mediccure_29, Author at Mediccure Clinic

Why Sun Exposure Is the Best Source of Vitamin D

On a typical sunny day, your body may produce up to 25,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D, although many people aren’t in the sun enough to optimize their vitamin D levels. However, I strongly recommend getting your vitamin D from proper sun exposure, if possible, as it provides benefits beyond vitamin D optimization. Higher levels of vitamin D may even serve as a marker for healthy sun exposure, which in turn may be responsible for many of the health benefits, which include reduced risk of cancer and increased longevity, attributed to vitamin D. Regular sun exposure, for instance, enhances the production of melatonin — a potent anticancer agent. Near-infrared rays from the sun penetrate deep into your body and activate cytochrome c oxidase, which in turn stimulates the production of melatonin inside your mitochondria. Your mitochondria produce ATP, the energy currency of your body. A byproduct of this ATP production is reactive oxidative species (ROS), which are responsible for oxidative stress. Excessive amounts of ROS will damage the mitochondria, contributing to suboptimal health, inflammation, and chronic health conditions such as diabetes, obesity, and thrombosis (blood clots). But melatonin essentially mops up ROS that damage your mitochondria. So, by getting plenty of sun exposure during the day, your mitochondria will be bathed in melatonin, thereby reducing oxidative stress. If you’re unable to get adequate sun exposure each day, vitamin D supplementation may be necessary. Keep in mind that 20 ng/mL, which is often used as the cutoff for vitamin D deficiency, has repeatedly been shown to be grossly insufficient for good health and disease prevention, which means the true prevalence of people without optimal levels of vitamin D is even greater. The only way to determine how much sun exposure is enough and/or how much vitamin D3 you need to take is to measure your vitamin D level, ideally twice a year. Once you’ve confirmed your vitamin D levels via testing, adjust your sun exposure and/or vitamin D3 supplementation accordingly. Then, remember to retest in three to four months to make sure you’ve reached your target level. Resources: https://articles.mercola.com/

Why Sun Exposure Is the Best Source of Vitamin D Read More »

The Power of Peppermint Oil

Peppermint oil is often used in aromatherapy or the use of essential oils to support health. Studies show that peppermint oil may help improve memory and raise alertness, and alleviate pain and nausea. The oil has also: antiviral, antimicrobial, antifungal, analgesic, radioprotective, anti-edema and antioxidant capability. Studies show the peppermint oil may help improve memory and raise alertness, and alleviate pain and nausea. History shows a wide range of uses for peppermint essential oil, which has been used as far back in time as ancient Rome and Egypt. Various cultures have used this oil not only for its minty fragrance, but for its therapeutic benefits as well. In addition, peppermint oil is known to symbolize hospitality. Peppermint oil is derived from the leaves of the peppermint plant (Mentha piperita), a hybrid of the water mint and spearmint plants, and M. arvensis var. piperascens, a plant from the Labiatae family. It is often used as a home remedy for stomach problems, muscle pain and headaches. Peppermint oil can also be utilized in capsules or supplements Peppermint oil may be useful for: Easing respiratory problems Relieving pain Promoting positive effects on cancer-related treatments Helping ease herpes infections Enhancing hair and skin health Improving dental health Providing comfort for stress and nervous system problems Acting as an itch reliever The two major components of peppermint essential oil are menthol and menthone, which are why it’s widely used as an ingredient in lozenges, toothpastes and rubs. Other constituents found in peppermint oil are menthyl acetate, 1,8-cineole, limonene, beta-pinene and beta-caryophyllene While it is tempting to buy products containing peppermint oil, using it in its whole state without additional ingredients may yield more positive results. However, it should never be utilized undiluted because it can cause irritation, especially to those with sensitive skin. It must be diluted in carrier oils like sweet almond, jojoba, coconut and olive, and used under the supervision of a qualified practitioner. Peppermint oil is sensitive to heat, and should be stored in a cool place in tightly sealed bottles. Avoid using peppermint oil alongside other supplements and drugs, since it may trigger negative effects. For instance, peppermint oil can disrupt the rate at which your body processes cyclosporine, causing more of the medication to stay in your bloodstream. Peppermint oil is also known to interact with other drugs like felodipine (Plendil), simvastatin (Zocor), antacids, calcium channel blockers and blood pressure-lowering medicines. Peppermint oil is safe in low amounts in most adults, but it can trigger side effects in people with sensitivities. It is important for the following individuals to either avoid using this essential oil or to use it carefully only with the help of a health care professional. Pregnant and nursing women — Peppermint oil or other similar products may have emmenagogue and abortifacient effects, so it would be wise not to use peppermint oil without your physician’s approval. Children — Peppermint oil must not be used undiluted because there isn’t enough information regarding its safety for children; do not use it at all for children under 30 months of age. On older children, always try a patch test first to test for allergic reactions. Diabetics — Using peppermint oil may raise your risk of low blood sugar levels or hypoglycemia. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and hiatal hernia patients — Peppermint can relax the sphincter between the stomach and the esophagus, and cause acid to move up to the esophagus. People with gallbladder problems — Peppermint oil may cause gallbladder inflammation; those diagnosed with gallstones should consult a physician before using peppermint oil. People taking antacids — These drugs can cause peppermint oil capsules to break down easily, increasing the risk of heartburn. Take utmost care when using peppermint oil or other related products, since you may experience the following side effects: Allergic reactions like skin rashes Slow heartbeat Abdominal pain and diarrhea Mouth ulcers or sores Eye irritation Headaches Vomiting and nausea Heartburn Dizziness Muscle weakness Brain damage Seizures If you are experiencing insomnia or other sleep disorders, avoid using peppermint oil because it can interfere with sleep. While it can offer profound benefits, It’s recommended speaking to a health care provider before using it for therapeutic applications. Source: mercola.com

