Popular belief is that people expect to gain 5 to 10 pounds over the holidays, and research suggests that if you’re already overweight, the strikes are against you.  One study followed 195 adults from September through March, finding that the average weight gain was approximately 1 lb (0.37 kg).

However, in adults that were already overweight or obese weight gain was greater, with 14% averaging a weight gain of 5 lbs.[1]  The same was found to be true for elementary-aged children.  Those overweight or obese prior to the holidays were most at risk for gaining weight during the holidays.[2]

The good news is you can prep yourself for all the food with these healthy tips to maintain your weight and avoid the holiday waist bulge.

8 Steps to Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain:

1. Get that body moving!       One of the most effective ways to maintain weight is to exercise.  Whether it’s the treadmill, the stationary bike or the spin class, your cardio exercise should last at least 30 minutes three times a week.  Bump this up during the holiday season to 45 min to 1 hour to make up for the extra calories.
2. Prep-Snack.  Pack your refrigerator with whole fruits and ready-to-go bags of cut-up vegetables.  The fiber in these foods fills you up quickly, and having the grab bags makes it easy to run and go in the morning.  When temptation arises, reach for your sweet fruit snack, instead.
3. Keep temptation away.       Tempting cookies and treats will be everywhere during the holidays, but they shouldn’t be within easy reach.  They pack on a ton of calories, with little nutrition.  Keep them away from your desk or kitchen.  However, if you feel the urge, allow yourself one small serving of a holiday candy or goody when the desire arises to keep you from feeling deprived, which can lead to overindulging.
4. Beware of the bread basket effect.  When attending holiday parties, expect the bread and hors d’oeuvres to be among the most fattening items on the menu.  Bread converts to a simple sugar, which leads to weight gain around the waist.  Once you start, it’s hard to stop.  Eat a healthy snack, such as a fruit, low-fat yoghurt or a handful of nuts before the party, so you don’t arrive hungry.  This way you’ll be able to  make better choices, skipping the less healthy options. The WebMD Food-o-meter a great is a great tool for helping you calculate how many calories you have eaten.
5. The One Rule = one plate or one bite.  When at a holiday party, limit those items that seem to be the richest, creamiest and most tempting to one bite or one spoonful.  When it comes to the dinner plate, limit to one plate, not allowing the food to touch the corners of the plate.  Don’t gulp down the food, but savor and enjoy all the flavors and textures as you chew it slowly.  Eating slowly will allow time for your brain to sense that you are full.
6. Watch the tap.  I’m talking about beer and cocktails here.  Alcohol is full of empty calories that have a particular affection for the belly fat.  Remember, beer will bloat, and liquor will make you bigger.  For a lower calorie beverage, try a wine spritzer with club soda.
7. Hydrate.  If you are well-hydrated, you will feel less hungry.  The body often confuses dehydration for hunger.  Make sure you’re getting at least eight 8 ounce glasses of water daily, but drink even more water if you consume   dehydrating beverages, such as coffee, tea or alcohol.  If you’re still hungry while eating, check in with your daily water consumption and make sure it has been enough.
8. Focus on being social.   The holidays are all about conversation and connecting with family, friends and peers.  Focusing your energies on being in the calorie-free moment will keep you from focusing only on the calorie-dense food.  Make it as much about the gathering as it is about sharing food together.

When all else fails, you can always make up for it in the New Year with a Doctor-supervised Weight Loss Program or Detox to set your body back to where it was before the holidays.  Most people do not lose the weight they put on over the holidays, packing on weight year after year, so getting a head start right after the holidays is the best way to prevent the seemingly inevitable inches.

1. ---

   [1] Roberts SB, Mayer J.  Holiday weight gain: fact or fiction?  Nutr Rev. 2000 Dec;58(12):378-9.

2. [2] Branscum P, et al. An Evaluation of Holiday Weight Gain Among Elementary-aged Children.  The University of Cincinnati, Health Promotion and Education.  J Clin Med Res. 2010 Aug 18;2(4):167-71.

