Reducing Rust

In the past, I’ve discussed oxidative stress and the accepted theory that the free radicals generated by this oxidative stress are what cause us to age and develop disease.  I like to teach people that oxidative stress is very comparable to rust on metal.  After all, rust is oxidation.  This oxidation in the body is directly linked to arthritis, skin wrinkling, plaque in the arteries, and even damage to DNA that causes cells to age more rapidly.  There are many strategies to try to limit oxidative stress and free radical damage such as diets high in fruits and vegetables, exercise, and stress reduction.  There’s also one strategy that may come as a surprise.   I know improved aging is not what people normally think of with chiropractic care, but I wanted to share a research study that showed how regular chiropractic adjustments were found to reduce oxidative stress while enhancing cellular and DNA repair.

In a landmark study in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, researchers from the University of Lund in Sweden looked to see if chiropractic care could enhance health by reducing the effects of oxidative stress.  The researchers looked at serum thiol levels to measure overall health studies of the subjects being tested.  Serum thiols are primary antioxidants found in the blood that reduce free radical damage and help repair DNA and are widely accepted as markers to correlate with increased lifespan versus accelerated aging.  The goal was to look at the thiol levels of three groups: those under long-term chiropractic care, those under short-term care, and those with no history of chiropractic.  Quite simply, those under long-term care consistently demonstrated higher levels of serum thiol than the other two groups being studied.  The reason for this is because chiropractic adjustments, when delivered to reduce the interference placed on the nervous system from spinal misalignment, minimize the effects of physical, chemical, and emotional stressors on the body.  By enhancing the performance of the nervous system, we enhance our ability to heal and adapt to stress in general.  This stress reduction is associated with decreased oxidative stress on the entire body and specifically in the DNA of our cells.

While chiropractic care is accepted as an effective treatment for back pain and headaches, any chiropractor in the country will tell you that there’s much more to the story.  When spinal alignment is restored and pressure from the nervous system is reduced, we see numerous symptoms and conditions improve.  However, the important thing to focus on is not necessarily the symptoms but that the body is functioning better because the nervous system is working more efficiently and coordinating normal physiology and healing.  This is one of the main reasons why we consider chiropractic care a foundation for any program to enhance overall health and wellness.

What Makes This Oil So Special?

I’ve discussed the importance of fish oil in the past.  Fish oil is a great source of omega 3 fatty acids that have been proven to do all the following: improve the heart, normalize cholesterol and blood sugar levels, improve memory and concentration while decreasing mood swings and depression, reduce arthritis and joint pain, improve brain and liver function, and support immune function and decrease general aging.  Sounds like pretty great stuff!  You should know that not all fish oils are created equal.  Some lower quality oils are tainted with PCB’s, mercury and other heavy metals.  The biggest complaint of taking some lower quality oils is the “fishy burps.”  While these are unpleasant for the victim (and all those around him), they also are a sign of a rancid oil.  Fish oil does have the tendency to perish and oxidize quickly.  Rancid oil will give off free radicals which are very damaging to the body and undermine the benefits of taking the product in the first place.

What about skipping the oil and just eating more fish?  While this strategy used to be sound, today most fish is tainted with mercury and other toxins.  Unless you’re getting isolated sources of wild Alaskan salmon, many say it’s not even safe to eat fish more than 2 times per week.  Most other fish sources are farm-raised unnaturally and fed on grains.  These sources still contain the toxins and lack much of the omega 3 content that you’re wanting from fish to begin with. 

These omega 3 fatty acids are truly essential because they cannot be produced in the body and must come from outside sources.  Other dietary sources include flax seed, walnuts, most green vegetables, some beans and seeds and other meat sources that were raised “free-range” on grasses.  While it can be accomplished with diet, this is one situation where I find it easier to simply take the pill!

Immunity

If you’ve followed this column for any length of time, you’ve known me to discuss the importance of a healthy immune system in regard to every aspect of health.  Likewise, you should know many of the strategies for maintaining a healthy immune system such as reducing sugar and trans fats from the diet, getting at least 7 hours of sleep per night, eating raw fruits and vegetables with every meal, using exercise, massage, and/or chiropractic to reduce structural stresses from the nervous system, and supplementing with fish oil, vitamin D, and probiotics.  You should also understand how excessive amounts of physical, chemical, and emotional stresses greater than the body’s ability to adapt will ultimately weaken nervous system and immune function and it is at this time when our immunity is down that we can fall susceptible to all the germs we are routinely exposed to, but our trained defense system keeps at bay. Right? 

