SUMMARY: The dream is to meld the two technologies: disease cluster, NASA! That would be NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center AND Goggle Maps simulated hotspots of high disease risk clustering! This post is for repository but enjoy the NASA hurricane sand, water and air video, (see PDF explanation here) and PNAS High Disease Cluster Hotspots Map in North America! The NASA technology could be used for a visual tool to help explain the disease cluster map considering air and water toxin transfer impact to disease risk. The disease cluster map is a simulated spatial distribution of disease risks, overlaid onto a base map of North America, retrieved March 11, 2011, from Google Maps. Pink and red colors indicate simulated hotspots of high disease risk clustering. See the related article by Wright and Wang on pages 5488–5491. The online link for the Hurricane Aerosol video is “2017 Hurricanes and Aerosols Simulation”. This post is a follow-up to my post discussing all children exceeding cancer benchmark levels for certain toxins, and is for repository purposes.
Roundup of Healthy Holiday Trays bc All Kids Exceeded Benchmark CA Levels
Summary: I don’t write a lot about toxin loads but should. They affect all of us and this study by UC Davis [Vogt et al, 2008] found that for children, the cumulative toxin load in all 364 children evaluated for 11 food based toxins in 44 foods, exceeded cancer benchmark levels for arsenic, dieldrin, DDE (a DDT metabolite), and dioxins, AND 10% exceeded mercury levels! In addition, for preschool aged children 2-4 years, OVER 95% exceeded cancer benchmark levels for acrylamide and they fared worse than the 5—7 yr age group. Acrylamide is a cooking byproduct found in processed foods like potato, tortilla chip and processed grains). So… while I don’t write often about toxins, going into the holiday season when we likely are eating even more of the foods contributing to the toxin burden, I wanted to remind all of the reality of these loads particularly in our children. So here is a Roundup of Healthy Holiday Trays ALL kids will luv! Try them since ALL 364 kids exceeded cancer benchmark levels of toxins in this UC Davis study! Instead of the processed foods and chips, these gems (anytime of the year really) will draw your children to less toxin loaded foods. Be sure to use EWG Dirty Dozen lists! I also like the UC Davis researcher recommendations to reduce these toxin loads: Vary diet to help protect us from accumulating too much of any one toxin since different toxins are applied to different fruit and vegetables. Acrylamides are relatively easy to remove from the diet. They form in chips and processed grains. Also reduce consumption of animal meat and fats, which may contain high levels of pesticide DDE and other persistent organic pollutants, and switch to organic milk. Eat smaller fish, lower on the food chain, which generally have lower mercury levels. Good SMASH fish are: Salmon, mackerel, anchovy, sardine, and herring.
Town Hall Medicine Microbiome Talks
SUMMARY: I’m sharing two weeks of FREE access to the Town Hall Medicine Microbiome Talks from twenty-one key microbiome researchers and includes clinicians integrating microbiome into therapeutics! This educational series is presented by University of Toronto’s Heather Boon PhD, Dean of Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and Stewart Brown, Founder & CEO, Genuine Health, a science based natural health company. These talks are short and to the point, AND you can download the transcripts for later reading. There has been a ton going on in the ivory towers of academia and science research uncovering just how important the gut microbiome is to health and well-being and its impact on the immune system. Microbiome associations are now known for hypertension (34 percent population prevalence ), atherosclerosis (39 percent), anxiety and depression (10 percent), weight gain, obesity (29+ percent), autoimmune diseases (20 percent — mostly women), Type 1 and 2 Diabetes (36 percent), metabolic syndrome (34 percent), IBD (10 to 15 percent), asthma allergy, autism, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, stress-induced and progressive neuropsychiatric diseases, AND prolonged low-grade inflammation which is behind most all disease (51% of adults have at least one chronic disease, 27% of kids have one or more chronic diseases). Yet none of microbiome — disease impact is pouring down to us mere mortals none the less doctors — I would know; I teach Microbiome CME. When twins having 100% identical human DNA only have 40 percent of the same gut microbiota, imagine how different your microbiota is from everyone else. Spoiler alert: Your gut microbiota is 99 percent different from everyone else and our microbiota explains why each and every one of our bodies (and minds) behave so differently! Knowledge is power, and these talks share how microbiome understanding is being put on the forefront of therapeutic integration to reverse and prevent disease. Now that is aggressive preventative medicine especially since 70 to 80 percent of our immune cells reside in the health of our gut microbiome. Enjoy the listen, and Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, early!
