Autoimmune Disease, An American Epidemic Part 2

In my previous post, I shared with you about my mom's recent and disheartening diagnosis of an Autoimmune Disease. Her particular type is called Scleroderma (skler-o-derma). 
It is rare and research will tell you that "there is no known cause or cure." Trust me, I've been doing a ton of research since her diagnosis!

As someone who blogs about health, this shock hit me twice as hard. First, this is my mom! I love her and resent the implications that this diagnosis makes for her!

Second, autoimmune conditions are some of THE hardest to approach holistically. I mentioned in my first post of this series (Autoimmune Disease, An American Epidemic), that we had found her an integrative doctor. We liked this new doctors more open-minded approach, the fact that she didn't scoff when we refused the usual regimen of immunosuppressant drugs. Beyond that, quite honestly, we felt we could do better. Some things this new doctor said just didn't jive with either my mom or I.

Through the generosity of some family members, we were able to take my mom to a Naturopathic doctor we have had a lot of experience with in the last several months when she was taking care of another family member, my one and only sister! After taking over an hour with us, the ND made several recommendations. She agreed with us that removing a probiotic supplement from my mom's regimen made no sense. My mom is back on her probiotic, instead of trying to eat enough fermented foods to balance her good flora/bacteria.

In addition, she recommended the following:

• Borage/flax seed oil - according to her, this is the most concentrated amount of Omega 3 my mom can be taking and these oils will help not only keep her saliva and mucosa producing organs functioning, but it will help her dry eyes as well. We already know how good it is for the blood, as my mom was able to come off statin drugs years back! (No, its not true "once on statins you're always going to have to be on them." That's a lie, like many things the pharmaceutical companies tell you!)
• The ND also recommended Magnesium. This will help prevent the terrible migraines my mom gets more often now. My sister will testify that magnesium has helped her tremendously! She suffered terrible migraines from trauma to her spine in recent years.
• 1 cup of blueberries (fresh) a day. I recently did a blog post on the benefits of berries, particularly in women. This made total sense to us.
• Lastly, the ND also recommended that my mom take and stay consistent with the Hawthorne supplement that I recommended for her upon learning of the Raynaud's Phenomena. Hawthorne is a food in Europe and many other countries, but my mom's integrative doctor was afraid of it, citing there wasn't enough "data." (Groan...)

Lastly, my mom had her first full body massage last week and that really seemed to help her neck and shoulder for the next few days. It was so nice to see her being pampered and so relaxed! We just celebrated her 74th birthday and thanks to the kindness of family, she received a gift card for another massage!

So my mom is hopeful, feeling like we are going to get to the root cause of what's going on here. We are all encouraged that even with a few small changes she has seen slight improvement, but we know this is the beginning of the journey too. In fact, in addition to the follow up with the Integrative Doctor, we will be gathering more data by having my mom see a Rheumatoid Arthritis Specialist. The more the ND knows what's going on in my mom's blood, the better chance we have at reversing this autoimmune process.

Now that you're updated on her status personally, I want to expand on this whole concept of AD a bit more as promised.

If you read my first post, you'll remember that I mentioned AD affects mostly women. There has been a lot of speculation as to why. One common theory among both medical and wellness practitioners is the increased exposure to hormones. 

This reminded me of the book, The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted And the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss, And Long-term Health , which was an excellent look at the link between nutrition and health. One thing that the author T. Colin Campbell mentions is that compared to other countries, women in the United States begin menses earlier and end much later in life! The average age for an asian woman for example, to begin her menstruation is 17 and it ends before or just after 40. 

Any guesses what it is here in the United States? Try 9 years young! 

It wasn't always this way. I haven't looked, but I'd bet money that if you were to pull a colonial era or even circa 50s diary and look up entries of girls 9 years old, one thing they weren't talking about was PMS! If it was mentioned, it was more likely something girls at 9 years old were anticipating getting "some day." 

So why the changes in this pattern? Once again, there are many speculations about that as well, but one thing that is certain, American women are not only exposed to their own hormones for longer periods of time, they are also exposed to hormones in meat and dairy products the USDA touts as "doing the body good." 

There's another reason though. It's something you might never imagine. Ladies, I certainly hope you are smart about reading the labels on the food you eat. I really hope you're not blindly shopping for food and poisoning yourself. If you've been following my blogs, I hope you've learned a thing or 2 about how to benefit from whole, fresh foods. 

