Alternatives to drugging our children…

 A recent article by Megan Johnson in U.S. News & World Report explored 9 natural, drug-free treatments for ADHD that have all shown to have promise and positive outcomes for the children involved.  Her list includes; positive parenting, treatment programs, neuro feedback, interactive metronome training, meditation, a natural environment, better sleep, diet, and exercise.

Positive Parenting:  Apparently there has been research that shows some similarities among the parents of ADHD kids.  A study published in Clinical Pediatrics, suggests that having a child with ADHD elicits high levels of parental stress and maladaptive parenting. The presence of parental psychopathology (mental difficulties in the parent) is common and influences the parent’s response to the child’s ADHD symptoms.  The implication being that whether the ADHD came first or the parenting challenges came first, an improvement in parent-child relationship can have a positive influence on the overall success of the child moving forward in life.  Sadly too often, due to social and medical pressure, lack of resources to make real change and simple lack of information, parents turn to medication to solve the difficulties the child has with mandated sitting still and focusing on often irrelevant information and exercises.  As a culture we all can share the responsibility for this reality, collectively we have become reliant upon drugs to fix our so called problems of daily life.  We have given the power of our own health away and bought the story that we are all frail, weak, broken, diseased, chemically imbalanced and simply deteriorating as we age, and that as a result we need medication to maintain life as we know it.  And perhaps that right there is the heart of the issue, life as we know it.  Rather than medicating our kids, medicating our elderly, medicating our pets, medicating ourselves, in order to fit into life as we know it, we need to examine life as we know it as perhaps the problem.

Treatment programs:  It might be a surprise to learn that some of the most effective treatment programs are in fact parent skills training programs.  Parent skills training has been used for years to improve the behavior of kids with ADHD. Consider for a moment here that this research is saying that improving the parenting skills helps to treat a medical condition called ADHD, I can’t think of another so-called medical condition that is successfully treated by changing  the behavior of the parent of the sick person.  These programs teach parents skills such as making clear, specific requests of children and using praise and rewards for good behavior far more often than punishment. 

The results have shown to be effective enough that last fall the British government mandated parent training as the first choice for treatment in many cases.  In England, parents of children with ADHD are offered free government-funded classes where they learn to set clear limits for the child, be consistent in enforcing those limits, and reward good behavior.

There are also skill building programs for children that focus on listening and following directions, homework, organizational skills, effective communication, and problem-solving.  These have shown a fairly good rate of success.  (And really what youngster wouldn’t benefit from some extra training in these areas, I know I would have)

Neuro feedback:  This is essentially training the brain and consciousness to gain conscious control, or at least influence, over the areas of the central nervous system that are typically only influenced sub-consciously.  There is a growing body of research supporting this as a possible palliative therapy for the symptoms of ADHD, though more research is needed to verify it in the eyes of the mainstream scientific community for ADHD treatment.

Interactive metronome training:  “IM is a neuro-motor assessment & treatment tool used in therapy to improve the neurological processes of motor planning and sequencing.  The human brain’s efficiency and performance depend on the seamless transition of neuronetwork signals from one area of the brain to another. Findings in a recent study by Neal Alpiner, MD, “Functional MRI Study of the Effects of IM on Auditory-Motor Processing Networks”, suggest that IM works by augmenting internal processing speed within the neuroaxis. The key regions of the brain that are affected appear to include the cerebellum, prefrontal cortex, cingulate gyrus and basal ganglia. These parts of the brain are responsible for human timing as well as other day to day functions such as: sustained attention, language formulation, motor coordination and balance.” (From the website for Interactive Metronome therapy, http://www.interactivemetronome.com/IMPublic/Home.aspx)

Meditation:  There have been many studies linking regular mediation practice with greater mental clarity, sense of well-being, decreased stress and improved mental focus.  Recently there have been a few studies looking directly at the effects of mediation on ADHD symptoms and have shown some promising results in improving attention span, decreasing anxiety and improving organizational skills.  (http://cie.asu.edu/volume10/number2/index.html, http://jad.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/11/6/737)

A natural environment:  A study published in the American Journal of Public Health showed that outdoor activities reduced the symptoms of ADHD more than activities performed indoors.  This was true across all age ranges and other individual characteristics.  Other studies have shown that children who spend more time in the woods or other park settings have a greater improvement in ADHD symptoms than those that spend less regular time in these settings.  As humans, we are nature; we need regular interaction with nature to allow us to reconnect with the true essence of who we are.  We need time away from the many distractions of modern life; our phones, computers, TVs, the focus on others and outside problems and issues.  We require the nutrition of time spent in solitude in the natural world to live a balanced and fulfilling life. 

Better sleep, diet, and exercise:  These are the basic tenets of good health whether or not one has the symptoms of disease or not.  For our bodies to function properly we need proper amounts of sleep, a balanced health promoting diet, and regular exercise for our bodies and minds.  The benefit of these activities has been researched and proven ad nauseum.  For the purposes of this discussion let it be said that you can’t go wrong for any health and wellness concerns by getting a healthy dose of these three things.  And perhaps our overall dependence upon medications would be greatly reduced if everyone committed to these three basic tenants of good health living.

Why do we so often turn to drugs for our children?  This is a complex and multi-faceted issue.  Sometimes parents are pushed to their wits end and believe they have nowhere else to turn.  Often there are strong social and peer pressures to medicate an active child.  Unfortunately 2 primary reasons have to do with what I consider a breach of trust; Doctors and pharmaceutical companies.  Too often when a person turns to the expert for help in a challenging situation with a child they look to a psychiatrist for, and this almost always ends with a prescription for a psychotropic drug.  Since they are the “expert” why would a concerned parent question it?   Particularly when they are not fully informed of the potential deadly side-effects.  The other culprit here is the marketing and research branches of pharmaceutical companies.  If you watch TV or read mainstream magazines you are constantly bombarded with advertisements that suggest there is something wrong with you, that you need medication to help you, that you should “talk to your doctor” for help and that your doctor should put you on this drug to make everything better.  “Talk to your doctor” was one of the most brilliant and devious marketing ideas ever devised by the drug industry.  There was a time not too long ago when if you thought something was wrong with you, you would go to your doctor and ask them to figure out what was wrong and then advise you of the best treatment options.  Those days are gone, now the public is asked to self-diagnose and then go to their doctor as a dispensary of the latest drugs being pushed on TV.  In fact, the underlying suggestion that is often in practice is that if your doctor won’t prescribe the drug that you have seen on the commercial you can go to the doc down the street who will.  Therefore a doctor who conscientiously won’t overprescribe medications is risking their own livelihood. 

