Category Archives: Hormones

5 Heart Health Facts Your Cardiologist Won’t Tell You

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Dr. Stephen Sinatra

Over the years, I’ve found that while there are some great cardiologists who are on the cutting-edge of the latest research, there are far more cardiologists who are practicing old medicine, quite literally. Part of the problem is that medical schools spend far more time teaching about pharmaceutical drugs than they do nutritional supplements. Plus, they never even get to new cutting-edge research that doesn’t involve a scalpel or prescription pad. Here are the five biggest heart facts that unfortunately many cardiologists don’t know about, yet.

Here Are The 5 Heart-Health Facts You Should Know

1. Your Heart Can Regenerate Itself: In eye-opening research, Swedish cellular biologists found that cardiomyocytes (heart muscle cells) actually renew themselves. In fact, over a lifetime you will have turned over a full 40 percent of your cardiomyocytes. You can help that heart renewal process by taking targeted nutraceuticals that help stimulate healthy enzymatic and bioenergetic reactions in cells. The nutrients you want to take are ones I’ve dubbed the “Awesome Foursome,” which includes carnitine, magnesium, D-ribose, and CoQ10. These nutrients literally work in the “engine room” of each cell, increasing ATP (adenosine triphosphate) throughout your body and revitalizing the heart.

2. Cholesterol is Not the Villain: While cholesterol is at the scene of the crime when it comes to heart disease, it’s not the real perpetrator. The real “bad guy” is inflammation. Studies show that having elevated C-reactive protein (CRP), which is a measure of inflammation, puts you at twice the risk of dying from cardiovascular-related problems as those with high cholesterol. You generally want a CRP reading below one.

3. Driving Your LDL Cholesterol Too Low Can Be Harmful: Many people, including cardiologists, still believe that the lower your LDL cholesterol is the better. This is one of the reasons that cholesterol lowering statin drugs are prescribed in record numbers. But the truth is, your body needs LDL cholesterol and if you drive that number too low (meaning below 60) it can affect your memory and immune system.

4. Statin Drugs Really Work by Thinning the Blood: Many people think that the healing power of statin drugs is that they lower your cholesterol. But the real reason these drugs can be helpful for some people is that they thin the blood and improve inflammation—which as I mentioned earlier is the real culprit in heart disease. That’s why with men who have a history of a heart attack, a bypass or stent, an angioplasty, or low HDL cholesterol, a statin can be lifesaving. But for many others, the harmful statin side effects far outweigh the benefits.

5. Saturated Fats Are Heart-Healthy: For years, cardiologists told people to avoid fats and especially “artery clogging” saturated fats. But the fact is saturated fats are not just safe, they can actually improve your heart health. That’s because they help to raise “good” HDL cholesterol and help to improve your HDL-triglyceride ratio. Plus, saturated fats actually help to improve your LDL cholesterol pattern, changing them from small artery clogging dense particles into larger “fluffy” and less invasive LDL particles. In fact, a Harvard University study found that a higher intake of saturated fats is associated with less progression of atherosclerosis—hardening of the arteries.

Be Informed. And Stay Healthy.

3 Simple Tips to Burn Fat

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1. Eat Fat  to Lose fat

Healthy fats, that is. Good fats contain essential omega-3 fatty acids which boost brain function, strengthens the immune system, improves mood and aids in helping you slim down.

So which fats are “good” fats? Fats from fish and nuts as well as those from avocados, peanut butter, olive oil, egg yolks, and fish oil.


2.  High Intensity Interval Training

Whether you walk, run, bike or swim, the International Journal of Obesity revealed that women who, for 20 minutes alternated cycling as fast as possible for eight seconds with 12-second rest periods dropped 9.5 percent of their belly fat, while those who cycled steadily for 40 minutes gained.

So walk at a nice easy pace, then burst into as fast as pace as you can for 8 seconds, then relax into a nice easy pace, and then burst again. Pushing your body to the max with rest periods turns on your thin genes and does a world of difference for burning fat.

3. Drink Green Tea

According to a study from American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, drinking green tea has fat-fighting effects. Green tea’s high content of caffeine and catechins, stop the body from absorbing carbohydrates and helps burn more fat.

Stay Healthy!

Garlic is Great

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Garlic is an ‘effective and safe approach’ for BP management, says meta-analysis

 Stephen DANIELLS

‘Great economical and clinical benefit’: Garlic is an ‘effective and safe approach’ for BP management, says meta-analysis
 

Dietary supplements with garlic (Allium sativum) may beneficially affect blood pressure for hypertensives, says a meta-analysis of 7 randomized controlled trials.