This next reason for the uptake in hormone levels may come as a shock. Here it is:

"Great care should be taken to avoid unnecessary exposure to conventional cosmetic products. Lipstick, lip balm, and other products that are typically used around large pores have a relatively easy pathway to your blood supply. It is a well established fact that women suffer from autoimmune illness at a significantly higher rate than men; I have come to believe that this is, in part, due to the widespread use of cosmetics among women..." Dr. Ben Kim

Watch this quick little video for more information on the research that's been done on this claim.





I never want the tone of my blogs to be the scary doomsdayish types that the internet is plagued with. I simply want to give you the information, suggest more natural approaches and solutions and leave you with the decisions that will affect your health one way or another.

As lousy a diagnosis this is for my mom, I firmly believe (and she does too), that if she wasn't already living a wellness lifestyle, she'd be so much worse off. She may not have mobility at all if she was regularly consuming inflammatory foods such as sugar, dairy and flour! With God's help we will stop and reverse this autoimmune process without the use of pharmaceuticals. People have done it. I hear "there is no known cause or cure" as an invite to a challenge I cannot refuse - especially when it involves someone dear to my heart!

What Is Autoimmune Disease?

There is an epidemic in the US that statistically has more of a negative impact on women than men. It's unsettling and unfair. 

This epidemic is called Autoimmune Disease (AD).  Personally, it has hit home in recent days as my beloved mother and business partner has just been diagnosed with AD. My next several blog posts will be based entirely on this subject. Call it my way of both coping with the drama while also staying true to my mission about educating people about whole health.



When I asked my mom how she felt about me sharing this health crisis with you she was all for it, "as long as it could help someone."

So What Exactly is AD?

The AD "umbrella" is broad and growing, as more people fall prey to a new garden variety of AD every year. The many diseases covered under this umbrella of AD are (to name a few): Chrohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, scleroderma, ulcerative colitis, lupus and multiple sclerosis.

I have a few close female friends (my age or younger) that have been told they have one or more of these conditions and they are either on medication to manage the symptoms or refusing medication and trying to manage things on their own. 

Hardcore Data

According to a recent report, in 1992 there were roughly 67 known auto immune conditions in the United States, with another 20 being strongly suspected as autoimmune in nature. It now encompasses over 100 diseases.

Of the fifty million people living with some sort of autoimmune condition, 75% of them are women! Staggering and unfair, don't you think?

Worse, these conditions (AD) are among the top 10 causes of death in women under 65. 

Economic Impact

Make sure you're sitting when you read this next statistic:

AD conditions are responsible for more than $100 billion in direct health care costs annually. That figure, put out by the National Institutes of Health, is actually an estimate. According to new data, that estimate is likely too conservative a number! Are you a little upset by that? That's the idea. 

Tension creates vision, as someone once said.

My Mom's Condition - 3 Tell Tale Signs

If you were to sit and talk to my mother, you would notice that a bottle of water never leaves her hand. If she isn't constantly sipping on something she cannot even speak, she's so dry.  

She also suffers from extreme dry eyes. The ophthalmologist gave her drops for her eyes years ago and she's been using them faithfully, but they have not been much help. In fact her last visit to him, showed that her cornea has little holes in it - "kind of like swiss cheese" he said.

Additionally, she's had Raynaud's Phenomena, which is a condition where her fingers turn blue or white, and go numb. It used to be that a cooler climate, such as an air conditioned building, would trigger the "phenomena." Now it can happen in any environment, at any time. I've witnessed it several times. (I also witnessed her doctor tell her "not to worry about it." How is the circulatory system something to "not worry about?") 

Her body is inflamed! Her feet and hands are swelling, her food has been getting "stuck" in her esophagus when she eats. She has been terribly fatigued. Obviously, all of this is disturbing!

My Research of AD

As I always do when a family member is struck by something, I started delving deep into trying to understand what exactly the "condition" is all about.  My research the last week or so has taken me from youtube to online medical journals and articles. I was not pleased with much of what I read and saw.  

What most health professionals out there will tell you is that all you can do for AD is manage symptoms with immunosuppressant drugs, steroids and/or pain medication. There is no cause or cure for AD.

What we do know is what happens in a person with AD. Essentially, the white cells, which are supposed to protect us from invaders, pathogens, bacteria, for some reason- "in error", the white cells begin attacking the body! Thus, in my mom's condition, her white cells have damaged her exocrine glands. Her immune system, conventional wisdom will say, is making "errors."

I Don't Buy It!

If you know me at all, you know that this conclusion about the body mysteriously doing things "in error," flies in the face of everything I believe about the body and how and why God made it.

The body is brilliant, innately intelligent. It will do what it was designed to do every time. The response will be appropriate to the environment it is in, both physiologically and geographically.

