Expanding Qi

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Functional medicine (FM) addresses core imbalances that are precursors to disease. Practitioners who practice FM look to restore function to the whole body by addressing:

* Hormonal and neurotransmitter imbalances
* Oxidation-reduction imbalances and mitochondropathy
* Detoxification and biotransformational imbalances
* Immune imbalances
* Inflammatory imbalances
* Digestive, absorptive, and microbiological imbalances
* Structural imbalances from cellular membrane function to the musculoskeletal system

Imagine having all these systems running smoothly. Imagine a health care system that investigates and accurately treats the underlying causes of disease rather than just medicate the symptoms. I have found the Functional Medicine methodology to be the most accurate means of getting patients well while developing awareness about maintaining optimal health.

Dr. Jeffrey Bland, founder of the Institute of Functional Medicine was called by the Obama administration for discussions on health care reform along with Dr. Mehmet Oz, Dr. Mark Hyman and Dr. Andrew Weill. The Functional Medicine Model is definitely gaining steam & it’s  good news  that the tools we need for reversing and preventing disease are available now.

To watch the docs go to:
http://help.senate.gov/Hearings/2009_02_26/2009_02_26.html

To read Dr. Jeffrey Bland’s position paper titled “Reforming the United States Healthcare System: Implementing an Effective Approach to Chronic Disease,” go to: www.jeffreybland.com and scroll down for the pdf.
uploads/2009 Functional Prospective Medicine (2).pdf

article by Denise Cooluris ND

One very significant preventive measure that has been in the media quite a bit these last few years is Vitamin D.

Vitamin D is attained through some food sources, but mainly by exposure to sunlight and supplementation. This important vitamin has been heavily researched this decade, as we keep finding more and more critical roles it serves in prevention and treatment of many serious diseases. Vitamin D deficiency plays a role in the cause of many conditions, while other conditions can be treated with Vitamin D supplementation.

The most important role of this fat-soluble vitamin is to regulate our blood level of calcium so that less is taken from stores in our bones, while enough is circulating to maintain critical body functions. Cod liver oil is an excellent source of vitamin D, as are fortified foods, and a trace amount is found in egg yolks. The majority of our vitamin D is absorbed through our skin from sunshine.

One in seven people are deficient in vitamin D. One in seven! It has been found that 1 billion people worldwide have vitamin D deficiency and 40-100% of elderly US and European are deficient, even in the sunniest of places. There are many causes of this deficiency, including inadequate sun exposure, diet or supplementation, dark skin, pregnancy or breastfeeding, improper absorption because of poor gastrointestinal health, certain prescription drugs, obesity, and certain liver or kidney diseases.

Here is a list of several of the health imbalances influenced by vitamin D:

Potent Immune Modulation: Immune Support for Chronic Illness and Influenza
Vitamin D has multiple protective and profound effects for the immune system and is a very important part of treatment for every patient with chronic illness and inflammation. Immune cells are able to signal the body to increase its production of vitamin D. This, in turn, results in the productions of very potent immune chemicals capable of destroying many infectious bugs, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bug responsible for tuberculosis outbreaks. In fact, Canada is currently researching the role of Vitamin D in the prevention of the H1N1 “Swine Flu”.

Cancer Prevention
Higher blood levels of the main form of vitamin D are associated with substantially lower incidence of colon, breast, ovarian, renal, pancreatic, aggressive prostate and other cancers. Studies have shown that people with vitamin D deficiency have a 30-50% increased risk of having colon, prostate, and breast cancer, in addition to having a higher rate of poor outcome when faced with these cancers. One reason suggested for this is that in addition to vitamin D’s influence on 200 of our genes, if a cell becomes cancerous, vitamin D can program destruction of the cell and prevent it from spreading, therefore reducing the ability for the cell to survive.

Muscle Strength and Prevention of Falls.
Research has shown that increased vitamin D intake reduced the risk of falls in the elderly by 22-79%. Vitamin D deficiency causes muscle weakness. Our skeletal muscles have receptors for vitamin D, so it may be that Vitamin D is required for optimal function, including actively keeping us balanced so we don’t have to think about it.