These are our children, one of our most precious resources.  When I look into my 2-year old daughter’s eyes and think of the over medicating of children in our society I feel sadness and then anger.  The anger is because the perpetration of this atrocity is being done purposefully and with full knowledge of the consequences, and yet still being done simply for money, for status and for power.

Please go here and spend some time watching and educating yourself further: http://www.cchr.org/#/home

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These days there has been a lot of attention placed on aging and along with that Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.  Emerging research has shown that the simple act of reading, playing crossword puzzles, or doing crafts can decrease your chances of mental decline as you age.  Some neuro-scientists have taken this a step further and have been developing specific, targeted exercises to not only stave off dementia, but to also improve mental sharpness, memory, attention, processing speed and cognitive control (decision making and planning).  I don’t know about you, but these are all areas in which I could use improvement. 

A new Mayo Clinic study found that reading books, playing games, participating in computer activities and crafting led to a 30 to 50 percent decrease in the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment. People who watched television for less than seven hours a day in later years were 50 percent less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment than those who watched more than seven hours of television per day. Additionally, individuals who participated in social activities and read magazines during middle age were about 40 percent less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment than those who did not participate in those activities.  This study was presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s Annual Meeting in Seattle, April 25-May 2, 2009.  (Source)

 In a recent study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine (N Engl J Med 2003;348:2508-16), scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in collaboration with Syracuse University studied 469 subjects older than 75 years of age who lived in the community setting. They recorded the frequency of participation in leisure activities for the subjects. They documented their thinking and physical abilities and recorded them in activity-days per week.  The researchers found that over an average period of 5.4 years, dementia developed in 124 subjects (Alzheimer’s disease in 61 subjects, vascular dementia in 30, mixed dementia in 25, and other types of dementia in 8). They also found that among leisure activities, reading, playing board games, playing musical instruments, and dancing were associated with a reduced risk of dementia.

In searching the web for information about this, as well as programs or exercises to help improve my mental sharpness, I came across a site called Lumosity.com.  Run by Lumos Labs, a cognitive neuroscience research and development company that builds software tools for improving brain health and performance, this site was created with fun in mind.  They have a large selection of Flash based online games that give your grey matter a good workout, while keeping you entertained.  Personally I feel like my brain muscle is getting stretched.   Check it out, you can get a free week of brain expending games by clicking here Free Trial of Lumosity

 Lumosity.com has even done their own research studies on the effects of their exercises.  The following are excerpts from their website. (http://www.lumosity.com/info/science/results)

-Research presented at the Bay Area Neuroscience Gathering in San Francisco, CA shows that the Lumosity brain games improve working memory.

 Working memory capacity of 23 individuals was tested before and after training.

Subjects who trained with several of the Lumosity brain exercises on a daily basis for 30 days improved on the memory exercises. More importantly, the trained subjects also improved on independent tests of working memory (p<.01, two-tailed t-Test), which were not part of the training, while the control group showed no change upon retesting.

For more details, download the white paper or view the scientific poster presentation.

-Lumosity brain exercises are designed to improve processing speed by challenging users to gradually increment the rate of other cognitive processes. For example, users who trained with our arithmetic exercise Raindrops for at least 10 sessions can solve math problems faster and more accurately (p<.001, two-tailed t-Test). Those that completed Word Bubbles at least 10 times improve at word-finding and are able to find more words in a given amount of time (p<.001, two-tailed t-Test).

-Lumosity includes exercises developed to enhance cognitive control. The effective outcomes of these exercises are currently being studied. Preliminary results include a 9-second (16 percent) improvement on Trail Making, Part B, a common test of executive function, in subjects who trained for 30 days with a subset of the Lumosity exercises (p<0.05, two-tailed t-Test).

More information about this research is available by downloading the poster that was presented at the Society for Neuroscience Conference in 2007.

-Brain training with Lumosity was demonstrated to improve visual attention in a study first presented at the 2006 Society for Neuroscience conference in Atlanta, GA.

 Visual attention was measured in intervention and control groups at the beginning and end of the experiment. Trained subjects completed an average of 33 five-minute sessions of Birdwatching, one of the Lumosity visual attention exercises.

Attention and perceptual accuracy improved significantly more in subjects who trained with Lumosity brain games than in those who did not train (p<0.01, two-tailed t-Test).

For more details, download the white paper or view the scientific poster.

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The levels of insulin in your blood may be the single most important chemical level to your health and wellness.   Most are aware that insulin has something to do with regulating blood sugar, but what is less well known is that insulin has its fingers in almost every organ system in the body, and as the regulation and then levels of insulin in the blood get thrown off, its effects are generally detrimental, and in fact, most of the diseases of aging have direct relationships to the balance of this important chemical.  The causes of insulin resistance lay mostly in dietary factors, and so does the remedy for insulin imbalance, or insulin resistance. 

