According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), electric and magnetic fields (EMFs) are invisible areas of energy, which are often referred to as radiation. This radiation is typically associated with the use of electrical power and various forms of natural and artificial lighting. There are also natural EMFs emitted by everything around us, including the sun and earth itself. Even plants, animals, and human bodies emit EMFs.

EMFs are typically grouped into one of two categories by their frequency. 

1. Ionizing: high-level radiation which has the potential for cellular and DNA damage. The level of danger of ionizing radiation is measured by the amount of heat it generates.
2. The other type is Non-Ionizing. NIEHS claims that non-ionizing radiation is low-level and is generally perceived as harmless to humans because it does not generate heat.

In the United States, most government and private organizations that study Non-Ionizing EMF radiation (sometimes referred to as Extremely Low Frequency or ELF) don’t believe that this radiation is harmful.

The American Cancer Society, for example, says that “evidence is LIMITED” or “inadequate” to prove its link to cancers.

However, ff you read these studies carefully, you will find that there IS evidence that this type of low-level radiation does weaken the cell walls and cause other damage over time. Higher frequency Ionizing radiation causes immediate damage to cells.

Many scientific studies suggest that the first effect of the eddy currents is to generate small alternating voltages across the cell membranes, which increase their permeability.

This can have serious metabolic consequences as unwanted substances diffuse into and out of cells unhindered, and materials in different parts of the cell, that should be kept separate, become mixed. But how do these tiny alternating voltages increase membrane permeability?

The answer lies in their ability to remove calcium ions from the membrane surface. We have known since the work of Suzanne Bawin and her co‐workers that electromagnetic radiation that is far too weak to cause significant heating can nevertheless remove

A large group of scientists from 40 different countries has written an extensive report to the European Union called “the EMF Scientists Appeal.” The report warns EU officials of the health risks associated with 5G and details how current regulatory standards don’t protect against them. Some of those concerns are outlined in their appeal.

”Numerous recent scientific publications have shown that EMF affects living organisms at levels well below most international and national guidelines.”

According to these scientists, the effects of 5G include “increased cancer risk, cellular stress, increase in harmful free radicals, genetic damages, structural and functional changes of the reproductive system, learning and memory deficits, neurological disorders, and negative impacts on general well-being in humans.”

These issues would not only affect the human race but plants and animals as well.

Brussels has become the first city to halt the 5G rollout over health concerns.

“I cannot welcome such technology if the radiation standards, which must protect the citizen, are not respected, 5G or not, The people of Brussels are not guinea pigs whose health I can sell at a profit. We cannot leave anything to doubt,”

During a U.S. Senate Commerce hearing, Senator Richard Blumenthal criticized the FCC and FDA for the lack of information about the dangers of 5G. During the hearing, he was told that there have been NO INDUSTRY STUDIES of the health effects of 5G. (Oddly, the video of the exchange has been scrubbed from the Senate archive, you can read Blumenthal’s statement here and see the dead link to the video yourself.)

How can you protect yourself from EMF radiation?

Reduce the amount of sources.

Reduce the time of exposure.

Increase your distance from sources.

Use a Radiation Shield.

Boost your immunity to radiation.

Make Your Bedroom A Faraday Box

We spend half of our lives sleeping. Many times, we have our cell phones, laptops, or tablets sitting on our nightstand just a few inches from our heads. If your wireless router is in your bedroom, that too increases the amount of radiation. If you live in a building that has cell towers on the roof, your exposure is also increased.

Leave your cellphone and devices outside of your bedroom or put them in a faraday bag. If you must have your phone nearby to receive emergency phone calls, then leave it across the room where it isn’t so close to your body as you sleep. Move any other non-essential devices like wireless routers outside of your bedroom. 

If you really want to cut out the amount of ambient EMF’s, there are commercially available EMF blocking paint. Painting your room will block outside fields. If you paint the perimeter of your house or apartment it will also decrease the danger of outsiders hacking your wifi network. In this situation, I recommend turning off your wifi while you sleep. EMF blocking paint will also protect you from the wiring inside your wall that might be right behind your head.

PEMF technology, which we offer here at the office, is a great way to recharge your batteries and protect your cells.

Cellular Effects of PEMF

• Improves Intercellular Fluid and Blood Flow
• Stimulates the Production of ATP
• Increases Cellular Energy Levels
• Increases Cellular Oxygen Levels
• Promotes Cellular Healing
• Stimulates Inter-Cellular Communication
• Stimulates Electron Transport In Cells

Biological Effects of PEMF

• Significant Pain Relief
• Accelerates Tissue Repair
• Accelerates Cell Growth
• Increased Blood and Lymph Flow
• Promotes Faster Healing of Injuries
• Reduces Fibrous Tissue Formation
• Reduces Swelling and Inflammation
• Stimulates The Release of Endorphins

PEMF works to

• Reduce pain and the effects of stress on the body
• Reduce chronic inflammation
• Improve energy, circulation, blood and tissue oxygenation, sleep quality, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels, the uptake of nutrients, cellular detoxification and the ability to regenerate cells
• Balance the immune system and stimulate RNA and DNA
• Accelerate repair of bone and soft tissue
• Relax muscles
• Reduce stress

Last but certainly not least, one of the best ways to protect yourself is to boost your immunity. 

This is a short list of foods and supplements that will fortify your endocrine and immune systems to protect you from and help repair cell damage caused by radiation.

Cabbage, Cauliflower, Bok Choy, Kale and Apples

Coconut Oil

Aloe Vera

Artichokes, Asparagus, Whey Protein

Garlic, Onion, Leeks, Shallots, and Chives

Turmeric and Green Tea

Kelp

Brazil Nuts, Sunflower Seeds, and Barley

Hope this helps. If you have any questions, write them in the comment section 😊

God bless y’all 😊

Dr. Serge

There is no doubt that we are in an unprecedented epidemic. I believe that people are starting to realize that a strong immune system starts with a good diet.

Wow, what a revolutionary concept! 😊

Food that we put in our bodies is the key to stay healthy and minimize the risks of getting sick.

Sugar is THE enemy #1.

Sugar reduces the function of the immune system for several hours after its consumption by affecting the function of the white blood cells.

In other words, sugar makes you more prone to get infections.

Have you noticed that the flu season picks after the Holidays? When people ate tons of sugar and processed foods?

Here’s an interesting article:

“NYU scientists: Largest US study of COVID-19 finds obesity the single biggest ‘chronic’ factor in New York City’s hospitalizations”

Here’s the link:

https://www.zdnet.com/google-amp/article/nyu-scientists-largest-u-s-study-of-covid-19-finds-obesity-the-single-biggest-factor-in-new-york-critical-cases/

“They found obesity, along with age, was the biggest deciding factor in hospital admissions, which may suggest the role of hyper-inflammatory reactions that can happen in those with the disease.”

“The chronic condition with the strongest association with critical illness was obesity, with a substantially higher odds ratio than any cardiovascular or pulmonary disease,” write lead author Christopher M. Petrilli of the NYU Grossman School and colleagues in a paper, “Factors associated with hospitalization and critical illness among 4,103 patients with COVID-19 disease in New York City“

In other words, poor health status increases the risk of getting this virus.

This is not a new concept at all. We know that food impacts our health.

And what is the main driver of obesity in the country? Sugar! It always comes back to sugar!

Take home message: stop eating sugar and you will have a stronger immune system!

God bless y’all 🙂
Dr. Serge

It is becoming increasingly clear the glyphosate or Roundup is highly toxic.

To date, there are about 8,000 lawsuits against Monsanto, now a subsidiary of Bayer, over the alleged health risks from exposure to glyphosate. The decade’s long orchestration to downplay the health risks of glyphosate in the food supply is losing its grip. People are beginning to question the painted image of glyphosate as a benign, environment-friendly, and non-toxic herbicide. The truth is unraveling!

Below are some mechanisms of glyphosate toxicity:

• Glyphosate mimics glycine – one of the 21 amino acids that constitute the building blocks of all life forms. Insidiously, glyphosate “pretending” to be a glycine inserts itself in the amino acid chains. As glyphosate takes over the places intended for glycine, this synthetic compound has the ability to disrupt the functioning of the protein and cause genetic mutations. You can read more about this by reading this scientific article:

“On the degradation pathway of glyphosate and glycine”

https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2018/em/c8em00119g#!divAbstract

• Damaged proteins carrying glyphosates stay in the body as residues that build up over time. The accumulation of glyphosate within the body, therefore, causes enzymes to fail. As glyphosate-carrying proteins spread, the body becomes susceptible to a host of chronic diseases. These include neurological (Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s, Creutzfeld-Jacob disease, Moton Neuron disease) to metabolic diseases and digestive diseases, (diabetes, obesity, adrenal insufficiency, hypothyroidism) to autoimmune disorders (lupus, mitochondrial disease, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, celiac disease)
• Exposure to glyphosate increases cancer risk by 41%. A study conducted by the University of Washington upholds the assertion that glyphosate has carcinogenic effects on humans. This study, therefore, corroborates the lawsuit filed by Dewayne Johnson. Johnson got a non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis in 2014. The jury sided with Johnson to the tune of $289 million in punitive damages.
• Glyphosate in food is linked to pregnancy problems. Researchers at Children’s Environmental Health Network (CEHN) are looking at the correlation of pregnant mothers’ exposure to glyphosate. They’re looking at unfavorable birth outcomes as well. Their findings indicate that mothers with higher glyphosate levels in their urine show shorter pregnancy length and lower birth rate of their babies.
• Glyphosate is an antibiotic masquerading as an herbicide. Hence, ingesting glyphosate in food upsets the gut microbiota. Glyphosate works by inhibiting the Shikimate Pathway – a series of metabolic steps present in plants, fungi, protozoa, and bacteria, to produce aromatic amino acids (phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan). Advocates claim that glyphosate is not harmful to humans as the Shikimate Pathway does not occur in humans and animals. But the truth is glyphosate in food enters our gut and primarily targets the good bacteria. Toxicity sets in as harmful bacteria and pathogens outnumber the good guys.

Interestingly, glyphosate might play a critical role in the coronavirus epidemic!

This is a very interesting article to read:

“Connecting the Dots: Glyphosate and COVID-19”

https://jennifermargulis.net/glyphosate-and-covid-19-connection/

It is a very long article, so I will summarize the main points.

“The pandemic that we have long been told is coming any day now has unfortunately arrived. A new strain of coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2, causing the new disease called COVID-19, has taken the world by storm, practically shutting down the global economy and overwhelming hospital systems.”

“Coronaviruses are the cause of the common cold, a nuisance for sure, but usually not considered dangerous. Somehow this one is different. It seems to ferociously attack the lungs, causing the immune system to launch a so-called “cytokine storm,” an exaggerated response by the immune system to an infection that can lead to collateral damage to the lung tissues.”

“The human immune system consists of an “innate” component that is always active and normally very competent to clear most infections that come along and an “adaptive” component which is a second-line defense system called into play when the innate system is overwhelmed.

