Extreme Weight Loss Ideal Protein

ASTHMA--- What Can I DO

A recent article by Dr. Mark Hymand MD appeared in The Chorn’s Provision. I thought it might be of interest.

Breathe Easy — Addressing the Root Causes of Asthma

The question this week is, “what causes asthma and what can I do about it?

How do I get rid of these terrible symptoms that I have?”

Asthma is a big problem. It affects 8.4 percent of the population or over 25 million Americans (including many children), and it’s increasing every day in America.

Why? For a number of reasons: increasing environmental toxins, increasing pollution, increases in food sensitivities and gut problems, food additives and dyes, increasing use of antibiotics and medications, and increasing consumption of Frankenfoods with altered proteins and other strange ingredients. All these things can trigger asthma.

So, what can we do about it? Functional Medicine is medicine by cause not by symptom. We focus on finding the root cause, while most conventional treatment focuses on just suppressing the symptoms.

I saw a patient in the other day. She was 42 years old. She had actually died twice from respiratory symptoms due to her allergies. We call it anaphylaxis, which is a severe allergy reaction.

She had to be coded with paddles to revive her. She was taking 42 different sprays, pills, and potions every day, which had been prescribed by top doctors at Harvard. She had seen the lung doctor, the immunologist, and the allergist. Everybody was trying to fix her and no one could, because they weren’t asking the right questions. They were trying to suppress the inflammation rather than trying to address the cause of the inflammation, a very different perspective. That’s the perspective we take in Functional Medicine: getting to the root cause.

When this patient came to see me, I ran some tests in order to understand exactly what was irritating her immune system. I looked for the common causes and asked a few simple questions. Is it food allergies? Is it environmental allergens? Is it mold? Is there something wrong with the bacteria and microbes in her gut? Is it a toxin? What about stress or a poor diet? All of these things are potential triggers for asthma and all chronic disease.

In her case, I found out that she had very high antibodies to gluten, an indication that she had celiac disease, which turned out to be the root cause of her asthma. This was completely missed by the top medical school and university in the country, because they don’t think that food might have something to do with disease. It’s just not something they are taught to look for in medical school.

One Harvard doctor said to me, “if food was medicine, I would have learned about it in medical school”.

So, what did I do for her? I simply removed the things that were causing the problem. I got rid of the gluten, cleaned up her gut, and got rid of the bad bugs. Then, I put ingood bugs and nutrients, like fish oil, vitamin C, and zinc. A few simple things helped restore and balance her body, and within six weeks, she was off every medication, she had no symptoms, no allergies, no hives, and no asthma.

We have a very simple rule in Functional Medicine: if you’re standing on a tack, it takes a lot of aspirin to make it feel better. Get the tack out, and you don’t need the aspirin. That’s really the focus of Functional Medicine—fixing the cause.

More Causes of Asthma

Why do we have an epidemic of asthma that affects as many people as heart disease or diabetes?

One example is that we have increased our C-section rates. More than half of all new babies are now being born this way. When babies aren’t delivered through the birth canal, they don’t get the bacteria from the mother’s vagina in their intestinal tract. This prevents them from developing normal, healthy gut flora, which is important to a healthy immune system. They also might not be breastfed, which, again, impedes their immune development. They might be fed foods like gluten and dairy before they are one year old (like all the Cheerios fed to babies who are teething), which can trigger an immune reaction in an immature immune system. They might be given a lot of antibiotics for sore throats or ear infections, which also create disturbances in the gut flora. All these things, over time, will trigger more allergies, more inflammation, and more problems.

One study found that if women with a family history of allergies were given acidophilus during pregnancy, their babies were 50% less likely to develop asthma, allergies, runny nose, and eczema—very simple intervention, very low risk, very powerful.

The goal here is to get rid of the things that are causing the problem and then help the body to reset. What we do is very simple.

