Archive for February, 2009

The power of stress: stress information and techniques

Saturday, February 28th, 2009

You have two systems in your body that help you respond to stress.  These are the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) – also known as the “flight or fight” system and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) – also known as the “rest and digest” system.  It is your body’s goal to remain healthy by keeping these two systems in balance. However, stress in all of its forms can cause an over activation of the SNS which can eventually lead to illness and disease.

  

Effects of Stress on Your Body

Regardless of whether you are under mental, emotional or physical stress your body perceives all three of these the same.  This means that whether you are getting attacked by a tiger or stressed about being late for work, your body does not know the difference!

When your body feels stress, the SNS system will kick in to protect you from the stressor and will release a set of hormones, adrenaline and cortisol (made by the adrenal glands).  These hormones increase your heart rate and breathing rate and decrease digestion, reproduction, physical growth and the immune system. When the SNS gets turned on repeatedly or in some cases remains on it can lead to weight gain, difficulty sleeping, frequent colds, hormone imbalances, inability to handle stress and chronic illness. Periods of short term stress triggers the immune system to prepare for injury or infection. Long term stress causes deterioration of the immune system which leads to chronic illness.

 It takes your body approximately 40-60 minutes to return cortisol to its baseline once the actual or perceived threat is finished. Once cortisol returns to its baseline the intestines will resume digesting food, the sex organs kick back into gear and the immune system is ready to fight infections and illness.  Therefore, if you are always stressed, cortisol never has the chance to come back to baseline and your body will continue to breakdown. This is why stress management is so important!

What many people also don’t know is that not only do the sex organs and digestion become affected with stress but so does the brain.  Current research is showing that prolonged stress with increased cortisol affects the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for forming new memories. If you are having difficulty remembering new information, stress could be the reason why. 

So how can you begin to manage your stress?

 

Quick Tips for Managing Stress

1. Sleep- Sleep is so important in helping your     body repair.  Between 10pm-2am, physical repair of your body takes place and between 2am-6am cognitive repair takes place.  It is helpful to be in bed no later than 10:30pm.

 2.  Avoid bedtime snacks that are high in sugar or consist of grains.  This raises glucose levels and inhibits sleep.  Typically a snack higher in fat and protein is good before bed.

 3.  No TV or computers before bed.  These stimulate the brain and make it harder to fall asleep.

 4.  Sleep in complete darkness.  When light hits the eyes or is felt by the skin the circadian cycle gets interrupted and affects melatonin and serotonin. These two important hormones are needed for sleep and bodily repair.

 5.  Eat balanced and frequent meals throughout the day.  When you skip meals it affects your blood sugar levels and this action stresses the adrenal glands, putting your body in a stressed state that you might not even be aware of.  

 6.  Make time for yourself and do something that makes you happy and is relaxing.

 7.  Listen to calm, soothing music during relaxation time.

 8.  Begin doing exercises that stimulate the PNS.  Exercises such as yoga, tai chi, qi gong or meditation will help the PNS slow down and help the body heal.

 9.  Make a list of all of your stressors and begin eliminating one by one.  For example, maybe you commit to too many things and can begin saying no and setting boundaries for yourself.

 10.  Keep a journal so that you can track stressors that you might not even know you have.

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Solutions for Leaky Gut Syndrome

Sunday, February 15th, 2009

As you may recall I spoke about leaky gut syndrome a few weeks ago and therefore I would like to take the time to discuss solutions for leaky gut syndrome.  

Just to recap, leaky gut syndrome is when there is separation of tight junctions between the cells of the gut wall.  The separation of these junctions happens as a result of stress, food intolerance and a poor diet.  When these junctions begin to separate, undigested or partially digested food particles cross the gut wall and as a result they land in joint tissues, organ tissues, nerve tissues and anywhere else via the micro-circulatory system causing inflammation and over time causing chronic pain and possibly an auto-immune disease. In addition if you have been diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) you too can benefit from the solutions I list below.

SigA is a protective mucous that lines our entire intestinal tract and when one suffers from Leaky gut syndrome or IBS this protective mucous gets broken down which leads to holes in the intestinal tract.  Leaky gut and IBS can be healed, it just takes awhile to do so.  Below is a list of strategies to get you on track to heal your gut. Even if you currently do not have gut problems you too should do the following for prevention.

  • Start eating right (eat for your metabolic type)… stop the C.R.A.P. eating (caffeine, refined sugar, alcohol and processed foods).  All of these items need to be removed from your diet.  Why, because it’s these items the wreak havoc on the intestinal tract.
  • Begin taking a probiotic. Probiotics are good bacteria.  Your gut is lined with both good and bad bacteria and the ratio of good to bad bacteria needs to be 85:15.  Unfortunately though because of what we eat in this country the ratio is reversed.  There are many probiotics on the market today and with that being said you should purchase a probiotic that contains L. Sporogenes.  L. Sporogenes is a good choice of probiotics because it survives stomach acid. 
  • Begin taking an enzyme to begin to rebuild your protective mucosa.  What you need to make sure you understand is that probiotics rebuild good bacteria but not mucosa lining.  These are two separate items.
  • Depending on the severity of your gut dysfunction you may need digestive enzymes.
  • Manage your stress.  Stress creates hormone imbalances and these hormone imbalances can affect the gut directly.  Managing stress can be done through yoga, qi gong, and tai chi, walking mediation or simply conscious breathing. 
  • Drink water. A general rule of thumb is ½ your body weight in ounces of water.  In addition, your urine should be clear enough to see through. Water is important because it keeps our bodies lubricated.  You should drink 2-3 glasses of water upon awakening.  If you suffer from constipation this may help you to get things moving.
  • Gut testing may be applicable if symptoms persist.