The innate component produces a number of different specialized proteins that can hunt down and trap viruses, delivering them to macrophages for clearance.

The adaptive immune system has basically two branches, one of which produces a “cytokine storm” in an attempt to “shoot” the rapidly proliferating viruses with toxic molecules. The other branch produces antibodies that are specific to the infective agent, but this can lead to autoimmune disease down the road through a process called molecular mimicry.

If the innate immune system is broken, the adaptive system goes into overdrive. When this happens there can be sufficient collateral damage to ultimately kill the host.”

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death worldwide. While smoking is the primary risk factor for COPD, farmers and agricultural workers are known to have an increased risk of lung disease.

A population-based study published in 2017 showed that occupational exposure to herbicides was associated with more than a 2-fold increased risk of COPD.

A 2020 paper, published in the Lancet, “COVID-19: consider cytokine storm syndromes and immunosuppression,” claims that “respiratory failure from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is the leading cause of mortality” in COVID-19 infection.

Other research helps connect the dots: This cleverly designed study by Kumar et al., published in 2014,  involved collecting air samples from farms during glyphosate application and exposing a group of mice to these samples.

The authors noted that glyphosate exposure stimulated airway inflammation and promoted asthma-related cytokines. They summarized as follows:

Collectively, our results showed that mice continuously exposed to glyphosate developed elevated levels of eosinophils, neutrophils, and asthma-related cytokines (IL-5, IL-10, IL-13, IL-33, TSLP) compared to control groups. Exposure to glyphosate results in airway barrier damage.”

Researchers from Wuhan, China have done a careful study of four patients who suffered from an acute reaction to COVID-19 and ultimately died. These patients all had severe issues with insufficient oxygen supply due to pneumonia. They also exhibited deficiencies in immune function in terms of decreased counts of various types of immune cells.

Notably, they all suffered from gut dysbiosis, with under-representation of Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus, and disproportionate overrepresentation of pathogens such as Corynebacterium and Ruthenibacterium. They also had a fungus infection with an overgrowth of Aspergillus. This pattern of gut dysbiosis is in accord with what my colleagues and I have observed in association with glyphosate exposure in animal studies.

The degree to which a person is susceptible to COVID-19 is proportional to the degree to which they have been exposed to glyphosate. Eating a certified organic diet and staying away from major highways may be among the best tools for protection from an acute reaction to COVID-19.

Bhutan is a landlocked country in the eastern Himalayas, bordered by Tibet and India. The population of Bhutan is a little over 807,000 people.

As of this writing in early April 2020, only four cases of COVID-19 have been reported for Bhutan, two of whom were visiting foreigners.

Bhutan has embraced the ambitious goal of becoming the world’s first 100% organic nation. Is it possible that there is so little COVID-19 because Bhutan’s people aren’t being over-exposed to glyphosate?

Glyphosate and COVID-19: putting it all together.

The United States has stood out as the country hit the hardest by COVID-19. We also consume more glyphosate per capita than any other country in the world. It will be a tragic irony if it turns out that our attempts to reduce carbon emissions through the use of extracts from glyphosate-exposed food crops and trees as a source of fuel in cars, trucks, buses, ships, airplanes, and as heating oil for buildings, turn out to be one of the primary causes of the COVID-19 epidemic.

God bless y’all 😊

Dr. Serge

Human beings have been exposed to viruses for millenniums. Unfortunately, we are currently facing one of the worse viruses that we have possibly encountered.

But what about if vitamin D was the key factor that could help combat this invisible enemy.

When humans are exposed to sunlight, their skin produces vitamin D, a fat-soluble vitamin that offers many health benefits. These benefits include helping maintain a healthy immune system and the growth and development of bones and teeth.

The following excerpt from the book, Solar Power for Optimal Health, describes the importance of vitamin D, as well as how it was first discovered.

“Sunshine is a marvelous health-giving and healing power in the world. While sunshine is death to disease-producing agencies, it is life and health to all-natural forms of life.

Sit in the sun, recline in the sun, walk on the sunny side of the street, avoid parasols, and ever recognize the sun as a friend and not an enemy, a promoter of health, and a destroyer of disease.”

According to research, up to 90% of the population is deficient in vitamin D! In order to help reverse this problem, sun exposure is critical as it is clearly the purest and most efficient source of increasing one’s vitamin D levels. On a typical summer day, 15 to 20 minutes of sunlight exposure results in the skin producing about 40,000 IU of vitamin D, and the mechanism that produces it then shut down to prevent the body from taking too much.

Since the summer months are often short and much of it is still spent indoors, it is very important to “stock up” during this time. If one is able to get adequate exposure during the sunny months, vitamin D levels can be stored for two to three months to help get through the winter months.

In addition, for the winter months, supplementation may be necessary. You can consume 5000 IU of vitamin D3 during those months.

Science demonstrates that vitamin D has antiviral properties.

Let’s look at this study:

“Vitamin D and the anti-viral state”

And this is the link to the actual article:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3308600/

This study shows that vitamin D is protective against flu viruses

Here another one:

“VITAMIN D FOR TREATMENT AND PREVENTION Of INFECTIOUS DISEASES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2855046/

The authors of this study state: 

“On the basis of studies reviewed to date, the strongest evidence supports further research into adjunctive vitamin D therapy for tuberculosis, influenza, and viral upper respiratory tract illnesses.”

Interestingly, they mentioned that vitamin D helps with upper respiratory tract illness, which is what this coronavirus is causing!

And finally, this study is important to read:

“Vitamin D and respiratory health”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2759054/

The scientists say:

“Vitamin D appears capable of inhibiting pulmonary inflammatory responses while enhancing innate defense mechanisms against respiratory pathogens.”

In conclusion, vitamin D might be the missing piece for us to fight the coronavirus. Consistent with this, vitamin D has antiviral properties that have been shown to kill a variety of viruses.

Obviously, the best source of vitamin D is the sun.

In addition, these foods are also a good source: salmon, herrings, sardines, cod liver oil, tuna, shrimp, eggs, bacon, and mushrooms.

God bless y’all 😊

Dr. Serge

by Jessi Guidry

Earthing: Not Just A Hippie Propoganda

Most of us have heard about “Earthing” aka “Grounding” at this point but do we really understand what it is and how it can affect our health? Let’s take a deeper look! Earthing refers to a physical connection that takes place between the electrical frequencies of our bodies and the earth. The earth, like the sun, is a source of subtle energy that provides important elements to keep us healthy.

Becuase of our busy modern lifestyles, we have lost the connection between the earth and ourselves. We wear shoes with rubber soles, work indoors for long periods of time and sleep on beds raised above the ground. Although we aren’t naturally exposed to the earth’s ground throughout the day, Earthing is an easy and FREE way to improve your health! All you need to do is remove your shoes and create a bare-skinned contact between yourself and the earth. 

The Science Behind Earthing

In order to understand how Earthing works, it is necessary to look at it through a scientific lense.

Electrons are negative charges of electricity that are attracted to opposite charges of electricity. Free radicals are molecules that are positively charged because they are short of at least 1 electron. Because of this deficit, free radicals’ sole purpose is to stablize itself by binding to, thus eliminating, negative charged electrons. 

The immune system produces and releases free radicals to help eliminate injury, stress and disease by binding to, then stripping, negatively charged electrons from damaged tissues and pathogens. This action is referred to as the inflammatory response. 

Ideally, when disease or injury subsides, free electrons and antioxidants within the body neutralize and eliminate excess free radicals. Unfortunately, with the hustling reality of modern times, an excess of free radicals is all too common. Due to everyday stresses, our immune systems are constantly producting free radicals to fight what the body sees as ailments. This over-production of free radicals can be detrimental to health as it leads to oxidation of healthy tissues. 

Earthing eliminates free radicals which can lead to chronic inflammation and pain. This is because it injects the body with an abundance of negatively charged electrons for the free radicals to bind to. 

Benefits Of Earthing

Research indicates the following are consistent benefits of Earthing: 

• Eases inflammation and improves inflammation related disorders
• Improved sleep
• Decreased chronic pain
• Increased energy levels
• Normalization of the body’s biological rhythms
• Improves blood pressure and flow
• Relieves headaches and muscle tension
• Accelerates recovery and healing
• Reduces jetlag 
• Lessens hormonal and menstrual symptoms

If you would like to gain a more in-depth knowledge, please watch The Earthing Movie authored by Deepak Chopra. Now that you’ve been briefed on the science of how Earthing works as well as its benefits for optimizing your health, take off those shoes and get outside! Your body will thank you!

 by Jessi Guidry 8.12.19

photo credit: www.pexels.com

Don’t you wish there was an easier way to incorporate healthier choices into your day? Well, you’re in luck!! With Organo‘s gourmet coffee selection you can improve your health just by drinking your morning cup of coffee! 

Organo coffees are made from Arabica and Robusta coffee beans that originate in Brazil and Indonesia. These bold, flavorful packets mix with water in an instant and can be altered to suit your preferred coffee profile. The convenient, one-serving pouches make it easy to grab a cup of health-boosting coffee on the go!

photo credit: www.organogold.com

How Can Coffee Improve Your Health?

Each Organo blend contains Ganoderma Lucidum (AKA Red Reishi Mushroom) which has been known in ancient medicine to support a healthy immune system. Red Reishi mushroom has been used for over 2,000 years for its ability to support the growth of the body’s active immune cells. This powerhouse of a mushroom contains chemicals that seem to have a variety of beneficial effects. 

Some health conditions it can be used to treat are:

• lowered immune system 
• viral infections
• lung conditions 
• heart disease
• high blood pressure
• high cholesterol
• kidney disease 
• cancer
• liver disease
• HIV/AIDS
• altitude sickness
• chronic fatigue
• insomnia 
• stomach ulcers
• herpes pain
• stress
• hepatitis
• diabetes
• shingles pain
• much, much more…

photo credit: www.freerangestock.com

By drinking one cup of Organo coffee each day, you can easily be on your way to better health. Join us in a 30 day challenge to better health! It’s easy! Simply replace your morning cup of joe with your favorite Organo flavor and let the product speak for itself! Maybe you aren’t sure of which flavor is your favorite… no problem! At your next appointment, visit our Organo coffee bar in the lobby to taste one of our featured flavors! Happy sipping!

Burnout is a special type of work-related stress — a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that also involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity. Some experts think that other conditions, such as depression, are behind burnout but, whatever the cause, job burnout can affect your physical and mental health.

Burnout Symptoms:

• Have you become cynical or critical?
• Do you drag yourself to work and have trouble getting started?
• Have you become irritable or impatient with colleagues, friends or family?
• Do you lack the energy to be consistently productive?
• Do you find it hard to concentrate?
• Do you lack satisfaction from your achievements?
• Do you feel disillusioned about your job or obligations?
• Are you using food, drugs or alcohol to feel better or to simply not feel?
• Have your sleep habits changed?
• Are you troubled by unexplained headaches, stomach or bowel problems, or other physical complaints?

If you answered yes to several of these questions, you may be experiencing Burnout Syndrome.