The primary purpose of insulin in the human body is to cause for the storage of excess nutrients.  With the intake of sugar, when the body recognizes there to be more sugar in the blood stream than is needed for the current activity level insulin is released to initiate the storage.  The first form of storage is glycogen storage in you liver and muscles, for the purpose of providing a quick boost of energy if needed.  Evolutionarily this could be thought of as energy for fight or flight if you are about to be eaten by a saber toothed tiger.  Glycogen stores fill quickly and then the body stores excess blood sugar as everyone’s favorite whipping boy, saturated fat.  Backing up a little, excess sugar enters your blood stream through ingesting it in the diet.  Now the biggest blast of blood-sugar comes from eating high-sugar foods, like your typical soft drinks and desserts; however any carbohydrates, even complex-carbohydrates elevate the blood sugar level and therefore cause for this storage process to be initiated.  This of course then begs the question: Why on earth would you ever eat a high complex-carbohydrate, low-saturated fat diet?  In essence this makes no sense as a high-complex carbohydrate diet would simply cause your body to make plenty of saturated fat on its own. 

Insulin touches every corner of your body and here is only a partial breakdown of what it causes in the body:

-Storage of magnesium

-Retention of sodium

-Stimulates cell proliferation and division

-Stores sugar as fat

-Mediates blood lipids (i.e. Triglycerides)

-Helps control the manufacture of cholesterol

-Helps control sex hormones estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone

-Controls growth hormone

-Elevates plasma non-esterified free fatty acid concentrations

-Increases hepatic secretion of VLDL

As you can see insulin has some important functions in the human body and without it you wouldn’t be long for this world.  However the key with insulin is to have a proper balance, and primarily to have only a small amount floating around in your blood stream at any one time.  

Insulin resistance, also known as type 2 diabetes or adult onset diabetes is a growing problem in the U.S.   In 2000, according to the World Health Organization, at least 171 million people worldwide suffered from diabetes, or 2.8% of the population.  Its incidence is increasing rapidly, and it is estimated that by the year 2030, this number will almost double. 

When sugar enters the blood stream insulin is released and signals your cells to store the sugar first as glycogen and then as fat.  The mechanism for this is that there are specific receptor sites for insulin on the membrane of each cell.  When a molecule of insulin touches the receptor a chain reaction takes place causing for the cell to perform whatever functions it does when in the presence of insulin.  Cell membranes have a self-regulating mechanism called up- or down-regulation of receptors.  This literally means that they either create more (up-regulation) or less receptors (down-regulation) for a specific chemical related to how much of it they are in contact with over time.  In other words when a cell is constantly bombarded with a chemical it begins to down-regulate its receptors for that chemical and becomes less sensitive to it.  This is similar to when you first enters a room with a strong smell, it is very noticeable, but after being in the room for some time your sense of smell accommodates (down-regulation) and you don’t notice it as much, but if you leave and then re-enter (up-regulation) you can then notice the smell strongly again.  In the case of insulin resistance, the cells are down-regulating their insulin receptors, and therefore they are less responsive to it in the blood stream.  However, even if the cells are resistant to the messages of insulin, you body still requires something to happen to the sugar floating in your blood, so your pancreas begins to secrete higher and higher amounts of insulin in order to achieve the same results.  This is where the trouble really begins.  An over abundance of insulin in the human body has numerous detrimental effects:

-Decreases the cellular uptake of vitamin C.  (A blood sugar level of 120 reduces the phagocytic index by 75%.  The phagocytic index is a measure of how rapidly an immune cell can destroy a virus, bacteria, or cancel cell.)

-Your cells become resistant to magnesium, which causes your blood vessels to constrict, which causes your blood pressure to rise.

-It raises triglyceride, and LDL levels

-It leads to coronary artery disease (CAD) by causing blood to clot to readily, the conversion of macrophages into foam cells, constriction of arteries, and stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system.  Not to mention the fact that it interferes with vitamin C uptake.

-It causes dyslipidemia i.e. Increased triglycerides, decreased HDL and increased LDL.

-Syndrome X (HBP, high cholesterol, Insulin resistance)

-Promotes acne

-Early menarche

-Certain epithelial cell carcinomas (cancer)

-Myopia (near-sightedness)

-Cutaneous papillomas (skin tags)

-Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

-Male vertex balding

Now the Million dollar question: What do I do about insulin?

The answer in its simplest form is; stop eating sugar!  O.K., O.K.  I know for most people this solution sounds easier than it is.  So what are some more “reasonable” steps one can take to reign in insulin levels?

The first distinction to make is identifying the primary sources of sugar in your diet.

Liquid Sugar       Recently a report came out detailing that the average American diet consists of 1/3 calories form sugar!  That means that 1 out of every 3 calories that you eat in a day has no positive nutritive value, and even more it can lead to many of the health challenges detailed above.  Another detail reported in the report was that a large number of these calories from sugar come in liquid form, soda, juice, etc…  And despite the commercials to the contrary, high fructose corn syrup in not good for you, at the least it is equal to regular sugar, and in reality there is evidence that it could be worse for your insulin levels. 

White Flour       Another important point to consider is that white flour is basically sugar.  Much of it turns into simple sugar before it even hits your stomach.  So In reality you can view any white flour the same as eating straight sugar, and compounding the issue, sugar usually accompanies white flour. 

What about maple syrup, honey, brown sugar, raw sugar?          In short, they are all still sugar and you r body still needs to deal with it when it enters your blood stream by releasing insulin.  Yes, they do break down a little slower, so in that respect they don’t cause for as rapid of an insulin dump, but insulin has to be produced anyway. 

Artificial sweeteners, NutraSweet, Splenda, etc…?        JUST SAY NO! 

Links to more info:

NutraSweet: http://doctorellisor.com/nutrition/thebad/nutrasweet. 

Splenda:  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2000/12/03/sucralose-dangers.aspx

What else?        

Supplements:  Aside from reducing and or eliminating sugar in your diet, which is the most vital part, there are also some supplements that can help balance the effects of sugar in your blood.  Again however, these are supplements, meaning they are meant to supplement healthy diet and behavior, not replace it. 

-Cinnamon:  research has shown that cinnamon can reduce blood sugar levels and lower blood cholesterol as well. Even 20 days after the cinnamon treatment had ended, the patients continued to see beneficial effects.

-Chromium:  this can increase the ability of cells to burn fat rather than needing to burn sugar.

