The prevalence of Lyme is reaching an all-time high. According to various experts, Lyme Disease isn’t just a tick-borne disease we thought it was. Lyme disease and its co-infections can now be spread through mosquito, spiders, and more. I wrote about Lyme and my philosophy a few years [...]]]> By Sarah A LoBisco, ND

The prevalence of Lyme is reaching an all-time high. According to various experts, Lyme Disease isn’t just a tick-borne disease we thought it was. Lyme disease and its co-infections can now be spread through mosquito, spiders, and more. I wrote about Lyme and my philosophy a few years ago. However, as with every topic in medicine, as more information is discovered, more solutions and more controversy heats up!

There are various philosophies with Lyme. One international Lyme expert, Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt, was recently interviewed by integrative Osteopathic Doctor and whistle blower, Dr. Mercola. I have much admiration for both of these physicians and listened to the entire 90 minute interview, summarizing it’s key points below. I feel it’s important, because more and more of my patients are effected by Lyme, if not as the primary problem, a contributor to immune imbalance that makes healing more difficult. As a Naturopathic and Functional Medical Doctor, I agree with Dr. Klinghardt that the environment and the whole person need to be considered in treatment. It’s not about just killing the spirochete with antibiotics-natural or otherwise.

Here is a summary from this world-renowned, yet humble, talented, and kind Modern-Medicine-Man:

The Lyme Paradox:

Lyme is a two-fold Paradox:

1. According to Klinghardt, Lyme may have been part of our human genome for a long period time. It’s only when the body is chronically hit with stressors that the opportunistic bug and its co-infections create symptoms and chronic problems in a biten individual. (Hence, he believes ‘tis the terrain not the bug that creates the opportunity for the disease, I concur).

2. Lyme disease is notoriously difficult to diagnose using conventional tests. This is due to various reasons. First, many are infected with Lyme and the test to verify its presence is based on an immune system strong enough to produce a defense against it! Furthermore, many co-infections and the tick itself are not found in the blood, but instead hide in tissues. Therefore, blood testing has flaws in diagnosing.

For these reasons, Dr. Klinghardt builds up his patients for 6 months before he will even test them for Lyme. After this, he will use more sophisticated tests through specialized labs that look into other means for diagnosing, including Isagenix and Frye Labs. He monitors progress using CD57 counts, immune cells that are specific for Borrelia.

LYME: the Great Mimicker

Lyme has great variation in its presentation, depending on where you contracted it, and whether or not you have any other coexisting infections. There is a group of seven or eight microbes that are the most common. According to Klinghardt, the worst ones are Babesia microti and the different forms of Bartonella.

“Underneath that, there’s often an infection with Mycoplasma. We still don’t know if it’s really transferred with the same bite or if the people had it all along and become symptomatic when the immune system is suppressed by the spirochetes,” Dr. Klinghardt says.

Other than the co-infections, there is what I call the “opportunistic infections.” The combined effect of the initial infection is an immune suppressive effect, and then the patient becomes vulnerable to all sorts of other things. The most common things people contract early on in the course if the illness are different forms of parasites, such as protozoa; Babesia itself being one of them.

There is Giardia, amoebas, Trichomonas, malaria, and different forms of infections that aren’t labeled yet. There is a new one, called FL1953. Stephen Frye discovered that. It’s a protozoan organism that’s causing severe fatigue and illness in chronically ill people. It’s almost always present in a patient with Lyme disease.

And then we find a lot of worms in people. They may be microscopic and they may be macroscopic. That means they may be visible in the stool or they may not be visible.”

Treatment Approaches by Klinghardt:

1. Get Rid of Mold-Lyme and mold are very commonly found together.

I must interject here. There are 600 species of mold and most testing is not accurate or sophisticated enough to find it. If you have water damage or you can see it, it’s a problem!

Mold depletes the immune system making any infection or chronic disease hard to fight, creates imbalances in the hormones, neurotransmitters, and biotransformation of the liver. Bottom line-if you have mold, you have to address this in any treatment protocol!

2. Protection in an Electromagnetic Smog- the body can’t get better when its nervous system is chronically depleted and stimulated by cell phones, Wi-Fi, and IPads. Read more about EMF exposure here.

3. Treat emotional issues-Chronic emotional stresses deplete the immune system and cause hormonal imbalances.

4. Treat the Parasite for fatigue- Dr. Klinghardt addresses the parasites before hitting the spirochete.

5. Natural Solutions of Klighardt for bugs:

Liposmal Lyme Cocktail:

1. Artemisinin kills spirochete and is antimicrobial, anti-parasitic
2. Apple Pectin to bind its toxins
3. Vitamin C for immune health and antioxidant power

Anti-Viral: Artemeisin (affective against SPV), Berebine

Remember, antibiotics create relief, but hit a plateau in a worn out system, hence you must treat the terrain of a whole person. In Naturopathic terms, this means address the gut, the home of the immune system! You also want to monitor blood sugar, neurotransmitters, adrenals, and hormones!

Summary: Treat the bacteria and virus, but also treat the person. “It doesn’t matter what sort of disease has the person, rather, what kind of person has the disease!”

Sources:

Mercola, J. Why is Lyme Disease Not JUST a Tick-Borne Disease Any More? February 5, 2012. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/02/05/dr-dietrich-klinghardt-on-lyme-disease.aspx?e_cid=20120205_SNL_Art_1

DFH Clinical Rounds Teleseminar: Functional Neurology Update: Lyme and other Weird Neurological Symptoms. Featuring: Helena Kerekhazi, M.S., N.R.N.P. February 8, 2012

Be sure to check out more on the subject of weight loss in my  Naturopathic Fun Facts on Saratoga.com!

February is the month of the heart.

Sure, some may argue that St. Valentine’s Day is a made up  holiday manufactured by the greeting card companies (and an excuse to indulge in a little extra dark chocolate- gotta get those flavone antioxidants!). Still, the celebration on February 14th serves as a [...]]]>

February is the month of the heart.

Sure, some may argue that St. Valentine’s Day is a made up  holiday manufactured by the greeting card companies (and an excuse to indulge in a little extra dark chocolate- gotta get those flavone antioxidants!). Still, the celebration on February 14th serves as a convenient and poignant selling point of the importance of heart health to the medical community. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion):

American Heart Month is a time to battle cardiovascular disease and educate Americans on what we can do to live heart-healthy lives.
Heart disease, including stroke, is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States.
You are at higher risk of heart disease if you are:
• A woman age 55 or older
• A man age 45 or older
• Or a person with a family history of early heart disease
Heart disease can be prevented. To keep your heart healthy:
• Watch your weight.
• Quit smoking and stay away from secondhand smoke.
• Control your cholesterol and blood pressure.
• If you drink alcohol, drink only in moderation.
• Get active and eat healthy.
• Talk to your doctor about taking aspirin every day if you are a man over the age of 45 or a woman over 55.
• Manage stress.

The healthy lifestyle shifts mentioned above are important to modulate chronic disease patterns. Yet, I find above guidelines lacking in giving a complete picture of what is truly important for overall heart health.  For example, let’s look at the controversial topic between integrative and conventional medicine- cholesterol.

As the above quote shows, medical experts are touting that an important way to prevent cardiovascular disease is to take medications that stop the formation of this critical steroid manufactured in our liver. In a previous blog, I spoke about the many benefits of cholesterol, including its role in the formation of hormones, Vitamin D, and brain support.

Now, from a common sense point of view, think of the implications of taking a medicine which stops the precursor to hormones and a vitamin, which in itself is being touted for overall heart benefits. Besides the side effects of this biochemical manipulation, studies are lacking in the benefits of  suppressing cholesterol in most cases. The fact is, most drug companies share only the favorable results in their trials. Bio-individuality and dosage is usually not taken into account in most studies, creating clinical judgment of what to use and when hard to determine for most physicians. An excerpt from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition explains this issue in relation to Vitamin D:

Vitamin D is unique in the field of nutrition because of the range of its pleiotropic effects. CHF is a chronic disease involving many body systems and is the long-term consequence of several major risk factors, most of which may be moderated with improved vitamin D nutrition (3, 6-10). To expect a therapeutic response to a modest dose of this one nutrient in patients with CHF is surely too much to ask. The more realistic question raised by Schleithoff et al (3) and Witte and Clark (2) is whether the use of an appropriate dose of vitamin D, as one part of a nutritional strategy, could help in the primary prevention or treatment of CHF.

What about for gender differences? Most trials use men and may be why women aren’t showing the benefit men are with statins. A recent article by Dr. Hyman discusses the implications of taking a medication based on misguided medical theory and lab numbers, vs. on biochemistry and individualized health.

Women with No Heart Disease shouldn’t be on Statins

In this new study researchers reviewed the effect of statin prescriptions in a group of 153,840 women without diabetes and with an average age of 63.2 years. About 7 percent of women reported taking statin medication between 1993 and 1996. Today there are many, many more women taking statin medications, thus many more are at risk from harm from statins.

During the 3-year period of the study, 10,242 new cases were reported – a whopping 71 percent increase in risk from women who didn’t take statins. This association stayed strong at a 48 percent increased risk of getting diabetes, even after taking into account age, race/ethnicity, and weight or body mass index. These increases in disease risk were consistent for all statins on the market.

This effect also occurred in those with and without heart disease. Surprisingly disease risk was worse in thin women. Minority women were also disproportionately affected. The risk of diabetes was 49 percent for white women, 57 percent for Hispanic women, and 78 percent for Asian women.

But in a typical “my mind’s made up, don’t confuse me with the facts” statement by the medical establishment, the researchers said we should not change our guidelines for statin use for the primary prevention of heart disease.

In a large meta-analysis published in the Lancet last year, scientists found that statins increased the risk of diabetes by 9 percent. If current guidelines were followed for those who should take statins, and people actually took them (thank God only 50 percent of prescriptions are ever filled by patients), there would be 3 million more diabetics in America. Oops.

Other studies have recently called into question the belief that high cholesterol levels increase your risk of heart disease as you get older. For those over 85 it turns out having high cholesterol will protect you from dying from a heart attack, and, in fact, from death from any cause.

The problem with generalized recommendations is that the focus is too narrow. I encourage you to read the rest of the article that discusses the risks associated with statins. It highlights research that disputes poorly designed studies on the connection of  a lowered risk of heart disease and lowering cholesterol and discusses articles that demonstrate how low cholesterol does not necessarily decrease mortality from heart events. In fact, too low cholesterol can INCREASE arterial plaques, and have other other serious heart effects.

Still, let’s remember the individual. These drugs aren’t all bad. New studies are showing they may provide an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect that is effective in preventing secondary heart attacks for those MEN who have a history of a heart attack.

There’s More to Heart Health than Numbers!

The heart itself has a “brain” and contains hormonal and healing effects to the whole body. Beyond numbers and weight, it’s the sense of isolation that is the primary predictor if one will die or live in all cause mortality. It isn’t just a cliche, emotions play a big part in heart health! Studies show that you can literally have a heart attack from a broken heart. According to a study in Circulation:

Acute psychological stress is associated with an abrupt increase in the risk of cardiovascular events. Intense grief in the days after the death of a significant person may trigger the onset of acute myocardial infarction (MI), but this relationship has not been systematically studied.

Dr. Mercola offered some more insight on the mechanism behind this grief and heart health:

It’s well known that psychological stress exacts a great physical toll on your health, but new research reveals just how extreme that toll can be.

