Wednesday 23 June 2010

'D'-lighted To See You: Vitamin D's 'other' uses...

Are You Lacking In Vitamin D?

Back in the day, Vitamin D used to be associated only with bone health. It's been known for a long time that deficiency of vitamin D causes soft bones known as Rickets in children and Osteomalacia in adults.

However what is now becoming clear is that there is a difference between being deficient in vitamin D (rickets and osteomalacia), and being insufficient in vitamin D. The latter is what I'm going to focus on for today because you may fall in this category.


Before I talk about Vitamin D insufficiency, let me tell you a few things about this amazing, yet humble hormone-vitamin.


Vitamin D...
  • Has receptors in almost all your cells and tissues

  • Brain, prostrate, breast, colon, immune cells, among others, have receptors for Vitamin D and respond to the active form of Vit D, which helps them control the genes that regulate cellular proliferation. Vitamin D helps reduce the proliferation ('overgrowth') of these cells. This is how come it is beneficial in conditions where cells are growing too fast like psoriasis, cancer.

  • The active form of vitamin D (D3 or cholecalciferol), causes your body to produce a substance capable of destroying infective agents including the bug that causes tuberculosis.

  • Vitamin D plays a role in controlling your blood pressure.

  • Vitamin D plays a role in insulin production and is helpful in management of Type 2 Diabetes.

  • Vitamin D helps your heart muscle function properly


And you thought all it did was give you strong bones!


The following conditions have been strongly associated with Vitamin D Insufficiency so if you suffer from any of these, RUN to your GP and get them to test your 'Serum 25(OH) Vitamin D' level TODAY!

It is such a simple thing to correct insufficiency, that it's almost criminal for you to suffer with symptoms that could be due to it. Such as the conditions below:


Increased risk of osteoporosis, fractures
Non-musculoskeletal disorders :
-- Cancer
-- Metabolic Syndrome (including Diabetes, heart disease, fatty liver, high cholesterol, etc)
-- Autoimmune conditions
-- Hypothyroidism
-- Depression
-- Psoriasis
-- Schizophrenia
-- 'Fibromyalgia'
-- Ongoing research into its use in MS but current studies point to possible relationship between insufficient vitamin D and MS
-- Wheezing illnesses
Symptoms Include:
-- Widespread diffuse or migratory pain and fatigue (commonly misdiagnosed as Fibromyalgia, Polymyalgia, psychological, etc)
-- Increased susceptibility to infections


So where do you get Vitamin D from?
Sources of Vitamin D

There are just 3 main sources:

1) Sunlight: (when you see the sun, ie! hello, londoners? :) )
--UV B Sunlight exposure (the very type that's blocked by sunscreen creams, as opposed to UV A sunlight, which is responsible for most skin cancer…): this is THE major source of Vitamin D production of the active hormone, 1,2-dihydroxyvitamin D.

-- Exposure of Face and Arms to sun for up to 30 mins causes your skin to manufacture 2000IU of Vit D

-- Exposure while wearing only bathing suit for up to 30 mins causes your skin to make 20,000 IU Vit D. Do this 2-3 times per week and your body will use what it needs and store the rest ready for use in winter months, when there's no sun.

-- Not feasible to get your optimal amount this way these days though is it?


2) Diet
-- Oily fish (Farmed fish has less vit D than wild fish)

-- Cod liver and other fish oil

-- Egg yolk (small amount)

-- Shitake mushrooms (small amount)

-- You'd have to eat a lot of the above and you still wouldn't get enough vitamin D to keep you out of the danger zone.


3) Vitamin D supplements

--Because these now come in strengths of 1000IU and 2000IU (or more in some cases), this remains the most reliable way to get your levels up and within the normal range.


Some people are more at risk of suffering from vitamin D insufficiency than others.

How do you know you're at risk of suffering from Vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency?


Keep your eyes peeled - the next post will be about this and also about how to treat it. You'll also discover where to find reliable vitamin D supplements for you and your children. I'll also tell you what your normal levels should be, and what levels are 'deficient' or 'insufficient'.