Learn How Diet Pierces the Disease Epigenetics Process!
SUMMARY: This post explains the disease epigenetics process because most think your genes are your destiny. That is actually not true. You are more than the genes you inherit from your parents! Genes predispose you to the disease (~66% of “you” is determined by your genetics), but the remaining 33% is influenced by epigenetic changes to the genes, and that is one mechanism through which disease is triggered, [Mellor, 2015 University of Oxford Podcasts]. That is why they study DNA identical twins having discordance for the same disease — they find epigenetic differences [Insights from Identical Twins] [NovaScienceNow, Epigenetics] While it is often unknown if epigenetic differences are a cause or a consequence of disease, many studies are providing evidence suggesting a potential role for epigenetic alterations in the pathophysiology (e.g. Type 2 Diabetes, asthma, brain disorders and neurodegeneration, Alzheimer’s, autism, Lupus, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, colon and other cancers, Parkinson’s, ALS…). The bottom line: Even though you might be “predisposed” to disease (e.g. you have a genetic pre-disposition tendency to Alzheimer’s, anxiety, arthritis, autoimmune disorders, cardiovascular disease, depression, diabetes, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, obesity, and cancer — any disease with epigenetic involvement which seems to be all of them) you can STOP and REVERSE the epigenetic changes that trigger disease by modifying factors that affect epigenetics such as nutrition, stress, toxicity, exercise and drugs. [Mellor, 2015 University of Oxford Podcasts] [NIH, NICHD] [Moosav et al 2016] [Szarc vel Szic et al 2015] [Wopereis et al 2014] [Hartzell et al 2012] [University of Utah, Nutrition & Epigenetics] One whopping impact of these factors is to pierce the disease epigenetic process by altering the microbiome. The microbiome is what makes identical twins, not identical! And it’s the microbiome consequent metabolites (which is where over 70% of our immunity resides) that can change epigenetic mechanisms (like methylation and histone modification — NOTE: I won’t be “teaching” these mechanisms, I will however explain enough that you can EASILY understand the concept) which have onward effects including triggering or reversing disease in those predisposed. What this means is that you actually have a say in if you turn on or off genes with consequent trigger (or reversal) of disease. The recognition that environment, not genetics, is the primary driver of health and disease carries a strong message of personal empowerment and responsibility. Thus, included is a special section — EPIGENETIC EXPERT SUGGESTIONS FOR EATING FOR YOUR EPIGENOME! BAM — they sound a lot like those therapeutic diets I teach and blog about! Don’t be duped. A lot of disease is preventable — [WHO] says over 80% of all heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes AND over 40% of cancer! From the grim stats below, if you don’t already have disease you likely will and sooner than you expect! A balanced lifestyle that includes a healthy diet, exercise, & avoiding exposure to contaminants, may in the long run create a healthy epigenome. [TedED, What is Epgenetics? -Carlos Guerrero Bosagna.] Time to empower yourself to use epigenetics modifications to keep or move yourself off diseasespan!
CME MICROBIOME Questions & Answers
SUMMARY: CME MICROBIOME Questions is where the rubber meets the road! I learn what you really take away from the evidence packed Introduction to Microbiome presentation!!! Not only was it a GREAT turnout for the CME MICROBIOME, DISEASE, THERAPEUTICS, NUTRITION held OCT 25, 2017 in Pittsburgh, at Passavant Hospital (see this post for details), but the questions asked by these medical providers were spot on! Read below for some of the Q&A with focus on: What to do if on the “Avoid Diet”, the MIND Diet and Dementia Prevention, fermented foods, and the ketogenic diet — MACS, fruit and weight! The Therapeutic Manipulation of Microbiome slide (see below) shows how microbiome nourishingly sick the Standard America Diet is. Some call this diet void of MACs, or microbiota-accessible carbohydrates, leaving the microbiome to nosh on our carb-rich mucus gut lining, when dietary pickings get slim. [Desai et al 2016] This CME crowd took their first ever pass into the anaerobic world of this newly discovered organ and saw its systemic body-wide devastating health impact when the gut lining becomes compromised (see the below slide) ⇒ The next step is to learn our bolt on presentations of evidence based therapeutic diet ⇔ lifestyle changes that can move this organ to health. ♥ You want great timely, current, incredible microbiome and nutrition CME programs because microbiome information is what your medical professionals NEED to stay cutting edge current in understanding how to help patients keep (or move) off diseasespan! Click here to contact us
