Homeopathy Haven

Tons of people suffer from a fear of the dentist, even more so if they haven’t gone in a long time. Many people become so anxious that the health of their mouth and teeth is affected, they begin to get infected gums, chronic gum disease, tooth decay, as well as the formation of abscesses in the mouth.

There are many methods used nowadays that help overcome the anxiety associated with dentist visits. A survey conducted by the British Dental Association found that one-fourth of public feared paying a visit to the dentist.

Fear of going to the dentist can be anywhere from a small fear to an overpowering fear. The most common is a fear of the unknown. Following this is dental fear, an actual reaction to a known or presumed danger. For instance you may have had a bad time at the dentists when you were younger, and you worry about it happening again, will it hurt, will I vomit? The worst is dental phobia, which is an extreme fear of the dentist that usually stems from a painful experience as a youth.

So what may you be frightened of?

A fear of needles
A fear of dental instruments in your mouth
The worry you might vomit
Unsympathetic dentists
Bad childhood experiences
Fear of the drill
Fear of anaesthetic
Feeling vulnerable

There are three factors that tend to keep your fear of the dentist going.

Sensitisation (you find it difficult going to the dentist)
Avoidance (you stop going to the dentist)
Negative, distorted self talk (which terrifies you)

Anxiety that becomes associated with going to the dentist, for instance, hardens into a fear of the dentist. Panic attacks and extreme anxiety may arise while you are making an appointment or on your way to a physicians office, thus making you feel anxious whenever you are in a similar situation. The very thought of going to the dentist might be sufficient to cause anxiety, which is the definition of becoming sensitized.

After sentisation occurs you may tend to avoid the situation. Repeated avoidance is very rewarding because it saves you from having to feel any anxiety. You won’t be able to face and learn how to deal with your fear if you continue to avoid it.

The third factor that perpetuates fears of going to the dentist, is distorted self talk. The more apprehensive you are about your phobias, the more likely that you will be  telling yourself negative things about said phobia. Realize you may experience fear or other negative ideas  about going to the dentists. If you are trying to deal with dentists fears just keep in mind that self talk and negative images only help fuel your fears keeping you afaraid. They also sap your confidence by making you feel that you may never be able to overcome your fear. Without negative self talk and negative images you would be much more likely to overcome your avoidance and go to the dentists comfortably. Hypnotherapy can assist you with this. Hypnotherapy is useful in the way that it can help you overcome all kinds of fears, while you are comfortable and relaxed.

The first thing to do is to find an understanding dentist and you will find that if you visit regularly you will start to feel very confident, and that confidence will grow stronger every time you visit, and the best thing of all is that you will have lovely white teeth and sweet smelling breath.

I can truly say that for many years I suffered from a dental phobia, that is until I found both a good dentist and a good hypnotherapist who helped to cure me of my fear.

Ask for recommendations from friends and acquaintances for a dentist who works with nervous patients. A patient dentist who listens to your feelings will be helpful for anyone suffering from dental anxiety. It’s imperative that you talk with the dentist about your fears and concerns and be able to feel comfortable with it. There are many approaches he/she can use to relieve your anxiety.

Sedation

You might also say to yourself, how can hypnosis help me to get rid of my phobia?

That is among the several problems dealt by hypnotherapy.

Hypnotherapists utilize various techniques to banish phobias and often also include NLP. A session for anxiety uses your imagination and relaxation.  A typical session begins with breathing techniques, which are followed by turning negative self-talk into a positive way of thinking calmly.  You will also use your imagination to feel you are making a telephone appointment, as you are making this imaginary appointment, you are feeling calm and confident which will carry over to the moments before the actual appointment. You’ll envision visiting the dentist’s office feeling confident and secure, seeing the dentist and still feeling in control, and finally exiting the building full of pride and newfound confidence.

Knowing that you’ll never have to be afraid again will make you feel fantastic, and now you’ll have clean white teeth and nice breath.

The medical term for low blood sugar is hypoglycemia. The brain requires large amounts of glucose and oxygen for fuel.  When the glucose level goes below a certain point, a hypoglycemic episode may occur. This can become almost any symptom up to and including coma and even death. In most cases, such a hypoglycemic episode may only cause drowsiness or sleepiness, but fainting and passing out is not unknown. Some males may have an “explosive” anger attack.  Some females may have an anxiety attack.

