Include cultured veggies on a leaky gut diet

Embarking on a diet to repair leaky gut, or intestinal permeability, can be a daunting task. But with cultured vegetables on the gut-healing menu, the diet can also be fun and inventive. Culturing, or fermenting, is an ancient art of preserving various vegetables that not only imparts a zesty flavor but also creates beneficial enzymes, probiotics, and B vitamins, all of which enhance digestive health. Also, for such a restricted diet, fermented veggies add variety and convenience while capitalizing on in-season produce.

Why fermented vegetables on the leaky gut diet?

The intestines, considered the seat of the immune system, house trillions of bacteria that play a vital role in the health of the entire body and even the brain. Inflammation from bad diets, chronic stress, food intolerances, and other issues damage the lining of the intestine, causing it to become overly porous. This allows undigested foods, bacteria, yeast, and other pathogens into the sterile environment of the bloodstream. This is called leaky gut, or intestinal permeability. These pathogens trigger chronic inflammation, autoimmune disease, depression, anxiety, skin conditions, obesity, and other chronic disorders.

A leaky gut diet allows the gut to repair and regenerate by removing common inflammatory foods and focusing on nutrients and foods that help repair the intestinal lining. Cultured vegetables are an important component of a leaky gut diet because they act as powerful probiotics, helping to restore a healthy balance of bacteria, or flora, in your gut.

Our gut flora play very important roles in health, immunity, and even brain function. Beneficial gut bacteria help us absorb minerals and produce B vitamins and vitamin K2, which is necessary for optimal usage of vitamin D. They play a role in burning and storing fat and whether a person is prone to obesity. In recent years researchers have found gut bacteria play a significant role in mood and mental health.

How to make our own cultured vegetables

Health food stores carry one or more brands of genuinely fermented vegetables—they are cultured in a saltwater brine and do not contain vinegar, preservatives, or artificial colors. The most popular is Bubbies, which carries cultured cucumbers, cabbage (sauerkraut), and tomatoes. As awareness and popularity of cultured vegetables grows, new brands are popping up in the refrigerated section. You may find some made locally in your area.

However, it is easy and fun to make your own. You can find many recipes online, including at Cultures for Health, an online source for starters for many different types of cultured foods. You can culture almost any vegetable, and the process basically entails washing and chopping your vegetables, mixing with sea salt, covering in a saltwater brine, or mixing with a starter culture, placing in a large jar or fermenting crock, and letting time and natural bacteria do their magic during the next two days to three weeks, depending on the vegetable (the warmer the environment the quicker the process).

The result is a tart, tangy superfood for the gut. The finished product is ready to eat right out of the jar and can be stored for many months in a root cellar or refrigerator. Many people like to make large batches for grab-on-the-go veggies or as a condiment to their main dish.

For more information on how to make your own cultured vegetables, visit Cultures for Health, read Wild Fermentation, or simply Google for recipes and how-to videos.

Struggle with fatigue? Look for underlying causes

Do you feel like you’re tired all the time and depend on caffeine to function? Do you feel you always need extra sleep and never feel rested? Feeling tired all the time is a symptom of a larger problem, and a cue from your body you need to address an underlying health issue. A variety of factors can cause you to feel tired, however clinically we see some common ones pop up over and over.

Common causes of constant fatigue

Low thyroid activity. If you’re experiencing constant fatigue it’s important to rule out hypothyroidism, a condition of low thyroid activity that causes fatigue and many other symptoms. More than 90 percent of hypothyroid cases in the United States are caused by an autoimmune disease called Hashimoto’s, in which the immune system attacks and destroys the thyroid gland. Hashimoto’s can be identified by positive TPO and TGB antibodies and should be addressed by managing the immune system, although thyroid hormone medication may still be necessary. Low thyroid activity can also be a result of other things, such as chronic stress or excess estrogen. Testing for TSH alone is not enough to assess a thyroid condition. For more information, read the book Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? by Datis Kharrazian, and ask my office how we can help you manage low thyroid activity.

