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February 15, 2010
Hi ,
Last issue I talked about Alzheimer's as fundamentally a brain inflammation disease - the best remedy for which is to not get brain inflammation in the first place. Eating only fresh, non-toxic foods, avoiding poisons, and moving most of the day will do this for you. But what do you do if it is already too late? You are already noticing that you don't always remember why you walked to the other room, or you keep forgetting where you left your keys. Short-term memory loss is an early sign of brain inflammation. If you now start forgetting older memories like the names of old movie stars, or where you spent your summer vacation 20 years ago, things are now getting more serious.
Another serious sign - do you get tired reading after only an hour when you used to be able to read for hours? Your brain just is not able to process information as well as it used to. Alzheimer's is a heart-breaking disease, whether it is you or someone you love that is succumbing to its ravages. What can be done? If you depend upon the current medical system the answer is really nothing.
That does not mean they don't know things that can really help. It just means that these things have not been turned into patentable drugs yet. Drug companies scour the world looking for old folk remedies and herbal compounds that have medicinal properties. There are thousands upon thousands of scientific studies demonstrating the positive benefits from these natural remedies published every year. Yet few of these are ever heard about by the average patient that really needs their benefits. Many of them directly help Alzheimer's.
The main causes of Alzheimer's brain inflammation are excess cortisol (from stress), homocysteine (altered methylation), exogenous toxins (causing microglial activation), diminished blood flow (due to atherosclerosis and hypertension damage), head trauma, lack of brain stimulation, and deficiency of neurotransmitter and neuron forming nutrients. Other than accidental head traumas, all of the causes of Alzheimer's are addressable by nutrition and lifestyle changes.
For the excess cortisol we get people off the sugars and simple carbohydrates and use a phosphatidylserine transdermal crème (Adrenacalm) to calm down the adrenal stress and protect the hippocampus short-term memory area. We then work with enhancing life skills to decrease past emotional traumas and immaturities that create the stress.
Homocysteine is simply a nutritional fix with the right
B vitamins (6, 12, and folate) and other nutrients like trimethylglycine (MethylSP).
Dealing with exogenous toxins (like poisons, drugs, and alcohol) begins with first eliminating exposure in our foods, water, and environment. Careful liver cleansing programs, gradual weight loss, low temperature dry sauna, and blood-brain barrier building nutrients are also helpful as needed.
The microglial immune cell over activity in the brain is a major issue that much research is centered on as these cells generate the slow immune fire that causes neuron degeneration and death. Fortunately there are many natural substances that fight these effects. Foremost among these are the flavinoids - the substances that give fruits and vegetables their deep color. There are hundreds, possibly thousands of flavinoid compounds in nature. Special compounds found in sesame seeds, celery, and green peppers have also been found to calm down the fire destroying your brain. I use a combo product called Neuroflam.
Blood flow can be greatly enhanced to improve oxygen to the brain by herbs such as ginko biloba and the use of systemic enzymes. In the office we use a product called NeurO2.
Brain stimulation is critical. In fact even with the damage from the amyloid plaques and neurofibril formation, people who have rich connectivity between neurons due to active brain usage often don't show the symptoms of Alzheimer's. What does that mean on a practical level? It means turning off the TV (except for a few of the game shows), and getting involved in a lifetime of learning. Equally important is movement. Numerous studies have shown that exercise (even mild exercise like Tai Chi) increases brain cell connectivity. Simply put you must stay actively involved with life - doing, learning, and growing till the day you drop.
Lastly working with brain nutrition is paramount. The brain is mostly fat. Repair and growth of brain cells requires a lot of DHA - one of the Omega 3 oils found most easily in fish and krill. Gluten has been found to cause brain inflammation as well as to block a key enzyme that converts glutamate into the calming neurotransmitter GABA. With any early signs of Alzheimer's I recommend getting off gluten (cereal grains) and also casein (milk products).
Specific nutrients to support the formation of each of the brain neurotransmitters are available in case there are any imbalances causing symptoms. We have dopamine support for feeling excited, acetylcholine support for focus and memory, serotonin support for feeling happy and mellow, and GABA support for feeling calm and relaxed. These can also be used with many brain disorders like Parkinson's disease, depression, ADHD, and nervous disorders. To test for any imbalances in the neurotransmitters, take the assessment at: Neurotransmitter Assessment Form
We have symptom check list surveys available in the office to see if you are showing any early signs of brain inflammation or degeneration. This is important because the first signs of Alzheimer's start showing up 20 to 30 years early - early enough to do something proactive to slow down or prevent the progression of the disease.
Take care of your brain, it can't be replaced. Be very proactive in changing your diet and lifestyle to keep your brain active and functional, because when it goes, you go.
Good Journey,
David
Is your nervous system damaged?
Your Heart knows the truth!
