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2010/03/30
Published
WHY IS EPA, DHA SO IMPORTANT?
Trying to understand good oils from “bad” oils and knowing which supplements are good and why is a daunting task. To simplify it, it boils down to getting enough EPA and DHA. EPA is eicosapentaenoic acid, which the body needs to make anti-inflammatory workers in the body (prostaglandins, thromboxanes and leukotrienes). EPAs play a critical role in maintaining cell membrane structure and function. Cell membranes protect us from the influences of virus and other pathogen attack and also form the basis upon which we absorb our nutrients (amino acids, simple sugars such as glucose, fatty acids, minerals, vitamins and trace elements). Cell membrane structure regulates nutrient flow in and out of cells as well as waste products. DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) also plays a key role in membrane fluidity, cell membrane receptor function and is found in highest concentration in nerve cells, the retina of the eye and in the testicles. Therefore, getting sufficient quantites of EPA/DHA is essential to allow the body to maintain cell structure and repair these “high demand” structures.
WHAT FOODS WILL INCREASE MY EPA/DHA RATIOS?
Cold water fatty fish, salmon, sardines, wild trout, anchovies, tuna, mackerel, fish oils (EPA/DHA) and algae-derived DHA all help increase EPA/DHA ratios. A diet too high in omega 6 fatty acids and therefore arachindonic acid needs to result in cutting back saturated fats such as margarine, shortening, vegetable oils and using olive oil, or high-oleic canola or high-oleic safflower oil instead in addition to taking in EPA/DHA fish oil.
Flax oil alone will not result in the synthesis of EPA. However, it does help to counter the omega 6 ratios. Other foods that counter a diet high in omega 6 are, walnuts, and dark leafy green vegetables.
Niacin, B6, vitamin C, zinc and magnesium are all essential for the healthy functioning of the desaturase enzyme to function, assisting in the synthesis of EPAs. Therefore, you have been on a high EPA/DHA supplement program and your lab results still show low synthesis of EPA/DHA then consider these additional co-factors.
WHY DO SOME PEOPLE DO BETTER ON FLAX OVER FISH OIL?
Two factors can be involved. The first factor concerns the body’s ability to break down fats into simple fatty acids. This is a fat metabolism issue. In many cases, the person is not making sufficient quantities of the fat enzyme lipase. Taking a digestive enzyme that contains lipase will help the body to digest all fats, including fish oil. Taking the digestive enzyme when you take your fish oil supplements will help break them down and reduce the chances of burping up fish oil later.
The second factor someone might notice is the anti-inflammatory effect flax versus fish oil may have. Some studies confirm a different mechanism of action for flax and EPA/DHA that has a different effect depending upon the condition. In Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, leukotriene LTB4 creates chronic intestinal inflammation. Animal models confirm that flax was more effective than EPA/DHA in reducing levels of LTB4, lowering ulcerations. However, colitis patients given high doses of EPA/DHA, 3.24g EPA and 2.16g DHA daily, showed significant decline in LTB4 levels and improved labs. In addition, those patients taking fish oil supplements could significantly reduce their Prednisone levels by more than one half! (Ann Inter Med 1992; 116(8):609-614.
Overall however, fish oils outperform flax oil because of its mechanism of action. Fish oils reduce arachidonic acid’s inflammation. They lower blood triglycerides. Studies confirm that eating one fatty fish a week reduce the rate of heart attack by 70%! Fish oils help to reduce fibrinogen, a substance that makes our blood sticky, leading to increased risk of stroke. Fish oil also helps to reduce blood pressure and improve insulin resistance. Studies of fish oil supplements have shown prolonged remission of lupus, and significant reductions of inflamed joints
WHAT IS THE QUALITY OF YOUR FISH OIL?
There is a lot of press going on about heavy metal toxicity in our fish and as a result contamination of our fish oil supplements. Should we be concerned? A lawsuit filed in San Francisco Superior Court cited a number of suppliers of fish oil supplements for selling products contaminated with high levels of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) compounds. The levels identified were above the safety limits established by California’s Proposition 65. Prop 65 established a safety limit of total PCBs at 0.09 ppm (90 ppb or 0.09 ug/kg). In fact, the lawsuit stated that some products contained as much as 70 times the amount of PCBs as other products! So yes we do need to be concerned especially since the grade sold over the counter is not routinely sampled for toxic contamination though it is much cheaper than a doctor’s grade EPA/EHA sold only through doctor’s offices.
Immune Matrix has toured the manufacturing facility of Metagenics in depth and was incredibly impressed by their exceedingly high standard of excellence. The highest standard of quality in the supplement manufacturing industry is GMP Certified. There are two logos one that shows GMP and another that shows NSF (National Sanitary Foundation) that guarantee that the ingredients on the label are actually in the bottle. These logos cannot be put on a bottle without certification to facilities that have been regularly audited by the GMP-certifying body. There are only two certifying bodies, NSF and NNFA (National Nutritional Food Association). Once a product bears the logo it means that the manufacturer passed an audit, received GMP certification and manufactures according to GMP-certified standards. Metagenics complies over and above these standards!
Why isn’t this the universal standard for all supplements? It’s expensive. The incoming raw product has to be tested and certified according to exact GMP-certified standards. Many manufacturing facilities do not have the testing facility to support this certification. Receiving raw product that does not meet GMP standards means the product has to be thrown out at significant cost to the manufacturer. Cutting corners to skip GMP-certified manufacturing standards LOWERS THE PRICE, and the QUALITY and POTENCY of the product. Some of these companies use misleading terms like “GMP-compliant” or “exceed GMP standards”, “Food GMP”, and this IS NOT the same as GMP-certified.
However, the test of a product is its performance. Immune Matrix has found in routine testing of its patients with BIA, significant improvement of cell membrane function for those patients taking EPA/DHA 6:1 unlike any other fish oil on the market, over the counter or those only available through a health care provider. Immune Matrix is so excited about this finding that it is making this supplement available online at www.immunematrix.com. Patients that take a minimum of 3 per day, and those with chronic infection, lyme disease, Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, arthritis, eczema took 6 per day, all showed significant improved cell membrane function of BIAs within 30 days! This means that the body is able to begin to accelerate cell membrane repair because 1) it is now able to get ahead of its inflammation, and 2) because the building blocks of cell membrane repair are now available. Patients with brain fog and cognitivie impairment need to take as much as 6 a day to give the body what it needs and then also to allow adequate EPA/DHA for the brain. Remember, if the body has a huge need for EPA/DHA because of cellular repair, there will be little available for the body to repair neurons in the brain. Patients who switched off of the 6:1 to another fish oil, relapsed into their old cell membrane picture. This suggests that daily maintenance of cell structure require adequate high grade EPA/DHA.
You can significantly improve your inflammation markers by adding EPA/DHA to your diet. It is safe to take with prescription medications and steroids. And, when your lab values begin to improve, advise your health care provider of what you are doing in your dietary choices and in taking fish oils daily so that over time your medications can be adjusted as your inflammation and healing improves.
Please note:
Information on this site is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication or other treatment.
Incoming search terms for the article:apex energetics lawsuitrepairs the fatty structure of the bodies cell wallsapex energetics nsf certifiedblood type b an fatty acidsdoes dha increase 5ARnsf gmp certified fish oilREPAIRING THE FATTY STRUCTURE THE BODIES CELL WALLS
2010/03/28
Published
Essential fatty acids are the core building blocks for all our cell membranes. Imbalances in fatty acids are more common in those suffering from chronic inflammation. Individuals with chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, arthritis, autism, heart disease, arteriosclerosis, Crohn’s disease, Asperger’s, depression, ulcerative colitis, and auto-immune diseases such as Lupus and Hashimoto’s, and those suffering cognitive impairment such as brain fog, visual or auditory processing disorders, ADD, ADHD, OCD, Alzheimer’s and dementia all have impaired cell membrane function. The developing fetus, women with gestational diabetes, and those suffering from post-partum depression also have imbalances in their EFAs.
WHAT IS AN IMBALANCE IN FATTY ACIDS?
If you eat the traditional Western hemisphere diet of high carbohydrates, vegetables oils, and animal fats, then your ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 fatty acids is out of balance. In fact if you add the American Diet plus take supplements that contain borage oil or evening primrose oil and you do not know what your 6:3 omega ratios are, then you could be tipping your fatty acids more out of balance! The more Omega 6 you take in, the more your body makes arachidonic acid, a by-product of Omega 6 metabolism that increases ALL inflammation in the body. It will make all your symptoms worse. Furthermore, imbalances in fatty acids prevent the proper repair of cell membranes in our entire body, especially the brain! Imbalances in fatty acids also prevents the synthesis of all hormones in the body, throwing growth hormone, sex hormones, melatonin, and essential neurotransmitter synthesis out of balance.
Taking over the counter medications such as aspirin or prescription medications such as NSAIDs, indomethacin, colchicine, sulfasalazine, anti-inflammatory steroids, BLOCKS the synthesis of much needed prostaglandins, leukotrienes and thromboxanes, all anti-inflammatory helpers! They tip your ratios even more out of balance and contribute to the chronic nature of many inflammatory conditions.
Our diet and environment also plays a significant part in inhibiting the proper production of EFAs in the body. Delta-6 desaturase is a key enzyme involved in fatty acid metabolism, whose function is blocked by the use of alcohol, foods containing trans-fats, and saturated fat diets. Taking too much of linolenic acid, or having Epstein Barr, a common chronic fatigue virus, also inhibits the proper function of this enzyme and tips you more out of the proper EPA/DHA balance! Conditions such as eczema, increased nerve pain and other neuralgias, paresthesias, depression, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease commonly have low delta-6 desaturase activity. Insulin resistance and diabetes impairs this enzyme function, with the added problem of also increasing the product of the pro-inflammatory arachidonic acid!