Blood sugar imbalance. Blood sugar imbalances are largely overlooked yet are a common cause of fatigue. Many people struggle with low blood sugar, high blood sugar (insulin resistance), or a combination of both. People with low blood sugar frequently skip meals, eat too little, or consume excess sweets and processed carbohydrates that cause blood sugar to spike and then plummet. When blood sugar is low people experience fatigue, lightheadedness, shakiness, feeling spaced-out and other symptoms.

Consuming excess sweets and processed carbohydrates and overeating may also lead to high blood sugar, or insulin resistance. People with insulin resistance often have difficulty falling asleep or sleeping well and frequently feel fatigue as a result. They also feel tired after meals, particularly meals high in carbohydrates.

When struggling with fatigue, you should always evaluate your diet and eat foods that keep blood sugar stable, and eat frequently enough to prevent blood sugar from dropping too low.

Anemia. There are many kinds of anemia, but iron-deficiency anemia is the most common. The body uses iron to make hemoglobin, a part of blood cells that carries oxygen. Low iron deprives the body of oxygen and hence energy, causing fatigue. A common cause of iron-deficiency anemia is poor nutrient absorption due to undiagnosed celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, so gluten intolerance should be ruled out in cases of anemia. Other common causes of anemia are B12 deficiency, inflammation, or an autoimmune disease. It’s important to know which form of anemia is causing your fatigue as supplementing with iron when you don’t need it may cause toxic levels of iron. Although the body needs iron to function, in excess it is damaging.

Adrenal fatigue. The adrenal glands sit atop each kidney and secrete adrenal hormones to help us respond to stress. Many people suffer from adrenal fatigue, a condition in which the adrenal glands produce insufficient stress hormones. Common symptoms are constant fatigue, low blood sugar, and low blood pressure. Poor adrenal function is always secondary to something else, such as chronic inflammation or poor diet. To support your adrenal health to combat fatigue, it’s important to find out what is stressing your body.

These are just a few causes of fatigue. Fatigue can be a sign of many different health disorders. Other things to consider are food intolerances, gut inflammation, hormonal imbalances, brain chemistry imbalances, dehydration, and of course lack of sleep.

Ask my office how we can help you manage fatigue.

Retirement may be bad for your health

Many people look forward to concluding a lifetime of work with retirement, but retirement can lead to a drastic decline in health. Research shows that although retirement may initially reduce stress, it significantly increases the chances of depression, physical illness, and the need for medication while reducing overall health. The longer one is in retirement the more the risks increase. Why? Turns out the body and brain need regular activity and social interaction to stay healthy, and retirement robs some people of those necessary influences.

Retirement can increase loneliness

Regular social interaction has been shown to be vital for health and vitality. In fact, social isolation has the same health risks as smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity, and regular social activity has been shown to prevent dementia.

If someone’s social life happened primarily at work, taking that away can suddenly launch them into isolation and loneliness, keeping company with the television. If someone is living alone because they lost a spouse through divorce or death, the risk of depression increases.

Retirement can decrease physical activity

Another risk with retirement is a sudden decrease of physical activity. Even if a person worked a fairly sedentary job, they were at least getting themselves to and from work and perhaps walking to lunch with coworkers.

When it comes to preventing disease and dementia and slowing the aging process, exercise is a magic bullet. Although a combination of strength training and high-intensity interval training are ideal ways to prevent disease and dementia, simply going for a walk every day is also highly preventive.

Retirement can decrease mental stimulation

The brain is like a muscle—use it or you lose it. Regular mental stimulation is vital to keeping the brain healthy and active, which helps lower the risk of depression, illness, and dementia. Working keeps the brain regularly engaged, especially if the job places higher demands on thinking skills. In retirement many are susceptible to spending days in front of the television, which does not stimulate the mind like reading, learning new things, and doing crossword puzzles and other games.

Stay healthy after retirement

The key to staying healthy after retirement is to maintain a lifestyle that includes regular physical activity, mental stimulation, and social activity. Volunteering, learning something new, setting new goals and challenges for yourself, and working in some capacity are ways to avoid the increased risk of physical and mental decline after retirement.