In my recent post about the flu vaccine, I talked about natural prevention strategies for the flu.  So, you know about vitamin D, and elderberry, and zinc.  These should be part of your medicine toolkit to help ward off colds and flu.

To further winterize your immune system add the following super-immunity herbs and mushrooms to your supplement routine:

Astragalus

Astragalus is my number one favorite winter immune tonic.  A plant with long stems, pointy leaves and purple flowers, the astragalus is harvested for its roots.  Within these roots are astragalosides, plant constituents that stimulate the immune system.  It also contains other immunostimulants, such as polysaccharides,[1] beta-sitosterols, and plant flavonoids.  The polysaccharides increase immune-mediated anti-tumor activity.[2]

The dried root may be added to a soup, or taken as a decoction, made by boiling in water.  It also may be found in capsule or extract form at your local health food store.

Take 1 – 2 capsules daily or drink a decoction of the powdered root several times a week to keep your immune system strong during cold and flu season.

1,3/1,6 beta-glucans

Beta-glucans are chains of glucose molecules attached end-to-end.  They are unlike regular starch in that they have branching side-chains (1,3 or 1,6 being the most immunologically active).  Molecular chemistry aside, beta glucans are powerful “biological response modifiers” able to activate our innate immune system.[3] [4]

Several studies have shown the benefits of beta-glucans in reducing the risk of serious post-operative infections in high-risk surgical patients.[5] [6] [7]  Another study found that mice given yeast Beta-glucan with or without antibiotics were protected against anthrax infection.[8]

Most studies used 1,3 beta-glucan sourced from a yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae.  However, you can also find this powerful immune system booster in several mushrooms used in every day cooking, such as Reishi, Shiitake and Maitake.

At the first signs of a cold, start taking beta -1,3/1,6 – D – glucan 100mg three times a day.  Another option is to make a superimmunity soup (see below), with all types of winter vegetables, adding the mushroom sources of 1,3/1,6 beta-glucan, and sip throughout the day.

Cordyceps

The use of Cordyceps dates back to traditional Tibetan and Chinese medicines.  Cordyceps is known in Chinese medicine as a powerful lung tonic.  It fortifies the Qi circulation in the lungs, and is especially useful for someone who is prone to bronchitis, wheezing or coughing.  It has been shown to increase respiratory capacity.[9]

Like other tonic mushrooms, it contains polysaccharides that have a fortifying effect on the immune system.[10] [11]

Take 1000 mg capsules twice a day as a means to strengthen your defenses.  It may also be prepared as a decoction by adding to boiling water, then simmering for 10 to 15 minutes.

Superimmunity Soup

When you need an immune pick-me-up, try this superimmunity soup to charge up your immune system and ward off that cold.  It contains many common vegetables that we all enjoy, but feel free to vary the recipe by adding your own winter vegetables.  You may vary the mushroom used from shiitake to reishi or maitake.  It is ideal to always add the astragalus, but it may be harder to find at your local grocery store.  Astragalus may actually require a trip to Chinatown.

Also, remove any ingredients you don’t enjoy.  For example, I am an avid cilantro lover, so I always add cilantro to my soups, but there are those among that may not share my enthusiasm.  Feel free to quietly omit the cilantro if you are one of those, but don’t tell me.  I love cilantro too much to forego it.  You can also use the soup recipe to make a vegetable stock to use in other recipes.

Here’s my recipe:

Ingredients

1 yellow onion

2 large organic carrots

2 stalks of organic celery

1 head of kale

30g dried or fresh shiitake mushrooms

30g dried astragalus root

1-2 tbsp finely chopped ginger

10 garlic cloves (chopped or whole)

1 bunch of cilantro

¼ cup olive oil

Sea salt

Ground black pepper

Directions

1. Wash and cut the vegetables
2. For extra browning and flavor, you can sauté the vegetables with olive oil or sesame oil
3. Wash the mushrooms and astragalus root and place into pot
4. Pour cold water into a large soup pot up to 3/4 full, add all vegetables, and bring to a boil
5. Lower the heat, and cook uncovered for 40 minutes
6. Add sea salt and black pepper to taste
7. Cool down and enjoy!