Yes, we can test for the early stages of Frontal Cortical Brain inflammation (the thinking part of your brain). Activity in this part of your brain maintains the activity of your Parasympathetic nervous system (the part responsible for digestion and repair). Heart Rate Variability Testing measures your parasympathetic activity to find out how much nervous system damage has taken place in your body due to stress and poor nutrition.
Once a brain cell dies it is lost forever. The earlier you discover any problems the better you will be able to halt the damage and prevent Alzheimer's down the road. We don't really have brain cells to spare. Each loss diminishes our capacity forever. I am offering this exam at no cost to make sure everyone has the ability to discover their brain health.
Please schedule your exam
as soon as is convenient
and call the office to set up your free exam
& consultation 966-4714
Nutrition Self-Help #4
Fish Oil / DHA and EPA
One of the nutrients critical for both brain development and brain health is the omega 3 fats DHA and EPA. Most commonly we find these concentrated in fish oils and krill oil. Actually they are in every green plant and ocean plankton in small quantities. Critters that eat the plants (like krill, fish, and grass fed animals) concentrate these oils for us making it easier for us to get enough. Plants also make omega 6 oils which we need in equal quantities to the omega 3 oils. Our brain, hormones, and every cell wall is made with these fats.
The problem is in the ratios of omega 3 to 6. Cereal grains (wheat, corn, oats, rye, etc...) create 5 to 10 times more omega 6 than omega 3 fats, a ratio that is very unbalanced for us and creates inflammation and disease. Bird metabolisms do well with these ratios cause their systems are burning much faster than ours and they need the "hotter" burning omega 6 oils - they burn them for energy - we don't. Only birds should eat cereal grains - not us, not cows, not horses, and not farmed fish...yet we fill our diet with these hot burning oils and literally burn our bodies out. The animals we feed these oils to build up these oils in their bodies and when we eat these animals and fish we get the same dangerous
excess of omega 6 oils in us. We need an equal ratio of these oils such as is found in green grass, vegetables, grass fed animals, and wild fish.
For those of you wondering about vegetarianism, this is the main health benefit to avoiding meat - not because meat is bad in itself, but because we overload the meat with omega 6 oils through our feedlot farm raising methods (as well as pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, parasites, and assorted unpleasant diseases). Wild game, wild fish, and grass fed animals do not have these problems. To be a healthy vegetarian you have to avoid these same cereal grains in your diet - that means actually eating vegetables, legumes, and tubers, and not grains.
So how much of this omega 3 oil (DHA and EPA are the two most important of these oils) do we need - not much. A couple grams per day is all we need - about half a teaspoon. But if we don't get it all manner of problems result. Omega 3 fats are useful in treating neurological disorders, depression, bipolar disorder, immune dysfunctions, eye and brain development in children, blood pressure, cancer prevention, decreasing triglycerides in your blood, cardiac health, and even rheumatoid arthritis. Brain development and later IQ is strongly related to getting omega 3 oils in the uterus and early life.
One important note, flax seed is touted as a good source of omega 3 oil - while this is technically true, the ALA it contains is an omega 3 oil, it is largely useless to humans. We are only able to convert about 5% of it to EPA and 2% of it to DHA - the forms we humans use. Some people can't even convert it at all.
So bottom line - yes, you need omega 3 fats. They are essential to life for you. Can you get these from your diet - yes you can if you make the effort to do so. If you are not willing to eat wild fish, grass fed beef, eat your greens, and guzzle down your plankton drinks, then you might want to add some fish oil or krill oil to your diet.
If you are using DHA to help fight Alzheimer's, then a powerful combination of ingredients to combine with it is uridine and choline. The best way I have read about to add these nutrients is a citicholine product called cognizine.
Yours in health,
Dr. Dave
If you wish to review any of the previous
Health Challenge articles -
 Complimentary
Heart Rate Variability EKG Examination
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Trim Challenge
Spring is here - at least my daffodils think so. This is the time our bodies are programmed to flush and cleanse - spring cleaning. Throughout human history until the last couple hundred years, this time of year people generally had very little to eat. The food stores they had set away to last through the winter were running out. The only thing to eat in nature were the new green shoots popping up out of the ground right now. These shoots contain nutrients for cleaning out our livers and colons.
Bitter greens have been used for healing cleanses for thousands of years because our bodies have always had this time of year when we were forced to eat them. Combined with near starvation, our bodies go into cleanse mode. In this time of plenty we have to re-create this natural healing time through fasting and bitter green consumption. I generally spend 2 weeks every year at this time, cleaning out my system in this way. I will devote our next newsletter to cleansing from the inside out.
David
Announcing a new service at Fair Oaks Healing Arts
Wouldn't it be great if you had someone to hand walk you through the transition to a healthy lifestyle?
Find out more here:
FOHAC Healthy Lifestyle Support Services
Ouestions - if you have questions of a health or growth nature we could discuss in this newsletter, or if you have comments or ideas about a future newsletter focus please email me at:
david@fairoakshealth.com
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