Got hemorrhoids? Some natural health solutions

Even though they can ruin your life, nobody wants to talk about hemorrhoids, or “piles,” a condition in which the veins in the anus and rectum become swollen and inflamed. Although the internet is full of miracle hemorrhoid remedies, it’s best to address the underlying cause to keep them away for good.

Hemorrhoids can occur inside or outside the anal cavity. Symptoms include bleeding, feeling the urge for a bowel movement, and acute pain, itching, and irritation around the anus. Although hemorrhoids during pregnancy are normal for many women, in other cases they can indicate problems with your gut health, your diet, or even your brain function.

Constipation and hemorrhoids

The most common cause of hemorrhoids is constipation due to a diet low in fiber; the average American eats less than half the recommended dietary intake. If this is the cause, it’s an easy fix that requires eating ample amounts of vegetables and low-glycemic fruits. Get used to including vegetables in most every meal—think veggie omelets for breakfast, salads with lunch, sautéed vegetables for dinner, and raw carrots and celery with snacks. When you increase your fiber intake, make sure to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of filtered water. Regular exercise also helps keep things moving along to prevent constipation.

Benefits of increasing your dietary fiber intake go well beyond preventing hemorrhoids. A high-fiber diet has also been shown to reduce the risk for heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and some gut disorders.

Constipation is also a common symptom of Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism and managing your thyroid condition may help relieve constipation. Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune condition and proper management requires managing the immune system. For more information read the book Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? by Datis Kharrazian. 

Could your brain be causing your constipation and hemorrhoids?

Sometimes constipation is not just diet related and hemorrhoids persist. Constipation may be caused by poor brain function, which Dr. Kharrazian discusses in his book Why Isn’t My Brain Working? A large nerve called the vagus nerve runs between the brain and the gut. If brain health is suboptimal, the brain will not adequately fire into the vagus nerve. Due to diminished communication from the brain, gut function declines and can cause symptoms that include constipation and hemorrhoids. This helps explain why gut function suffers after head injuries, with dementia, or in children with autism.

Fortunately, it is often possible to improve function of the vagus nerve with exercises such as gargling vigorously and frequently, singing loudly, or stimulating the gag reflex. For more information, contact my office or read Why Isn’t My Brain Working?

Take care of gut health to prevent hemorrhoids

The anus and rectum are part of the digestive tract and hemorrhoids can be a sign digestive tract health is compromised. Common disorders of the digestive tract include inflammation, overgrowth of yeast and bacteria, and leaky gut, a condition in which the intestinal walls become overly porous and allow undigested foods and bacteria into the bloodstream. It’s important to address overall gut health if you have hemorrhoids.

There can be several ways of approaching this. One is to reduce inflammation of the gut by eliminating sugars, junk foods, and foods to which you are intolerant, such as gluten or dairy. For instance, many people have found relief from hemorrhoids by following a gluten-free diet.

Addressing yeast and bacteria overgrowth and following a leaky gut diet can further improve gut health and potentially relieve hemorrhoids. You can further support gut health with specific nutritional compounds—ask my office for advice.

A variety of factors can cause hemorrhoids, however it’s always important to address diet and the health of the digestive tract when looking to manage the underlying cause.

Dementia cases doubling--how to lower your risk

The numbers of people with dementia are expected to more than double in 30 years and outpace both heart disease and cancer in terms of cost. Because dementia can take root in the brain years or decades before symptoms appear, you can take action now to avoid becoming part of this skyrocketing statistic.

Today, nearly 15 percent of people aged 71 or older have dementia—almost 4 million people. Experts predict that number will more than double to 9 million people by 2040, costing the country more than $500 billion.

What’s worse is these statistics do not include mild cognitive impairment (MCI), or “pre-dementia,” which accounts for another 22 percent of people over 71.

How to lower your risk of dementia

Some experts say there is no way to prevent dementia, but studies show diet and lifestyle influence brain health. We can use that knowledge to lower the risk for dementia.

For instance, poor diet and lifestyle choices can cause inflammation throughout the body, which ultimately inflames the brain and accelerates the degeneration of brain tissue. It may cause symptoms such as brain fog or a gradual decline in cognition, but the average person will not connect this with an increased risk of dementia later in life.