SYMPTOMS OF FATTY ACID DEFICIENCY
Symptoms of low omega 6 include “chicken skin” which are bumps on the back of the upper arms, red skin, scaly skin, eczema patches, excessive thirst without excessive urination, coarse dry hair, hair loss, brittle nails and slow wound healing. Symptoms of low omega 3 include numbness and tingling of the fingers and feet, impaired immune system function, frequent colds or slow recovery from infections and colds, mood swings, depression, brain fog, dementia, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, insulin resistance, Syndrome X, arthritis, or diabetes.
You do not need to have any of the above symptoms to actually be out of balance and deficient in EPA/DHA. If you eat gluten, lots of animal protein, like beef, hotdogs, cured meats, deli meats, processed foods, any food in a box, then you have a high inflammatory diet and your ratio of omega 6:Omega 3 will be off.
In Part B we will discuss the different types of fatty acids and what you can do to reduce your inflammation, improve your overall health and maintain a better fatty acid balance.
Please note:
Information on this site is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication or other treatment.
2010/03/26
Published
Your adrenals are a pair of endocrine glands located on top of your kidneys and they produce cortisol and DHEA. The levels of cortisol throughout the day follow a specific rhythm which can become thrown off by insomnia, stress, chronic infection, inflammation and other hormonal imbalances. Proper levels of cortisol at key times of the day are essential for protein metabolism, sugar metabolism, blood sugar control, fat metabolism, maintenance of muscle tissues, heart function, and controlling inflammation. Irregular, low or elevated cortisol levels allow chronic infection to persist in the body, increase sugar cravings, weight gain, hair loss, and feelings of exhaustion and persistent fatigue.
HOW DOES STRESS AFFECT CORTISOL?
Stress elevates cortisol levels and when prolonged can cause impaired cortisol receptor sensitivity, leading to blood sugar irregularities such as insulin sensitivity, syndrome X, and slow non-symptomatic brain damage (hippocampus). Elevated cortisol levels over time lead to adrenal glad exhaustion.
Chronic stress throws off the feedback function between the hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal glands, elevating cortisol levels until the adrenal gland goes into fatigue and then exhaustion. Elevated cortisol levels especially in the morning and before bed at night contribute to depression. A study performed in 1992 found approximately 60% of Schizophrenics with abnormal cortisol rhythm. (Neuropsychobiol 1992:25:1-7)
WHAT ARE LOW CORTISOL SYMPTOMS?
Low cortisol function can result in feeling weak, tired especially after meals, or simply exhaustion. Exercise makes the person feel more tired. There may be low grade nausea and lack of appetite in the morning. Constipation, or slow bowels, abdominal pains, diarrhea, or irritable bowel can be experienced. Cravings for salt are common as well as sugars especially during mid-afternoon when adrenal function first begins to become low. Postural dizziness may be accompanied by feelings of low blood sugar. Thinning of the hair, and hyper-pigmentation of the skin can result when cortisol levels stay chronically low. Insomnia, and excessive dreams or nightmares can result with prolonged REM stage sleep the result of low cortisol levels.
SYMPTOMS OF ELEVATED CORTISOL
Elevated cortisol can make a person feel hungry all the time or only late at night. You can feel wired and tired, unable to rest. Headaches become more common as well as elevated blood pressure. Anxiety can increase as can cravings for alcohol or smoking to calm the nervous system. Weight gain around the stomach can be seen. Aggressive behavior, increased frustration, short temper, and irritability are common. Increased risk of heart attack, myocardial hypertrophy and atherosclerosis driven by increased inflammation. Thyroid function can become suppressed and insulin resistance and syndrome X can develop. Low progesterone and certain estrogens in menstruating women can also result from elevated cortisol’s effect upon accelerated consumption of progesterone. Elevated cortisol also is a key factor in causing osteoporosis! It contributes to calcium mal-absorption.
CHRONIC FATIGUE AND CORTISOL, THE CART OR THE HORSE?
Over-secretion of cortisol in response to stress or infection will create symptoms of fatigue and exhaustion, depression, low blood pressure, weight loss, reactive hypoglycemia, and low buffer for stress. When chronic fatigue patients are tested, their salivary cortisol levels are often LOW, indicating mal-adaption phase, adrenal fatigue, or a stage of adrenal exhaustion. Persistent low cortisol levels significantly impairs immune system function such that many chronic fatigue patients show elevated immune titers to viral antigens such as Epstein Barr, cytomeg., echo virus, rocky mountain spotted fever, and coxsackie virus.
Does adrenal exhaustion cause chronic fatigue? The clinical picture of many patients suffering persistent exhaustion lasting six months or longer is one of increased extra cellular toxicity, impaired detoxification pathways, impaired cell membrane repair, chronic viral titers and intestinal dysbiosis. Chronic toxicity and infection wear the body down and wear down the adrenals. By the time a chronic fatigue patient suffers symptoms of sugar sensitivity, fatigue especially after eating a meal with carbohydrates, their cortisol function is already low. A vicious cycle begins and low cortisol from exhausted adrenal function then results in lowered immune function. The patient continues to deteriorate in energy, sugar metabolism, immune system function, digestion and hormone metabolism.
Simply giving such a patient cortisol can make the patient feel better for a SHORT time only. Some patients given cortisol will feel worse almost immediately. This is due to their immune system’s response to cortisol. Whenever the immune system is hyper-vigilant, it will develop a recognition to something. The development of immune recognition to one’s own cortisol is very common. One can also develop an immune recognition to metabolites that are involved in the synthesis of cortisol. Therefore, if one is then given additional cortisol to increase low cortisol levels, this can trigger an immune system activation and increase inflammation in the body, triggering more fatigue, body pains, low grade fevers and digestive symptoms. The other down side to taking cortisol is that it makes the body dependent upon receiving cortisol rather than making its own. Lastly, taking cortisol supplementation at the wrong time of day can actually make your cortisol levels more imbalanced!
In order to help the adrenals to manufacture cortisol, the underlying cause of adrenal exhaustion must be addressed. This means that titers for viral infection musts be reduced. Western medicine uses drugs to suppress viral action in the body. This does not eliminate the virus from the body. However, serial dilution homeopathics from a trained medical practitioner are very effective in helping the body eliminate virus. It can take 3-6 months but it addresses the cause of the problem. Eliminating chronic low grade bacterial infection in the digestive track such as clostridium, staph and all forms of strep are also essential. Eliminating candida and fungal strains in the digestive tract are also necessary.
During the phase of pathogen elimination, one may need to take cortisol as a “crutch” per se to boost one’s immune system function but only if one’s inflammation markers are carefully monitored. As the digestion of the patient improves, the patient will be able to take herbs that help the adrenals synthesize cortisol and assist in re-setting the glucocorticoid receptors in the brain and body. The patient should have their salivary cortisol levels re-tested every 60 days to make sure the therapy is effective and to prevent low cortisol levels from becoming elevated!
WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW
The first step is to determine your cortisol rhythm. A salivary cortisol test is essential and preferred over a blood test for cortisol. Saliva tests the unbound free form bio-available cortisol and tests it to the biorhythm of the day. Knowing what your cortisol level is at specific times of day is crucial to understanding when your blood sugar regulation is more at risk, why you are likely to feel fatigue, or hunger, and WHEN TO TAKE adrenal supporting supplements! You can do this test in your own home and mail the results out. A graph showing your cortisol rhythm will be prepared in two weeks by Diagnos-Techs. available online at www.immunematrix.com at their online store under Labs (Cortisol/Saliva Test – Diagnos-Techs,Inc. SKU: SKU16265). The cost of the lab includes a consultation with a medical health care practitioner from Immune Matrix.
The second step is to obtain information of the degree of dysbiosis from your digestive tract. This test will identify and quantify the good probiotics, the pathogenic bacteria, candida, yeast and fungi living in your digestive tract and test them for resistance to prescription and non-prescriptive agents to eliminate them. This test is available online at www.immunematrix.com at their online store under Labs (Microbiology Stool (Doctor’s Data) SKU: SKU16263. Immune Matrix is making these tests available online because of the depth of information it tells the patient and because many patients do not know a practitioner that can make such tests available to their patients.
The third step is to meet with your medical health care provider to have blood tests run for immune titers for suspected viral infections. Future articles will discuss what patients can do on their own to support proper immune function specifically addressed to fighting chronic viral infections.
Armed with the knowledge of what your cortisol values are throughout the day, the fourth step is to begin a course of therapy to strengthen your adrenals. Working with an experienced medical practitioner in this regard is essential. However, there is much you can do in your lifestyle to support improved adrenal function.
If you have low cortisol:
a) do not eat carbohydrates or high glycemic foods on an empty stomach
b) add a sugar digestive enzyme to your meals to improve your sugar metabolism
c) add BenaGene to each meal to improve insulin resistance
d) eat protein with each meal, and snack
e) do not skip breakfast, and include protein at breakfast
f) Walking is the best exercise. If you are able to do more aerobic exercise, watch your fatigue level after your workout. If your fatigue does not resolve within 2 hours after a workout, then you have done too much and are at risk of weakening your adrenals from too strenuous exercise.
g) Go to bed at a regular time, no later than midnight.
h) Do not engage in mentally stimulating work an hour before bed. This means no internet surfing, video games, stressful tv shows, news etc before bed.
i) Have a small protein snack 2 hrs before bed to help maintain your blood sugar while you sleep.
j) Sleep in an entirely dark room, no night lights, no lights from alarm clock. This will help your body optimize melatonin, growth hormone and other essential hormone synthesis.
k) Manage your stress and remove yourself from stress for brief periods when you can, to preserve your cortisol levels.
l) When you feel yourself become fatigued, take a 15 minute timed break. Lay down on the floor with feet propped up on the chair. Close your eyes but do not let yourself rest longer than 15 minutes. This will help refresh your adrenals as if you had an extra hour of sleep in the day. Doing this when your cortisol function is the lowest in the day will help to regenerate them.