REMINDER: CME MICROBIOME, DISEASE, THERAPEUTICS, NUTRITION_OCT 25, 2017
SUMMARY: Friendly reminder to attend the CME Microbiome, Disease, Therapeutics, and Nutrition at UPMC Passavant Hospital, Pittsburgh, October 25, 2017, Assembly Hall, noon–1PM! See the last post here for specifics, but in general, THERE IS MORE TO THE STORY, and I will share those no-nonsense insights into microbiome associations for the hypertensive, atherosclerotic, obese, cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s, and IBS conditions (and more) as well as therapeutic diets being used for those disease conditions. What to eat information has been muddied by industry production of ubiquitous processed foods marketed as healthy foods. This CME shares tools your patients can use now to turn around disease as well as recognize its role in increasing drug efficacy and prevention of medication failures. Public Microbiome Awareness Education gives the ‘why’ behind disease, and is patient Motivation for Action, not paralysis. This CME will help establish your patients healthy relationship with food and turn around their disease status. Listen too as local patients share how they use evidence–based microbiome therapeutics to induce and maintain remission for autoimmune disease, and learn about the Pittsburgh—based cohort forming for inclusion in upcoming leading light microbiome researcher, Dr. Rob Knight, UCSF studies looking at ferment consumer gut microbiomes.
CME Microbiome, Disease, Therapeutics, Nutrition_October 25, 2017
SUMMARY: Microbiome CME!!! If you are a healthcare provider or medical professional, attend this CME Microbiome. Disease, Therapeutics, and Nutrition at UPMC Passavant Hospital, Pittsburgh, October 25, 2017, Assembly Hall, noon–1PM! The new discovery of the microbiome, a 2 to 3 pound organ having a key role in over 70 percent of our immunity, is a paradigm shift changing up our understanding of physiological and psychological health and disease. This CME shares current no–nonsense evidence of what the microbiome is and includes valuable insights into what is overselling the microbiome. Click here for the PDF: CME Microbiome. Disease, Therapeutics, and Nutrition, Oct 25, 2017, UPMC Passavant Hospital. LEARN eye-opening insights and actionable tips about the KEY role the microbiome plays in your organ of choice, in chronic disease (2/3 of deaths in Allegheny County are attributed to chronic disease) including hypertension, heart disease (this leading cause of death, at 30% in Allegheny County, is higher compared to the state of PA), diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity, cognition, Alzheimer’s, IBD, IBS, MS, and more, as well as its role in increasing drug efficacy and prevention of medication failures. Listen as local patients share how they use evidence–based microbiome therapeutics to induce and maintain remission for autoimmune disease, and learn about the Pittsburgh—based cohort forming for inclusion in upcoming leading light microbiome researcher, Dr. Rob Knight, UCSF studies looking at ferment consumer gut microbiomes (see bio below). Bottom line — DON’T MISS THIS CME — Healthcare provider, medical professional, AND patient education/awareness of this organ is the “why” that causes patient diet and lifestyle behavior changes that moves them OFF diseasespan. The only way to do better is to know better. —poet Maya Angelou. The point of CME is to try to move the field and do right by our patients. Attend and LEARN the role of this new player in the organ/disease of your choice!
Alzheimer’s Dementia Bredesen Approach
Summary: I’m giving you a heads up on a book I read by Dr. Dale Bredesen titled, The End of Alzheimer’s. I think everyone needs to read this book for proactive and reactive neurologic health ranging from mild cognitive impairment, to dementia to Alzheimer’s. Alarming statistics: 15% of the population will succumb to Alzheimer’s. 65% of Alzheimer’s patients are female. If you are female, your chance of getting Alzheimer’s is greater than getting breast cancer. Dr. Mark Hyman’s email dated Sept 5, 2017 stated: “10 percent of 65-year-olds, 25 percent of 75-year-olds, and 50 percent of 85-year-olds will develop dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.” Do your brain a favor, read The End of Alzheimer’s to understand Alzheimer’s Dementia Bredesen Approach. In fact, use the Institute for Functional Medicine link, Facebook Live with Dale Bredesen, MD – September 10, 2017 at 7 pm CDT to download your free chapter. I did! I read tons of full-text studies covering microbiome, health, disease, therapeutics, and nutrition, most behind paywalls. Paywalls are one reason there are many health/wellness books written by the ‘experts’. I have bought a few of those, and I use them over and over again for reference. The End of Alzheimer’s is one such book I am certain. Put it in your tool aresenal too, for your brains sake.