How To Cure Your Asthma

We get rid of the bad stuff, starting with the foods that might be a problem—gluten and dairy are the most common cause of asthma. And then, we put in things that the body needs to heal, and we clean up the gut. There may be yeast issues; there may be bad bugs that are growing in there. We clean those out, and then we put in good things like healthy bacteria and probiotics.

If you have asthma, here are some simple things you can try to get to the root of the problem and re-balance and cool off your immune system:

·         Do an elimination Diet to get rid of the most common food allergens. Gluten and dairy are the biggest culprits!

·         Look for other causes (food additives, pesticides, chemicals, pollution in your environment).

·         Check for mold in your home or work.

·         Consider taking antifungal herbs 

·         Take probiotics. I use a high quality product. Stay away from the cheap brands at the big box stores- You get what you pay for.

·         Take fish oil, which is anti-inflammatory. Again, stay away from the cheap brands at the big box stores- You get what you pay for.

·          

·         Take extra zinc..

There are the types of things we do in Functional Medicine to help reset the body. But much of this can be done through SELF-HEALTH, the process of taking care of your own wellbeing.

Take out the bad stuff, put in the good stuff, and your body knows what to do.

Wishing you health and happiness,
Mark Hyman, MD

IS YOUR BRAIN INFLAMED?

Are you suffering from symptoms of an INFLAMED BRAIN?

These symptoms include-

·        Brain Fog

·        Unclear Thoughts

·        Low Brain endurance

·        Slow and varied mental speed

·        Loss of brain function after trauma

·        Brain fatigue and poor mental focus after meals

·        Brain fatigue promoted by body inflammation

·        Brain fatigue promoted by chemicals, scents and pollutants

·        Constipation

·        Skin problems

·        IBS

·        Food intolerances

·        Stomach problems

·        Memory loss

·        Vertigo

·        Peripheral neuropathy

·        Unexplained fatique

·        Reliance on anti-depressant medication

Mechanisms That Increase the Likelihood of Brain Inflammation

·      Diabetes and high carbohydrate diet leads to a production of glycosylated end products which activate microbial cells.

·      Lack of oxygen from poor circulation, lack of exercise, chronic stress response, heart failure, lung disorders and edema.

·      Previous head trauma

·      Autoimmune reaction to neurological tissue.

·      Dietary gluten for those who are gluten sensitive.

·      Low brain antioxidant status.

·      Alcohol and drug abuse.

·      Environmental pollutants.

·      Systemic inflammation

·      Inflammatory bowel condition.

·      Compromised blood- brain barrier.

Compounds That Dampen Microglia Neural Inflammation

·        Apigena

·        Luteolin

·        Baicalein

·        Resveratrol

·        Rutin

·        Catechin

·        Curcumin 

Stay tuned for more info !!

Dr. Phillip Paulk

Re-post Of A Great Article From BistroMD.com

The Health Benefits of a Gluten-Free Diet

Recent   Article in BISTROMD.COM About Gluten Free Life Style.

  

A gluten-free diet has become a popular trend in recent months, and some may even consider it to be a “fad.” Gluten-free products are starting to line the shelves at grocery stores, but most people are still in the dark when it comes to the health benefits of a gluten-free diet.

Gluten is basically a special type of protein that is found in foods such as cereals, certain grains, and wheat. One of the main purposes of gluten is to keep the elasticity intact in foods during the fermentation phase of food production. Gluten makes bread “chewy,” and prevents other foods from having a sticky, doughy-like texture.

Why Has Gluten-Free Suddenly Become So Popular?

With recent increases in people being diagnosed with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity, the idea of a gluten-free diet has been recently researched by physicians from all sides of the nutritional spectrum, including weight loss specialists, bariatric physicians, and dietitians.

A gluten-free diet can have a variety of health benefits, such as improving cholesterol levels, promoting digestive health, and increasing energy levels, if you have a gluten intolerance.

“If you choose to start a gluten-free diet, you are actually eliminating a variety of foods from your diet that are unhealthy,” says Christy Shatlock, lead dietitian for bistroMD. “Fried foods would be off limits, because of the breading, and desserts high in sugar and fat would be removed from your diet completely.”