In comparing how grief affects your heart disease risk within a period of time, researchers found that losing a significant person in your life raises your risk of having a heart attack the next day by 21 times, and in the following week by 6 times. The risk of heart attacks began to decline after about a month had passed, perhaps as levels of stress hormones begin to level out.

The study did not get into the causes of the abrupt increase in risk of cardiovascular events like heart attack, but it’s likely related to the flood of stress hormones your body is exposed to following extreme stress.

For instance, adrenaline increases your blood pressure and your heart rate, and it’s been suggested it may lead to narrowing of the arteries that supply blood to your heart, or even bind directly to heart cells allowing large amounts of calcium to enter and render the cells temporarily unable to function properly.

Interestingly, while your risk of heart attack increases following severe stress, so does your risk of what’s known as stress cardiomyopathy — or “broken heart syndrome” — which is basically a “temporary” heart attack that occurs due to stress.

An Emotional Tip for Heart Health

Therefore, think of ways to handle stress, emotions, and isolation for heart healthy tips that goes beyond a statin deficiency. Dr. Northrup reminds us of the emotional component of heart health,

But it’s also important to find out what your heart is yearning for. One of my patients with heart palpitations found that they stopped soon after she asked for a promotion at work, something she hadn’t had the courage to do before. She got the promotion and finds her work more fulfilling than ever. Her heart no longer has to speak so loudly.

In fact, the American Heart Association recently reported how Yoga is connected to heart health:

Thinking prevention? As part of an overall healthy lifestyle, Cunningham said yoga can help lower blood pressure, increase lung capacity, improve respiratory function and heart rate, and boost circulation and muscle tone. It can also improve your overall well-being while offering strength-building benefits.

Yoga also has proven benefits for those who have faced cardiac arrest, heart attack or other heart event, according to Cunningham. “The acute emotional stress of such an event certainly has a significant and adverse effect on the heart,” she said. “That’s where yoga can be a tremendous benefit to manage the stress.” For example, Cunningham said that half of bypass surgery patients go through depression, facing emotions ranging from anxiety to grieving. “All these things come into play when you’ve got a potentially chronic disease to manage for the rest of your life.”

The calming benefits of yoga may help with that — and you may see benefits right away. After your first yoga class, your blood pressure will likely be lower, you’ll be relaxed and you’ll feel better, Cunningham said.  Long-term, sustained yoga may play a role in improving overall health, according to Cunningham.

“The more energy you put into it, the more you’re going to get out of it,” she said. “After 12 weeks, you may see a dramatic increase in exercise functionality, and blood pressure and cholesterol levels may decrease.”
If you have heart disease, diabetes or are obese, check with your doctor before starting a yoga program. “I highly recommend going to a qualified and trained cardiac medical yoga instructor,” Cunningham said.  To find an instructor in your area, check with your local cardiac rehab center or visit cardiacyoga.com.

The Physical Approach to Heart Health: An Inclusive Approach

A good physician will look at the whole picture of heart health. Dr. Hyman summarizes the action steps and nutritional support to keep in check for the heart.

Measuring Your Risk Factors:

1. Get the right cholesterol tests. Check NMR particle sizes for cholesterol by asking your doctor for this test at Labcorp or LipoScience. You want to know if you have safe light and fluffy cholesterol particles, or small dense, artery damaging cholesterol particles. A regular cholesterol test won’t tell you this.
2. Check for metabolic syndrome. Do you have a fat belly? Measure you waist at the belly button and your hips at the widest point—if your waist/hip is greater than 0.8 if you are a woman or 0.9 if you are man, then you have a problem. If you have small LDL and HDL particles, you have metabolic syndrome. If your triglycerides are greater than 100 and your HDL is less than 50, or the ratio of triglycerides to HDL is greater than 4, then you have metabolic syndrome.
3. Do a glucose insulin challenge test. This is very important and most physicians do not test for insulin and glucose.
4. Check your hemoglobin A1c, which measures blood sugar over the last 6 weeks. If it is greater than 5.5, you may have metabolic syndrome

Action Steps:

1. Eat a healthy diet. Eat a diet with a low glycemic load, high in fiber, and phytonutrient and omega-3 rich. It should be plant based, and you should consume plenty of good quality protein such as beans, nuts, seeds, and lean animal protein (ideally organic or grass fed). I have described specific diets that abide by these parameters in my book UltraMetabolism.
2. Exercise. Enough said.
3. Get good quality sleep. Sleep is essential for healing your body, maintaining balanced blood sugar, and your overall health.
4. Use supplements to support healthy cholesterol particle size. These include:

• A multivitamin including at least 500 mcg of chromium, 2 mg of biotin and 400 mg of lipoic acid. For most you will take 3 capsules twice a day.
• 1000 mg of omega-3 fats (EPA/DHA) twice a day.
• 2000 IU of vitamin D3 2000 a day.
• 1200 mg of red rice yeast twice a day.
• 2-4 capsules of glucomannan 15 minutes before meals with a glass of water.
• Broad-range, balanced concentration of plant sterols. You will usually take 1 capsule with each meal.

5. Consider using high dose niacin or vitamin B3. This can only be done with a doctor’s prescription. It is useful to help raise HDL cholesterol, lower LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, and increase particle size..

6. Use low-dose statins ONLY if you have had heart disease or are a male with multiple risk factors, while carefully monitoring for muscle and liver damage.

Sources:

US Department of Health and Human Services. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. February 2012 Toolkit. American Heart Month. http://healthfinder.gov/nho/PDFs/FebruaryNHOtoolkit.pdf

American Heart Association. Yoga and Heart Health. February 2012. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/PhysicalActivity/StartWalking/Yoga-and-Heart-Health_UCM_434966_Article.jsp#.TzBaXOQ7_IU

Hyman, M. Why Women Should Stop Their Cholesterol Lowering Medication. January 21, 2012. http://drhyman.com/why-women-should-stop-their-cholesterol-lowering-medication-8209/?utm_source=Publicaster&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=drhyman%20newsletter%20issue%20#51&utm_content=Get+the+story.

Barter P, Gotto AM, LaRosa JC, Maroni J, Szarek M, Grundy SM, Kastelein JJ, Bittner V, Fruchart JC; Treating to New Targets Investigators. HDL cholesterol, very low levels of LDL cholesterol, and cardiovascular events. N Engl J Med. 2007 Sep 27;357(13):1301-10.

Hansson GK Inflammation, Atherosclerosis, and Coronary Artery Disease N Engl J Med 352:1685, April 21, 2005

Schatz IJ, Masaki K, Yano K, Chen R, Rodriguez BL, Curb JD. Cholesterol and all-cause mortality in elderly people from the Honolulu Heart Program: a cohort study. Lancet. 2001 Aug 4;358(9279):351-5.

Mercola, J. How Grief Can Break Your Heart. February 3, 2012. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/02/03/how-grief-can-break-your-heart.aspx?e_cid=20120203_FNL_art_2

Mostofsky E, Maclure M, Sherwood JB, Tofler GH, Muller JE, Mittleman MA. Circulation. Risk of Acute Myocardial Infarction After the Death of a Significant Person in One’s Life: The Determinants of Myocardial Infarction Onset Study. 2012 Jan 24;125(3):491-6. Epub 2012 Jan 9.

Source: Hyman, M. Seven Tips To Fix Your Cholesterol without Medication. January 21, 2012. http://drhyman.com/seven-tips-to-fix-your-cholesterol-without-medication-3997/?utm_source=Publicaster&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=drhyman%20newsletter%20issue%20#51&utm_content=Read+more

Northrup, C. Palpitations: A Message From Your Heart at Midlife. February 1, 2012. http://www.drnorthrup.com/blog/2012/02/palpitations-a-message-from-your-midlife-heart

Reinhold Vieth and Samantha Kimball. Vitamin D in congestive heart failure (editorial)^1,2. Am J Clin Nutr April 2006 vol. 83 no. 4 731-732. http://www.ajcn.org/content/83/4/731.full

Be sure to check out my informational blog on Saratoga.com which includes:

Naturopathic Philosophy Highlight… Fun Facts:

1. An Unexpected Solution to Rising Health Costs
2. Statins and Nerve damage
3. Should Pediatricians Fire Patients- The Unvaccinated Controversy
4. OSHA’s statement on Mandatory Health Care Vaccinations

Happenings:

Upcoming Essential Oils Workshops with Terry Quigley at the Healing Garden.

Contact Terry at 518-831-9469

Next Health Forum is February 9^th at 6:15pm. Learn more about future events.

New Office Manager

It is with a sad heart that we will be saying farewell to my wonderful office manager, Emma Rombach, LAc. She has been a wonderful addition and help to us all. Within the next few weeks, I will be interviewing prospects and training her replacement. I ask you all for your patience during this transition. Please be reminded that email and phone calls will continue to be filtered and won’t be only viewed by me.

Next week, starting February 15^th,  I will begin a trial with Holistic Answering Services who will be receiving forwarded emails and tasks. Please provide feedback if necessary.

Congratulations to Emma’s success and best wishes to her moving forward with her practice and other career endeavors.

PATIENTS: Please review follow ups and cancellation policy on my website.

Don’t miss out:

• This Weeks Radio Show Highlight: Happiness: How to Bring More of it Into Your Life Right Now!!
  For decades psychologists have focused mostly on negative moods such as depression and anxiety. But what about happiness? Is it possible to measure and increase your happiness set point? Join Dr. Northrup and Roko Belic, the director of the phenomenal new film Happy, to find out exactly how you can set the stage for more happiness in your life– and help spread it to the rest of the world!
• The Rest of Fun Facts on my Saratoga.com blog.
• Listen to my colleagues and other experts as they discuss solutions to menopausal issues on a show dedicated just for women in mid-life! Here is a link from my interview on 360menopause Radio Show on Panic Attacks and Menopause and a list of archived shows.
• Check out my latest answer on Dr. Oz’s Sharecare:The link of emotions on the heart
  
• View the Updated Link Resources on my homepage

By Sarah LoBisco, ND

Welcome to the beginning of 2012’s Top Reads!

For 5 years now, I’ve been highlighting and summarizing some of the most talked about health topics in Integrative, Naturopathic, and Functional Medicine. I’ve also been giving you some very  important updates in conventional medicine.

It continues to be my [...]]]>

By Sarah LoBisco, ND

Welcome to the beginning of 2012’s Top Reads!

For 5 years now, I’ve been highlighting and summarizing some of the most talked about health topics in Integrative, Naturopathic, and Functional Medicine. I’ve also been giving you some very  important updates in conventional medicine.

It continues to be my intention to synergize all of these medical viewpoints monthly, under the topics of Nutrigenomics, Health, and Pharmaceutical Updates. It’s the best mix of  modern medicine! The beginning of this New Year is no different.

Here are some of the most not-to-miss highlights for this month:

1. A continued discussion from last week’s blog on breast health including an abstract about the sensitivity of mammograms in breast cancer detection and a discussion on calcium supplements and heart disease links!
2. The safety of Naturopathic and Chiropractic Modalities (discussed by Dr. Mercola).
3. Potent Nutrigenomic effects of Milk Thistle on Cancer, Vitamin C on Asthma, and Zinc for Bone health
4. Various Drug updates such as Dr. Northrup’s blog on HRT and safety studies on MS medications.