The Power of Peppermint Oil Read More »

Vitamin D and Immunity in Children

The last couple of decades have seen an explosion in our interest and understanding of the role of vitamin D in the regulation of immunity. The molecular data infer that vitamin D signaling should boost innate immunity against pathogens of bacterial or viral origin. Vitamin D signaling also suppresses inflammatory immune responses that underlie autoimmunity and regulate allergic responses. These findings have been bolstered by clinical studies linking vitamin D deficiency to increased rates of infections, autoimmunity, and allergies. Vitamin D is obtained from several sources: The diet, supplements, or seasonal exposure of skin to adequate solar ultraviolet irradiation via photochemical and thermal conversion of the cholesterol precursor 7-dehydrocholesterol. However, many diets are quite poor in vitamin D, and in populous temperate regions, notably in northern Europe and Scandinavia, vitamin D winter, the period where cutaneous vitamin D synthesis cannot occur, is substantially longer than 6 months of the year. Thus, in epidemiological studies, residence at higher latitudes and lower sun exposure have become proxies for risk of a poor vitamin D status. In addition, sun avoidance and conservative dress in more southern regions leads to vitamin D deficiency in several populations worldwide . The risk of vitamin D deficiency occurs at all stages of life, including during pregnancy, in infants and children, as well as in adults. In infants, it can be exacerbated by sun avoidance habits that are usually recommended for very young children, limited body stores, the risk of poor vitamin D content of human milk in exclusively breastfed infants, and a lack of knowledge regarding systematic vitamin D supplementation in some cultures. Vitamin D is best known for its role as a key regulator of calcium homeostasis and bone health in both children and adults . However, it has been the subject of increasing interest in both the scientific literature and the popular press over the last couple of decades, largely because of its “non-classical” actions in tissues unrelated to calcium homeostasis, particularly in the regulation of several aspects of immune system function. Scientists detailed the clinical evidence for links between vitamin D deficiency and immune system dysfunction in infants and children, with an emphasis on intervention trials, where available. Associations between deficiency and rates of infection; autoimmune conditions, such as type 1 diabetes (T1D) and multiple sclerosis (MS); and allergic conditions, including asthma, will be surveyed. They will also analyze the potential links between vitamin D deficiency and pediatric inflammatory bowel disease and dental caries, both of which are linked to immune system function. Based on the studies, there is a compelling need for further clinical analysis of the potential benefit of vitamin D supplementation in pediatric populations at risk for several immune-related disorders. In the conclusions of this study, Vitamin D deficiency and rickets in several populations remains an under-recognized clinical problem, and its significance extends beyond skeletal health to non-classical actions of vitamin D, including a range of immune-related diseases. There is solid evidence that vitamin D supplementation can reduce the rates of infections in pediatric populations. There is also growing evidence for a beneficial role of supplementation in preventing autoimmune disorders, and there is promising data linking vitamin D deficiency to increased rates of childhood asthma and other allergic conditions. The use of vitamin D in the primary prevention of asthma needs to be supported by trials including the supplementation of mothers throughout pregnancy and of their children postnatally. With regard to the potential of vitamin D in improving asthma and other allergic conditions’ management, there remains a need for large-scale RCTs to confirm many of these findings. Sourse: article published in ncbi on Apr 27, 2020 byGeneviève Mailhot1,2,* and John H. White3,4,*

Vitamin D and Immunity in Children Read More »