The Benefits of Avoiding “Processed” Foods

Many foods that are processed and available for purchase contain a lot of gluten, which is essentially unhealthy for you.

“Overly-processed foods are bad for you because they contain chemicals, and artificial flavors,” says Christy.

On a gluten-free diet, you would likely eat more fruits and vegetables, just because they are several food sources that are non-starchy, and almost completely gluten-free.

By eating only gluten-free foods, you will also be eliminating unhealthy oils from your diet, as well as unhealthy carbohydrates found in bread products like doughnuts and pastries.

“Eliminating gluten, and eating a gluten-free diet can help reduce your risk of heart disease, certain cancers, and other health-related conditions, like diabetes, if you have a gluten intolerance,” says Christy. “A gluten-free diet can also help your body ward off viruses and germs, just because many of the foods you eat will be full of antioxidants, and essential vitamins and minerals.”

Gluten-Free Can Be Healthy, Just be Cautious

Most of the foods you consume on a gluten-free diet may help promote healthy weight loss, especially if you eat a well-balanced diet that contains essential protein, carbohydrates, and fat.

"Many of the gluten-free foods available are healthy for you, and can also help you lose weight with the right combinations and proportions of other foods,” says Christy. "Just keep portion size in mind, and be sure to choose gluten-free starches such as brown rice, sweet potatoes, and quinoa."

Just be cautious when it comes to reading labels. There is a lot of current confusion about the gluten-free world because many packages are now stating that their product is gluten free; the reality is, they may not be.

Pay attention to the label and beware of replacements. There are always going to be  replacements for unhealthy foods that contain gluten with other unhealthy gluten-free varieties. Specifically, a lot of high-carb products, like bread, that contain gluten. Just make sure you know the facts.

Start your gluten-free program today!

Maybe Grandma's Fried Chicken Ain't Such A Good Idea.!

DR. Mercola Talks About Fried Foods

Omega-6 Fats in Processed and Deep Fried Foods Can Massively Increase Your Heart Disease Risk

February 21, 2013 |

By Dr. Mercola

A recent article in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) throws conventional dietary advice on its ear. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), Americans should not reduce their consumption of omega-6 fats (think vegetables oils), and might even benefit from eating a little more.

The AHA has long promoted and still currently recommends getting at least 5 to 10 percent of your energy requirement from omega-6 fats, and teaches that reducing omega-6 PUFA intakes from current levels would likely increase your risk for coronary heart disease.

Unfortunately, this will worsen rather than improve your health, as eating too much damaged omega-6 fat and too little omega-3 sets the stage for the very health problems you seek to avoid, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, depression and Alzheimer's, rheumatoid arthritis, and diabetes, just to name a few.

Most people, especially Americans, are guilty of this lopsided omega-3 to omega-6 ratio, and to correct it, you typically need to do two things:

1. Significantly decrease omega-6 by avoiding processed foods and foods cooked at high temperatures using vegetable oils

2. Increase your intake of heart-healthy animal-based omega-3 fats, such as krill oil

Previously Missing Trial Data Confirms Harms of Too Much Omega-6

The myth that vegetable oils (rich in omega 6 fats) are healthier for you than saturated animal fats has been a tough one to dismantle. But the truth cannot be quenched forever. According to a BMJ press release:¹

“Dietary advice about fats and the risk of heart disease is called into question on bmj.com today as a clinical trial shows that replacing saturated animal fats with omega-6 polyunsaturated vegetable fats is linked to an increased risk of death among patients with heart disease.”

The latest in-depth analysis of the health effects of omega-6 linoleic acid (LA) on coronary heart disease was not possible until now because data from the Sydney Diet Heart Study was missing.

This was a randomized controlled trial conducted from 1966 to 1973. Researchers from the US and Australia recovered the original data, and using modern statistical methods, they were now able to compare the death rates from cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, as well as all-cause mortality.²

“Their analysis involved 458 men aged 30-59 years who had recently had a coronary event, such as a heart attack or an episode of angina. Participants were randomly divided into two groups,” BMJ writes.

