A Reading List

I've was looking at my bookshelf and thought it might be a good idea to share with you some of the books that have provided great information to both myself and my patients.

I put them in this order on purpose:
1. "Pottenger's Cats; A study in Nutrition" by Dr. Frances Pottenger- Part one is enough but the whole read is great and it is a small book.
2. "Nutrition and Physical Degeneration" by Dr. Weston A. Price- Get the one published by the Price-Pottenger Foundation extended edition.
These two books by themselves lay all the groundwork for everything in nutrition.

3. "Eat Fat, Lose Fat" by Dr. Mary Enig and Sally Fallon- awesome explanation about fats and good health.
4. "Health and Nutrition Secrets" by Dr. Russell Blaylock- long read but great references so everything you learn you know has research behind it.
5. "Natural Strategies for Cancer Patients" by Dr. Russell Blaylock- again well referenced and practical suggestions.

6. "The Female Hormone Journey" by Pamela Levin- real down to earth, informative, easy read for anyone who cares for, interacts with or is a woman.
7. "Going Back to the Basics of Human Health" by Mary Frost- small, easy to read and practical.
8. "Why Your Doctor Offers Nutritional Supplements" by Stephanie Selene Anderson- small easy to read explanation for the need for supplemental support.

Enjoy and remember as Herbert Spencer said: "The great aim of education is not knowledge but action."

Drug Depletions

With the billions of dollars being spent on drugs every year and the nasty side effects they all have this is a short list of supplements to help alleviate or avoid some of those problems.

If you take:

Oral Contraceptives: If you are a woman taking contraceptives for any reason you should add the following supplements to your diet Calcium, B1, B2, B3, B6, B9 (Folic acid), B12, tyrosine, vitamin C (the whole vit. C not just the ascorbic acid), vitamin E (preferably from wheat germ oil), Magnesium, Selenium, Zinc.

Statins- add CoQ10 this protects against muscle breakdown and heart damage from the drug itself. Remember, when lowering your cholesterol the brain and nervous system are made up largely of Cholesterol.

NSAIDS (aspirin)- add Folic acid because aspirin can increase homocysteine which is a major indicator for an increased risk of Heart Attack & Stroke.

Acetaminophen- add Milk Thistle to protect your liver from damage and Milk Thistle replaces Glutathione which protects antioxidants throughout your body most importantly in your brain and liver.

Ace Inhibitors- add Zinc

Beta blockers- add CoQ10

Calcium channel blockers- add Potassium

Antacids- block acid/HCL production and you need stomach acid to breakdown your food. It may seem counter intuitive but most indigestion is caused by to little stomach acid which allows the food to sit in your stomach to long and ferment with this being the actual reflux and discomfort not excess acid production. Add Apple cider vinegar for acid support, if it burns then heal your stomach damage first using Chlorophyll supplements, then introduce acid/HCL support again when it no longer burns.

Final Facts:

-The statin Lipitor is #1 prescribed drug in the US. Statins require CoQ10 for heart, muscle and liver support, liver support (Milk Thistle) and fat soluble nutrients to protect the brain and decrease the pain caused by statins.CoQ10 also protects the blood vessels.

-The antacid Nexium is the #2 drug prescribed in US, plus all of the OTC antacids that are sold.

Fever: Friend & Foe

  Now that everyone is a proud parent of happy healthy children and all the parents out there are happy and healthy themselves as a result of the "Conception Preparedness" articles here is some information concerning an important aspect of a healthy immune system that is, the fever.

  Fever is a normal adaptive immune response to a pyrogenic (heating) stimulus, such as tissue trauma or more likely infectious organisms.

   It has long been recognized that fever seems to have an empirical upper limit, rarely exceeding105.8˚F. The initial chill phase, 100.0-102.0˚F, causes peripheral vasoconstriction as the body sets a higher temperature to activate the immune response. Phagocytic (killing the invaders) activity increases and pathogens (the bad invaders) are killed. The patient feels hot and the periphery then opens up indicating that the fever has broken and is on the way down.

