Virtual Team Parkinson's Research: Reducing Levels of Ataxin-1

Dr. Jack Harless

We currently have 16 members. This week we reviewed new information from the journal Nature that highlights the effects reducing levels of the protein Ataxin-1 by as little as 20%, may lead to a significant reduction in patient symptomatology.

Wellness Center Update: Pre-5k Workshops!

Dr. Jack Harless

We’ve turned the corner & are heading full steam ahead into spring!

Hopefully, warmer weather will be with us for good, & getting outdoors is on everyone’s mind, I’m sure.

I wanted to remind everyone that one of our best & most attended outdoor events is quickly approaching.

Our annual 5K walk/run will be this June 8th.  We have already begun to prepare for this event & some of you may want to try your hand (or feet) at this great community event.

We have scheduled two pre-5K workshops to help you get ready for this event.

These are educational workshops for the novice as well as the seasoned walker/runner.

We will cover topics such as what to expect at a 5K, how best to prepare physically as well as mentally, and for those of you who were here in years past, what strategies you can develop to increase your performance & decrease your time!

These workshops will be conducted by our very own AB Shorten.  She has successfully completed three full marathons, including the prestigious Boston Marathon.  Come learn from our resident expert!

The Franciscan Center Update: Healthy Eating & Aging

Dr. Jack Harless

March is National Nutrition Month. On Tuesday, March 19th at 1:00pm at the Francis-can Center, Dr. Harless will be presenting a Vital Life Seminar entitled “Healthy Eating & Aging.”

As one of the eight Vital Life human ecologies, what we eating literally has the ability to turn us on or off. That includes, not only our moods and energy, but literally the way we age.

The Vital Life ecologies are a holistic model used to interpret the human experience. Eating, like the other ecologies, has far reaching and far ranging implications for the whole person.

As the fuel for the human engine, the quality of that fuel can put us into hyper-drive or stall us on the track.

We will discuss general principles of holistic nutrition in day to day situations. We will also begin to help you formulate your own specific wellness eating strategy by applying the Vital Life Nutrition Starting Points to each individual.

If you’re looking for a way to maximize energy, lift your state of mind, and bring zest & and vigor to your daily activities, then this is the seminar for you. It is totally free of charge so join us in our quest to be the healthiest community in the nation. The Vital Life Way!

Team Franciscan Center: Vital Life & the Four Quadrants

Dr. Jack Harless

Ken Wilber has created a meta-model for looking at life, which he has styled the Four Quadrants.  The quadrants are made up of the I (thoughts, feelings, perceptions), the IT (material body, objective data), the WE (shared experiences, cultural stories & beliefs), & the ITS (governments, corporations, schools, businesses).  See image below.  Image reference: Integral Health Resources

The I & WE are both subjective states.   The IT & ITS are objective, data driven states.   In healthcare, your bio-medical tests such as blood pressure, cholesterol, & heart rate would all fall under the IT category.  Your perception, belief & experience of those tests & their data would fall under the I.

The importance of this model is that it gives value & attention to all of human experience.  It leads us away from compartmentalization & towards unification.  It’s not just that bio-medical tests are important, although they are.  Our perception of those tests, as well as that of our bodies, & our life is every bit as important.

In Vital Life terms our exercise program, our change in strength, function & endurance, would all fall under that IT category again.  Our relationships & the fun we experience while we’re exercising in a highly social setting would fall under the I.

The importance of this is not to be taken lightly as the new definition of wellness includes, but is not limited to, holistic interpretations of the self, irrespective of what is occurring from a bio-medical perspective.  In other words, someone can be very well from an internal, I perspective, & still have an objective disease or symptom state in the IT category.  This person might make a comment such as, “I feel great, but my back really hurts today.”

The Vital Life program at St. Leonard calls us to pay attention to all four quadrants as we strive for ever increasing & exciting levels of fun & function.  Both outwardly & inwardly.  Irrespective of what condition we have in the IT category, we can always gain greater depth & wisdom in the I category through socialization & participating with the human experience to its fullest.

We can say, truly, that we  have lived a Vital life, when we experience all that life has to offer with our whole being, in all four quadrants.

Virtual Team Parkinson's Research: Pesticides and Parkinson's

Dr. Jack Harless Team Captain

 

Team Parkinson’s has 16 members currently.  This week we looked at research from UCLA that points to the link between pesticides & Parkinson’s.  Pesticides break down dopaminergic neurons which is one of the primary mechanisms in people with Parkinson’s

Dear Dr. Jack: Is it Possible to Exercise too Much?