“The intervention group was instructed to reduce saturated fats (from animal fats, common margarines and shortenings) to less than 10 percent of energy intake and to increase linoleic acid (from safflower oil and safflower oil polyunsaturated margarine) to 15 percent of energy intake. Safflower oil is a concentrated source of omega-6 linoleic acid and provides no omega-3 PUFAs.”

The control group received no particular dietary advice and was allowed to eat whatever they wanted. Both groups kept food diaries for an average of 39 months. The results showed that:

·     The omega-6 linoleic acid group had a 17 percent higher risk of dying from heart disease during the study period, compared with 11 percent among the control group (those who did not receive any particular dietary advice)

·     The omega-6 group also had a higher risk of all-cause mortality

I’ve repeatedly stated it’s very important to maintain the proper ratio balance between omega-3 and omega-6, and medical researchers are also starting to realize and stress this importance. Jane Collis, an independent researcher not affiliated with the research commented on the study:³

“Commercial food processing destroys a significant amount of EFAs, along with their oxygenating ability... Polyunsaturated oils are unstable and very quickly become rancid. Oxidized fatty acids are dangerous to our health.

Lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress are important factors in this damage. Further damage is also caused by heating polyunsaturated fats in cooking (particularly frying foods).

Many omega 3 research trials did not consider the omega 3/6 essential fatty acid ratio which is vital to the eicossanoid balance. The correct omega 3/6 ratio is fundamental to holistic health for all. I believe that with simple dietary intervention diabetes complications such as retinopathy and nephropathy, could be ameliorated or prevented. ...

Healthy fertility and reproduction fundamentally rely on good nutrition, including EFAs [essential fatty acids] in plentiful supply. Poor maternal health is a cause for concern and may predict poor health in the next generations.”

Southern Diet Sends Stroke Risk Soaring

In related news, researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham recently presented the results from a study at the annual International Stroke Conference in Hawaii,⁴ which found that people who regularly ate a traditional “Southern” diet, known for its many deep-fried foods, had a whopping 41 percent increased risk of stroke. African-Americans had the highest risk — an incredible 63 percent higher compared to those who abstain from such foods. Lead researcher Suzanne Judd, PhD told ABC News:⁵

"Diet is an understudied risk factor for stroke. What was surprising about what we found was that when eating certain foods in the southern diet -- fried foods, organ meats, gizzards, sweet tea -- even when you account for other factors such as smoking, obesity, and physical activity, people still experienced a 30 percent increase in stroke risk."

Balance is Everything...

The science is loud and clear: the correct balance of omega-3 to omega-6 fats is essential if you want to be the healthiest you can be. There are actually two problems related to how these fats are being consumed by most Westerners today:

1. Most people are consuming far too many omega-6 fats compared to omega-3 fats. The ideal ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fats is 1:1, but the typical Western diet is between 1:20 and 1:50.

2. The typical Westerner is consuming far too many polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) altogether, which is a problem in and of itself.

So, most consume the wrong amount — AND the wrong ratio of these fats. Both omega-3 and omega-6 fats are PUFAs and they're both essential to your health, but when omega-6 is consumed in excess, it becomes problematic — and even more so if it’s damaged through processing. As a group, when consumed in the wrong ratios, PUFAs tend to stimulate inflammatory processes in your body, rather than inhibit them.

One of the problems with PUFAs is that they are very chemically unstable, and highly susceptible to being altered and denatured by what's around them. Think about what happens to the oils in your pantry — they are susceptible to going rancid as a result of oxidation. In your body, PUFAs undergo a similar process when exposed to the toxic byproducts of proteins and sugars — especially fructose. This is one of the reasons why most fish oil supplements have such a short shelf life, and many are already oxidized before they hit the bottle.

Consuming oxidized fats (whether in the form of processed vegetable oil high in omega-6, or rancid fish oil, high in omega-3) can do your body more harm than good. When you eat too many PUFAs, they are increasingly incorporated into your cell membranes.