Possible Causes:

Burnout can result from various factors, including:

• Lack of control. 
• Unclear work/home-life expectations.
• Dysfunctional workplace/home dynamics. 
• Extremes of activity. 
• Lack of social support. 
• Work-life imbalance. 

Risk Factors:

You might be more likely to experience job burnout if:

• You lack a balance between your work life and your personal life.
• You have a heavy workload.
• You try to be everything to everyone.
• You work in a helping profession.
• You feel you have little or no control.
• Your job is monotonous.

Consequences:

Ignored burnout can have significant consequences, including:

• Excessive stress
• Fatigue
• Insomnia
• Sadness, anger or irritability
• Alcohol or substance misuse
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Type 2 diabetes
• Vulnerability to illnesses
• Mental Fog

What To Do:

TAKE ACTION!

• Evaluate your options. Discuss specific concerns with your supervisor and family. Work together to evaluate expectations or reach solutions. Prioritize goals for what must get done and what can wait.
• Seek support. Whether you reach out to colleagues, friends or loved ones, support and collaboration might help you cope.
• Try a relaxing activity. Explore activities that can help with stress such as yoga, meditation or tai chi.
• Get some exercise. Regular physical activity can help you deal with stress and take your mind off work.
• Get some sleep. Sleep restores well-being and helps protect your health.
• Mindfulness. Mindfulness is the act of focusing on your breath flow and being intensely aware of what you’re sensing and feeling at every moment, without interpretation or judgment. In a job setting, this practice involves facing situations with openness, patience, and without judgment.
• Eat a nutritious diet. By providing your body with the nutrients it needs, you will also be providing it the ability to cope with stress, function optimally, and maintain mental clarity.

Using Nutrition Response Testing, we can determine what your body is lacking then suggest whole food, plant-based supplements to correct any dis-ease!

In a world where there is food available on almost every corner, vitamin deficiency is still a major factor of poor health in developed countries. While some say changes in our soil are to blame for nutrient deficiencies, there are many reasons why in a country where people eat too much, they still fall short nutritionally.

7 Most Common Nutrient Deficiencies

Nutrient deficiencies occur when your body does not absorb the necessary amount of a given nutrient. This is usually caused by poor intake (low-quality diet lacking in variety or a restrictive diet), certain diseases and conditions such as colon cancer or Chron’s disease, bariatric surgery, aging, and pregnancy. The amounts of each vitamin and mineral you need depend on your sex, age, activity level – even ethnicity and race can be factors.

Some of the most common nutrient deficiencies in North America are:

Iron

Iodine

Vitamin A

Vitamin D

Calcium

Magnesium

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12

Also known as cobalamin, Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin responsible primarily for blood formation, brain, and nerve function. Our bodies cannot make B12, so we have to get it from our diets on a daily basis, and it needs the help of the protein intrinsic factor to be absorbed. It is found only in animal-based foods, with a few exceptions.  Neurological symptoms of Vitamin B12 deficiency may be irreversible, so early diagnoses is crucial.

Increased Risk Factors from B12 Deficiency

Cognitive Disorders

Studies link low B12 levels in the body to depression and the onset of dementia. Even scarier, research suggests that supplementing had no effect on reversing the damage for those already suffering from dementia.

Elevated Homocysteine Levels

Homocysteine is an amino acid created from the breakdown of protein. High levels of this amino acid is a risk factor for several diseases, including Alzheimer’s Disease, heart attack, and stroke.

Megaloblastic Anemia

Megaloblastic anemia occurs when your bone marrow produces unusually large, structurally abnormal, immature red blood cells (megaloblasts). This causes your overall red blood cell count to decrease, which means less oxygen gets carried to the tissues and organs that need it. Symptoms include numbness in your extremities, nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, muscle weakness, and wasting.

Impaired Infant Development

B12 deficiency in mothers can be detrimental to both the physical and cognitive development of their babies — risking severe abnormalities and impaired brain function.

High-Risk Individuals of B12 Deficiency

Individuals who are most at risk for B12 deficiency are:

Vegans and/or vegetarians

Pregnant or breast feeding women

Gastrointestinal issues such as stomatitis, anorexia, or chronic diarrhea

Gastrointestinal disorders such as Chron’s disease, stomach infections, and stomach restrictions

Bariatric surgery patients

Signs and Symptoms of B12 Deficiency

Iron Deficiency

B12 deficiency is often masked by an iron deficiency — especially in menstruating women. B12 aids the absorption of iron, so one deficiency will lead to the other.

Constant Fatigue

A lack of B12 in the body means that your cells are not getting enough oxygen, leaving you feeling tired and lethargic. Constant fatigue despite proper sleep is a big red flag of potential B12 deficiency.

Pins and Needle

Unexplained pins and needles, numbness, and shock wave-like feelings throughout your body may be a sign of the nerve damage that results from lack of oxygen to your cells.

Forgetfulness

Sure, we all occasionally forget a family member’s birthday or search frantically for the sunglasses sitting on our head, but when forgetfulness becomes more severe, this could be a sign of B12 deficiency.

Dizziness

While it is normal to have the occasional head rush when we stand up too quickly, too frequent episodes of dizziness and vertigo are a sign of a bigger problem.

Muscle Weakness

As women, we often play our difficulty with certain everyday tasks off as just being weak. Chronic struggle to complete daily tasks, however, is a sign of B12 deficiency.

Vision Trouble

Extreme light sensitivity, blurred vision, and spotting are common problems experienced by those with B12 deficiency, not just due to aging. If untreated, permanent damage can be done to the optic nerve.

Pale Complexion

One of vitamin B12’s main responsibilities is red blood cell formation. A paler-than-usual complexion may be a sign of deficiency or anemia.

5 Ways to Increase B12 (Without Supplementation

Food

Whole foods are one of the best sources of our daily required nutrients.  Dietary sources of vitamin B12 include:

Shellfish, especially clams and oysters

Organ meats

Meat, especially red meat

Eggs

Milk products

Nori and Tempeh*

* Vegetarians and vegans are a high-risk group and eating plenty of these foods may not be enough to meet requirements.  It’s always a good idea to work with your healthcare provider to get regular lab work done in order to monitor your B12 levels and supplement if needed.

Limit Alcohol

Excessive alcohol intake may decrease absorption of B12 interfering with the body’s ability to produce intrinsic factor, the protein required for the body to absorb B12.  According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, moderate alcohol consumption is defined as having up to 1 drink per day for women and up to 2 drinks per day for men. This definition is referring to the amount consumed on any single day and is not intended as an average over several days.

Proper Calcium Intake

Calcium aids in the absorption of B12, so be sure to include plenty of calcium-rich foods in your diet, such as green leafy vegetables and dairy products.

Add Pepper to Your Food

Besides adding flavor, “piperine”, a compound in black pepper, may increase the absorption of B12 from your food. Crack some fresh pepper on your next meal.

Drink Cranberry Juice

Studies have found that cranberries, cranberry juice, and cranberry capsules may help to increase absorption of B12. Avoid sugar-loaded cranberry cocktails and fruit drinks.

There are more antibiotics in your food than you realize. What’s worse, many strains of these antibiotics only have limited research of their effects on human health. It’s long overdue that North Americans take a good hard look at the widespread use of antibiotic drugs in farming. Conventional farming administers antibiotics to both individual animals on an as-needed basis, and to large groups at once. For example, 16% of US dairy cows receive antibiotics to treat an infection, but almost 100% will be administered antibiotics for disease prevention. Similarly, 88% of US pigs are given antibiotics in their feed for disease prevention and growth promotion. Recent estimates suggest almost 25 million pounds of antibiotics are used non-therapeutically for chickens, pigs, and cows each year (compared to 3 million pounds of antibiotics prescribed to people!).

Thankfully, a recent report is taking the right step to help the public stay informed about what’s really on their plates.

What’s Wrong with Antibiotics in Meat?

Overuse of antibiotics in agriculture and farming is not just a problem in itself, but a symptom of a deep underlying problem with modern meat industry. Steven Roach, food safety program director at Food Animal Concerns Trust and analyst for Keep Antibiotics Working says, “The meat industry’s misuse and overuse of antibiotics reflects larger problems of poor animal welfare and farm management practices in U.S. meat production.”.

However, antibiotic use also creates a serious problem for public health. As David Wallingo, MD, Senior Health Officer with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) explains, “Overusing antibiotics in meat production helps to create drug-resistant superbugs—our nation’s largest chain restaurants can be part of the problem, or part of the solution.” Wallingo goes on to say, “Restaurants billing themselves as a ‘healthier’ option, like Subway, have a particular responsibility to live up to that image by reducing antibiotics. Consumer demand for meat raised without routine antibiotics is transforming the marketplace; the companies that continue with business-as-usual will be left behind.” The truth is, antibiotic resistant superbugs aren’t a threat looming in the future- they’re already a serious problem. In the USA alone, 2 million people contract antibiotic-resistant infections every year- 23,000 of those people die.

Luckily, you as a consumer can take advantage of resources that have been made available to the public to help you make informed decisions about the food you choose to buy. One such project is known as Chain Reaction II.

How Much Antibiotics Are in Fast Food?

Chain Reaction II is the second annual collaborative report that provides the public with information about antibiotics in the food they eat. It was researched and written by organizations Friends of the Earth, Natural Resources Defense Council, Consumers Union, Food Animal Concerns Trust, Keep Antibiotics Working, and Center for Food Safety. In the report, food companies are given a comprehensive grade for their corporate policies on antibiotics and the implementation of those policies.

What were the main findings?

Compared to the first Chain Reaction report, Chain Reaction II showed that twice as many fast food chains could receive a passing “grade”. This is certainly encouraging and demonstrates that the public’s cry for transparency in the food industry is not entirely falling on deaf ears. However, the report also reveals that there is still a far way to go.

Out of the 25 companies analyzed only 2, Panera Bread and Chipotle, received an A grade, which is “reserved for companies that have policies limiting the routine use of antibiotics across all the meat and poultry they serve and publicly affirming that the majority of their meat and poultry is sourced accordingly.”

Fast food chains receiving B or C grades have mixed progress and remain concerns. McDonald’s, for example, managed to source 100% of its chicken from antibiotic-free farming but made no similar progress for their pork or beef products. Other mediocre grades were given to:

Wendy’s

Taco Bell

Subway

Chick-fil-A

D grades were earned by companies who made some, but very little efforts to curb antibiotics use. Papa John’s, for example, created good corporate policies, but only implemented them to a fraction of their meat purchases. Meanwhile, the 16 fast food chains that earned a pitiful F grade, were noted to have taken no steps at all to minimize antibiotic use. These failing chains include:

KFC

Dunkin Donuts

Sonic

Olive Garden

Denny’s

Starbucks

Jack in the Box

Burger King

Applebee’s

Domino’s Pizza

Chilis

Little Caesar’s

Buffalo Wild Wings

Dairy Queen

Arby’s

IHOP

The Chain Reaction report can provide a map to help consumers navigate the tricky waters of the fast food industry, but if you want to avoid antibiotic-filled meats more effectively, it’s important to stay informed while grocery shopping as well. Opt for organic meats whenever possible. Under the National Organic Program, organic meats must be raised without the use of antibiotics or growth hormones to receive the NOP Organic label. If you’re shopping locally, ask your butcher or farmer about how your meat was raised. The more meals you’re able to make yourself from scratch with whole foods, the better.