Understanding the immune system

UNDERSTANDING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM When operating at its peak performance, our immune system can pinpoint and remove risks to wellness, recognize and imitate previous immune responses, and repair cellular and tissue damage. If it is running too high or too low, however, it can produce debilitating pain and allow all types of disease to develop like autoimmunity. While our culture is used to prescription solutions and quick fixes, learning how to how to boost your immune system naturally isn’t on top of most people’s lists. And, it’s important to understand that the immune system is very detailed. It takes more than just increasing the amount of cells to really improve and protect our health. In other words, we can’t just take something (like vitamin C) to boost the immune system. (1) With that said, we can certainly identify some steps that you can take as you learn how to boost your immune system naturally, which will help your body function more efficiently and prevent disease more readily. I like to call it bolstering the immune system. An antigen is a toxin or foreign substance that induces an immune response in the body. Most of the time, this immune response is the production of antibodies (blood proteins with regions that bind specifically to a particular antigen to neutralize it). In laymen’s terms, antigens are the bad guys and antibodies are the good guys. The good guys are sent out to seek and destroy when your body is invaded by the bad guys. The more often the body is successful at destroying an antigen, the tougher and more varied the immune system becomes; this is called acquired (or adapted) immunity. (2) The long term immune response involves white blood cells called lymphocytes that produce antibodies that assists the body in breaking down antigens. The cells then preserve memory of deactivating or destroying the antigens, then remain until they need to reproduce that action in the future. Because of the way the immune response is switched on, the immune system is entwined with the circulatory, endocrine, digestive, neurological, and integumentary systems, to name a few. One action always influences many processes, and for the immune system specifically, can have far encompassing results. The most important thing is, the whole body works together. The skin is an example of the immune system preventing many destructive substances from spreading to the rest of the body. Fevers also perform as an early reaction, raising the body temperature over what the pathogen can endure. We are all brought into this world with immune function called innate immunity, the first line of protection against disease. This is the fast-acting response to an invading antigen – germ, bacteria, or virus – blocking it from ever spreading to the body to become an illness. Mucous snares them, stomach acid and enzymes can shut down or kill them, and coughing can remove them. 5 THINGS THAT DAMAGE YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM 1. AGING 2. EATING HABITS IMPACT IMMUNE RESPONSE 3. INADEQUATE OR EXCESSIVE EXERCISE 4. STRESS & ANXIETY 5. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS HOW TO BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM NATURALLY 1. DRINK PURE, CLEAN WATER 2. BREATHE PURE AIR 3. EAT PURE, CLEAN FOOD 4. USE IMMUNE BOOSTING SUPPLEMENTS 5. VITAMIN D 6. AVOIDING TOXINS 7. REGULAR CLEANSING AND DETOX 8. RESTFUL, SOUND SLEEP 9. REGULAR EXERCISE 10. TAKE PROBIOTICS Source: Natural Living Family

Understanding the immune system Read More »

old woman, small child, portrait-6932047.jpg

The Future of Aging

Somewhere between early adulthood and middle age, a compound in your cells called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) begins a gradual decline. NAD+ helps power hundreds of metabolic processes and keeps a group of proteins called sirtuins active. You want them to stay active, since they can contribute to overall health and longevity. Leonard Guarente, Ph.D., director of the Paul F. Glenn Center for Biology of Aging Research at MIT and chief scientist and cofounder of Elysium Health, discovered their role and importance. (Trailblazing research like this is one reason Elysium earned a GH Innovation Emblem.) He says sirtuins are the “guardians of health maintenance” in cells, which is why he and the Elysium Health team created a supplement their research has shown boosts NAD+ levels. While experts are able to make some generalizations about growing older, it’s a different experience for everyone. “People are very diverse in terms of their aging rates, and the level that one person hits by age 50, another may not hit until 60,” says Morgan Levine, Ph.D., assistant professor of pathology at Yale School of Medicine. This is why many researchers also talk about biological age, a measurement focusing on biological markers that show how your systems are actually aging. “About 68% of people will have a biological age within five years of their chronological age, but you can also find individuals who are 10 years older or younger,” she explains. You can’t stop aging, of course, but lifestyle choices make a real difference. And research is focusing on what else can be done. “People want to play an active role in their own health maintenance,” says Dr. Guarente. He and his team at Elysium Health are looking to develop a test that will let people find out and monitor their NAD+ levels. The hypothesis is that NAD+ levels are a better measure of aging than chronological age. And in theory, knowing them would help people make profound changes. “Successful aging is not the imitation of youth,” says Dr. Rowe. “Making yourself look better on the outside won’t impact what’s going on inside.” At the end of the day, it’s internal functions that actually matter for our health and life span. Source: getpocket.com

The Future of Aging Read More »

Are Vitamins K Essential to Health ?