And…Be sure to check out my informational blog on Saratoga.com which includes:

A new blog: Calcium Supplementation for Women- Does it really stand the test for bone health or heart health?

There’s also more news on latest happenings, Dr. Oz’s Sharecare, updated links, and so much more! Enjoy!

HEALTH

Are NDs and DCs Safe  (Dr. Mercola)

Even with the success of the Wilkes Case, the AMA has continued to wage war against natural medicine for the past 20 years—but in more covert ways. It’s the “Cold War” phase of this battle, but every bit as fierce. And now the AMA has rallied up a few significant allies, including:

• The American Dental Association (ADA)
• The American Cancer Society (ACS)
• The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and
• The American Psychiatric Association (APA)

… not to mention governmental regulatory agencies; all willing to march toward a common goal—a monopoly on medical care in this country. Together, they form a formidable lobbying force that controls just about every regulatory and legislative body in America. The truth is that chiropractic, naturopathic, and osteopathic medicine have PROVEN to be medically effective and cost effective for the patient, and the AMA can’t stomach this, viewing natural medicine as a huge threat to their bottom line.

In 1987, the federal courts found the AMA and several other medical groups guilty of seeking to create a healthcare monopoly. Specifically, they were found guilty of the following actions (published in the January 1988 issue of JAMA):

1. Systematic defamation of naturopathic, chiropractic, and osteopathic physicians
2. Publishing and distribution of propaganda specifically intended to ruin other healthcare professionals’ reputations
3. Forcing MDs to refuse collaboration with naturopathic, chiropractic, and osteopathic physicians in the co-management of patients
4. Denying hospital access to naturopathic, chiropractic, and osteopathic physicians

The attack on osteopathic medicine has largely faded away since then, but chiropractic and naturopathic practitioners, as well as other legitimate natural medicine practitioners, continue to be the targets of suppression and misrepresentation. The war isn’t over, but the rules of engagement have changed.

Likelihood That a Woman With Screen-Detected Breast Cancer Has Had Her “Life Saved” by That Screening (Arch Intern Med. Published online October 24, 2011. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2011.476)

Background: Perhaps the most persuasive messages promoting screening mammography come from women who argue that the test “saved my life.” Because other possibilities exist, we sought to determine how often lives were actually saved by mammography screening. Methods: We created a simple method to estimate the probability that a woman with screen-detected breast cancer has had her life saved because of screening. We used DevCan, the National Cancer Institute’s software for analyzing Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) data, to estimate the 10-year risk of diagnosis and the 20-year risk of death—a time horizon long enough to capture the downstream benefits of screening. Using a range of estimates on the ability of screening mammography to reduce breast cancer mortality (relative risk reduction [RRR], 5%-25%), we estimated the risk of dying from breast cancer in the presence and absence of mammography in women of various ages (ages 40, 50, 60, and 70 years). Results: We found that for a 50-year-old woman, the estimated risk of having a screen-detected breast cancer in the next 10 years is 1910 per 100 000. Her observed 20-year risk of breast cancer death is 990 per 100 000. Assuming that mammography has already reduced this risk by 20%, the risk of death in the absence of screening would be 1240 per 100 000, which suggests that the mortality benefit accrued to 250 per 100 000. Thus, the probability that a woman with screen-detected breast cancer avoids a breast cancer death because of mammography is 13% (250/1910). This number falls to 3% if screening mammography reduces breast cancer mortality by 5%. Similar analyses of women of different ages all yield probability estimates below 25%. Conclusions: Most women with screen-detected breast cancer have not had their life saved by screening. They are instead either diagnosed early (with no effect on their mortality) or over diagnosed.

Cumulative probability of false-positive recall or biopsy recommendation after 10 years of screening mammography: a cohort study. (Ann of Internal Medicine)

After 10 years of annual screening, more than half of women will receive at least 1 false-positive recall, and 7% to 9% will receive a false-positive biopsy recommendation. Biennial screening appears to reduce the cumulative probability of false-positive results after 10 years but may be associated with a small absolute increase in the probability of late-stage cancer diagnosis.

How to Kick the Sugar Habit and Yummy Recipes for Blood Type (D’Adamo Newsletter)

• Stay hydrated. When you become dehydrated you tend to crave glucose, instead of going for the candy, drink a large glass of water.
• Avoid juice. Juice is LOADED with sugar. If you like your water with a little flavor, add a teaspoon of Proberry Syrup to your water. It’s sugar free, provides a light berry flavor and gives you a boost of anti-oxidant protection during cold and flu season.
• Exercise. Exercise oxygenates the body and increases endorphins and those mood boosting hormones tend to give us the strength to say no to sugary snacks.
• Sleep. Getting enough sleep gives you the energy that you need to get through your day. When you’re feeling sluggish in the afternoon, you may tend to reach for a candy bar or leftover donut from the office conference room – while it may appear that they give you a slight boost in energy, they are actually doing the opposite – setting you up for a big crash that will leave you feeling even more exhausted than you were before.
• Eat fruits and vegetables. Eating plenty of right for your type fruits and vegetables fills you up with fiber, and the natural sugars give you the sweet taste that you are craving without all the empty calories that you don’t need.
• Avoid foods labeled “fat free” or “low fat.” These foods normally contain more sugar than their full fat counterparts.
• If you absolutely must have something sweet, go for dark chocolate that is at least 70% cocoa and limit yourself to one square or make a hot cocoa by swirling a tablespoon of Dr. D’Adamo’s Carob Extract into warm almond, soy or rice milk (according to your blood type).
• Find sweetness in your life; when you are fulfilled and happy you are less likely to crave sweets.

World Health Organization Urges Phasing Out of Dental Amalgam (Dr. Mercola)

Many hoped that the FDA would reconsider this foolish stance after the World Health Organization called for the phasing-out of amalgam in their 2011 report: Future Use of Materials for Dental Restoration. In May 2011, the Council of Europe also issued a proclamation calling for restrictions and prohibitions of mercury fillings, which are already banned in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. Health Canada also stopped endorsing amalgam for use in children, pregnant women, and people with impaired kidney function, all the way back in 1996!

The World Health Organization noted the following three reasons for its new position:

1. Amalgam releases a “significant amount of mercury” into the environment, including the atmosphere, surface water, groundwater, and soil. WHO reports:“When released from dental amalgam use into the environment through these pathways, mercury is transported globally and deposited. Mercury releases may then enter the human food chain especially via fish consumption.”
2. WHO determines that amalgam raises “general health concerns”: While the report acknowledges that a few dental trade groups still believe amalgam is safe for all, the WHO report reaches a very different conclusion: “Amalgam has been associated with general health concerns.” The report observes:“According to the Norwegian Dental Biomaterials Adverse Reaction Unit, the majority of cases of side-effects of dental filling materials are linked with dental amalgam.”
3. WHO concludes “materials alternative to dental amalgam are available” and cites studies indicating they are superior to amalgam. For example, WHO says “recent data suggest that RBCs [resin-based composites] perform equally well” as amalgam. And compomers have a higher survival rate, says WHO, citing a study finding that 95% of compomers and 92% of amalgams survive after 4 years.In particular, WHO explains that “Alternative restorative materials of sufficient quality are available for use in the deciduous [baby] dentition of children” – the population whose developing neurological systems are most susceptible to the neurotoxic effects of dental mercury. Perhaps more important than the survival of the filling, WHO asserts that:“Adhesive resin materials allow for less tooth destruction and, as a result, a longer survival of the tooth itself.”

The report also included mention of the known toxic effects of mercury exposure, stating that:

“Mercury is highly toxic and harmful to health. Approximately 80% of inhaled mercury vapor is absorbed in the blood through the lungs, causing damages to lungs, kidneys and the nervous, digestive, respiratory and immune systems. Health effects from excessive mercury exposure include tremors, impaired vision and hearing, paralysis, insomnia, emotional instability, developmental deficits during fetal development, and attention deficit anddevelopmental delays during childhood.”

Why Exercise is Good for your Brain. (Dr. Mercola)

• A review of 14 studies has demonstrated that the more physically active schoolchildren are, the better they do academically.
• One US test program at Naperville Central High School powerfully illustrated this point two years ago. Students who participated in a dynamic morning exercise program nearly doubled their reading scores while math scores increased 20-fold.
• Exercise encourages your brain to work at optimum capacity by causing nerve cells to multiply, strengthening their interconnections and protecting them from damage. This is true for all age groups.
• To get your kids moving, limit the amount of time your child spends watching TV or playing computer and video games, and to replace these sedentary activities with active ones. Overweight and obese children need at least 30 minutes of exercise each day, and may benefit from closer to 60 minutes.

Calcium & Increased Risk of Breast Cancer & Cardiovascular Disease! (Dr. Mercola)

• Taking elemental calcium supplements (with or without vitamin D) in amounts of 500 mg or more may actually increase your relative risk of heart attack by up to 27 percent, and may even increase your risk of stroke
• Taking the wrong type of calcium and in isolation, without complementary nutrients like magnesium, vitamin D and vitamin K, which help keep your body in balance, can have adverse effects, such as calcium building up in coronary arteries and causing heart attacks
• Osteoporosis, as defined by DXA bone screenings using the T-score, are highly misleading, because they compare your bone density to a 25-year old (and not your age group) as the standard of normality. Bone density and bone strength are two different things, and having highly dense bones may increase your risk of breast cancer as a woman by 300% or more.
• Evidence that supplementing with calcium safely prevents fractures is lacking, but plentiful research suggests calcium deposits are major contributors and even causative factors in many health conditions
• In order for calcium to do your body good, it must be in a biologically appropriate form and balanced out with vitamins D and K and other important trace minerals, as part of a total nutritional plan
• Bone density, while an excellent measurement of compressive strength, does not reveal tensile strength, i.e. whether or not your bone will resist breaking from being pulled or stretched, as commonly occurs in a fall or similar trauma. Moreover, “osteoporosis,” as presently defined by bone scans (DXA scan) using the T-score, inappropriately defines “normal bone density” according to the standard of a 25-year old, young adult.  In other words, if you are 40, 50, or even 100, the T-score-based system says your bones are not normal, or even diseased if they are not as dense as they were when you were a young adult. If in fact they used the age-appropriate Z-score, most cases of “osteopenia,” and many cases of “osteoporosis,” would suddenly disappear because they were inappropriately classified from the start.

DRUGS

To Use or Not to Use: HRT (Dr. Christiane Northrup)

Too many women see the hormone therapy decision as an either/or, yes/no decision. It is important for you to know that you don’t necessarily have to choose between traditional HT and alternatives. Think of your perimenopausal support as a smorgasbord. You get to choose what appeals to you at the moment and leave what doesn’t.

Every day more and more studies are showing how effective modalities such as dietary change (in particular, a low-sugar diet), food supplements, exercise, and herbs can be in supporting a woman through her menopausal transition. Though some doctors still don’t know about these approaches and may not mention them to you, they often work as well or better than hormone therapy (HT). They can also be used in addition to hormone therapy, to reduce dosage levels, side effects, and potential risk.

Safety Announcement with Gilenya (FDA)

[12-20-2011] The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received a report of a patient with multiple sclerosis (MS) who died within 24 hours of taking the first dose of Gilenya (fingolimod). At this time, FDA cannot conclude whether the drug resulted in the patient’s death. FDA is continuing to evaluate the case and will communicate any new information that results from this investigation.Gilenya may cause serious side effects, such as slow heart rate (bradycardia), which may be related to slowed conduction of electrical impulses from the upper chambers of the heart to the lower chambers of the heart. These effects usually do not cause symptoms, but they can cause dizziness, fatigue, and palpitations.