Stay tuned, and ACT on what you now know.


Blessings to ya.


Dr Kem
Health and Peak Performance Author, Speaker, Consultant

Friday 11 June 2010

Beat Type 2 Diabetes With The 8 Pillars!

The testimonials continue to come in, and each one makes me so pleased for the patient, and strengthens my resolve to get the word out to as many as possible.

I saw a lady at the Practice today whom I'd started on 'The 8 Pillars of Lifelong Health' http://truly-healthy.blogspot.com/2010/05/5-pillars-of-health.html just a month ago.

Here are some facts about her, to give you perspective...

- She suffers from Type 2 DM
- She's on Metformin, Byetta AND Insulin
- She's overweight
- The specialist (endocrinologist) was threatening to increase her Byetta and Insulin doses because her sugar levels were 'uncontrollable' with all these meds.
- Her 'bad cholesterol' and triglycerides were abnormally high
- Her blood sugar level was crazy high
- Her HbA1C (done in Jan) had been crazy high (proof of the poor control of her blood sugar level.

So, a month after faithfully applying The 8 Pillars described over at http://truly-healthy.blogspot.com/2010/05/5-pillars-of-health.html, how has she fared?

What are the 'side effects' of living a HEALTHY LIFE, of CHOOSING to adopt HEALTHY HABITS?

Here they are so far after 1 month:

- She's lost a couple kilos
- Her 'bad cholesterol' and triglyceride levels have normalised
- Her blood sugar is much lower than last month
- Her HbA1C is almost normal
- The consultant has REDUCED her insulin dose
- She's got no appetite for processed carbs so is not missing them
- She feels very well in herself

She's moving in the right direction, though there's still more to be done. Bear in mind that these changes are the result of just ONE MONTH of adhering to an intelligent, healthy lifestyle plan - not a 'diet', not a thing you start and stop, but she's in it for the long haul, for LIFE, and from the huge smile on her face it's obvious she's happy to have changed tracks...


Folks, you CAN beat this disease simply by committing to making some healthy lifestyle changes. It's not rocket science. It's simply treating your body the way it was designed to be treated.


Go ahead and read this post again to refresh yourself on the 8 Pillars. Details of each one will be added to the blog so do come back to read more...


Have a fantastic, healthy, degenerative-disease-free life!


After all, it's your CHOICE.


Blessings to ya.


Kem

Friday 4 June 2010

8 Pillars of Lifelong Health: Part 2

This is the continuation of this post: 8 Pillars of Lifelong Health Part 1


In Summary, the 8 Pillars of Lifelong Health Are:
  1. Positive Mental Attitude (including Goal-Setting)
  2. Healthy, Balanced, Nutrition
  3. Adequate Hydration
  4. Adequate Physical Exercise
  5. Sleep. Adequate Rest
  6. Correct Breathing Technique
  7. Correct Posture
  8. Adequate Support


Part One of this article dealt with items 1-5 above. Today we'll look at the last 3 items.


8 Pillars of Lifelong Health Part Two

6) Correct Breathing Technique
:

You're probably wondering why this is in here - after all, if you weren't breathing you'd be dead, right?

Right, and in a way, by not breathing properly, you *are* dying slowly.

Truth is, breathing to stay alive is a totally different animal from breathing for optimal health. By now you probably know I'm not one to settle for mediocrity, but rather excellence and optimal results. Health is no exception.

The correct breathing technique is vital if you desire optimal, lifelong, health.

In order to experience the following benefits:
  • optimize your health,

  • eliminate stress by causing your body to release chemicals which make you feel relaxed, eg empowering you to deal with an angry situation appropriately, thus leaving you feeling in control of the situation...

  • to have lots of energy,

  • to ensure that every cell in your body is receiving adequate oxygen,

  • and many more benefits,

    ...you’ve got to learn to breathe properly.
 There are lots more benefits to breathing properly which will be added to this blog later on, but for now, here’s a technique you can use today to practice breathing properly.