Vitamin K is gaining attention because it has a much greater effect on our health than previously thought. It isn’t a single substance, but a family of nutrients that plays a critical role in preventing disease, including osteoporosis and hardening of arteries that leads to heart attacks and strokes. Traditionally, vitamin K has been viewed as essential for healthy blood clotting—we could bleed to death from a minor cut without it. In this sense, deficiency has not been viewed as a problem for healthy people, but this holds true for only one form of the vitamin: K1. Vitamin K2 is another story. In nature, it exists in 10 subtypes whose names—MK-4 through MK-13—designate different molecular structures within the K2 family. All of their functions are not fully understood yet, and there is no established daily requirement for vitamin K2, but the need is clear. Why Vitamin K2 is Essential ? Research has shown that vitamin K2 has a pivotal effect on how our bodies utilize calcium. Higher levels of K2 correlate with calcium being deposited in bones, where it helps to prevent osteoporosis, while low levels correlate with harmful calcium deposits in arteries. In Japan, vitamin K2 is an approved treatment for osteoporosis. It’s been shown to stop decline in bone mineral density and, in some cases, to reverse it. Here are some research highlights: In the Netherlands, the effects of vitamins K1 and K2 were examined among 4,807 healthy men and women, who were aged 55 or older at the outset. Their diets and health were monitored for up to 10 years. Dietitians calculated the amounts of vitamins K1 and K2 in participants’ diets and found that those who consumed the most K2 developed the least coronary artery disease and were least likely to die. There was no similar correlation with vitamin K1. A study of 244 postmenopausal women compared the effects of taking a placebo or 180 mcg of the MK-7 form of vitamin K2 (MenaQ7, a patented form), daily for 3 years. Bone scans showed that the MK-7 supplement significantly reduced age-related bone loss and increased the strength of bones. Another study looked at vitamin K in the diets of 16,057 women who were between the ages of 49 and 70 and had no heart disease. Researchers monitored them for 6–8 years and found that those who consumed the most vitamin K2 developed the least heart disease; vitamin K1, however, did not affect the heart. Low levels of vitamin K2 also correlate with higher incidence of diabetes. In addition, emerging research is finding a link between adequate K2 and cancer prevention, proper immune function, and healthy liver, kidney, and neurological function. Food Sources of Vitamins K Vitamin K1 is found in leafy green vegetables, and it’s estimated that most people get enough K1 from food. But our levels of vitamin K2 quite likely fall short. The richest source of K2 is natto, a fermented soy food that isn’t a usual part of a Western diet. Other sources include animal foods, especially liver and dark meat with skin from chicken and duck, egg yolks, and full-fat cheeses. Foods from grass-fed animals, who convert the vitamin K1 in grass into vitamin K2, contain more K2 than the same foods from grain-fed animals. A Western diet may not provide enough K2, but supplements can bridge the gap. Source: “Better Nutrition”

Are Vitamins K Essential to Health ? Read More »

Bad Fats Are Worse for You Than Sugar

While omega-3s make your cell membranes healthier, omega-6 fats from vegetable oils wreak havoc with your cellular metabolism, and have a half-life of 600 to 680 days. Therefore, harmful oils and fats are far more hazardous to your health than added sugar and grain carbs. “The aspect of lipid peroxidation itself is also accelerating aging and causes carcinogenesis and also leads the creation or the accumulation of lipofuscin, which is this age-related wear and tear pigment,” Land explains.“Lipofuscin also begins to cause cellular damage and inhibits autophagy. Again, once you have bad fats stuck inside your cell membranes, then burning fat itself also becomes an inflammatory act. So, if you are fasting while you have bad fats inside your cell membranes, then you are leaching those same bad fats into your system, and that’s why you may get a lot of detox symptoms. You may actually feel worse from fasting or ketosis just because you’re burning the wrong fats that are stuck inside your body fat.” One simple way to tell whether you might have a lot of bad fats in your system is to look at your skin. The dark so-called “age spots” or “liver spots” many have are caused by lipofuscin. Those spots can eventually disappear if you clean up your diet. Source: Amazon

Bad Fats Are Worse for You Than Sugar Read More »