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 90 percent of flu deaths occur among the elderly.  However, in spite of widespread flu vaccination in adults older than 65 years old, increasing from 15 percent before 1980 to 65 percent by 2001, the
number of flu-related deaths in this group did not decline.[1]

A new study in The Lancet showed that in adults older than 65, the protection offered by the flu vaccine may weaken or disappear entirely during a season.  In contrast, the live attenuated flu vaccine, a.k.a. Flumist^®, provided the best protection to children ages 6 months to 7 years, but not beyond.[2]

If you are obese, meaning your BMI (Body Mass Index) is greater than 30, you are less likely to develop and maintain an effective immune response to flu vaccination compared to healthy weight adults.[3]  This may the reason why persons that were  overweight were more susceptible to complications from H1N1 influenza two years ago.

[Body Mass Index is a way to standardize height to weight measurements, so that they can be compared across persons of different heights and weights.  The link above will take you to a BMI calculator.  A BMI < 25 is generally considered a healthy weight; a BMI between 25 - 30 is overweight, and BMI > 30 is obese.  However, when calculating BMI's, differences in body composition are not taken into account, so males with more muscle (muscle weighing more than fat) may have a higher BMI without being overweight for their body build.  It is also helpful to look at waist circumference, where a waist > 35 inches in women, and > 40 inches in men (as measured around the umbilicus), is associated with a higher risk of disease such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.]

With more than one in ten of the world’s population obese, that means that 700 million people worldwide do not respond well to flu vaccination.  In other words, if you are obese, you are more likely to get the flu and suffer a complication than a healthy weight adult, if you both received the flu vaccine.  Does the flu vaccine still offer protection?  Yes, but not equally to all people.

Right now, if you are in one of these groups, you are concerned.  What do you do?

Well, regardless of what group you’re in, following these Flu Prevention Guidelines will help  keep you healthy during the flu season:

1. Eat plenty of organic fruits and vegetables for their higher vitamin and anti-oxidant content
2. Avoid excess sugar in your diet
3. Make time for rest and sleep, especially when you feel run-down
4. Exercise regularly
5. If you are overweight, get on a plan to lose those excess pounds
6. Stay well-hydrated, especially as the heat kicks in
7. Do not smoke
8. Use a hand sanitizer, which can kill up to 99 percent of viruses and bacteria
9. Manage stress with positive activities

When this is not enough, certain natural remedies have a proven track record for helping stave off or shorten the duration of the flu.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D plays an important role in the body’s “immune fitness.”  Naturally, vitamin D levels drop during the winter months, especially in the northern latitudes.  Vitamin D was looked at as the possible “unknown factor” that British researcher, Dr.
Edgar Hope-Simpson, postulated was the cause for the seasonal rise in influenza cases in the winter.[4]

Adults with minimal sun exposure and in northern latitudes should get 5,000 IU daily of vitamin D3 during the winter months as a preventive.[5] [6]

Black Elderberry Extract

A number of studies have shown the effectiveness of black elderberry extract in shortening the duration of the flu.[7] [8]  For treating influenza, take 15 mL every four hours while awake until symptoms subside.

Elderberry extract, such as Sambucol^®, can also be taken daily as a preventive remedy.  Take 1 tablespoon daily to prevent the flu during flu season.

Zinc

If you are deficient in zinc, your immune system will have a diminished ability to fight off infections.[9] [10]  Zinc also offers protection from the spreading of influenza from infected cells to ones that have not been infected.[11]

Take 25mg zinc lozenges every two to four hours while awake, until symptoms improve, starting at the earliest sign
of symptoms.

A recent study brought into question the utility of supplements in enhancing health, and even questioned whether supplements increased the risk of death.  What was omitted in the spectacular headlines was the author’s own conclusion:  “It is not advisable to make a causal statement of excess risk based on these observational data…”  In other words, you cannot say that supplements lead to more deaths, simply because it was observed that the group of women taking supplements seemed to have a higher mortality rate.

