Showing posts with label Featured. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Featured. Show all posts

Epigenetics: A New Perspective in the Nature vs. Nurture Debate

Many of us as kids were often told by our moms “we are what we eat.” However, in an ironic twist we are now learning from the study of epigenetics that to some degree we are what our mom ate when she was pregnant.

What is Epigenetics? 

To help you understand this further let me first briefly explain epigenetics. Epigenetics is the study of how life experience cause changes within our genes. We are all born with the DNA that stays with us our entire life, but our life experiences, mental health, physical activity, even what we eat, can have a profound effect on our health throughout our life. It can even effect our children’s lives. Through epigenetics, we are learning the factors that contribute to these changes and attempting to forecast the impact – positive or negative – they have in our lives.

An Epigenetics Example 

Imagine a train starting out down a track and it gets to a “fork” in the tracks. Depending upon how the switch is thrown the train can go on three separate tracks in different directions. In this example what will determine how the switch is thrown is the environment the train is in at that time.
  •  If it’s raining, the program sends it on the left track; 
  •  If it’s snowing it goes on the middle track; 
  •  If it’s sunny it goes on the far right track. 
If each track was designed and built to be better suited for the specific weather condition then this program maximizes the safety of the train by pairing the best track per the weather for the train. Essentially this is what happens at a molecular level to our genes at certain critical times of our lives, some of them being early in development. 

What Does Epigeneics Mean in our Daily Life?

 I find the human body fascinating and complicated, but it makes sense that in order to enhance survival there would be a mechanism of how the expression of genes could be changed based upon environmental clues. There are certain “stressors” like poor nutrition, emotional stress, and chemical toxins that tell the body the environment is not optimal and in turn the body puts a sign on the DNA that causes genes to be read differently than they otherwise would. When the expression of a gene is changed the affect or strength of that gene is changed and as a result our body functions differently. What is interesting is that the change in how the gene is read is not short term, and has been found to last not only for the person’s lifetime but their children’s genes will also be expressed in a similar pattern changing how their body works as well. Consider the train example again: once the switch is thrown and you are on one of the three tracks, you have no choice but to stay on that track for a very long time. Specifically, the initial studies in epigenetics have shown that in critical developmental times like fetal development and early childhood, the stressors mentioned above have led to an increase in obesity, diabetes, and even heart disease in later adult life.

Epigenetics Gives you More Control Over Your “Life Track” 

Now I know this may seem like we have less control over our future health than we initially thought, but as I mentioned before, the human body is amazing and has many ways to adapt to its environment. Since we never know when our genetic train is going to come to a fork in the tracks, we need to make sure we are living healthy as often as possible to make sure that we stay on or are switched to the “healthy track.” In fact, I just attended a lecture on aging where it was suggested that the role our DNA has in determining our longevity may only be about 15% compared to 85% related to environmental factors affecting epigenetics. Shifting the pendulum from nature to nurture through epigenetics really gives us more control over our destiny and our family’s destiny. Certainly changing the family’s lifestyle is quicker and easier than waiting for a mutation in our DNA that will change our health. Epigenetics is one of just many concepts that we are learning about to understand how our body adapts to changes, but it is a great example of how important it is to treat our body well and even more important to make sure our children and expectant moms are living life as healthy as possible. I hope this motivates us all as a country to think about creating a culture of health for our families. If our school systems insist on feeding our kids fried foods and sweets let’s send them with a healthy lunch and work in our community to change the nutrition of the school lunches and breakfast. We are all connected and anyone’s poor health affects us all so let's work together to change the “healthculture” of our country so we can all be healthier and happier.

Top 8 Components to a Healthier You in Menopause


                                               Menopause Focused on You


When you think of menopause what comes to your mind? It may be images of hot flashes, restless sleep, irritability or debates on hormonal therapies . . . all of which can produce negative feelings and emotions. In some ways, our American culture has created these strong associations through TV and other media portrayals and we have lost the appreciation for what this transition in life can mean for a woman.