ACCORDING TO A LOT OF DOCTORS:

Got acne? Take the pill.

Got PMS? Take the pill.

Got irregular cycles? Take the pill.

Don’t want to get pregnant? Take the pill.

BUT WAIT A SECOND—SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT.

Why not instead:

• Address the gut for inflammation, digestive weakness, and food allergies for acne?
• Address nutrient deficiencies to regulate progesterone production NATURALLY to address PMS?
• Address malnutrition, a calorie deficit, hormone synthesis for irregular or non-existent cycles?
• Address relationship status and have a real talk about how to responsibly prevent pregnancy without taking synthetic hormones than can be harmful?

WHAT IS THE PILL?

Birth control pills are made up of synthetic hormones estrogen (estradiol) and progestogen (progestin). And what are hormones exactly? In short, hormones are messengers, “a chemical messenger that transports a signal from one cell to another” So if hormones are messengers, then taking oral contraception is essentially a message to override your body’s natural hormonal rhythm. Do you really want something made in a lab sending messages in your body telling it what to do, instead of relying on your body’s own innate intelligence?

THE DOWNSIDES AND BIRTH CONTROL SIDE EFFECTS

1)      Doesn’t address ROOT cause of symptoms

The pill makes you ignore what your body is ACTUALLY trying to tell you by suppressing your symptoms. I see this as one of the biggest dangers, since PMS, infertility, and irregular cycles are a HUGE indicator of your health and your ability to reproduce! If you are not having a regular cycle, it’s a key indicator that your health and nutrition are seriously suffering. Your body naturally lowers progesterone at times of malnutrition, starvation and stress as a protective mechanism to keep you alive (if you don’t have nutrient stores for yourself, supplying them for a baby is pretty unreasonable).

2)       10-30% increase in the risk of breast cancer (!)

According to the Susan G. Komen Foundation “A pooled analysis of data from more than 50 studies found that while women were taking birth control pills (and shortly thereafter), they had a 10 to 30 percent higher risk of breast cancer than women who had never used the pill. Once women stopped taking the pill, their risk began to decrease and after about 10 years, returned to that of women who have never taken the pill.”

3)      Pill-induced nutrient deficiencies

According to the Drug-Induced Nutrient Depletion Handbook, oral contraceptives can result in the following nutritional deficiencies: zinc, magnesium, selenium, vitamin C, vitamins B2, B3, B6, and B12, along with folate. These deficiencies can occur because the liver uses more of these nutrients to metabolize estrogen and detoxify it out of the body. According to Dr. Ray Peat, PhD, “Infant brain damage can be caused by a deficiency of the B vitamin, folic acid. Taking estrogen, as in birth control pills, tends to deplete the body’s supply of folic acid, so that if pregnancy occurs right after stopping the pills it is more likely to lead to miscarriage or deformity from folic acid deficiency.” The pill confirms this by addressing it on their warning label “Serum folate levels may be depressed by oral contraceptive therapy. This may be of clinical significance if a woman becomes pregnant shortly after discontinuing oral contraceptives.”

4)      Increased risk of cardiovascular disease

Synthetic estrogen’s cardiovascular risks have been known since 1940 including its ability to cause blood clots, varicose veins, miscarriage and PMS. “It is the estrogen in oral contraceptives which correlates with their effects on the clotting system. In the last 20 years, there has been a general agreement that increased risk of cardiovascular disease, rather than cancer or immunodeficiency or depression, is the most important concern about the effects of oral contraceptives” Ray Peat, PhD.

5)      Depression

According to a recent study out of JAMA Psychiatry, depression can be a side effect of hormonal birth control, especially with teens, “Use of hormonal contraception, especially among adolescents, was associated with subsequent use of antidepressants and a first diagnosis of depression, suggesting depression as a potential adverse effect of hormonal contraceptive use.”

6)            Poorer Periodontal Health

If healthy dental health is important to you, you’ll want to hear this one loud and clear. According to a 2007 study, “Current users of oral contraceptives had poorer periodontal health.” The study’s findings are as follows:

“Forty-two percent of subjects were taking the contraceptive pill at the time of periodontal examination. Current pill users had deeper mean probing depths compared to non-users (3.3 mm versus 2.7 mm; P = 0.006) and more severe attachment loss (2.6 mm versus 1.7 mm; P = 0.015). Pill users had more sites with bleeding on probing (44.0% versus 31.1%; P = 0.017).”

7)            “Other” birth control side effects from the warning label

Aside from the well know side effects such as weight gain, bloating, breast tenderness, moodiness, and reduced libido, I thought I would share some other side effects that you may not know about.

• Headaches: “The onset or exacerbation of migraine or development of headache with a new pattern which is recurrent, persistent or severe requires discontinuation of oral contraceptives and evaluation of the cause.”
• Fluid Retention: “Oral contraceptives may cause some degree of fluid retention. They should be prescribed with caution, and only with careful monitoring, in patients with conditions which might be aggravated by fluid retention.”
• Emotional Disorders: “Women with a history of depression should be carefully observed and the drug discontinued if depression recurs to a serious degree.”
• Nursing Mothers: “Small amounts of oral contraceptive steroids have been identified in the milk of nursing mothers and a few adverse effects on the child have been reported, including jaundice and breast enlargement. In addition, combination oral contraceptives given in the postpartum period may interfere with lactation by decreasing the quantity and quality of breast milk. If possible, the nursing mother should be advised not to use combination oral contraceptives but to use other forms of contraception until she has completely weaned her child.”

The choice on whether or not to take the pill is a very personal one. I encourage everyone to make an informed decision on what is right for their own body

Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks (1). Very recently, this infection has also been shown to be transmitted by mosquito bites and fleas (2, 3). This would explain the rapid increase of Lyme disease across the country.

Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema. If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, the nervous system and eventually the whole body. Lyme disease is diagnosed based on symptoms, physical findings (e.g., rash), and the possibility of exposure to infected ticks.  Laboratory testing could be helpful if used correctly and performed with validated methods but these tests can potentially miss a significant number of patients who are left undiagnosed. Long term treatment with antibiotics is usually the only option that doctors use to treat this infection. Unfortunately, in the great majority of cases, this does not work and the disease worsens. The medical approach does not look at the complexity of this infection, but just treat it with unlimited cycles of antibiotics.

From a holistic perspective, we need to analyze the different factors involved in Lyme disease, not just kill this bacterium with a medication which most of time fails. We need to ask questions like: What is the condition of the “terrain”? Why is the immune system so suppressed and can’t fight the infection? Why do some people develop symptoms of Lyme when other don’t? What about co-infections like Bartonella or others? What are the factors that drive the disease process?

There are three major factors we need to uncover in order to start the healing process: a) identify the organ(s) that have been affected by this micro-organism, b) identify and address the co-infectious micro-organisms, c) identify the nutritional deficiencies that are caused by this disease

Liver is the primary players in Lyme

The liver is the primary organ of filtration. It filters out the blood and lymphatic fluid. The primary function of the lymphatic system is to transport lymph, a fluid containing infection-fighting white blood cells, throughout the body. The lymphatic system primarily consists of lymphatic vessels, which are similar to the circulatory system veins and capillaries. Once the lymphatic fluid passes through the liver, this organ neutralizes and eliminate the toxins found in it.

There are primary two major toxic elements that we need to consider in any Lyme case. Let’s focus on mercury toxicity first. The list of symptoms of mercury toxicity alone, includes virtually any illness known to humankind: chronic fatigue, depression and joint pains are the most common. Simply stated, mercury alone can mimic or cause any illness currently known or at least contribute to it.

To diagnose metal deposits in the different body compartments on a living patient is not easy at all. Blood work falls short of this. It is highly not specific to determine what metals are present in the body and most importantly where. Hair analysis and urine testing have similar shortcomings. They may identify the presence of some metals but most likely miss the identification of some. None of these tests accurately and precisely pinpoint the types of metals (or any toxins for that matter) that interfere with the patient’s health and more importantly where they are located in the body. Knowing these two factors is primordial for establishing a plan to restore one’s health.

Dr. Yoshiaki Omura discovered a resonance phenomenon between identical substances that led him to develop autonomic response testing. However, this testing had a few shortcomings. Fortunatley, Dr. Freddie Ulan improved this technique to a level of precision never achieved before. His testing, Nutrition Response Testing is a very accurate and specific diagnostic tool that makes it possible to find out where in the body which metal (or toxins) is stored. In addition, his technique is useful to identify exactly which metal detoxifying agent is most suitable to remove the toxic metal from that particular body region and how and what speed that metal will be eliminated by the pathways of elimination of the body.

In addition to mercury, these are the metals found most commonly: lead, aluminum, and cadmium. So, the key approach to treating Lyme disease and every illness has to include the following:

1. Finding out where the metals are localized in the body
2. Identifying the exact type of metal
3. Identifying the exact herb or supplement that will remove this metal
4. Assuring that the channels of elimination of the body are open and working appropriately (kidney support, lymphatic drainage, liver and gallbladder support, small and large intestines supporting agents, etc.)
5. Making sure that the metal is actually being eliminated
6. Monitoring the detox program carefully from visit to visit
7. Identifying and monitoring the route of elimination of other metals

Every single patient that I have seen over the years had a dysfunctional liver. Consequently, the liver cannot perform one of its main jobs which is to neutralize and eliminate the toxins out of the body. An accumulation of mercury and other metals suppresses the immune system which makes the body more prone to a Lyme infection. That explains why some people develop full blown Lyme as opposed to other who can get rid of it quickly.

Parasitic infection is the lead cause of Lyme disease severity

Clinically, parasites are the major cause of virtually every major illness. In regards to Lyme disease, it is the primary co-infection of Lyme that underlies the severity of the disease. We know that more than 70% of the immune system is located in the gut. As the primary mechanism of defense, the immune system fights hard against the presence of parasites anywhere along the GI tract. As a consequence, the immune system shuts itself down and cannot fight pathogens anymore. Parasitic infections are

are often missed by Lyme-literate doctors who mostly focus more upon the common tick-borne infections than other causes of symptoms. And if they identify parasites in a Lyme patient, they do not have the necessary tools to properly handle this situation in order to get rid of them once and for all. Parasites can cause a diverse array of symptoms, including gastrointestinal problems, malabsorption, vertigo, skin rashes, fatigue, memory loss, brain fog, depression, allergies, pain, among others. In other words, parasites can mimic symptoms of Lyme disease. Often time doctors are misled to believe that Lyme is the main problem, but in fact the parasites are the actual underlying factor to contribution to the progression of the disease. In the majority of cases, if not all, parasites can make the patients sicker than the Lyme infection by itself. It is therefore important to get rid of parasites and avoid contamination. Below are several steps you can do the minimize your risk of infections:

1) Make sure your body makes enough hydrochloric acid (HCl). If you are having Heartburn (often thought to be caused by too much stomach acid), indigestion, diarrhea, or constipation, undigested food in stools, acne, rectal itching, chronic Candida, hair loss in women, multiple food allergies, iron deficiency, weak, peeling, or cracked fingernails, chronic fatigue, adrenal fatigue, dry skin, and various autoimmune diseases, among others, very likely you are deficient in HCl. A proper level of acidity in the stomach in the first line of defense for parasitic infections.

2) Don’t let your pets sleep with you or lick you, especially your face! Dogs and cats are the main carrier of parasites. They carry them and their eggs in their fur and saliva.

3) Thoroughly wash all produce. Fruits and vegetables should be soaked for 15 minutes in vinegar mixed with a gallon of water. Most organic produce in the US is imported from Mexico, where human waste is used as fertilizer, so even organic produce needs to be disinfected.

4) Wash your hands after using the bathroom, cleaning the litter box or changing your baby’s diaper. Parasites hang out everywhere on toilets.

5) Don’t drink tap water, which nowadays is laden with microbes such as giardia and cryptosporidium.

As for the metal detoxification, Nutrition Response Testing is a wonderful tool to use in order to efficiently get rid of parasites. Be wary of products or programs that claim they can eliminate parasites in a day or a month. This is impossible. Parasite cleansing takes in average somewhere between 1-2 years. To key is to properly handle the eggs that parasites lay along the small and large intestines. If those eggs are not eliminated, they will hatch leading to more parasites. Therefore, using the right herbs for the right types of parasites for the right amount of time is critical if you want to eliminate the parasites present in the bowels.

1. https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/
2. http://www.lymedisease.org.au/transmission/
3. http://www.truthaboutlymedisease.com/

For over a decade, fish oil has been touted by doctors, nutritionists, and armchair health enthusiasts alike as a near cure-all for health. Whether you have heart disease, depression, diabetes, or joint or skin problems, or you just want to stay healthy, somebody has probably told you to take a fish oil supplement.

The general notion was that it might help, and at the very least, it couldn’t hurt. Unfortunately, that isn’t necessarily the case. Fish oil supplements continue to gain in popularity, but the research supporting their efficacy is shaky.

Does fish oil really prevent heart disease?

It’s safe to say that the benefits of fish oil supplementation for heart health have been significantly overstated. But a majority of the evidence available now suggests that fish oil provides no benefits for preventing or improving heart disease.

For example, two randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in 2010 found that in adults with preexisting heart disease, long-term supplementation (three-plus years) with fish oil had no significant impact on cardiovascular end points.

Some studies do still come up with positive results. For example, one meta-analysis published in 2013 found a protective effect of fish oil for preventing cardiac death, sudden death, and myocardial infarction. But there are also studies with negative results. Overall, the majority of studies show neither benefit nor harm from supplementing with fish oil for heart disease.

Does fish oil improve metabolic syndrome?

Metabolic syndrome is a collection of symptoms and biomarkers that often precedes heart disease or diabetes.

On the positive side, a recently published RCT found that in adults with metabolic syndrome, supplementation with 3g/d of fish oil along with 10 mL/d of olive oil for 90 days improved several blood markers. This includes a statistically significant lowering of triglycerides and LDL cholesterol, an improvement in LDL/HDL ratio, and improved markers of oxidative stress.

It’s interesting to note that the fish oil plus olive oil group had better results than either the fish oil or olive oil group alone. One possible reason for this is that olive oil is rich in antioxidants and may have protected against the potentially greater risk of oxidative damage from consuming more polyunsaturated fat.

On the negative side, a recent study in women with metabolic syndrome found that 3g/d of fish oil resulted in an increase in LDL cholesterol, blood glucose, and markers for insulin resistance after 90 days, although they did observe a decrease in blood pressure. And in overweight men, supplementation with 5g per day of krill and salmon oil resulted in increased insulin resistance after eight weeks, compared with a canola oil control.

As you can see, the evidence for fish oil supplementation for metabolic syndrome is mixed, with some studies showing a benefit, others showing harm, and still others showing no significant effect either way.

Recently, attention has been drawn to the quality of over-the-counter fish oil supplements. Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, including DHA and EPA, are especially susceptible to oxidation due to double carbon bonds at multiple locations.  Light, oxygen exposure, and heat can all contribute to oxidation. Oxidized lipids have been linked to a number of health issues, including organ toxicity and accelerated atherosclerosis—the exact opposite outcomes usually desired by those who supplement with fish oil.

In 2016, the top three selling fish oil supplements in the United States were shown to have oxidation levels up to four times higher than recommended “safe” levels. As oxidation level measurements of omega-3 supplements have increased over the last several years, this has been the common finding. Studies examining fish oil supplements available around the world, including in Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa, consistently show that a vast majority (up to 80 percent!) exceed at least one of the measures of acceptable oxidation levels. Also noteworthy is that most of these supplements contain lower levels of DHA and EPA than the labels claim, probably partly due to oxidation.

Furthermore, the most recent study from 2016 demonstrated that over-the-counter omega-3 supplements had a decreased ability to inhibit small, dense LDL oxidation in a laboratory setting compared to pure omega-3 fatty acids. This means that whatever supposed benefits omega-3 supplements should have on blood lipids could likely be completely counteracted by the oxidized lipids also contained in the pills.

I think we still have a lot to learn about this subject. One of the challenges is that the effects of polyunsaturated fats on overall physiology are complex and probably depend on multiple factors that can vary individually, including uncontrolled oxidation, eicosanoid production, cell membrane effects, and signal transduction via specialized fatty acid receptors (i.e., PPAR receptors). This could explain why we see such a wide variation in study results. Is it possible that 3g/d of fish oil is beneficial for one person and harmful for another? Absolutely. Unfortunately, at this point, it’s difficult to predict that individual response with accuracy and certainty.

Insomnia is a condition in which you have trouble falling or staying asleep. Some people with insomnia may fall asleep easily but wake up too soon. Other people may have the opposite problem, or they have trouble with both falling asleep and staying asleep. The end result is poor-quality sleep that doesn’t leave you feeling refreshed when you wake up. Insomnia is a common health problem. It can cause excessive daytime sleepiness and a lack of energy. Long-term insomnia can cause you to feel depressed or irritable; have trouble paying attention, learning, and remembering; and not do your best on the job or at school. Insomnia also can limit the energy you have to spend with friends or family.

So, to combat insomnia it is imperative that we live our lives by the 5 Golden Rules of Insomnia, and they are:

1) Avoid caffeine.

Ok, we know that sometimes you really do need a cup of coffee or can of soda here and there.  But, making it a habit, and consuming it several times a day will ensure your restlessness.  It is a stimulant that keeps the mind going, forcing your body to remain ‘on the go’, making it hard for you to relax enough for a good night of sleep.

2) Try to go to bed at the same time every night.

Sometimes we need to assist our bodies with a schedule, such as sleeping.  Though the first week might prove difficult, after awhile your body will become accustomed and develop a natural sleep cycle.  Soon, your body and mind will feel that drowsiness, and you will be well on your way to preventing bouts of insomnia.

3) Try aromatherapy.

Using some pleasant and gentle aromas on your linens or throughout your room will help you to feel more relaxed and ease you into a gentle slumber.  Whether you use a spray, diffuser or sleeping mist, create an odoriferous sleep environment for yourself.

4) Do not eat or drink late.

We all get those late night cravings, but you really should avoid eating something heavy, particularly close to bedtime.  Often times, you feel hungry due to your insomnia, and you have this need to overcome stress by snacking.  But this will not do anything to help with your trouble sleeping, and in fact, will make it much worse.  Even your dinners should be scheduled so that they are at least three hours before bedtime.  Also, try to avoid any alcoholic beverages, especially hard liquor when you are going to bed.  Many people believe that the effects of liquor will make you drowsy right away, and though you might get a nap or two, this will greatly throw off your sleeping patterns.

5) Make lists.

More often than not, we lie awake at night battling with insomnia because we tend to freak out about the day ahead.  With all that is going on in our busy lives, we sometimes feel like we shouldn’t be sleeping because there is too much to do.  Before you put head to pillow, write out everything that you need to accomplish the following day.  That way, you and check them off with ease and not have to avoid sleep to worry about doing all the tasks.

Better sleep habits and lifestyle changes often help relieve insomnia.

If you have nail fungus infections (like toenail fungus), strong sugar cravings, major seasonal allergies, recurrent vaginal infections, mood swings (irritability, anxiety, depression), skin rashes, brain fog, fatigue, GI problems among other issues, you may have a problem with Candida or other related fungi. Sugar feeds the yeast and worsens your symptoms so the first thing you need to do is cut out sugar as much as possible from your diet . This may include avoiding all forms of sugar including carbohydrates (wheat, corn, rice, quinoa, etc.).

Below is a list of some well-known antifungal herbs that we successfully use to get rid of all forms of fungi.

Calendula

Calendula is an annual herb with yellow to orange flowers, native to the Mediterranean region (1). This plant has been shown to contain several compounds that are strong anti-yeast. You can take it either by mouth or apply on the skin.

Pau D’arco

Pau d’arco is native to South America, where it has been used to treat a wide range of conditions, including pain, arthritis, inflammation of the prostate gland (prostatitis), fever, dysentery, boils and ulcers, and various cancers (2). One of the best herbs we use to treat Candida overgrowth.

Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera creates an environment that impacts Candida’s development. Aloe Vera has anti-fungal and anti-cancer properties. It also very beneficial for healing the intestines and any other of the GI tract.

Garlic

Fresh garlic is a powerful anti-fungal fighter, yet it does not destroy the beneficial bacteria in the intestines. It is an old remedy to boost the immune system and fight off various infections

Clove oil

Clove oil is yet another very powerful anti-fungal fighter, which also possesses abilities of strengthening the immune system.

Coconut oil

Coconut oil is another powerful anti-fungal agent with an abundance of numerous beneficial properties. Consume at least a teaspoon of the oil 1-2 times a day.

Tea tree oil

Tea tree oil is another well-known anti-fungal. May not be the strongest anti-yeast, but it can be very beneficial as a supporting tool to fight it off.

Oregano oil

Oregano oil is strong antifungal that we use regularly. Oregano oil is also very rich in antioxidants. You can either take it internally or apply it on the skin.

Black walnut

Black walnut has been proven to be very effective against the fungus Candida (3). Actually, it was  shown to combat Candida better than several commercial antifungal drugs.

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3768360/
2. http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/pau-darco
3. https://www.thecandidadiet.com/blackwalnut.htm

Why Saliva Testing?

When looking at hormone levels in the body, a common method used is by taking a blood test that measures the blood serum or blood plasma content of the hormones. These tests are irrelevant because the bioavailable “free” hormone is not soluble in serum. Bioavailable sex hormones circulate in the blood via fatty substances such as red blood cell membranes and are not found in the serum.

