Peter G. Hanson M.D.

Stress is not always bad for your health.  However, the choices we make in response to our stresses can be disastrous.  For example, when times are stressful, smokers smoke more, drinkers drink more, and drug abusers want more drugs.  Even within the field of medical pratice, doctors are responding to their patient’s complaints of stress with ever more prescriptions for anxiety, depression and insomnia.   Whole industries in hotels and spas have been built on the principle of throwing money at your stresses; come for a week of detox, or a day of massages and facials, and all will be well.  Assuming you don’t run out of money.

But there are many things one can do to fight stress that are free of side-effects, and fit within most budgets: 

1. Excercise; No need to join an expensive club, just get off at the wrong bus stop, or park your car farther from your work.  Take the stairs always, and if you are in a huge office tower, at least get off at the wrong floor to get a few flights in.  If you don’t have a dog, borrow one.  Or if not, just go for a couple of brisk 20 minute walks a week.  These activities are free, and they get your brain to focus on something different, which acts as a mental “recess” away from the desk.

2. Add water, don’t stir: the Romans knew the value of the spa, as a great relief between conquering European countries.  Nothing soothes like hot water after a tough day of pillaging.  In modern homes and apartments, you can reproduce the spa for free; use your bathtub.  Most people use the tub as the bottom half of the shower, but not for soaking.  To be sure, a shower is more time-efficient for washing, but it offers no more stress-relief than hosing yourself off in a phone booth.  So plug your tub, then add deep hot water, lavender salts, candle light, soft music, and a do-not-disturb sign on the door.  And turn off your phone.  Try to carve out this as a regular ritual before bedtime, and it will be like taking a trip to an expensive spa, for free!

3. Diet: In times of stress, people often reach for “comfort” foods.  Bad name, and a bad choice.  These foods are rich in white sugar, and/or white flour, and are hugely inflammatory to every cell in your body.  At a time when your body is already under attack, you should eat the best foods; organic, which means nothing more than real food.  No artificial chemicals, hormones, pesticides, etc.  Also, eat slowly.  The only way to win at a pie-eating contest is to eat FAST.  That way you can cram more food into your stomach before it realizes you are completely full.  Thin people usually eat slowly.  Hence the relative lack of obesity in the days when people sat down to a “dinner HOUR”.  Fast food usually becomes fat.  So slow down, set the table,  make the meal look presentable, and don’t eat straight out of the pizza box.  Your food will have a chance to digest properly, and your body will thank you.  Also you can throw out those antacids and constipation medications. 

Peter G. Hanson, M.D. is the author of the international bestseller “The Joy of Stress”.

For more information about his acupuncture practice in Denver visit www.peterhansonmd.com.

Acne in teenage years is certainly embarassing, but at least it is very common among the peer group.  Also, at this age, most teenagers know they will soon outgrow the problem.  Newer medications also can be very helpful.www.facemaster.com

However, as an adult, acne is much more of a nuisance.  It is not common among your age group, and it might not be something you will “grow” out of.  We all want to be young in some aspects, but reverting to one’s acne years is sure not what Ponce de Leon had in mind with his fountain of youth. 

Both adults and teenagers can benefit from some basics here.

1. Avoid white sugar (and white flour, which turns to sugar).  The basis of acne, at a cellular level, is inflammation.  White sugar is the worst inflammatory in the grocery store.  Next time you feel like “comfort” food, think of the real image:  a bottle of gasoline that you are about to spray on a barbecue!

2. Consider acidophylis bacteria: In many cases, acne can flourish because of an upset in the normal balance of your bacterial ecosystem.  A simple oral tablet with millions of these bacteria can make a significant improvement.  Yogurt has the same bacteria, but normally in much smaller quantities.

3. Don’t handle the acne.  Wash your face with a good quality soap at least twice daily, but in between times don’t touch your face.  Squeezing the acne, or otherwise picking at it only makes the problem worse, and introduces a new wave of bacteria to the face.  If you must touch the skin, be sure to wash your hands first, or use a few drops of liquid hand sanitizer.

For more information about Dr. Hanson, visit www.peterhansonmd.com.

For information on home technology for toning your face muscles, visit:  www.facemaster.com

FaceMaster is a home version of the expensive spa machines that tone face muscles with electronic stimulation. Instead of a trip to the spa, and a cost of over a hundred dollars, people everywhere are finding the best answer in today’s tight economy: Do It Yourself! The FaceMaster is the same output as the spa machines, and it is perfectly designed for home use. Become an expert in just minutes with the enclosed DVD.  Co-developed and clinically tested in Dr. Hanson’s office  in Denver.
For more information  on home facial-toning, visit www.facemaster.com.  For information on Dr. Hanson’s office, visit www.peterhansonmd.com.

