education
Women’s Wellness
Many women are concerned about wellness and wish to more energetic and want to avoid chronic illnesses. More and more information is now available about health, but this can be hard to sort out. Metabolic imbalances are at the root of the problem of chronic diseases. Almost all women have some form of metabolic imbalance or impairment. This could be an elevated glucose, insulin resistance, hormonal imbalance or deficiency, abnormal cellular chemistry, inflammation, nutrient deficiency or other metabolic problem. Our bodies are exposed to many toxins every day that can lead to cellular disfunction and chemical imbalances, inflammation and mitochondrial damage, and premature aging.
Autoimmune problems such as lupus and thyroid disease are more frequent in women. Metabolic problems often include prediabetes and abnormal chemistries in the cells of the body. Women’s metabolic imbalances can be in different forms In this case the person is not able to properly process carbohydrates. This leads to the topic of calories. We’ve been under the false impression we should decrease fats. This started in the mid 70’s or early 80’s with different foundations and the U.S. government promoting low fat diets. Unfortunately this was also around the time of artificial and partially hydrogenated fats that are toxic as hell. Also around this time came the use high concentrations of inexpensive fructose. Fructose cannot be properly metabolized and the combination of glucose and fructose which are in sugars, honey, agave, food of all kinds are causing damage to the brain. I am becoming more and more aware of new studies that taut how important it is to massively reduce the carbohydrates.
Our diet 10,000 years ago
When we look at man ten thousand years ago, he did not load up with carbs. His fat and protein came from animals and some plants, with drastically less carbohydrates and a lot more fiber. Today there’s an epidemic of carbohydrate ingestion and different studies show that as many as fifty percent of all carbohydrates are ingested as some form of sugar, and less than 5 grams of fiber compared to 100 grams or more of fiber in primitive mankind. Fiber has many health benefits including a reduction in the risk of colon cancer and decreasing blood glucose levels, weight control, etc.
Modern Diet and Modern Problems
Modern diet contributes greatly to the metabolic syndrome I was referring to. As I begin to screen more and more people that have diabetes and those that are not going to have diabetes, I am increasingly concerned with the volume of carbohydrates and the damage it’s doing to the body. There is much increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s with these harmful diets, especially sugar. In addition, there have been too many harmful fats ingested, instead of healthy fats. Adequate amounts of good fats are important such as the anti-inflammatory omega 3’s, and other fats. Women are concerned about the effects of drugs and their side effects and what are the alternatives to prescription medications.
Improve Cognitive Function
One of the aging disorders that women are concerned about is dementia. Proper nutrition can help preserve brain function and prevent damage, combat anxiety, mental fatigue, depression and other problems using metabolic solutions. It is very important to understand that new and old medical studies indicate the importance diet and exercise in this whole process of protecting the brain. Our foundation is not just about finding ways of preventing Alzheimer’s disease; it is also working to help with a number of neurological problems that are often seen in clinical settings.
Our foundation is working to provide new information as well as digest old information to help make better decisions about brain wellness. Nutrition plays an incredibly important part as just exercise, stress and cell health. Just like health for heart and prevention of cancer and diseases in general. It’s very important to do certain things that can improve brain function and prevent neurological problems from occurring. Now with new evidence, it is also possible to increase the numbers of brain cells, especially in the memory center in the Hippocampus. A problem with too many carbohydrates as a food source, toxins to the body that also can affect the brain, and the need for proper balance of total calories and exercise to our schedules for the day. A plan for optimum health can make us smarter and feel better.
The brain may have damage, but because of the lack of pain receptors there may be no evidence that brain damage is going on. There also may be many other symptoms of brain dysfunction such as memory loss, inability to concentrate, headaches, and other problems. The brain contains millions and billions of connections and is made of mostly fat. If the blood vessels of the brain were wrapped in a linear line you could wrap it around the earth.
Brain health involves a lot of things that are important for our lives such as mood, obesity, memory problems, inability to concentrate or have adequate cognitive functions, depression, epilepsy, headaches, anxiety and stress, and difficulty sleeping, there is also association of the same kinds of things that cause inflammation and Alzheimer’s disease to the inflammation damage that can occur with heart disease, blood vessels leading to stroke and of course other endocrine problems such as diabetes and pre-diabetes.
