Monday, February 19, 2018

Autoimmune Disease & Vitamin D

Do you know someone with an autoimmune disease?  These diseases occur when your immune system turns against your own body instead of fighting pathogens such as bacteria and viruses. Autoimmune diseases affect different areas of the body and include illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Chron’s, psoriasis, Grave’s, type I diabetes, amongst numerous other ailments.  Little is known about how or why autoimmune diseases occur and once diagnosed, you’re looking primarily at management of the disease as treatment is very limited.  At a conference, I saw a speaker presenting some research that suggests vitamin D is important in preventing these diseases and I went looking for the link that makes this possible.
From what I can find, there are a few things going on here.  First of all, just like any disease process, it is agreed that autoimmune disease starts with inflammation and this inflammation is directly linked to lifestyle (diet, stress, and exercise).  In particular, an inflammatory diet rich in grains, gluten, and sugars will increase inflammation in the gut or intestines.  This inflammation creates swelling in the cellular lining of the gut.  This lining is important because it serves to allow favorable nutrients to pass from the intestine into the bloodstream while keeping unfavorable toxins from getting in.  When the lining becomes swollen, the gut becomes “leaky” allowing the toxins to pass through.  This is known as leaky gut disease and is associated with inflammatory bowel diseases.  The resulting toxicity of the blood gets into the cells, causing damage and putting the immune system in an alarmed state.  Over time this increased immune state can lead to autoimmune disorders.  It turns out that vitamin D plays a critical role in preserving the integrity of the intestinal lining thereby reducing inflammation and allowing the gut to heal appropriately.  Other research at Harvard and similar studies from Oxford found that vitamin D helps regulate the genes that are involved with autoimmune disease as well as many different cancers.  My personal belief is that it is likely the toxins in the blood from the swollen gut that get to the cells and alter the genes in the first place.
There are still professionals out there that tell people taking vitamins is a waste of time and money.  They clearly don’t follow their own research.  The blood test to check for your vitamin D levels costs about 35 bucks and the vitamin itself is one of the cheapest ones out there.  Over the years, I’ve shared several other reasons why D is so important, but if, for some reason, you were still on the fence, I hope this new information will motivate you to get your levels checked.  Remember that we get D naturally from sunlight in the summer, but it is estimated that 50% of the adults and children out there are deficient.  Do yourself a favor and get yourself and your family checked and supplement until your levels are optimal.

Monday, February 12, 2018

Probiotics

In the past I’ve discussed the importance of getting probiotics in your diet to promote better health.  These “friendly bacteria” are known to be crucial for proper bowel function because they help break down waste in the colon.  They are known to be important for immune function as these good bacteria will help fight off any bad bacteria that are moving through the digestive system before they get into the bloodstream. I’ve also stressed how important probiotics are to get into your system any time you’ve been forced to be on an antibiotic as the antibiotic is like a bomb that wipes out not only the bad bacteria but the good ones as well.  Now, a recent breakthrough study has revealed for the first time that probiotic bacteria appear to affect gene activity and cellular reactions in the body.  The lead researcher reported, “These effects are similar to the effects of components that the pharmaceutical industry applies to medicines, but less strong.”

In addition to the benefits already listed, the latest information on probiotics suggests that these helpful bugs can even help regulate blood pressure, reduce allergic responses, and stimulate abdominal weight loss.  It appears that all this is possible by stimulating our own gene expression in a disease-preventing manner.  This is the same effect most drug companies are trying to achieve with pharmaceuticals, but probiotics are getting the job done with no apparent side effects!

You can get probiotics through your diet with natural yogurt, some cheeses, and sauerkraut, especially if they are not pasteurized.  However, since nearly all dairy is pasteurized, I prefer to take them in a supplement form.  The bacteria you’re looking for should include Lactobacillus Acidophilus in a capsule containing at lease one billion colony forming units (CFUs).  This is one of the supplements I try to take every day and with this latest information, I will be recommending to all my clients.