-Omega-3 oils:  This can improve cellular circulation by making the membrane more fluid, thereby increasing receptor sensitivity.

Exercise:  Research has shown that regular resistance training has been shown to be better than aerobic training in bringing down insulin levels and increase insulin sensitivity.

Insulin Resistance can be reversed:        Studies of humans show that insulin resistance can be significantly improved and even reversed by simple yet extensive dietary changes, sometimes within only a few weeks. 

There are over 50 essential nutrients for the human body, all of which can be successfully ingested without ever eating grains of sugars.

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·       Free radicals what they are and what they do

At this point in our story it is important to understand what a free radical is, and what it does.

A free radical is a highly reactive molecule with an unpaired electron in its outer shell.  What this means is that it is a particle floating around in your system looking to steal an electron from some other molecule.  Free radicals are generally not too picky, they will take an electron usually from the first molecule they bump into, usually the membrane of cells.  When the electron is stolen it causes that molecule to become unstable and not function properly.  Further, the newly destabilized molecule can often become a free-radical itself, thereby exponentially increasing the amount of damage in the body.   In the case of cell membranes this will cause the cell to not function properly, since the membrane is vital for the communication from other cells and systems of the body.  The longer term effect of this is, that as the cell degrades in quality it no longer functions properly, so if it is an immune cell, it won’t help fight infection as well, or if it is a cell lining your stomach it may not secrete enough stomach acid, or even may secrete too much acid, either effect is possible.  Further, when it is time for the cell to replicate as all cells do, it replicates improperly, creating a less healthy, less functional cell.  Consider for a moment the symptoms we normally attribute to aging; less elastic skin, degrading eyesight, joints that don’t move as well, etc…  These are all the symptoms of cells, and therefore organs and systems, not functioning as well as they used to, or were designed to.  When there is enough damage to the membrane, the structure of the cell becomes unstable and the cell dies, further weakening the organ and system it is a part of

. 

·       All aging symptoms are oxidative damage to cells  

All symptoms of aging are due to oxidative stress from free-radicals.  Did you know that getting old is a myth?  Have you ever compared two 80 year old people and noticed that one is hobbled, perhaps walking with a cane or walker, barely able to stand straight, has little to no energy, while the other is upright, active, vital, sharp-minded, etc…  They are both the same age; however one is much older than the other. 

Oxidative stress from free radicals indiscriminately damage s the membrane of the cells in your body.  This has potentially devastating consequences to your health. 

-          Decreased skin and tissue elasticity (wrinkles)

-          Poorly functioning cartilage and other joint tissues (arthritis)

-          The breakdown of healthy nervous system tissues (memory loss, poor eyesight)

-          Dysfunctional glandular system (decreased energy levels, increased weight gain)

-          Ineffective immune system (increased chance of infections like pneumonia and others, increased chance of cancer)

-          Low-level, chronic inflammation (free-radical formation) has been linked to a wide range of serious illnesses, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and even depression and mood disorders

The list goes on and on, but these examples illustrate the point. 

The question becomes: What can I do about free-radicals?

1.      Limit free-radical formation.

2.      Protect your body from their harmful effects.

3.      Repair and correct the damage that has already happened.

1.  Limit free-radical formation

The most potent generator of free-radicals in your body is respiration, i.e. breathing.  As far as free radical creators that you can do something about, inflammation is the most potent.  This means that not only does inflammation cause the discomfort of pain and dysfunction; it is also causing damage to your whole body, degrading your overall health and causing you to age more rapidly.  Now, I would never promote the regular use of anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen or acetametaphin, these have their own host of harmful side-effects that far outweigh any potential help they might provide.  There are however many natural, health benefiting ways to reduce your overall level of inflammation.

Healing Modalities

            First and foremost it is important to address the underlying cause of the inflammation. 

Chiropractic care, acupuncture, massage therapy, and other natural healing modalities can assist with this process.  If the underlying physical dysfunction is left alone, no amount of other support can truly do the job.  We have been indoctrinated since birth to treat the symptoms of a problem rather than the underlying cause, this is backwards and dangerous.  Correcting the underlying cause often does take more time to produce the desired results, however the changes are real and lasting, and also send the message to your body that its health is important.

Dietary interventions

There are many healthy dietary additions that reduce inflammation, while at the same time improving other aspects of health.  These include both dietary additions, as well as supplementation. 

Foods that support reducing inflammation:

-Omega-3 rich wild fish, like salmon.  Omega-3s are a healthy fat that reduces the formation of the chemical precursors of inflammation.

-Walnuts and flax seeds.  These nuts and seeds provide healthy omega-3’s along with other important healthy fats and nutrients.

-Colorful vegetables.  Choose organic and local when possible, harmful pesticides and herbicides can add to your free-radical load.

-Colorful whole fruits.  Again choose organic and local.

-Extra virgin olive oil.  Be sure to use this either unheated or only moderately heated when cooking.

            Supplements for reducing inflammation:

-High quality omega 3 supplements.  Fish oil and flax oil are the most effective and widely available dietary supplements for omega-3’s.  With fish oil it is extremely important to be sure it is high quality and has been certified to be free of PCB’s and heavy metals.  Another option that has recently come into the market place is Krill oil, which seems to be an exciting alternative to fish oil with added benefits.  Flax oil is a good addition to a regimen that already includes fish oil, but is not a suitable replacement.  Flax adds other beneficial oils such as ALA.  For more about fish oil and flax seed oil, follow this link.

-Mangosteen.  Mangosteen is a fruit that grows in jungle environments in South-east Asia that is new to the U.S. marketplace.  There has been increasing research into the healthful benefits of this fruit and especially its rind.  One impressive effect it has is to powerfully reduce inflammation.

-Green tea is a powerful anti-inflammatory when used regularly. Green tea is high in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). In a 1997 study, researchers from the University of Kansas determined that EGCG is twice as powerful as reversterol (the beneficial ingredient in red wine) in promoting longevity and heart health.

