Sat fats hamper brain function and memory: study

Sat fats hamper brain function and memory: study

Not a surprise I wonder how much this study cost?  Research has already shown that ,

• Obesity causes slower brain function by the sheer fact that messages have a harder time traveling to and from the brain. 
•  Obese people are more likely to be inflamed.  
• Inflammation causes diseases like Alzheimers

  So my slightly educated guess is that people who ate a high saturated fat diet were heavier than those that ate unsaturated fats and also more inflamed.

Are your vitamins helping or hurting?

As of 1996 the Journal of American Medical Association reported that vitamin and mineral supplement sales were a 6.4 billion dollar market. The FDA reported that 53% of adults, or 101 million Americans, took vitamin and or mineral supplements with the most dramatic increase in single vitamin supplements. So with over half the population taking vitamin supplements why are our immune systems failing? Eight of the top ten western killers are related to a weakened immune systems and 23.5 million Americans suffer from autoimmune diseases such as Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Celiac's, Diabetes type 1 and many  others.

So what gives?  Well for one thing vitamins and minerals work best in the body when combined with enzymes and phytonutrients, not isolated.  They are meant to be eaten not taken, our bodies run on food not vitamins. Although we are well intentioned trying to maintain our health or heal naturally vitamin supplements are as far from being food as are drugs.  Synthetic reproductions made from food bi-products do not operate the same in our bodies, and many of the isolated vitamins are actually damaging to the body by creating a mineral or enzyme deficiency. For example if you take a mega dose of vitamin C in ascorbic acid form what you are getting is only the one component of the complex. Vitamin C's real immune protecting power comes from organic copper, a trace mineral we get from the soil if we eat organic. Medical research on AIDS found a relationship between copper deficiency and ineffective lymphocytes. Copper is the real protector. Vitamins found in food are bundled with enzymes, trace minerals, and phytochemicals.

The whole is greater than the sum of it's parts has never been more true than in our supplements.  If you are taking a multivitamin without minerals and enzymes you could be doing real damage to your health.  If you take the isolated supplements your body needs to combine them with their synergistic components pulling from other organs in the body creating an imbalance.  So at the worst you could be doing damage and at the best you just have some expensive urine. Many of us have mineral deficiencies due to pesticide burned soil, processed food, and mega synthetic vitamin usage so personally, I only recommend whole food vitamin, mineral, and enzyme supplements for a balanced healthy body. I use Standard Process whole food supplements.

Wheat that's fattening and addicitve. Just what we need!

I have read and written quite a lot about the evil of wheat in the American diet specifically  in regard to many of today's chronic diseases.  However, always lurking in the back of my mind was the thought that wheat has been around for thousands of years so how could it alone be the root of our modern health problems. Whole "Wheat Berries" are high in Selenium and Magnesium.  Adequate Selenium regulates the thyroid, selenium can bind with heavy metals in the body thereby making them harmless, and finally viruses of many types are deactivated in the body with the proper levels of Selenium.  Adequate levels of Magnesium support the liver and gall bladder, Magnesium harmonizes mental and emotional imbalances, Magnesium strengthens the structures of the body - think bones, joints and muscles. Magnesium supports getting Calcium into the bones not soft tissue so if you're taking Calcium without Magnesium you could be doing more damage than good by putting Calcium in the soft tissue.

Yet with all the "wheat" we eat in the US we still have a huge problem with hypothyroidism which is on the rise,  problems with mental/emotional function -1 out of  5 U.S. adults took prescriptions for psychological disorders in 2010, and the U.S. has a very high rate of Osteoporosis. In fact, 70% of the American public is deficient in the mineral Magnesium. So with essential minerals found in Wheat Berries that most Americans are deficient in, it would seem we need to eat more wheat not less right?

Wrong! I link to an article below written by Dr. Mark Hyman that is definitely worth reading.  Dr Hyman explains that not surprisingly we no longer eat the wheat of our ancestors. In the early 1950's Agricultural scientists where working on ways to engineer wheat to grow longer during the season, be pest resistant, and grow thinker stronger stems.  This engineering of plants has produced a wheat that has low mineral content from a pest treated soil, high in starch and gluten content through thicker stalks, and abundantly available. 