 

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Organic Food: What’s all the fuss?

Sunday, February 8th, 2009

You may be noticing a greater focus on organic foods these days, but are they really necessary? We think so. Conventional farming relies on the use of fungicides, insecticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers. As a result, conventionally grown food often contains chemical residues, which can be harmful to us. There are conflicting opinions over whether exposure to these chemicals on a dietary level is dangerous, but experts say that consumers should use caution. That’s because the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers 90 percent of fungicides, 60 percent of herbicides, and 30 percent of insecticides to be carcinogenic (promotes the development of cancer). Some health disturbances linked to these chemicals include genetic and immune system damage, neurotoxicity, disruption of the endocrine system, damage in a developing nervous system and brain and disruption of the reproductive system. Pesticide exposure have also been linked to miscarriages in women.

Organic farming uses natural fertilizers and natural methods to grow crops and to protect them from insects and disease instead of chemicals. Studies have found significantly higher nutrients in organic produce, including Vitamin C, magnesium, iron and phosphorus. Organic foods have also been shown to contain higher levels of phenolic compounds, which are a group of antioxidants that have been shown to be ten times more efficient at mopping up free radicals than Vitamin C or E.  

Organic produce does cost more than conventionally farmed produce. If you must buy conventional produce, you can reduce (but never eliminate) your pesticide exposure by thoroughly washing all fruits and vegetables. Peeling the skin off of fruits and vegetables and removing outer leaves will also help reduced exposure. If you want to be selective in your organic buying, stick with the following list which has been identified as having the highest levels of pesticides by the Environmental Working Group.

Fruit:                                                   Vegetables:

Peaches                                               Spinach

Apples                                                 Bell Pepper

Strawberries                                        Celery

Nectarines                                           Potatoes

Pears                                                   Hot Peppers

Cherries

Red Raspberries

Imported Grapes

 


 

 

 

 

 

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What is Leaky Gut Syndrome?

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009

When ones diet consists of C.R.A.P. (caffeine, refined sugar, alcohol and processed foods), this wreaks havoc on your gastrointestinal system.  Processed foods are filled with chemical additives, colorings, preservatives and emulsifiers.  You may not even know you’re eating such items because the FDA (Food & Drug Administration) does not require manufactures to include additives on the labels of foods that are exempt, such as ketchup.  Instead of a specific list of what has been added you may see something general such as “artificially flavored”.

Today, there are so many foods that are highly processed that even your own gastrointestinal system can’t recognize the items as food.  Your immune systems job is to react to these chemicals and remove them from the body with the help of the GI (gastrointestinal) system.  Processed foods and sugar leads the body to a stress response.  When this stress response takes place digestion can be slowed down to the point of constipation and toxic bowel.

Constipation and toxic bowel are by no means normal.  Did you know that you should eliminate after each meal you eat?  Yes, you should be going to the bathroom up to 2-3 times per day and the stools should be formed.  They should not be soft or difficult to pass, they should not float or break apart and you should not fluctuate between constipation and diarrhea.  The color of the stool should be brown to dark brown.  If you are passing yellow, green or red stool go see your doctor immediately.  (Note your stool may be red after eating beets.)

As you just read having a poor diet over time leads to disturbances in the GI system and this poor diet overtime can lead to leaky gut syndrome. Leaky gut syndrome is when there is separation of tight junctions between the cells of the gut wall.  The separation of these junctions happens as a result of stress, food intolerance and a poor diet.  When these junctions begin to separate, undigested or partially digested food particles cross the gut wall and as a result they land in joint tissues, organ tissues, nerve tissues and anywhere else via the micro-circulatory system causing inflammation and over time causing chronic pain and possibly an auto-immune disease.

One important point I want all of you to understand is that food particles landing in joint, organ and nerve tissues doesn’t exactly happen immediately.  As I have mentioned in previous newsletters our bodies strive for balance.  Normally, your first line of defense is though sIgA (secretory IgA).  SIgA is a protective mucous that lines the gastrointestinal tract and lungs. When the invaders (C.R.A.P.) enter the GI system its sIgA’s job to protect.  Unfortunately though over time sIgA begins to loose the battle (amount of sIgA depletes) and the invaders win (more processed food and more stress).  Then, before you know it, you’re suffering from inflammation in your joints, organ and/or nerve tissues and what are you then prescribed?

 Anti-inflammatory drugs.

Anti-inflammatory drugs such as cortisone are immuno-suppressants, meaning they shut down the immune system.  In addition anti-inflammatory drugs often produce gastrointestinal inflammation as a side effect and increases inflammation in the gut further leading to additional symptoms and disease. Because pain killers block the body’s signs that something is wrong, further tissue degeneration takes place leading us to possibly experience cancer and autoimmune diseases such as Rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus and or Multiple Sclerosis, not to mention other forms of disease too.  Therefore readers, if any of you are experiencing any type of pain that is not getting better and becoming more chronic I encourage you to begin looking deeper into your lifestyle and contributing factors.

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