Let’s first examine the actual cause of the “new” disease label (for insurance purposes) called “Explosive Anger Disorder”.  As a result of blood sugar going low because of excessive insulin released, both adrenalin and testosterone may be released in males. In some males, this combination causes what is called “undifferentiated” rage.

This is undoubtedly is a part of the current “road rage” problem as well as childhood male tantrums, spousal abuse, bar fights, etc.

Temper tantrums are not unusual, particularly in “spoiled kids”, but if it occurs about 3-4 hours after a “sweet meal”, you can be pretty sure that child has a sugar handling problem, and needs to limit carbohydrates/sugars.

Females, also release hormones and fatty acids into the bloodstream when glucose levels go low.  However, release of estrogen doesn’t act like testosterone.  Instead of “anger”, this combination may cause anxiety, and even depression.

Hypoglycemia is usually caused by too much insulin driving too much glucose into the body cells, which depletes the supply of glucose available to the brain (and other areas).  Since the brain depends on a constant supply of both oxygen and glucose to even function, there are several methods that the body uses to make sure that glucose is available.  First is the release of adrenalin (the fight or flight response in effect.  If this not enough, then fatty acids and hormones are released and changed into glucose.    

Since glucose is as necessary to proper brain function as is oxygen, there are many different symptoms possible. These can range from a simple yawn about a half hour to an hour after eating, to a full-blown anxiety attack, or even a real depression (the term “sugar blues” has a basis in real fact), passing out/fainting, or even death for diabetics, or almost anything in between. Sometimes, allergies can cause similar symptoms, or even cause a hypoglycemic episode!

Too much insulin can be the result of a sugar overload, and this can cause hypoglycemia even in non-diabetics. This can be as simple as eating a doughnut or drinking a full glass of orange juice on an empty stomach for sensitive persons. (It happened to me once!) The response to low sugar/glucose is individual, and everyone reacts slightly differently. Also, one person can eat a dozen doughnuts one time with no bad effects, and have a hypoglycemic episode from just one doughnut at another time.

To help clear up some of the confusion surrounding this subject. let’s look at a simple example. If a normal (whatever that is) person eats an apple, he/she will gain approximately the equivalent of 3 teaspoons of sugar. It will take about 3 hours to digest the apple in the following way:

1. As sugar is absorbed in the mouth,  the incoming amount is measured and the brain determines how much insulin to release into the blood. For simplicity, let’s call this process a “sugarstat”. We don’t fully understand how it works, but we do know the effects.

2. From millions of years of evolution, the sugarstat “knows” that with the amount of sugar absorbed over a certain time it needs a certain amount of insulin and releases that amount accordingly.

3. Now, it takes 3-4 hours for all the sugar to be digested from the apple fiber as it passes thru the digestive system. The insulin released lasts about 3 hours, and it matches the incoming amount as measured by the sugarstat.

So, eating an apple has an immediate effect of raising glucose (blood sugar) somewhat, and this “blip” is fast compensated for by insulin release, and from that point the incoming sugar is pretty well balanced by insulin release over the three or so hours of digestion. In effect, there is very little change in blood sugar, and that’s what nature intended - the sugarstat is working as designed.

The situation is drastically different if we “pre-digest” the same apple by squeezing it in a cider press. In effect, all we have removed is the fiber, and retained all the sugar, vitamins/minerals, etc. (A glass of apple juice might contain the juice from 10 apples or 30 teaspoons of sugar). Much more sugar absorbed within minutes, and the sugarstat is “fooled” into releasing many times the amount of insulin actually needed as a result.

Remember that for millions of years of evolution, we didn’t have cider presses, let alone the “designer” apples of today. And the processed foods!  We simply aren’t designed to handle the amounts of sugar we get.  (In the 1800’s the average intake of sugar was about 5 pounds per year.It’s over 200 pounds today.)

Glucose is driven into body cells at a furious rate by this overdose of insulin quickly lowering the blip of sugar quickly.

The sugarstat has released enough insulin for 3 hours of digestion, but all the sugar is actually digested and within the bloodstream within minutes. This results in way too much insulin (hyperinsulinism), since enough insulin has been released for three hours of this same amount of intake. The sugarstat has been “fooled”, by not evolving far enough to handle our “modern” food processing.  

This excess insulin “drives” all the glucose it can find in the blood into the body cells (its job). This results in a shortage of glucose to the brain.