In rebuttal to the study’s apparent conclusions, two interesting viewpoints have been published, for which I provide links here.

Vitamin supplements: more harm than help? by Dr. Ian Chapman

Thorne Research’s Rebuttal to the Question of Safety of Dietary Supplements.  by Alan Miller, ND and Robert Roundtree, MD

The debate is on, but we need to read through these studies with a fine-tooth comb before drawing conclusions.  The sensational title in the NY Times, “More Evidence Against Vitamin Use,” is a bit fantastical given the actual conclusions that can be made from this observational study, with a number of flaws as pointed out by the two articles above.

My patients know that I recommend different types of supplements, sometimes for brief periods and targeted uses. 

First and foremost, I recommend a balanced diet rich in nutrients we can only get from whole foods. Supplements are just that — supplements.  They are not substitutes for a poor diet, no more than lipitor should be an excuse to eat a steak every night.

An integrative, functional approach to patient care takes into account the individual circumstances of each person when designing what is right for them.  To simplify care into broad statements based solely on singular study conclusions is hubris and a mistake often made in Western medicine.

A person is not a study, no more than a study is one person.

Yes, we need our studies, but we have to analyze what types of conclusions can be drawn from them carefully.  As a doctor in clinical practice, the challenge is always to interweave what we know is the best evidence with how we know the individual patient in front of us responds to treatment.  They don’t always coincide.  And therein lies the art of medicine.

Ultimately, we are in charge of our own health with our doctors as team leaders.  You should be a co-director in your healthcare.  Your doctor should be someone you can have a conversation with about these issues, and together make a decision that makes the most sense for you and your individual circumstances.  This individual approach to healthcare makes the most sense.

Two recent studies have cast doubts over the usefulness of dietary supplements.  One study looked at the use of vitamin and mineral supplements in 38,772 older women in the Iowa Women’s Health Study, concluding that increased use was associated with a 2.4% higher risk of mortality when compared to those that did not take supplements.[1]  Another study, The Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial, found that the use of vitamin E and selenium supplements in 35,000 men slightly increased the risk of prostate cancer in the men taking vitamin E alone, and slightly increased the risk of diabetes in men taking selenium alone, but neither group’s results were statistically significant.[2]

When headlines like these hit the newsstands, the details are in the fine print.  In the women’s study, the only supplement that seemed to help reduce the risk of death was calcium.  Others, like Vitamin A and D, had no effect.

When looking more in depth into the studies above, we need to consider such variables as the population studied and the supplements used.  For example, the Iowa Women’s Health Study only looked at older white women, so we have to be careful to apply such conclusions to the general population.

In the men’s study, the vitamin E supplement that was used contained solely alpha-tocopherol, one of only multiple types of vitamin E produced in nature.  So, can we really say that taking a synthetic, non-representative of nature vitamin E supplement would have the same effect on health as a mixed-tocopherol supplement?  We have to be careful about making blanket statements on a vitamin without understanding the type that was used.  In addition, the results not being statistically significant means that we really can’t draw the conclusion, and more studies need to be done.

In contrast to these reports, prior research has clearly shown scientific benefit for certain supplements.[3] 

Multiple studies have shown the following:

1. Calcium and Vitamin D help prevent osteoporosis.
2. Folic acid helps prevent birth defects.
3. Omega-3 fatty acids help improve cellular communication, prevent cardiac arrhythmias, reduce inflammation, and lower cholesterol and blood pressure.
4. Lutein and zeaxanthin help prevent age-related blindness, known as macular degeneration.