Data published in Phytomedicine indicated that garlic supplements could reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure by an average of 6.71 mmHg and 4.79 mmHg, respectively.

“The present meta-analysis suggests that garlic is an effective and safe approach for the management of hypertension, which may be an alternative therapy in patients with a history of AEs related to antihypertensive drugs,” wrote the authors.

Allicin

Consumer awareness of the health benefits of garlic, mostly in terms of cardiovascular and immune system health, has benefited the supplements industry, particularly since consumers seek the benefits of garlic without the odors that accompany the fresh bulb.

The benefits have been linked to the compound allicin, which is not found in fresh garlic; It is only formed when garlic is crushed, which breaks down a compound called diallyl sulphide.

Study details

Led by scientists from the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, the authors searched PubMed, the Cochrane Library and EMBASE for appropriate articles and found seven randomized, placebo-controlled trials comparing garlic vs. a placebo in hypertensives.

Pooling the data indicated that, compared with placebo, garlic was associated with significant lowering of both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Balance Your Hormones without Medication

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Hormones, such as thyroid and insulin, are chemical messengers that affect many aspects of your health as they travel in your bloodstream throughout your entire body.  Some of the most common side effects of hormone imbalance include:

 

  • Infertility
  • Weight gain
  • Depression
  • Fatigue
  • Insomnia
  • Low libido
  • Hair loss and hair thinning

Organs and glands like your thyroid, adrenals, pituitary, ovaries, testicles and pancreas regulate most of your hormone production and if your hormones become even slightly imbalanced it can cause major health issues.

Also, new research is showing that your gut health plays a significant role in hormone regulation so if you have leaky gut or a lack of probiotics lining your intestinal wall it can also cause hormone imbalance.

The good news is there are ways to balance your hormones naturally.

The bad news is the majority of people across the world today turn to synthetic treatments such as hormone replacement therapy which can do three things:

  1. It makes people dependent on prescription drugs for the rest of their lives.
  2. Simply mask the symptoms while you develop disease in other areas of the body.
  3. Causes serious side effects by increasing your risk of stroke, osteoporosis and cancer.

If you don’t want these negative side effects, but do want to naturally balance your hormones, here’s how:

1. Eat Good Fats

Good fats are fundamental building blocks for hormone production, they speed up your metabolism and promote weight loss.

Some foods packed with healthy fats include: nuts and seeds, coconut oil, avocados, grass-fed butter, olives, egg yolks and wild caught salmon.

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2. Increase Intake of Omega-3 Fatty acids

Since the early 20th century, the use of vegetable oil in our diets has skyrocketed. But, because people didn’t boost their Omega-3 intake to balance out the elevated Omega-6s they were consuming, there is an onslaught of chronic diseases and inflammatory processes.

Research suggests that jumping from the 1:1 Omega-3/6 ratio our hunter-gather ancestors enjoyed to the astronomical 20:1 ratio most people take in today is the primary dietary factor of most diseases!

Steer clear of oils high in Omega-6s (all refined oils such as safflower, sunflower, corn, cottonseed, canola, soybean and peanut) and load up on rich sources of natural Omega-3s (wild fish, flaxseed, chia seeds, walnuts and grass-fed animal products). Better still, take a good supplement.

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3. Heal Leaky Gut 

Leaky gut is a condition that not only affects your digestive tract but also causes hormone issues and can more specifically target your thyroid. When undigested food particles like gluten leak through your gut into your blood stream it will cause inflammation of the entire body and more specific organs like the thyroid.

Probiotics actually help your body in producing certain vitamins that effect hormone levels like insulin. In addition, supplements like digestive enzymes and probiotics can aid in repairing your gut lining, which in turn can balance your hormones.

Some of the main things that damage your digestive health include processed foods, gluten, hydrogenated oils and emotional stress.

4. Eliminate Toxic Cleaning and Personal Products

Another way to eliminate toxins in your body is to stay away from conventional cleaning and body care products that are high in DEA, parabens, propylene glycol and sodium lauryl sulfate.

The use of plastic bottles should be replaced with glass and stainless steel because of BPA’s, and switching from teflon pans to stainless steel, ceramic or cast iron can make a big difference in your hormonal health.