    It’s called the ‘4-7-8 method made popular by Dr Andrew Weil.
  • 
Sit up straight
  • Place the tip of your tongue up against the back of your front teeth. Keep it there through the entire breathing process

  • Breathe in silently through your nose to the count of four
  • Hold your breath to the count of seven
  • Exhale through your mouth to the count of eight, making an audible “woosh” sound
  • That completes one full breath. Repeat the cycle another three times, for a total of four breaths 

Do this at least 3 times per day.

Do it every day. You’ll feel the difference and wonder why you’ve not been doing this all this time.


Go ahead and do it now.

Don't waste your time by just reading this stuff and not doing anything with the information.



7) Posture
-

Good posture has the following benefits:


  • Makes you look and feel taller and slimmer
, which is good because the way you feel influences the way you behave...

  • Makes you look and feel strong and confident

  • Causes your internal organs to be in their right positions rather than being squashed up inside you. When they're in the right position they function better.

  • Prevents strain and fatigue on your joints and muscles. In this way it helps you have more energy cos your body is not working too hard to compensate for bad posture.

    Neck strain, back strain , carpal tunnel syndrome, some forms of arthritis, muscle cramps, can result from prolonged bad posture.


  • Improves your mood and psychological ‘state’. Ever tried feeling depressed while standing up erect with your head held high on your shoulders?



  • A good night's sleep

3 Basic Good Posture Tips


I'm going to share with you just 3 posture tips to start using now - there are more, but I don't want to overwhelm you into paralysis. With just 3 tips you can ACT now to start benefitting from great posture.

  • When standing:
    • Stand straight so that your weight is on the balls of your feet.
    • You also want to align yourself in such a way that the back of your head, your bottom and the heels of your feet are in a straight line when you stand or walk (stand with your back against a wall, and when those 3 points are aligned, walk away, keeping your posture erect).

    • This maintains your natural 'S' curve (a theme you'll find throughout this discussion on posture).

  • When sitting:
    • Keep both feet flat on the floor, sit straight and don’t slouch or lean forward.
    • Bend your knees at a right angle
    • Aim to maintain your natural 'S' curves: your buttocks should be touching the back of the chair.
    • Rest your weight on your hips
    • When standing from sitting, slide to the front edge of the seat then push yourself up by straightening your legs - don't bend at the waist.


  • When lying down or sleeping:
    • Keep the pillow under your head, not your shoulders
    • Sleep in a position that maintains your natural 'S' curve eg on your back with a pillow under your knees or under the curve of your back, or on your side with your knees only slightly bent (not drawn up to your chest...)
    • Avoid sleeping on your stomach - it's bad for your back and can also cause neck strain.
    • Sleep on a firm mattress
    • When standing from lying - turn to your side, bend your knees up and swing your legs down the side of the bed. Sit up by pushing on your hands. Avoid bending at the waist.
    I'll look around for some more good videos or images that demonstrate this, and post them on here when I find em.

8) The 8th Pillar: ADEQUATE SUPPORT

This one is huge because without it, you can easily 'fall off the wayside' with the 1st 7.
Ever had the experience of making a New Year Resolution and finding you've broken it before February? Why do you think that keeps happening?

In many cases, it's because you've not got a solid support system in place to help you stick with the program.

Research repeatedly shows that health programs that include support in one form or another are associated with more permanent changes.

This support can be in the form of regular group meetings (virtual or live), one-to-one mentoring or coaching (which is one reason why coaching works so well, and so every successful man or woman has got a coach...), or buddy systems.

If you want to crack this health and fitness thing once and for all, and form lifelong habits that keep you healthy and full of energy, if you want to stick to your resolution to get healthier this year, you've got to do something differently this year - you've gotta plug yourself into a support system.

This is one reason why I've developed The Dr Kem Healthy Lifestyle Program. http://tinyurl.com/DrKemHealthy4Life

It's based on what I teach patients every day at work (with the benefit of seeing the results not only on their physical appearance and self esteem, but also in their blood test results: I'm seeing my patients come off medication, or in some cases, not have to go on medication, blood sugar and cholesterol normalise, blood pressure normalise as a result of the strategies I teach them in the Practice), plus the enhanced benefit of providing a robust, solid, you-can't-help-but-win, all-round support system.