Our activities, our stress, and our diet can actually affect the DNA for better or worse. These are the epigenetic factors that affect our health. The total number of calories, the kind of fat we eat, avoiding the foods that cause inflammation like gluten and their derivatives can make a big difference. In addition, having the right balance of fats, having the right amount of calories, can make a big difference.
A diet that limits the total intake of glucose and fructose is vital. More and more evidence is showing the effects of pre-diabetes and diabetes on Alzheimer and dementia. It affects brain size and the memory part of our brain. It’s also important to know the effects of drugs such as a study that shows post-menopausal women who are put on statin drugs to lower cholesterol had a 40 percent increased risk of developing diabetes as compared to those who weren’t given the drug. This in turn doubles the risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Some studies show that Alzheimer’s disease may affect up to half the adult population at some point in time.
Doctors get to see and feel the damage that’s done by diabetes, inflammation, neurological problems, heart attack, stroke, and cancer. These are game changers for patients, family and friends. With new advances in technology we will be able to better tell what kinds of diets along with epigenetic genetic testing to see what kind of underlying problems are associated with these diseases. We’ll also be able to tell with frequently done tests such as breath tests, ways that we can make a difference for people’s diet, exercise, health and nutrition. Green tea can help some women to avoid breast cancer, others it won’t. Some of this is based on their individual’s biochemistry and some do due to their epigenetic risk factors. There is an epidemic of this problem and ninety-seven million Americans are known to be insulin resistant. We believe that most of the westernized population throughout the world suffers from significant metabolic impairment.
What do we mean by metabolic impairment?
Individualized Testing is Key for Treating the Underlying Problem of Alzheimer’s Disease and chronic diseases.
What are some of the tests now in the future that can be done to evaluate the risk for brain disease and neurological problems? Well, the first is screening for metabolic problems, such as a comprehensive chemistry panel, Hb A1c levels, insulin levels, thyroid function studies, homocysteine levels, C reactive protein levels, and other tests mentioned in this book for longevity (inflammation tests).
A hemoglobin A1C test checks to see how people have been doing over 3 or more months as far as their blood sugar is concerned.
There are different arrays of gluten sensitivity markers that are available that tells if people are sensitive to gluten. There’s also additional tests for cross-reactive foods in individuals that may be gluten sensitive. Additional tests including insulin levels, C-reactive peptides, fructosamine level. Homocysteine is an inflammation test that relates to risk factors for cancer, stroke, heart and vascular disease and other diseases that are caused by inflammation.. Another good marker of inflammation is the C-reactive protein.
A vital brain chemical is vitamin D. Fast food has become a way of life and there are so many foods that contribute to inflammation. We hear a lot about how bad the different sugars are. We’re also very concerned about some of the long-term effects of artificial sweeteners.
Deadly Combination
But there’s also a big offending food group that contributes to inflammation, these are foods that are high in carbs, harmful fats and gluten. Bread and wheat related products are prime examples of foods with gluten. In addition, gluten related substances are being added in cosmetics, tooth paste, and many processed foods. Another offender is high fructose corn syrup that is often added in processed foods. Add trans fats and excess of carbs and you have a group of foods causing metabolic problems, inflammation, DNA and cellular damage. We now known there is harm from low fat diets and fried foods at high temperatures.
Collectively, these commonly ingested substances contribute to inflammation which also contributes to neurological disorders and brain dysfunction. Inflammation plays an important role in damage to cells, blood vessels, heart, cancer, and then the development of diabetes and diabetes related syndromes.
If you think none of these things can not happen to you, then it is important to know that, just as there are some degree of gluten sensitivity that is pronounced in 30% of the population, there is reason to believe that is some degrees of sensitivity of gluten in all of us and our bodies may not be tolerating GMO products. Most Americans are pre-diabetic that poses risk for cancer and chronic diseases.
Our other big concern with these diets that lead to inflammation is damage to DNA, not only in the brain but all cells in the body that often link to many different forms of cancer., we also believe that the chemical imbalances, acidic cellular acidosis, toxic cellular environmental terrain, are not only linked to cancer, but also to the chronic degenerative diseases in general.
