UltraMind Solution: Part 2
The Seven Keys to UltraWellness (read Dr. Mark Hyman’s book!) – these influence every feeling, thought, emotion, behavior, and memory we have (not to mention our physical health and weight) = Optimize Nutrition, Hormone Balance, Cooling Inflammation, Fixing Digestion, Enhance Detoxification, Boost Energy Metabolism, and Calm Your Mind
asthma and reflux are not irreversible problems, but often the result of food sensitivities to substances like gluten or dairy, or imbalances in the gut from parasites and yeast, or the product of a poor diet or lack of digestive enzymes
similarly depression may be related to key nutritional factors (like deficiencies in folic acid, vitamin B12, vitamin D, omega-3 fats), thyroid or other hormones, metal toxicity, food sensitivity or gut problems – not a Lexapro deficiency
Key#1: Optimize Nutrition:
*Optimal nutrition is the most important factor in keeping your brain healthy. Sadly most physicians know very little about nutrition and even less about vitamins and minerals essential for brain function and health.
Fats: You are only as healthy as your cell membranes are, and they are made up of the fats you consume (if you eat more meat and trans fats then they are stiff and hard). Four key roles of omega-3 fats (from fish oil and cod liver oil) = build cell membranes, reduce inflammation (inflammation is linked to nearly all brain problems like autism, ALzheimers, ADD, depression), balance blood sugar, and increase the role of a key brain molecule, BDNF (brain-derived neurotropic factor) which acts like fertilizer for your brain, stimulating new cell growth and increased cell connections. The large amount of soy and corn oil in our diet gives us more unhealthy omega-6 fatty acids (which promote inflammation and disease). Phospholipids (like phosphatidlycholine PC and phosphytidalserine PS) are also vital for healthy cell membranes, and supplements have been shown to improve memory and cognition and attention and decreasing aggressive behavior. —If you are omega-3 deficient, B12 deficient, have mercury poisoning, low thyroid function, and eat foods you are allergic too, just fixing the moega-3 deficiencies won’t cure the whole problem. You need to fix everything….
Protein & Amino Acids (from the protein we eat): the Building Blocks of Neurotransmiters (nerve messengers, the Language of Mood and Memory:
Dopamine & Catecholamines (epinephrine and norepinephrine) help keep us focused (and sadly taking stimulant medicine like Ritalin decreases our body’s ability to make these neurotransmitters on our own)
built from amino acid (aa) tyrosine and phenylalanine (found in lean poultry, fish, eggs, beans, nuts, seeds) and taking tyrosine (and or phenyalanine) is a wonderful safe cheap way to boost dopamine levels …. And studies show that supplementing amino acids, omega-3, PC, PS, folate, B6, and B12 can improve depression, ADD, and Parkinson’s
Serotonin helps us stay happy and is boosted by taking 5-hydroxytryptophan (and you need to eat enough protein), decreasing stress, decreasing inflammation (by avoiding your food allergies, sugar, infections and toxins), eating high fiber whole food (processed and high sugar foods break down tryptophan), extra B6 (B6 is decreased by stress, alcohol, birth control pills), and magnesium (magnesium is decreased by stress, caffeine, sugar, and alcohol)
so to improve depression and raise your serotonin levels, cut out sugar, eliminate food allergies and toxins, learn how to manage stress, and take B6, folate, magnesium, and amino acids
GABA helps us get relaxed (and is low in people with anxiety and panic attacks, insomnia, seizures, and schizophrenia)
you can take GABA supplements directly, or supplement your diet with the raw materials needed to make it (theanine from green tea, B vitamin inositol, magnesium, and B3, B6, B12, and calming herbs kava, valerian, hops, an dpassion flower can help)
Acetylcholine (these cells are esp damaged in ALzheimers) helps us learn and remember, and supplementing with B vitamin choline, and B5 and PC and PS can help your body make more
Carbohydrates: Whole Food for a Whole Brain – Carbohydrates are the single most important food for long-term health and brain function – the real whole nourishing plant foods of vegetables, fruits , beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices (these are composed mostly of carbohydrates). These foods contain slowly released sources of sugar, keep our serotonin levels even, contain all the vitamins (except B12), and contain fiber and phytonutrients (which protect us from aging, obesity, brain damage and more – like broccoli and the cruciferous family are powerful detoxifiers)… “Eat food. Not much. Mostly plants. Eat real, whole food as it comes from the earth: fresh vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, and lean animal protein like fish, chicken, and eggs… There is really no such thing as junk food – there is just food, and then there is junk.”