Currently about 50% of the women in this country will be either going through menopause or are post menopausal.  With such a large percentage of our population in this stage of life, I think there has never been a better time to reassess what the ideal holistic approach would be for helping a woman age well and live the next phase of her life with passion and energy. In many health clinics, treatment for menopause is synonymous specifically with hormonal therapy which, unfortunately, has led many health care professionals to ignore other aspects of life that are affected by this change. Furthermore, there have been recent studies that have been widely publicized that question the safety of hormone replacement therapy and have left women and health practitioners with more questions than answers. Once thought to be the elixir for women’s health that could prevent heart disease, help mental functioning, improve sexual function, and slow down aging, these studies instead have shown an increased risk for invasive breast cancer, strokes, blood clots, and even dementia.

Although more studies and experience are needed with the different hormonal options such as bio identical hormones both in pill and topical forms, I do not believe any current hormonal therapy can be considered free of these risks. For that reason, the integrative approach of using natural less invasive treatment is ideal for menopause.  Here are what I feel are 8 essential components to consider for improving your health during the menopausal years. 

                        My 8-Step Approach to Improved Health in Menopause


1. Appropriate Medical Evaluation
As people age, concerns can evolve as to whether particular symptoms represent a dangerous physical condition. It is important that these concerns are addressed and appropriately evaluated as irregular menstrual bleeding can be caused by normal changes in hormones, but also by specific gynecological conditions that could need treatment. Other medical conditions like metabolic syndrome, heart disease, thyroid conditions, and kidney conditions also need to be evaluated so that you can have the peace of mind that all aspects of your health are being addressed while you are focusing on your improved lifestyle. Not all symptoms women have during menopause are related to menopause so a trusting and comprehensive relationship with a primary care provider is essential for complete care.
2. Use Nutrition to Combat Changes in Metabolism and Insulin Resistance
As all of us age, our bodies will naturally replace muscle with fat that will slow down our metabolism and lead to further weight gain. Busy schedules evolving around work and family will further contribute to weight gain and then all of sudden it feels impossible to lose weight and even previous diets that were successful now don’t seem to work anymore. This is in part due to emerging insulin resistance that does increase in menopause and is exacerbated by worsening lean body mass, and higher stress levels. As our insulin levels rise, our hormones (specifically, Leptin) that help control how food is stored as fat or used for energy, become affected and healthy weight maintenance becomes a challenge.  Ideally a provider and patient partner together to understand the obstacles faced in changing the diet and create targeted strategies to reverse these metabolic processes. Review of food diaries, cooking classes, sharing recipes, videos, and sometimes natural supplements are some of my favorite tools to empower true nutritional results.

3. Exercise Plan to Boost Metabolism and Energy
In conjunction with nutrition, exercise is key in helping reverse the aging process that occurs as a result of a slowing metabolism and deteriorating lean body mass. Often, more is not better. Instead focus on the different types of exercises and options that are more time efficient and enjoyable yet better targeted for quicker results.  There may be schedule obstacles, health limitations, or specific preferences on what type of activity is preferred. All of these should be taken into account in creating an exercise program that is right for you. Exercise alone has been shown to improve depression, sometimes as much as anti-depressants. It also helps with hot flashes, improves sleep, reduces physical pain, strengthens bones, reduces future falls, improves energy and lessens the effect of stress on the body all of which are great benefits for someone going through menopause.