If you have elevated cortisol, you need to pay attention to what time of day the cortisol is elevated.
a) avoid eating carbohydrates during the elevated cortisol times of day and watch the amount of carbohydrates you are consuming, keeping it to the size of the palm of your hand
b) avoid stimulants like coffee, tea, chocolate, alcohol, during high cortisol times
c) monitor your stressors during that time of day when your cortisol is elevated to become aware of what is driving your cortisol
d) phosphotidylserine helps to detoxify excess cortisol, so taking it as a supplement at the time of day when your cortisol is elevated will help to bring it down, but only if you find the source of why your cortisol is elevated
e) at least one hour before bedtime avoid overstimulation by TV, family stress or exercise
f) 2 hours before bedtime have a small protein snack
You can coach your adrenals back into balance. The more chronic your condition, the longer it can take but having a program guideline and getting your salivary cortisol levels checked every 60 days will keep you on target with your goal. Chronic infections complicate the regeneration of your cortisol rhythms, but to ignore your adrenal function during chronic infection is to risk lowered immune system function. The above information should give you adequate information to make well informed decisions about your adrenal function.
Please note:
Information on this site is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication or other treatment.
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2010/03/26
Published
What is a toxin?
Toxins are products that are potentially harmful to the body. They come from our environment and from our bodies as a natural byproduct of all the metabolic processes of the body. For example, the liver performs over 40,000 metabolic processes, and therefore excretion of toxins is essential for good . If a byproduct of our metabolism begins to accumulate in our system, then it can become a toxin. A classic example is estrogen for women. When a woman does not recycle and excrete her estrogens efficiently, they accumulate in the body and irritate key estrogen receptor sites in the body, principally the breast and uterine tissue, pre-disposing her to the development of estrogen based cancers. Add the challenge of efficient estrogen metabolism to modern society’s use of the birth control pill (synthetic hormones) and the use of synthetic hormones for menopause treatment and you drastically increase a woman’s risk for developing cancer. It is no wonder therefore, that our breast cancer rates have not fallen as the issue of methylation of estrogen is not being addressed!
The purpose of this article is to give the reader an introduction to understanding the nature of our exposure and to give you information to help you start to reduce your toxic exposure now! Future articles will go into great depth regarding specific toxins and conditions associated with toxic exposure.
When does a toxin begin to harm us?
When most of us think of toxic exposure we think of being poisoned by something. We imagine that we should feel an immediate effect, like some type of overdose from exposure. However, environmental toxins are more subtle and slow acting. The damage they cause depends upon the cumulative effect of the toxins over time, where the body stores the toxin, how the toxin interacts with our metabolism, how inefficient or burdened our detoxification pathways are based upon our genetic makeup, the state of our immune health, the state of our digestive system (our barrier to the outside world), our additional toxic lifestyle, the added effect of other toxins backing up our system, the interaction of toxins together and the type of damage the toxin causes over time.
Because our environmental toxic exposure is cumulative, industry is slow to make changes favoring profits over health in this country. Because environmental exposure is cumulative, its effects are not immediate and thus industries and government choose to debate over whether something actually causes a disease rather than choosing to eliminate the chemical because it does not promote health! In the mean time we slowly accumulate ever increasing amounts of toxins and wonder why each generation becomes sicker, with more obesity and inflammatory diseases than the prior generation. The American Medical Association published a statement last year stating that this generation was the first in which we will begin to see parents outliving their young! We as a society need to be greatly alarmed by that. We need to choose health over complacency and not waste time over debate.
Where are these toxins?
We get them from our mother in the womb, from breast milk, from our food, our medications and supplements (dye used to color the pills, preservatives, fillers) our cosmetics, the air we breathe outdoors and indoors and from the clothing we wear. The following environmental “toxins” have been shown “conclusively” to affect the development of the nervous system and contribute to autism, attention deficit disorder (ADD/ADHD), dyslexia, OCD, Asburger’s syndrome, brain fog, visual processing disorders, auditory processing disorders, insomnia, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and aggravate all immune disorders such as Chron’s disease, irritable bowel, arthritis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, acid reflux, eczema, seasonal allergies, food sensitivities, food allergies, and environmental chemical sensitivities.
The most preventable toxin affecting behavioral and learning disabilities is that of alcohol during pregnancy. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is considered part of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Even low consumption of alcohol during pregnancy can have permanent effects upon a child’s cognitive performance.
Nicotine and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), and second hand smoke has shown to affect behavior disorders and developmental delays in children and young adults. Cigarette smoke contains over 3500 toxins alone, not to mention the addictive effect to the smoker of nicotine. Some of these toxins are mycotoxins, toxins from fungi used to fuel the addictive cravings.
Pesticides come from agriculture and our own backyards to an estimated 1 billion pounds into our yards a year in the United States alone! Exposure to organophosphates in yards and school playgrounds, parks and such enhance the risk for developmental disorders that include issues with memory and motor performance. Remember the effect is cumulative. Depending upon the genetic make up of the child and their toxic levels, some children will suffer more than others.
Pesticides in our food are a huge problem that is not discussed as openly as it could in the media. A few years ago a local newspaper took samples of common grocery food items (non-organic) and was shocked to find the levels of toxic pesticides exceed FDA guidelines. They published a top ten list of foods not to eat unless they were organic as a result. Potatoes and strawberries hit the top ten list. What should have happened is that these “toxic” foods should have been taken off the shelves and the industry challenged to make drastic changes to protect us from these contaminants. Local news media that could have spread the word to protect the public failed to act. Again, economics over health.
Smog, car exhaust, all polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are know mutagens and carcinogens. They are generated by our cars, trucks and buses, present also in tobacco smoke and coal-fired power plants. For a fetus, it can affect birth weight where the mother to live in a smoggy town and increase the baby’s risk for cognitive and developmental delays.
Solvents from the workplace used for industrial cleaning, janitorial cleaning, from alcohol, turpentine, acetone, tetrachloroethylene and toluene are know to also induce low birth weight and cause developmental delays. More than 50 million metric tons of solvents are used in the United States with declared exposures to over 10 million individuals in the workplace alone!
Arsenic is found to be the first toxin excreted with patients undergoing heavy metal chelation and that is often their discovery that they were high in arsenic! It is one the first metals the body purges before releasing more toxic metals such as lead and mercury. Arsenic is found as a common contaminant in drinking water, and accumulates faster from diets high in shrimp. Arsenic has known neurological effects in the development of children and the slow poisoning of adults.
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are chlorinated compounds used in electrical transforms, the insulation fluids, cooling fluids and other electrical compounds in industry. PCB exposure is cumulative and is known to affect motor skills, learning and memory.
Flame retardants, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are mandatorily used in fabrics for children’s clothing and in all cloth furniture, such as your couch, and bed mattress. Constant contact results in our body absorbing these products which are known to be neurotoxins affecting motor activity and cognitive performance. It’s the best of two evils, either one’s clothing catches fire easily or you take your chances over time in accumulating toxic neurodegenerative chemicals.
Both PCBs and PBDEs, dioxins, flame retardants, organochloride pesticides, DDT, heavy metals, phthalates and perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) disrupt hormonal function in both men and women. Some of these products are legally allowed as food-can liners! Childhood endocrine imbalances from childhood obesity, to early onset of menses in girls to high estrogens in boys accounts for the estrogenic effects of these chemicals.
Mercury from cement plant fumes to amalgam fillings to thimerisol in vaccines is a known potent neurotoxin. Coal plants and coal-burning electric utilities spew mercury vapors in the air.
Fluoride added to drinking water to reduce dental decay has a backlash effect upon those susceptible. It is also found in toothpaste and mouthwashes. Those suffering from hypothyroid conditions, autoimmune thyroid such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Wilson’s disorder are vulnerable. Published studies also show that children’s IQ decreased in areas where fluoride was used in the drinking water. Emerging research also suggests accelerated calcification to the pineal gland in adults contributing to a host of hormonal imbalances.
Lead, still present in the paints at many schools in our country and old homes continues to accumulate in our blood stream. Lead combines with bioavailable calcium in our body to form the plaques that lead to atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis. Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in modern society and lead toxicity stimulates arteriole plaque formation and storage of lead in our bones. Lead from car exhaust is a principal source of environmental exposure.
EDTA is the best known chelator for lead and its removal from the body is one of the slowest, taking years. Therefore, taking minute amounts of EDTA in the form of a gum that even children can chew is helpful in preventing the storage of this toxic metal in the body. The EDTA gum can be purchased online at www.immunematrix.com (EZ Defense Gum – 100 count SKU: SKU16167) and helps to reduce the daily accumulation of lead. Another way of helping to removed lead is EDTA bath salts, safe for children and adults and is a fabulous way to detoxify the skin, over time lightening hyper-pigmentation and clarifying the skin. (Beyond Clean – 567 grams SKU: SKU16161)
Food additives from food colorings, food preservatives, food flavor enhancers, food thickeners, and stabilizers all add toxic stress to our systems. Additives such as colorings, tartrazine, sodium benzoates, msg all are neurotoxins. Some individuals are more sensitive to minute exposures than others. Symptoms can range from headache, chronic migraine, ADD, ADHD, impulsive behaviors, sudden changes in mood or attention, brain fog, chronic fatigue, food allergy symptoms, irritable bowel, nose bleeds, chronic sinus congestion, to cognitive disorders in both children and adults. All children suffering from developmental disorders, cognitive impairment, autism etc. must eliminate food additives from their diet.