The good news is you can slow the rate of brain degeneration and lower your risk of dementia with the following tips:

• Ditch the sugar, processed starchy foods, and junk foods. These foods lead to insulin resistance (pre-diabetes) and Type 2 diabetes. The link between a sugar-laden diet and brain degeneration is so strong some researchers call Alzheimer’s “Type 3 diabetes,” a totally diet and lifestyle driven disease. Sugars and processed starches and the insulin surges they create are devastating to brain health.
   
• Avoid hydrogenated oils (trans fats) found in processed foods, pastries, and many restaurant fried foods. The brain is mostly fat and the fats you eat play a role in its health. Hydrogenated fats are more like plastic than food and research shows eating hydrogenated fats leads to loss of cognitive function and smaller brain volume, evidence of degeneration. Eat healthy fats such as coconut oil, olive oil, and seafood, and get plenty of omega 3 essential fatty acids. Ask my office how you can do this to lower your risk of dementia.
   
• Go gluten-free and ditch other food intolerances. Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity have been found to damage neurological tissue more than any other tissue in the body. Gluten causes brain inflammation in many people, which accelerates brain degeneration, increasing the risk of dementia. Find out through testing or an elimination diet whether you have intolerances to foods that could be triggering brain inflammation and degeneration.
   
• Exercise your body and your brain. Exercise has been well documented as a way to boost brain health and lower your risk of dementia. You should engage in both aerobic exercise and weight training for ultimate dementia prevention. You should also exercise your brain with mentally stimulating activities, such as learning new things, reading, writing, playing chess, etc.

You need to be both a scholar and an athlete to prevent dementia

As Dr. Kharrazian says in his book Why Isn’t My Brain Working?, if you want to lower your risk of dementia and enjoy optimal brain health, you need to be both a scholar and an athlete. Ask my office for more ideas on how to boost your brain health and lower your risk of dementia.

How to slow aging in less than five minutes a day

Americans spend billions of dollars every year on supplements, therapies, and procedures in an attempt to slow the aging process. But did you know you can stay younger longer in just a few minutes a day?

According to Dr. Datis Kharrazian in his book Why Isn’t My Brain Working?, reaching maximum heart rate for just a few minutes a day can release several anti-aging chemicals in your body, including human growth hormone (HGH).

HGH enhances vitality, healing and recovery, optimal hormone levels, bone strength, fat burning, brain function, cardiac health, and blood sugar levels. It’s no wonder Baby Boomers are enticed by the promises of HGH treatments—our levels of HGH decline as we age. However, HGH treatments are expensive and may be risky.

Instead, you can raise your HGH levels naturally by reaching your maximum heart rate for just a few minutes a day. Studies show spending time in your maximum heart rate releases a cascade of natural feel-good chemicals, including HGH.

These bursts of intense exercise trigger the release of not only HGH but also opioids, chemicals that produce that “exercise high.” High intensity exercise also triggers the release of chemicals that improve blood flow, dampen inflammation, and support healthy brain function—all great anti-aging benefits.

How to exercise to release anti-aging chemicals

You do not have to exercise long at high intensity. Just a few minutes a day at maximum heart rate can trigger the release of these chemicals. In fact, overtraining will work against you by increasing inflammation, exceeding your body’s antioxidant capacities, and taxing your adrenal glands.

First, determine your maximum heart rate. To do this, simply subtract your age from 220. For instance, a person who is 46 years old will have a maximum heart rate of 174. This is the zone you want to try to stay in for at least two to five minutes once a day to release your body’s feel-good, anti-aging, and anti-inflammatory chemicals.

Examples of how to boost your heart rate include doing squats to fatigue, push ups to fatigue, jumping jacks, jump roping, sprinting, jumping on a trampoline, jump squats, jumping or stepping onto a platform, burpees, and more. Many find doing this within the first half hour of waking can help them become a "morning person."

Although just a few minutes a day can go a long way to release anti-aging chemicals in your body, don’t confuse this protocol with an actual exercise regimen of longer duration. If you’re able, you should still add in longer sessions of strength and aerobic training throughout the week without overdoing it.