There are many more out there, but these three are the cream of the crop.

            `

Stress, mental, chemical, physical, emotional all increase formation of free radicals in the body

Reduce your stress levels.  There are many techniques and exercises that have reducing stress as part of their intent or focus.  Some of the most commonly understood are meditation, yoga, and hypnotherapy.  Regular exercise has also been shown to effectively reduce the level of stress in your life.  (For more on reducing stress click here)

Toxic chemicals pervade our modern environment.  The air we breathe is full of toxins from industry, automobiles, hairspray, etc…  The water in the rivers and lake has been polluted.  Plastics with harsh chemicals are part of packaging and other products we use daily.  Many of the cleaning products and even personal care products found in most homes having varying degrees of toxicity to them.   This seems to be a very pervasive problem and I won’t go into more detail here about it, except to say the more you can limit your exposure to these types of chemicals the less free-radical formation you will expose your body to.

2.  Protect your body from the harmful effects

Earlier in this article, we covered free-radicals; what they are and what they do to your body.  Antioxidants are molecules that help to counteract the damaging action of free radicals.  If you remember, free-radicals move through your body stealing electrons from the cells they come into contact with, altering their normal function and even killing them.  Antioxidants freely donate an electron to the free-radical, thereby neutralizing its harmful effect and not becoming a free radical themselves.  In effect these chemical compounds neutralize the harmful effects of oxidizing free-radicals.  The benefits of decreased cellular oxidation include:

-          Youthful elastic skin and tissue.

-          Properly functioning cartilage and other joint tissues.

-          The proper function of healthy nervous system tissues, meaning a sharp mind and a highly functional body, along with good eyesight, good memory and concentration.

-          Properly functioning glandular system, meaning good energy levels, proper weight management, and better emotional stability.

-          Functional immune system

-          Etc…

Some common dietary antioxidants and their sources:

-Vitamin A and carotenoids:

Carrots, squashes, broccoli, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, kale, collard greens, red and yellow peppers, cantaloupe, peaches, apricots and mangos.  (Basically most colorful fruits and vegetables)

-Vitamin C:

            Citrus fruits, green, red and yellow peppers, broccoli, spinach, brussel sprouts, other dark green vegetables, tomatoes, pineapple, cantaloupe, mangos, papaya and guava.

-Vitamin E:

            Nuts and seeds, whole grains, green leafy vegetables, some vegetable oils, wheat germ, legumes, brown rice, and liver oils

-Selenium:

            Fish and shellfish, red meat, whole grains, eggs, chicken, garlic, and most vegetables.

-A small list of the many beneficial phytochemicals:

            Polyphenol-rich foods like red wine, purple grapes, pomegranates, cranberries, green tea, and mangosteen

            Lycopene-rich foods like tomatoes, pink grapefruit, and watermelon

            Lutein-rich foods like kale. Broccoli, brussel sprouts, spinach and other dark green leafy vegetables

            Lignan-rich foods like flax seeds, oatmeal, barley and rye.

            Anthocyanidin-rich foods like berries, cherries and red grapes

            Proanthocyanidin-rich foods like cranberries, cocoa, apples, strawberries, grapes, wine, peanuts, and cinnamon

This is certainly not an exhaustive list, and research into antioxidants is ongoing and more compounds are discovered all the time, usually touted as the new savior food to fight cancer and reverse aging.  While it is true that antioxidants have many varied and beneficial functions, it is important to remember that a wide variety of good quality antioxidants is the best for overall health and to vary your diet, and importantly to view supplements as just that, supplemental to a good diet.

3.  Repair and correct the damage that has been done

Now that we have looked at reducing free radical formation, and protecting the body from the effects of the free-radical that are produced, the next logical step is to go about the business of repairing the damage that has already been done.

One very important feature of the proper function of the body is the proper function of the nervous system.  The human body is designed to be perfectly healthy at all times, and is in a constant state of striving for this perfect health dependent upon the environment it is given.  There is an innate intelligence that is a non-local property of all living things which gives animation to them; it is what separates living organisms from inanimate objects.  It is this intelligence that allows us to heal from a cut without giving it conscious attention, it causes for the coordination of our body’s 600,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000/second functions in perfect harmony.  In the human body the innate intelligence uses the nervous system to coordinate the functions of all the other systems, organ, and cells.  For the full potential of health and therefore the greatest ability to heal and correct damage that has occurred, the nervous system must be healthy and freely functioning without interference.  This is where chiropractic care enters the picture.  Chiropractic care is about the business of assisting the body to clear subluxations (patterns of interference to the nervous system, and therefore the innate intelligence’s function).  This allows for the greatest potential of health to be attained.  If the nervous system has interference, one can eat a great diet, exercise properly, get good, rest, etc.., but still not be achieving 100% health.

The body is more likened to a flowing river of change, rather than a static machine of function.  So, even though we think of our bodies as being permanent structures, most of our tissues are continually being turned over, renewed in a balance between the constant death of old cells and the constant birth of new cells. Some studies have suggested that the average age of the cells in an adult human may be as low as seven to ten years.  (An interesting concept for those who consider their ill health to be a result of their body being old)  This reality adds restorative importance to dietary and lifestyle changes that can help to limit oxidative stress.  In effect, it is never too late to make positive changes towards health, and with a full spectrum approach, including reverence for the innate intelligence that really does the healing, seemingly miraculous changes can occur.

A brief list of some other habits and healthy changes once can make to correct and repair prior damage:

-Get your intestinal flora back in proper balance through colon cleanses and proliferation of beneficial bacteria

 -Get good sleep nightly

 -Reduce your overall load of stress; mental, physical, chemical, and emotional.

