There has certainly been quite a lot of talk over the last few years about genetically modified food (GMO). Some consumers are all for it, some are totally against the idea (like all of Europe and a lot of South America and Africa), and then there is the rest of us who don’t really know one way from another. After all, how bad could it be right?
From the July 1997 issue of Alive: Canadian Journal of Health and Nutrition:”Genetically engineered potatoes and corn now on the market produce their own pesticide. These crops contain a foreign soil bacterial gene called bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, which creates a toxin in the plant to kill insects.”
Let’s look into how those genes are inserted into the crops. Remember I have a degree in Molecular Biology so this is something I am familiar with. In order to get a new gene into an existing strand of DNA you need a vector. A vector is something that you use to cut into the DNA and insert the gene you want. A very common vector is a virus or a bacterial DNA ring called a plasmid. These work so well as vectors because they are used in nature to share DNA between organisms. They already come equipped with the means to cut and splice DNA. Very convenient.
The problem comes when we ingest these newly designed foods. The bacteria that live in our guts (and there are more of them in number than we have cells in our body… By a lot!) have the ability to incorporate some of the DNA from these newly formed genes and take on some of their characteristics. So there is the potential for our gut bacteria to become in essence, billions of little pesticide factories! No kidding. Once our own gut bacteria incorporate the gene mentioned above it could be almost impossible to get rid of it without totally killing off all of the bacteria in our GI tract. And that would come with nasty consequences as well. What do you think are the detriments to our health of billions of cells producing pesticide within our guts 24/7? I shudder to think of the possibilities! It is a nasty thought indeed.
So forgive me if this all seems like scare tactics. But it should be really really scary to you. If more people knew what is going on perhaps we wouldn’t tolerate such bold faced pressure from big industry. In my opinion it is time that we start listening to the rest of the world and stop the use of GMO Foods in America. Believe it or not there are hungry villages in Africa that are currently refusing GMO food. That must mean something. There really is a major health concern here. I only mentioned one such genetic modification. There are many more going on than that. And if you don’t care all that much about your health and the health of your loved ones I urge you to do some research on the environmental impact these foods are having on the world. I highly recommend the documentary, “The Future of Foods.” Grab a bowl of organic popcorn and have a ball with that one. It is a must see for all Americans!
9/12/07
The Basics of Weight Loss
Weight loss is probably one of the most frequently asked questions that I get these days. “Can you help me loose weight?” I will try to answer this question here today by detailing some major factors involved in weight management.
Of course the first and foremost concern that people need to consider when trying to loose weight is to eat a healthy diet and do some regular exercise. Of course… Everyone knows that so I won’t beat that one to death. But really… Eat right and exercise for God’s sake! Now let’s move on.
If I were to focus on just one concept that is working to make people fat it would have to be blood sugar imbalance. I know, this is tied into eating right which I just said that I wouldn’t beat to death, but I think that you need to know more about why. Perhaps if you know why you should eat right you might actually give it a try. High blood sugar really is the root of all evil when it comes to health and longevity and it must be considered with every meal if you want to loose weight.
When blood sugar is not in balance the body goes into an alarm reaction. This is followed by an imbalance in the stress hormone Cortisol which I frequently write about, and then works on a hormone called Leptin. Leptin is the hormone responsible for stimulating hunger. It is also made in the fat cells so the more fat that you have the more potential to produce Leptin. Over time resistance to this hormone develops and this person can no longer mediate their hunger response. They actually loose the ability to realize when they are full so over eating becomes a concern. One key to loosing weight is to understand the blood sugar/Leptin connection.
Aside from Leptin, high blood sugar over time will also lead to insulin resistance. This can also be referred to as “pre-diabetes.” Once insulin resistance has occurred the body is impaired from transporting blood sugar into the cells to make energy. This unfortunate process leads to lack of energy and then to a direct transformation of this excess blood sugar into stored fat! So not only do you feel tired and lazy, but no matter what you will make more fat anyway.
There is also one other phenomenon that is worth mentioning here called pica. Pica occurs when an animal is mineral deficient and they begin to have cravings that can’t seem to be quenched. Remember the potato chip slogan, “You can’t eat just one?” That company is keenly aware that salt and sugar are the main things that people reach for to quench their pica cravings. Junk food! You can see the same thing in horses that chew on their barn doors. They want the salt that the rancher was so kind to leave behind with his sweaty hand. Give that horse minerals and no more chewing. Pregnant women experience this as the fetus uses up a major share of their minerals. Give the woman minerals and she stops with the bizarre cravings. Some women have been known to eat clay from the back yard! No joke!