Be cautious and smart by not overdoing it

Not everyone will be able to do the few minutes of maximum heart rate exercise. Some people are simply too sick and too fragile. Others may need to work up to it over time. Be smart and listen to your body as over exercising can inflame and deplete your body, causing setbacks in your health recovery. According to Dr. Kharrazian, you know you’re doing it right if it makes you feel good and gives you more energy. You know you’re overdoing it if you “crash,” and it takes you a while to recover.

You can also support your body’s release of anti-aging chemicals by adding in specific nutritional compounds before and after your morning exercise to improve blood flow, maintain electrolyte balance, and dampen inflammation. Ask my office for advice.

Seven things that cause adrenal fatigue

Feel tired all the time? You may suffer from adrenal fatigue, a condition in which the body has difficulty meeting the demands of everyday stress. Adrenal fatigue is often associated with too much stress from a busy lifestyle and lack of sleep, however other factors may lead to adrenal fatigue.

Signs and symptoms of adrenal fatigue include:

• Fatigue
• Headaches with stress or in the afternoon
• Frequent colds and flus; weak immune system
• Allergies
• Slow to get going in the morning
• Craving sweets and stimulants
• Feeling lightheaded, shaky, or irritable between meals
• Eating to relieve fatigue
• Difficulty sleeping; wake up at 3 or 4 a.m.
• Dizziness when moving from sitting to standing
• Low blood pressure
   

7 things that cause adrenal fatigue

Below are factors besides chronic stress and lack of sleep that can lead to adrenal fatigue.

1. Eating too much sugar and processed carbohydrates. When you eat something sweet or very starchy it causes your blood sugar to spike and then plummet. Your adrenal glands must then release stress hormone to raise it. When blood sugar swings up and down repeatedly it may fatigue the adrenals. Once people have adrenal fatigue they often suffer from low blood sugar, or reactive hypoglycemia, as well. Aim for a lower glycemic, whole foods diet that does not spike your blood sugar, as well as healthy fats, protein, and plenty of fiber.

2. Using caffeine and other stimulants. Caffeine, energy drinks, cigarettes, diet pills, and other stimulants cause extra release of stress hormones and can fatigue the adrenal system.

3. Overtraining. Exercise is vital to good health, but over-exercising can inflame and deplete the body, taxing the adrenal glands. If your performance during workouts is suffering and you feel tired, you may be overdoing it and fatiguing your adrenal glands.

4. Food intolerances. Eating foods that trigger an immune reaction can tax adrenal function. One of the more common food intolerances is gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and oats (unless they are gluten-free oats). Dairy, eggs, soy, corn, and yeast are other foods that can cause inflammation and fatigue the adrenal glands. You can do an elimination/provocation diet or a lab test to find out which foods you are sensitive to.

5. Gut infections. Many people have overgrowths of yeast, fungus, and bacteria due to poor diets. These infections lead to chronic inflammation both in the gut and throughout the body, which can contribute to adrenal fatigue.

6. Unmanaged autoimmune disease. More people have autoimmune disease than cancer and heart disease combined. Autoimmunity is when the immune system attacks and destroys a part of the body, such as the thyroid gland (Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism), the pancreas (Type I diabetes), or the nervous system (multiple sclerosis). You can have an autoimmune reaction causing symptoms that has not yet been identified as a disease because not enough tissue has been destroyed. Unmanaged autoimmunity keeps the immune system on red alert, which can fatigue the adrenals over time. You can use lab testing to screen for autoimmune reactions.

7. Brain inflammation. Chronic inflammation in the body from poor diet, chronic stress, autoimmunity, and other problems can inflame the brain. Common symptoms of brain inflammation include brain fog, low brain endurance and slow mental speed. Ask my office about nutritional compounds and strategies that can calm brain inflammation.

As you can see, managing adrenal fatigue is about more than just taking adrenal supplements, although that may be helpful. Adrenal fatigue is always secondary to something else. True management of adrenal fatigue requires addressing what caused it in the first place.