  If the temperature is 104˚ its significance depends upon the patient feeling hot or cold. If the patient feels hot then the temperature is probably falling. However, if the symptoms or signs indicate cold then the temperature is still rising and the fever needs to be steadied. This can include tepid bathing or herbal peripheral vasodilators, and diaphoretics which can be given in a variety of forms including herbal teas.

  Possibly the best herb for preventing infection is Echinacea, but it must be the roots of E. angustifolia and/or E. purpurea. Echinacea is safe during pregnancy, as demonstrated by a large scale prospective study of the gestational use of Echinacea during organogenesis (organ growth), which found no association with an increased risk of malformation. Echinacea is the key pediatric herb for immune support.

   Sometimes it may be necessary to support or increase a fever as long as there is no underlying contraindication. This can be a successful strategy in chronic low-grade infections and persistent catarrh or mucous producing problems. This can be as simple as using cinnamon, ginger, garlic, and cayenne. 

  This information was taken from one of my favorite herbal therapy resources: "Phytotherapy Essentials: Healthy Children; Optimizing Children’s Health with Herbs." As with other information in this blog I have not sought FDA approval for any of this information.

Conception Preparedness: Before & After

This part 3 in this 3 part series 

Digestive Function

Improved eating habits, supplementing with a good whole food supplement and detoxifying will not be as effective if the parents-to-be have poor digestive function. This concept may be the most important to ensure long term improvement. Poor digestive function impairs your nutrient status and individuals must have good digestive system function to be able to detoxify correctly. One of the biggest indicators of poor digestive function is your bowel movement. You should have a bowel movement for every meal you eat. For anyone who has had a dog you know that you have to get that dog outside within an hour or two of eating or you are cleaning up after them also. If you eat more than once a day or more than once a week you should have more than one movement per day or per week.

Some causes for poor digestive function are:

·      Abnormal growth of harmful gut flora in the small and large intestines.

·      These harmful bacteria create toxins and waste products that irritate the intestinal wall causing inflammation and “leaky gut”.

·      Harmful parasites in the intestines

·      Yeast overgrowth

·      A diet high in pre-packaged and processed foods creates a sugar-rich environment which encourages growth of the unfavorable bacteria/flora.

Common causes of a poor intestinal environment are:

·      Low levels of stomach HCL

·      Low fiber diet

·      Chronic use of antacids

·      Repeated use of antibiotics

·      Regular use of NSAIDS- Aspirin

·      Long term stress

·      Food allergies

·      Nutrient deficiencies

·      Alcohol abuse

·      Immune deficiencies

In some cases food sensitivities may indicate that these foods are being eaten too often. If this is the case then the patient should rotate the consumption of these foods rather than eating them on a daily basis and increase the variety of foods in their diet.

The main action step needed in addition to the lifestyle changes is to have both parents tested to determine what whole food supplementation and herbal program may be needed to clear any parasites, yeast or harmful bacteria overgrowth, and to heal and support proper digestive function. Remember, poor digestive function impairs nutrient status and the ability to detoxify safely.

Optimize Fitness Levels

The following concepts are important for both parents but, if you care to ask someone who has ever given birth, you will find that the following are especially important for the birthing mother.

·      Improved stamina

·      Reach and maintain the ideal body composition and BMI

·      Develop core strength and flexibility

Pregnancy is not the time to get into shape. You should be in shape prior to conception and then you want to maintain yourself at approximately 70% during pregnancy.

Improved stamina and endurance is important during your entire pregnancy and especially during the delivery. During pregnancy your body has changed and you are no longer working for one but two now.

Starting your pregnancy at your ideal body composition is important because your body will change. The stress of pregnancy is great and you do not want to have to face that at less than your best and you do want to give your child the best of everything so why not let that include the best start from the best you.

Last but not least, core (abdominal and pelvic area) strength and flexibility. This is especially important to the end of your pregnancy at delivery. A strong you will be better prepared to handle the physical demands of the delivery and even though the female physique is designed for the birth process you will find that an increased strength and flexibility is always helpful.

