UltraMind Solution: Part 4

Key#5: Enhance Detoxification, Key #6: Boost Energy Metabolism, Key#7: Calm Your Mind:

Key#5: Enhance Detoxification:

2 things most physicians never learn in medical school: the role of food and nutrition and food in health and diease, and the role of toxins and the importance of detoxification in health and disease.

• since the 1800s, there are more than eighty thousand new and largely untested chemicals introduced into our environment and therefore bodies

• about half our population is missing the gene required to detoxify mercury and many toxins

• you cannot trade in your genes, but you can change how they work by the food you eat, taking supplements, toxins you are exposed to, and the way you think

• the most important detoxifier and antioxidant in our bodies is glutathione (need B6,B12, folate), which is like a sponge that our body uses to soak up and get rid of toxic molecules) – our ability to produce and maintain a high level of glutathione is critical to recovery from nearlyt all chronic illness, to preventing disease, and for maintaining optimal health and performance – can boost it by taking NAC (n-acetylcysteine), alpha lipoic acid, milk thistle, B vitamins, and load up on all members of the broccoli family (broccoli, collards, kale, cabbage, kohlrabi, mustard greens, rutabaga, turnips, bok choy, Chinese cabbage, arugula, horseradish, radish, wasabi, and watercress)

Example: boost estrogen detoxification by B vitamins &Magnesium, support liver detoxification with herbs-essential fats like evening primrose oil-anti-inflammatory omega-6 fat-and detoxifying foods like broccolis sprouts, watercress, cabbage, and kale (2 cups of cabbage or kale can supercharge your detoxification)

Treatment:

Make sure your gut is working well and having 2 bowel movements/day

Diet: cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kale, brussells sprouts, Chinese cabbage, arugula, radish, bok choy, wasabi, watercress, kohlrabi, mustard greens, rutabaga, turnips), Turmeric & Curry, 1-2 cups of green tea/day, eggs-garlic-onions

Supplements: N-acetylcysteine (NAC 500mg twice a day to increase glutathione), buffered ascorbic acid=Vitamin C 1000mg twice daily, Milk Thistle 140mg twice daily

Heat Therapy:  saunas or steam baths (drink at least 16 oz water before entering, and start with just 5 minutes and can work up to 30 minutes but drink cold water every 10 minutes, and shower after to wash off toxins released), UltraBath

Key #6: Boost Energy Metabolism:

Mitochondria are the parts of evey one of our cells that take the calories we eat, combine them with oxygen, and turn this mixture (ATP) into energy that is used to run everything in our body.  Free radicals are by-products of the energy production and must be removed by antioxidant enzymes (like glutathione, that requires a healthy diet and vitamins to produce enough), and if they are not removed then they damage cells through oxidative stress and lead to much illness , disease, and aging.

• beneficial plant compounds called phytonutrients (like resveratrol from grapes) help boost mitochondria and in studies have been associated with longer life spans, and give us a metabolic tune-up!

• enzymes can work better by vitamins, minerals, and supplements like – B3, B12, Magnesium, NAC, co-Q10, D-ribose, NADH, n-acetyl-carnitine, Vitamin E & C, Zinc, Copper, phospholipids, and omega-3 fats DHA & EPA

Treatment:  #1 is healthy diet!!!

Mitochindrial-Booosting Nutrients : N-acetylcysteine  (500mg twice daily), Alpha lipoic acid (100mg twice daily), CoQ10 (100mg/d),  Resveratrol, Acetyl-L-carnitine (500mg twice daily), D-ribose (5gm/day in powder), NADH (10mg/d dissolves under tongue)

Key#7: Calm Your Mind:

“Other than eating breakfast regularly, and eating more fruits and vegetables, the one characteristic that is present in all the healthy aged is resiliency.  Resiliency that hard-to-measure quality of adapting to change, shifting with changing tides rather than drowning, seeing the glass half full, or knowing how to turn lemons into lemonade.”

• stress shrinks the memory center (hippocampus) and had damaging effects on our brain function and cognition, decreases the natural relaxation and anti-inflammatory calming memory-enhancing neurotransmitter acetylcholine & decreases serotonin and mitochondrial energy production, increases inflammation and depression/anxiety & cell death & abdominal fat/insulin resistance & bad fats and cholesterol in the bloodstream & stickiness of the blood, and interferes with thyroid function among many more things

• stimulating the vagus nerve and reducing the amount of work our adrenal glands are doing can improve everything from memory to depression

• “Right now take a deep breath into your belly to the count of five, pause for 1 second, then breath out slowly to the count of 5. Keep your belly soft. Put down this book and do this 5 times. Notice how you feel in your body and mind. Then keep reading.” – stimulates your vagus nerve

• not only can stressed food cause stress in the person who eats it, but food also triggers changes in our genes that lead to more stress (a rectent study showed that stress genes, inflammation genes, and insulin resistence genes were all turned on in people who ate more refined carbohydrates)

“In our world, we have to be particularly vigilant to nurture connection, community, and meaning, because so many forces conspire to distract us from ourselves.”

Treatment:

• identify and reduce the causes of stress (social, psychological, and dietary/physical exposures)

• find the pause button/life skills for thriving (sleep, faith/relationship, soft belly breathing, UltraBbath, heat therapy, yoga, exercise, journaling, music, be in nature, art, qi jong….find yours!)

• Supplements: Siberian ginseng (250mg twice/d), Asian ginseng (200mg twice/d), Rhodiola root extract (100mg twice/d)

Memory Enhancing Herbs: Huperzine Chinese herb (100mcg twice/d may be as good as drugs for ALzheimers), Vinpocetine (5-10mg twice/d increases blood flow to the brain and brain energy production), Gingkgo Biloba (80-160mg twice/d, a powerful brain antioxidant and improves circulation)

Mood Enhancing Herbs/Supplements: St. John’s Wort (300-450mg twice/d for depression/anxiety/sleep problems but do not combine with Rx depression drugs), SAMe (400-800mg twice/d, after response in 3 weeks can decrease to 400mg twice/d, aminoa acid for depression and use with B vitamins and Magnesium

I am so very proud of you for continuing to read & learn!  The final section of Ultramind Solution will come next blog…   Phil.4:13 “You can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens you!”

Hugs & love,  Dr. Lisa