Any guesses what this is?
.... A star constellation? Nope! It is a tiny molecular structure made up of adenine, ribose, and phosphate - you might remember it from biology classes - it's called ATP and it is an energy producer. ⚡ Interestingly, the amount of ATP that you use on a daily bases is about your body weight in ATP!! That is an active molecule!!! And we would not be able to function without it! But where is it found and how does the energy production occur? Within the hundreds to thousands of mitochondria that you inherited from your mother and are found in all the cells of your body. Mitochondria are often overlooked in healthcare but they are so important! What is so neat about them is that they are always being destroyed and remade. This means they will not accumulate damage or mutations over time. However, if our body's become overburdened or overloaded with toxins or overworked, the mitochondria don't get the break they need to have this regeneration happen and they start to slow down. And thus, energy production slows down. That is why body breaks, fasting, and housecleaning 🧹 at a cellular level while nourishing those essential mitochondria may help slow down aging and improve energy and quality of life in almost every way! These little organelles are so fascinating and they're involved in so many interesting ways in our health... but I'll save the rest for another time #atp #energy #fatigue #mitochondria #health #aging #qualityoflife #giveyourbodyabreak #nerdalert Thank you Bruce Hay for this research!
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Naturopathic Medicine is part of a holistic approach to achieving better health outcomes.
I'm proud of my profession and what we do. There's nothing better than being part of the team that helps get people back to good health. Rich in quercetin, bromelain, Vitamin C, bioflavonoids, and so much more, this recipe uses the food and herbs you have at home for their fantastic medicinal benefits.
2 cups chopped Pineapple 2 cups Frozen Berries 7 Nettle Tea ice cubes * 1 peeled chopped Apple 2 large Dark Leafy Greens 6 leaves fresh Mint 1/4 tsp grated fresh Ginger 1/4 tsp grated fresh Turmeric (careful with staining) 1Tbsp fresh Lemon Juice 1Tbsp raw local Honey 5g elder berry juice powder 1 cup cooled nettle tea or water *Steep 1Tbsp dried nettle leaf per 1cup boiled water for 15min, strain and allow to cool to room temperature before pouring into ice cube trays to freeze. Save some tea to use in place of water in the smoothie. Blend together until smooth and enjoy daily! Adjust flavors to suit your preference. What is the connection between serotonin and gut bacteria?
Isn’t serotonin just that “happy chemical” found in our brains? Actually, the majority of our serotonin is found in our intestines! There are some little cells in the intestinal tract called “enterochromaffin cells” which is where we find most of it. But in order for these cells to produce serotonin, they need some help from the friendly bacteria that also live in our intestines. Did you know an adult human can have more than a kilogram of bacteria in their gut?! It’s a good thing too! Researchers have experimented with mice that don’t have any gut bacteria and have noticed much lower serotonin levels than mice who do. They also found out that if they re-establish their microflora, their serotonin levels return! But what is serotonin good for anyway? In the gut, it stimulates motility or movement, it promotes the growth and maintenance of the hugely important gut mucosa (which interestingly replaces itself every 48hours), it promotes neurogenesis, modulates the gut inflammatory response, influences osteoblastic activity, promotes hepatic regeneration, and impacts the development and survival of dopaminergic neurons in the enteric (gut) nervous system (to name a few things!). Outside of the gut, serotonin has a couple more minor roles ;), such as the regulation of our mood and of our sleep -wake cycle. Are you wondering by now how the serotonin in our intestines can affect our brain? It starts with activation from our autonomic nervous system (the same nervous system that tells our lungs to breath in and out). This causes the serotonin to be released from the cells in our gut. Then the enteroendocrine gut cells release some signals that can finally be used to communicate with the central nervous system (brain) via the large vagus nerve. Amazing stuff right? So what do you think? Are gut bacteria important? Do we want a kilogram of microbiota living in us? I’d say so! And this is only one of the reasons why a strong microbiome is important. However, sometimes our gut microbiota can become depleted or out of balance due to things like diet, antibiotic use, drug exposure, or stress...... “We want to keep people from danger…and we hem them in so much that there’s such fear of moving out of that and experimentation and adventure, that our lives just become stilted and stale.”