Now, since the brain MUST have glucose as well as oxygen, for fuel, several body mechanisms go into action to raise the glucose. (Few people realize that without BOTH glucose AND oxygen, brain cells start to die in about 4-5 minutes).

The two most important body hyperinsulinism defenses are adrenalin release, which releases stored glucose for emergencies (the flight/fight response), and the release of some fats and sex hormones that can be converted to glucose fairly quickly. 

From the above scenario, it can be seen that hypoglycemia isn’t really an actual disease, but in fact, it is actually normal to we humans, even though the effects are individual and may vary greatly. It’s our modern sugary diet full of processed and/or pre-digested food that’s really to blame.

These body defenses against low blood sugar also cause some very different symptoms in different individuals. Usually, this is about 3+ hours after eating a sugary processed meal.  This time may also vary from about 2.5 hours to 5 hours in different individuals at different times.

I once helped to save a marriage by simply advising the husband to eat a handful of peanuts and raisins every two hours after lunch. (He was her boss, and at 3PM, she couldn’t do anything right according to him - his lunch included a candy bar and a soda!!) 

Anyone who has a sugar handling problem might be well advised to carry a bag of peanuts and raisins around, and make sure that they eat a handful every two hours or so. The ratio of about 1 raisin for every 5 nuts seems to work well.) The raisins will provide glucose within a relatively short time, and the peanuts will provide protein and fats that can be converted into glucose over a longer time. This was what I usually advised hypoglycemic sensitive persons to do, and it works well. Eating 6-8 small meals daily is a good idea for hypoglycemic persons. A meal might be a hard-boiled egg, or half an apple, etc.

Dr Bate is a retired orthomolecular psychologist
who invented Neuroliminal Training, a simpler and
affordable way to change brain wave amplitudes solving
ADD-Autism, depression, insomnia, and more.
http://drbate.com – http://Neuroliminal.com

The “standard” blood tests for MD’s are T3, T4, and T7 to determine thyroid activity in patients. By comparing these blood readings to what is called “normal” ranges, MD’s determine whether you are “normal:, “Low”, or “High”.

Three tests are used because none of them are very accurate.Many persons who were told they were in the “normal” range, but then tested with this temperature test, found that they were low in fact.

Dr. A physician way ahead of his time, Broda Barnes found that body basal temperature was a very good measure of thyroid activity, and particularly upon awakening. Dr Barnes wrote a book about thyroid activity and the various ills and problems from both hyper and hyopo thyroid.

I am indebted to Dr. Roy Kupsinel of Orlando Florida for introducing me to Dr. Barnes work, and for various other helps he gave me while I was in practice there.

Testing Thyroid Activity
At night, shake down a regular mercury type thermometer - be sure that it is shaken down and below 95 degrees.  Next morning, on awakening, put the thermometer under your arm with the bulb in the armpit with no clothing between it and the armpit.  Leave it there for 10 minutes (use snooze alarm if you wake up to an alarm).Lying still, just drowse for that time.

After 10 minutes, take the thermometer out, and read it, writing down the result right away. On waking, most people don’t think clearly and might forget the reading).

This test gives you what is called “Early Basal Temperature”, and “normal” range is between 97.8 and 98.2.A reading taken by armpit is somewhat lower and somewhat more accurate than that taken by mouth.  If you have a low-grade infection this may read higher than your “normal”, therefore if it’s in that range, you should repeat the above procedure every other day for a week or so.  If a menstruating female, also do it on the 2nd and 3rd day of your period.

If higher than the above range, you are probably hyperthyroid, (or you may have an infection somewhere), and if lower, then you are probably hypothyroid.(hyper means high, and hypo means low in doctorese.)

Just some of the symptoms of hypothyroidism can be:  obesity, depression, low energy, fatigue, many infections, chronic headaches, circulatory problems, chronic skin problems, poor memory and/or concentration, eczema, Psoriasis, irregular menstrual periods, neuroticism, irritability, hair loss, and lots more.

Hypothyroid (low) is often associated with obesity.If you have a hypothyroid, your metabolism rate is low, and your body is storing energy as fat.  A hyperthyroid person is usually always fairly thin no matter what they eat.  (We all hate those lucky ones!)

To treat hypothyroidism, you can try to find an MD, or a DO, who will write you a prescription for Armour Natural.  Once you get the prescription, you may be able to purchse from Canadian drugstores much cheaper than US.

