceutical industry substantially revised its code governing interactions with health care professionals after public and professional criticism. Managed care organizations, however, are the only remaining hold-outs that have not adopted a Code of Conduct, leaving them highly unsupervised. Sadly, the very companies Americans often think help pay their bills are undercutting the quality of American health care in their pursuit of a fatter bottom line.

The game works like this: Health insurers’ profits increase as outlays for patient costs decrease. One such way to keep patient costs down is by prescribing generic drugs over name-brand drugs. In a practice known as drug switching, patients are switched from more expensive, name-brand drugs to generics, even if the name-brand drug was working and the patient experienced no negative side effects.

Managed care companies go to great lengths to make sure the switch appears innocent — a doctor is trying to help a patient reduce his or her medical expenses, and therefore recommends the generic. However, behind the closed doors of invite-only dinners and receptions hosted by managed care organizations, many doctors are lured into drug switching programs that offer attractive fiscal incentives, and there is no mechanism in place to regulate these practices.

Doctors are paying the price as well. In a survey done by the Toledo Blade last year among Ohio doctors, ninety-five percent of respondents said insurers interfered with decisions about prescriptions, 91 percent with testing, 74 percent with referrals, and 69 percent with hospitalization decisions. Eighty-six percent said interference compromised patient care, 76 percent said it adversely affected their patients, and 65 percent said they were unable to successfully protest denials. Most shockingly, 14 percent believed interference from an insurer had contributed to the death or serious injury of a patient.

This prompted a response from our now President:

“I am deeply troubled by The Blade’s report of how insurance companies, not doctors and nurses, are making decisions about patient care,” said Senator Barack Obama in a statement to The Blade. “Medical decisions should be made based on what’s good for your health, not what’s good for an insurance company’s bottom line.”

As managed care organizations seek to maximize profits and survive the economic downturn, the public can likely expect increasing use of cost-driven practices. These aggressive tactics must stop, and a comprehensive Health Insurer Code of Conduct must be implemented by which managed care organizations agree to abide by ethical standards such as transparency, clinical autonomy and, most importantly, patient safety and welfare.

The best Rx for every American is access to quality health care and medicine. It’s time to ensure the health insurance industry puts your safety before profits.

For more information about the National Health Insurer Code of Conduct go to: www.insurepatientaccess.org.

Fox News Health Tips:

• Know your medicines. Talk to your doctor about your prescriptions. Are they generics or brand names? What are they supposed to do? Are there less-expensive options? What are the risks and benefits of taking the drug?
• Be on guard. If anyone wants to switch your prescription, ask why. Will the new drug interact with existing medications?
• Appeal. With your doctor’s help, use your health plan’s appeals process to seek coverage for your desired medication.

Dear Yvonne,
I read your recent article on sex headaches. Can’t sex also act as a type of headache medicine? I want something to say the next time my wife tells me she’s not in the mood because she has a “headache.”
—Chris

Dear Chris,
Yes, people often have sex to get rid of headaches. A 2007 study conducted at the University of Texas, evaluating students’ motivations for sex, confirmed as much. This is not surprising since research from The Journal of Head and Face Pain in 2001 found that orgasms during sexual intercourse can provide migraine relief for women. While the efficacy of orgasm isn’t nearly as good as taking a migraine medication, relief is provided much faster when effective.

Dr. Yvonne Kristín Fulbright is a sex educator, relationship expert, columnist and founder of Sexuality Source Inc. She is the author of several books including, “Touch Me There! A Hands-On Guide to Your Orgasmic Hot Spots.”

Over the weekend, someone asked me if President Obama’s lift of the ban on federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research could lead to higher rates of abortion. At first, I was a little stunned by the question, but I began to think about all the potential problems, and ultimately my answer was “maybe.”

The reason my answer was “maybe,” is because in an unregulated world, the possibilities of science for profit become even larger. There is a gap between the expectations of many patients and the realities of what current science can offer us.

With the world entrenched in a global economic downturn, the business of science can easily take over, sometimes outweighing the medical implications. Already, years of research ― especially with umbilical cord stem cells ― have led to significant discoveries that, although seem very impressive in the laboratory, have failed to make their practical application in clinical medicine.

I hope that President Obama doesn’t rush into fully lifting the embryonic stem-cell research federal funding ban without the proper checks and balances that are necessary to keep the ethical and protective side of science always in the forefront.

The National Institutes of Health recently published an interesting study in the “BMJ,” where they approached 1,200 internists and rheumatologists about what they called “placebo treatments,” where patient expectations rather than an expected physiological response was the rationale for the treatment. Only 679 physicians responded, which limited the conclusions, along with the design of the study itself, as this type of survey is a weak form of science. Nevertheless, the results were disturbing – about half of the responding doctors indicated they prescribed these kind of treatments on a regular basis, and more than 60 perecent believed there was no ethical problem in doing so. It has long been known that cures and responses to treatment can be affected by a patient’s mental attitude and expectation, and that healing itself involves suggestion as well as chemical intervention.

But I find these results deeply disturbing for the following reasons:

1) Most of those surveyed were not using sugar pills or harmless salt water, they were using medicines with potential side effects. These included over-the-counter analgesics (41percent), vitamins (38 percent), sedatives (13 percent), and antibiotics (13 percent).

2) More than 90 percent of upper respiratory infections are viral, yet physicians are knowingly prescribing antibiotics to meet patient expectation.

3) Patients are fueled to ask for pills because of advertising, the Internet and a culture of instant gratification.

4) Physicians are motivated to provide a quick fix rather than a more elaborate explanation which could eliminate the need or urge for the treatment. A study published in the “Annals of Family Medicine” published in 2005 concluded that physicians only spend 55 percent of their time in face-to-face patient care. In this environment of 5 to 10 minute office visits, it is often easier for doctors to provide a quick placebo treatment rather than a more elaborate diagnosis and explanation.

5) This is a survey of doctors, but it is highly doubtful to me that patients would be satisfied with this approach. I suspect that a similar survey of patients would reveal that less than 10 percent of patients believe that it is okay for placebo treatments to be given for deceptive reasons, with false expectations. I suspect that most patients would like an interaction with their doctor to be completely honest and based on full disclosure.

Do my readers agree?

VIDEO: Watch Dr. Siegel Talk About The Placebo Problem

Dr. Marc Siegel is an internist and associate professor of medicine at the NYU School of Medicine. He is a FOX News Medical Contributor and writes a health column for LA Times, where he examines TV and movies for medical accuracy. Dr. Siegel is the author of “False Alarm: the Truth About the Epidemic of Fear” and “Bird Flu: Everything You Need to Know About the Next Pandemic”. Read more at www.doctorsiegel.com