Living differently than that “is opening up (the) mind to culture, to spirituality, to the wide world that’s available to us as human beings. And we’ve got these little brains and we’ve got these little minds and bodies but they can expand into a powerful thing that can affect the people around us and we hope the generations that follow us.” “Life is so full of richness in so many directions. And yet it all takes creativity and imagination to bring these things into being. And to see the potential. To see what is there to be explored and expanded.” “(The soul) is the elemental part of us that makes us individuals. And it’s capable of being enriched and expanded. It’s a living thing. It’s not static. It’s hungry for richness and for information and for experience….that’s an essential part of the human being, is to have this capacity to move beyond ourselves.” “It takes courage to be a human being. It would be easy to protect yourself, easy just to sort of guard yourself and surround yourself with safe things. But that’s a very dry and uninteresting way to live. You have to take risks…. Otherwise (you’re) never going to experience the excitement of taking a risk and having it work out to be something wonderful.” Excerpts from an interview with Luci Shaw on “The Crime of Living Cautiously” 2019. Are the probiotics you’re taking living? Is the fish oil you take oxidized and supplementing you with heavy metals?
Which supplements to choose in a seemingly endless market of natural products is a very common question, especially now. And while I don’t endorse using supplements without the guidance of a healthcare practitioner, I know that most people are. So for those people, what are some things to watch out for on the label?
Astragalus membranaceus root is known as an immunomodulator, strengthening both nonspecific (innate) and specific (learned) immunity. In traditional Chinese medicine, pieces of root are boiled in soups and removed prior to serving. (As an idea for amounts, a decoction dose would be 2-4 tsp of root per cup of water, boiled and then simmered for 10-15 minutes). These are a few specific actions this herb does: it intensifies phagocytosis in reticuloendothelial systems, stimulates pituitary-adrenal cortical activity, and restores depleted red blood cell formation in bone marrow. It can also stimulate the body’s natural production of interferon. It is an ideal remedy for anyone who might be immunocompromised. In addition, it helps protect the liver and has anticancer effects.
Cautions: Astragalus potentiates the effects of interleukin 2 and acyclovir but may be incompatible with immunosuppressive drugs. School age children bring a plethora of different colds and flus home with them each year. Sometimes these are fended off with chicken noodle soup but all too often they end with a prescription for antibiotics.
A recent study out of Switzerland showed a positive outcome to reducing the need for these prescriptions. This study looked at 203 children aged four to twelve years old over 4 months. Half were given echinacea every day (A. Vogel's Echinaforce Junior 400mg TID) and half were given Vitamin C (50mg TID). The group that were given the echinacea every day reported 32.5% fewer colds and flus, 76% fewer days on antibiotics, 67% fewer days with fever, and 65% risk reduction of bacterial super infections and of respiratory tract infection complications. When it comes to cold and flu prevention and recovery, #echinacea is a superstar #herb! #healthykids #coldandfluseason #respiratorytractinfections #fever #immunesupport #botanicalmedicine #preventativemedicine #antibioticresistance #naturopathicmedicine #naturaltherapies Reference: Ogal M, Klein P, Schoop R. Echinacea for the Prevention of Respiratory Tract Infections in Children 4 - 12 years: A Randomized, Blind and Controlled Study. Sociéte Suisse de Pédiatrie (SSP, Poster), 24th May, Lausanne, Switzerland. Note: I have no affiliation to this product or company. “Anmella Diaz said the study initially assessed iron and vitamin D levels, as well as child-related parameters, and found deficits on all the measures they evaluated.
Vitamin deficiency, he said, "needs to be taken into account, and it needs to be supplemented. We've seen the correlation with psychiatric disorders and with neurodevelopmental impairment. It needs to be taken care of." European Psychiatric Association (EPA) 2019 Congress: Abstract OC-0136. Presented April 9, 2019. Note: not all B vitamins are created equal. Food is always the best source but if using supplementation look for the methylated versions of the B vitamins. #naturopathicmedicine #mentalhealth #depression #healthcare #schitzophrenia #childrenshealth #adolescentmentalhealth #mentalillness #preventativemedicine |