Here's an example of what I mean about appropriate response and adaptation:

Let's say you are dizzy and feel faint for lack of oxygen. What will your body do ultimately? It will land you flat on your back or your face! Why? Because it knows that your brain needs blood to keep flowing to it or you will die! 

Would it be inconvenient for you to land on the floor? Sure. Is it embarrassing? Maybe. But if you didn't end up in a position that forced blood to keep flowing to your brain, you wouldn't live to read this article!

That's why I can't accept the notion that the body suddenly lost its intelligence and now doesn't know what it's doing. There's a reason it's doing what it's doing. Rather than slap a label on it and pull out the prescription pad, how about we look into the cause and stop settling for managing the symptoms? The video below provides a great explanation of how the body is designed to strive toward wellness every moment we're alive. Take a few minutes to watch it and be amazed! 

What We Are Doing For Her: Phase 1

Having grown more than disappointed by the way my mother's concerns were handled, we moved her to another doctor. This time, we have her going to an Integrative Doctor.  An Integrative Doctor is a physician that uses both alternative and conventional methods of caring for their patient. They are more open minded to natural methods and cures than a conventional doctor is. 

I went with her yesterday to her first visit with this new doctor. After asking my mother about her health history, one thing became abundantly clear. My mother has been on antibiotics for one reason or another for most of her adult life - up until about 5 years ago. 

Her (former) doctor had told her for years, that she had a "low grade UTI and that it's common in the elderly and if it got bad she should come see him to get some-" you guessed it: antibiotics. So - the fact is even though my mom has been supplementing with a probiotic, she's also had this UTI wreaking havoc in her body and it doesn't take an MD or a rocket scientist to know that an infection that is allowed to persist screws with the body! 

Like it or not, we humans are made up mainly of bacteria! Without the right balance of it, all kinds of sicknesses can hit us hard. So the first piece of this health puzzle, is we need to restore her good flora/bacteria.

So you know, it's estimated that for every round of antibiotic, the body needs 3 months to restore good flora. My mom turns 74 next week. I'm no mathematician but if she's been on antibiotics most of her adult life, that means she needed an awful lot of time to build her good flora back up!

Balance Is Key

Instead of supplementing with a probiotic in pill form, the new doctor wants my mom to eat a fermented food every day. My fermented food of choice is and always has been miso, fermented soy. A while back I was making a miso broth and drinking a cup or 2 every day. I found it very soothing and it tasted good. As we speak my mom is probably at Whole Foods, picking up some miso paste and hopefully preparing some for herself.

Other measures we are taking as per doctor's orders: She is to have something warm for breakfast with a cup of hot water and raw honey. Salads and raw greens should be consumed during the day. Evening meals should be a lean protein and a lightly steamed vegetable rather than a salad. She's to document in a journal form, everything she eats, drinks, when she eats and drinks it and also her sleep patterns for 2 weeks. The doctor said she wants to see what the "rhythm of her life is like." She also "prescribed" massage therapy. These out of pocket expenses for massage and eventually acupuncture will add up and be challenging but - how can we not do it for her?

Overall, I was impressed with the new doctor's approach. I respect the concept of  taking things step by step and not changing so many things at once. She respects our decision to not just "medicate" the symptoms.

I will be updating you again on my mom's progress through this condition again shortly. In the meantime, I want to encourage you to do 2 things:

1)   Be your own advocate! If you think that something is not quite right with you, see your family physician and insist on appropriate response. If you are not happy with your doctor, find another one who will take you seriously! It's YOUR body and you only get one! Synthetic parts are no replacement for the original.

2) Take advantage of technology today and educate yourself about your body systems. Watch videos, study, learn and consult with more than one expert in the field before you agree to treatments or protocols. Understand WHY what's going on is going on and don't just settle for the prescription pad. Chances are there are a lot more options. Look into them. Never go into anything blindly. Don't be afraid to ask about risk, objectives, etc.


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Photo credit

5 Reasons to Eat Lots of Apples

The Amazing Apple!

Today in the United States, (thanks, in large part, to Johnny Appleseed), we have over 75 varieties of apples. More than one quarter of the US apple crop comes from Washington State. Americans eat an average of just eighteen pounds of apples a year, while the Belgians and Italians put away 3 times that amount!Aside from being a wonderful snack, apples carry amazing health benefits! 

 Let’s look at a few:

Water

Apples have about an 80% water content! This helps satisfy thirst on 2 levels - not just the regular kind of thirst you have when you reach for a beverage. The high water content also keeps your cells’ thirst quenched! Cellular health is vital to overall health. Munching on fresh apples is a great way to keephydrated! (Coconut water is still best for electrolyte balance with hydration though.)