Right Kind of Stress Can Make You Resilient to disease

Siim Land has written an excellent book called “Metabolic Autophagy: Practice Intermittent Fasting and Resistance Training to Build Muscle and Promote Longevity.” Here, we discuss Land’s latest book, “Stronger by Stress: Adapt to Beneficial Stressors to Improve Your Health and Strengthen the Body,” which came out in July 2020. It reviews the really important concepts of hormesis and antifragility. Stronger by Stress As it pertains to COVID-19, evidence suggests if you can get two key variables right — a vitamin D level of at least 30 ng/mL (75 nmol/L) and metabolic flexibility — your chances of getting sick from SARS-CoV-2 infection are fairly remote. But improving your resilience against stress is also important. “If your body is unfit or lacking key nutrients, then even the smaller stressors in your life are going to become more dreadful. You’re going to experience chronic stress, and you’re going to overactivate the sympathetic nervous system, even if you’re stuck in traffic or if you spill a cup of coffee or whatever it is.These small stressors can become really massive if your body is incapable of dealing with those stressors. On the other hand, if your body has been exposed to the right amount of stress at the right time, then it has also built up this higher level of stress adaptation and resilience. So, the small stressors are becoming literally meaningless. You have a bigger capacity to face even the larger stressors.” What Is Antifragility? Antifragility is a term coined by economist Nassim Nicholas Taleb in his book, “Antifragile: Things That Gain From Disorder.” The term describes a state that is the opposite of fragility. Antifragility describes how stress makes you stronger rather than breaking you down or apart. “[Antifragility] isn’t precisely the same thing as robustness or resilience,” Land says. “Something that is robust is something like a piece of stone or a metal. You can heat it, you can drop it on the ground. It’s not going to break, but it’s going to stay the same, it’s not going to change, whereas something that is antifragile is going to gain from the stress.” Time-Restricted Eating Builds Antifragility One of Land’s favorite tools for health and longevity is intermittent fasting, or more accurately termed, time-restricted eating, and one of the reasons for this is because it allows you to become metabolically flexible and insulin sensitive, which builds your antifragility. “A [2019] study in the New England Journal of Medicine found intermittent fasting mimics a lot of the same effects of calorie restriction. It can actually be somewhat more beneficial because it not only has life extension benefits, but it also turns on certain key defensive mechanisms inside a body that make it more antifragile and also provide additional health benefits. One of those things has to do with autophagy, but there’s also things like increased glutathione, increased NRF2, sirtuins and NAD and many other longevity-boosting and immune-strengthening pathways that get activated when you’re fasting that don’t necessarily get activated when you are restricting calories.” So, time-restricted eating is a great way to get the benefits of calorie restriction without experiencing the negative side effects from it, because extreme and prolonged calorie restriction can also leave you vulnerable and more fragile by triggering muscle loss, for example. That will actually shorten your life span and make you more vulnerable to potential dangers in your environment, such as falling and breaking your hip. Intermittent fasting can sidestep these negative side effects. Time-Restricted Eating for Muscle Building A persistent question surrounding intermittent fasting is what the best strategy is. Should you eat just once a day, or can you get away with two or more meals as long as you eat it all within a certain time window? And, if so, how long can that window be? Land comments: “I think there isn’t inherently much difference between eating one meal a day or doing the 16-to-8 type of intermittent fasting where you eat twice a day within eight hours because, already, if you’re fasting within one 24-hour period, then the fast itself isn’t substantially different. The amount of autophagy wouldn’t matter that much either in such a short timeframe, as long as you’re still healthy.” Now, if your intention is to build muscle, having two meals a day within a six- to eight-hour window would make more sense. Having just one meal a day is likely better if you are seeking to lose weight, but might be challenging. This is likely for the simple reason that you’re only going to build muscle when you activate mTOR, and to activate mTOR you need to introduce protein and leucine or branched-chain amino acids, along with some healthy carbohydrates. If you eat twice, six hours apart, you can activate mTOR twice a day, thus allowing you to get better muscle-building benefits. As explained by Land: “What determines your muscle growth throughout the 24-hour period is the balance between mTOR stimulation and autophagy. So, if you’re eating only once a day, then the amount of mTOR stimulation is relatively small compared to eating twice a day or three times a day. That’s why if someone has the goal of increasing their muscle mass, maintaining muscle mass or preventing sarcopenia, then for them it is much wiser to incorporate more frequent meals. For them I would say that a 16-to-8 type of fasting where they eat twice a day is perfectly suitable, and is actually better than the one meal a day. It becomes increasingly more difficult to maintain muscle mass if you’re already predisposed to sarcopenia and you’re eating once a day, because there’s a threshold of how much mTOR you can stimulate per meal, and how much muscle protein synthesis you can create per meal as well. It doesn’t have to mean that you start eating six times a day. Increasing the eating window is generally a better idea. For most people, I would say that the 16-to-8 type of fasting, where they fast for 16 hours and eat within eight hours, is

Right Kind of Stress Can Make You Resilient to disease Read More »