But sometimes stress happens and despite our best efforts, we can become susceptible to infection.  What happens then?  From our first breath of air as a newborn, our immune system is actively programming T-lymphocytes (white blood cells) whose job is to recognize specific pathogens (germs).  Once programmed, these cells function to eliminate any unwanteds that we should contact on future exposures.  This type of programmed immunity is life-long.  I recently learned that on the unfortunate times that we fall to an infection, when the infection is an agent we’ve come in contact before, it takes up to three days for the appropriate T-lymphocyte to mobilize and fight off the invaders.  On the occasion that we are infected by a new/unrecognizable germ, it takes up to seven days to program the appropriate lymphocytes and fight off the invader.  Speaking as someone who hasn’t taken an antibiotic in many years, this timeline only strengthens my conviction of the body’s ability to heal itself and my willingness to let my body fight it off.  On the flip side however, infections can be at best unpleasant and at worst very dangerous.  Knowing this timeline should help you to decide if and when you need to take more aggressive measures.  I hope this information helps.

In addition, we are highlighting the following immune boosting supplements in our office this month.

Vitamin D for daily use

            Vitamin D is best known for supporting the health of our bones. However, there is also accumulating research showing that vitamin D strengthens the muscle cells within the heart and the vascular system. By strengthening these muscle cells, optimal levels of vitamin D have the ability to maintain healthy blood pressure levels. Another benefit of vitamin D is that it has been shown to boost production of natural compounds within the body that protect us against harmful pathogens.

MitoCore for daily use

            We have all been taught that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of our cells. Mitocore gives our mitochondria the nutrients that they need to produce energy. It includes key micronutrients that protect the mitochondria from wear and tear. It also has ingredients that have been shown to support the immune system such as broccoli seed extract and green tea.

Viracid for immediate immune support/daily use

Viracid is designed to be used as both an immediate immune support for someone suffering from an acute illness such as a cold or the flu, but it can also be used as a daily immune support for a limited time. Viracid contains vitamins A and C, along with botanical extracts that have been traditionally used for their immune boosting properties such as astragalus, echinacea, black elderberry and andrographis. Viracid should not be used as a daily support for more than a few months as it can eventually lessen the natural immune response within the body.  

Lauricidin for daily use

Lauricidin® is a naturally occurring fat that is derived from coconut oil. It works by breaking down the protective outer coating of bacteria, viruses and fungi which can then be targeted and removed from the body easier through the immune system. This makes lauricidin a safe and effective supplement with antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial properties.

Immune Active for daily use

Immune Active® is a supplement designed for the cold and flu season. It’s ingredients including EGCG from green tea, zinc, quercetin, and vitamin C have been shown to support proper immune function. Zinc also has the ability to shorten the duration of upper respiratory infections by modulating the production of inflammatory cytokines. Another important ingredient is N-Acetylcysteine which supports and protects our mitochondria. This support and protection allows our mitochondria to maintain proper energy levels within our cells allowing them to fight off viruses and foreign bacteria. 

 

 

Tea it Up

I hear many people complain that they feel like they can’t do or eat anything as it seems that everything in this world is bad for their health.  In writing these articles it’s easy to fall into that same trap and report on all the things that detract from health.  So when I come across something that actually promotes health and longevity, I try to take notice and bring it to your attention.  One of those things is Green Tea!

I hope that by now, you’ve heard that green tea can be effective at reducing the risk of numerous forms of cancer.  Studies vary, but on average drinking five cups daily of the antioxidant extract can reduce general cancer risk by around 50%.  You may have even heard that drinking green tea can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.  And with diabetes being the fastest growing form of chronic disease, you may want to take note that green tea helps with insulin resistance which is the very mechanism of type II diabetes.  For me, that alone is enough to seek out the stuff and drink it down.  However, recent research has discovered that green tea also has the potential to prevent and possibly even reverse the effects of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.  Alzheimer’s occurs as the result of your brain cells being impaired and killed from something called amyloid plaques.  Like every other degenerative process in the body, these plaques are the result of oxidative stress and free radical damage that are directly related to inflammatory diet, stress, and lack of exercise.  Before this study, the only proven method of preventing Alzheimer’s was physical exercise and consuming excessive fruits and vegetables for their antioxidant benefits.  There are only five drugs that treat the disease, but they only partially treat some of the symptoms temporarily for about half the patients who take them.  Scientist have found that green tea not only prevents the formation of amyloid plaques but can actually break down existing plaques in early development and can even promote the production of new nerve cells in the brain (which was thought to be impossible not too long ago).  These new cells were noticed in the part of the brain known as the hippocampus which is known to convert short-term information into long-term memory.  Through the use of functional MRI, the scientists of a European study were able to see changes in the brain cells with just a single dose of green tea or with just one week of green tea supplements!

I would like to clarify that the green tea we’re talking about here is not the stuff you buy at the gas station that is loaded with high fructose corn syrup.  You need to get the real thing.  In researching this, the types that consistently came up with the highest level of anti-oxidants were brands of Lonjing or Dragon Well teas.  However, I did find results from a UCLA study that claimed even the Celestial Seasonings and Lipton green teas were considered high in these same anti-oxidant levels.  In my search, I was unable to determine which brand is the best for sure, but one thing I know is that I’m going to start drinking some form of Dragon Well tea right away!