So is it imperative that anyone wanting to loose weight take in plenty of minerals, be sure to stabilize their blood sugar and exercise frequently. I of course can tell you more about how to accomplish this but you will have to book an appointment for that! ;)
Through all of my education I have gathered so much evidence of the detriments of obesity and how it lends itself to many of the very nasty modern day diseases. Obesity is an epidemic in our society and is responsible for billions of dollars in health care costs annually. The fortunate part is that it is in the hands of the people to make the changes for themselves. If we all just avoided food served to us by the large corporations we would be helping ourselves and also the world at large! Only a very small number of overweight people are that way for genetic reasons. It really does boil down to poor eating and lifestyle choices and perhaps a poor understanding of good and bad. But with the proper guidance and some due diligence, wonderful changes can be made.
Of course the first and foremost concern that people need to consider when trying to loose weight is to eat a healthy diet and do some regular exercise. Of course… Everyone knows that so I won’t beat that one to death. But really… Eat right and exercise for God’s sake! Now let’s move on.
If I were to focus on just one concept that is working to make people fat it would have to be blood sugar imbalance. I know, this is tied into eating right which I just said that I wouldn’t beat to death, but I think that you need to know more about why. Perhaps if you know why you should eat right you might actually give it a try. High blood sugar really is the root of all evil when it comes to health and longevity and it must be considered with every meal if you want to loose weight.
When blood sugar is not in balance the body goes into an alarm reaction. This is followed by an imbalance in the stress hormone Cortisol which I frequently write about, and then works on a hormone called Leptin. Leptin is the hormone responsible for stimulating hunger. It is also made in the fat cells so the more fat that you have the more potential to produce Leptin. Over time resistance to this hormone develops and this person can no longer mediate their hunger response. They actually loose the ability to realize when they are full so over eating becomes a concern. One key to loosing weight is to understand the blood sugar/Leptin connection.
Aside from Leptin, high blood sugar over time will also lead to insulin resistance. This can also be referred to as “pre-diabetes.” Once insulin resistance has occurred the body is impaired from transporting blood sugar into the cells to make energy. This unfortunate process leads to lack of energy and then to a direct transformation of this excess blood sugar into stored fat! So not only do you feel tired and lazy, but no matter what you will make more fat anyway.
There is also one other phenomenon that is worth mentioning here called pica. Pica occurs when an animal is mineral deficient and they begin to have cravings that can’t seem to be quenched. Remember the potato chip slogan, “You can’t eat just one?” That company is keenly aware that salt and sugar are the main things that people reach for to quench their pica cravings. Junk food! You can see the same thing in horses that chew on their barn doors. They want the salt that the rancher was so kind to leave behind with his sweaty hand. Give that horse minerals and no more chewing. Pregnant women experience this as the fetus uses up a major share of their minerals. Give the woman minerals and she stops with the bizarre cravings. Some women have been known to eat clay from the back yard! No joke!
So is it imperative that anyone wanting to loose weight take in plenty of minerals, be sure to stabilize their blood sugar and exercise frequently. I of course can tell you more about how to accomplish this but you will have to book an appointment for that! ;)
Through all of my education I have gathered so much evidence of the detriments of obesity and how it lends itself to many of the very nasty modern day diseases. Obesity is an epidemic in our society and is responsible for billions of dollars in health care costs annually. The fortunate part is that it is in the hands of the people to make the changes for themselves. If we all just avoided food served to us by the large corporations we would be helping ourselves and also the world at large! Only a very small number of overweight people are that way for genetic reasons. It really does boil down to poor eating and lifestyle choices and perhaps a poor understanding of good and bad. But with the proper guidance and some due diligence, wonderful changes can be made.
9/4/07
Leaky Gut Syndrome... I'm leaking from where now?!
Is anyone else out there fascinated with the colon… Or is it just me? And why on Earth would I want to talk about “Leaky Gut Syndrome” anyway? It is a rather eloquently named pathology don't you think? Contrary to the graphic image that it hints towards, Leaky Gut Syndrome does not have anything to do with that synthetic fat substitute that came out in the 80’s whiched caused anal leakage. I suppose that would be called "Leaky Butt Symdrome." Leaky Gut Syndrome is much more dangerous than that. And here’s why:
Quite simply put leaky Gut Syndrome is no more than a nasty inflammation problem. In fact it is inflammation in a big way that is located along the lining of the gastro-intestinal system. The lining of the gut is an extremely important part of the body not only in the digestion and absorption of our food but as a barrier to the outside world. Even though it is located within the confines of our skin it really is still technically touching the outside. This being the case it is surrounded with over half of our immune system. And when the immune system is activated we have inflammation.
