Why Probiotics? (part 1 of 2)

 
In my last blog entry, I went into more detail regarding why it is important to take a fish oil supplement and how it works in your body.  The other supplement I have mentioned taking is a probiotic.  I would like to share with you what a probiotic does, and why it is important.  In this entry, I want to go into depth regarding your gut, so that you can fully understand the importance of a healthy gastrointestinal system, and therefore how a probiotic can be extremely helpful for maintaining optimal health.
 
This is a VERY BIG issue, so let me start by painting the BIG picture here.  Your Gut, Brain, and Primary Immune Defense are all connected.  A big shocker to most people, including physicians, is that 80% of your immune system is located in your gut.  Two common side effects to poor gut health are Depression and Lowered Immunity.  For your body to function at its optimal potential, your brain must receive the proper signals from your gut (i.e. your nervous system must be minimally stressed, one of the most common stressors on the nervous system is a subluxation in the spine).  The brain regulates appropriate gut activity.
 

Furthermore, your gut is quite literally your Second Brain!  It originates from the same type of tissue as your brain during fetal development.  Your brain and gut are connected not only through the peripheral nerves but also through a cranial nerve.  The Vagus Nerve, your tenth cranial nerve runs from your brain stem to your abdomen.  With this set-up, your gut and brain work in tandem, each influencing the other.  This is why your intestinal health can have a profound influence on your mental health.  This also helps explain the link between neurological disorders and gastrointestinal dysfunction.  For example, gluten intolerance is frequently a feature of autism (a neurologic disorder), and many autistic children improve when following a gluten free diet.
 
Speaking of development, establishing normal gut flora within the first 20 days of life plays a crucial role in appropriate development of your baby’s immune system.  Babies who develop abnormal gut flora are left with compromised immune systems, which is a crucial factor when it comes to vaccine-induced neurologic damage.  Babies with normal healthy gut flora and hence a better functioning immune system tend to not need vaccines anyway, and have less risk of neurologic damage related to the heavy metals and preservatives used in vaccines.
 
Your body contains around 100 trillion bacteria!  So, why are we so scared of bacteria in our society?  The ideal ratio of “good” bacteria and “bad” bacteria in your gut is about 85% and 15% respectively.  Keeping this optimal ratio is essential for good health.  In my next entry I will go into more depth on some important ways to help keep your gut healthy (such as taking a high quality probiotic).  In the meantime check out the following websites; Green Med Info, and Mercola for quality information on important health topics.

Why Fish Oil?

 
In my last blog entry, I mentioned the importance of taking fish oil and probiotics.  The question in your mind might be; “why should I take fish oil”?  What I would like to do is share with you what fish oil does, and why it is important.
 
Fish oil is an omega-3 fat mixture which is comprised of a multitude of fatty acids. The two main fatty acids that exert benefits in the body are Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA).  These are called essential fatty acids.  The reason they are called essential fatty acids, is that our body does not produce these fatty acids on its own.  We must consume these fatty acids from our diet.  The best source of EPA and DHA is from fish.  Two other sources of EPA and DHA are microalgae and flax seed oil.
 
Which fish are best to get your fish oil from?  I mentioned before the importance of taking high quality fish oil.  Here is why; If possible, fish oil supplements from non-predatory and non-bottom feeding fish (such as sardines, herring, or mackeral) should be used, as mercury levels (used as a standard by which to assess 'contaminants' in general) typically are elevated in fish that consume other fish and build up stores of mercury and PCBs, and bottom-feeders that feed on carcasses of fish and accumulate toxins and minerals.  Depth of forage may also be correlated with mercury levels, making surface fish safer.  Basically, small fatty fish that don't eat other small fatty fish are your safest bets for consuming fish oils through foods.

Some of the benefits to taking a regular fish oil supplement;

• An anti-inflammatory
• An anxiolytic (basically, an anti-anxiety agent)
• A brain booster
• A heart health compound
• A liver health compound

These benefits are backed up with multiple double blind clinical trials.  You can see 249 referenced papers here; http://examine.com/supplements/Fish+Oil/#main_summary_full

The take home message is that fish oil is a well documented and very beneficial supplement to take.  My parting tip, keep your fish oil supplements fresh, if they smell fishy, they have been around too long or got too warm and have oxidized.  Throw them out and get a new bottle. 

Your health is extremely important, and taking fish oil regularly is a simple step to boost your body, mind and emotional well-being.

The Most Important Supplements

A huge segment of the health world includes supplements.  Which ones are important to take?  What brands are the best?  The most important thing to understand first, is that eating and drinking healthy should be our first priority.  Supplements should be thought of as just that, a supplement to a normal healthy diet.  Another important point, not everyone needs the same supplements; we are all individuals with similar but different needs.

When I am recommending supplements, the first I think of is fish oil.  The second supplement is a probiotic.  If we are taking good care of ourselves, and there are no other significant lifestyle factors, these are the two that seem sufficient in my opinion right now.