Tartaric and Malic Acid 

While they don’t sound too pretty, these acids help keep your intestinal tract healthy! They help remove impurities in the liver and stop the growth of bad bacteria in the digestive tract.

Fiber

Apples are a great source of fiber, gently cleansing the intestines of toxins and toxic effects of certain chemicals. The juicy fiber of an apple also helps clean the teeth and exercise the gums when eaten raw.

Promote a Healthy pH Balance 

Apples are a highly digestible alkaline food. Research has shown the importance of the “pH balance” in the body. If the environment in the body is acidic, this most often leads to chronic illness. Consuming alkaline foods is very important for overall health. Apples are about 3.30-4.0 in alkalinity, making them very friendly and helping to reactivate good flora in the intestines.

Pectin

Don’t be fooled by this little word. It packs a real punch!For starters, pectin builds a natural barrier around our cells that controls the accumulation of fat absorbed! It also helps the body digest iron - even though apples don’t contain much iron.All apples (especially green apples) help soften gallstones, cleanse the liver and the gallbladder! Here’s my favorite fact about pectin: European research shows that apple pectin binds itself to any radioactive substances or residue in the body and “sweeps” them out - along with lead, mercury and other toxic heavy metals. Regular apple consumption has been shown to reduce skin disease, arthritis and various lung and asthma conditions!

If you've read my story about surviving cancer and the treatments that I had to have, you'd understand why this health benefit is my favorite. ;)

So how can you get more apples in your diet? Here's one idea! Raw apple pie!

Do you have a favorite kind of apple? Please feel free to comment here!

(Photo Credit-the-bucket-of-apples2 by Prepaan)

7 Reasons to Eat Sweet Potato

Mother nature likes to throw us curve balls every now and then, doesn't she?

Take the eggplant, for instance. It's not egg at all. Similarly, the sweet potato isn't a potato at all!
Distantly related to the regular, white potato, sweet potato is actually a root vegetable!

The sweet potato is full of vitamins and minerals that regular potato does not provide at all!

(Photo credit: Wally Hartshorn)
Here are 7 reasons to consume this heart healthy food:

One Medium Size Sweet Potato Contains:

1) Vitamin B6 (.3 mg)

This vitamin is crucial for keeping the walls of your arteries flexible and strong. It helps break down homocysteine, which contributes the hardening of arteries and all the passageways where blood must flow! For that reason a diet rich in vitamin B6 has been shown to help prevent heart disease!

2) Sweet potato boasts a large amount of betacarotene (11062 mg)

Betacarotene is what gives vegetables their bright colored hues and it's very important to include generous portions of brightly colored fruits and veggies in your diet anyway. One reason for that is because this nutrient actually helps protect your skin (internally) from the harm of UV rays from the sunlight! It also "flips a switch" in your skin's DNA triggering it to shed dead skin and regenerate!

3) Potassium (438 mg)

Both regular potato and sweet potato contain potassium, which is very important for regulating blood pressure! Potassium is an electrolyte, like salt and sugar.

4) The Unsung Hero: Maganese

(.3 mg)

Maganese is that little known trace mineral that does 2 things: it helps stabilize blood sugar (which is why sweet potato is recommended even for diabetics!) and it promotes that "I'm full" feeling!

5) Fiber Up! (3.9 g)

Sweet potato has about 3.9 grams of dietary fiber. Fiber is important for healthy bowel function, and over all intestinal health.

6) Rich in Vitamins A, E and C

There is 18441 IU of vitamin A in sweet potato. Vitamin A is important for healthy vision, immune function, skin, hair and antioxidant activity! There are .3mg of vitamin E in a medium size potato and 3.1mg of vitamin C in one. The synergy of all of these vitamins working together promotes overall immune health, disease prevention and vibrant skin, hair and nails!

7) Anti-inflammatory

The American diet is high in inflammatory foods and our lifestyles perpetuate the cycle of inflammation. Research has shown that chronic inflammation leads to chronic illnesses. It is highly advisable that you include foods that are ANTI inflammatory into your diet to combat this trend. Sweet potato is a great natural way to do just that!

So friends, why not try switching out white potato for sweet potato here and there? Your body will thank you! You can find more nutritional facts about this super food here.

Heart Healthy Food | Foods Good for The Heart

It's common knowledge in this very informed society we live in, so perhaps we take it for granted. The human heart's main function is to pump blood. The circulatory system literally depends on the heart's health.