MS Drugs related to Brain Infection, Immune System Problems and More (Dr. Mercola)

Tysabri is a type of drug known as a monoclonal antibody, meaning it is derived from a mouse antibody that has been genetically engineered to mirror a human antibody (antibodies are proteins that help your body fight infection). Unlike Gilenya, which is taken orally, Tysabri is given every four weeks by infusion directly into a vein, where the antibodies bind to immune system cells, inhibiting them from crossing over from the bloodstream to the brain.

However, if destructive immune system cells break free of the bloodstream, they can reach your brain, gastrointestinal tract and joints and cause severe damage, including progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a rare brain infection that results in death or severe disablement. The drug was pulled from the market after just three months because of this deadly risk – but years later the FDA allowed it to return!

Other toxic MS medications include:

• Prednisone, a steroid hormone that can significantly impair your immune system, and cause diseases like osteoporosis and cataracts
• Interferon. This drug is quite deceptive, because even though it’s a natural substance, it’s typically given in a dose that shuts down your body’s natural feedback loop. As a result, it tends to do more harm than good

So what, then, are your options other than drugs if you’re struggling with MS? Many conventional physicians would have you believe there are none, but they obviously have not heard Dr. Terry Wahls’ inspiring story of how she reversed her multiple sclerosis by switching to a Paleo-style diet focused on fresh raw foods, high in specific nutrients needed for proper function of myelin and mitochondria.

New Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug Shows Disappointing Results (Medscape)

Apilimod mesylate, which inhibits interleukin-12 and IL-23, was shown earlier to have no benefit in Crohn’s disease. The new study tested the safety and effectiveness of the drug in 29 patients with active RA, with a 3:1 ratio of drug:placebo. Although there were slight improvements in DAS28 (disease activity scores in 28 joints), none of the changes could be classified as a response – and ACR20 responses (at least a 20% improvement on American College of Rheumatology criteria) were rare.

Moreover, apilimod did not decrease IL-12 or IL-23 expression, nor did it decrease other biomarkers in synovial tissue. Fifteen of 17 patients (88%) treated with 100 mg once a day for four or eight weeks had mild, mainly gastrointestinal, adverse events. But when the dosage was doubled to 100 mg twice a day for eight weeks, all five treated patients had headaches and nausea. (All seven placebo-treated patients reported side effects, too.)

NUTRIGENOMICS

Vitamin C & Asthma (Medical News Today)

The interaction between environmental toxins, age, and condition:

Depending on the age of asthmatic children, on their exposure to molds or dampness in their bedroom, and on the severity of their asthma, vitamin C has greater or smaller beneficial effect against asthma, according to a study published in the Clinical and Translational Allergy.

Drs Mohammed Al-Biltagi from the Tanta University in Egypt and Harri Hemila from the University of Helsinki in Finland analyzed the effect of 0.2 grams per day of vitamin C on 60 asthmatic children aged 7 to 10 years. The effect of vitamin C on the forced expiratory volume per one second (FEV1) was modified by age and exposure to molds or dampness. In the younger children aged 7.0 to 8.2 years with no exposure to molds or dampness, vitamin C administration increased the FEV1 level by 37%. In the older children aged 8.3 to 10 years with exposure to molds or dampness in their bedroom more than one year before the study, vitamin C increased the FEV1 level by only 21%.

Key Nutrients Boost Brain Ability (VitalChoice)

The Oregon study links higher blood levels of omega-3s from fish (EPA and DHA) and vitamins B, C, D, and E to better performance on tests of mental acuity (thinking and memory). Higher blood levels of omega-3s and vitamins B, C, D, and E were also linked to having less brain shrinkage. (Brain shrinkage both promotes and characterizes Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.)

In contrast, the participants who had the lowest blood levels of nutrients did the worst on mental acuity tests and showed the most brain shrinkage. Low blood levels of the key nutrients in question suggest that a person is eating lots of “empty-calorie” foods … such as the processed, refined foods that predominate in the standard American diet.

The results of prior studies comparing people’s diets to their brain health – most of which used nutrient-intake estimates based on diet surveys – have been mixed and inconclusive.

Vitamin E represents a family of compounds that is divided into two subgroups called tocopherols and tocotrienols, which act as important antioxidants that regulate peroxidation reactions and control free-radical production within the body. However, many of the biological effects of vitamin E are mediated independently of its antioxidant activity. Although tocopherols and tocotrienols have the same basic chemical structure characterized by a long phytyl chain attached to a chromane ring, only tocotrienols display potent anticancer activity, by modulating multiple intracellular signaling pathways associated with tumor cell proliferation and survival, and combination therapy with other chemotherapeutic agents result in a synergistic anticancer response. Combination therapy is most effective when tocotrienols are combined with agents that have complementary anticancer mechanisms of action. These findings strongly suggest that the synergistic antiproliferative and apoptotic effects demonstrated by combined low dose treatment of ?-tocotrienol with other chemotherapeutic agents may provide significant health benefits in the prevention and/or treatment of breast cancer in women, while at the same time avoiding tumor resistance and toxic side effects associated with high dose monotherapy.

Lung Cancer(Molecular Carcinogenesis): Consistent with these observations, silibinin caused a reduction in kinase activity of CDK4 and 2 in all cell lines except no effect on CDK4 kinase activity in H460 cells, and concomitantly reduced Rb phosphorylation. Together, for the first time, these results identify potential molecular targets and anticancer effects of silibinin in NSCLC cells representing different NSCLC subtypes.

Prostate Cancer (Molecular Carcinogenesis): Overall, our results demonstrated that isosilybin A activates apoptotic machinery in PCA cells via targeting Akt–NF-?B–AR axis; thereby, indicating a promising role for this phytochemical in the management of clinical PCA.

Therefore, antioxidants like NAC represent a potential additional treatment option that could be considered in the case of an influenza A virus pandemic.

One of the scariest diagnoses for a woman to receive is breast cancer. As an integrative practitioner, the labels that are placed on people serve as a guidepost which explains how their body has been led off the track of optimal health. With the emergence of nutrigenomics, the healing [...]]]> By Sarah A LoBisco, ND

One of the scariest diagnoses for a woman to receive is breast cancer. As an integrative practitioner, the labels that are placed on people serve as a guidepost which explains how their body has been led off the track of optimal health. With the emergence of nutrigenomics, the healing power of food, functional diagnosis, and the Naturopathic philosophy of the body’s own innate wisdom, there exists powerful, holistic tools that can provide the body with support when pathology seems to be winning. This is even true with cancer.

Dr. Mercola recently interviewed Dr. Horner, a board certified plastic surgeon regarding the topic of breast cancer. Dr. Horner discussed how her journey of treating breast cancer shifted from conventional surgery to a more integrative focus. As Dr. Horner found herself operating on younger and younger women, she made the realization that environmental risk factors had to be at play. Below I highlight some key points she discussed in this 90 minute interview:

1. Studies have demonstrated that breast cancer risk is related to lifestyle. One study showed how the relatively low risk of Japanese women to breast cancer was reversed once Japanese population exposed to American diet.

2. Two factors exist that tell how useful a screening tool is:

• Sensitivity (does the test pick the pathology up?)
• Specificity (a factor that determines if the test diagnoses the correct disease or gives too high false positive or negative results). High false positive rates led many people to be improperly diagnosed with cancer when the condition is benign. False negative rates miss the diagnosis.

3. Mammograms:

[M]ammography produces radiation, which has been shown to increase the risk of breast cancer. It’s like, “Why are you doing the test to look at a disease when it’s actually causing the disease, too?”  … It does pick things up at earlier stages, but the problem is that it’s not very specific. So when it looks and it sees something… that looks suspicious, it is wrong 80 percent of the time. In the United States, there’s roughly a million breast biopsies done per year, and 800,000 of them are unnecessary.”

• Are not recommended yearly for women not at risk. Every 2 years is now recommended by the American Cancer Society.
• Chronic radiation exposure can be a risk factor in itself.
• Mammograms are not a good sensitive marker for screening dense breast tissue.
• Younger tissue is more sensitive to radiation.

4. Other options screening options include thermography, electrography, MRIs, and Ultrasounds.

“Now there’s a relatively new ultrasound that uses a color mode,” Dr. Horner says. “It’s called elastography. But there aren’t very many centers in the United States that use it. I go to the Center of the Hoxsey Clinic, to Dr. Arturo Rodriguez at Tijuana. It has a color scale that measures the elasticity of the cell membranes. Cancer cells are very stiff, whereas normal cells have more fluidity to them. It’ll show up as red if it has a lot of stiffness to it, as a cancer cell, or blue if it has elasticity… It’s a very good tool.”

5. A note for your men: PSA levels can be helpful, but are only one screening tool, as discussed below for women.

6. Thermography:

• Has the potential to find cancer at an early stage.
• It has good sensitivity and is safer than mammography in that it uses infrared images vs. radiation.
• It is not fully standardized, creating confusion and controversy and mixed trial results.
• The best way to check for standardized and trained thermographers  is to find a practitioner certified by a third party: To ensure you’re getting the highest standard of care, Dr. Horner recommends using a practitioner certified by the International Academy of Clinical Thermography, an independent non-profit organization that provides objective, third-party certifications. Their website lists qualified thermography centers across the US, Canada, and some other countries, such as France, Trinidad, and Zambia.

7. The most effective thing you can do for cancer prevention is choosing the food you eat. Whatever you consume is what your body is made out of. Dr. Hornor discusses that Vitamin D cuts cancer risk in half, but so do many other things.
Certain foods affect cell growth by how they turn up or down cellular functions. They affect the volume of the response at the cellular receptor. (AKA Nutrigenomics!)

8. Foods to avoid:

• Non-organic red meat (contains high amounts of toxins and a high iron level, leading to increased oxidative stress)
• Sugar (glucose is cancers favorite food and suppress immune system by up to 90% for five hours)
• Trans fats such as hydrogenated oils make cellular communication less effective.
• Alcohol stimulates prolactin, estrogen, and inhibits liver enzymes to process out extra estrogens and toxins. It also disrupts folic acid (needed for the repair of DNA). (For a different viewpoint, check out Naturopathic Fun Facts this week)

9. What to Eat:

• Cruciferous vegetables which have been shown in many studies to have powerful anti-cancer properties.  This class of vegetables and many others have been shown in studies to modulate cells at the cellular level.

• Flax seeds which contain: healthy fats for cell membrane structure, fiber to bind excess estrogen, and lignans that give structure to the cell wall and are anti-cancer. Concerned about estrogenic effects? Dr. Horner puts this question to rest:

There are all sorts of different strengths to estrogens. Let’s say estradiol, which is the strongest, most abundant form– if it hooks on to the estrogen receptor, it may cause a thousand cell divisions. But if a plant estrogen hooks on, it may cause one. When you flood your system with these plant estrogens, I’d say it’s kind of like a game of musical chairs. There are only certain numbers of receptors, and whoever gets their first, gets it. They’re blocking the strong estrogens from getting on, so that’s why it has an inhibitory effect.