Synthroid is what is mostly prescribed, but it has been linked to osteoporosis.You can also go to a health food store and get a “glandular” that contains thyroid (along with other glandulars usually).For a week, start with two glandulars per day and use the test above to find out your best supplement dose.

Dr Bate is a retired orthomolecular psychologist
who invented Neuroliminal Training, a simpler and
affordable way to change brain wave amplitudes solving
ADD-Autism, depression, insomnia, and more.
http://drbate.com – http://ADHD-Autism.com

On a winter morning in 1981, I squeezed some oranges from my yard into a 16 ounce glass and made that my breakfast.I had my first anxiety attack about 3 hours later in my office.  I almost passed out, and thought it might be a heart attack, but there was no chest or arm pain.  My office manager was very worried. Several minutes later it passed.  When I was able to think clearly again, I realized that it was a hypoglycemic “dip” or “episode”.  That fresh orange juice was very sweet.

The medical term for low blood sugar is Hypoglycemia.  The brain requires large amounts of glucose, and when it goes below a certain point, a hypoglycemic episode occurs.Any symptom can be the result up to and including coma and death.A hypoglycemic episode only causes drowsiness or sleepiness for most people, but passing out or fainting is also possible.  Also, as a result of a hypoglycemia episode, both adrenalin and testosterone may be released (in men primarily) causing undifferentitated rage in some men/boys.  This may also be part of the current “road rage” problem as well as childhood tantrums. spouse abuse, bar fights, etc.

This same hypoglycemia episode may cause panic attacks, and even be the base cause of phobias.  It seems that if the blood sugar goes very low, and the body response is too slow, the person either may pass out or “nearly pass out”.  If the person happens to be driving over a bridge, this might cause a driving phobia connected with bridges.  I’ve seen several such cases.

Glucose is the form of sugar in the blood.  This has been transformed in the digestive process from other sugars and starches into glucose then passed into the bloodstream.

Hypoglycemia is usually caused by too much insulin driving too much glucose into the body cells, which depletes the supply of glucose available to the brain (and other areas).

Since glucose is as necessary to proper brain function as is oxygen, there are many different symptoms possible..  Sometimes, allergies can cause similar symptoms, or even cause an hypoglycemic episode!

Too much insulin can be the result of a sugar overload, and this may cause hypoglycemia in “normal persons”.  To some “sensitive persons”, this can be as simple as eating a doughnut or drinking a full glass of orange juice on an empty stomach.  (Happened to me!) The response to low sugar/glucose is individual, and everyone reacts slightly differently.  Also, one person can eat a dozen doughnuts one time with no bad effects, and have a hypoglycemic episode from just one doughnut at another time.

Let’s look at a simple example which will help clear up some of the confusion surrounding this subject.  If a normal (whatever that is) person eats an apple, he/she will gain approximately the equivalent of 3 teaspoons of sugar.That apple is digested over some 30 hours in the following way

1. As sugar is absorbed in the mouth, in the stomach, and the small intestine, the amounts are measured and the brain determines how much insulin to release into the blood.  For simplicity, let’s call this process a “sugarstat”.  We don’t fully understand how it works, but we do know the effects.

2. From millions of years of evolution, the sugarstat “knows” that with the amount of sugar absorbed over a certain time it needs an equivalent amount of insulin, and releases that amount accordingly.

3. Now, it takes 3-4 hours for all the sugar to be digested from the apple fiber as it passes thru the digestive system.  It’s a downward curve, and the insulin released also has a similar downward curve, and it lasts about the same 3 hours in the blood, as it’s used.

So, eating an apple has an immediate effect of raising glucose (blood sugar) somewhat, and this “blip” is fast compensated for by insulin release, and from that point the incoming sugar is pretty well balanced by insulin release over the three or so hours of digestion.The sugarstat is working as designed - there is ittle change in blood sugar as nature intended.

If we “pre-digest” the same apple by squeezing it in a cider press, the situation is much different.  In effect, all we have removed is the fiber, and retained all the sugar, vitamins/minerals, etc.  (A glass of apple juice might contain the juice from 10 apples or 30 teaspoons of sugar).  Now, there is much more sugar absorbed very fast, and the sugarstat is “fooled” into releasing many times the amount of insulin actually needed as a result.

(Remember that for millions of years of evolution, we didn’t have cider presses, let alone the “designer” apples of today.)