I've even got my buddy Malcom Martin, Personal Trainer to celebrities and Founder of Roadwork Fitness - to join in and provide extra support and Personal Training for you if you're accepted onto the program. That's right: There's an application process designed to weed out time wasters who like to hear the right words but have no intention of ACTING on them.

Details here: The Dr Kem Healthy Lifestyle Program.


In Conclusion, the 8 Pillars of Lifelong Health Are:
  1. Positive Mental Attitude (including Goal-Setting)
  2. Healthy, Balanced, Nutrition
  3. Adequate Hydration
  4. Adequate Physical Exercise
  5. Sleep. Adequate Rest
  6. Correct Breathing Technique
  7. Correct Posture
  8. Adequate Support

Make these a part of your life today - that is your choice - and you will see the benefits - for life!


Here's wishing you a healthy, fantastic day!


Blessings to ya.


Kem


Thursday 3 June 2010

Cholesterol: Falsely Accused??

I saw a lady at the practice today who has not had periods for several months - and she's not pregnant. Course she's worried about this. I have reassured her though, that it doesn't mean the blood is being stored in her womb ready for a big flood someday in future.

What is happening is that, because she is not making enough hormones, her womb lining is not being regenerated as it would normally do each month, so there's nothing to shed (which is what happens when you have a period) .

Now, she has some features which very likely are responsible for this, so we're working on them. One of them we'll talk about below.

Basically, her body is not making enough hormones because she's on a strict low/non-fat diet. The cholesterol she is depriving her body of, is the basic building block for the hormones she needs to have periods.

However the amazement she showed when I told her her body needed cholesterol in order to make the hormones responsible for her periods - and she is a highly educated lady, very posh too - made me realise that there is a HUGE amount of ignorance out there, and has moved me to post this blog entry today.

This ignorance is scary to me because I see lives being destroyed by it (no wonder it is written that the people perish for lack of knowledge...). People generally mean well, people mean to lead healthy lives and such, but there is a lot of misinformation out there that they end up confused or doing the wrong things.

You see, in her quest for a healthy life, she has not eaten ANY fat or cholesterol- containing food for the past year, because Cholesterol has been demonized by society and big pharma (I'm not a fan of big pharma, but that rant is for another post).

When I was in med school, I was taught that cholesterol was a very important, vital nutrient.
Well guess what, God has not created another species of man in whom cholesterol is bad. Read every biochemistry textbook you can find - the truth has not changed, never will.

My approach to all this is to stick to the basics, cos they NEVER change.
Your body's basic design has not been changed.
You are still made up of lots of cells, and the structure and function of each one will never change.

So I work with what you may call biochemistry and physiology 101, and help clients to improve their health that way. That means the principles I share don't change with fads: they are based on the truth about the way your body functions.

I'm finding that when a patient or client is educated about how their body works, they are empowered to make the right choices about what to eat and all that, and are no more swayed from one diet to another.

No wonder it is written that 'the truth shall set you free'.

Cholesterol was a vital nutrient back when I was in medical school, and it still is right now. Let's stop all this ignorance already! Do your homework. Seek the truth from people who have no financial benefit in telling you lies about your health.

The functions of cholesterol (which your body naturally makes, though you can also get some from your food) include:

- Precursor for ALL your steroid hormones (including the sex hormones responsible for regulating the menstrual cycle...). Folks, low or no-fat diets are BAD for your health, especially for women; among other things, they disrupt the natural balance of your hormones cos your body is prevented from manufacturing enough quantities. If you're doing low-fat /low cholesterol dieting for weight loss, you've been had: this is exactly what helps keep you overweight, for reasons I explain in another post.

Other steroid hormones include the glucocorticoids which help regulate your blood sugar, and mineralocorticoids which help regulate your body's minerals and blood pressure.