Insomnia has many misconceptions.  First, not everyone needs to sleep for eight consecutive hours.  Not even if we USED to sleep that long in our younger years.  As we age, the body’s need for sleep often diminishes, sometimes to a fraction of what it was during our teen-aged years.  Winston Churchill let the free world through WWII with less than 4 hours of sleep per 24 hour day.  Even that was not consecutive; he had a rigid 45 minute “cat nap” built into every mid-afternoon’s schedule, and could catch up the rest in a couple of other mid-night bits.  No amount of drugs would have improved his waking energy, and none would have given him a longer sleep, save perhaps a general anesthetic every night!  So in terms of function, Winston was simply the master of his unique sleep needs, and was NOT suffering from insomnia.

Other people may sleep 6-8 hours at night, but do so very inefficiently; these people have lots of time asleep, but get little out of it, and are still pooped the next day. 

So the criterion for insomnia is not hours of sleep, but quality of energy during the waking hours.  

Drugs are often the first option, either taken off the shelf by the patient directly, and often prescribed by doctors as a first gambit.  While this may be fine for a brief period of time, such as for a couple of days to get over jet lag or other sleepless interval, there are considerable side effects.  President Bush 1 illustrated this in Japan in the ’90’s, when he took Ambien on Air Force One as it crossed the Pacific, then played tennis with the Emporer’s son (a skilled player, coached by American pros from Peter Burwash International), then attended a state dinner.  He threw up his meal in the Japanese Prime Minister’s lap.  So much for diplomacy, and so much for the “harmless” nature of Ambien.

So let’s take a look at some of the best ways to fall asleep BEFORE needing to reach for that prescription.

1.  Consider your bedtime “sleep hygiene“.  If your bed is cluttered with work papers, then naturally you will wake up thinking about work.  Same point as trying to sleep on your work desk: wrong task and bad timing.

Action item: keep something dull to read yourself to sleep.  Crossword or sudoku, perhaps short articles in magazines.  Do not keep thriller novels at hand, and do not watch news of horrible disasters on TV just before you turn out the lights.

2.  Consider temperature:  The body lowers its temperature by as much as 5 degrees every night (say to 93 F), as it cuts down circulation to the whole body, save the vital heart/lungs/brain connection.  If you time it right, a warm bath just before bedtime can elevate the temperature by 5 degrees (say to 104 F).  As you get ready for bed, the temperature drops, and can keep on with its downward momentum to shepherd you into a good start to your sleep.

3.  Don’t just lie there!  If you wake up, and cannot get back to sleep, GET UP and DO SOMETHING!  Perhaps finish off some work or household chores, or catch up on some intended reading etc.  But don’t do it in bed!  When you have finished, and have reached the point of fatigue, then reenter the bed and see if you can fall asleep then.  At the very least, you will have accomplished something from your next day’s list of activities, which will make the stress levels better. 

4.  Don’t eat protein just before sleeping.  Remember the nightmares that a late-night pepperoni pizza can bring!  Protein hits the indolamine “wake-up” switch in the brain.  If you must eat late at night, try carbs, such as bread or pasta (whole wheat), and have your proteins at least a few hours earlier in the day. 

5. Exercise, but not just before sleeping.  A big dog kept in a small apartment will naturally need a lot of running; if denied, the dog becomes understandably anxious, high strung, and a poor sleeper.  But you should run or work off your own steam at least a couple of hours before bedtime, otherwise the body will be on an alert footing, and sleep will be difficult.

6. Night time “cocktail”: Hot milk, or melatonin can also help with sleep.

7. Consider a time-management session, if you have trouble putting your day’s agenda to bed.  Unresolved bits of the day’s “to do” list will continue to resurface through the night, and bedevil your sleep patterns.

8.  Try acupuncture, as this can often solve even the worst cases of insomnia.

For more info, visit www.peterhansonmd.com.

“Tennis elbow” does not always come from tennis.  Just like “athlete’s foot” is not restricted to athlete’s.  However, if you have pain on the outer aspect of your dominant elbow, and you DO play tennis, let’s review some ways to fix it.

First of all, the inflammation usually extends from the bony prominence on the outer side of the elbow down into the extensor muscles of the forearm.  Even simple movements like cocking the wrist can produce sharp pains.  Certainly rest and ice can be useful right after an injury, but if the problem becomes chronic, or if there is an important tennis game coming up, acupuncture can provide an outstanding cure. 

First, trigger points are identified, and fine painless needles are inserted deeply into each spot.  Usually a couple are inserted around the “knob” or lateral epicondyle on the outer side of the elbow.  Then a mild computerized stimulation is given to each pair of needles.  Normally only a few needles are used for this treatment.  Each is painless once inserted, and only a very mild “pinch” sensation is noted when they are inserted. 

Usually two treatments are done per week, and tennis can usually be restarted soon.  Most patients respond in less than three treatments, and are cured with less than ten total treatments.

TIPS: Consult with your tennis pro in case you are guilty of any of these causes:

1. Gorilla Grip (white-knuckles throughout the whole game).   Your pro can review better use of your other hand to hold the racket face while your grip relaxes between strokes.

2. Lazy Feet: If you are slow to get into position, hitting backhand shots late and behind you will GUARANTEE a tennis elbow.  If you are faster to the ball, you can strike it a bit earlier, ahead of your feet, and save yourself the pain.