Dr. Jack Harless
Manger of the Franciscan Center

The answer, of course, is yes.  Generally you should give your body a day of rest in between exercise.  If you are diligent about alternating types of activity, it can be done every day.  This means, for example, cardio-vascular exercise on one day, weight training the next, long-distance walking on the following day, etc.  The most important thing is to listen to your body.  It will tell you if you’re overdoing it.  When you go from a mild productive muscle ache, to stabbing, sharp or burning pain, with energy levels dropping, you’re overdoing it.

If you would like to submit questions regarding     overall wellness, health                        and fitness.  Questions can be dropped off at the reception desk or submitted by email to: harlessj@stleonard.net

Team Franciscan Center: Update!

Dr. Jack  Harless
Manger of the Franciscan Center

Valentine’s day is around the corner, & February is Heart Healthy month.  There are many things that contribute to a healthy heart such as proper eating habits, plenty of physical activity, & avoiding toxic lifestyle choices & environments. 

One overlooked area is our metaphorical heart & making sure that it stays healthy, & how this affects the physical organ & physiology.

According to Dr. Donald Epstein, a person’s quality of life is directly proportional to their connection to the world around them.  They are engaged with themselves & the larger world around them.

They know that it is impossible to be alone.  No one is an island unto themselves, & every choice they make effects not only them, but whatever & whoever they touch in the world. 

These people have high wellness quotients because they have “large hearts”, metaphorically speaking. 

As much as the objective indicators of health are important, recent research asserts that the subjective, internal state of the way that we look at the world is every bit as important to how much life we experience.  This is the core concept behind our Vital Life programs.  Socialization naturally & inevitably leads to wellness because we meet the people that help us grow  & evolve, even if it’s uncomfortable.  In a word, we are each other’s medicine. 

So with Vital Life you are literally gaining both kinds of heart health.  Let’s keep moving in February & 2013!

Virtual Team Parkinson's Research Exercise Slows Shrinkage of the Brain!

Dr. Jack Harless
Team Captain

We currently have 15 members. This week we looked at an article published on the Michael J. Fox Foundation website that showed several research articles supporting evidence that exercise slows brain shrinkage, as well as highlighting evidence that physical exercise appears to improve gait speed, muscle strength, and fitness in people with PD.

Team Franciscan Center: A Nutritional Fall Cleaning

Dr. Jack Harless
The Franciscan Center Manager

Recently, my wife & I decided to try to do a fall cleaning of sorts. We decided to try a nutritional purification program, a sort of internal cleaning of the body to clear out all of the toxicity & deficiency that tends to accumulate over time.

This would certainly fall under our Vital Life Nutritional Ecosystem, and it’s something that can often be overlooked. I know for me, eating can become monotonous & repetitive. I get used to eating in a certain way because I have done it that way for a long time, & I can eating unconsciously, without being very mindful of how & what I eat, & whether it is helping me move towards more fun & function, or frailty & failure.

What the purification program has allowed me to do, is to take inventory of some of the choices I have been making, and see if I really want to continue to make those choices. Some of those choices are not as healthy (and lead to toxicity & deficiency) I have discarded, & some of them that lead to purity & sufficiency I have kept.

The real value of having done this internal cleanse is that many of the cravings that I had are now gone. My taste buds have literally changed. It’s funny that I often think about the external environment & the toxicity that exists there, but less about the same toxicity that exists in my own internal environment, my body. I’ve also become more aware of some food allergies that I just kind of got used to & lived with.

It’s important to remember that any significant dietary change should be done under the supervision of a physician. What I would recommend is checking out our Nutritional Wellness Starting Point packet that can be found at any of the kiosks around campus. I have used this tool throughout this process & it is, in fact, how I became aware of a couple of the food allergies I mentioned earlier.

As we move toward the winter & we evaluate our changing needs, please consider your nutritional wellness as well & use the Nutritional Wellness Starting Point to move into greater fun & function with this important ecosystem, even during the winter season!

Virtual Team Parkinson's Research: Skin Cells

Dr. Jack Harless
Team Captain

Team Parkinson’s currently has 15 members. This week we looked at brand new study published in Nature, (Oct. 17th), that looked at reprogramming skin cells from Parkinson's disease patients with a known genetic mutation. Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have identified damage to neural stem cells as a powerful player in the disease. The findings may lead to new ways to diagnose and treat the disease.