To this list, I will add vitamin B12 for vegetarians and vegans, who may not be getting enough in their diets, and patients chronically taking either a proton pump inhibitor, an acid reducer used for acid reflux, or metformin, a drug used to treat diabetes, which also causes B12 malabsorption.  Patients with celiac disease may have trouble absorbing vitamins from their food, in addition to persons with malabsorption syndromes from other causes such as food intolerances and leaky gut syndrome.  The elderly and alcoholics are also at higher risk for vitamin deficiencies, and will benefit from vitamin supplementation.  If you feel a cold or flu coming on, research has shown that zinc can help reduce the duration of your illness.[4]

The US Department of Health and Human Services has studied the American diet, and found that it does not always provide all the vitamins and nutrients we need.  In fact, a study that analyzed seventy diets found that all subjects tested, including athletes and sedentary individuals, were short of the minimum recommended by the RDA for at least one or more key micronutrients.[5]

So how do we sum up the parts?  My recommendations are:

1. Take a high-quality whole-food based multivitamin, multi-mineral formula.
2. For bone health, women should take Calcium citrate 600mg twice a day.
3. For its multiple health benefits, take Vitamin D3 2,000 IU daily.  However, you may need up to 5,000 IU daily during the winter months if you live above the 35 degree latitude, approximately Raleigh, N.C.
4. Take an EPA- and DHA-containing Omega-3, 1,000 – 2,000 mg daily for cardiovascular health.
5. Discuss your special circumstances with your doctor to choose a supplement plan that best suits your individual needs.  For example, if you are vegetarian or vegan, you may need extra vitamin B12.
6. Finally, don’t forget, the most important first step is to eat whole, organic, non-GMO foods, preferably locally-produced, and not in excess.

How do we cope with these catastrophes?  How as a human race do we continue living on without accepting a unified, shared consciousness in the pain of these calamities?   How do we as individuals move on with our lives if the pain of these events or loss of a loved one hits us every day?

If you were directly affected by 9/11, you have felt the dire impact of suffering  — perhaps loss of a loved one, loss of personal property, loss of self, and ultimately loss of the delicate balance of your web of life.  When your life fabric is disrupted in such ways, severe sorrow and a stress response follow.  Numbness (lack of feeling) and shock may first set in.  Life appears to be a movie, and you’re just the observer.  Tears roll down as you begin to understand the shear depth of the tragedy.  You may find your life spinning out of control due to these unexpected, unplanned changed.  You may develop insomnia and nightmares as a result.

The shock of what has happened makes it extremely difficult to adapt and adjust to these events.  Your grounding is lost — understanding becomes clouded.  Darkness sets in — there appears to be no clear light on the meaning of these events.  You may withdraw from ordinary life, and even from loved ones.  Eventually, depression sets in, and may be confounded by drinking or substance abuse as an escape.

The final result is a maladaptive response in someone who is merely trying to cope — trying to comprehend and assimilate what has happened.  You try to remedy this, trying to feel “normal” again, but not knowing the path to “normalcy.”

In exploring this dilemma, I reflected on universal principles that could serve as guideposts on how to recover.  I was looking for the modern adaptation of Elizabeth Kubler-Ross.  She had so eloquently described the stages of grief, such as what a person may go through when given a terminal diagnosis like metatastic cancer.  The “grief cycle” consisted of the following:

1. Denial
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance

Well, I wanted these principles to be positive, basically like lighthouses [points of light] guiding a path away from the rocky shore.  This would be a step-by-step program, based on the system of chakras.  I based it, as you may have surmised, on my training in yoga.  It would take the person on a healing journey in a path of ascendance from the groundedness of the lower chakras, to the inspiration and guidance of the higher chakras.   If a person could experience through ways of thinking or action the healing energy of each chakra, they would be able to transcend, transform and heal themselves of their suffering.

Why the chakras?  The chakras are postulated to be energy centers in the body, starting at the base of the spine and moving up and along the spine, focused in specific regions of the body.  There are purported to be seven chakras in the body, with more complex layers outside of the physical body.  Each one of the chakras has its own unique vibration, the lowest at the base of the spine, and the highest at the crown of the head.  This gradation of energy, from low to high, implies a hierarchy of being, or an order of passage, with the higher centers being closer to the soul, insight and understanding of life, whereas the lower centers ground us to our existence on this earth.  The duality of life is captured in the chakra system, as understood and expressed in the various religions of the world — the physical and the spiritual.  However, you do not need to be religious to appreciate the value of the chakra system as an intellectual tool by which to help transform your grief into joy and love.