• Combo Meals! The combination of healthy foods together is multiple. One study found that combining broccoli with various foods boosted its cancer fighting enzyme: “Researchers found that myrosinase from the young sprouts enhances the levels of sulforaphane formed and absorbed from the broccoli when the two are eaten together. Eating broccoli with mustard, radishes, rocket or wasabi can boost its benefits further. Professor Jeffery said: “To get broccoli’s benefits, the enzyme myrosinase has to be present. If it’s not there, sulforaphane, broccoli’s cancer-preventive and anti-inflammatory component, doesn’t form.” She said foods containing sulforaphane which can be teamed with broccoli to boost its benefits are mustard, radishes, rocket and wasabi.”

10. Factors that are increasing early puberty and resultant heightened breast cancer risks include:

• Hormones in meats
• Chemicals in our personal care products and household products
• Early radiation and toxin exposure
• Exercise reduces the risk of cancer, even during chemotherapy!

11. Sleep is crucial:

• Most recuperative sleep hours are between 10pm-6am related to the healing and hormonal fluctuations between cortisol and melatonin (a peak occurs between 12-1am).
• Melatonin helps build the immune system, is an antioxidant, and decreases inflammatory estradiol. Optimize endogenous melatonin by contrasting sunlight in AM and creating a very dark sleeping environment.
• Sleep is also preventative for obesity, diabetes, weight loss, and all chronic diseases

12. Stress management:

• There is an increased risk of breast cancer within 5 years of major stressor raises.
• The risk increases twelve times!Ways to manage stress include prayer, meditation, tai-chi, yoga, deep breathing, and social support (see fun fact #1)

13. Integrative treatment has the best survival and outcomes in some comparative studies

• Dr. Block’s patients utilize a combination of chemotherapy at lower doses because he optimizes chemo doses with natural means that also decrease its side effects of nausea, weight loss, and fatigue.
• Saunas have been found to kill tumor cells and to help detoxify
• Infrared adds energy into cells to help expel toxins by affecting their frequency. The physics of the energy and wavelengths combine to kill off unhealthy cells of a different frequency than healthy cells.

13. Life Vessel  Technique: A new technique Dr. Horner utilizes to balance the Autonomic Nervous System. It is said to decrease the fight and flight system by providing electrical signals that stimulate cells to secrete messenger chemicals to reprogram DNA.

14. Breast Implants:

• No increased risk has been found for saline and new materials according to literature
• Polyurthane implants did pose risk in past.

For more information on how to mitigate your risk for cancer, keep empowering yourself by listening to interviews like this, reading holistic blogs, and surrounding yourself with healthy relationships!

References:

Dr. Mercola. How to Starve Cancer Out of Your Body – Avoid These Top 4 Cancer-Feeding Foods January 14, 2012. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/01/14/dr-christine-horner-interview.aspx?e_cid=20120114_DNL_art_1

Jo Willey. SERVE BROCCOLI WITH MUSTARD TO BEAT CANCER . UK News (online). January 29,2011. http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/225897/Serve-broccoli-with-mustard-to-beat-cancer

Visit my blog on Saratoga.com for:

1. Naturopathic Philosophy Highlight… Fun Facts:

1. The most important determination of health and Longevity Revealed!
2. Healthy Aging Foods
3. The Good and Bad of Wine and Breast Cancer
4. Your Diet woos….Gluten Free, Dairy Free, & Sugar Free. Yet, you still have symptoms!!?? Watch this Video.

2. Happenings:

Upcoming Essential Oils Workshops with Terry Quigley at the Healing Garden. Learn tidbits such as what is mentioned below:

The Miracle of Onycha
by David Stewart, PhD, DNM

Onycha is an oil mentioned in the Bible, Exodus 30:34, as an ingredient in the Holy Incense to be diffused in temples of worship. Onycha oil (Styrax benzoin) is also a powerful antiseptic and facilitator of rapid healing. It goes by several common names including Friar’s Balm and Javanese Frankincense. It is extracted from the resin of a tree that grows in the Far East, specifically in Indonesia.

For more than 200 years, hospitals have used an alcohol solution of this oil as their primary antiseptic. Dissolved in ethyl alcohol, it is called Benzoin or Tincture of Benzoin. It is the smell of this tincture that used to give hospitals their peculiar “hospital smell.”

Following World War II, hospitals started to employ other antiseptics derived from petroleum that were less expensive. They are now discovering that bacteria can become resistant to these synthetic antiseptics, but do not become resistant to Tincture of Benzoin. Hence, many of today’s hospitals are returning to the natural antiseptic of Benzoin realizing it is more effective and does not contribute toward the creation of resistant strains of virulent pathogens.

Resistant strains of bacteria are a major and growing problem in hospitals today resulting in thousands of deaths every year. Even visitors to hospitals can pick up these pathogens, which can be fatal. Even the most powerful antibiotics, such as vancomycin and methycillin, do not kill these germs. The answer is to be found in natural products such as essential oils.

Contact Terry at 518-831-9469 for more information.

Next Health Forum is February 9^th at 6:15pm. Learn more.

PATIENTS: Please review follow ups and cancellation policy on my website

Time for a symptom re-evaluation?

All patients can now download the symptom survey done at the original visit online. If you haven’t re-evaluated your symptoms in a year or more, it may be a good time to fill out the form again and bring it in to your next visit. (Please add the numbers in every section when you return it)

3. Radio For Your Body-Mind-Soul: Resonance with Joyce Whiteley Hawkes, Ph.D.

Joyce Hawkes, Ph.D., joins Diane Ray to discuss her new book Resonance: Nine Practices for Harmonious Health and Vitality. Dr. Hawkes explores the uncharted interfaces between science and spirit in relation to health and well-being. Discover how to enhance your health at the cell level, your spirit at the soul level, and your consciousness at the mystery level.

4. Book of the week:

Waking the Warrior Goddess: Dr. Christine Horner’s Program to Protect Against and Fight Breast Cancer

“[W]e have the answers to the breast cancer epidemic,” she says. “We truly do- and it’s very simple. If you have a terrible diet and lifestyle and you do just one thing, you cut your risk in half. You do more than one thing and they will multiply up together. They don’t add up together. They multiply up together, so it becomes extremely easy to dramatically lower your risk of breast cancer.”

5. Don’t miss out:

The Rest of Fun Facts on my Saratoga.com blog.

Listen to my colleagues and other experts as they discuss solutions to menopausal issues on a show dedicated just for women in mid-life! Here is a link from my interview on 360menopause Radio Show on Panic Attacks and Menopause and a list of archived shows.

Check out my latest answer on Dr. Oz’s Sharecare: Learn about holistic treatments for Alzheimer’s, HPV vaccination side effects, and more.

View the Updated Link Resources on my homepage

By Sarah A LoBisco, ND

January 2012, the time for New Year’s Resolutions to shape a New You!  After two weeks of blogging, in which I introduced to you the importance of using diet and lifestyle to protect and [...]]]>

Brilliant Physicist and Medical Wife Provide Full Picture of Diet

By Sarah A LoBisco, ND

January 2012, the time for New Year’s Resolutions to shape a New You!  After two weeks of blogging, in which I introduced to you the importance of using diet and lifestyle to protect and optimize our health in this toxic world, I thought I’d take a moment to discuss the topic of dieting. There are so many experts with so many different viewpoints, one can get lost in a pool of confusion between low fat, high fat, and meat fat!  If the goal for diet is weight loss, you can pick any diet, because most diets will work, but results are usually only short-term. This is because most are aimed at starving out when particular component making the body work harder. Long term use of restrictive plans such as no carbohydrates or no proteins can cause a lot of strain on the body.

However, if the aim is health maintenance, body weight with adjust without severe and restrictive plans, and a lot less stress. So the question remains-do you eat like a caveman, a vegan, according to your blood type, all organic, all juice or what??…Too many experts, too many viewpoints….it’s enough to make your head spin! There’s a place for  all of these diets. They will work for some people some of the time, but not all people, all of the time.

Various factors such as disease pathology, current health status, environment, ethnicity, and genetics all interact to create individualized needs that a one-size-fits- all-diet can’t provide. My job in part of the nutritional approach of a wellness program is to guide someone on why certain diets and foods may be most beneficial at certain times. The body changes and so must the diet.

Dr. Mercola recently had an interview with Physicist, Dr. Paul Jamine,t on his viewpoint of the optimal diet.  Dr. Jaminet was called to search out an optimal eating plan due to his own failing health. He and his wife, who is a medical doctor, have complied what they have learned and studied in epidemiological and biochemical journals into a dietary plan that compromises three key points:

1. Optimizing health and energy

2. Repletion of key constituents missing from our modern diet, such as minerals

3. Decreasing the toxic burden on our body.

In the interview, Dr. Jaminet pointed out that food is not simply calories, but is information and energy. He felt that the best way to find an optimal diet is to study:

1. How the body uses food during famine, when metabolism and energy intake must be at its fullest capacity to maintain survival.
2. The nutrients needed for optimal growth; specifically he studied the component that is found in breast milk. His conclusion was that it was compromised of 40% carbohydrates, in which 50% are metabolized in the brain.  Protein is only 7% of breast milk’s volume.  He concluded that high protein diets are not suitable for young children and can cause an increased risk of obesity.
3. Dr. Jaminet looked at other species and saw that although we eat different foods, the metabolic breakdown products are similar.  For example, vegetarians make the claim that many other mammals are herbivores; however, their colon flora is designed to deal with the many toxins that plants excrete to survive. He found that various herbivores metabolize and break down these plant carbohydrates into fats.

Therefore, Dr. Jaminet concluded that we need a balance of micro and macronutrients and came up with the following guidelines:

1. To have a diet with 2/3 calories from fat and 1/3 from carbohydrates and  proteins.  Include eggs, which are 52% fat.
2. The bottom line is to mix fats with carbohydrates and proteins, meat should taste moist, not dry as to maximize nutrient content.
   
3. Glucose from healthy carbohydrates are vital to maximize our body’s ability to fuel cellular processes.
4. Healthy fats are crucial for satiety, membrane permeability, cell signaling, and energy. Fats should be high in saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids and have a balanced omega 3 to 6 ratio. Dr. Jaminet recommends to achieve this optimal balance, eat a pound of fish with a pound of  carbohydrates such as veggies, fruits, and rice, a day. When these carbohydrates and proteins are combined with fats, lactic acid bacteria in the gut is produced for an additional benefit of  immune health. He recommends bone broth as a drink which provides minerals, collagen matrix and it contains approximately 30% proteins. He Beverages to include teas, broths, coffee, some red wine.
5. The diet should contain 15% protein with the best sources being red meats and sea fish. This is the equivalent of 200-600 calories a day of protein. Too much protein, beyond 600 calories a day, or from lean meat sources (which are a higher in toxic content and lower in omega 3s than red meat or seafood), causes the release of excess nitrogen which is converted into ammonia. The body only has a limited capacity to convert this ammonia to urea or uric acid for safe excretion.  When this capacity is exceeded, these byproducts are eaten by gut microflora and create dysbiosis in the gut and various health issues.
6. Use fermented foods for probiotics or take supplements to keep your gut healthy, as it’s approximately 80% of your immune system. Overuse of antibiotics and an imbalanced diet squish the immune system and suppress symptoms. Probiotics modulate receptors in the gut and if overpopulated or under populated and feed too little or too much fiber can affect symptoms positively or negatively.
7. Supplement with minerals. Dr. Jaminet recommends to take a mineral supplement with iodine (if choose to go higher, build up slowly), copper, zinc, magnesium (200 – 400mg), selenium (200mcg), calcium supplementation usually not necessary, 200 mg if need to, chromium. Seafood, sea vegetables, and bone broths help optimize mineral status.