In all the descriptions of toxins mentioned above, the toxin was studied alone for its effect upon the body, again as if it were a poison. However, we are exposed to minute amounts of all the toxins listed above and more daily! No one has studied the cumulative effect of mixing all these toxins in a body and increasing their doses over time aside from the emerging correlation that chronic inflammatory diseases, auto-immune diseases and degenerative diseases all have a toxic element to them. The body breaks down over time in its ability to eliminate these toxins and the cascade of immune triggers begins. Future articles will address the interaction of toxicity to specific disorders, but suffice it to say here that increasing toxic load increases your risk for developing a chronic inflammatory condition, an auto-immune condition, and affects your body’s ability to ward of infection allowing it to become chronic in your body. It is also a major reason why we have such an explosion of autism, ADD, ADHD, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, eczema, asthma, and a host of inflammatory driven conditions such as arteriosclerosis, arthritis, irritable bowel, and migraine.
What can you do now to minimize your cumulative toxic exposure?
1) Eat clean fresh produce, preferably organic. If you are unable to purchase all organic foods, choose organic potatoes, and strawberries, apples and vegetables whose skin you eat.
2) Use a fruit and vegetable wash designed to eliminate pesticide residue from the surface of produce purchased.
3) Eliminate any food that requires a preservative. Shop the perimeter of your grocery store only, as the aisles are filled with foods packaged in cans and boxes, full of preservatives. Keep it fresh only.
4) Eliminate aluminum from your deodorants; use natural crystal deodorants.
5) Eliminate sodium laural sulfate from your toothpaste, and all products containing fluoride from toothpaste and mouthwash.
6) Use natural organic cosmetics.
7) Use natural enzyme based, and green products to clean your home.
8) Change pesticide usage to natural products. Many pest control companies now will used if asked essential oils to ant and bug proof the perimeter of the home.
9) Use natural laundry cleaner and dryer sheets.
10) Eliminate sodas and can drinks from your diet
11) Stop smoking…anything
12) Stop or reduce your consumption of alcohol
13) Stop habitual use of over the counter medications and seek answers to why you are dependent upon them
14) Become aware of your toxic exposure from your hobbies: stain glass, pottery, paints, photography, gardening etc.
15) Use face masks to reduce exposure when painting and doing remodel or home repairs and use gloves around solvents when needed.
Future articles will go into more detail the manner in which we need to detoxify specific toxins and how their presence contributes to our chronic health issues. Taking the above mentioned steps will be a significant improvement in what you can do now to reduce the cumulative effects of environmental toxic exposure and help your body to begin to clear the years of accumulated residue hindering your body’s ability to heal.
Please note:
Information on this site is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication or other treatment.
2010/03/22
Published
The purpose of this article is to introduce you the concept of B vitamin metabolism, the effect the immune system can have in interfering with your B vitamin metabolism, how B vitamins impact detoxification and how problems metabolizing B vitamins aggravate certain conditions.
We all need and use B vitamins daily for survival. However, when we suffer from a chronic disease or inflammatory disorder such as Autism, Asperger’s syndrome, ADD, ADHD, OCD, depression, PMS, seasonal allergies, food allergies, environmental sensitivities, arthritis, acid reflux, diabetes, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, lyme disease, eczema, hives, itchy skin, brain fog, developmental delay disorders, chronic sinusitis, recurrent ear infections, irritable bowel, Crohn’s disease, celiac sprue, heavy metal toxicity, toxic teeth, chronic viral infections, mood disorders, and/or insomnia, our metabolism of B vitamins may not be functioning correctly. Traditional medicine looks at the levels of B vitamins in a patient and makes a HUGE ASSUMPTION that if the level of a vitamin is low, it is because they are deficient in that vitamin AND that they are not taking enough of that vitamin from food or supplementation. This is not necessarily true! It completely ignores the issue of how the body metabolizes B vitamins and how the immune system can become triggered to block the body’s synthesis and degradation of B vitamin metabolites.
HOW DOES THE IMMUNE SYSTEM INTERFERE WITH THE SYNTHESIS OR DEGRADATION OF B VITMAINS?
If your immune system recognizes a B vitamin such as B12, then it blocks the usage of that vitamin to various degrees by treating it as a foreign invader. The immune system may blocking its usage, to various degrees, eliminating it from your body and making it appear as if you are deficient in that vitamin. The degree of immune interference with that vitamin varies depending on the degree and type of inflammation that patient is suffering from. If the immune system recognizes a metabolite or a number of metabolites in the synthesis or degradation of B vitamins, then you will have a proportional inhibition either in the synthesis of a B vitamin or degradation in that vitamin.
B VITAMINS ARE NEEDED TO RUN DETOXIFICATION PATHWAYS
The liver performs over 40,000 metabolic processes in the body. A handful of these involve detoxification. The most significant pathway is called the methylation pathway for many reasons. This pathway is new on the frontier of understanding our genetic and metabolic connection to detoxification. Certain genetic variations in this pathway make it more difficult for some individuals to bind and excrete toxins. For purposes of this article, B6 and B12 and 5-tetra-hydroxy-folate are essential to run this pathway. Think of them as key ingredients in a recipe. Without them, the bread does not rise and you do not get the desired result. If your immune system interferes with the usage of an ingredient needed to make a B vitamin such as B12, then the availability of that vitamin to fuel the detoxification pathway will be hindered in direct proportion to the degree of immune system interference. If your immune system hinders the degradation of a B vitamin in the liver, then the toxic load to your liver increases and the B vitamin metabolites act as fuel to increase inflammation to specific body receptor sites such as the brain, nerve tissue and neurotransmitter synthesis, and skin.
The most significant challenges seen involving the usage of B vitamins occurs in the autism spectrum of disorders. The child’s immune system is on hyper alert and with various treatment programs, large quantities of B vitamins are given to the child by many doctors. The parents may begin to see an increase in symptoms when B vitamin dosage is increased. This can also occur when the level of glutathione or other heavy metal chelators are given to the child. These chelators increase the body’s demand for key B vitamins and can aggravate immune system interference with B vitamin synthesis and degradation in the body, sometimes derailing the body’s ability to use B vitamins. These children do need more B vitamins when pushed to detoxify but their immune system does not allow for this increased demand. This occurs in addition to any genetic defects in their detoxification pathways called SNPs.
In other autism spectrum cases, increasing the dosage of B vitamins increases the neurological inflammation present in the brains of these children and their neurological symptoms increase. What has also been known to occur is that the immune sensitivity to the B vitamin is also linked to an immune recognition with a neurotransmitter(s). As a result you see, more aggression, more head banging, & shorter attention span. They seem to regress. This is a huge sign that there is a metabolic block to pushing their body to metabolize more B vitamins.
Many other inflammatory condition involve this same mechanism of action in preventing a patient from taking and using their B vitamins. The more the inflammation, the worse the reactivity can be to the B vitamin. As a result skin conditions can worsen in eczema and hives. Chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia patients can suffer more fatigue and increased pain and body aches. Those with toxic teeth or heavy metal toxicity can suffer body stiffness, body pain, tight muscles, headaches, even to the point of migraine. The frequency of irritable bowel and other digestive disorders can peak.
Immune Matrix has a proprietary protocol for testing and treating these complex detoxification pathways. The result is that the patient is able to begin to use B vitamins. Smaller dosages are needed, taxing the liver less. Neurotransmitter synthesis and performance improves. Heavy metal excretion improves. Behavior of the child begins to improve such that teachers begin to take note and ask the parent what they are doing to change their child. Laboratory values for B vitamins normalize. Immune cell interference on detoxification pathways declines and patients are able to excrete toxins without complications. Their excretion of heavy metals increases. Mental clarity and energy begin to improve from improved levels of B vitamin metabolism.
Any chronic inflammatory condition can be aggravated by immune cell recognition of B vitamin metabolites. This results in your being deficient in your usage of B vitamins and causes you to become more toxic from taking B vitamins because they cannot be eliminated from the liver as easily.
Most B vitamins on the market are synthetic. Synthetic B vitamins are a molecular opposite of the natural form we need in our body. As a result, this synthetic B vitamin has to be “degraded”, broken down in the liver. It then must be converted to a natural form of B vitamin. This conversion is never 100%. Therefore, the conversion of synthetic B vitamins always increases one’s toxic load. If you have immune cell interference in the conversion, either in synthesis or degradation, then your toxic burden increases. Your tolerance to B vitamins decreases! This is why many people react to their vitamins!
Chronic inflammatory conditions such as autism, arthritis, eczema, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Chron’s disease, celiac disease, psoriasis, ADD, ADHD, all tend to need more B vitamins. Inflammation depletes the bio-availability of B vitamins. Stress from inflammation depletes the bio-availability of B vitamins. Increased toxicity depletes the body of B vitamins. Life stresses affect these individuals more, because of their inefficient B vitamin metabolism. Diet also depletes the body B vitamins! Especially coffee, nuts, gelatin, pineapple, chocolate. Chronic viral infections deplete the body of B vitamins. Now you can see how the body is drained of B vitamins necessary for efficient detoxification. This does not even allow for the usage of B vitamins for neurotransmitters and nerve repair, stress management, and skin repair!
