Tuesday, May 28, 2019

Vitamin Sunshine


With summer coming into full force, it’s an appropriate time to discuss the sun and vitamin D.  While the amount is still being debated, it appears that the daily recommended amount of vitamin D has nearly doubled as compared to previously thought.  And everyone agrees that the best source of vitamin D is that which is released naturally by the skin in response to safe exposure to the sun.  Most people recognize the importance of vitamin D for bone strength in conjunction with calcium, but it also is critical as a precursor to all the other hormones and has recently been recognized as a vital component in reducing the risk of about 16 different cancers.  You heard it correctly -- proper sun exposure is an important for reducing the risk of cancer!

Vitamin D is released by safe exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun, but excessive ultraviolet exposure has always been linked to cancer, in particular an extremely dangerous skin cancer known as melanoma.  Something else you should know about ultraviolet light is that it is broken into a couple different wavelengths.  UVA is considered the “bad guy” that penetrates the skin more deeply and can cause more damage.  UVB is considered the “good guy” that stimulated the skin to produce vitamin D.  Interestingly, this healthy UVB is low in the morning and evening hours and highest around lunchtime between 10 and 2.  Also, UVB is blocked by glass and most every sunscreen.  Sunscreens reduce vitamin D production by around 99%.  UVA, on the other hand is present all day, does not provide any apparent good for the body and is not blocked by glass and is not always blocked effectively by sunscreen.  Rather than get into a debate about what chemicals you should or shouldn’t look for in a sunscreen, I would rather give you a few more reliable strategies.

Avoiding melanoma does not come from avoiding the sun, it comes from avoiding sunburns.  Studies show that people who spend more time outdoors in the sun without getting burned actually have a decreased risk of melanoma (likely due to vitamin D).  So the best advice would be to get midday sun exposure several times a week without getting burnt.  Likewise, you should avoid full body exposure through use of clothing and be aware that you are still getting the more damaging UVA rays in the morning and evening even on overcast and cloudy days.  If you have plans at the lake or the pool where you will be getting longer exposure, you will want to do some research to find the healthiest and most effective sunscreen and use it.  Have a great summer!

Monday, May 20, 2019

Another Option

Even though they are considered standard procedure for all women over 50 years of age, the use of mammograms are associated with controversy and admitted flaws.  The use of low level radiation for early detection of breast cancer is the rationale for routine mammography exams.  This rationale seems reasonable since, unlike most cancers, the incidence of breast cancer is down almost 30% since 1990.  Nevertheless, breast cancer is still the number one cancer for women.  Given this high risk, what is all the controversy over mammography and what other options are out there for women to choose?

One of the main criticisms of mammograms is related to a Swedish study of 60,000 women where they concluded that 70% of women diagnosed with tumors were found to be false positives and did not have breast cancer after all.  Like false positives, over-diagnosis is another concern.  A body of evidence shows that for every one woman saved from breast cancer, about 10 women will be treated unnecessarily as a result of mammography studies.  False negatives can also occur.  The National Institutes of Health claim that about 10-30% of malignant tumors are missed with the exam in women over 50.  When there is all this controversy and shortcoming with the standard means of detection, what else can women do?

Even though it was first studied in the late 50’s breast thermography has been getting more attention since the 1980’s.  This procedure is based on the fact that new blood vessel formation must occur to sustain the development of any tumor and thermography is the most effective way to detect these vessels.  The technique uses digital infrared imaging to look for increased heat associated with the new blood vessels and increased metabolism of an active tumor.  Some studies show that abnormalities will be detected by thermography as much as 6-12 months earlier than x-ray, mammography, ultrasound and MRI.  This technique uses no radiation and does not involve squeezing the tissue.  It is safe during pregnancy and nursing and is not affected by surgical procedures such as implants, reductions and biopsies.  Another advantage is that mammograms are particularly unreliable in women under 50 because of increased density of the breast tissue.  Thermography has been proven equally effective for women of all ages even as early as 20 years of age.  Whatever the case, when it comes to any cancer, early detection is the key.  Breast thermography seems to give women an edge in this discovery.  However, everything I read on thermography is clear that the proponents of the technique are not looking for thermography to replace the traditional methods of detection, they are calling for it to be included as part of the standard of care.  If you are a woman with a family history or any other risk factor associated with breast cancer, please look into this alternate form of detection.

We are able to offer thermography out of our office through BRAs Mobile Thermography. If you are interested in scheduling, please call BRAs at 502-895-1224. Their next scheduled thermography day in our office is Thursday, June 13th. For more information, check out their website at
http://brasthermography.com/.