What I liked about Dr. Jaminet’s approach is that he is stressing health, not weight loss. I too recommend a balanced approach. However, how can we take all this science and put into general guidelines that can then modified for each individual? Here are some tips from Dr.  Mercola:

Eventually, you’ll want to eat 5-6 small meals per day, with protein and carbs combined in each meal, and about 50 percent or more of your calories should come from healthy fats like avocados, coconut oil, butter, eggs and animal fat that is not heated at high temperatures and is organically- and humanely-raised. In order to get the most results from your fitness routine you must:

1. Learn about the timing of your meals in reference to your wake-up and bed time, and your workout time.
2. Learn about your macro-nutrient totals. That’s just a fancy word for the optimal percentage of carbs, proteins, and fats in each of your meals.
3. Use good sources of acceptable proteins and carbohydrates.
4. Determine your nutritional type, which will indicate the ideal ratio of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats that your body needs for optimal performance.

Beneficial sources of protein include:

• Organic chicken (dark meat for protein types)
• Fish (as long as it is free of heavy metals and other contaminants.)
• Organic free-range eggs
• Lean, grass-fed red meat
• Whey protein
• Nuts and seeds

Beneficial sources of carbohydrates (fibrous veggie type) include:

• Any vegetable (the more colorful the better)
• Dark green, leafy vegetables such as spinach
• Apples
• Grapefruit

Good sources of starchy carbohydrates are:

• Brown or wild rice
• Yams/ sweet potatoes
• Bananas

So, here’s the next baby steps to take this week:

1. Add some healthy fats into your diet this week. Work on increasing the ratios to an optimal 2/3 fats and 1/3 protein and carbohydrates by making sure you eat a protein, carbohydrate and fat at every meal. This will balance blood sugar and not only help with health, but weight loss.
2. Substitute a major source of your meat for all organic.

References:

Dr. Mercola. This Food Can Slow Your Brain – and it Lowered IQ 4 Points in Recent Study.  Interview with Paul Jaminet, PhD. January 07 2012. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/01/07/dr-paul-jaminet-interview.aspx?e_cid=20120107_DNL_art_1

Dr. Mercola. Try this Simple Trick to Slim Down and Build Muscle Faster January 13, 2012. http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2012/01/13/what-should-you-eat-after-your-workout.aspx?e_cid=20120113_FNL_art_1

Be sure to check out my informational blog on Saratoga.com which includes:

1. Naturopathic Philosophy Highlight… Fun Facts:

• How One Doctor Reversed Her MS with her Diet
• A tax on Soda Helps Health
• A New Approach to Heart Disease Treatment-Chelation?

2. Happenings:

• Upcoming Essential Oils Workshops with Terry Quigley at the Healing Garden. Contact Terry at 518-831-9469 to get more information on attending workshops or to learn more about how to use this powerful therapeutic ancient modality to create a non-toxic, safe medicine cabinet for you and your family.
• Trader Joe’s is Coming-It’s True. Thanks Bruce Roter and the Crew.
• Next Health Forum is February 9^th at 6:15pm. Join me a lovely group of like-minded individuals at the Healing Garden in Rexford, NY in an open forum discussion on the latest in health and wellness. Learn more about this and the upcoming events in 2012.
• PATIENTS: Please review follow ups and cancellation policy on my website
• Time for a symptom re-evaluation?
• All patients can now download the symptom survey done at the original visit online. If you haven’t re-evaluated your symptoms in a year or more, it may be a good time to fill out the form again and bring it in to your next visit. (Please add the numbers in every section when you return it)

3. Radio For Your Body-Mind-Soul

January 18, 2012 Weighing It Out
Join Marcelle to learn the myths, facts, and fiction about maintaining a healthy weight. Today Marcelle talks about the plethora of information which we all see about losing weight and keeping it off! You’ve heard them, too! Call in today with your questions about the latest fad you’ve seen.

4.Book of the week: Perfect Health Diet: Four Steps to Renewed Health, Youthful Vitality, and Long Life by Paul Jaminet (Author), Shou-Ching Jaminet

See this weeks blog that highlights 10 key points to Dr. Jaminet’s philosophy on human nutrition.

5. Don’t miss out:

• The Rest of Fun Facts on my Saratoga.com blog.
• Listen to my colleagues and other experts as they discuss solutions to menopausal issues on a show dedicated just for women in mid-life! Here is a link from my interview on 360menopause Radio Show on Panic Attacks and Menopause and a list of archived shows.
• Check out my latest answer on Dr. Oz’s Sharecare
• View the Updated Link Resources on my homepage

Since the beginning of my medical career, there existed within me an internal prodding to explore and find the missing link between holistic patient care and the fragmented approach of modern medicine in place today. Although, the US has a beautiful system in place for acute care, surgery, [...]]]> By Sarah LoBisco, ND

Since the beginning of my medical career, there existed within me an internal prodding to explore and find the missing link between holistic patient care and the fragmented approach of modern medicine in place today. Although, the US has a beautiful system in place for acute care, surgery, and disease management, the statistics for our health model is quite lacking. This may in part be due that the assessment of health tools themselves is lacking. According to article in this winter’s edition of Holistic Primary Care:

Citing new data on the country’s 2010 drug utilization, recently published by the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics (www.imshealth.com), Dr. Guarneri noted that last year, the country spent $13.6 billion on statin therapies alone. Despite the nation’s exorbitant expenditures on surgical interventions and drugs, 2,200 Americans die from CVD each day, and coronary disease still causes 1 in 6 deaths. “Statins do not cure CVD.”

Psychotic, Depressed, Dyspeptic

The IMS data indicate that Americans spent $308 billion on pharmaceuticals last year; collectively, we consume 47% of all pharmaceuticals by the drug categories with the biggest total expenditures, one can conclude that, “the US is psychotic, depressed, has hyperlipidemia and heartburn!” Dr. Guarneri joked. But it’s really not a joke. It’s a frightening reality, one that’s economically unsustainable.

Like many clinicians involved with Bravewell, Dr. Guarneri believes that a fundamental shift from disease-based interventions to wellness focused care has tremendous potential to save lives and save money.

“We have the tools. We know that for every dollar we spend on, say, the Ornish lifestyle based programs for CVD, we save $6. We have the research. We need to apply it.” Last year, Dr. Guarneri co-authored a review paper entitled The Efficacy and Cost- Effectiveness of Integrative Medicine, documenting the actual real-world outcomes and savings from application of integrative principles and practices in treatment of heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and depression.

It is not my intention to suggest that our current model is not needed, rather that I’ve found it to be lacking and not in resonance to this idealized prevention and wellness model in my mind. To me, health is more than the absence of symptoms; it is about thriving and the ability to participate in life with full vitality and joy! This is why I continue to study Naturopathic and Functional medicine. This is also why most of my blogs continue to stress the importance of a holistic and systems biology approach to medicine.

Environmental medicine is one example that highlights how preventing and maintaining health is not just about looking at the individualized pathology of one system, but in evaluating the interaction between the patient and his or her surroundings. This approach exhibits that factors such as the quality of food and environmental toxicity can no longer be ignored and must become an integral part to the solution. (Be sure to see a great example of this in my Naturopathic Fun Facts this week!)

Last week, I gave you two baby steps to take to move forward in creating a strong foundation for a holistic and integrated approach to health. This week, I’ll continue with two more infant footies by encouraging you to:

1. Plan on food and you first, especially when stress rears its ugly head

2. Make your way safely through the grocery store aisles—with a very famous doctor!

Choosing Food First- The importance of Planning

Stress, it’s a major obstacle to choosing wisely, regarding any decision. It creates an overdrive into flight and fight and reactive urgency over relaxation and setting priority. In other words, the emotional brain is over-driving the executive functions of the prefrontal cortex. These emotional cues trigger various biochemical changes in response patterns, including food choices. An article in Vital Choice explored this connection between stress and food decisions:

The stress-food-fat connection

Five years ago, UCSF psychologist Elissa Epel, Ph.D., and a colleague reviewed the evidence available at that time, and saw likely connections between chronic excess stress and overeating.  As they wrote, “… it appears the obesity epidemic may be exacerbated by the preponderance of chronic stress, unsuccessful attempts at food restriction, and their independent and possibly synergistic effects on increasing the reward value of highly palatable food.” (Adam TC, Epel ES 2007)

Prior studies in rodents showed that abdominal obesity resulted when chronic stress caused chronic secretion of glucocorticoid hormones, such as cortisol. Fat cells are among the direct targets for cortisol and other glucocorticoid hormones. In comparison to subcutaneous fat cells – ones located just under the skin – abdominal fat cells have more glucocorticoid receptors to capture the hormones.

After putting on more belly fat, the rats’ cortisol secretion becomes blunted in response to acute stress, and their day-to-day glucocorticoid secretion goes down as well. The hormone system that controls cortisol secretion, known as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, was turned down. “The rats appeared to be self medicating,” Epel said. “Their stress eating in turn dampened their HPA-axis activity. We wanted to know if this happened in people as well.” (UCSF 2011)

The researchers found that women who were the most stressed out were the most likely to report that they eat more in response to emotional upsets. And these highly stressed women had significantly more abdominal fat, on average, in comparison to women who did not experience such a high degree of chronic stress. Among women who ranked in the top quarter for chronic life stress, having more abdominal fat was associated with lower daily cortisol secretion, and with less hormone secretion in response to acute stress.

This leads us to baby step #3 in this series on using food as a foundation for health. It is is to remove the obstacles that causes you to reach for candy over carrots from that Christmas credit card bill or a work mandated overtime. For dietary emergencies like these, the power is in planning in advance for these times. It’s a hard balance act to do in this hyperactive society, but a critical component in preventative medicine.

Even for myself, I have to admit, it can be tough. I often catch myself popping supplements and grabbing something quick while doing charts vs. sitting down to a nice, nurturing lunch. Thank goodness, I have healthy bars and nuts and seeds on hand for such occasions. (I learned in Arizona, eating nuts can help with blood lipid profiles, are anti-inflammatory, nutrient dense, and balance blood sugar, and as we know cortisol cause a spike in blood sugar).

Dr. Hyman’s blog discusses the importance of food planning:

1. Plan, plan, plan: You wouldn’t take a trip to climb a mountain or take a vacation to France without planning first. It is THE most essential activity you can do to create health. Plan your day, your week, your month and schedule in time for the things in your life that support health—food, fun, sleep, exercise, friends or whatever else puts deposits in your health bank account.
2. Think of food first: Most of us are opportunistic eaters—when the opportunity comes, or when we get hungry we eat whatever’s in our path. In our culture that means junk food, fast food and vending machine “food like substances.” We live in a vast nutritional wasteland, a food desert. Every week plan where you are going to get all your meals. Think ahead; don’t end up in a food emergency where the only thing open is a fast food restaurant or convenience store. Think breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. It will become a habit. Plan, shop, prepare, eat. Create an emergency food pack and buy quick-to-cook meals or make whole foods at home.
3. Design fun and play into life: MacDonald’s was good for something—it gave us the ditty—“you deserve a break today.” Think of your day as a canvas and think of how you can paint yourself some fun. Learn new things—try yoga, dance, or learn a new sport. I like to get my exercise by having fun and playing not by going to the gym.