B vitamins are essential to:
1) Detoxify efficiently
2) To make neurotransmitters
3) To repair nerve cells and neurons in the brain
4) To manage stress
5) To repair skin
When your immune system interferes with B vitamin degradation, synthesis or detoxification:
1) B vitamin metabolites accumulate in the liver increasing your toxicity
2) Hinder efficient detoxification of heavy metals & other toxins
3) Hinder repair of brain cells, allowing toxins to aggravate the brain
4) Hinder repair of nerve tissue in the body, allowing toxins to aggravate nerves in the body. This increases irritable bowel, increases pain sensation, numbness and tingling in the limbs, and aggravates insomnia, irritability, and mood.
5) You become more reactive to taking B vitamin supplements. You can have rashes, hives, feel shaky, heart pounding, irritable, etc.
6) You become unable to process other vitamins, tinctures, drugs, and supplements, because of increasing toxic load and inefficient detoxification metabolism. Some patients are unable to take what their doctors give them for this very reason.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO IMPROVE B VITAMIN METABOLISM?
1) B vitamins are best absorbed when in the natural form from foods. In the United States those supplements that are not synthetic but food based have to list the foods on the bottle to show the basis in which the vitamins are extracted.
2) It helps to find out your genetic SNPs for the methylation pathway. You can contact Immune Matrix at 408-262-6900 to find out how you can be tested. This will help to determine whether you can handle methyl donors or need a different type of B vitamin supplementation.
3) You can be tested at www.immunematrix.com and have those pathways treated to make your methylation pathway more efficient. Immune Matrix will also determine if there is a cross-reaction going on between B vitamins, neurotransmitters and methylation, the classic triad that aggravates chronic inflammatory conditions.
4) Try to avoid a synthetic B vitamin and in its place, take a sublingual B12 and 5-tetra-hydroxyfolate. By limiting your B vitamins to these two for a period 30-60 days you can give your immune system a break and help provide the key detoxification catalysts. Be sure to take some form of magnesium (preferably with a mineral supplement that contains molybdenum). These two additional minerals are key ingredients that drive the methylation pathway making efficient detoxification possible.
5) Take smaller doses of your prescribed supplements and more frequently during the day if possible. Avoid taking B vitamins after 3p.m. as this can disturb your sleep.
6) Take one activated charcoal at night before bedtime to help absorb toxins the body is unable to bind. This minimizes the side effect one can feel from reacting to toxins that the body is unable to bind and excrete. Activated charcoal can cause constipation, therefore, take only one and only as needed.
7) Drink more water to help flush toxins through your bowels and urinary track.
As you are now beginning to understand, taking a vitamin because your lab test says you are deficient often does not take care of the deficiency. The body has a wisdom WHY it is deficient – usually there is a metabolic hindrance to using that substance. That metabolic hindrance can be from a genetic defect that can be bypassed with proper supplementation to side pass the defect. That hindrance can be aggravated by immune sensitivities to the vitamin or its metabolite. That hindrance can also be aggravated by immune cross-reactions with neurotransmitters and other metabolites which hinder B vitamin metabolism, excretion, or interaction with other neurotransmitters in the brain and nervous system. The dynamics are interrelated and therefore consulting with a health care professional experienced in reading labs in light of the dynamics of immune sensitivities and how they relate to one’s core detoxification pathways are often necessary with a more chronic inflammatory condition.
Please note:
Information on this site is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication or other treatment.
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2010/03/21
Published
Certain grains frequently eaten by humans can cause our immune systems to react pathologically to specific proteins found in these grains. These “disease-causing” proteins are universally found within the seeds or grains of wheat, rye, barley, spelt, kamut, and triticale. These proteins are loosely called “gluten.” Cereal grains containing these gluten proteins are collectively called the “gluten grains.” Gluten is made of several families of proteins. The scientific name for the most studied of these sub-fractions of proteins is “gliadin.”
Our distant ancestors ate almost no gluten grains. Grains started to be cultivated only ten thousand years ago, and even then, only in some parts of the world. The American continent, for example, had no gluten grains until they were introduced a few hundred years ago. Of all the grains, wheat is the number one culprit. Modern wheat is also very different from the wheat that grew in the Bronze Age and before because the United States genetically modified the grain to contain a higher percent of the wheat protein under the misguided premise that it would “feed the masses better” and be more nutritional. What they did not realize was the digestion of this protein was too broad a step for our genetics to go from hunter-gatherer and expect the body to genetically adapt to a higher concentration of this protein in the grain.
Many of us have simply not yet adapted to tolerate grain, unlike ruminant animals that live off grasses and grains. A substance called gluten constitutes 78 percent of the total protein in the modern wheat. Countries that adopted the use of this genetically modified wheat for a higher gluten content show a direct correlation to inflammatory and auto-immune diseases! This may explain why grain sensitivities are so widespread.
There is now plenty of research to show that it is the specific subset of gluten, gliadin, that is an intestinal irritant and causes the inflammation to multiple tissue systems. The body reacts to it as if it there was an invader present. Bakers love the gluten as it helps to give bread its silky light texture. So the higher the gluten content, the lighter the loaf, but the harder it is on our intestines!
Tragically, gliadin frequently causes the immune system to react as if it is not a component of nourishing food, but an invading bug or microbe or, worse, as though it is indistinguishable from normal organ tissues found in our bodies. The effects of gluten on the immune system, and brain, along with profound nutritional deficiencies that so often accompany gluten sensitivity, contribute to many modern inflammatory diseases that did not exist before the widespread use of gluten products.
In those people who are genetically predisposed to gluten sensitivity, eating these grains has serious detrimental effects on the body’s immune system. Gluten grains often trigger autoimmune disease, such as insulin dependent diabetes, hypothyroidism, where the immune system, instead of protecting the body, aggressively turns against it, causing these chronic, debilitating inflammatory diseases. If not a direct cause, gluten/gliadin’s presence in the body aggravates these conditions significantly. Other inflammatory diseases having potential links to gluten/gliadin proteins are Chron’s disease, Celiac sprue, irritable bowel, arthritis, chronic fatigue, and fibromyalgia.
Gluten grains and dairy products contain morphine-like substances that affect behavior, cause learning difficulties, contribute to aggravations in ADD/ADHC, OCD behavior in those sensitive individuals, as well as migraines, headaches, eczema, increased food cravings especially for carbohydrates and more gluten! These grains are known to affect emotion and induce mood changes and swings in those neurologically sensitive. These food-derived “drugs” even alter how our immune system works, how our brain functions, altering our neurotransmitter synthesis and function and, as a consequence, dramatically increase our risk of developing many different kinds of cancer.
Celiac Disease
Celiac disease, sometimes referred to as celiac sprue, is a genetically influenced condition that results from eating gluten. More specifically, celiac disease is an ailment whereby the inside lining of the small intestine, called the intestinal mucosa, is chronically damaged by gluten proteins and their interaction with the immune system.
When actively sought, celiac disease is found in 1 in every 111 apparently healthy, symptom-free American adults, making it more than twice as common as cystic fibrosis, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis combined!
Previously, it was a universal truth that all celiac patients have predictable symptoms of weight loss, muscle wasting, failure to thrive, chronic diarrhea, smelly stools, abdominal bloating and cramping, and perhaps iron-deficiency anemia. However, today’s celiac displays quite different symptoms, such as psychological depression, intestinal cancer, insulin-dependent diabetes, osteoporosis, short stature, canker sores, and /or chronic liver disease of unknown cause, to name just a few. In fact, well over 150 medical conditions have now been reported as overrepresented among gluten-sensitive individuals.
A misconception also exists that celiacs are undernourished or emaciated. Yet, more of today’s untreated celiac are reported to be overweight or obese rather than underweight or wasted. The same research shows that the majority of untreated celiacs are well within the normal weight range. Contrary to prior beliefs, many research papers are reporting that most untreated celiacs have no abdominal symptoms at all!
Whatever the health concerns, whether for a loved one or yourself, the answer is often found in one’s diet and metabolism (and how the body reacts to food) and one’s immune system’s function. The more inflamed a person is, meaning the more symptoms a person may have such as: sugar cravings, bloating, gas, diarrhea, irritable bowel, mood swings, irritability, skin eruptions, eczema, chronic fatigue, aches and pains, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, diabetes, headache, migraine, seasonal allergies, food allergies, food sensitivities, PMS, environmental sensitivities, ADD, ADHD, OCD, Asperger’s syndrome, autism, chronic ear infections, hives, chronic sinusitis, autism, hypothyroidism, lyme disease, the more likely a person is to develop a sensitivity to some degree to gluten and gliadin proteins. And these proteins will add fuel to the fire of inflammation.
One does not need to be diagnosed with Celiac sprue to benefit from avoidance of gluten products. It also takes a minimum of three weeks to eliminate the metabolic byproducts of gluten from the system and that is for a non-immunologically inflamed individual! Therefore, if you stop gluten from your diet you need to do it for at least a month to 6 weeks to determine the relative benefit to your system or longer.
A majority of celiacs have silent or nonspecific, non-abdominal symptoms. Those who have specific antibodies against gluten circulating in their bloodstream but do not show intestinal damage are frequently unaware of the degree of detriment they suffer if they continue eating gluten; or they are completely unaware of antibodies against gluten, despite serious gluten-induced inflammation against a variety of other organ, tissue, and metabolic systems.
Immune Matrix tests all its patients for the degree of immune sensitivity it has to approximately 30 related gluten/gliadin proteins and metabolites. It assists its patients in reducing their inflammatory states by de-sensitizing the body to recognizing these proteins, such that after completion of their proprietary protocol, the patient is able to tolerate an occasional treat of a gluten product. Some more severe cases need to completely avoid all gluten products but these patients benefit greatly from the de-sensitization procedure because so many products and restaurants will have hidden gluten their dishes that they are exposed to, thereby improving their tolerance levels.