4. Focus on Emotional Health and Manage Stress Better
Menopause can be the ideal time to take a break and reflect on aspects of life for which you are grateful. It is also the time to decide what you want for the future. For some, the previous years were focused on others (perhaps children, a spouse or work) but now there can and should be a shift to focusing on you. What is your vision for the next part of your life and what do you have to do to make this happen? This reflection is important and can be an ideal time to share your thoughts with your family and friends.
Also, many are so dedicated to others in previous years that they have burdened themselves with the effects of chronic stress which can contribute to weight gain, sleep disturbance, depression, fatigue, “brain fog”, and physical ailments that have also traditionally been associated with menopause. Taking the time to learn and incorporate mind body techniques into your life can have a dramatic impact on your health and well being.  Each person is unique and will be drawn to different techniques, but I recommend breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, visualization, meditation, biofeedback and cognitive behavior therapy as well. Learning these techniques not only helps you feel better but will also give you the tools to stay healthy for years to come.

5. Natural Supplements to Help Ease Specific Symptoms of Menopause
As concerns have grown over hormonal options for menopause, the role of natural supplements has increased. Certain supplements like Black Cohosh combined with St. John’s Wart or adaptogens like Ashwagandha, Rhodiola, or Schizandra can be helpful in mitigating the symptoms of hot flashes and changes in mood without the use of hormones. Additional supplements can also be recommended to help with other symptoms such as joint inflammation, anxiety or sleep difficulties. By having both conventional and natural options available, it allows a broader range of treatment options that reflect individual preferences and responses.

6. Utilize Alternative Therapies like Acupuncture and Yoga to Enhance Current Lifestyle Plan
Outside of this country other cultures have had great success in helping women as they go through menopause and using some of their time tested techniques can be of great value. Acupuncture can help ease hot flashes, improve sleep, decrease headaches and treat musculoskeletal pains that interfere with physical activity.
For some, yoga may seem intimidating and something only for those that are flexible, but when led by an experienced instructor anyone can enjoy basic yoga and reap the many benefits. Studies have shown that yoga improves anxiety, lowers blood pressure, assists weight loss, and helps prevent falls to list just a few of the benefits. Taking a yoga class with others can be fun and relationships can develop that nourish your soul and your body making it a great addition that addresses both your emotional health and physical well being at the same time.

7. Hormonal Therapy Can be Appropriate for a Specific Period of Time to Treat Severe Menopausal Symptoms
As mentioned previously, there are potential health risks to hormonal therapy, however, there are times when menopausal symptoms like hot flashes can be so debilitating and life altering that hormonal therapy is warranted and can be very efficacious. There is a lot of confusion surrounding bio identical hormones (hormones produced to resemble the same type of estrogen or progesterone that our body produces). There are now bio identical forms of estrogen that are pharmaceutically available in a variety of forms such as pills, transdermal devices and even vaginal insertion products. As an added benefit, the latter two seem to be associated with a reduced risk of blood clotting compared to oral forms. Progesterone is also available in a bio identical pill form called Prometrium that in initial studies appears to be safer than its non bio identical predecessor by having less cardiovascular risk and also less risk of blood clots.
Sometimes there is the perception that hormone levels need to be checked (whether from saliva testing or blood work) to determine the appropriate dosing of hormones, but this is not the case. There is not a specific grid that matches doses of hormones to a patient’s level partly because in perimenopause hormone levels can change day to day. Many of the leading integrative medicine’s physicians agree that the best dose is the lowest one that adequately treats the menopausal symptoms like hot flashes. Once someone is on a well tolerated hormonal regimen it is usually not intended to be continued indefinitely, but instead for a few years (usually less than 5) and then tapered off gradually to allow a better tolerated transition to the post menopausal years while limiting the potential medical complications from long term hormonal use.

8. Focus on Both Inner and Outer Beauty
As women go through menopause they may notice skin changes over time such as thinning of their skin and increased wrinkles. There can be up to a 30% decline in collagen in the skin in the first 5 years after menopause and a continued 2% decline per year over the next 20 years.  In addition there are estrogen receptors on the skin that can affect the appearance of the skin as hormone levels change. Even when eating a healthy diet full of antioxidants those nutrients often are not able to adequately protect the skin from free radical skin damage and other age related skin changes. There are now some easy to use topical products that can help improve a women’s skin care and even injections like Botox and collagen fillers that can hide some of these menopausal skin changes. Obviously one’s skin care goals and preferences are very individual, but spending time on one’s appearance can be fun, improve self confidence, and enhance motivation for improving one’s physical health simultaneously.

The Best is Yet to Come . . .
Although sometimes women dread or have uncertainty about the perimenopausal years, the good news is that many studies on women indicate that the post menopausal years from the 50’s to 65 are considered the happiest time of a woman’s life. Many report a feeling of contentment with who they are and enjoy a time of their life when they can focus on themselves as a priority. By taking a natural and holistic approach, many women can gain confidence, feel better about their health, and even have more energy. Your improved health and outlook on life can be inspiring and perhaps change other’s perception of menopause for the better!


First Step to Improving your Health May be Unlocking your Smile not your Gym Bag


                                      
          
                                          Foundation of Good Health

Anyone that has built or bought a house knows that one of the most important things about a house is the foundation.  If it’s done poorly, the entire structure of the house is at risk and no matter how well the rest was built, the house could be doomed.
Holistically speaking, I believe that in regards to the health of our bodies, emotional wellness is the foundation for good health.   Think about it for a second. When you are stressed, do you crave steamed broccoli or do you grab the ice cream, cookies, chips and fries? The hormonal effects of stress, which we will teach you in our lifefuse program, lead to your cravings that keep you from following the diet you know is healthier for you. 
Likewise, when you are stressed, mad, or worried, how do you sleep at night?  Most of us will have trouble falling asleep or toss and turn waking frequently, or wake up tired like we never slept at all.  This leads to fatigue and a vicious cycle of caffeine and energy drinks to get through the day.  This roller coaster ride often makes exercise feel like an impossible task and that trip to the gym gets replaced by lying on the couch exhausted after work and feeling guilty for not doing all the things you planned on doing.

                                Most Struggle Improving their Diet and Fitness when Stressed

In practicing integrative medicine and wellness for years I have found that until a person can improve their emotional wellness, their attempts at diet and exercise can often be frustratingly futile.  Thus, learning techniques for stress reduction will become the foundation for your health plan and its strength will allow the framing of your house (nutrition) and the plumbing and electrical work (exercise) to reach its maximal potential.
You have to learn techniques to control stress. If left unchecked, it will cause the most cracks in the foundation.  It has been estimated that stress directly or indirectly causes up to 80% of the health conditions that people see a doctor for. It has devastating effects on your immune system causing frequent infections. It affects your heart by causing elevations in blood pressure and cholesterol. It also worsens depression and asthma. These are just a few of the many affected conditions. Imagine a young child just having learned to ride a bike going down a steep hill and not braking or slowing down as he speeds down the road.  Ultimately, he would lose control of the bike and likely crash. But if he learned to put the brakes on or even stop at intervals down the hill he would remain in control and arrive safely with a smile at the bottom of the road.  This same situation happens to us daily as we race through our day without taking breaks or slowing down to allow our bodies and mind to catch up and stay in control.  Racing thoughts, tension, and stress hormones speed ahead and cause us to emotionally and physically crash.
So as you continue on your path to a healthy lifestyle, enjoy learning and using stress reduction techniques such as breathing exercises, yoga, meditation, visualizations, music therapy and even biofeedback. I encourage you to share them with your family, friends and co-workers.  Hopefully, you and your family will end you day smiling and with a strong foundation to build upon for the rest of your life.

