Sleep Hygiene

Sleep is such an important aspect of health but it is a common area of struggle.  To fall asleep and stay asleep for at about 7-9 hours and wake up refreshed, try implementing these sleep hygiene strategies:

Homocysteine: The silent cause of heart disease

We are all too familiar with cholesterol numbers and blood pressure causing heart disease.  The total cholesterol number is not the most useful, knowing the breakdown and ratios in the components, triglycerides, LDL and HDL cholesterol is important.

What we have not heard a lot of is homocysteine.  High homocysteine can lead to hardening of the arteries, blood clots, stroke, heart attack and dementia.  So, what is homocysteine?

Homocysteine is an amino acid. Homocysteine converts into methionine and cysteine, 2 amino acids that we need.  However, in nutrient depleted individuals, the breaking down of this amino acid does not complete raising blood levels of homocysteine.  High homocysteine can damage the lining of the arteries and create blood clots leading to heart attacks and strokes. 

Smoking, regular alcohol consumption, increasing age, kidney disease, autoimmunity are risk factors for high homocysteine.  Not all patients with high homocysteine have symptoms.  This is the danger and can make this a silent killer.  So what symptoms do you need to pay attention to?

•        Tingling sensation in the hands, arms and feet
•        Dizziness
•        Fatigue
•        Recurring mouth or tongue ulcers or sores
•        A general sense of weakness or malaise
•        Pale complexion

Genetic factors, MTHFR gene polymorphism can also be the cause of high homocysteine.  There are many diet and lifestyle factors that influence homocysteine.  Perhaps that is why there is not a ‘drug’ for treating this marker!  In conclusion, homocysteine is an independent heart disease risk factor that is modifiable by nutrition and exercise.

Discuss this with your health care professional and order a blood test to see what your homocysteine levels are if you are concerned.

What does your bowel movement say about your state of health?

A toxic digestive system has been implicated with multiple chronic diseases from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract to mental health issues (via the gut-brain connection).  A toxic digestive system includes moving your bowels too frequently or not move your bowels enough.  If you have to move your bowels 3 times before you get out of the door in the morning, that is a problem.  Conversely, if you move your bowels every other day, that is a problem too.

The number of items classified as food has changed dramatically over the last 100 years with industrial revolution and creation of fast food, man made food like substances, highly processed, high sugar, high fat, low fibre, high preservative foods that has substantially altered the bacteria in our gastrointestinal tract (also known as our microbiome).  The change in microbiome has affected the ability of our bodies to burn fats, created problems with blood sugar balance and altered mood and brain function.

Increased use of antibiotics, acid blockers, medication, steroids, chronic stress, highly processed foods and lack of sleep all alter out gut microbiome and function and lead to chronic diseases.  The disruption in our microbiome can change our bowel habits, although bowel habits can also be related to the balance of minerals in your nutritional intake, stress, hydration, lack of digestive energy and inappropriate fibre content of your food.

Most healthy adults have 2-3 main meals a day and it is normal that we have a bowel movement after a meal.  That way, we do not keep rotting remnants of food in our gastrointestinal tract that can feed the bad bugs.  Bad bugs in the gut cause gastrointestinal permeability which in turn can cause loose bowels or constipation, or alternating between the two, weight gain, brain fog and mood swings.

It is also important to minimise added sugar in our food. In this age of lots of processed foods, sugar can be hidden in many foods.  We should only have sugar from fresh fruits and vegetables. (Note:  dried fruits are very sugar dense).  From clinical observation, I have also seen dairy and gluten sensitivity common for people with chronic symptoms particularly in the gastrointestinal tract. However, we are all unique and one man’s meat is another man’s poison.  Identifying what causes your irregular bowel movement is important.  The target is for a Type 4 bowel movement on the Bristol stool chart and that you get a movement every day at least once a day, which does not contain mucus or blood.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxsQtQJ8Ihg

Are you tired and overweight? You may be having an underactive thyroid

When the thyroid is underactive or subclinically underactive (I shall explain the subclinical term I used deliberately here), you may have the following symptoms:

•           Unexplained weight gain
  
•           Difficulty losing weight
•          Constipation despite good hydration and fibre intake
•           Low energy and libido
•           Feeling cold all the time, or feel the cold too easily
•           Dry flaky skin
•           Hair loss or brittle hair
•           Depressed, confused and difficulty concentrating
•           Fluid retention
•           Husky voice without a sore throat
•           Pre menstrual tension
•           Infertility /difficulty conceiving

The thyroid can be underactive (through blood tests) or subclinically underactive.  By subclinically I mean the blood test results are still within the range but you have all or some of the above symptoms.