I’d also like to add that there are many ways to manage stress and prevent this cortisol rush. One big tip is to remember to be kind to ourselves as we make the transition from stress eating to nurturing behavior.

Surviving the Grocery Store Enticement

High fructose corn syrup, trans-fats, and claims of “health foods” which are actually loaded with sugar, are lurking on even the kindest grocers’ shelves. Like everything else, with food, awareness is the key to change. Now that we’ve planned what to eat, we need to follow through and actually grab the right things for our body, and bypass that endcap of HoHos and Peeps (I used to love the pink chicks).

Therefore, to guide you in step four- follow through with the plan, here is a link to a video commentary with Dr. Hyman and Tanya Amen. In this 20 minute video, these pioneers in true medicine show us how to avoid harmful foods and survive your next grocery store trip with little to no temptation. How fun! You can actually take a shopping trip with two of the most well-known and educated integrative physicians in the world! Whoo-hooo…..

References:

Goldman, Eric. Bravewell Collaborative Honors Guarneri, Celebrates a Decade of Progress. Holistic Primary Care Winter Edition 2011.

Hyman, M. Six Ways I changed My Life and How You Can Change Yours. Drhyman.com. December 31, 2011. http://drhyman.com/six-ways-i-changed-my-life-and-how-you-can-change-yours-6242/?utm_source=Publicaster&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=drhyman%20newsletter%20issue%20#48&utm_content=Get+the+story

Wetherby, C. Stress Fuels Overeating, Simple Solutions Found. Vital Choice. January 6, 2011. http://newsletter.vitalchoice.com/e_article002314779.cfm?x=bktnKmw,b1h0JlRD

Hyman, M. Avoid the Bad. Drhyman.com. Accessed December 31, 2011. http://drhyman.com/supermarket-savvy-avoid-the-bad-5958/

Be sure to check out my informational blog on Saratoga.com which includes:
1. Naturopathic Philosophy Highlight… Fun Facts:

• Is Your Birth Control Hurting your Partner?
• Saw Palmetto & Prostate Cancer
• Nature’s Antifungal as Good as Rx Drug?
• Genetic Differences in Detox highlight Negative Drug Reactions- Functional Medicine to the Rescue!

2. Happenings:

Upcoming Essential Oils Workshops with Terry Quigley at the Healing Garden. Contact Terry at 518-831-9469

Trader Joe’s is Coming! It’s True. Thanks Bruce Roter and the Crew.

PATIENTS: Please review follow ups and cancellation policy on my website

Time for a symptom re-evaluation?

All patients can now download the symptom survey done at the original visit online. If you haven’t re-evaluated your symptoms in a year or more, it may be a good time to fill out the form again and bring it in to your next visit. (Please add the numbers in every section when you return it).

3. Radio For Your Body-Mind-Soul Radio For Your Body-Mind-Soul: Marcelle Pick

January 11, 2012 Are You Fizzling Instead of Sizzling in the New Year? Has the hustle and bustle of year end activities taken its toll on you? Are you finding getting out of bed in the morning to be harder than usual? Is your energy dipping earlier in the day? Listen in today as Marcelle talks about getting your energy back!

4. Book of the week:  Manifesto for Medicine: Your Guide to Healing Partnerships & the Wise Use of Alternative Therapies. By James Gordon

Learn from a leader and pioneer in the importance of self-care and how mind-body and science unite for truly holistic medical system.

5. Don’t miss out:

• The Rest of Fun Facts on my Saratoga.com blog.
• Listen to my colleagues and other experts as they discuss solutions to menopausal issues on a show dedicated just for women in mid-life! Here is a link from my interview on 360menopause Radio Show on Panic Attacks and Menopause and a list of archived shows.
• Check out my latest answer on Dr. Oz’s Sharecare:The side effects of Birth Control Pills
  
• View the Updated Link Resources on my homepage

Can you believe it!??? It’s time to make our way forward into a new year. Wouldn’t it be great if 2012 became the year that society united in setting positive intentions and moved into their goals of healthier life decisions? New Year cycles are humanities ways of refocusing our [...]]]> By Sarah A LoBisco, ND

Can you believe it!??? It’s time to make our way forward into a new year. Wouldn’t it be great if 2012 became the year that society united in setting positive intentions and moved into their goals of healthier life decisions? New Year cycles are humanities ways of refocusing our goals on the positive and releasing what no longer serves us. Although we’d all like to change to a diet of Brussels sprouts and broccoli over milkshakes and lollipops, the caveat is that change is hard. We’re up against a lot of momentum of habitual programming in our brain. This is why most New Year’s resolutions fall short of long term commitments.

I explained this phenomenon in the blog I wrote at the beginning of 2011. It’s called cybernetics (brain set points) and trying to make huge lifestyle shifts all at once, rather than changing a little bit at the time leads to literal brain overload. A broad resolution will most likely fail in the long term; because the brain goes into overwhelm by too many changes way too quickly. Our pre-frontal cortex loses its safety reference point amongst all the new life style shifts implemented and the result is that our brain reverts back to our diet of ho-hos, dingle dos, and too many “adult beverages”. Therefore, the solution is to stop the overload and calm the brain and stress response, hence my belief in the power of Baby Steps!

Therefore, for 2012, I want us to look at the first important foundation of health, food, and I want to give you some gentle tips to start your growth from a little junkie foodie  into a full out nutritional expert.  Why? Well beyond nutrition and weight, food is medicine. It is not just calories; it’s information for our genes.

This is called the science of NUTRIGENOMICS- the study of how a specific food modulates how our genes express themselves. Literally, certain foods can turn off and on cancer promoting signals. This means, no more excuses for a bad gene pool and no more pointing fingers at your mom for your health woos. Although it is true that some may have to be more careful with their food choices depending on the cards their parents dealt, especially relating to their own detoxification power. (This relates to finding out which single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are present, and modulating this with foods and supplements, but I’ll stop on this point here.)

So, for the next few blogs, I’m going to highlight specific nutrigenomic effects of certain categories of foods. Now, I promised to share with you more information in what I learned in Arizona, and I’ll tie that in with specific examples. Let’s start with a group of compounds that are antioxidants called polyphenols. They are found in various fruits and vegetables. Here’s a summary on their powerful effects from a few articles in VitalChoice:

We should note that humans absorb only very small amounts of polyphenol “antioxidants” from foods or supplements, and that is true. But it’s recently become clear that – instead of exerting direct, substantial antioxidant effects in the body – polyphenols from plant foods serve as friendly “nutrigenomic” factors … ones that exert significant effects at very low levels (Graf et al. 2005; Hollman PC et al. 2010).

They’re considered nutrigenomic agents because polyphenols affect genetic switches (transcription factors) in ways that tend to moderate inflammation and stimulate the body’s own antioxidant network. The new study in mice supports the hypothesis that foods high in a class of polyphenols called flavanols (e.g., catechins, procyanidins, and OPCs) – which also abound in cocoa, grapes, and tea – may help curb cancer growth.

Recently, researchers from Germany’s Federal Research Institute of Nutrition and Food explained why polyphenols should act as preventive-health allies (Watzl B 2008):

• “Inflammation is a pathological condition underlying a number of diseases including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and chronic inflammatory diseases.
• Epidemiological data suggest that dietary patterns strongly affect inflammatory processes. Primarily the intake of fruit and vegetables as well as of whole wheat is inversely associated with the risk of inflammation.”
• “At the level of bioactive compounds occurring in plant foods, primarily carotenoids and flavonoids [part of the polyphenol family] seem to modulate inflammatory as well as immunological processes.”
• “In conclusion, there is convincing evidence that plant foods and non-nutritive constituents associated with these foods modulate immunological and inflammatory processes. By means of anti-inflammatory activities a plant-based diet may contribute to the lower risk of cardiovascular diseases and cancer.”

This is great news, these “non-nutritive constituents” serve as the nutrigenomic mediators of health vs. just calories leading to weight gain or loss!  The way to health is really is  through our mouth and there are lots of yummy, healthy options to modulate these pathways! Below, I give examples of  how these foods  promote healthy detox pathways, protect our body from free radical damage, enhance and modulate our immune system and inflammatory response, prevent cancer, inactivate metals, and more! At my training, Dr. Mayfield gave us some examples:

1. Flavonoids are anti-estrogenic, inhibit several cancer cells, terminator of free radicals, and can inactivate metal chelates, such as lead. There are different types (Flavonols, flavones, flavan-3-ols, anthocyanidines, flavanoens, isoflavones). (see above for food examples.)

1. Proanthyocyanidins, found in grape seeds and mulberries, have been found to be beneficial for their properities of being anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-diabetic, and cardioprotective. Blueberry has nutrigenomic effects on metabolic syndrome in obesity-prone rats via the PPAR gene transcripts in adipose and muscle tissue involved in fat and glucose metabolism.

Now, it’s time for some promised, easy, action steps for the New Year. Here are your baby steps for a healthy food foundation for this week.

1. Include flavonoids in your diet. One example of a common flavonoid food is onions. Onions contain the flavonal querectin, According to Dr. Brown’s blog onions may also help bone health:

For example, we’ve seen that white women 50 years or older who ate onions every day had a 5% greater overall bone density than those who ate onions once a month or less. And — older women who consume onions most frequently may decrease their risk of hip fracture by more than 20% versus those who never consume onions.

1. Eat an extra cup full of berries or veggies every day this week. Dr. Hyman further commented on adding “Organic berries and all fruits and vegetables because they contain various photochemicals like antioxidants (vitamins C, E, beta-carotene and various minerals), bioflavonoids (like quercitin, limonene, hesperidin), and fiber which is needed for daily elimination of waste and support the healthy balance of the micro flora of the digestive tract. Grown women should aim for at least 7 servings a day and men should get 9. A serving is between ½ – 1 cup. The more COLORS the better!”

References:

Rountree, B. Ensure a Safe Detox. Detox Advanced Module. IFM. (presented by Kristi Hughs)December 10, 2011. Phoenix, AZ

Mayfield, R. Phytochemicals and Nutrients to Improve Detoxification. Detox Advanced Practice Module. December 10, 2011. Phoenix, AZ

Brown, S. Onions, Nothing to Cry For in Bone Health. Better Bones Blog. December 12, 2011. http://www.betterbones.com/blog/post/Onions.aspx?

E. Mitchell Seymour, Ignasia I. Tanone, Daniel E. Urcuyo-Llanes, Sarah K. Lewis, Ara Kirakosyan, Michael G. Kondoleon, Peter B. Kaufman, and Steven F. Bolling. Blueberry Intake Alters Skeletal Muscle and Adipose Tissue Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Activity and Reduces Insulin Resistance in Obese Rats (abstract). Journal of Medicinal Food. December 2011, 14(12): 1511-1518. doi:10.1089/jmf.2010.0292.

Mayfield, R. Key Nutrientional Modulators in Detoxification. IFM Detox Advanced Practice Module. Phoenix, AZ. December 9, 2011.