Knowing that, it's only logical and I dare say it is highly advisable that we find all the ways we can, to promote excellent heart health and prevent heart disease. The statistics of heart disease in America are sobering and frightening indeed. Here's a quote:

(photo credit: JohnMason)

Between 1999 and 2009, the rate of deaths from cardiovascular disease (CVD) fell 32.7 percent, but still accounted for nearly one in three deaths in the nation. That’s 2,150 people dying from CVD each day — about one death every 40 seconds. (Source)

In 2010 the AHA set a goal of reducing heart disease by 20% by 2020. Current projections in the 2013 report suggest that we may only improve that rate by 6%. There are many things we can do to turn this around though!

Instead of talking about "risk factors," let's look at great ways to improve our heart health!

1) Move more! 

Like anything else in your body, if you don't use it and even tax it to some degree, you'll lose it. Improve heart health by getting some regular exercise! Need some ideas to make it fun? Check out this site. Obesity has been an epidemic in this country and it often goes hand in hand with other major illnesses such as diabetes and cancer.

2) Eat more freshness and less processed foods

Go green! Eat plant based foods and lean organic or grass fed meats, range fed poultry and raw fruits 
and vegetables!

3) Load up on berries!

A study just came out last week that showed tremendous health benefits -especially for women- who eat berries!  Ladies, just by eating 3 or more servings of blueberries or strawberries a day, we woman can reduce our risk of heart disease by up to one third!

Yes guys, they're awesome for you too but this specific study followed the health of 93,600 women between the ages of 25 and 42 over 4 year intervals.

Personally, I love blueberries best! Not only are they great for heart health, they're super foods for the brain. My brain needs all the super food it can get! I put them in salads, eat them like candy, throw them in smoothies, add them into a hot bowl of steel cut oats. It's endless! When I have them, I eat them way too quickly ;)

4) Eat more fat!

No you didn't read that wrong, but let me explain. Fat from medium chain fatty acids such as coconut oil is EXCELLENT for heart health! You can learn so much more about that here. Have you noticed that since the push for non fat or low fat foods obesity has just sky rocketed. Trust me, there's something very crucial about making sure you have the right fats in your diet. Things like coconut oil and avacado.

5) Manage stress

Don't mistake "manage" for eliminate. It would be quite impossible to eliminate stressors from our lives. We have them. To some degree they are necessary and healthy. But to live in a chronic state of stress is one of many things that's killing us too soon!

Take a deep breath, slow down, enjoy the simple things, make time for play! Don't stress over the small stuff! It's stuff! It can be replaced or fixed. Conserve your strength for the bigger things and bring your whole self to those!

Those are my quick tips for being kind to your heart today!

Do I Have the Flu?

Good morning and happy Monday!
I hope you had a great weekend and this finds you well.

I mean that literally. You see, here in Boston it was announced that 18 people have died of the flu since the season hit us hard and fast. The most recent victim was just a child. This wide spread outbreak has caused Boston officials to declare a health emergency. You can imagine, it prompted a mad rush to flu clinics everywhere! I decided to dedicate todays post to the topic of the flu because after this weekend, it's on everyone's mind. Even as I sat in church yesterday I was amazed at how many people were missing and I know it's because many of them are very sick.

I think I've mentioned that I often visit the Yahoo Answers page to see how I might be able to help people in there that have health questions. One question I see a lot is "Do I have the flu?"

I guess I take it for granted everyone knows that dreadful feeling of having the flu. I've had it all my life at least once a season since I can remember.  Here are some symptoms that will help you identify whether what you have are cold and/or flu symptoms.

Signs of the flu

This list of symptoms is from the Mayo Clinic:

• Fever over 100 F (38 C)
• Aching muscles, especially in back, arms, legs
• Chills and/or sweats
• Headache
• Dry cough
• Fatigue and weakness
• Nasal congestion

Unlike a cold -which usually starts with a scratchy or sore throat, the flu can hit hard and fast, knocking you for a loop! Now, if you happen to be unfortunate enough to see signs of the flu coming on, do not panic! First of all, the stress won't help your immune system and all! Stress, lack of sleep, lack of nutrients and a weakened immune system put you at greater risk of developing cold and flu symptoms - as well as chronic diseases. 

Yes, it's normal to develop cold and flu symptoms on occasion but living a healthy lifestyle increases your chances of giving that cold or flu virus the boot much faster than the average person.

Oh no! I have the flu, what should I do?

So say you develop that dreaded virus. You have all the signs of the flu. What's the best way to handle it? Should you rush to the hospital or the doctor? Not necessarily.

As long as you can hold fluids down and you don't have any other chronic conditions that will put you at a great risk (such as asthma or any respiratory diseases) your body will be able to heal itself in time and with some TLC from you! 

**If you have any of those major risk factors, your doctor may want you on anti-viral medication for the first 48 hours.**

If you are otherwise healthy click here for my recommendations for ways to treat the flu.