For example, the most common test ordered for the thyroid is Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) which is produced by your pituitary in the brain.  The higher the number for TSH, it means the more effort your pituitary has to put in for your thyroid to produce hormones.  Think about it as a mum asking her child to do his/her homework.  She asks in a nice calm tone initially.  And if the child does not respond, she speaks louder with her instructions, and if the child still refuses to respond, mum raises her voice (which mean TSH goes up).  The range is large to be considered “normal”, and often patients think that anything in the normal range means they are fine.  Not so with the thyroid numbers.  The same applies for thyroid hormones Free T4 and Free T3.

The other important marker to consider for the thyroid is thyroid antibodies.  The higher the antibodies, the harder your body is attacking against the thyroid.

Watch my Youtube video here on home help that you can implement to help an underactive thyroid.  If you have persistent symptoms, please seek the help from a qualified healthcare professional.  We offer functional tests here to measure all 7 markers of the thyroid.

Toxins in cookware: Which type of cookware is safe?

We live in a world where there is increasing toxins from the environment that is affecting our lives, creating havoc in our ability to produce energy, causing degenerative diseases, affecting hormonal balance and reducing fertility.

One of the major contributors of toxins come from our cookware!  Yes our kitchen can increase toxic burden for us!  Heat in cooking can increase the leaching of toxic chemicals from the cookware into the food.  And cumulative consumption of the cookware toxins in food create more burden for our detoxification pathways.  There are lots of noise in the internet regarding what is a safe cookware.  The purpose of this article is to investigate and see which scientific evidence stack up.

Aluminium cookware and aluminium foil

Increased exposure to aluminium has been associated with increased risk of diseases like Alzheimers, microcytic anemia and allergy.  In a 2017 study, using Aluminium foiled pans in barbeque increases aluminium load in children especially if the meats are marinated in acidic juices.  One study found that pretreating the cookware in boiling water decreases the leaching of aluminium into the food.

Small doses of intake accumulated over a long period of time can pose a problem particularly for children.

PFOA

This is a key coating ingredient used in non-stick cookware like Teflon.  The exposure of this chemical is so rampant, it is even found in breastmilk! 

Studies in lab animals have found exposure to PFOA increases the risk of certain tumors of the liver, testicles, mammary glands (breasts), and pancreas in these animals. In general, well-conducted studies in animals do a good job of predicting which exposures cause cancer in people. Studies have looked at people with exposure to PFOA by living near working in these PFOA plants.  These studies have found higher incidences of testicular, kidney and thyroid cancer.  The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) is part of the World Health Organization (WHO). One of its goals is to identify causes of cancer. IARC has classified PFOA as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” (Group 2B).

PFTE

This is another chemical of concern in Teflon cookware.  Increase in temperature increases the release of these chemicals into the food. 

Copper and cast iron

Copper cookware may be beneficial or not depending on what your balance of copper and zinc looks like.  It can potentially be toxic if you have a high copper load.

Cast iron can leach iron into your food, which may be helpful if you are anemic but not useful of you have a genetic condition of hemochromatosis or excess iron load.

Stainless steel

This is a good option but because stainless steel is made from nickel, there is a risk of the leaching of nickel into the food, especially if it is acidic.  Hence, choose high quality stainless steel and if you are cooking something with an acidic base like adding lemon or tamarind juice, remove it from the cookware once it is cooked.  However, stainless steel is my preferred cookware.

Glass

Glass seems to be a safer option especially for long periods of cooking of casserole in the oven.  The same principle applies, choose high quality glass cookware so that there is little leaching of coating into the food.

Conclusion

Avoid using aluminium foil, Teflon or aluminium pots and pans in cooking

Do not use abrasive cleaners that can remove coatings from your metal cookware

Buy high quality stainless steel or glass cookware

If you cook anything acidic in metal cookware, remove soon as cooking is done into a glass container and avoid storing it, i.e. cook only as much as you would like to consume.

Does coconut oil or saturated fat cause heart disease?

Many people are very confused.  One moment you hear that coconut oil is good for you, then the media will refute that to say that coconut oil is bad for you, because can cause heart disease.  Whom should you believe?  Nutrition has become a bit of a religion.