Top Ten Medical Reasons to Exercise


“In order to remain healthy, the entire day should be devoted exclusively to ways and means of increasing one’s strength and staying healthy, and the best way to do so is through physical exercise.”— Hippocrates (460-377 BC)
“If you don’t get fit, your body will quit!”—Will Lane M.D.
There are multiple reasons to exercise, but I hope the following will help motivate you to feel good about becoming or continuing to be physically fit:
1.     Sedentary lifestyle is as much of a risk factor for heart disease as uncontrolled high blood pressure, uncontrolled high cholesterol, and smoking 1 pack a day of cigarettes a day.
2.     Being physically fit has been shown to reduce risk of colon cancer and breast cancer.
3.     In animal studies, exercise increased brain neuron connections by 15%.
4.     Someone physically fit but overweight is less likely to have a heart attack than someone thin but sedentary.
5.     Between the ages of 50-70 you will lose about 30% of your muscle mass unless you do some form of strength training.
6.     Weight bearing exercise is necessary to reduce the bone loss that occurs with aging and leads to osteoporosis.
7.     Being overweight and sedentary is a bigger factor in the reduction of growth hormone and testosterone production than aging itself.
8.     In a study done by the Harvard School of Public Health, men who did 30 min of strength training and 30 min of aerobic exercise reduced their risk of diabetes by 60%.
9.     In one study of people suffering from migraines, 40 min of exercise 3 times a week was as effective as a commonly used migraine medicine (Topamax) at preventing migraines.
10.  Many studies in patients with fibromyalgia have shown that warm water aquatic exercise will reduce pain symptoms, improve cognitive function, decrease anxiety and depression and help the patient perceive their condition as less severe.

The Nutritional Training Table for Athletes

Imagine watching the NBA playoffs and seeing the camera pan on Tim Duncan and you see him eating a soup bowl full of pure sugar. Especially if you were a Spurs fan, would you not question the wisdom of his food choice? Or what if you were watching the Tour de France and you see the American team get on bikes that were rusted from being left outside for the past month. Would you not think they too were wasting their hard training and preparation due to their lack of care for their equipment? These may seem like extreme examples but in reality they are an analogy for what many athletes do to their bodies leading up to competition.


I am sure cyclists take great care of their bikes and Nascar racers spend enormous time and money on their cars, but if you stop and think, do we take as good of care of our body's as we do our other equipment? For this reason, I want to share some important nutrition principles for athletes so they can perform at their best and start to understand how nutrition affects their body.



3 Key Nutrition Principles for Athletic Success

1. High blood sugar levels from processed carbohydrates and highly sweetened foods will sabotage energy and muscle rebuilding.

High sugar levels are kryptonite to athletes. When your blood sugar goes high, your body responds by releasing insulin to move the sugar from your blood to the cells of your body. However, when your body has to make a whole lot of insulin to do this it causes a number of bad effects to your body. We all know and have experienced the sugar crash after eating a lot of Halloween candy as a kid or enjoying a big plate of pancakes and syrup only to feel sleepy and tired an hour later.  And don't think that just candy and pancakes can do this! Did you know that one bottle of a sports drink or vitamin water can have 8 spoonfuls of sugar and one bottle of soda may have 15-20 spoonfuls of sugar? Or that a bagel or cereal may raise your blood sugar as much as a donut? There are also a number of other hormonal ramifications we need to also understand in order to appreciate how detrimental sugar can be to an athlete.

First insulin is pro inflammatory, meaning that it will make your muscles and joints even more sore and achy. Second, high levels of insulin affect a hormone called leptin that tells your brain whether it should use the food you are eating for energy or store it as fat. Whether you are an athlete or not, who does not want their food to give them energy? No one wants it to be stored as fat and, for an athlete, this hormonal switch has a huge affect on performance. And last but not least, high insulin levels inhibit the release of human growth hormone at night. Human growth hormone not only helps growing teenagers, but it also repairs the damage our muscles, tendons and joints suffered during our training that day. Without this necessary repair how are we going to rebuild our muscles through training to be bigger, stronger, and more efficient?