5. Interval Exercise

One of the best all-around activities you can do for your health is High Intensity Interval Training – HIIT. This training will help reduce stress levels, enhance your immune system, regulate metabolic function and keep you at the body weight your body was designed for.

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6. Get More Sleep

Lack of sleep and sleeping at the wrong time, actually may be the worst habit people have that disturb hormone balance. To maximize hormone function, get to bed by 10:00 p.m. One hour of sleep between 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. is equal to 2 hours of sleep before or after.

7. Supplement with Vitamin D3

According to an article from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vitamin D3’s role in promoting human life is more profound than previously suspected.

Most people should supplement with around 2,000IU to 5,000IU daily of vitamin D3 daily.

8. Follow a Hormone Balancing Diet

This is a simple tweak to our eating pattern which helps balance out our hormone levels. Eat real food, avoid processed food, avoid refined carbs, eat PLENTY of brightly colored veggies and some fruit. Include sufficient protein.

Try to get in  Intermittent Fasting. Increase the gap between meals and /or skip some meals. This reduces Insulin Resistance.

9. Deal with Stress

Stress increases cortisol levels and impacts all other hormones and your metabolism. So the key to lasting good health is learning to lower your stress levels. Through Meditation, Yoga, Tai Chi, whatever works for you.

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Be happy! And be happy together. Increase ( or add in!) joyful activities in your life.

Take charge of your own health. You can do it!

 

Probiotics

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The word “probiotic” is a compound of two Greek words: “pro,” to signify promotion of and “biotic,” which means life. Their very definition is something that affirms life and health. The World Health Organization defines a probiotic as any living microorganism that has a health benefit when ingested.  These encourage growth of good bacteria in the gut.

As opposed to ‘Anti-Biotics’, which are, by definiton, Anti-Life. They kill the infection-causing bacteria, but also the good bacteria in our gut. Which is why we are given vitamins whenever we take antibiotics, to protect the good bacteria.

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Plain home made yogurt (not store bought), kimchi, kefir, tempeh, miso, sauerkraut, carrot drink kanji, wheat drink Rejuvelac – these are some of the foods rich in probiotics. They are all incredibly simple to make, taste good and are health promoting.

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So what can probiotics help with?

  • Boost the immune system by enhancing the production of antibodies.
  • Produce substances that prevent infection.
  • Prevent harmful bacteria from attaching to the gut lining and growing there.
  • Inhibit or destroy toxins released by certain “bad” bacteria.
  • Produce B vitamins necessary for metabolizing the food we eat, warding off anemia caused by deficiencies in B6 and B12, and maintaining healthy skin and a healthy nervous system.
  • Allergies
  • Obesity – In 2006, Stanford University researchers found that obese people had different gut bacteria than normal-weighted people. Research shows that probiotics can help obese people who have received weight loss surgery to maintain weight loss. And in a study of post-partum women who were trying to lose abdominal fat, the addition of lactobacillus and bifidobacterium capsules helped reduce waist circumference.

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80 percent of our immune system is located in our digestive system, making a healthy gut essential if we want to maintain optimal health.

Furthermore, the gut is quite literally our second brain, as it originates from the same type of tissue as your brain! During fetal development, one part turns into the central nervous system, while the other develops into the enteric nervous system. These two systems are connected via the vagus nerve, the tenth cranial nerve that runs from the brain stem down to your abdomen. Hence the gut and the brain work in tandem, each influencing the other. And this is why our intestinal health can have such a profound influence on our mental health, and vice versa.

This also helps explain the link between neurological disorders (including ADHD and autism) and gastrointestinal dysfunction. For example, gluten intolerance is frequently a feature of autism, and many autistic children will improve when following a strict gluten-free diet.

However, even more importantly, establishing normal gut flora within the first 20 days or so of life plays a crucial role in appropriate maturation of your baby’s immune system. This happens during a vaginal delivery. Babies born by Cesarian section are unable to derive this massive benefit. That is why we must be very selective when resorting to Cesarian deliveries.

Who should take probiotics?

Everyone.

Especially those who have Digestive, Auti-Immune, Mental Health issues, Repeated Infections or after Illness or Surgery.

In the form of foods listed above, or Supplements.

Prebiotics are non-digestible fiber compounds that pass undigested through the gut and stimulate the growth of good bacteria that colonize the large bowel by acting as food for them. So including these in our diet is also beneficial.

Prebiotics are found in insoluble fiber such as inulin and resistant starch in cooked and cooled potatoes.

Simple ways to Stay Healthy!