There is no evidence to show that low fat and low cholesterol diets will prevent heart disease.  NO evidence.  75% of the cholesterol that we have is produced by our liver, it’s not even from the diet!  The whole low fat diet for heart disease was flawed.  This led to a 2015 revision by the USDA on dietary fats and cholesterol.  New Zealand has also revised its food pyramid.  It is widely recognised that the recommendation of eating 6-11 servings of bread, pasta, rice and grain products daily (the broadest base of the food pyramid) and focusing on a low fat diet has not seen a decrease in cardiovascular diseases in the last 30 years.  In fact to the contrary!  The revised base of the food pyramid is now lots of vegetables and water.

So, what’s the story with coconut oil if it cannot be related to heart disease?  The statin and pharmaceutical industry has educated us that high LDL cholesterol cause heart disease. This is wrong! We should be focused on the protective cholesterol that will prevent us from getting heart disease and that’s HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol).  And the fact is that coconut oil raises HDL!  We need good saturated fat like what we get from coconut oil to make good cell membranes, cholesterol, sex hormones and brain cells. However, combining saturated fats, including that from coconut oil with a high sugar, high starch and low fibre diet will cause inflammation and heart disease.

So is coconut oil good?  Coconut oil increases HDL, which decreases the Total Cholesterol to HDL ratio, which is a good predictor of heart disease.  Coconut oil improves the quality, size and type of cholesterol.  Cholesterol is dangerous if it is small and dense, but is fine if it is large and fluffy.

The medium chain triglycerides in coconut oil (MCT) boosts metabolism and improves cognitive function.  Lauric acid in coconut oil is antimicrobial and antifungal.  Another good source of lauric acid is breast milk – which is 24% saturated fats! 

I would recommend using a combination of coconut oil and olive oil in your daily intake.  Coconut oil is great for anything that needs to be heated up and olive oil in your salad dressings and low heat cooking or cold food.  Olive oil has been used widely in the Mediteranean and this region is known for its heart healthy food intake.  And do not take coconut oil with high sugar and high starch.

Alzheimer’s disease and what you can do to help yourself

Alzheimer’s disease is a chronic debilitating disease that erodes the quality of life of a patient gradually as is with his/her sense of independence and freedom.  It is a growing epidemic.  Internationally recognised neurologist and researcher, Dr. Dale Bredesen, suggests that conventional treatment of Alzheimer’s have failed due to an incomplete understanding of the cause and the pathway of the disease condition.   

Bredesen’s research has shown that a holistic approach which addresses the causes of neurodegeneration can result in reversal of symptoms in patients with mild cognitive impairment and early Alzheimer’s disease.  The major metabolic insults are for Alzheimer’s are inflammation, insulin resistance, high homocysteine, loss of hormonal support e.g. testosterone or estrogen, exposure to toxins including heavy metals and gastrointestinal toxins.

Functional testing may be necessary to determine which is the cause of cognitive decline.  Each person is unique, so is his/her pathway to suboptimal health and disease.  From a natural medicine perspective, using herbs and nutrients to regulate blood sugar and insulin signalling, addressing the dietary intake and lifestyle to reduce the inflammatory and toxic load, use specific activated B vitamins and serine to address  high homocysteine, and working with the hormonal imbalance will help to reverse symptoms of mild cognitive impairment.   Keeping aerobic and strength exercise a part of your routine 5 times a week, 45-60 minutes each time, and maintaining good sleep hygiene is an important first step in helping reverse mild cognitive decline.   Keep your mind active, maintain social connections through community and family.  Engage in activities that jog your problem solving centre.  Increase your intake of turmeric and coconut oil, adding it to your main meals, or your omelette or even making a golden tea out of it.  I have shared a recipe for golden milk in the NutriActionz blog.  

Autism is Reversible

Many people think that autism, is a genetic brain disorder which is rather disempowering.    Dr. Kenneth Bock, in the 2011 International Congress on Natural Medicine which I attended, presented the factors that set autism off and they arise from a combination of genetic predisposition combined with environmental insults or triggers.  The triggers include an impaired ability to detoxify, heavy metal burden, immune response and gut health.  So it is a biological rather than psychiatric disorder.  The Centre for Disease Control in the United States published that 1 in 150 children were diagnosed with autism in 2010 compared to 1 in 2500 in 1950!

Why do we have a sharp rise in the numbers?  We are living in more toxic environments and the systems of medicine that we are using are not treating the person as a whole.  If a child has got constant ear infections, bad bowel movements, bloated abdomen, lack concentration and verbal communication and cannot see you in the eye, these are not individual problems that render one drug for each condition.  The child has to be treated as a whole. The immune system, gut, detoxification profile, especially gluthathione, is struggling to make this child’s biology work!  Running a genetic test will reveal which genes are affected and using nutrigenomic principles support the shortfalls and take out the excesses!  In fact, for a child with constant ear infections and glutathione genetic polymorphism, giving paracetamol for ear infections will lower gluthathione further!

Impaired methylation and sulphation are important detoxification disorders present in autism.  As a result, the child is not able to excrete toxins and metals leading to an increase in body burden.

Gluten and dairy are common insults to the gut.  Removing these common allergens often reduce gut inflammation.  Helping the proper digestive process to take place and replenishing with a good probiotic is important to reduce inflammation in the gut.

Improving nutritional intake through increased minerals, a good, pure omega 3 fatty acid, and activated vitamins can help improve nutritional status and the genes to work better.

Every child’s cause for autism is slightly different.  You need to identify the causative factors and genetic polymorphisms with your child and you will be able to reverse his/her autism to a large degree!

Not all Fish Oils are created equal

A recent University of Auckland study has found the bulk of fish oil pills sold in New Zealand and Australia are misleading consumers with false claims.  The study found the bulk of supplements sold in the two countries were almost a third lower in omega-3 fatty acids than their labels claimed.  Only three of the 32 fish oil supplements analysed by the scientists contained the concentrations of fatty acids listed on the label.  The rest had on average 68 per cent of the claimed content.  The majority of the supplements tested were considerably oxidised, ie. the oils were on the way to becoming rancid, and the price made no difference to the quality of the product.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/well-good/teach-me/65297838/Fish-oil-sold-in-NZ-is-actually-more-like-snake-oil

There are many benefits that a high quality and highly concentrated fish oil supplement can bring to the health and wellness of you and your family.  Fish oil is important for us at all different stages of our life - during childhood, adulthood and even into old age.  Without doubt, omega-3 fatty acids are part of a balanced diet.  Fish oils rich in omega-3 essential fatty acids are important to enhance general health, as well as supporting cardiovascular and metabolic health, promoting healthy brain development and cognitive function, reducing inflammation and supporting healthy mood.

How do you choose a good quality fish oil supplement?

Although the study did not indicate any relationship between price and the quality of the fish oils, commonsense tells us that if the price is too good to be true, it is most likely the case.  The market is now flooded with fish oil supplements at unbelievably cheap prices.  Just imagine how much oil you can get out of a fish, I hope you would think twice on what sort of oil you are actually getting, next time you think of buying those fish oils at very special prices!

Find out what the manufacturers do to remove and test for impurities, organic pollutants and contaminants such as DDT and other pesticide derivatives, dioxins, heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium and arsenic, as compared to the standards provided by the authority.  If a manufacturer cannot provide or does not have this information, you might want to consider another brand.

Good quality fish oils are manufactured using nitrogen flushing to produce oils that are fresh and are protected from oxidation.  Like all other oils, fish oils can become oxidised or rancid when exposed to heat, air or light.  Anisidine and Peroxide are indicators of the level of oxidation in a fish oil.  Oxidised fish oils can taste and smell very “fishy”.  If you are using liquid fish oil, you will know your fish oil is oxidised when it tastes and smells too “fishy” to be normal.  If you are using fish oil pills, you can always chew into one and check the taste if it is too “fishy”.  Fish oils being fish oils will always taste and smell a bit “fishy”.  Most fish oil supplements will use some kind of flavouring to make it palatable. Check that natural flavouring is used.  You may want to avoid fish oils that have synthetic flavouring or sweeteners as artificial flavouring may mask the taste and smell of the fish oil that has gone rancid.

Fish oil manufacturers that support sustainable fishing and marine conservation tend to source their fish oils from small fish species.  Small fish species generally have less organic pollutants and heavy metal loads than large fish species.  So, check if the manufacturers of your fish oils support sustainable fishing.  If they do, they should have information that they are certified by for example, Friend of the Sea, an independent organisation that audits and certifies products that practise sustainable fishing.

Remember different health conditions need varying levels of omega-3 essential fatty acids (EPA/DHA). Therapeutic amounts of EPA and/or DHA are needed to deal with different health conditions.  High level of DHA is needed to help support normal, healthy brain function as well as improve memory in people with age-related cognitive decline.  For temporary relief of pain and inflammation from arthritis and help maintain cardiovascular health, you will need higher level of EPA.  Depending on the health condition you are trying to address, you will need a fish oil created specifically to help with your condition. 

If you are still confused about what fish oils you should be choosing after reading this article, come and see us.  We can advise you and help you choose the fish oil that best suits your needs based on the health outcomes you want to achieve.