Autoimmune Disease
It has been found that living at higher latitudes greatly increases your risk for developing multiple sclerosis, type I diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and Crohn’s disease. In fact, if you live below 35 degrees latitude for the first ten years of your life, the risk for developing multiple sclerosis is reduced by as much as 50%. Adequate levels of Vitamin D offer protection against developing rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and lupus.

Menstrual Migraines
Vitamin D regulates the level of calcium in our body and calcium controls the tone of our veins and how thick our blood is. For people who get migraines, their calcium levels and blood thickness are often imbalanced. Many published studies tell us that regular calcium and vitamin D supplementation greatly improves menstrual-time migraines.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and Depression
Most sun-lovers are not surprised to hear about how seasons affect our mood. After living in the Pacific Northwest for 14 years, I have developed a knack for identifying that melancholic “rut” we often find ourselves in at this time of year, which only worsens as we head into winter. For some of us, it gets really bad and is referred to as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). In a research study that evaluated patients with SAD, after one month of vitamin D supplementation at 400 IU a day, all patients had a significant improvement. In contrast, a group of patients who had received light therapy and no vitamin D supplementation showed no improvement. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to increasing the occurrence of depression and schizophrenia. Many other studies have shown that vitamin D makes us happy, with a measurable improvement in mood at just 400 IU daily.

Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes
More people have complications with their hypertension and blood sugar levels in the winter than the summer. It would seem to make sense, since we tend to eat less heart healthy foods in the winter and perhaps the cold can be a bit shocking on some days. However, it has been found that there is a lower incidence in cardiovascular events the further south you travel in latitude. People who develop congestive heart failure tend to have lower levels of vitamin D. In addition, vitamin D deficiency has been connected to higher levels of markers for blood inflammation, which can lead to hypertension and atherosclerosis.

In terms of the effects on diabetes, it has been shown that vitamin D deficiency increases insulin resistance (our body’s trend to become desensitized to insulin when levels are always too high) and is associated with metabolic syndrome (the precursor signs of developing type II diabetes). Studies have shown that increasing combined daily intake of calcium and vitamin D can reduce the risk of type II diabetes by 33%. A study done in Finland in which over 10,000 children were given daily doses of vitamin D for 31 years found that their risk of developing type II diabetes was reduced by about 80%.

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
PCOS is a syndrome that, in part , is characterized by elevated blood glucose levels, which vitamin D can help to control. Often when the blood glucose is controlled, the rest of the syndrome’s features can resolve as well.

Bone Health and Osteoarthritis
Without vitamin D, only 10-15% of our dietary calcium is absorbed, and about 60% of phosphorous is absorbed. Adequate levels of vitamin D increase absorption of calcium by 30-40% and phosporus absorption by 80% . The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) found that women taking regular calcium and vitamin D supplementation have a 29% reduction in risk of hip fracture. The research also found that Vitamin D supplementation has an enormous effect on arthritis prevention and overall longevity of our bone health.

So how do you know if you got enough vitamin D this summer? It’s as simple as a blood test. However, the current lab levels and dosages have not yet caught up with our knowledge of optimal levels for your health. So, for treatment and prevention of disease, it is important to have a doctor evaluate your vitamin D status for you. It’s simple and affordable, so if we have not yet looked at your levels, we should consider this at your next visit for prevention sake.

Info from Mark Hyman MD
1. Whole Foods–Eat a whole foods, high-fiber plant-based diet, which is inherently anti-inflammatory. That means choosing unprocessed, unrefined, whole, fresh, real foods, that are high in powerful anti-inflammatory plant chemicals called phytonutrients. Lose the sugar from soft drinks, candy, cakes etc. & definitely say goodbye to transfats in pastries and fried foods.

2. Healthy Fats-Give yourself an oil change by eating healthy monounsaturated fats in olive oil, nuts and avocados, and getting more omega-3 fats from small fish like sardines, herring, and wild salmon.

3. Regular Exercise reduces inflammation. It also improves immune function, strengthens your cardiovascular system, corrects and prevents insulin resistance, and is key for improving your mood and erasing the effects of stress. Regular exercise is one among a small handful of lifestyle changes that correlates with improved health in virtually ALL of the scientific literature.