Hormones made by the ovaries, testes, and the adrenals are wrapped in protein envelopes called either SHBG (Sex Hormone Binding Globulin) or CBG (cortisol-binding globulin) so that they can be carried in the blood. These protein-bound hormones are not fully biologically active. The more important and more relevant hormone levels are the 1-10% that are unbound and therefore biologically active. Saliva contains only the unbound, biologically active hormone molecules.

The non-protein-bound hormone molecule, when circulating through the saliva tissue, will filter directly into the saliva, whereas protein-bound (non-bioavailable) hormone does not. Thus, saliva levels reflect tissue levels of sex hormones whereas the serum tests do not.

For example, Progesterone..

Progesterone is a female sex hormone produced by the ovaries and the adrenal glands. It is extremely important for women’s health, and it plays a crucial role in the female reproductive system including the menstrual cycle and fertility, as well as the development of the fetus and the maintenance of pregnancy.

Imbalances of progesterone levels may cause infertility, an increased risk of miscarriage, increased PMS symptoms, depression, thyroid dysfunction, fibrocystic breasts, weight gain and irregular menstrual cycle. But how do you know if you have low progesterone to be able to fix it? By having a saliva test!

Saliva testing is quicker, less expensive, less painful, and a more reliable way to measure hormone levels and test for hormone deficiencies. In other words, blood tests are useless in determining hormonal imbalances and Saliva testing has to be performed.

Fortunately, there are many natural ways to increase progesterone levels and maintain a proper hormonal balance in your body. Once you know where you levels are low, you can then take action with natural herbs or creams and a good diet to get them back where they should be.

Call us today and set up your appointment to get your saliva testing done now! 281-616-3816

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Many people have heard the theory that wearing a bra, especially with an underwire, can clog the lymphatic tissue, therefore causing toxins to build up, resulting in lumps and possible breast cancer.  In the book by Singer and Grismaijer ( Dressed to Kill, Avery Press, 1995), Singer and Grismaijer found that the odds of getting breast cancer dramatically increased with bra-wearing over 12 hours per day.

• Women who wore their bras 24 hours per day had a 3 out of 4 chance of developing breast cancer.
• Women who wore bras more than 12 hour per day but not to bed had a 1 out of 7 risk.
• Women who wore their bras less than 12 hours per day had a 1 out of 152 risk.

Women who wore bras rarely or never had a 1 out of 168 chance of getting breast cancer. The overall difference between 24 hour wearing and not at all was a 125-fold difference.

The results of this study are compelling, even considering that it was not a “controlled study” for other risk factors. Bear in mind that known (published in medical journals) risk factors for breast cancer are mostly in the range of less than three-fold differences. It should also be noted that Singer and Grismaijer surveyed bra-wearing behavior of the past, which is excellent for a disease with such a long development period. In their book, the authors show how most of the known risk factors can be related to bra-wearing behavior and/or the lymphatic system.

For example, breast feeding and pregnancy cause full development of the mammary lymphatics. Also, women of higher economic status have higher breast cancer rates, and one would expect that they would wear their bras more hours per day. Women who exercise have lower risk, which could relate to better lymphatic circulation (and I would add, more breast movement). Every subtle bounce of the breast while moving, walking, running, etc. gently massages the breast and increases lymphatic flow and thus cleans the breast of toxins and wastes that arise from cellular metabolism.

To this discussion, I would like to add that lymphatic circulation in many tissues (especially the primary lymphatics) are highly dependent on MOVEMENT. When you sit for a long time on an airplane flight, your feet and ankles can swell, because lymphatic circulation goes to near zero. Wearing a bra, especially a constricting one with underwires, and especially to bed, prevents normal lymphatic flow and would likely lead to anoxia (lower than normal oxygen content), which has been related to fibrosis, which has been linked to increased cancer risk.

Of course, there may be other mechanisms for the damage that bras apparently cause. One such mechanism could be temperature. Breasts are external organs and have a naturally lower temperature. Cancers can be temperature-dependent. Breast cancer is hormone-dependent. Temperature can alter hormone function. Breast temperature changes throughout the monthly cycle.

Now how can this issue be resolved? Thankfully there are different styles of bras with no underwire that are supportive and do not clog the tissues. My suggestion would to be start there. Also, If you are having any issues or just want a different approach from the “Medical World”, Call today and make an appointment. We can make a custom protocol that fits your needs and help you feel like a better you! Call us today, 281-616-3816

Breast Cancer. This word is a scary word. If you or someone you know have been diagnosed with breast cancer, or any kind of cancer, it has rocked your world. There is so much talk on this matter and advertisements about how the medical world is trying to find a cure, but has all the experiments and treatments actually found a cure, or have they made it worse? Is the reason for the increase of people who are diagnose with breast cancer from all the pollution, the poor diet, deodorant, or all the chemical we put on and in our bodies? And what do you do when the medicine and therapy isn’t working? Is there a holistic approach that will help? Something that has been used from the beginning of time?

How about Frankincense?

Frankincense Benefits

For over 5,000 years, frankincense has had many vital uses that go well beyond just being an anointing oil. It was used to support the immune system, fight infection and cure disease, even as a potential natural treatment for cancer. Today, the most common frankincense benefits include:

• Reduces inflammation
• Cancer-fighting properties
• Spiritual awareness
• Boosts immunity
• Fights infections
• Improves anxiety
• Heals skin and reduces acne and scarring

Research conducted by the University of Leicester in the U.K. has rekindled the theory that the “wise men” weren’t just bringing wealth to Jesus, but medicine.

Using the compound AKBA (acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid), the Omani government-funded research has for the first time shown frankincense’s ability to target cancer cells in late-stage ovarian cancer patients. Lead researcher Kamla Al-Salmani explained:

After a year of studying the AKBA compound with ovarian cancer cell lines in vitro, we have been able to show it is effective at killing the cancer cells. Frankincense is taken by many people with no known side effects. This finding has enormous potential to be taken to a clinical trial in the future and developed into an additional treatment for ovarian cancer.

Bear in mind that this research concerned Boswellic acid — a water soluble compound that is only found in the powder form of frankincense. However, there are other compounds found in frankincense oil that have been show to be beneficial in test tubes when treating cancer cells.

Potential Cancer-Killing Properties of Frankincense

Used because of its anti-inflammatory properties, frankincense, also known as Boswellia serrata, has been a favorite folk medicine for several health concerns, including asthma, gastroenteritis and skin conditions. New research, like the University of Leicester study, has recently suggested that frankincense’s disease-targeting power may be even more encompassing than previously suspected. Successfully linking AKBA as a potential treatment for brain, breast, colon, pancreatic, prostate and stomach cancers, research trials are filling medical journals like Carcinogenesis and PLoS One about boswellia serrata’s cancer-targeting prowess.

According to researchers out of Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, the potential cancer-killing properties of frankincense are due in part to it regulating cellular epigenetic machinery, which highlights its ability to influence genes to promote healing. Baylor cancer scientists emphasize that this potency makes Boswellia a viable candidate for both cancer prevention and treatment.

Natural Treatment of Cancer with Frankincense Oil 

People who have added Boswellia serrata into their natural health cancer care plan may find themselves experiencing double-benefits from this amazing essential oil.

Frankincense Benefits Immune Function

A growing body of research has recently unlocked the doors to our understanding of why frankincense benefits our health. In a study published by Phytotherapy Research, for instance, when mice took 1–10 milligrams of Boswellia serrata orally, it was discovered that multiple levels of their immune systems were stimulated including:

• Delayed hypersensitivity reaction (early 24 hours, delayed 48 hours)
• IgG
• IgM
• Cytokines (interferon gamma, interleukin-4, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha)
• T-cell interactions (i.e. CD4/CD8, which are generally low in AIDS patients)

In layman’s terms, frankincense can significantly boost the immune system. Two fundamental ways this is accomplished is by proliferating lymphocytes (white blood cells, which are the body’s primary defense team) and by keeping inflammation at bay (which is arguably the primary risk factor for most chronic diseases).

This may also explain why frankincense is so effective in treating autoimmune conditions like bronchial asthma, Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis.

Implement frankincense into your natural health regimen today and see how frankincense benefits your immune function. This essential oil can be used in diffusers with ease to treat respiratory conditions, or you can use it as an essential oil or salve directly on your skin. Finally, you can also take frankincense (Boswellia) as a supplement with a few essential oil drops placed under your tongue, on the roof of your mouth or in powdered capsule form for treatment of many health conditions.

Here at Mind and Body Solutions, we believe in a natural and holistic approach to fight and prevent cancer. We have hundreds of natural whole food supplements along with herbs. Call us today to set up an initial consultation and see how we can help you be a healthier you! 281-616-3816

Omega-6 is a type of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) that is essential to human health. Today, most consumption of PUFAs is dominated by vegetable oils from soybeans, corn, and sunflower. Before these industrial seed oils were readily available, most of our omega-6 consumption was from fresh, whole foods like nuts, seeds, and pastured meats.

The more concerning form of omega-6 is in vegetable oils. Repeated heating of vegetable oils is common practice in the food industry, particularly in large deep-fryers, because it significantly reduces the cost of food preparation. In deep-fat frying, oil is heated to temperatures greater than 400 degrees Fahrenheit, while also being exposed to moisture and air. This causes thermal lipid oxidation, resulting in the formation of polar compounds and yielding new chemical functional groups that deposit in the cooking oil. Repeated heating also degrades the natural antioxidant vitamin E, which normally protects fatty acids against lipid oxidation.

Consuming heated vegetable oils has been associated with CVD risk, and there is a direct relationship between CVD risk and consumption of cooking oil polar compounds. Regular consumption of repeatedly heated vegetable oil has been shown to increase blood pressure, decrease nitric oxide, and increase total cholesterol. Repeatedly heated oil can also cause vascular inflammation and changes to vasculature that predispose to atherosclerosis.

So if the problem is high heat, can unheated canola, soybean, or sunflower oil be a part of a healthy diet? To answer this question, we really need to understand how these oils are made.

There are three ways that oils are commonly extracted from their source:

• Rendering: this method uses heat only
• Chemicals: this method uses a solvent (usually hexane) and then subsequent heating to evaporate off the solvent
• Press it out: this method is purely mechanical. These oils are commonly labeled as “cold-pressed” or “expeller pressed.”

The majority of oils high in omega-6 PUFAs are produced using the second method. This means that even if you don’t heat your vegetable oil during cooking, it has likely already been heated long before it made its way to the supermarket. After this extraction process, many oils are further refined, removing even more nutrients. The ultimate result? Energy-dense, nutrient-poor oils. Even if you choose a cold-pressed seed oil, you’d still be better off choosing a more nutrient-dense and flavorful option like olive oil or coconut oil.

At Mind and Body Solutions we have a protocol to help you bring in healthier omega-6 fats into your diet, along with a healthier lifestyle to help you feel like a better you. Call us today to set up an initial consultation and see what we can do for you! 281-616-3816.