Part of the problem with brain chemistry is that extensive and prolonged damage to the brain can occur over a long period of time. It’s usually hidden, and may not be noticeable. At later ages there can be pronounced exacerbations and short remissions. But it does dramatically affect quality of life and it is a game changer when Alzheimer’s or a severe neurological problem disrupts someone’s life.
Just by ingesting healthy omega fats, reducing carbohydrate intake to less than 15% of our daily calories, increasing the amount of vegetables, increasing the amount of meat that is high in omega 3, such as grass-fed beef, salmon, pine nuts, flax, hemp seeds, many others nuts and seeds, and other vegetable products that have omega 3, all of this can make a big difference. Using these medicinal functional foods can begin to promote not only brain health but general health. Exercise, stress reduction, and adequate sleep help to balance out the body’s biochemical pathways and fight against chronic and acute diseases.
Nutritional Pointers for Women
A vital brain chemical is Vitamin D. Women need vitamin D to support bone health. As food has become a way of life and there are so many foods that contribute to inflammation. We hear a lot about how bad the different sugars are. We are also very concerned about some of the long term effects of artificial sweeteners. But there is also a big offending food that contributes to the inflammation; these are foods that are high in gluten. Bread and wheat related products are a prime example. In addition, gluten and gluten related substances are being added to process foods as are high fructose corn syrups. Collectively, these two substances contribute to inflammation which also contributes to neurological disorders and this cognitive dysfunction. Nutrition has an important role in blood vessels, heart, cancer and then the development of diabetes and of metabolic related syndromes.
Just as there is some degree of gluten sensitivity in all of us and a pronounced sensitivity in only 30% of us. There is evidence of damage done by ingestion in bad fats and too many carbohydrates, while not enough ingestion of the foods that are medicinal. The degree of damage can relate to epigenetic and genetic predispositions; however we can help repair DNA and stop damaging cells with some diet and life style changes.
Cholesterol by itself is not the bad guy.
Cholesterol is vital for brain function, it is inflammation that causes a built up of fibrin and calcium that cause vascular blockage, strokes and other brain related problems. Calcium is not the bad guy as well. Calcium is just trying to buffer the inflammation. Inflammation is caused by oxidative stress and metabolic imbalances. We are treating numbers and not disease states. It turns out that cholesterol is not the bad element; we are going after the wrong fats. It is the glucose and oxidants that can damages cholesterol. Statins may lessen brain function and harden the calcium-fibrin onto the blood vessels to prevent a break off of inflammatory substrates that can cause a heart attack or stroke due to clots. This is helpful in a very small percentage for those who have elevated cholesterol and some people with heart attacks have no elevation of their cholesterol, and vice versa. There are many people with untreated cholesterol who never have a heart attack. Cellular inflammation is the problem and metabolic balancing is the number one solution.
In the brain, cholesterol is needed for part of the whole process of brain function. It is important for the function of neurons.
Cholesterol is a building block for cell membranes as the cell membranes are full of cholesterol. The brain is largely made up of these fats. Cholesterol is a building block for the cell and works as an antioxidant and helps to support vitamin D and steroid hormones like testosterone and estrogen which are important for our hormonal health. The imbalances of hormones cause all kinds of problems. Dr. Kevin Buckman discusses the estrogen problem in his book on breast cancer called Find and Stop Breast Cancer. It includes the importance of vitamin D in the fight against cancer and diseases and now we have learned how important it is for the brain. Cholesterol is really a structure for neurons. Some feel LDL is not a bad cholesterol and it is just a lipoprotein. It is bad when it is damaged and in fact, some medical literature indicates that when cholesterol levels are low, the brain does not work as well and in fact, low cholesterol levels are associated with a greater risk for dementia and neurological problems. We really need to think again about sugar, bad fats and cholesterol that we have really been misled since the early 80’s. So, how does LDL become damaged that it can’t provide the important cholesterol for brain cell function and the membranes for brain cells? Well, the high dose in sugar in Americans are now eating attach themselves to the LDL and affects its molecular function to that of a free radical which damages brain cells. This is very important for cell wellness and autism, insomnia, anxiety, headaches and brain function. With the right diet and exercise, we cannot only improve our brain but our hearts and blood vessels, kidneys and cellular function can improve as well.