Related posts

• Important steps to decrease inflammation and reduce free-radical damage (3)
• Study links most diseases of aging with free radical damage (0)
• Cholesterol Myths (1)
• The Most Important Part (5)
• Trans Fats (6)
• Omega-3′s can make you live longer (6)
• Deepak Chopra breaking it down (0)

            Trans Fats 

Trans fats are man-made fats that are created during the hydrogenation process.  They are unnatural and very toxic to your body.  Some of the effects they have on the body are, cancer, atherosclerosis, diabetes, obesity, immune system dysfunction, low-birth-weight babies, birth defects, decreased visual acuity, sterility, and problems with bones and tendons.[i]

What are trans fats, and where do they come from? 

Trans fats are a new player on the scene of modern foods.  They are abundant in packaged and processed foods.  The process of creating trans fats is called hydrogenation.  This is the process of turning polyunsaturated fats, normally liquid at room temperature, to fats that are solid at room temperature.  The cheapest, most available oils, like soy, corn, cottonseed, or canola, are mixed with tiny metal particles, usually nickel oxide, then subjected to hydrogen gas in a high-pressure, high temperature reactor.  Then, emulsifiers and starches are added for a better consistency, and the mixture is steam cleaned to remove the odor.  It is then bleached to remove the gray color, and dyes and strong flavors are added to make it resemble butter.i  The process alters the molecular structure from the naturally occurring form called cis, into the unnatural form called trans.  Meaning, a hydrogen atom is moved across to the other side of the carbon chain at the point of the double bond creating a more packable, plastic fat.ii 

          Why you should care. 

The consumption of trans fats in the diet can cause damage to the cell membranes and alter function of the phospholipid-dependant enzymes contained in these membranes.  This alters the membrane permeability impairing the active transport enzymes for sodium, calcium, magnesium, and potassium.  These cells are then subject to attack by free-radicals, causing all sorts of health problems.iii  

Cancer

atherosclerosis

diabetes

obesity

immune system dysfunction

low-birth-weight babies

birth defects

decreased visual acuity

sterility

problems with bones and tendons, to name a few.[ii]

These fats also block the utilization of essential fatty acids, (omega-3‘s etc…) causing effects such as sexual dysfunction, increased blood cholesterol and paralysis of the immune system.i  

As the body unwittingly incorporates these fats into the cell membranes, they severely reduce the cellular integrity, so the lungs, digestive tract, and all internal cells wind up admitting allergens, undigested foods, and other foreign particles.  Also the saturated fat sources that the trans fats come in causes you to eat six times as much as you normally would, presumably because the body needs essential fatty acids that it is not getting from the trans fats.vi   

 The safe amount of trans fat is ZERO grams per day 

-One study suggests that trans fat is linked to a 93% rise in the risk of cardiovascular disease, and that replacement of 2% of trans fat consumed with mono-unsaturated fats, could reduce the risk of heart disease by 53%.iii

 - In another study researchers analyzed data from 84,000 women who were followed for 14 years, and found that higher intake of trans fats was associated with a significant increase in the risk of diabetes.iv

 - This same analysis revealed that for every 2% increase in the amount of trans fats increases the person’s risk of heart disease by 93%.

 - It has been estimated that trans fats are responsible for 30,000 deaths annually in the U.S.v 

ii   Enig, M. and Fallon, S.  The Oiling of America, http://www.westonaprice.org/know_your_fats/oiling.html

iii   Lam, M.  Types of Fats,http://www.drlam.com/A3R_brief_in_doc_format/2002-No3-Fatandcholesterol.cfm#TypesofFat

[ii]   Enig, M. and Fallon, S.  The Skinny on Fats, http://www.westonaprice.org/know_your_fats/skinny.html.

viTreelight Health, The Role of TFAs (trans fatty acids & other degenerated fatty acids) in Disease and the Possible Effects of Fasting.  http://www.treelight.com/health/TFAsandfasting.html.

iv The Johns Hopkins Medical Letter: Health After 50,  March 2002, http://www.hopkinsafter50.com/html/silos/heart/haartocel_saturated.php.

vMedicinet.com, http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?artclekey=1109.

Related posts

• Cholesterol Myths (1)
• Study links most diseases of aging with free radical damage (0)
• Important steps to decrease inflammation and reduce free-radical damage (3)
• Free Radicals, Antioxidants and You (15)
• Words to Live by from a 97 year old doctor (1)
• The Most Important Part (5)
• The 4 Habits of Highly Healthy People (2)

• Cholesterol story,

At some time in our recent history it came to the awareness of the medical community that the incidence of heart attacks and heart disease were increasing.  This encouraged research into what was the cause of heart attacks, and what were the warning signs and medical tests that could be done to detect the likelihood of you having a heart attack sometime soon. 

Following the usual reductionist process the researchers took dead bodies of those who died from HA and dissected the hearts and surrounding blood vessels.  What they discovered was that most of the diseased hearts had clogged arteries to the heart and that these arteries were clogged with cholesterol plaque deposits.  Therefore the natural (if you are reductionist and looking for a neat and tidy answer) answer was that cholesterol in the blood clogs arteries and causes HAs.  Therefore if we could control and lower the cholesterol levels of humans, perhaps with medication ($$$), then we could decrease the incidence of HA, period, end of story.

Low and behold the birth of Statin drugs, the knight in shining armor to save us from the evils of cholesterol.

• Free radicals what they are and what they do

At this point in our story it is important to understand what a free radical is, and what it does.

A free radical is a highly reactive molecule with an unpaired electron in its outer shell.  What this means is that it is a particle floating around in your system looking to steal an electron from some other molecule.  Free radicals are generally not too picky, they will take an electron usually from the first molecule they bump into, usually the membrane of cells.  When the electron is stolen it causes that molecule to become unstable and not function properly.  Further, the newly destabilized molecule can often become a free-radical itself, thereby exponentially increasing the amount of damage in the body.   In the case of cell membranes this will cause the cell to not function properly, since the membrane is vital for the communication from other cells and systems of the body.  The longer term effect of this is, that as the cell degrades in quality it no longer functions properly, so if it is an immune cell, it won’t help fight infection as well, or if it is a cell lining your stomach it may not secrete enough stomach acid, or even may secrete too much acid, either effect is possible.  Further, when it is time for the cell to replicate as all cells do, it replicates improperly, creating a less healthy, less functional cell.  Consider for a moment the symptoms we normally attribute to aging; less elastic skin, degrading eyesight, joints that don’t move as well, etc…  These are all the symptoms of cells, and therefore organs and systems, not functioning as well as they used to, or were designed to.  When there is enough damage to the membrane, the structure of the cell becomes unstable and the cell dies, further weakening the organ and system it is a part of.