Millions of Americans suffer from seasonal allergies each year.

Allergies are versatile. They can show up just about anywhere in your body and provide a variety of symptoms. They can affect your nose, eyes, throat, lungs, stomach, skin and nervous system. They can give you a bellyache, a rash and even bring on fatigue and headache.

Did you know that some of these symptoms are cause by the food that you eat and not your cat or the pollen count? Food allergy has become an epidemic in our modern world. Whereas a food allergy was considered an anomaly just a few decades ago, today one in 13 children in the United States suffers from a life-threatening anaphylactic food allergy. And this figure does not include those with celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, lactose intolerance, or any other type of food intolerance.

As the major site of dietary absorption and the home to 80 percent of your body’s immune cells, it makes sense that the gut is a key player in the pathology of food allergies. Your gut is lined with millions of epithelial cells that are responsible for maintaining a barrier between your gut contents (the intestinal lumen) and your bloodstream.

In a healthy gut, small nutrients are absorbed, but large dietary proteins are unable to cross this barrier and enter the bloodstream. However, when the intestinal barrier becomes compromised (i.e., “leaky gut” syndrome), these large dietary proteins are able to enter the blood, stimulate an immune response, and produce symptoms characteristic of various allergic diseases.

Allergic diseases have risen dramatically during the last decades. They represent a major health problem that experts now think affects one third of the whole population. And if they are not managed properly, people begin to deal with it by avoiding the modern world.

In our experience, when major allergies, both food and/or environmental, are present and not handled, they are often interfering with the body’s normal function, repair and self-correcting mechanisms.

All of the sneezing, sniffling, and itchy eyes don’t have to be something that you put up with every year! Here at Mind and Body solutions, we have a healthy alternative on how to treat your allergies that don’t include medications or shots! Call us today for your initial consultation and see how we can help you feel like a healthier you!

It’s that time of year where we all start enjoying the weather outside, but did you know that 4 different studies conducted in the 1990’s indicated a higher risk of malignant melanoma among individuals who used the most sunscreen! More than 2 million Americans are diagnosed with skin cancer every year. And even though more and more people are using sunscreen each year, the incidence of skin cancer continues to climb worldwide.

In 2014, The Environmental Working Group (EWG) published their guide to safe sunscreens. They reviewed over 2000 sunscreens and over 257 brands. They found more than 75% of the sunscreens contained toxic chemicals that can increase your risk of cancer and other health issues. According to research from the EWG: Our review…shows that some sunscreen ingredients absorb into the blood, and some have toxic effects. Some release skin-damaging free radicals in sunlight, some act like estrogen and disrupt hormones, and several can cause allergic reactions and skin irritation. The FDA has not established rigorous safety standards for sunscreen ingredients. Sunscreens haven’t been regulated since 1978 in the USA, and the SPF factor only tells you how effective a sunscreen is against UVB rays which cause sunburn.

A recent study published in Environmental Science Technology has also shown the common sunscreen ingredients oxybenzone, methoxycinnamate, and PABA are estrogenic chemicals linked to cancer. Here is a list of unsafe, Toxic Chemicals that you should avoid in your sunscreen:

• Para amino benzoic acid
• Octyl salicyclate
• Oxybenzone
• Cinoxate
• Dioxybenzone
• Phenylbenzimidazole
• Homosalate
• Menthyl anthranilate
• Octocrylene
• Methoxycinnamate
• Parabens

Like we said in the last blog, the sun is essential for your health. Think about it. Without the sun, most plants couldn’t grow and we would perish from a lack of Vitamin D3. Of course, you can have too much of a good thing. We don’t recommend letting your skin burn, and this is a common point people miss. Getting a moderate amount of sunshine daily (Approx. 20 minutes) can actually help decrease your risk of certain types of cancers.

Now don’t get me wrong, there are times that you should wear sunscreen. But what is the best kind to buy?

The best sunscreen is a hat and a shirt. No chemicals for the skin to absorb, no questions about whether the product works and no bogus claims like “sunblock.” But if that is not enough, mineral sunscreens are the way to go!

Non-mineral sunscreens penetrate the skin, are potentially disruptive to hormones, are allergenic, and like we mentioned earlier, can release free radicals when they break down. Oxybenzone is the most common ingredient found in sunscreens. Scientists recommend not using sunscreens containing oxybenzone on children because of this hormone disruption.

Mineral sunscreens are ones containing zinc, or titanium.  These do not breakdown in sunlight, are not usually absorbed (so do not disrupt the body’s hormones), are not allergenic and are more effective at blocking UVA rays than non-minerals.  These sunscreens are a good choice for children and according to EWG have the best safety profiles of the choices in the United States.

These healthier sunscreens contain Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide as a more natural form of sunblock. However even these ingredients aren’t flawless as you’ll see in the EWG ratings system. According to the American Cancer Society, oxidative damage can increase your cancer risk. Here at Mind and Body solutions, we have a supplement protocol (along with a diet change) that we recommend which can potentially decrease your risk of skin cancer and help with the effects of sunburns.

Call us today! 281-616-3816

sources:  http://breakingnews.ewg.org/2012sunscreen/

draxe.com/75-of-sunscreens-are-toxic-what-to-do-instead

Have you ever been told by a healthcare practitioner that you are low in vitamin D?

Healthcare practitioners are increasingly aware of the risks of low vitamin D levels, but many are not aware that high levels of vitamin D can have toxic effects. Vitamin D is extremely important for the body. Vitamin D promotes calcium absorption in the intestine and maintains calcium and phosphate levels in the blood, protecting against osteoporosis, rickets, and bone fracture. It also regulates immune function, cell growth, and neuromuscular function.Vitamin D deficiency has been found to increase the risk of heart attack, cancer, diabetes, asthma, and autoimmune disease. Our modern indoor lifestyle limits our sun exposure, and we can only get a small amount of vitamin D from diet.

Low vitamin D is not the only issue, you can have risks with too much vitamin D as well. This is called vitamin toxicity. Sadly, few practitioners are aware of the danger of vitamin D toxicity. Consequences of vitamin D toxicity include heart attack, stroke, kidney stones, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, weight loss, and low bone density.

Now that you know the effects of high or low vitamin D, How do we fix the issue? While you can take vitamin D supplements, you are not always guaranteed that your over the counter or prescription vitamin it is 100% vitamin D. So what is the best way to get vitamin D? Sunlight.

Sunlight is the optimal source of vitamin D, and has numerous benefits above and beyond improving vitamin D status. Vitamin D is really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the benefits of sunlight. A recent 20-year study following 29,518 subjects found that those individuals avoiding sun exposure were twice as likely to die from all causes. In other words get out there and get some sun!

Now if you don’t have all day just to play in the sun there is another option! Here at Mind and Body Solutions, we can address your deficiency with whole food supplement that are 100% pure. Along with the supplements and a change of diet, We can get your level back to where they need to be.

So if you need help, or just want to change the way you feel, call us today and make an appointment! 281-616-3816

Resource:

http://chriskresser.com/vitamin-d-more-is-not-better/?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=email&utm_term=vitamin-d-more-is-not-better&utm_content=&utm_campaign=blog-post

Heart Disease. How can I reverse this curse?

Ok, so heart disease isn’t really a curse, BUT it is a MAJOR issue here in the U.S. One study says cardiovascular disease affects 65 MILLION people in America. 65 Million! And close to one million Americans have a heart attack each year. It continues to say that 1 of 3 deaths that occurs in the U.S. is cause by cardiovascular disease and one person dies every 39 seconds because of cardiovascular disease. This, my friend, is a MAJOR issue.

But how can we go about reversing this? SURELY there is something we can do that will actually work! Well I am glad that you asked, because there is!

A recent study compared the relationship between heart disease and lifestyle and showed 90% of cardiovascular disease is caused by modifiable diet and lifestyle factors. According to the INTERHEART study, which examined cardiovascular risk factors in 51 countries, 9 out of the 10 strongest risk factors for heart disease are modifiable by changes in diet and lifestyle. Do you see where I am going with this?

While taking action now does not guarantee that you’ll never get heart disease, it does vastly improve your chances of avoiding it or at least delaying it significantly.  Here is how we can reverse this curse called heart disease.

• Eat a Heart-Healthy Diet:

Avoid diets that emphasize nutrient-poor foods such as whole grains and vegetable oil, and unnecessarily restricts nutrient-dense foods like red meat, animal fat and cholesterol.

Start eating a diet that emphasizes an optimal balance of fats, eliminates highly processed and refined foods, and reduces other food toxins that interfere with nutrient absorption, such as a Paleo diet.

• Live a Heart-Healthy Lifestyle:

Exercise. Yes I said it, exercise. By exercising it can prevent the development and progression of atherosclerosis, improve lipids, and reduce vascular symptoms in patients that already have heart disease. To keep our bodies happy and healthy, whether you have heart disease or not, we need to exercise. Our bodies just need it.

Go to bed! Sleep deprivation has been associated with weight gain, insulin resistance, increased appetite and caloric intake, overconsumption of highly palatable and rewarding food, decreased energy expenditure and a reduced likelihood of sticking with healthy lifestyle behaviors. In other words, sleep is very important for our bodies.

• Boost Your Heart-Healthy Nutrients:

In addition to the basic heart-healthy paleo diet that I mentioned above, there are several specific foods/nutrients that have been shown to improve cardiovascular health. Such as: Cold water fatty fish, Monounsaturated fats, Antioxidant-rich foods, and Nuts.

So as you can see, everything we do and eat, affects how well our bodies work. You are what you eat, make your diet clean and unprocessed, exercise and SLEEP!

If you already have an issue plaque build up, don’t worry, we have a protocol that will help clean your arteries and your body. By making a choice of living a healthier lifestyle and taking the natural whole food supplements that we recommend, you could not only feel great again, but also add more years to your life. Call us today to make an appointment and let us help you make these changes in your life that way you can avoid, or reverse, the curse of heart disease.

Resources:

(1) https://chriskresser.com/the-diet-heart-myth-statins-dont-save-lives-in-people-without-heart-disease/

(2) https://chriskresser.com/the-diet-heart-myth-how-to-prevent-and-reverse-heart-disease-naturally/

The Best Of The Best!!

Whole food supplements are made from REAL foods! Most of the foods we eat today have little to no nutrition. Whole food supplements contain plant and animal
extracts or other ingredients as required to create the best dietary supplement for each health indication.

All patients take Whole Food Supplements in out practice. We can replace the nutrition you lack in everyday life using these types of supplements.

The Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine have been around for hundreds of years. The premise of this healing mode is that Mother Nature has provided us with
everything necessary to cure every conditions encountered. We use the same principle but we mostly use whole food supplements.

As the words indicate, these supplements are made from actual foods like carrots, broccoli, beets, just to name a few. The very great majority of
supplements available in stores are made from synthetic vitamins and minerals.

These are not natural because you will never find them “as is” in nature. As a matter of fact, several studies show that our body is treating them as foreign
substances.