Blocking your body from making these hormones is courting disaster on so many levels!

- Precursor for Vitamin D (I wonder if the current epidemic of Vitamin D deficiency has anything to do with the rise in statin intake, and the current demonization of cholesterol in general...?). Later on in this blog I'll share with you the outstanding 'discoveries' of the functions of Vitamin D, and why several patients have called me a 'miracle worker' when all I've done is check their levels of Vitamin D, found them to be very low, shown them how to replace it and they've felt better than they've done for years, after being told several times that their symptoms were not physical but rather in their minds...

- Manufacture of Bile Acids (which your body needs in order to break down fat...), thus making it very important for normal digestion...

- Found in EVERY CELL in your body, cholesterol is necessary for maintaining the covering (membrane) of each of your cells, and for facilitating communication between your cells (which is why you are able to function as a whole entity, rather than just a bunch of cells...). This is why cholesterol is sent to any part of your body that experiences damage - it's needed to repair the lining/membranes of the cells involved in the damage. THIS is why cholesterol levels can be high when there's damage to the blood vessels which damage increases the risk of strokes and heart attacks - not because cholesterol has caused these things - it's been called to the scene to fix things! I love the way someone put it - blaming cholesterol for heart disease is like blaming policemen for a crime just cos there's lots of them at the crime scene! Cholesterol is NECESSARY in repairing your cells.

- Optimal brain function: your brain NEEDS cholesterol. 25% of your brain and nerve tissue is made of cholesterol. It enables memory and learning to happen. This is one reason why sleep is so important for you if you want to enhance your learning and memory - cholesterol is manufactured mainly while you sleep! What are you doing to your nervous system when you deprive it of this vital nutrient?


Need I go on?


You do NEED cholesterol.


So where can you find cholesterol?

Get this straight: dietary cholesterol has very little impact on the amount of cholesterol in your blood.

This is because your body already has an efficient mechanism for making cholesterol when you supply it with the precursors for it: if you don't eat foods rich in cholesterol, your liver makes more cholesterol to try and maintain normal levels. If you do eat lots of foods rich in it, your liver makes less cholesterol - your body is all about maintaining BALANCE (there's a life success principle right there, but that's for another blog :) ).

However you do need some in your diet otherwise if you chronically deprive yourself of it, your liver can't keep up with the demand for it and so because it has to divert its cholesterol generating properties to life-enhancing processes (eg brain function...) it does this at the expense of other functions (eg making hormones that regulate periods and sugar levels and so forth).

Having said that, some foods are good sources of cholesterol and these are:

Food

Cholesterol Content by mass (mg/g)

Chicken Liver

5.61

Chicken Giblets

4.42

Eggs

4.24

Beef Liver

3.81

Turkey Giblets

2.89

Butter

2.18

Pork Liver Sausage

1.8

Shrimp

1.73

Sardines

1.42

Heavy Cream

1.4

Veal

1.34

Pork Ribs

1.21

Lamb

1.21

Turkey Neck

1.2

Pork Shoulder

1.14

Beef Chuck

1.05

Lard

0.94

Crab

0.89

Duck Meat

0.89

Salmon

0.87

Data taken from the USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 17


The problematic fat is known as 'trans fat' - (trans fatty acids) : trans fats raise your 'bad cholesterol' (LDL) and lower your 'good cholesterol' (HDL).

They're the artery-clogging fats you get when vegetable oils are processed and hardened into margerine or shortening. Trouble is, they're cheaper than healthy oils eg omega 3 oils, fish oil, so are widely available eg in fast food eg french fries, fried chicken, biscuits, doughnuts. They're also used to increase the longevity of a food.

If you see the term 'hydrogenated' or 'partially hydrogenated' in your food label ingredients, that's a trans fat!! Stay away from it! These are disastrous and deadly!

Read your food labels! Be sensible! Seek the truth otherwise you'll fall for anything!


DISCLAIMER:
This article is meant for your information only. What you do with the information here is your responsibility. Be sure to contact your doctor if you are considering any lifestyle change.
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