In summary, anyone suffering from any type of inflammatory condition should strongly consider going gluten free, if not daily then from Monday through Friday. Take little steps to eliminate it from the diet. Patients are suggested to eliminate it from one meal a day until for example it is never eaten at dinner. Then when the patient has adjusted to this change they can move on to make substitutes from sandwiches at lunch to alternative grains such as brown rice with their meals instead. Little steps over time make for great change and improvements in health.
There will be future articles about the latest research on how certain genotypes absolutely must avoid gluten and the types of symptoms they are most likely to suffer as a result. So stay tuned!
Please note:
Information on this site is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication or other treatment.
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2010/03/19
Published
Toxins are anything the body needs to excrete. They can be the natural byproducts of digestion, as well as the byproducts of drugs ingested, over the counter medications taken, hormones, herbs and homeopathics, to contaminants we ingest with our food, we breathe in through pollution, through the “off gassing” of carpets, paints, upholstery fabrics, dry cleaning of clothing, perfumes, and that which we absorb through our skin in our cosmetics, lotions, soaps and oral care products. Today more than ever, our bodies are surrounded by unprecedented degrees of foreign substances that our bodies must learn to excrete both in number and volume.
If you take the food and environmental element of pollution and add the increased number of vaccinations now given to our youth, which were completely unheard of one generation ago, you have a significant increase in heavy metal exposure from the vaccines to our youth at birth! Therefore, our livers and immune systems often are assaulted before they are developed sufficiently to be able to handle this extra burden of toxin elimination.
Toxic accumulation plays a significant role in:
1) increasing immune sensitivities to food, grass, weeds, pollens, chemical sensitivities
2) increase free radical damage to the body, increasing carcinogenic cell replication
3) increase erosion of cell wall membranes which impact cellular nutrient absorption and defenses against pathogens like opportunistic dysbiotic gut bacteria, yeast, candida, protozoal, parasitic and viral attack
4) erode cell wall membranes especially in nerve tissue and neurons in the brain
5) inhibit cellular genetic repair
6) inhibit endocrine/hormone function
7) increase the attraction and retention of bacteria, yeast and candida in the body
8) interfere with nerve conduction, affecting hearing, focus, attention, mental processing, and motor neuron function contributing to weakness of limbs etc.
9) the development of “sticky blood”, increased agglutination of red blood cells increasing one’s stroke risk
Not everyone is capable genetically of clearing toxins from the body at the same rate and efficiency. There have been different marker developed in the last two to five years to touch upon different aspects of a person’s ability to detoxify. One marker, the brainchild of Dr. Peter D’Adamo has been found to have profound impact on the patients seen by Immune Matrix. It is called a Secretor Test. It is a saliva test kit that can be done at home and sent in to the lab. It take approximately three weeks to find out if one is considered a Secretor or Non-Secretor.
The Secretor test is a genetic test to determine if your red blood cells “secrete” your ABO blood-type antigens in your body secretions. According to Dr. D’Adamo’s recent research, a majority of the world are secretors with a minority of approximately 15% non-secretors. The non-secretors are the most challenged to in taking on and eliminating toxins from the body from any source. Therefore, if you suffer from any chronic condition and especially if it is immune or inflammation driven, as in autism, ADD, ADHD, OCD, Asburger’s, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, environmental chemical sensitivites, latex allergies, arthritis, irritable bowel, acid reflux or any chronic digestive disorder, then it is essential to find out if you are a non-secretor. Once you know, it is like knowing your blood type, it will not change.
Immune Matrix has every patient take this test so that it can determine from the outset which patients have to be treated with “kid gloves” per se, in red flagging those that need additional assistance and dosing adjustments to detoxify and to take on therapeutic programs to eliminate pathogens from the body. The rate you clear toxins, determines the rate at which you can repair your cell walls and the rate at which you can excrete heavy metals and kill off and eliminate pathogens from the body.
Immune Matrix specializes in seeing patients referred to them by doctors who hit a wall in the treatment of their patients because of their increased reactivity to what they are given, and because they are unable to stay on a drug, herb or supplement without feeling worse or becoming reactive to it. If you find yourself challenged to take a prescribed drug, herb, homeopathic, tincture or supplement, take it as a huge sign that your body’s rate of detoxification and elimination cannot keep up with the dosages given to you as part of your therapy. In many cases, patients cannot stay with a prescribed course of treatment until they have cleared their intra and extracellular matrix and repaired cell wall membranes sufficiently to be able to then take on the additional burden of die-off and metabolic processing of drugs, herbs and the like. Immune Matrix tells its patients in an easy to understand manner that this is like trying to redecorate the house when you have not removed the old haggard wallpaper. The body’s ability to excrete toxins, the level of toxic accumulation, the type of toxic accumulation all need to be factored in AND monitored while any patient undergoes any course of treatment.
If you find that you are a non-secretor, then you need to pace yourself in terms of the number of prescribed medications, herbs, supplements you take so as not to overwhelm your body’s ability to excrete. And you need to focus on helping your body excrete toxins with adequate methylation support and drainage. More will be discuss in future articles on this complex topic.
Tests can be ordered by clicking on Pharmashare image on the right side bar and then click on Books and test tab to place order.
It is also highly recommended that you find a practitioner that can run a BIA test on you periodically to obtain quantitative metabolic data on your cell wall membranes, intra and extra cellular toxic load among other key metabolic information. This way you will be able to determine if the therapeutic process is breaking you down faster than your body is able to repair!
Emerging research is also beginning to correlate an association between certain disease susceptibilities to blood type and blood/secretor status. Research on the blood types shows grouping variations in levels of stomach acid, in the types of immune responses to certain foods, and glutens and even reactions to and preferances to specific species of probiotics and proteins necessary for health. Our red blood cell plays a bigger part in our metabolism than previously realized.
Immune Matrix has found in its routine testing that those individuals that test non-secretors AND are blood type A, tend to have the most significant challenges and sensitivities to excreting toxins. Their digestive systems become symptomatic when stressed metabolically and ultimately prevent the patient from successfully finishing a course of prescribed treatment. If you are blood type A and non-secretor, you need careful monitoring and assistance with detoxification on a cellular level to prevent overwhelming your system and causing more harm and inflammatory reactions. Therefore, being armed with knowledge will help you help yourself in pacing the type of therapeutic program you enter and in monitoring your progress. It is therefore essential for non-secretor Blood type A’s to determine their Genotype status with a Licensed Genotype/Blood type Practitioner.
Please note:
Information on this site is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication or other treatment.
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2010/03/17
Published
The Genotype™ diet is not a one size fits all diet. Dr. D’Adamo, the creator of this diet identified six Genotypes™ based upon his research on how our genes interact with our food, and his in depth statistical research on archetypes involving associations between certain physical traits, disorders, disease risks, and ancestral diet. He has named these types: the Hunter, the Gatherer, the Teacher, the Explorer, the Warrior and the Nomad. The Genotype addresses our cellular uniqueness for foods that heal us, foods that make us more toxic and exercise that works with out unique cellular physiology. Your Genotype is more specific than your blood type!
By knowing one’s Genotype™ and following the dietary recommendations and exercise plan, you can achieve and maintain a lower level of accumulated toxicity, optimize healthy gene regulation, improve your cellular and metabolic metabolism and thus optimize your wellness, vitality, and weight. Immune Matrix has found that this information has contributed substantially to lowering the toxic burden and accumulation seen in patients challenged with their immune systems and detoxification pathways.
Patients that avoid the foods considered most detrimental to one’s Genotype™ regularly test lower in total accumulated cellular toxic load and thus are able to maintain their immune-desensitization treatment outcomes longer than someone that does not integrate these dietary guidelines. As a result, the Genotype™ Diet has become an essential component of Immune Matrix’s treatment program, and every patient is encouraged to obtain their Genotype™ status.
Other benefits patients have noted were improved ease of weight loss, decreases in elevated blood pressure even for those on medications, improved blood sugar regulation, improved sleep, decrease in restlessness, improved skin tone, improved attitudes and mood, improved flexibility in muscle and joint range of motion is also noted, improved anti-oxidant utilization. This last feature was amazing to discover, as the media promotes that everyone take acai, or pomegranate etc. as the best anti-oxidant! Taking the wrong anti-oxidant, herb or food for your genetics can actually increase the stickiness of your blood, making you more prone to strokes and clots and increase your aches and pains and chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia!
HOW DO I FIND OUT MY SPECIFIC GENOTYPE?
Reading Dr. D’Adamo’s book, The Genotype™ Diet, can help but we find most patients have miss calculated their type after reading the book because of the complexities of calculating one’s Genotype™. It is best to have a certified Genotype nutritional advisor determine your Genotype™.
It begins by knowing your blood type, i.e. O+, and then doing a saliva test called the Secretor Test. This laboratory test is available online at www.immunematrix.com, under Labs (Secretor/Non-Secretor – saliva test SKU: SKU16271). The Secretor Test is a saliva test that is done only through Dr. D’Adamo’s lab. Nahid Manayan, the certified Genotype nutritional advisor will analyze your blood type, Secretor status, take measurements, and fingerprint status and calculate your genotype. You will then be given a comprehensive consultation educating you about the details of the food list and coach you in making the appropriate lifestyle choices according to your unique Genotype™!
One CANNOT read Dr. D’Adamo’s Genotype book descriptions and conclude that that “sounds like me” so it must be me. It doesn’t work that way! We have seen many patients get it wrong! We strongly caution you to not make the mistake of assuming you know your Genotype™ based upon the descriptions alone – many of our patients have been surprised!
HOW ARE THE GENOTYPES DIFFERENT?
There are five different Genotypes™. The names are withheld to discourage you from diagnosing yourself based on description alone. The descriptions are generalized to help you understand the diversity in our blood and thus our metabolism.