Team Franciscan Center: Exercise & the Mental Ecosystem

Dr. Jack Harless
Manager of The Franciscan Center

While much of this research is not new, I believe it still carries a vital message for the human race. Because of the artificial environment that civilization has created, movement is now not a mandate, but a luxury, and for many, a nuisance.

In an article entitled, The Influence of Physical Activity on Mental Well-Being, published in the Journal of Public Health Nutrition, 1999, the authors concluded that “exercise has a moderate reducing effect on state & trait anxiety & can improve physical self-perceptions & in some cases global self-esteem. Also there is now good evidence that aerobic & resistance exercise enhances mood states….”

As if we need more motivation to get up and move, studies such as these highlight the importance of exercise, not just for the amelioration of disease and symptom states, but for general well-being, including mental wellness.

What this study doesn’t include however, are specific recommendations on how to accomplish this increased mental vitality. Unfortunately, most of us will start a workout routine this year and within a couple of months, abandon it. There are many good excuses why we can’t comply with our workout routine, time, conflicts, not enough energy, etc. In a word, we are not consistent.

I don’t believe any of us, in light of the current research highlighted above, would willingly place these excuses above increased physical and mental well-being. Most of us have just not found the right partnership that will successfully assist us in accomplishing our goals.

That partnership is Vital Life. Socialization is to exercise what gasoline is to a fire. Your exercise compliance & consistency will literally be ignited by participation in our vital life programs. Your physical flame will burn brighter & the light of your mental capacities can now shine like the sacred fire on Mount Olympus! Come get warm by the fire, and see active minds and bodies performing at their highest potential at The Franciscan Center.

Team Franciscan Center: Exercise: Adding Years to Life or Life to Years?

In a 2011 study published in the Lancet, researchers found that those “who exercised for an average of 92 min per week or 15 min a day, had a 14% reduced risk of all-cause mortality (death by any cause), and had a 3 year longer life expectancy. Every additional 15 min of daily exercise beyond the minimum amount of 15 min a day further reduced all-cause mortality by 4%.”

This is a fine study, with a large population studied (over 400,000). This kind of study confirms what seems to make logical sense, if we’re active, we tend to function better, and in a very linear fashion shows we can add years to life.

What isn’t addressed, and in my opinion is every bit as important as life longevity, is quality of life, or adding “life to years.”

What we call exercise today, was for our ancestors movement out of necessity. Movement usually equated to staying alive. Today, we no longer have these concerns and exercise is very often compensatory movement, or movement to make up for a mostly sedentary lifestyle.

Because the clan no longer needs to move to live, and in fact, the group itself has been relegated to a secondary status to the individual, we now find ourselves trudging away on a treadmill, alone, with a headset to keep us company instead of family and friends.

The richness and depth of life, what I feel to be synonymous with wellness, is lost. Yes, exercising by yourself will add years to life, but will it add life to those years? We miss out on the vital and necessary social aspects of life that are the building blocks for wellness or wholeness.

As many of you know, our Vital Life program is based on this fundamental principle, socialization leads to fun and function, and delays frailty and failure. The great news is that by living and participating in the Vital Life, not only will you add years to life with our exciting exercise classes and facility, but you will add life to your years through the richness of our socialization based programs and philosophy. It’s a win-win!

Team Franciscan Center: Summer is Here!

Dr. Jack Harless
Manager of The Franciscan Center

Summer is Here! It’s heating up around the Miami Valley and as the temperature continues to soar upward, we must make sure that we are taking every available precaution before going out in the heat.


As I write this it is 104 degrees . It’s nearly too hot to do anything outside., and exercising in this kind of weather can be dangerous.

If you don’t want to miss out on your already established exercise routine, because of the heat, the air conditioning in TFC is just right, always safe, and actually refreshing on these dog days of summer.

The pool is perfect for this season. Come in, take a dip, move your body to one of our vital life infused water classes like Aqua Zumba, or Plyometrics. We have over 15 different water classes for your enjoyment.

The aerobics studio is actually the coolest room on campus! Spinning is one of our newest classes in the aerobics studio and one of the most exciting classes at TFC.