Here is the most important aspect when taking supplements; take high quality supplements!  Avoid the low end garbage sold almost everywhere!!  If you want a general rule to go by; you get what you pay for.  Spending the extra money for a higher quality supplement insures that you are putting quality product into your body.  We all want to have quality health, right?
 
Here is your action step, take all the low quality supplements filling up your cupboards and throw them away.  Go to your local holistic health care provider or health food store, and have them guide you towards the best quality supplements that are right for you.

The next blog entry will explain the WHY and the HOW; why I recommend these supplements and how they work.

The Power of the Drug Companies

 
Do you know who the #1 lobbyist is in Washington?  Of all the big industries out there, you may be shocked to find out that it is the pharmaceutical companies!  From what I understand, the drug companies are making more than 600 billion dollars a year!  I personally can’t even fathom that amount of money.

Not only do Americans consume the majority of the world’s pharmaceutical drugs, the drug companies have convinced us to DONATE MONEY TO THEM!!  When we donate our time and money to the archaic concept of finding a cure, do you know where your hard earned money is going? 
 
How about instead of finding a cure, we find a prevention?  But wait, we already know many preventative ways to reduce the risk of disease, illness, pathology, and most health ailments that typically befall us.  I for one, think our world would be in much better shape, from a health stand point and from a financial stand point, if the pharmaceutical companies were cut down to only the bare essentials (or disappeared).  That will only happen if the consumers decide to stop consuming, and choose to spend their well earned money elsewhere.
 
I usually try to keep this blog positive, so I’m sure my next entry will be more uplifting, maybe I’ll write about puppies J

Wake-Up and Smell the … Tea?

I decided to switch from being a coffee drinker to a tea drinker a few weeks ago, and I LOVE it!  I have been a faithful coffee consumer for years, and every time I heard a bit of information about the benefits of moderate coffee consumption, I would feel affirmed in my daily coffee routine.  Since switching over to being a daily tea guy, let me detail out a few changes I have noticed;

1.  I save money – its cheaper to buy tea than coffee
2.  Better breath – I don’t have ‘coffee breath’ anymore
3.  Whiter teeth – no more coffee stains on my teeth
4.  Less stomach problems – my tummy feels better

Now let me mention another tea fact; Tea contains antioxidants – which can help bolster your immune system.

Your immune system is vitally important to how you experience life.  Have you ever heard the term “you are what you eat”?  Well guess what…. its true!!  Consuming tea on a regular basis and helping maintain or build a normal strong immune system has huge implications for how well you experience health.  But, do yourself a big favor, DO NOT add stuff to your tea (like sugar) the herbs in tea often add a little flavor by themselves, and try to get organic tea if possible.

If you want more information about herbs in general, I recommend consulting with an acupuncturist.  My acupuncturist is Jenny Dull in Arroyo Grande, http://www.jennydullacupuncture.com/

So, maybe tomorrow when you wake-up, instead of smelling coffee brewing, you will be enjoying a cup of tea instead.

The Experience of Suffering

 
I recently ran across an interesting quote that really made me think:
 
“We are healed of a suffering only by experiencing it to the full." - Marcel Proust, French novelist
 

We are taught through many avenues of modern medicine and the media that we shouldn’t have to suffer. Consumers complaining of pain or different ailments are encouraged to partake in the quickest symptom- reliever right away.  Not just with physical problems, but emotional and mental suffering as well.  The thing is we are never promised a life without suffering.
 
The actual act of healing is also poorly understood in our society.  We are taught that we need outside intervention (medicine, surgery, procedures, pain relievers…) to accomplish healing.  In actuality, however, our bodies are designed with self- healing capacity.  With the basis of this understanding of the body, many of the holistic health fields focus on aiding the body with its natural healing abilities.
 
We are created in such a way in which suffering can actually be normal and can be beneficial.  What I am not saying is to go seek suffering.  Instead, seek life!  Living a healthy life, you will inevitably experience suffering.

The Doctor of the Future

 
Inventor Thomas Edison said: “The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.”
 
Wow, was Thomas Edison an idiot or what?  He couldn’t have been more wrong about the present day doctor.  The doctor of today gives out more drugs than ever, with often very little attention paid to the human frame, diet or the cause and prevention of disease.

Or, maybe Thomas Edison was as brilliant as his inventions suggest.  Perhaps we simply have not yet arrived at his prediction of the future doctor.  What are the implications in our current society of Mr. Edison’s vision?
 
From a money stand point, our health care costs would plummet dramatically, and powerful pharmaceutical companies would be done.  The cost of caring for the human frame, diet and cause and prevention of disease would be a fraction of the cost of the current sick care system.
 
Will we ever arrive at this bold prediction?  In 10 years, 50 years, maybe 100 years from now?  I don’t have a clue.  Ultimately, doctors do what people want.  Showing interest in your frame, your diet and in the prevention of disease is a good start towards fulfilling a bold prediction.