One type takes its origins from one of the earliest surviving responses to the challenge of human survival. This type has an immune system that acts swiftly to attack microbes, viruses, and bacteria. By nature they are efficient at metabolizing animal flesh, their primary source of nutrition. The downside to such hair-trigger responsive immune systems is that they can sometimes become over-reactive, leading to inflammatory states such as allergies, asthma, arthritis and auto–immune diseases, depression, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and inflammatory joint disorders.
This type is also greatly challenged in digesting grains. Following the appropriate Genotype™ dietary guidelines helps to calm their immune system and decreases the production of all sorts of inflammatory reactive proteins. Eating the wrong types of foods for this type results in celiac-like digestive disorders and poor assimilation of nutrients, accelerated adrenal and pituitary aging, and reproductive cancers (more in men) with advancing age. This Genotype™ does best to stay fit with vigorous exercise to increase endurance and reduce stress.
A second type developed ‘thrifty’ genes whose primary goal is to hang on to every ingested calorie for dear life. Somehow this type learned in the womb that there wouldn’t be much food when they got out, so their system conserved food as their first priority. The downside of this is their tendency toward obesity and diabetes. Their Genotype™ diet focuses on optimizing their metabolism to return to their ideal weight, reducing their risk of diabetes and reversing the negative consequences of obesity. If they are successful at doing this they have terrific mental endurance, good fertility, and age well. Crash dieting is not recommended for this type because of their tendency to store calories as fat; and appetite regulation can be a problem. Their good fertility makes them prone to elevated estrogen sensitivity, stimulating hormonal cancers. They also tend to accumulate chemicals in their tissue, which can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, and Alzheimer’s disease. This type reacts intensely to some environmental threats and not at all to others.
In modern times, they seem to have emerged from a highly unstable prenatal environment, and they figured out while still in the womb that they were going to have to adapt to wildly changing conditions. Their upside is that they are good at that. Their downside is that odd things like caffeine can keep them up for hours. Their Genotype™ diet will help them develop calmer, more stable responses to the world, protecting them from their idiosyncratic but very vulnerable systems. They have good capacity to recover from illness and good gene repair, stamina, as well as great memory retention in advanced age. Stretching and lengthening exercises that also have a resistance component to them benefit them the most.
A third Genotype™ is able to tolerate a wide variety of unfamiliar bacteria, viruses, and microbes, avoiding the hair-trigger symptoms that plague the first Genotype mentioned above. Unfortunately, the down side is that they tend to tolerate infectious elements rather than repel them. This type may live for a long time without symptoms and then later discover that digestive problems, lung disorders, or even cancer have been building within them for years. This type must protect their stomachs, colons, and lungs from the wear and tear of the environment. Their Genotype™ diet helps them to keep their good bacteria healthy and make their immune defenses more efficient with targeted food and lifestyle. They have the ability to successfully adapt to their environment, and age gracefully as a result. This type does well to have regular, vigorous exercise to keep their metabolism in balance, increase endurance, and maximize their resistance.
The fourth is reactive, but unlike the first type listed above, they are idiosyncratic in their reactivity and can be accident-prone. They tend to have more inefficient detoxification systems and have a tendency for blood irregularities. As a result, Type 1 diabetes, anemia, autism, dyslexia, epilepsy, breast cancer (especially if female, type A blood, and left-handed), food and environmental allergies, liver problems, yeast infections can all plague them.
The next type is more selective. If they are physically active, their metabolism burns hot. When they lead a sedentary life, they tend to put on the pounds with alarming speed. This Genotype™ has some remarkable strengths, endurance, and stamina. They have ox-like strength and tend to recover well from illness. However, with a thrifty metabolism, they store calories as fat, and age early and steadily with a tendency to respond to stress with a depressed immune system and thickening of the blood. As a result, heart disease, high blood pressure and strokes, hormonal imbalances and insulin resistance are common but other Genotypes™ are not immune for suffering as well! This type does best with stretching and lengthening exercises that also have a resistance component to them.
The last Genotype™ has a survival strategy whose ancestors reflect a life of travel, encountering different environments and having to cope with a wide variety of challenges. This type moved quickly over large territory, passing through a wide variety of climates and terrains. As a result they are more tolerant to different climates. The price they pay for their immunity is a problematic connection between their immune system, their cardiovascular system, and their nervous system, resulting in a lack of coordination among the three. This makes them prone to highly idiosyncratic health problems such as chronic viral infections, debilitating long-term fatigue, and memory problems. Their Genotype™ diet will help them to defend their immune system and increase communication within their bodies. Their risks are a tendency toward slow infections such as long and lingering viral disorders, warts, or parasites, neuromuscular diseases with age, and chronic fatigue. This type also benefits from stretching and lengthening exercises that also have a resistance component to them.
As you are beginning to see from the diverse descriptions above, the blood chemistry and metabolism of the different Genotypes is astounding and have proved invaluable in unlocking a key causal mechanism to many a patient’s chronic symptoms. The more we can learn about our bodies, the more we are in control of what goes in our bodies, the better we are armed to optimize our health. Everyone is urged to take advantage of this ground breaking information and highly encouraged to at least begin by avoiding those foods that make your Genotype more toxic!
Please note:
Information on this site is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication or other treatment.
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2010/03/15
Published
Vitamin D is essential in more functions than we previously realized. Besides the commonly known function of calcium metabolism, bone and cartilage repair and teeth and gum health, it plays a crucial role in insulin production, sugar metabolism and glucose tolerance. Vitamin D also supports adrenal/cortisol production whereby a deficiency can result in chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia symptoms, increasing muscle and nerve pain. Low D levels play a significant part in PMS and seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Studies have found D to reduce cardiovascular risk, aid in lowering cholesterol, lowers some types of hypertension, lowers CRP, fibrinogen, and IL-6 inflammatory markers.
Low D levels are linked to an increased risk for osteoporosis, osteomalacia, osteoarthritis, muscle weakness and pains, gum disease, secondary hyperparathyroidism, MS, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, lupus, thyroiditis, some cancers of the breast, colon and prostate and melanomas.
VITAMIN D ASSISTS THE IMMUNE SYSTEM:
Vitamin D is found abundantly in fatty fish, which few of us eat regularly. It is also made by the body in response to the sun’s UBV rays on our skin. In a population screening of 7699 individuals 19 yrs of age or older, 60% of Caucasian and 92% blacks were found to have inefficient 25(OH)D3 levels of 20ng/ml or less! Few Americans and Europeans therefore get enough direct sun contact year round to have healthy and protective vitamin D levels.
Vitamin D is helpful in fighting viral infections. Some of these viral infections have been known to trigger Type 1 diabetes in the youth. Colds and flu also increase in incidence in the fall and winter months when 25(OH)D3 levels are lower. Research is only now beginning to touch the surface of the mechanism of how D works with our immune system. A genetic link to gene expression has been uncovered whereby vitamin D stimulates the synthesis of antimicrobial peptides in our monocytes (white blood cells) one of the cells comprising our immune system. Some of these peptides also have anti-inflammatory mechanisms. A fabulous study of menopausal women (who are at greater risk of vitamin D deficiency) found that those in the placebo study had a 300% increased risk of developing colds and flu over this two year study, compared to those menopausal women given 2000IU daily. This is very significant. (Epidemiol Infect 2007:135:1095-1096)
Vitamin D prolongs life. Epidemiological studies show that activated vitamin D prolongs life, even low doses of vitamin D. Animal studies showed that vitamin D deficiency made cancers grow faster in mice. Therefore, the gathering body of evidence is supporting higher vitamin D levels than those previously suggested. This is why researchers are recommending the US RDA be increased to at least 2,000IU.
Low vitamin D levels are linked to an increased risk for Type 1 Diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune induced childhood diabetes, affecting more than a million Americans yearly. It generally begins in early childhood but can begin later in young adulthood. With the increase in environmental toxins and rise in inflammatory and autoimmune related conditions, Type 1 diabetes is expected to continue to be a pressing problem with our society and youth unless drastic changes in lifestyle and diet are made.
The latest research is suggesting a thirty percent dose-dependent drop in risk for developing type 1 diabetes when children are given vitamin D supplementation.
Low vitamin D levels are linked with high blood pressure. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988-1992) found a significant age-associated blood pressure increase with correlated deficiency in 25(OH)D3 levels in both Caucasians and blacks. The test was done during peak summer and was of serious concern. Another study conducted in 2008 repeated the findings with increase in systolic pressure with low 24(OH)D3 levels.
Vitamin D deficiency increases risk of heart attack. A 2008 Framingham Offspring Study conducted over a period of 5.4 years found a positive correlation between low D serum levels and increased risk for stroke and heart attack. Those individuals testing at 10ng/mL or lower had an 80% increased risk of heart attack, those at 10-15ng/mL had a 53% increased risk of heart attack. Research has since confirmed that our hearts and other tissues have vitamin D receptors.
Low vitamin D increases risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS)! A groundbreaking study conducted in 2007 and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Safety of vitamin D3 in adults with multiple sclerosis) found a significant correlation with the onset and severity of MS symptoms with low 25-OH D3 levels. Patients were given 280,000IU per week to reach a D level of 154ng/mL and found no negative effects on the liver or kidneys or serum or urinary calcium levels. What they did find was a significant reduction of gadolinium-enhancing brain lesions. This study also supports the finding that very high doses of D3 are safe.
WHY DON’T WE ALL MAKE THE SAME LEVELS OF VITAMIN D?