In a healthy gut the cells are packed tightly together to form the lining of our intestines. Once our food is broken down appropriately the very small particles are then actively transported through the lining and into the blood to be made into energy. (That’s the short story!) Once the lining of the gut has become inflamed due to infection, drugs/medication/alcohol, food allergies, high cortisol, or a myriad of other things, the cells that make up the lining of the intestines begin to swell and separate just a little. Once this has occurred there is no longer a nice tight junction between the cells and slightly larger particles of food can pass through the lining. As I mentioned before the body is only used to very small particles which it chooses. These larger particles are now recognized as foreign invaders and an immune response is launched against them. This response is inflammatory in nature. So from then on you have a viscous cycle taking place. The more inflammation you have the more the cells allow larger particles to pass through and then more inflammation… Do you see the pattern? Very quickly the things that you like to eat most become damaging to your system and you get more and more inflammation. This is bad news! "Does that mean that I can't eat my Hot Pockets anymore?" Well yes, I think it probably does since the four most allergic foods are egg, soy, dairy and grain. So sorry.
Most people think of inflammation as something that leads to pain like in diverticulitis. And it certainly can. But people get into trouble when the inflammation is low grade and goes under the radar. The body recognizes this inflammation as a stressor on the body and sets the person up for big problems like heart disease, stroke, cancers and again, a myriad of other conditions. Leaky Gut Syndrome is often not noticed by the person, but with some basic tests we can screen for this condition and practice true preventative medicine. And from there you can get this condition under control.
If there is one thing that I want you to take home from this blog entry it is this: The surface area of the gut is enormous and has a huge impact on health in general. Take care of your gut. Do not fill it full of poison (even if it tastes like Hot Pockets!) and keep an eye out for inflammation in the body. Just about all chronic diseases have their start in low grade inflammation. Once the GI system is inflamed the disease pathway is well on its way.
Feel free to contact me with your questions or concerns. Geographical location is not a problem. All of these tests can be done long distance.
Quite simply put leaky Gut Syndrome is no more than a nasty inflammation problem. In fact it is inflammation in a big way that is located along the lining of the gastro-intestinal system. The lining of the gut is an extremely important part of the body not only in the digestion and absorption of our food but as a barrier to the outside world. Even though it is located within the confines of our skin it really is still technically touching the outside. This being the case it is surrounded with over half of our immune system. And when the immune system is activated we have inflammation.
In a healthy gut the cells are packed tightly together to form the lining of our intestines. Once our food is broken down appropriately the very small particles are then actively transported through the lining and into the blood to be made into energy. (That’s the short story!) Once the lining of the gut has become inflamed due to infection, drugs/medication/alcohol, food allergies, high cortisol, or a myriad of other things, the cells that make up the lining of the intestines begin to swell and separate just a little. Once this has occurred there is no longer a nice tight junction between the cells and slightly larger particles of food can pass through the lining. As I mentioned before the body is only used to very small particles which it chooses. These larger particles are now recognized as foreign invaders and an immune response is launched against them. This response is inflammatory in nature. So from then on you have a viscous cycle taking place. The more inflammation you have the more the cells allow larger particles to pass through and then more inflammation… Do you see the pattern? Very quickly the things that you like to eat most become damaging to your system and you get more and more inflammation. This is bad news! "Does that mean that I can't eat my Hot Pockets anymore?" Well yes, I think it probably does since the four most allergic foods are egg, soy, dairy and grain. So sorry.
Most people think of inflammation as something that leads to pain like in diverticulitis. And it certainly can. But people get into trouble when the inflammation is low grade and goes under the radar. The body recognizes this inflammation as a stressor on the body and sets the person up for big problems like heart disease, stroke, cancers and again, a myriad of other conditions. Leaky Gut Syndrome is often not noticed by the person, but with some basic tests we can screen for this condition and practice true preventative medicine. And from there you can get this condition under control.
If there is one thing that I want you to take home from this blog entry it is this: The surface area of the gut is enormous and has a huge impact on health in general. Take care of your gut. Do not fill it full of poison (even if it tastes like Hot Pockets!) and keep an eye out for inflammation in the body. Just about all chronic diseases have their start in low grade inflammation. Once the GI system is inflamed the disease pathway is well on its way.
Feel free to contact me with your questions or concerns. Geographical location is not a problem. All of these tests can be done long distance.
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