Spinning is an up-tempo, high-energy cycling class that really gets the heart pumping. It’s definitely in the Summer is Here! It’s heating up around the Miami Valley and as the temperature continues to soar upward, we must make sure that we are taking every available precaution before going out in the heat. Spinning is an up-tempo, high-energy cycling class that really gets the heart pumping. It’s definitely in the exercise-in-disguise” category. 45 minutes of fun and function goes by in a flash!

What all of these “stealth-health” classes do for us is allow us to achieve a level of consistency and sustainability that conventional exercise won’t.

In short, the internal motivation required to go have fun is much less than gearing up to do a “have-to” or “should-do”.

So put the fun back into function and energize your summer without burning yourself up or out on monotonous workouts.

Virtual Team Parkinson's Update: Initiation of Locomotion!

We now currently have 13 members. This week we looked at a new study from the Journal of Physiology. This study looked at specific mechanisms involved with locomotion, or how the brain initiates movement in vertebrates. When mechanisms in the brain that initiate locomotion break down -- for example, in people with Parkinson's disease -- starting to walk becomes a real problem. Therefore, understanding the initiation of swimming in tadpoles could be a first step towards understanding the initiation of locomotion in more complex vertebrates, including people, and may eventually have implications for treating movement disorders such as Parkinson's.

~Dr. Jack Harless

Team Franciscan Center: Journaling to Wellness

If we agree with Socrates that "the unexamined life is not worth living”, it behooves us to periodically take inventory of our lives. What is working for us? What isn’t? What and how do I really feel about my finances, my overall health, my creativity, etc?

Journaling is one of the most effective means for self-reflection and integration. Journaling allows us to organize our thoughts, and over time, see meaningful patterns that might not be apparent initially.

When it comes to health and wellness, this can be somewhat trickier simply because we are not usually taught to examine our choices in regards to function and performance. In fact, in most cases, the culture tells us to do the exact opposite. Notice many current advertisements for heartburn medications that imply that you can eat whatever you want and when your body sends you signs of discomfort because you have made a poor food choice, you can erase all of that discomfort by taking one simple, magical pill and go right back to eating the same toxic mess again!

This approach, however, while simple, rarely leads to lasting personal change and growth. Only by participating with the whole of ourselves, or as they say, “the good, the bad, and the ugly”, can we move towards higher levels of meaning and function.

Using the Vital Life 8 ecologies or dimensions of wellness as a template for wholeness, journaling can be made more poignant and effective. Debra Stewart has created wellness starting points for each of the 8 ecologies that can serve as the kindling to begin journaling and self- reflecting about our choices in these areas. Eventually, with a little effort and practice, we can build a raging fire of personal transformation and change as we participate with our bodies and with life itself more fully.

I recommend taking these wellness starting points and put them into a binder along with spiral notebook paper. Take a few minutes to engage yourself and answer the questions relating to the 8 ecosystems of wellness. On the notebook paper write down any thoughts or ideas about specific strategies or goals for greater well-being related to each of the 8 ecosystems. Perhaps most importantly, don’t forget to write about how you feel about how you feel. In other words, how do you feel about your current state of wellness. I encourage you to be honest about how you feel. If you are doing terrible right now, say that you’re doing terrible, but include an affirmative corrective statement like, “Even though I’m terrible at controlling my sweet tooth right now, I know that I am capable of tremendous change and growth, and that change can occur in an instant and I am completely open to that change, whenever it may come.”

This is actually a fun process, and like most things, the hardest part is getting started. If you need help I would love to talk with you and guide you through this process. You can make an appointment with me any time to go over our Vital Life starting points and journaling. I look forward to helping you on this journey. Live well!

Dr. Jack Harless,

Manager of The Franciscan Center

Virtual Team Parkinson's Update: Vitamin K2

 Team Captain Dr. Jack Harless

 

We currently have 13 members.  This week we looked at the research of Neuroscientist Patrik Verstreken, who succeeded in undoing the effect of one of the genetic defects that leads to Parkinson’s using Vitamin K2.  His discovery gives hope to Parkinson's patients

Team Franciscan Center: Therapeutic Classes!

Dr. Jack Harless Manager



Many of us know or are suffering ourselves from conditions that lead to frailty & failure, such as Chronic Fatigue, Chronic Pain, Arthritis or Parkinson’s Disease.