At one point, I had suffered from depression late in my residency training, and I completely cured myself through yoga and meditation.  So, it was through my own experience and understanding of universal principles, that I devised this series of steps.

The “laws” or “principles” will take you through the steps you need to follow to recover and shine as the being that you are meant to be in this world.  Each law has a virtue.  The virtue is like a key that unlocks the healing potential of the law.  Each virtue frees you from the psychological blocks in each stage so you can move on to the next step.  The laws are tools for achieving freedom from grief, thus opening the path to a heartfelt existence full of happiness.

The Eight Spiritual Laws for Healing Wounds of Loss and Sorrow

1. The Law of Mourning:                        Virtue – Acceptance.   Allow yourself to mourn thoroughly and completely.  Ancient societies had rituals of mourning that could last for days or weeks.  We often package our mourning into a contracted time, then try to jump back into our daily routines without sitting with our sadness.  Give yourself permission to sit with the sadness.  Let yourself experience it for as long as you need to reach the point of acceptance.
   
2. The Law of Release:                             Virtue – Learning to Let Go.   One of the hardest things to do is to let go of loved ones.  In order to continue living, you have to release them.  They will always be in your hearts, but give yourself permission to move on with your life.
   
3. The Law of Creation:                            Virtue — Innocence.   This one is fun.  Find something you enjoy to do — whether it be painting, or sewing, or gardening.  Whatever it may be, it has to be an active act of creation.  Put yourself into the childlike mind of innocence, and lose yourself in the process of creation.  The healing from this is amazing.
   
4. The Law of Giving:                                 Virtue — Selflessness.  Find a charity you enjoy or a person that needs you, and give of your time.  It could be anything simple.  Lose yourself in the act.  Become selfless.
   
5. The Law of Forgiving:                           Virtue — Unconditional Love.  You are now ready to enter the heart chakra.  It is time to forgive.  Forgive whoever/whatever you think needs forgiving.  The simple act of forgiving releases endorphins and continues the process of healing.  To move beyond forgiveness, offer unconditional love.  To whom?  Perhaps it is yourself that needs to be loved.
   
6. The Law of Renewed Commitment: Virtue — Honoring Thyself.  The act of love brings us to the act of honoring yourself.  Allow yourself to do things that you enjoy.  Spend meaningful time with yourself.  Look at life with new eyes, like you are just being born. 
   
7. The Law of Insight:                                  Virtue — Trust.  We have moved on to the “third eye” — the center of insight.  The step is about reconnecting with your inner voice.  Learn to trust again.  Trust your judgment.  Trust yourself.  Spend time meditating, breathing and focusing your attention on the third eye.
   
8. The Law of Universal Sustainability:  Virtue — Honoring Others.   We are all in this together.  Connect with others.  Connect with loved ones, and what their needs are.  We are all one on this planet.  Connect with the earth.  Walk barefoot on the lawn or on the sand by the seashore.  Cherish the memory of your lost loved one.  Understanding this is the path to Sustainable Health and sustainable happiness.

Here is an excerpt:

“The last decade has seen a multitude of disasters, both man-made and natural — all of which have been no less tragic.  9/11, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Wilma, the Earthquake in Pakistan, the Tsunami in South East Asia, the subway bombings in London, and a potential Bird Flu Pandemic – these are all disasters of the recent past or the soon to be future.  It seems that 9/11/01 marked the ushering in of this new age.  Before 9/11, we may have been relatively innocent.  But after 9/11, all of us were touched in some way or another.  Perhaps that is why I was inspired to write about this experience.  9/11/01 made me more deeply aware of worldwide human suffering than any event that preceded it.

By September 11, 2001, even though I had not been born in New York City, I felt like a New Yorker.  I had moved here in 1999 to begin my medical residency at Mt. Sinai Hospital.  Life could not be better than to live in one of the greatest cities in the world.  That day all would change.  That fateful morning as I slipped out of Medicine Grand Rounds early, I was stopped at the elevator bank by an attending I knew.  He asked me if I had heard anything about a plane hitting one of the towers of the World Trade Center.  He believed it to be a small plane.  In the hectic world of the hospital, I had not had a chance yet to catch a glimpse of the morning news by chance in one of the patient rooms.  We parted with little ado.  We had no foresight of how the world would change in the next couple of hours.