Because these fats are unstable, your cells become fragile and prone to oxidation, which leads to all sorts of health problems, such as atherosclerosis. I believe a lack of omega-3 is one of the most serious health issues plaguing contemporary society today, in addition to being seriously deficient in vitamin D. But on the flip side is the problem of simply consuming far too many processed and damaged omega-6 fats in the wrong balance with omega-3.

How to Balance Your Omega 6:3 Ratio

The primary sources of omega-6 that you would benefit from by reducing include:

Corn oil	Canola oil	Soy oil
Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats	Margarine	Shortening

Just look at the labels on the foods and condiments you buy and you’ll see just how overabundant these oils are. It’s very difficult to find any kind of processed or prepackaged food that does not contain one of these oils. I strongly recommend you avoid all of the above as they will only worsen your omega 6 to omega 3 ratio. Acceptable oils include:

·     High quality extra virgin olive oil

·     Coconut oil

·     Avocados

·     Organic, grass-fed butter

·     Rendered fat from cooking healthy animals can also be used

Another way to improve your omega 6:3 ratio is to change the type of meat you eat. You could consume more game meat like venison, or other game animals that are raised exclusively on grass or free-range diets. Keep in mind that because nearly all cattle are grain fed before slaughter, if you eat traditionally raised beef it will typically worsen your omega 6:omega 3 ratio. Free-range and/or grass-fed beef, however, contain better ratios of these two fats, and are a far better option.

Limiting Omega-6 During Pregnancy May Be Key for Healthy Baby Weight

As mentioned by Collis above, fertility and reproduction rely on good nutrition, and essential fatty acids (EFA’s) are absolutely critical in this regard. EFA’s is a term referring to the PUFAs your body needs but cannot produce (or convert from other fats), so they must be obtained from your diet. Traditionally, only two fats were considered "essential" — ALA (an omega-3 fat) and LA (an omega-6 fat). However, we now know it's the long-chain derivatives — arachidonic acid, DHA, and EPA — that your body needs the most. (Although you have the enzymes to convert LA into these longer-chain fats (ALA, DHA and EPA), the conversion isn't efficient enough for optimal brain growth and development.)

According to recent research,⁶ limiting your intake of omega-6 fats and boosting intake of omega-3 during pregnancy can result in a healthier, more muscular baby. The researchers examined the relationship between the mothers’ levels of PUFA’s and the body composition of their babies in 250 mother-child pairs. Levels of omega-6 in the mother’s blood during pregnancy was positively correlated with their child’s fat mass at ages four and six. One of the co-authors of the study, Dr. Rebecca Moon, told Food & Drink Europe:⁷

“Omega-6 and omega-3 PUFAs seem to act in opposite directions on fat mass; previous trials have attempted to use omega-3 supplementation to reduce fat mass, but our results suggest that such an approach might work best when combined with a reduction in dietary omega-6 intake.”

Do You Need an Omega-3 Supplement?

It is my belief that most people would benefit from taking a high quality animal based omega-3 supplement, in addition to reducing the amount of omega-6 — which you get plenty of from processed foods. In my view, krill oil is clearly your best option when it comes to obtaining important high quality animal based omega-3 fats. It contains essential EPA and DHA in a double chain phospholipid structure that makes it far more absorbable than the omega-3s in fish oil.

Krill oil also contains vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin D and natural astaxanthin, which is a potent antioxidant that helps prevent it from going rancid. Research has shown the antioxidant potency of krill oil is, in terms of ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorptance Capacity) values, 48 times more potent than fish oil.

As discussed above, the importance of proper omega-3 to omega-6 balance simply cannot be understated. If you want to increase your overall health and energy level and prevent health conditions like heart disease, cancer, depression and Alzheimer's, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, ulcerative colitis, and a host of other diseases, one of the most important strategies at your disposal is to increase your intake of omega-3 fats and reduce your intake of processed omega-6 fats.