Our exercise physiologists offer member classes here at The Francis-can Center that are specifically designed with these conditions in mind. The classes are designed to restore fun & function allowing us to live a truly Vital Life!

Exercise to manage Chronic Fatigue & Pain: A gentle approach to pain management offering therapeutic movement and relaxation techniques to feel rested and refreshed! Class is offered Thursdays at 9:00 am.

Parkinson’s Flexibility Training: This class takes place in our therapy pool. It offers gentle stretching and works out the stiffness and slow response normally associated with Parkinson’s disease and other neurological issues. Class is offered Wednesdays at 12:30 pm.

Arthritis Foundation Aquatic Class: This class takes place in our therapy pool. It is a recreational group exercise program that is geared to participants with different ability levels. Participants improve their joint flexibility and reduce pain and stiffness while sup-ported by the water’s buoyancy and resistance. Class is offered Thursdays at 3:00 pm.

Jon

Anna- Bridgette

Kristen

  

Team Franciscan Center: 5k Update!

On Saturday June 9th St. Leonard will once again be hosting our annual 5k walk/run. This is the perfect opportunity to bring Vital Life Social Walking to the next level!

Grab a friend and sign up together. You can run or walk, but having someone with you will make it much more enjoyable. Having fun while exercising not only increases the likelihood for consistency but people who have fun while exercising, particularly when doing so with friends, tend to score higher on self-rated health related assessments. This is important for many reasons, not the least of which is those who rate themselves poorly on self-rated health assessments have been found to score low on other clinical outcomes and increased mortality!

This will be a tremendous event. We will have breakfast (included in the registration) a free t-shirt, water bottle, and a draw-string bag. Sign up today and experience fun and function in action!

~Dr. Jack Harless

Virtual Team Parkinson's Research: Proteins

We now have 10 members.  This week we looked at a study concerning the injection of proteins into the brains of mice.  These proteins form clumps in the brain which are associated with PD and related symptoms.  What researchers are unclear of is why these clumps develop, but this study may lead to the development of new medications to fight the spread and proliferation of these proteins and PD.

To join this team call 937-436-6530

Team Captain Dr. Jack Harless

Team The Franciscan Center: Reflection by Dr. Jack Harlesse

First, I would like to thank everyone for their concern, support, and well-wishes following my injury.  I believe it is very true what Dr. Donald Epstein has said that in some real and tangible way “We are each other’s medicine.”

I also wanted to share a few reflections on my injury, what Dr. Jobst, Shostak, and Whitehouse termed “diseases of meaning.”  They were and are referring to injury, suffering, and disease as catalysts for the individual to self-reflect on their situation/circumstance and to use it as a means of empowerment and growth.

As many of you know, my official diagnosis is a ruptured patellar tendon.  Essentially the big tendon that attaches your knee cap to your shin, was severed completely, and had to be re-attached.  Even with current increased technological surgical efficiency, this is a long, slow injury to recover from.

It has limited my mobility severely.  For a month I have been confined almost exclusively to a wheelchair or sedentary position.  I am unable to drive, as the injury is to my right leg. Going from full mobility, fun and function to full restriction has been emotionally and spiritually taxing. 

I have been very dependent on others for even basic needs, food, clothing, showering, etc.  This certainly has allowed me to reflect and give thanks for all of the people in my life (my social community) who have helped me so far.  It has allowed me to see just how much people can and do care.

This has also forced me to understand the limitations of the physical form.  I think we all know that we won’t have this body forever, but when we lose function in our bodies for whatever reason, it no longer becomes an abstract concept, it is real in the here and now.  It is no longer head knowledge, it hits you in the gut, it’s a part of you.

I hope to grow from this experience by re-organizing some of my life choices to include activities and actions that are less in line with an 18 year old, and more in line with someone who is approaching 40!  As I’ve said, it also has created a level of understanding concerning a form of frailty and failure that I have, until now, only read about.   I would like to believe that this injury has created a greater level of depth to my experience as a human, hopefully, allowing a greater degree of compassion, sympathy, and understanding.

Padre Eligio, an Italian Franciscan, who has turned an abandoned monastery into a community who restores the lives of ruined people, mostly drug addicts, has said that he would like our concept of health to be defined, not exclusively by blood pressure, cholesterol levels, etc., but by the very simple yet profound idea that our level of wholeness is directly related to our ability to experience compassion for and with our fellow man. 

In that regard, I think, I am in some small way on path to greater health.