Wetherby, C. Antioxidant Foods Cut Stroke Risk. Vitalchoice Newsletter. December 16, 2011. http://newsletter.vitalchoice.com/e_article002299703.cfm?x=bkpnkf9,b1h0JlRD

Wetherby, C. Blueberry Slowed Breast Cancer in Mice. Vitalchoice Newsletter. December 20, 2011. http://newsletter.vitalchoice.com/e_article002303661.cfm?x=bkqbncp,b1h0JlRD

Be sure to check out my informational blog on Saratoga.com which includes:

1. Naturopathic Philosophy Highlight Fun Facts:

• Yoga and Low Back Pain
• Exercise Boosts Brain Power
• Mindfulness Decreases Fatigue in RA

2. Happenings:

• Upcoming Essential Oils Workshops with Terry Quigley at the Healing Garden. Contact Terry at 518-831-9469
• Integrative Forum to begin again on February 9th! Look for more information in my newsletters and on my website.
• PATIENTS: Please review follow ups and cancellation policy on my website.
  • Note: Appointments open as people reschedule. In order to avoid being charged the full consultation, we need notice 24 hours (counted as business days) prior to the appointment. My office is keeping tight with our cancellation policy and rescheduling because of our commitment to continued progress and monitoring therapeutic supplements responsibly. As a Naturopathic and Functional Medicine doctor, I feel it’s essential that my patients have a mutual commitment to wellness by making their health a priority every 3-8 weeks.
  • Time for a symptom re-evaluation?
    • All patients can now download the symptom survey online. If you haven’t re-evaluated your symptoms in a year or more, it may be a good time to fill out the form again and bring it in to your next visit. (Please add the numbers in every section for comparison when you return it to our office.)
  • NEWSFLASH: My book manuscript is almost finished…be on the lookout within the next months for pre-ordering availability! J

3. Radio For Your Body-Mind-Soul:

Flourish! with Dr. Christiane Northrup: January 4, 2012 The New Wisdom of Menopause
Midlife is a time of rebirth and renewal. The midlife transition is replete with weight gain, mood swings, and hot flashes. Tune in and learn how to negotiate this transition comfortably and joyfully.

4. Book of the week:

It’s so packed full of what all women need to know, I’m making this week’s book a repeat celebrating its release today: The Wisdom of Menopause by Dr. Christian Northrup

Now completely revised, this groundbreaking classic draws on the current research and medical advances in women’s health, and includes:

• All you need to know about perimenopause, and why it is critical to your well-being
• Updated mammogram guidelines
• Nurturing your brain: sleep, mood, memory
• Hormone therapy and the options available
• Midlife weight control
• Sex and menopause: myths and reality

5. Don’t miss out:

• The Rest of Fun Facts on my Saratoga.com blog.
• Listen to my colleagues and other experts as they discuss solutions to menopausal issues on a show dedicated just for women in mid-life! Here is a link from my interview on 360menopause Radio Show on Panic Attacks and Menopause and a list of archived shows.
• Check out my latest answer on Dr. Oz’s Sharecare: Avoiding Emotional Binges.
   
  • Here’s an excerpt: If you are addicted to certain foods, abstaining is the only true way to avoid a binge. That being said, with any slippage, it’s best to be gentle with yourself and plan so that you have safer alternatives for the future. Planning your meals and initiating a social support system around triggering emotional events, gatherings, and a crazy work schedule can prevent grabbing an unhealthy sugar/caffeine binge. This kind of planning allows your prefrontal cortex to respond verses react to situations. Whereas, social support aids in dopamine release, a feel good chemical that can be obtained without through friendship verses cookies.  You also want to make sure the following biological factors are in order to support your biochemistry and keep your mood in check… Read more at the link above….

• View the Updated Link Resources on my homepage

Can you believe it!?

This month’s highlights continue with the themes in Nutrigenomics, Health, and Drug Updates.

By Sarah A LoBisco, ND

In the next few weeks, I’ll be sprinkling in my blogs more of what I learned at the IFM’s Advanced Practice Module on Detoxification. However, this week I’m aware that most have their vision more on dancing sugar plums and running out for last minute gifts than [...]]]>

By Sarah A LoBisco, ND

In the next few weeks, I’ll be sprinkling in my blogs more of what I learned at the IFM’s Advanced Practice Module on Detoxification. However, this week I’m aware that most have their vision more on dancing sugar plums and running out for last minute gifts than on the biotransformation of the high fructose corn syrup in fruit cake. (By the way, did you know that high fructose corn syrup contains MERCURY? Yikes!) Therefore, in keeping with the season, I have decided to present another holiday blog on how to modulate some of food transgressions and tips for dealing with the added stress that holidays can bring.

Sugar and processed foods can deplete our body of needed nutrients, create inflammation, and suppress our immunity. According to an article in USA today:

Denver nutrition therapist Kate Pfeiffer has no doubt. “Limiting sugar should be the first line of defense against infectious disease,” she says. She wrote a column for Examiner.com titled: “Worried about the Swine Flu? Avoid Sugar!” In it she cites a 1973 study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The same study is cited at AskDrSears.com and on many alternative-medicine sites.

In the study, researchers at Loma Linda University gave volunteers 100 grams of sugar (20 teaspoons, roughly the amount in a liter of soda). The researchers then drew blood from the volunteers and mixed in some bacteria. They found that infection-fighting white blood cells from people who had just gorged on sugar gobbled up many fewer bacteria than those who had just fasted or eaten an unsweetened starch.

The good news is the article doesn’t end there. It’s about balance:

But it’s unlikely any one food is the key to a strong or weak immune system, she says. Instead, she says, “we can optimize the building blocks for immune system by eating a healthy, balanced diet.”Sears says he agrees wholeheartedly that overall nutrition is more important than any one substance. But he still says there’s something about a sugar overdose that makes people vulnerable.

In past blogs, I discussed how triggers from biological and emotional stressors can cause imbalances in thyroid, progesterone, or estrogen hormones. For example, stress decreases thyroid function and thyroid hormone modulates detoxification. Low intake of vitamin A contributes to lowered thyroid function via decreased detoxification in this enzyme pathway. This can create shifts in neurotransmitters and an imbalance in the liver and gut which can create cravings for high sugar and carbohydrate foods for soothing.

I recently wrote a blog on several steps to modulate the food cues and blues of the holidays. The fact is, once one decides to partake a little, the addictive part of food can take hold. Remember how sugar stimulates pleasure neurotransmitters in the brain?  So, what to do?

There are various options. The optimal way is to avoid the treat trigger all together and bring your own yummy, healthy treats. However, there’s another side. By modulating insulin response and cortisol, through increased healthy protein and fat intake, the emotional and physical effects after a “fudge feast”can be minimized. What about other hints? For those who are more of the moderate temperament and enjoy the bonding experience that food can bring, read here for my recommendations on how to boost immunity and support you from transgressions.

What about dealing with the emotional repercussions of the holiday? WebMD offered a wonderful slide show with 10 tips for dealing with the emotional impacts that lead to the holiday blues. Similar to success with diet, awareness of emotional triggers and feeling blue is an important step to prevent slips into sadness and emotional upheaval. Our poor adrenals have been through enough this year, and wouldn’t it be nice to have tools that would allow them more rest over stress this holiday season?

In another WebMD article, several tips were provided to arm oneself against holiday eating:

• Soothe your senses: “Find other ways to comfort your body besides food, such as taking a warm bath, wrapping yourself in a soft blanket, or sipping hot tea,” Albers suggests.
• Tune in to your hunger: When you think you feel hungry, Fain recommends pausing and asking yourself: am I really hungry or am I feeling something else? “You may find that what you’re really craving isn’t a cookie or a bag of chips, but a heart-to-heart talk with a friend or a loved one,” she says.
• Eat a varied diet: Nutritional deficiencies can make depression worse. So focus on eating a variety of foods, including whole grains, vegetables, fruits, lean meats, and low-fat dairy products. Consider meeting with a nutritionist who can create simple, balanced meal plans for you.
• Boost your energy: Seek activities that give you energy, such as going for a walk, playing with your dog, or listening to music. “When you do something that brightens your outlook and improves your mood, you’ll be less likely to overeat and make poor food choices,” Fain says.

Sometimes emotional triggers can lead into a downhill slide of unconscious food choices or overeating that can perpetuate self-loathing and create further cravings of holiday munchies. The good news is, eating the right foods can actually curb cravings and modulate mood. One trick is making sure that you are eating some good quality foods during transgressions to modulate the negative effects of some treats! Furthermore, there have been links between depression and inflammation, and food can be anti or pro-inflammatory, so be sure to read my fun facts for tips on modulating this.

References:

WebMD. Holiday Depression Triggers Slidshow. December 16, 2011. http://www.webmd.com/depression/holiday-depression-8/slideshow-depression-triggers?ecd=wnl_dep_121611.

Jen Uscher. Holiday Food Trips. 3 Food Traps to Avoid When You’re Depressed: Learn how depression can affect your eating habits and what you can do to start making healthier choices. December 16, 2011. http://www.webmd.com/depression/features/depression-food-traps?page=2

Mayfield, R. Phytochemicals and Nutrients to Improve Detoxification. Detox Advanced Practice Module. December 10, 2011. Phoenix, AZ

Painter, K. Does a Spoonful of Sugar Make the Flu Take Hold? 10/5/2009. USA Today (online). http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/painter/2009-10-04-your-health_N.htm

Be sure to check out my informational blog on Saratoga.com which includes:

1. Naturopathic Philosophy Highlight… Fun Facts:

A Bonus: A mini- blog on Treating the Cause of Disease
Nature’s Anti-inflammatory Foods- Include these foods in your holiday fare to decrease the effects of some of the holiday treats you may partake in!

2. Happenings:

• Upcoming Essential Oils Workshops with Terry Quigley at the Healing Garden. Contact Terry at 518-831-9469
• PATIENTS: Please review follow ups and cancellation policy on my website
• Emma and I will be taking some time to be with family and loved ones this holiday season; therefore, the office will be closed from December 23^rd-December 27^th and again on December 30^th. May you all have a beautiful holiday season filled with blessings and joy!

3. Radio For Your Body-Mind-Soul:

December 14, 2011 Intention Setting for 2012 with davidji
Why wait until January to set your intentions for the New Year? Today davidji will help you get ready for the wonderful opportunities that await you in 2012. It’s the perfect time to let go of any speed bumps, obstacles, and frustrations you’ve encountered in 2011 – and begin to plant your seeds of intention for the year to come. No matter what has happened in your life up until now, you are always capable of new choices that will allow you to experience more happiness, love, and genuine fulfillment. Join davidji for an inspiring hour of conversation, meditation, and insight – and call in with your questions about setting powerful intentions.
4. Book of the week: JUST IN TIME FOR XMAS-A PREVIEW OF THE POWER OF MID-LIFE & WOMEN!

Book of the week: The Wisdom of Menopause by Dr. Christian Northrup

Now completely revised, this groundbreaking classic draws on the current research and medical advances in women’s health, and includes:

• All you need to know about perimenopause, and why it is critical to your well-being
• Updated mammogram guidelines
• Nurturing your brain: sleep, mood, memory
• Hormone therapy and the options available
• Midlife weight control
• Sex and menopause: myths and reality

5. Don’t miss out:

• Listen to my colleagues and other experts as they discuss solutions to menopausal issues on a show dedicated just for women in mid-life! Here is a link from my interview on 360menopause Radio Show on Panic Attacks and Menopause and a list of archived shows.
• Check out my latest answer on Dr. Oz’s Sharecare. This week I focused on how to ensure that what you are putting in your mouth is GMO free.
• View the Updated Link Resources on my homepage