Since we can no longer get the organically grown wheat of our ancestors I guess it's better to take Selenium and Magnesium whole food supplements and and skip all the wheat products. Leave it to us to engineer food out of our diets.      http://drhyman.com/three-hidden-ways-wheat-makes-you-fat-8425/

The wonders of Chia

If you have not yet heard all the wonderful health benefits of Chia seeds then read on and go get some Chia seeds.  Chia is a flowering plant from the mint family and grows in southern Mexico and Gautamala.  In the 16th century it was cultivated by the Aztecs and is an important crop used for its nutritional properties. Chia Seeds have recently gained popularity in the United States because of their many health benefits.  It seems now you can buy them anywhere from Walgreens to Whole Foods.  Why all the sudden fuss?

Here are 10 reasons you should stock up on Chia seeds:

1) They are very high in heart and brain healthy Omega 3 fatty acids. Like Flax seeds, Chia seeds are a good vegetarian source of omega 3 oils.
2) They expand up to 12 times their weight in your stomach so you feel full on less food.
3) Eaten daily they cleanse the colon and keep you  regular (one serving contains  42% of your recommended daily fiber intake)
4)  They lower your cholesterol
5)  They are high in Tryptophan which is the precursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin so they will improve your mood and help you sleep better
6)  Chia seeds deliver 18% of your daily value per ounce, which is three times more than skim milk.
7)  Chia seeds are high  protein which can help balance blood sugar levels and give you more energy.
8)  They can help cut food cravings, if you are low on essential minerals and trace mineral you can get the cravings and bottomless pit feeling.  Chia seeds are high in Calcium, Magnesium, and Boron.
9) They can add a creamy texture to whatever you are baking without adding saturated fat.
10) Chia seeds improve mental focus and concentratio

They are tasteless so you can add then to anything however, if you eat them plain they will taste oily.  So sprinkle them in salads, in smoothies, and add them to baked goods. Be creative, have fun,  and feel good.

Kristine

The cleanse was a success!

My 21 day cleanse was a success!  A month ago I was feeling sluggish, bloated, moody, and slow but now I feel great.  During the 21 day cleanse I broke my sugar addiction, refocused my meal preparations, got off my allergy medication, and gave up my 20-24oz of coffee every morning.  The first week was hard, I had some headaches, fatigue, aches and pains, and moodiness but by week two I was feeling stronger.  The final result was a 7 pound weight loss (my size 6 jeans are feeling loose), more energy, improved mood, brighter skin, healthier hair, broken caffeine addiction, mental clarity, and a feeling of peacefulness. So I would say it was a huge success.
This cleanse was much easier than the 28 day cleanse I did last year because I never felt like I was missing something nutritionally and I was not starving. For anyone who has never done a cleanse the Standard Process 21 purification program is a good one and can help you change your relationship with eating. I recommend it  highly.

Preparing for the January Cleanse

Well the holidays are over, the cold is setting in, the days are getting darker, and I want to curl up on the couch in a snuggie with a bowl of salty snacks. BUT instead once again this year I am going to do a 21day cleanse. If you read my blog last year you know that I did a 28 day cleanse consisting of smoothies and cold raw vegetable soups. It was awful, I still shudder at the thought of some of those soups! This year I am doing and running a group 21 day purification program at my new office in Rhode Island.  More info here http://www.rihealthandwellness.com/january-2012.html.
This cleanse seems much more doable with three rice protein shakes a day and all the vegetables and fruit I want.  I'm actually looking forward to it because it's not only going to be physically healthy for me but also emotionally healthy for me. There is a lot of new research showing what happens in our brain when we eat carbohydrates, remember carbohydrates are sweets, sodas, alcohol, grains, fruit, fruit juice. One article I really liked was in Details Magazine http://www.details.com/style-advice/the-body/201103/carbs-caffeine-food-cocaine-addiction.  Refined carbohydrates provide a rush of Serotonin from the brain into the body and if feels good.  We then come down and want to feel good again so we eat more carbohydrates. 
I am very in-tune with my body and it's reactions to food and for the last two weeks of December I ate and drank whatever I wanted and by the time I went back to work on January 2nd I was agitated, angry, heavier, and my skin was broken out. I have let myself fall back into an addictive cycle with sugar again and I hate it.
In the morning my oatmeal is calling for brown sugar, by 2pm the miniature Hershey candy bars in the office are screaming my name, and by evening the can of left over whipped cream in the refrigerator is ordering me to do a mouth whip cream shot.
So this  is why I'm actually looking forward the detox program.  I learned last year how to think about food in a new way and it was very enlightening and liberating to be free of cravings at the end of the month.  I'm not even mentioning the 14 pound weight loss, the great skin, the shinier hair. I'm really looking forward to February 1st when I can feel well adjusted, focused, powerful, and happy. So this week I am starting to prep for the detox, cutting back my caffeine, incorporating more vegetables back into my diet, and planning what I will do with myself when I am antsy during the cleanse.  The detox starts January 11th.  If you want to do the detox with me give me a call and I can set you up with the supplements you will need and talk you through how it will go.
I will be blogging about my experience, what I feel, what results are happening, and how I am coping so more to come