Vitamin D from fish and direct sun exposure on our skin stimulates our synthesis of activated D, and the storage of cholecalciferol in our tissues. Prescription drugs can interfere with the synthesis of activated D especially those taking steroids to control their inflammatory diseases. Other drugs that bind fats will inhibit the synthesis of vitamin D, such as choestyramine and over the counter laxatives! Taking extra fiber or statin drugs also lower D levels. Cancer patients may have a faster metabolic clearance using it up faster. The same may be true of children. Individuals with dark skin need longer sun exposure to synthesize vitamin D! Therefore, they are MORE prone to vitamin D deficiency! Women with low hormone levels are at risk for low vitamin D. Obese individuals have been found to have as much as 50% less vitamin D levels than those not obese. Aging skin is also less able to synthesize D.
WHAT LEVEL D SHOULD WE HAVE?
The more vitamin D one takes the higher the 25(OH)D3 levels rise in your blood stream, which is called “activated D” which increases the level of cholecalciferol in your tissue. Current RDA is extremely low at 200-600IU for 20-75 year olds. In light of recent research it appears highly inadequate. It is only when vitamin D levels rise to over 150ng/ml that blood calcium levels would need to be checked. Most patients are told to shoot for a goal between 30-40 ng/ml but this is proving to be insufficient. For individuals suffering from chronic fatigue, allergies, asthma, arthritis, irritable bowel, any inflammatory based condition, it is recommended that the level should be 68 ng/ml. Published studies are beginning to see beneficial cancer preventive effects that start at levels of 100 ng/ml. A general guideline is 1,000IU/day per 30 lbs of body weight. A 150lb person would take 5,000 IU per day by these guidelines; a 210 lb person would take 7,000IU per day.
Consult a licensed health care practitioner in determining your dose of vitamin D. Those individuals suffering from hyperparathyroidism, sarcoidosis, patients taking Coumadin or Warfarin need to speak with their health care providers before increasing their dose of D.
Vitamin K is essential to have with vitamin D. Vitamin K is necessary to direct the transport of calcium into bones. Taking calcium and D without K will increase the risk of calcium deposits in arteries and soft tissue and increase the development of bone spurs. In addition, those taking high doses of vitamin A (20,000IU) were shown to have an increased risk of bone fractures because of its antagonistic effect upon the metabolism of Vitamin D.
FIND OUT YOUR VITAMIN D LEVELS:
There is an easy test to determine vitamin D levels and it can be done at both Quest Diagnostics and Lab-Corps walk in labs across the country. Ask for the 24(OH)D serum test. Once you know your level, and you have consulted with a licensed medical health care practitioner to screen out complicating issues mentioned above, you can begin to a therapeutic dose of vit D, and retake the lab in 30-45 days to watch your levels increase. Once you reach your goal of 68-100ng/ml, it is advisable to retake the blood test in 2 months to determine if the rate is dropping too low on your revised supplement program. These lab tests will help you get to know how your body is processing D and will help you optimize your immune health, cardiovascular system, bone health, neurological health, energy and sugar metabolism.
Please note:
Information on this site is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication or other treatment.
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2010/03/13
Published
Everyone has experienced situational anxiety and fear, such as when asked to speak in front of a group of people or being put on the spot unexpectedly. Anxiety and fear are normal biological reactions to stressors. However, this type of reactivity can escalate and become more frequent and persistent and begin to interfere with a person’s daily life. It is normal to feel anxious or fearful from time to time but when the anxiety and worry escalates to affect your daily life, or where the fear begins to control your actions, and left untreated, it can escalate and become a medical condition. Anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric illness affecting both children and adults.
There are five main categories of this disorder:
1) Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterized by heightened, or excessive worry that goes beyond rational reason and persists for more than six months.
2) Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a further exaggeration of persistent, or recurring thoughts, obsessions, and actions being fueled by anxiety and fear.
3) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) involves anxiety and fear that is triggered from events that unconsciously remind the person of past serious unresolved emotional trauma.
4) Panic Disorder involves the person suffering a sudden panic attack for no known reason.
5) Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) relates to a person’s extreme worry, anxiety and/or fear of the reactions of others to them.
WHAT ARE THE RISK FACTORS FOR DEVELOPING AN ANXIETY DISORDER?
Ineffective biochemical processing. Anxiety disorders can come upon an individual suddenly, as a result of a severely upsetting event, or physical trauma. The brain produces chemical signals in response to emotions called peptides. Candice Pert discovered that these peptides can and do cross the blood brain barrier and carry the “molecule of emotion” to the body. In the normal sequence of events, when we experience an emotion, these peptides are created and then dissipate and are “extinguished” by the body. However, if neurological and emotional processing is interrupted, the extinguishment of these negative emotional molecules of emotion are stored in the body ready to become triggered by an associative event. This occurs to all of us but the degree of severity of the creating event and the degree of neuropeptides stored in the body determine the effect they will have on impacting a person’s emotional reality.
Other risk factors are the balance of a person’s brain chemistry, principally their dopamine, acetylcholine, gaba and serotonin ratios. Imbalances in core neurotransmitter levels tips the scale for us to develop anxiety, depression, insomnia, hyperactivity, inattention and brain fog to name a few. Our genetic make up also impacts our brain chemistry as well as our personality. Old head traumas as simple as falls impacting the head as a child, sports injuries, repetitive soccer head injuries, whiplash etc. all impact the brain’s ability to optimize its chemistry. Finally, life itself, some events impacting one person more than another, also leaves its biochemical scar on our brain function.
Our first reaction is to get this problem into immediate control, as its mere existence strikes panic in our heart from fear of loosing control in anticipation of the next “attack”. We seek quick fixes, and may leap toward a prescription drug solution only to realized that it masks the initiating cause, fails to deal with the emotional/biochemical processing necessary to change our brain chemistry’s predisposition to create anxiety and panic attacks and creates a state of perpetual drug dependency that may over time become less and less effective. Since few doctors and health care practitioners are trained to assess the emotional impact, the neurological chemistry and the physiological chemistry that merge to create this disorder, the treatment varies depending on whether one sees a body doc, a behavioral psychologist, a “brain drug” doc aka neurologist, and often involves the treatment of only one aspect of this essential triad!
Anxiety disorders are commonly misdiagnosed because they can also mimic physical illnesses such as chronic fatigue, depression, insomnia, muscle tension, digestive disorders, acid reflux, irritable bowel, or hyperactivity and neurosis. Only about one –third of individuals suffering from anxiety and panic attacks ever receive treatment. This means many are suffering needlessly.
HOW MUCH ANXIETY IS TOO MUCH?
We all live in a stressful environment from the daily news reports of environmental disasters, terrorism in the world, our economy, fear of job lay offs, marital stress from financial stress, to the normal stressors of child rearing; how do we know if we are suffering too much from anxiety disorders or that our symptoms will not pass in time?
Do you find yourself always thinking about something that worries you that you have no control over?
Have you been this way for at least 6 months, or feel that this could go on without resolution?
Have others told you that your concerns or fears are unreasonable or do you feel they are excessive or unreasonable?
Are you unable to control your thoughts that drive your anxiety, worry or fear?
If you answered yes to any of the above then you are on your way to developing an anxiety disorder.
Do you feel restless, unable to relax, feel wired and tired, or edgy?
Have you become more tired recently?
Are you having more trouble concentrating?
Do you feel short tempered or irritable?
Are you having more trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, restless in sleep or experiencing unsatisfied sleep?
Do you feel that your obsessive thoughts or concerns or feelings interfere with your daily life and relationships or work?
If you answered yes to three of these then you are highly likely suffering some degree of an anxiety disorder.
Anxiety disorders can escalate into other emotional and neurological imbalances and complicate your diagnosis and treatment.
Have you experienced changes in your eating habits?
Have you experienced changes in your sleeping habits?
Are you sad or depressed more days than not?
Do you find yourself disinterested in areas of your life that you previously had interest in?
Do you feel more guilty about something in your life?
Do you feel a sense of self-condemnation?
Do you feel a sense of worthlessness?
Have you turned to, started to use, or increased using alcohol, prescription or non-prescription drugs?
Have you missed work, family obligations because of your anxiety disorder or because of the use of alcohol, or drugs?
Are you unable to stop using alcohol or drugs?
If you have answered yes to any of the above questions then you do need to find answers to the triggers and the chemistry behind what is driving these emotions and behaviors.
You can begin now by getting a baseline level of your current brain chemistry by ordering a urine Neurotransmitter test online at www.immunematrix.com (NeuroScreen/NeuroScience – urine testing
SKU: SKU16270). The test is done in your home and mailed out and takes two weeks for the results to come in and includes a consultation with a licensed health care practitioner.
Most prescription drugs that are used to treat anxiety disorders mimic or re-distribute a neurotransmitter and thus do provide relief by working with the existing supply of neurotransmitters in the brain. However, they create drug dependency because they do not restore brain chemistry balance and they can become ineffective over time for this very reason. Having imbalanced brain chemistry is entirely treatable and can be done along with prescriptive therapy. The treatment involves taking key natural supplements that will boost the brain’s synthesis of certain neurotransmitters to optimize those that need to be increased and therapy that extinguishes the negative emotional peptide to stop it’s recruiting function causing you to become situationally reactive and thus feeling out of control in certain situations, such as crossing bridges, panic in crowds, being stuck on the freeway, in elevators, and in stressful situations that are out of your control. Several effective emotional therapies are available and are keenly effective and include but are not limited to NET (neuro-emotional technique, the brain child of Dr. Scott Walker), EMDR, EFT, and NLP. By extinguishing the neuropeptides that allow the triggering event to recycle in the body, and by nutritionally addressing neurotransmitter imbalances in brain chemistry, you can put anxiety disorders behind you.
Please note:
Information on this site is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication or other treatment.
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