This “overdose” of insulin drives blood sugar into body cells at a furious rate, and even though the blip is now much larger, it quickly lowers it.

The sugarstat has released enough insulin for 3 hours of digestion, but all the sugar is actually digested and into the bloodstream within minutes.The result - too much insulin - enough released for 3 hours of this huge intake.  The sugarstat has been “fooled”, by not evolving far enough to handle our “modern” food processing.

This excess insulin “drives” all the glucose it can find in the blood into the body cells (its job).  This results in a shortage of glucose to the brain.

Now, since the brain MUST have glucose as well as oxygen for fuel, several body mechanisms go into action to raise the glucose.Not too many people realize that without BOTH glucose AND oxygen, brain cells start to die in about 5 minutes.

Body hyperinsulinism defenses are adrenalin release, and the release of stored glucose for emergencies (the flight/fight response), and the release of some fats and sex hormones that can be converted to glucose.

From the above scenario, it can be seen that hypoglycemia isn’t really an actual disease, but in fact, it is actually normal to we humans, even though the effects are individual and vary greatly.The real culprit here is our modern sugary diet full of processed (pre-digested) food.

These body defenses against low blood sugar also cause some very different symptoms in different individuals.  Usually, this is about 3+ hours after eating a sugary processed meal.

One symptom that is not uncommon in women is an panaic/anxiety attack, or even fainting.Men may experience these symptoms, but less often.

An anxiety attack caused by a hypoglycemia episode while driving might result in a phobia of driving, or if driving in a tunnel, a phobia about that, or if on a bridge, a phobia about that.  In practice, I’ve seen all three of these phobias generated by hypoglycemic episodes!

Men have another common symptom.A combination of adrenalin and testosterone can trigger “undifferentiated” anger in some men.The person always has a rational explanation for the anger, but observers don’t understand why he got so angry for “no real reason”.A dramatic change of personality while drinking is a clue this type of man.  There is a Personality Test called the MMPI that shows this type clearly as “pseudoschizophrenic”.

I once helped to save a marriage by simply advising the husband to eat a handful of peanuts and raisins every two hours after lunch.  (He was her boss, and at 3PM, she couldn’t do anything right according to him - his lunch included a candy bar and a soda!!)

Anyone who has a sugar handling problem might be well advised to carry a bag of peanuts and raisins around, and make sure that they eat a handfull every two hours or so. (ratio of about 5 peanuts to 1 raisin).Fast glucose is provided by the raisins in a fairly short time, while the peanuts take much longer.  This was what I usually advised hypoglycemic sensitive persons to do, and it works well.  Really sensitive persons should know to eat 6-8 small meals every day.  A meal might be a hard-boiled egg, or half an apple, etc.

On a “standard GTT (Glucose Tolerance Test), an initial glucose measurement is made, then a measured dose of a very sweet drink is given. A half hour later and at every hour after that glucose is measured for up to 5-6 hours.

This test is more often done wrong than perhaps any other medical test used.  These are the common mistakes made by medical practicioners and hospitals:

1.The standard 10 oz bottle is given to all. It’s way too much for a small person or child.  There is a weight/volume slide rule that should be used, but usually isn’t.  At 6′ tall and 200 pounds, I should take only 7 ounces!

2.These measurements are often too mechanical.The patient should be advised strongly to let the person (usually a nurse) giving the glucose test know if they experience any symptoms at all from yawning to headaches, etc.

3.Around 3-4 hours into a GTT is the most likely time for most people to show hypoglycemia symptoms, even passing out at times.  If no symptoms are noticed, it is a good idea to test at the 3 1/2 hour mark.

4.Don’t let the patient leave immediately after concluding the test. Have them eat some fast digesting food. I often used a small glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, in season, and out of season the handful of peanuts and raisins. Many persons have left a clinic/office and passed out on the street, or perhaps had an auto accident.

The above applies primarily to GTT’s where diabetes is not a factor.  A fasting glucose test will find diabetes instead, and is much safer.

Checking every hospital and clinic along with some MD offices, I found none that did the test correctly, and many made several mistakes.  Be advised.

I hope this helps you in your quest for better health.

Phil Bate PhD - Retired Orthomolecular Psychologist
Inventor of Neuroliminal Training solving
ADD/ADHD/Autism, depression, insomnia, etc
http://DrBate.com