A pill for every ill and a drug for every bug

I am constantly amazed at how many internet, print, and television ads there are for prescription drugs.  Many with a very long list of side effects including liver damage, stroke and death. There has been a lot of debate in the recent past and some still on going about the need to reform the U.S. Healthcare system and I agree there is a need, although my idea of change is radically different. In January 2011 it was announced that the US government was going to spend 1 Billion dollars to start it's own drug research center. 45.8 Billion is already spent privately each year through the big drug companies.
I am not much of a conspiracy theorist however, when I look at how much money and energy is spent on researching, producing, and selling prescription drugs on both the private and governmental side I start to wonder "what would happen to our economy if our society was healthy and relatively drug free?" Would our economy collapse? Is this what the U.S. economy produces, sick people, drugs and new medical procedures?
If I could reform our entire medical system I would take the 1 Billion governmental dollars and invest it in health education. I would change the way we educate young doctors at the medical school level and then work up to continuing education for current medical practitioners. Now I'm not saying we should not continue to work on and research tools and procedures that are life saving. By all means our medical life saving procedures are important and worth while but the treatment of symptoms from disease instead of  the causes of disease leave us with what?
An article by Mark Hyman MD,contributing editor of Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine discuses the failure of treating risk factors for prevention of chronic disease. Dr. Hyman points out that large drug companies have attempted to prove that treating risk factors such as lipid or glucose levels with prescription drugs reduces the risk of chronic disease endpoints such as cardiovascular events, diabetes, and mortality.  "Despite the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on this research, aggressive risk factor treatments of the two most important targets -lipids and glucose- has consistently failed to show benefit in primary prevention." Dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, and hypertension are risk factors for chronic disease, they are not the causes of the disease.  Drugs mask these symptoms but don't treat the cause and help us live longer. In two large trials, the NAVIGATOR and ACCORD studies published in The New England Journal of Medicine showed that "lipids, glucose, and blood pressure were all effectively reduced in the drug trials.  But there was no reduction in morbidity and mortality in any of the trials reported and there was significant side effect." Side effect that include myopathy, elevated creatine phosphokinase, sexual disfunction, liver damage, nerve damage, and others were reported in 10-15% of patients.  So they reduce the symptoms, cause damaging side effects, but they don't prevent cardiac problems or diabetes? Why are we taking these drugs?  A study published in the Lancet in 2004 named the INTERHEART study followed 30,000 people and found that changing lifestyle could prevent at least 90%of all heart disease!!
The cause of the symptoms indicated in cardiac problems and diabetes is the environment influencing our gene expression.  The way we eat, how much we exercise, how we deal with stress, how much stress, the effects of environmental toxins all interact with our genes and change the way the gene phenotype.
So if I could make changes to our healthcare I would educate and research comprehensive approaches to treating body systems not symptoms.  If we were all informed about comprehensive approaches to treating systems using a whole-food, plant based diet, rich in omega 3 fats, antioxidants, and phytonutrients; supplements, exercise, stress management,and  treating low level toxicity we would be a lot healthier.  But what would take the place of that 16% of our GDP currently spent on healthcare?