As long as there are no contraindications to exercising the following is a short list of benefits from exercise prior to and during pregnancy. Studies have shown:

·      The exercise group had a lower level of anxiety and insomnia with a higher level of psychological well-being.

·      Exercise during the second half of the pregnancy significantly reduced the intensity of low back pain and had a significant effect on flexibility of the spine.

·      Regular exercise in the first two trimesters of pregnancy may be associated with reduced risk for cesarean delivery in first time mothers.

The action steps needed here are:

·      Have your current health level assessed

·      Have a professional create a fitness program that includes endurance, flexibility and strength (especially in your core) components

Most importantly: Get started.

(Info from Angela Hywood and the Green Medicine Institute)

Conception Preparedness: Before & After

This is part 2 of a 3 part series.

Detoxifying the Body

Detoxifying the body is important for both potential parents. A heavy toxic burden can have a negative effect on your body especially your endocrine system. The endocrine system includes the glands in your body that produce all of your hormones. As examples, carrying a heavy toxic burden can negatively impact both the male and female sex hormones and the man’s sperm count. As we can see it is important to detoxify both parents but especially the mother because poisons in the mother can cross the placenta and be taken in by the fetus. Even following birth, studies show that 20% of the mother’s toxic burden is transferred to the infant via the breast milk.

It is important to understand that:

·      Fetal exposure to some endocrine/hormone disrupting toxins not only affected the fetus but also subsequent generations, children of those children.

·      Many environmental agents have a neuro-toxic effect and can result in severe mental retardation and disability depending on the timing and the dose.

The action steps that should be taken here are:

·      Have you and your spouse tested to identify a potential toxic burden.

·      Find and use an affective, safe systemic detoxification program with appropriate whole food nutritional and herbal supplementation.

·      Detoxify your environment by using stainless steel cookware, install air and water filters, and find family friendly cleaning products to name a few.

Endocrine Gland Status: The two main glands we will talk about are the Pancreas and Adrenal Glands.

Pancreas Status and Insulin Sensitivity

The pancreas is a large gland that produces the well-known hormone insulin which drives your body to store energy as fat and the lesser-known, but equally important, hormone glucagon which drives the body to burn fat as energy. The pancreas is also involved with lipase production which breaks down fats, protease which breaks down protein, and amylase which breaks down carbohydrates and sugars.

Some indicators for pancreatic distress or insulin and glucose tolerance issues are:

·      Waist measurement of 35” or greater for a woman, 40” or greater for a man

·      HDL level of less than 50 for a woman, 40 for a man

·      Glucose level of greater than 110 or 120 depending on system used

·      Triglycerides of 150 or greater

·      LDL of 120 or greater

·      Body fat % of 37% or greater for a woman, 29% or greater for a man

·      For the potential mother to be obesity during pregnancy is associated with higher blood pressure and increased inflammatory response.

·      Women with an elevated glucose tolerance test are at risk for adverse peri-natal, post-delivery, outcomes. Insulin resistance puts the mother at risk for preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and hypertension which increases the risk of an unfavorable outcome for the fetus.

Action steps to help heal the pancreas and restore the body’s insulin sensitivity include being evaluated for any problems and if a problem or weakness is found follow the proper herbal protocol and whole food supplementation plan to return the pancreas to normal. Exercise is also an important factor in controlling your blood sugar levels and we will discuss that as a separate topic.

Adrenal Status

Now, with all of the above information in mind and with your stress levels on the rise we will discuss the main stress organ, your adrenal glands. Stress can affect fertility for both men and women and the stress hormone cortisol has been linked to spontaneous abortion and miscarriage. A few of the other problems associated with high and/or chronic stress are:

·      Studies have found that stress causes a decline in the quality of semen with an inverse relationship between the amount of stress and the semen quality

·      Stress can cause preterm labor

·      Reduce birth-weight

·      Slow growth rate

·      Predispose the child to attention deficits

·      Cause temperamental difficulties and predispose to depressive illness

The first action steps to be employed are lifestyle strategies to remove, modify, and manage any stress in your life. The next is to evaluate your adrenals themselves to ensure optimal function and if indicated support your adrenals through proper herbal and whole food supplementation.