As I rode up the elevator to the hospital wing known as 9 West, I reflected on my last time at the “Top of the World Bar” in the South Tower.  I had been there for one of the best Salsa Bands in the city, no less.  The true nature of this tragic event had not made itself known as of yet.  I figured I’d learn more about what happened later and resumed my normal morning routine; however, there would be nothing routine about the rest of that morning.  In fact, life would cease to feel routine as it once did.  My life, and ours, was changed forever by the events seen unfolding on the television that fateful Tuesday morning.  In front of our eyes, we saw these great marvels of human engineering ablaze in flames.  In front of our eyes, we saw people jumping in desperation to their unspeakable deaths.  In front of our eyes – the world changed as we saw these great towers collapse.

When I saw the first tower collapse, I could not believe my eyes.  For a second, I hesitated, blinking several times in disbelief, wanting to trick myself into believing it was some sort of optical illusion.  I stopped breathing.  Silence, then outbursts of disbelief filled the nurse’s station.  In a single instant in time, the pulse of this city had been changed, and so of the rest of the country.  The hospital was soon placed under special emergency alert — Code E — only to be used under the most extreme of emergencies.  We were number seven in the hospital line-up that never happened.  We were expecting an influx of wounded survivors; instead, the emergency room remained half-empty waiting in expectation while CNN was reporting in the background.

There would not be many survivors.  Beyond words, beyond understanding a great tragedy landed on our doorstep.  My grandparents lived through Pearl Harbor, but this was my first experience with human tragedy at a grand scale.

Human tragedy has affected each of us.  Most of these tragedies are personal, but as the last ten years have shown us, there are tragedies that encompass orders of magnitude beyond our simple comprehension.  Whether it was a loved one that perished within the collapsing towers, in the crashing plane, in the Tsunami, or a grandmother that died helpless at a nursing home during  Hurricane Katrina, and the others that could not survive the aftermath because of days without timely food, water or proper medical care, human tragedy was here.  It was no longer something far away that you read about.  Human tragedy now had hit home for each of us in some way, shape or form.

Those left behind must somehow process what has happened; they must process these terrible tragedies and then somehow find a way to live on.  Having been so close to the events of 9/11, and thereafter having worked in a program that assessed those who participated in the relief effort at Ground Zero, I found myself asking these questions:

How do we cope with these catastrophes?  How as a human race do we continue living on without accepting a unified, shared consciousness in the pain of these calamities?  Seeing patients coming in even two years after the event still unable to see beyond a dark cloud over their heads, I wondered, ‘How do we move on with our lives if the pain of these events hits us every day?’

Perhaps this was a call to stop focusing on war and destruction and finally come to our own as the caretakers of this planet and each other.  Perhaps it was time to change our focus and really learn how to take care of ourselves.  How could we not feel a call to end this suffering?  Is there a solution to what we feel inside?”

From the psychological to the physical, health effects have definitely been observed in those that were exposed to the WTC debris.  This massive destruction released known carcinogens into the environment, not only affecting the “health” of our environment, but also the health of those that lived nearby or worked in the recovery effort.

We need to realize how everything is connected.  The environment and our health are intertwined.   This is what I mean by the concept of Sustainable Health.   We need to stop seeing ourselves as separate from, and more like extensions of our environment as it is of us.  A new study has shown a possible link between WTC exposures and an increased incidence of cancer.  In my post on Ecomii’s Food and Health blog,  The Health Consequences of 9/11, I explore what we know so far about health consequences for those that worked in the recovery effort at Ground Zero.

I did not lose a loved one in the twin towers, but I felt a great sense of loss.  I am grateful for all those that so bravely acted during this great tragedy.

Please share any thoughts you have in the comments section.  Thank you for reading.

To be continued….