4. Relax -Learn how to engage your vagus nerve by actively relaxing. This powerful nerve relaxes your whole body and lowers inflammation when you practice yoga or meditation, breathe deeply, or even take a hot bath.

5. Avoid Allergens – If you have bloating, gas, fatigue, brain fog- find out what you’re sensitive or allergic to and stop eating those foods–gluten, soy, corn, eggs and dairy are the major culprits.

6. Heal Your Gut -Take probiotics to help your digestion and improve the balance of healthy bacteria in your gut, which reduces inflammation.

7. Supplement -Take a multivitamin/multimineral supplement, fish oil and vitamin D which help reduce inflammation.

Once you Register and Login to our Store-Check out these Custom Kits  for Optimal Health.

Nutritional supplementation not only helps you improve your health by maintaining adequate nutrient levels. It’s also extremely important in reversing chronic health conditions.

All of the following recommended nutrients are available through the Expanding Qi online store.

• Health maintenance—multivitamin/mineral, essential fatty acids (EPA/DHA), calcium, vitamins B, C, D & E, other antioxidants, phytonutrient complex, fiber, probiotics.
• Digestion—lipase, proteases, amla fruit, betaine, pepsin, zinc carnosine, chamomile, peppermint,  probiotics.
• Intestinal health—probiotics, glutamine, plantain fruit, coptis root, oregano, red thyme, sage, ginger, fiber.
• Detoxification & liver/kidney function—silymarin, epigallocatechin gallate, watercress, cordyceps, folate, chlorophyllin, andrographis, hops, methionine, artichoke.
• Women’s health—indole-3-carbinole, isoflavones (soy, kudzu, red clover), Chinese botanical blends, chasteberry, choline, calcium, ashwaghanda, black cohosh, folate.
• Immune, sinus & lung health—vitamins A, C, D & E, andrographis, hops, zinc, amla fruit, selenium, Chinese botanicals, Ayurvedic botanicals, homeopathic remedies, perilla, garlic, select mushrooms, probiotics, whey protein, echinacea, ginger, licorice.
• Mood—St. John’s wort, DHEA, folate, inositol, EPA/DHA.
• Relaxation & sleep—lemon balm, passionflower, valerian, L-theanine, casein tryptic hydrolysate, epigallocatechin gallate, N-acetylcysteine, Chinese botanicals, L-5-hydroxytryptophan, L-theanine.
• Minor pain relief—ginger, turmeric, reduced iso-alpha acids from hops, boswellia.
• Brain function (cognition, memory)—ginkgo biloba, prolie-rich polypeptides, huperzine A, folate, N-acetylcysteine, EPA/DHA.
• Bone health—MCHC, calcium, vitamin D, boron, magnesium, ipriflavone, berberine, hops, phosphorus.
• Joints, tendons & muscles—hops, magnesium, glucosamine, MSM, chondroitin, antioxidants, EPA/DHA, calcium.
• Men’s health—arginine, tribulus, zinc, saw palmetto, soy, plant sterols, epigallocatechin gallate, ashwaghanda, DHEA.
• Sports nutrition—whey protein, electrolytes, magnesium, long-chain glucose-polymers.
• Stress management—licorice, ashwagandha, rehmannia, ginseng, cordyceps, Chinese botanicals, homeopathic remedies.
• Body composition—protein, conjugated linoleic acid, chromium, L-carnitine.

Try this dressing made with umeboshi plum paste, a tangy, salty condiment made from the pureed pulp of naturally processed, pickled umeboshi plums. Umeboshi plums are alkalinizing and promote healthy digestion.

Ingredients

1 tsp umeboshi plum paste
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp raw honey
1 tbsp rice vinegar
dash of salt and pepper

Whisk all ingredients together and serve over crunchy salads or use as a delicious dip for crudités.

Epigenetics-How does it Work?

Mind over matter?  Thoughts & Beliefs are considered “environmental factors” that can affect genetic expression. In my practice we also look at nutrition as an environmental factor that impacts on gene expression. This is called Nutrigenomics.