So how do you avoid these high sugar levels? Avoid processed carbohydrates, i.e. anything with flour in it. Almost all the cereals, breakfast bars, crackers, and breads will cause sugar levels to sky rocket in most people. Think of each particle of flour as little tiny sugar bomb waiting to explode once digested. Instead, start incorporating whole grains into your diet like brown rice, quinoa, steel cut oatmeal, and farro just to name a few options. For bread, I recommend spouted grain brain (common example Ezekiel bread) which is not made with flour and is much less likely to cause sugar spikes. I do recommend toasting it when you first try it as the texture is different. Whole grains are like extended release carbohydrates which will slowly be broken down in your body leading to a steady rise in blood sugar. This will very effectively restore your muscle energy stores and allow your body to hormonally function as it should using your food for energy. For ideas on snacks for athletes check out our list of foods recommendations on Coach Tanya's blog ("Nutrition for Athletes: Snacks and Meal Concepts").

         

 2. Athletes need over 10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day to prevent oxidative damage to muscles.  

I know this may seem like a lot but athletes in particular need to make a change in how they think about their meals from being focused on meat and potatoes to being focused on anti-oxidant consumption. Any time energy is created there is a waste by product. Think of smoke from a coal factory or oil refinery, or smoke from a fire in our fireplace. In our bodies when we use oxygen for energy the by product is an oxygen free radical (basically a little terrorist that likes to damage our muscles and soft tissues unless it is neutralized). To visualize this, think of an apple that had a bite taken out of it and then is left on the counter. In a little while the exposed apple will turn brown and become very unappetizing. If instead, someone where to put lemon juice on the exposed apple flesh, you will find it will take a long time before the apple turns brown. This is due to the antioxidant in lemon juice, vitamin C, which neutralizes the oxidation process that turns the apple brown. So in a sense you can visualize that if you don't eat your vegetables and fruit your muscles will also rot, just like the bitten apple without the lemon juice. Remember athletes need more antioxidant's than non-athletes because you are using more oxygen for energy as you are more active.

This means every meal should include at least 50% of your plate with fruits and vegetables and by then end of the day you should eat more vegetables than fruit. Eat the rainbow, meaning eat all main colors (blue/purple, green, red and yellow/orange) daily to make sure you consume antioxidants from each of these main groups. Each color represents a different antioxidant mechanism, like our military which has a navy, air force, army and marines. Eating only one color group will leave your body's defenses weak just like if our military only had a navy with no air force or army. I realize this can be a challenge, particularly at breakfast so check out some of our recipes to give you ideas on meal options.

3. The timing of when you eat in relation to your training/competition changes how you combine different food groups.

Finally the timing of food can have a big impact on athletes. One of the main purposes of training is break down muscles so they can rebuild stronger. Your muscles store quick energy in the form of glycogen that gets used up during physical exertion and needs to be replenished immediately after exercise. It is estimated that you have about 30 minutes after your glycogen is depleted to try to fully replace it. If you wait too long then your energy stores will not be optimal and you may experience the "dead legs" or training fatigue many athletes are all too familiar with. To avoid this, eat or drink something with approximately a 2:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein after work out. One simple way to do this is drink a glass of high quality chocolate milk and perhaps accompany this with an apple or banana for the electrolytes. Then when you get home have a balanced meal with vegetables, whole grains and protein.

I think it is also important to discuss how to incorporate healthy fats into an athlete's diet. Foods high in omega 3 fats like fish, nuts, avocados, and olive oil are great for athletes, reducing inflammation, stabilizing blood sugar levels, and delivering needed calories and long term energy. However, it does take the body longer to digest fat so I would minimize these prior to competition to avoid a heavy feeling in your stomach. Also, since this process uses your body's energy to digest the fats, it is better to divert all the energy to your physical and mental performance instead of the digestion of food.

Remember, there is no piece of equipment more valuable for an athlete than his or her body! So for all those parents of budding superstars and for you athletes of all ages, start becoming aware of your nutrition and your food training table. It will be an investment that will pay off not only in your competition, but also for your health the rest of your life.
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