Monday, May 13, 2019

Yoga for You?


Yoga has long since been known as an effective, safe, and low-force strategy to increase your strength as well as your flexibility.  But an article in the Journal of Alternative Therapies posed the question, “Is there more to yoga than exercise?”

In the study, they took a group of students with mild to moderate anxiety and depression, split them into two groups and exposed them to two different styles of yoga.  The first group did what was called yoga as exercise where they went through all the poses mechanistically.  The second group underwent what was referred to as integrative yoga where the exercise was combined with meditation and deep breathing exercises.  Participants of both groups showed greater flexibility as well as a significant decrease in depression and stress and expressed what was referred to as an increased “hopefulness.”  However, only the participants in the integrated yoga group experienced decreased anxiety symptoms and decreased salivary cortisol (the stress hormone).  The researchers concluded that the meditation of the integrated yoga added a spiritual component and this spiritual aspect increased the sense of hopefulness that gave a greater reduction in stress and even showed greater academic performance and improved immune function.

While I cannot make claims to the “spiritual” aspect of this study because I believe that is a personal thing and difficult to quantify, I’m not certain that it matters.  It has long been proven that deep breathing exercises and the practice of meditation have been very effective to quiet the mind and alter the chemical and electrical activity of the brain.  This altered activity essentially down-shifts the brain and changes the activity of the hypothalamus which is the part of the brain that connects to the pituitary or master gland.  When the master gland activity is changed, all the hormones of the endocrine system are changed and a person can move out of what I so frequently call stress physiology.  A major part of stress physiology is increased cortisol and fight/flight activity.  Therefore it is no surprise to me at all that the integrative yoga group showed less anxiety and decreased salivary cortisol.  What does this mean to you?  If you’re doing yoga or considering it, look for a group practicing the integrative method.  Even if you never practice a yoga pose, take time to practice quieting your mind through meditation or simple deep breathing exercises where you attempt to think about nothing for at least ten minutes each day.

Thursday, May 2, 2019

Allergy Alert


If you’re one of the 25 million Americans who suffer from allergies, you already know that it is now “allergy season”!  In my opinion, allergies are yet another one of those things we accept as normal and just deal with.  Have you ever questioned why we have allergies?  Do you wonder if we should get this type of reaction to grass, flowers, or tree bark?  I have, and I decided to do some research to figure out why this happens and what are some possible solutions.

Allergies are your body’s reaction (or overreaction) to particles that are perceived as foreign.  In response, your body releases an antibody specific to the perceived foreign particle that will attach to something called your mast cells.  Your mast cells will then trigger a histamine reaction (amongst other things) that will cause all the symptoms we tend to treat with antihistamines and other meds.  Understand that this is a healthy reaction to a toxic chemical that is not supposed to be in our system; but why does it occur in reaction to so many seemingly normal things?  Many experts believe that the overreaction we get from environmental particles is the response of an oversensitive immune system as a result of toxicity and chronic inflammation.  One of the more widely accepted causes of this phenomenon is leaky gut syndrome.  Leaky gut occurs when tiny gaps form between the cells of the intestinal lining.  These “leaks” make the intestine less selective and allow toxins and other chemicals to enter the bloodstream that would not otherwise be there resulting in inflammation and toxicity.  The famous author, Dr. Loren Cordain, believes leaky gut to be the result of humans eating too many grains and glutens.  For some people, consuming dairy can cause a similar reaction.

Obviously, allergies are not a simple nut to crack.  But, please realize that diet is a well-accepted trigger.  Try eliminating grains and dairy for a couple weeks just to see what happens.  Either way, as 80% of your immune system is in your gut, eliminating processed and toxic foods are key as well as establishing the proper bacteria in your intestine through supplementation of a quality probiotic.  A 2008 study showed that people who took probiotics throughout allergy season had lower levels of an antibody that triggered allergy symptoms along with an increased level of antibody that protects against reactions.  Likewise, a recent German study from the journal Allergy found people who have diets rich in omega-3 fatty acids suffer from fewer allergy symptoms.  So take your probiotics and fish oil.  Perhaps the most important supplement that is getting a great deal of attention in regard to allergic reactions is vitamin D.  Recent research shows that getting your vitamin D levels above 60 ng/ml will reduce allergies and eliminate asthma! In addition, we also carry a supplement called D-Hist which is specifically designed to naturally combat allergies.  So try these four supplements, clean up your diet and consider a 10-28 day detoxification to eliminate harmful chemicals, reduce inflammation and give your system time to heal.