 ·       How free radicals relate to cholesterol

A little background on cholesterol.  Cholesterol has many varied, important functions in your body.  Some of these include; the membrane structure of cells, brain and nervous system matter, our glands use cholesterol to make hormones, it also has important function in the immune system, in fact the body cannot clear an infection, remove toxic elements or heal a wound without cholesterol.

The free radical connection.  One area in particular that receives a lot of free radical damage is the inner lining of your arteries.  The circulatory system is essentially the highway system of your body and when free radicals are floating in your blood, often the first thing they hit and damage is the inner lining of the arteries.  When the artery is damaged it sends a signal to the liver and the liver sends cholesterol to the site to help with wound repair.  The cholesterol is sent via LDL molecules, and when the site is healed the cholesterol is returned to the liver via HDL molecules.  (Something to keep in mind when you hear about good and bad cholesterol)  So, if the arterial walls are constantly bombarded and damaged by free radicals, then the liver will be constantly sending cholesterol via LDL to the arteries, thereby increasing the LDL in the blood, giving a high bad cholesterol reading on a blood test.  However, the cholesterol itself is not the cause of there being cholesterol build up in the blood, it’s the damage to the arteries that is the cause.  And often the cause of the damage to the arteries is free radicals floating in the bloodstream.

• All aging symptoms are oxidative damage to cells

All symptoms of aging are due to oxidative stress from free-radicals.  Did you know that getting old is a myth?  Have you ever compared two 80 year old people and noticed that one is hobbled, perhaps walking with a cane or walker, barely able to stand straight, has little to no energy, while the other is upright, active, vital, sharp-minded, etc…  They are both the same age; however one is much older than the other. 

Oxidative stress from free radicals indiscriminately damage s the membrane of the cells in your body.  This has potentially devastating consequences to your health. 

-          Decreased skin and tissue elasticity (wrinkles)

-          Poorly functioning cartilage and other joint tissues (arthritis)

-          The breakdown of healthy nervous system tissues (memory loss, poor eyesight)

-          Dysfunctional glandular system (decreased energy levels, increased weight gain)

-          Ineffective immune system (increased chance of infections like pneumonia and others, increased chance of cancer)

-          Low-level, chronic inflammation (free-radical formation) has been linked to a wide range of serious illnesses, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and even depression and mood disorders

The list goes on and on, but these examples illustrate the point. 

The question becomes: What can I do about free-radicals?

1.      Limit free-radical formation.

2.      Protect your body from their harmful effects.

3.      Repair and correct the damage that has already happened.

1.  Limit free-radical formation

The most potent generator of free-radicals in your body is respiration, i.e. breathing.  As far as free radical creators that you can do something about, inflammation is the most potent.  This means that not only does inflammation cause the discomfort of pain and dysfunction; it is also causing damage to your whole body, degrading your overall health and causing you to age more rapidly.  Now, I would never promote the regular use of anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen or acetametaphin, these have their own host of harmful side-effects that far outweigh any potential help they might provide.  There are however many natural, health benefiting ways to reduce your overall level of inflammation.

Healing Modalities

            First and foremost it is important to address the underlying cause of the inflammation. 

Chiropractic care, acupuncture, massage therapy, and other natural healing modalities can assist with this process.  If the underlying physical dysfunction is left alone, no amount of other support can truly do the job.  We have been indoctrinated since birth to treat the symptoms of a problem rather than the underlying cause, this is backwards and dangerous.  Correcting the underlying cause often does take more time to produce the desired results, however the changes are real and lasting, and also send the message to your body that its health is important.

Dietary interventions

There are many healthy dietary additions that reduce inflammation, while at the same time improving other aspects of health.  These include both dietary additions, as well as supplementation. 

Foods that support reducing inflammation:

-Omega-3 rich wild fish, like salmon.  Omega-3s are a healthy fat that reduces the formation of the chemical precursors of inflammation.

-Walnuts and flax seeds.  These nuts and seeds provide healthy omega-3’s along with other important healthy fats and nutrients.

-Colorful vegetables.  Choose organic and local when possible, harmful pesticides and herbicides can add to your free-radical load.

-Colorful whole fruits.  Again choose organic and local.

-Extra virgin olive oil.  Be sure to use this either unheated or only moderately heated when cooking.

            Supplements for reducing inflammation:

-High quality omega 3 supplements.  Fish oil and flax oil are the most effective and widely available dietary supplements for omega-3’s.  With fish oil it is extremely important to be sure it is high quality and has been certified to be free of PCB’s and heavy metals.  Another option that has recently come into the market place is Krill oil, which seems to be an exciting alternative to fish oil with added benefits.  Flax oil is a good addition to a diet that already includes fish oil, but is not a suitable replacement.  Flax adds other beneficial oils such as ALA.  For more about fish oil and flax seed oil, follow this link.

-Mangosteen.  Mangosteen is a fruit that grows in jungle environments in South-east Asia that is new to the U.S. marketplace.  There has been increasing research into the healthful benefits of this fruit and especially its rind.  One impressive effect it has is to powerfully reduce inflammation.

-Green tea is a powerful anti-inflammatory when used regularly. Green tea is high in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). In a 1997 study, researchers from the University of Kansas determined that EGCG is twice as powerful as reversterol (the beneficial ingredient in red wine) in promoting longevity and heart health.

There are many more out there, but these three are the cream of the crop.