Vitamins & Minerals: Will They Give You a Metabolic Tune-up or Just Make Expensive Urine? 92% of all Americans are deficient in 1 or more vitamins!
our DNA makes enzyme proteins, and vitamins and minerals control the function of these enzymes which turn off and on all the chemical reactions in your body
….AND evidence shows that just taking enough to avoid deficiency doesn’t give you nearly enough to achieve optimum health, and genetically many of us require much higher levels than others
FOR EXAMPLE:
—Vitamin D: just a little prevents rickets, but higher levels may have a role in preventing heart disease, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, PCOS, depression, epilepsy, and Type 12 Diabetes
—Folate: not only prevents dementia, but also depression, colon and breasts cancer, birth defects, Down syndrome, and more
Vitamin Basics for All – high-quality MVI, vitamin D5000 (2000 for younger children), fish oil (best twice a day), B supplement, calcium (500mg) & magnesium (400mg) supplement, probiotic (at least 3x/week)
B Vitamins (esp. mighty methylators for mental health: folat, B6, B12) – can significantly help or prevent depression, autism, ADH, dementia , bipolar disease, chronic pain and other chronic ilness(a recent study found that nearly ¼ of severe depression can be cured with B12 shots and often folate, there is a Rx folate Deplen)
Vitamin D (blood level should be 50-80) – deficiency has been linked to depression, dementia, cancers, Type 1 diabetes and autoimmune diseases, fibromyalgia, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, chronic muscle pain, bone loss and more… a recent study showed supplementation decreased death of all causes by 7% (if this were a drug it would have been headline news)
Magnesium (involved in over 300 enzyme reactions, and the most powerful relaxation mineral that exists and our processed diet and caffeine/sugar/stress/alcohol makes us all very deficient)-if you are deficient in this it makes you twice as likely to die, and it is found in seaweed, greens, and beans
Zinc (lots in pumpkin seeds) – important in immunity, controlling inflammation, getting rid of heavy metal toxins, mental health, taste, appetite, and activating your digestive enzymes to properly digest foods
Selenium – helps your thyroid, glutathione production, and essential fatty acid production
Treatments:
Fatty Acid Deficiency if have 5 or more of these= brittle nails, flaking/itchy skin, hard ear wax, dandruff, chicken skin, joint aches/stiffness, thirsty, constipated (less than 2 stools/d), foul or light stools, depression or ADD or memory loss, hypertension, fibrocystic breasts, PMS, high LDL/low HDL/high triglycerides, Irish or Scandinavian or English descendant
take PS (phosphatidylserine) 200mg twice a day w meals for 2 months, then 100mg twice a day with meals
take GPC (glycerophosphocholine) or CDP-choline 1200mg 3 x/day w meals for 2 months, then 400mg 3x/day w meals
Serotonin Support-make sure and take a good probiotic (like our Orthobiotic 1 daily)
5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) 50mg twice daily (afternoon and evening) and increase to 150mg once a night OR Tryptophan 500mg twice daily (afternoon and evening) and best to take these on empty stomach
GABA Support – GABA 500mg twice a day (mid-afternoon and evening) and Theanin 200mg twice a day (in am and pm)
Dopamine support – L-tyrosine three times a day (breakfast, mid-am, mid-afternoon, and start with 500mg each time and after 3 days increase to 1000mg), and after 1 week add I-phenylalanine three times a day at same times (start with 500mg each time and after 1 week increase to 1000mg)
I look forward to giving you the next key to Ultra Wellness in my next blog – “Balancing Your Hormones!”
Acetylcholine Support – take GPC as above
Great Snacks to Fed Your Brain: small handful of walnuts, small handful of pumpkin seeds, fresh pear with some nuts or seeds, fruit smoothie with ground flaxseed, guacamole with walnuts, garlic hummus with celery, fruit and walnut chews, walnut flax bar… read the “Better Brain Book” by Perlmutter for more great tips and recipes
Prayers and thanks for all his great teaching & healing & plans for each of us!