3.  String Tension:  If your strings are old, or if they are too tight, or if they are from a racket built for a much stronger player than you are, then you can give yourself tennis elbow.  Also make sure you have the proper dampening rubber piece in the strings, either the plug or the interwoven rubber piece.

4. The Racket:  Make sure the handle is the proper size, and the frame is matched to your speed of stroke.  Often people want the exact equipment that power players use on tour, but they may have a very different speed of striking the ball; the wrong equipment can easily create a negative reaction on your elbow.  If your racket is old, make sure it is frequently restrung (don’t wait til the strings break!).  If you are buying a new one, first try out some demos and ask a pro for a recommendation based on your game.

5. The Rehab: nothing prepares you for tennis like the game itself. But if you are sore, don’t start back to a full swing.  But you don’t need to stay away from the court until you are fully recovered.  Try mini-tennis like the Davis Cup teams do for warm-ups: use the two sevice boxes on each side of the net.  Each person starts at the “T”, and each stroke is just a gentle “meeting” of the ball.  No full swings.  Great practice for angle shots, drop shots, deceptions etc.  Still keeps the brain in the game, without hurting your elbow.  Once you have done this for a few sessions, try stepping back towards the base line, and see if your arm is ready for a fuller swing.

For more information about treating tennis elbow with acupuncture, contact www.peterhansonmd.com.

Sports injuries are of dramatic concern to the professional athlete, whose season and even career depend upon prompt healing and minimal side-effects.  But the amateur ”weekend warrior” can have even more problems, often because the patient is not as fit or as young as the professional athlete.  What we are learning about treating professionals is now filtering into the mainstream to give better results to the general public when they have aches, sprains, tears, or fractures.

With the professional, we have long recognized the value of a diverse approach.  An oft quoted maxim applies here: “There is no such thing as expertise, just different areas of ignorance“ !  In the locker rooms of professional teams everywhere this means the treatment team will include orthopedic surgeons, internal medicine specialists, as well as chiropractic treatments done by the trainer.  Additional experts provide  massage, physical therapies, and stretching and weight training expertise to get the player back on form.  In addition, a new use for an old treatment is being seen with Medical Acupuncture. 

Dr. Peter G. Hanson is an M.D. with three decades of experience treating professional athletes.  Starting in Canada, he was the youngest team doctor in North America at the age of 24, with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.  His patients included quarterback Joe Theismann.  Since then he has looked after many Olympians from Canada, the US, and even from Russia.  His first patient in Denver was Bronco quarterback John Elway, whose throwing arm was repaired in time to rejoin the last two games of his 1992 season.  Since then, he has been in the locker rooms treating many NHL teams, including the Colorado Avalanche, as well as the Los Angeles Kings. 

His treatments are unique, in that they incorporate modern computerized stimulation of needles, along with a three-dimentional approach to their placement around the injured anatomy.

This expertise is invaluable to the amateur athlete as well.  Whether the child injuries in a soccer game, or a skiing injury in an octagenarian, medical acupuncture serves them well.  Free from any side effects, it facilitates a powerful pain relief, as well as treating the underlying inflammation and other injury issues that cause the pain. 

Because Dr. Hanson is used to working with the other modalities, he is pleased to communicate with the principle doctor, or other referring therapists as indicated.

For more information, visit www.peterhansonmd.com.

Western medicine is actually very good at dealing with acute problems.  Infections respond to antibiotics; lacerations are fixed with sutures; and an inflamed appendix responds to surgery.  But when we get into chronic pain management, doctors are usually stumped.  In most patients, by the time they have become chronic, they have already tried every category of drugs on the list.  Even if some help for a while, the body builds up resistance to them, and soon they are seeking yet another new drug, until there are none left untried. 

The side effects of these drugs, while reasonable in short term doses, become much more dangerous with long-term use.  Opiates, like Vicodin or Oxycontin, can easily become addictive.  Anti-inflammatories also have their side effects in the long term: NSAID’s like advil lead to kidney complications, tylenol harms the liver, and most others also damage the stomach.  The most powerful antiinflammatory drug is Prednisone, usually given by mouth.  Again, in the short term, for a five day pack, the risks are minimized.  But in chronic pain, the side effects fill a google page. 

In spite of all these problems, the litany of western drugs usually fails to improve even half the patients.    By definition, then, chronic pain is one of the most challenging adversaries a doctor will encounter.

Now, there is a new use for an old treatment; ACUPUNCTURE.  When given by an M.D. it follows the known anatomy of the problem area, takes into account the underlying pathology and physiology of the disease that is causing the pain.  With the precise placement of sterile needles, the doctor can also generate the patient’s own pituitary gland to restart its production of the natural painkiller, endorphine.  It also gets the adrenal glands to resume normal production of cortisone, in order to fight off inflammation that is the underlying cause of the chronic pain. 

While chronic pain usually shows less than a 50% response to medications, acupuncture usually shows an 80% response to treatment.  In many cases the need for medications will disappear, in other cases patients can downgrade away from prescriptives to simpler medications like aspirin. 

Acupuncture treatments are comfortable, affordable, and often covered by insurance. 

For more information, contact www.peterhansonmd.com.