Fight the Fire

If there were one thing that every person could do to promote health and prevent all forms of disease it would be to “deflame”.  Nearly all experts agree that the common denominator of every disease is inflammation in the body.  Chronic inflammation will cause everything from pain and arthritis to cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s.  Knowing strategies to decrease general inflammation can make all the difference

While there are several strategies to get the job done, reducing inflammation should start with diet.  Stated simply, we need to increase the foods that decrease inflammation and decrease the foods that promote inflammation.  One surprising food that promotes inflammation is grains.  Grains contain two ingredients that are the source of the problem.  Gluten is a protein found in most grains that will often cause a type of allergic reaction in the body that begins in the bowel.  Grains also contain a substance called phytic acid that will reduce the absorption of calcium, magnesium and zinc.  This phytic acid will cause the pH of our body to become more acidic which is known to cause inflammation.  Sugar has a similar effect in the body.  Excessive amounts of protein can also increase inflammation because in digestion, protein gets broken down to amino acids that must be neutralized.

Strategies for reducing inflammation through diet are much simpler.  We must ingest the minerals that neutralize our internal pH and bring us back to a slightly alkaline state.  Minerals come from the earth and are found in foods that grow in the ground.  This means virtually every fruit and vegetable will normalize pH and act as nature’s anti-inflammatory.  Commit to fruits and vegetables every day or ideally every meal.

Increasing exercise and minimizing the stress response are also critical for fighting inflammation, but if the diet is still out of skew, these strategies won’t get you as far.

Hard Habits

I once attended a wellness seminar where the presenter made an argument that we are all dopamine addicts.  Dopamine is a neurotransmitter in the brain that gives us a feeling of pleasure.  The problem is that dopamine doesn’t accumulate and it doesn’t last very long.  For this reason we are always seeking out our next dose of dopamine from anything that can provide to us that feeling of pleasure.

One of the ways we gain pleasure is through food.  This is what makes changing eating habits a tremendous challenge to many people.  From an early age we are conditioned to associate unhealthy food with reward.  This could be in the form of a birthday cake, a piece of candy for a good deed, or going out for pizza for good grades.  Unfortunately, this behavior often carries on into adulthood and many of our bad eating habits are based on so-called “comfort” foods for a quick dopamine fix.  Once this connection is made in the brain, it’s very difficult to disconnect the association which is precisely what makes old habits hard to break.

While it may be true that disconnecting a feeling of pleasure can be difficult, you can always make a new association.  The same speaker who taught about dopamine shared with me a strategy that he uses with clients to make this new association.  You merely need to take your favorite self-sabotaging “comfort” food and eat it in front of a mirror while watching yourself.  Oh . . . and you will want to do this naked!  That’s right, totally nude.  How many servings of Rocky Road in the buff do you believe it would take to make you lose some pleasure in the tasty treat?  This may sound like a bizarre tactic, but it is based in science and basic brain chemistry.  Give it a try and I would love to know your results (rivertownchriowellness@gmail.com).

Social Significance

I’ve attempted in this column to cover numerous aspects of physical, chemical, and emotional well-being and how they relate to better health and wellness.  However, a journal article published in Nature Neuroscience reminded me that I’ve neglected the social aspect of health and its role in longevity.

The topic of social health became more significant in 1947 when the World Health Organization included it in its formal definition of health.  Increasing evidence has shown that those who are well integrated into their communities tend to live longer and heal better from disease while those who do not feel as connected are more prone to illness.  Numerous times, it has been proven that married people tend to live longer than individuals who do not marry.  In his book, Healthy at 100, John Robbins, M.D. documents the critical significance of a strong community network in all four of the cultures he studied where people often lived over 100 years with extraordinary health.  This recent research study set out to determine the neurological mechanism that makes these outcomes possible.  The conclusion of the study ties into a subject I’ve discussed numerous times in the past – stress physiology.  The researchers believe that a lack of community or even threats to social connection may tap into the same neural and physiological alarm system that responds to critical survival threats.  Having a strong social network appears to tap into basic reward related mechanisms in the brain.  What they are saying is that a good social support network shuts off the stress response and a poor social structure actually feeds the stress response.  Any perceived stress leads to what I have often called “stress physiology” which should be viewed as the predictable cascade of increased hormones that affect nearly all aspects of our physiology and over time can be linked to virtually every disease known to man.

The lesson to take home from this material is to work on your relationships.  Resist the temptation to go home and tune out.  Instead, spend time building meaningful bonds with your family and friends.  Join a club or group, or get involved in your church.  The more strong and meaningful relationships you maintain will not only make you feel better, but they will actually help you to live longer with less risk of disease and illness.