Vitamin C is a very good example. Vitamin C supplement you can buy at the grocery store says: “Vitamin C (as ascorbic acid)”. Vitamin C from real foods
are made of about 150 components, taking the Vitamin C with ascorbic acid isn’t necessary. However, because it is not your body’s favorite choice, you will have
to take a gigantic amount to produce the same effect as taking a pill of the whole food Rose Hips for example (very high in vitamin C) that also contain
carotenoids, beta-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, and lycopene. 

Vitamin B is another good example. Vitamin B sold in the stores only contain about 8-9 different B Vitamins, the B Complex is made up of 24 different B
Vitamins.

By overtaking an isolated, synthetic nutrient, you create an unbalanced environment for other essential nutrients. As an example, overtaking calcium may
have important repercussions on your level of magnesium, Vitamins K2, and D which increases your risk of heart disease, cataracts, and kidney/gall bladder
stones.

The other major issue from over the counter supplements is their rate of absorption. The body does not absorb the nutrients used in these supplements
very efficiently. Indeed, about 10-20% is being absorbed. In other words, more than 80-90% of the money you spend on these supplements is wasted. Therefore,
only buy whole food supplements from reputed companies that are testing and regulating their whole food sources. The best company is without any doubt
Standard Process. I have had remarkable results using their supplements as the absorption rate is close to 100%.

I would recommend you consult with a holistic doctor in order to address the root cause of your concerns and how to maximize your results by taking the right
supplements for your own health conditions.

Now starting a new life isn’t easy, along with the responsibility of your health comes other road bumps. Almost ALL of our patients struggle in the first 2-9 weeks.

NO ONE said this would be easy…

…but it will be worth it!

So today I’m typing this entry so you don’t feel like you’re the only one who has come to complications.

Detox

The first part of all of this healthy living is DETOX! Get rid of all the nasty junk in your body so you can begin to feel better.

Some patients find themselves not feeling too well or even sick within the first 3 weeks of the program. Most of the time this means either your detox is too much to handle all at once for your body so a step back may be needed OR, this may further confirm that you are doing EVERYTHING RIGHT!

This detox is a must for your body: some “Detox Reaction” or “Healing Crisis” signs can consist in acne, constipation, loose bowels, cold/flu like symptoms, itching or even a small rashes. Don’t be alarmed by any of these things, they are all normal reactions to a new detox.

See it this way: you are RE-teaching proper nutrition to your body and correcting all the things accumulated over the years. You have most likely taken all kinds of medication for these issues and it hasn’t helped, don’t give up on us that easy!

Diet

Another issue patients have to deal with is their diet. Each patients’ diet protocol varies depending on what their body lacks.

Sometimes it takes about 3-12 weeks for patients to comply with their diet. We know you can’t give up all these yummy but harmful foods all at once such as bread, ice cream, snickers, cereal or McDonald’s…it’s a process!

Until I’m confident you are giving your body the fuel needed for it to be the healthy machine you were made to be, you’ll have to turn in your food log: at every visit, you and I will go over what you have eaten for the past 7 days. I will then give recommendations to other health options and work with you on your diet guidelines.

If you aren’t sure how to read labels or how to tell if the food you’re eating is directly affecting you: JUST ASK!

I will advise that you bring your chosen food on your next visit and we can test it using NRT to see if it is harmful to your immune system.

What’s next?

After the initial shock of this life-changing experience, you’ll start feeling better. You will begin to realize other health problems you may have dealt with for a while. For example: you have had chronic migraines for 7 years and this is why you sought help from our practice. Once the root cause of your migraines is found, by following a nutrition program and reversing the affect it has had on your day to day life, you may realize that your joint pain may have diminished since you could not function with migraines.

Now the only pain you have is the pain in your hands and feet? Let me know! Your hands and feet pain may be the next step in your overall healing.

Never omit to mention something if doctors have constantly told you it can’t be reversed or “cured”, all things are possible!

Well, over time I have seen many patients come in and out of my office with this same question… Don’t worry you are not the only one.

How does it work?

Using Nutrition Response Testing (NRT) we can evaluate your overall health. This tool is very different from other “natural” health solutions. The analysis is done by testing your body’s reflexes and acupressure points. The reflexes can show that any of your organs are deficient in a vitamin/mineral, also it can detect if you have an immune challenge such as: Bacteria, Virus, Fungi, Parasites, Any food sensitivities, Chemicals or Metal buildup in the body. After finding out what kind of deficiencies you have we make a nutrition plan just for you! This in tales taking whole food supplements and or homeopathic remedies, along with some diet restrictions.

For the first few months of your new healthy life you will detox your body from all of the harmful substances you have acquired over the years. Don’t be too frightened, we have all eaten and done toxic things to beat our immune system down, I promise, been there done that! With that being said, it takes about 12-24 months of complete compliance before your body is completely “fixed”. After the detox layer there is sometimes other secondary issues that come up. Most of the time they are small things you may have dealt with in the past but you just pushed them aside because life was too busy or other health issues arose.

How important is it to stick to the entire program?

All in all most  health issues don’t come about overnight. You have become chronically sick or ill over the past few years, not minutes. Although it’s hard to believe, you have got yourself in this situation with a poor diet and a lack of general nutrition. The sooner you correct your eating habits and life style choices the sooner you will see results in your health. If you don’t give your body the full amount of time and effort to correct the root cause to your health concerns your condition may not improve. All things considered, you should take a step back and ask yourself IS THIS FOR ME?

Headaches, rash, fatigue, cramps? Do you experiment these symptoms?

Do you feel worse after eating yogurt but you feel fine drinking milk?

Red wine gives you headaches?

Mushrooms bring you to the bathroom?

When you body is fighting a pathogen, you body release histamine to create a inflamed and swollen environment for white blood cells to get through more easily. Inflammation is most of the time, a good thing. However, when the inflammation is chronic, you end up with an inefficient immune system.

Eventually, the histamine is controlled by an enzymes called diamine oxidase except if your body is lacking this special enzyme. If you have too much histamine floating around in the interstitial fluid, you experience symptoms. Even without a Diamine oxidase deficiency, you may experience these symptoms if you have a bacterial infection, allergies, leaky gut or if you over consume histamine-rich food.

Symptoms of histamine intolerance

* Headaches/migraines
* Sleeping disorders
* Hypertension
* Dizziness
* Accelerated heart rate
* Abdominal cramps
* Nasal congestion, sneezing, difficulty breathing
* Hormonal imbalances
* Hives
* Fatigue
* Inflammation

Foods naturally high in histamine:
Note: probiotics are very good for your health, however, many produce histamine within the body.

* Fermented alcoholic beverages (wine, champagne, beer)
* Fermented foods: sauerkraut, vinegar, soy sauce, kefir, yogurt, kombucha, kimchi, miso etc..
* Preserved food : pickles, olives etc.
* Cured meats: bacon, salami, pepperoni, hot dogs etc.
* Soured foods: sour cream, buttermilk, etc
* Dried fruit: apricots, prunes, dates, figs, raisins
* Most citrus
* Aged cheese ( blue cheese is the worst)
* Nuts: walnuts, cashews, and peanuts
* Some Vegetables: avocados, eggplant, spinach, and tomatoes
* Smoked fish

Foods that trigger histamine release:

* Alcohol
* Bananas
* Chocolate
* Cow’s Milk
* Nuts
* Papaya
* Pineapple
* Shellfish
* Strawberries
* Tomatoes
* Wheat Germ
* Preservatives and dyes

Foods that block Diamine oxydase.

* Alcohol
* Energy drinks
* Black & Green tea

That is a long list! The good news is: We can help!

By identifying the underlying causes of your overflow of histamine and/or the cause of your diamine oxydase deficiency, we can re-balance your immune system by repairing a leaky gut, normalizing your stomach ph and validating your allergies.

Avoiding sugar can be a little stressful for your body.  Some people like to do it cold turkey while others like to transition to a better lifestyle.

This recipe will really help you with sugar cravings.  It tastes good, it’s healthy and low carb!

Even your children will love them!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 Cup Cocoa butter  ( food grade)
• 1 T  Cacao powder
• 1/4 Cup Coconut oil ( organic is the way to go)
• Xylitol or stevia ( add some until it tastes wonderful to you:)) Note: if you use Xylitol, you should give it a ride in the coffee grinder to make a powder
• 10 drops of pure peppermint extract

Melt cocoa butter and add cacao powder. Mix the rest of the ingredients and pour in molds ( or cupcake liners).  Let it rest in the fridge for an hour! Voila!

It depends how serious you are about getting rid of it but the answer is YES!

I once had a case of unexplained leg pain, insomnia and digestive issues.  She met with the best pain specialists,  took all kind of pain medication. Nothing worked. As her last resort, she came to see us.

We identified a soy and wheat sensitivities as well as pesticides poisoning from years of gardening. We cleaned her diet and gave her supplements to get rid of toxins in her body . After a few months,  she was feeling better but not 100% well which did not make sense. We went over the data we collected since the beginning and analyzed her diet and lifestyle. We found out that her leg pain started right after she bought this very expensive blanket with a unique fabric from Italy. We tested her and her body was reactive to the blanket. Because she spent a lot of money on it, she did not want to get rid of it. We had to find a solution. We actually eliminated her sensitivity to the fabric using Accelerated Allergy Clearing Technique (AACT)  and her leg pain completely disappear in a few sessions.

Our patients usually met with a conventional health specialist before they meet with us.  When we assess them, they already tried several things in vain.

Being able to help them is a giving and this kind of stories are our daily motivation…

Carolyn came for weight loss, fatigue, insomnia, allergies and overall ache. She struggled her whole life with weight and she claimed that she had done everything to help her and nothing ever happened.  After following our customized program, she started losing weight but after several months into the program, She plateaued. We performed several tests but they all came back negative. Finally, we decided to look at her diet and identified what was the real issue. We found out that she was eating about 10-12 cucumbers a day in her juices/smoothies and unfortunately her body developed a sensitivity to it and was preventing her from  losing weight. We recommended her to stop eating/drinking it and she started losing weight again.

Cucumbers? Really?

Our body can develop an intolerance to anything.  This could be your food, mold in your environment or even substances in your mattress.

There are so many diets out there claiming to be THE BEST weight loss program!  And this is probably true. They all work to some extent.
The truth is, there’s no one-fit-all diet.  That’s why you may fail where someone else succeed.

We’ve seen a patient with inflammatory bowel disease caused by the garlic supplement she was taking ( to be in better health) or a lady who decided to replace cow’s milk with soy milk with disastrous results.

Changing your diet is like joining a gym. You may need help making sure your are not worsening your condition.

And this is what we do…

Hi,

I hope everything had a great weekend!

I recently came across this great article on fibers titled:

** Stopping or reducing dietary fiber intake reduces constipation and its associated symptoms.
What researchers demonstrate is that lower the intake of fiber alleviates constipation and its associated symptoms.

Forget Metamucil. Instead increase your intake of fruits and vegetables for a great source of fiber

Yours in Health,
Dr Serge