Stress, mental, chemical, physical, emotional all increase formation of free radicals in the body

Reduce your stress levels.  There are many techniques and exercises that have reducing stress as part of their intent or focus.  Some of the most commonly understood are meditation, yoga, and hypnotherapy.  Regular exercise has also been shown to effectively reduce the level of stress in your life.  (for more on reducing stress click here)

Toxic chemicals pervade our modern environment.  The air we breathe is full of toxins from industry, automobiles, hairspray, etc…  The water in the rivers and lake has been polluted.  Plastics with harsh chemicals are part of packaging and other products we use daily.  Many of the cleaning products and even personal care products found in most homes having varying degrees of toxicity to them.   This seems to be a very pervasive problem and I won’t go into more detail here about it, except to say the more you can limit your exposure to these types of chemicals the less free-radical formation you will expose your body to.

2.  Protect your body from the harmful effects

Earlier in this article, we covered free-radicals; what they are and what they do to your body.  Antioxidants are molecules that help to counteract the damaging action of free radicals.  If you remember, free-radicals move through your body stealing electrons from the cells they come into contact with, altering their normal function and even killing them.  Antioxidants freely donate an electron to the free-radical, thereby neutralizing its harmful effect and not becoming a free radical themselves.  In effect these chemical compounds neutralize the harmful effects of oxidizing free-radicals.  The benefits of decreased cellular oxidation include:

-          Youthful elastic skin and tissue.

-          Properly functioning cartilage and other joint tissues.

-          The proper function of healthy nervous system tissues, meaning a sharp mind and a highly functional body, along with good eyesight, good memory and concentration.

-          Properly functioning glandular system, meaning good energy levels, proper weight management, and better emotional stability.

-          Functional immune system

-          Etc…

Some common dietary antioxidants and their sources:

-Vitamin A and carotenoids:

Carrots, squashes, broccoli, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, kale, collard greens, red and yellow peppers, cantaloupe, peaches, apricots and mangos.  (basically most colorful fruits and vegetables)

-Vitamin C:

            Citrus fruits, green, red and yellow peppers, broccoli, spinach, brussel sprouts, other dark green vegetables, tomatoes, pineapple, cantaloupe, mangos, papaya and guava.

-Vitamin E:

            Nuts and seeds, whole grains, green leafy vegetables, some vegetable oils, wheat germ, legumes, brown rice, and liver oils

-Selenium:

            Fish and shellfish, red meat, whole grains, eggs, chicken, garlic, and most vegetables.

-A small list of the many beneficial phytochemicals:

            Polyphenol-rich foods like red wine, purple grapes, pomegranates, cranberries, green tea, and mangosteen

            Lycopene-rich foods like tomatoes, pink grapefruit, and watermelon

            Lutein-rich foods like kale. Broccoli, brussel sprouts, spinach and other dark green leafy vegetables

            Lignan-rich foods like flax seeds, oatmeal, barley and rye.

            Anthocyanidin-rich foods like berries, cherries and red grapes

            Proanthocyanidin-rich foods like cranberries, cocoa, apples, strawberries, grapes, wine, peanuts, and cinnamon

This is certainly not an exhaustive list, and research into antioxidants is ongoing and more compounds are discovered all the time, usually touted as the new savior food to fight cancer and reverse aging.  While it is true that antioxidants have many varied and beneficial functions, it is important to remember that a wide variety of good quality antioxidants is the best for overall health and to vary your diet, and importantly to view supplements as just that, supplemental to a good diet.

 3.  Repair and correct the damage that has been done

Now that we have looked at reducing free radical formation, and protecting the body from the effects of the free-radicals that are produced, the next logical step is to go about the business of repairing the damage that has already been done.

One very important feature of the proper function of the body is the proper function of the nervous system.  The human body is designed to be perfectly healthy at all times, and is in a constant state of striving for this perfect health dependent upon the environment it is given.  There is an innate intelligence that is a non-local property of all living things which gives animation to them; it is what separates living organisms from inanimate objects.  It is this intelligence that allows us to heal from a cut without giving it conscious attention, it causes for the coordination of our body’s 600,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000/second functions in perfect harmony.  In the human body the innate intelligence uses the nervous system to coordinate the functions of all the other systems, organ, and cells.  For the full potential of health and therefore the greatest ability to heal and correct damage that has occurred, the nervous system must be healthy and freely functioning without interference.  This is where chiropractic care enters the picture.  Chiropractic care is about the business of assisting the body to clear subluxations (patterns of interference to the nervous system, and therefore the innate intelligence’s function).  This allows for the greatest potential of health to be attained.  If the nervous system has interference, one can eat a great diet, exercise properly, get good, rest, etc.., but still not be achieving 100% health.

The body is more likened to a flowing river of change, rather than a static machine of function.  So, even though we think of our bodies as being permanent structures, most of our tissues are continually being turned over, renewed in a balance between the constant death of old cells and the constant birth of new cells. Some studies have suggested that the average age of the cells in an adult human may be as low as seven to ten years.  (An interesting concept for those who consider their ill health to be a result of their body being old)  This reality adds restorative importance to dietary and lifestyle changes that can help to limit oxidative stress.  In effect, it is never too late to make positive changes towards health, and with a full spectrum approach, including reverence for the innate intelligence that really does the healing, seemingly miraculous changes can occur.

A brief list of some other habits and healthy changes once can make to correct and repair prior damage:

-Get your intestinal flora back in proper balance through colon cleanses and proliferation of beneficial bacteria

-Daily exercise that includes strength training, coordination and balance work, and stretching and lengthening muscles.

            -Get good sleep nightly

            -Reduce your overall load of stress; mental, physical, chemical, and emotional.

Related posts

• Trans Fats (6)
• Study links most diseases of aging with free radical damage (0)
• Important steps to decrease inflammation and reduce free-radical damage (3)
• Free Radicals, Antioxidants and You (15)
• Omega-3′s can make you live longer (6)
• Can eating sugar really make you age faster? (16)
• Words to Live by from a 97 year old doctor (1)