Coconut Oil Safety, Issues, Truths of the Matter
SUMMARY: No doubt you’ve heard and read the USAToday.com article, Coconut oil isn’t healthy. It’s never been healthy, June 16, 2017 where the American Heart Association said in a new report, “We advise against the use of coconut oil.“ Given that the amour de ma viemy sent me that article, I wanted to document the issues and truth of the matter! Learn in this post, Coconut Oil Safety, Issues, and Truths of the Matter because getting fats right impacts breast cancer, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular diseases just to name a few! The Pearl: Eat coconut oil, not 24/7, but that is just the same as with any other food. I mean, brains and trees (cauliflower and brocoli) are good for you, but you wouldn’t eat those 24/7! Use coconut oil for hot uses and to add some fat (which your body and brain truly needs) into your diet. But mix up those fats choosing among the healthy fats: EVOO (unadulterated), avocados, butter, handful of nuts, whole fat dairy in whatever form tolerated (see here for lactose-free SCD yogurt and lactose-free SCD cheeses), and yes, coconut oil (unrefined and cold pressed)!
IBS, Microbiome, Fodmaps, Probiotics
SUMMARY: Bottom Line of this post: You want OFF the IBS diseasepan! WHY? Because — putting aside pain, bowel issues, and bloat — IBS can alter the brain size and function in the emotion and sensory processing areas when having it a long time along with early life stressors [Labus et al., 2017], it is associated with A LOT of diseases, and there are A LOT of surgeries performed inappropriately because of misdiagnosis or poor manangement of IBS! DISEASES that are associated with IBS — the listing is NOT comprehensive — includes: Type 2 Diabetes, metabolic syndrome, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, IBD, CFS/ME, autism, anxiety, depression, MS, and Parkinson’s. Inappropriate SURGERIES occurring due to IBS misdiagnosis includes — appendectomy, cholecystectomy, ovarian, and hysterectomy. See below for All of those links. There are lots of ways to get off the IBS diseasespan! Learn in this post that it is YOUR choice: IBS, Microbiome, Fodmaps, Probiotics, Mindfulness-based stress reduction, Cognitive behavioral therapy works… or targeted drugs! Or not drugs — because of the poor efficacy of that current US standard of care: “The physician should also emphasize the chronic nature of this syndrome [IBS] because nearly 75% of patients continue to have a diagnosis of IBS 5 years later.13 ” [Occhipinti et al., 2012]. “Many different drugs have been suggested for IBS treatment, but their real benefits are very debatable.” [Bellini et al., 2014]. Don’t be surprised. In 2012, the FDA changed the endpoints of those drug studies to stop being only one endpoint because of how multi factorial IBS symptomolgy is, and the Bristol Stool Chart — defining what is a ‘normal BM’ (which you’ll learn in this post) — despite being around since 1997, is only now being validated, 2016! Contrast all this to the UK British Dietetic Association guidelines for IBS — low FODMAP diet is the second-line intervention [Catassi et al., 2017] [McKenzie et al, 2016] [UK evidence-based practice guidelines for dietetic management of IBS in adults 2012 PDF]) as it helps about seventy-six percent of IBS patients [Magge et al., 2012] [Bohn et al., 2015] [Staudacher et al., 2011] and yet, it has come under attack with the current US standard of care still NOT recognizing the FODMAP diet (see this post). A rebuttal to all the rift recently published in 2017, authored by Monash University ressearchers, the creators of the FODMAP diet. See [Hill et al., 2017] To piggyback the diet fix, studies continue to find that probiotics might be something to think about for some cases of IBS — see [Whiteley, 2016]. Wondering about IBS and what early life stressors might mean? That group had more history of early life trauma (general trauma (31 items), physical (9 items), emotional (7 items), and sexual abuse (15 items)) AND they had longer duration of IBS symptoms. [Labus et al., 2017] While we can’t change our early life stressors, there are lots of ways to tackle IBS using diet, probiotics, mindfulness-based stress reduction, cognitive behavioral therapy and targeted drugs — according to the Monash rebuttal [Labus et al., 2017]. Now you know! Protect brain size and function, avoid potentially needless surgery and improve your disease status by fixing IBS; LISTEN to your gut! Unbelievable… check out the global prevalence of IBS: