Love Your Gut, Heal Your Gut, Heal Yourself

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Dr Amy Myers 2013

Do you suffer from seasonal allergies, weight gain, hormonal imbalances, mood imbalances or an autoimmune disorder?  If so, you may have a leaky gut.

The National Institutes of Health estimates that nearly ¼ of us (about 70 million) suffer from digestive issues: gas, bloating, heartburn, diarrhea, constipation and nausea.  In functional Medicine we believe that these symptoms may be displayed in your gut yet their effects are systemic and can affect the whole body.  We believe that the gut is the core of our health and that it is essential to have a healthy gut in order to have a healthy body.

It’s all about the gut!

A properly functioning digestive system (gut) is critical to good health. In fact, 60 -80% of our immune system is located in our gut and 90% of our neurotransmitters (chemicals responsible for regulating mood) such as serotonin are made in our gut.  Problems in our gastrointestinal (GI) tract can cause more than just stomach pain, gas, bloating or diarrhea they can be the root cause of many chronic health problems.  Gut imbalances and leaky gut have been linked to hormonal imbalances, autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and hashimotos thyroiditis, diabetes, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, anxiety, depression, eczema and rosacea, just to name a few.

Love your gut! Heal your gut!

In functional Medicine we use a simple approach that we call the 4R program to heal your gut.  I walk you through this process in my latest eCourse The Myers Way Guide to the Gut.

 

The 4 R Program

1. Remove

Remove the bad.  The goal is to get rid of things that negatively affect the environment of the GI tract such as inflammatory foods, infections, and gastric irritants like alcohol, caffeine or drugs.  Inflammatory foods such as gluten, dairy, corn, soy, eggs and sugar can lead to food sensitivities. I recommend The Myers Way and IgG food sensitivity testing to determine if any foods are a problem for you. Infections can be from parasites, yeast or bacteria. A comprehensive stool analysis is key to determining the levels of good bacteria as well as any infections that may be present.  Removing the infections may require treatment with herbs, anti-parasite medication, anti-fungal medication, anti-fungal supplements or even antibiotics.

2. Replace
Replace the good. Add back in the essential ingredients for proper digestion and absorption that may have been depleted by diet, drugs (such as antacid medications) diseases or aging.  This includes digestive enzymes, hydrochloric acid and bile acids that are required for proper digestion.

3. Reinoculate
Restoring beneficial bacteria to reestablish a healthy balance of good bacteria is critical.  This may be accomplished by taking a probiotic supplement that contains beneficial bacteria such as bifidobacteria and lactobacillus species.  I recommend anywhere from 25 -100 billion units a day.  Also, taking a prebiotic (food for the good bacteria) supplement or consuming foods high soluble fiber is important.

4. Repair
Providing the nutrients necessary to help the gut repair itself is essential.  One of my favorites supplements is L-glutamine, an amino acid that helps to rejuvenate the gut wall lining.  Otherkey nutrients include zinc, omega 3 fish oils, vitamin A, C, E as well as herbs such as slippery elm and aloe vera.

No matter what your health issue is, the 4R program is sure to help you and your gut heal. I have witnessed dramatic reversal of chronic and inflammatory illnesses in a very short period of time by utilizing this simple approach.

 

My favorite gut healing smoothie!

1/2 – 1 cup almond milk

1/4 teaspoon (100 billion units) probiotic

1 scoop (5000 mg) L-Gutamine

3 stalks red kale

3 stalks dinosaur kale

1/2 cup frozen organic berry mix (raspberries, blueberries and strawberries)

2 scoop protein powder 

Blend

Learn More

In Search of Getting Enough Protein From Plants

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Here is a great guideline for getting your protein power from plants.

My Top 7 Sources of Plant-Based Protein
BY RICH ROLL
APRIL 11, 2012 8:45 PM EDT

I say it all the time. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not only possible to optimize your health on a plant-based diet; when done right, I actually recommend it.

But where do you get your protein?

I field this question constantly. Despite deeply ingrained but misleading conventional wisdom, the truth is that you can survive without meat, eggs and dairy. Believe it or not, you can actually thrive, and never suffer a protein deficiency. Because no matter how active your lifestyle, a well-rounded whole food plant-based diet provides more than enough protein to satisfy the body’s needs without all the artery-clogging saturated fats that dominate the typical American diet.

I speak from experience. As a vegan endurance athlete, I place a high tax on my body. And yet my plant-based diet has fueled me for years without any negative impact on building lean muscle mass or recovery. In fact, at age 45 I continue to improve and am as fit, healthy, and strong as I have ever been.

Here’s a list of my top-7 plant-based foods high in protein:

1. Quinoa: 11g Protein / Cup
A grain like seed, quinoa is a high protein alternative to rice or pasta, served alone or over vegetables and greens. It provides a good base for a veggie burger and is also a fantastic breakfast cereal when served cold with almond or coconut milk and berries.

2. Lentils: 17.9g Protein / Cup
Delicious, nutritious and super easy to prepare. Trader Joe’s sells them pre-cooked and I’m not afraid to just eat them cold right out of the package for lunch or a snack on the run.

3. Tempeh: 24g Protein / 4 Ounces
A fermented soybean-based food, tempeh is a healthy protein-packed alternative to it’s non-fermented cousin tofu. It makes for a great veggie burger and doubles as a tasty meat alternative to meatballs in pasta, or over brown rice and vegetables.

4. Seitan: 24g Protein / 4 Ounces
An excellent substitute for beef, fish and soy products, one serving provides about 25% of your RDA of protein. But not for those with gluten sensitivities, as it is made from wheat gluten.

5. Beans (Black, Kidney, Mung, Pinto): 12-15g Protein / Cup
I love beans. Great on a veggie burrito, in chili and soups, on salads or over rice with vegetables, beans of all varieties are a daily staple of my diet.

6. Spirulina: 6g Protein / 10 grams
A blue-green algae, spirulina is a highly bioavailable complete protein containing all essential amino acids. At 60% protein (the highest of any natural food), it’s a plant-based protein powerhouse that finds it way into my Vitamix blends daily.

7. Hemp Seeds: 16g Protein / 3 Tbsp
With a perfect ration of omega-6 and omega-3 EFA’s, hemp seeds are another bioavailable complete protein rivaled only by spirulina. A simple and great addition to a multitude of dishes, from breakfast cereal to salads to smoothies to vegetables and rice.

Seven Tips To Ensure Optimal Recovery From Intense Training and Competition

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By Poliquin Group™ Editorial Staff

A simple way to perform better is to make sure you’re recovering optimally from intense training or competition. If you don’t take advantage of the recovery period, subsequent performance may be negatively affected, and you stand to lose a lot in terms of muscle and strength development.

The recovery period is when your body repairs damaged muscle and connective tissue to make you stronger. At the same time, research shows that intense training, and particularly sports training that is typified by collisions such as rugby, judo, lacrosse, or football will cause an inflammatory hormone response with higher cortisol, lower testosterone, and reduced neuromuscular function.

The skewed testosterone-to-cortisol ratio and decreased power and strength can last for as long as 60 hours after a competition or training, during which, you need to actively pursue recovery.

For example, a recent study tested hormone response and neuromuscular strength in elite male rugby players after a competition. Results showed that cortisol increased from baseline by 56 percent and by 59 percent at 12 and 36 hours, respectively. Cortisol was still elevated by 34 percent at 60 hours. Testosterone declined by 26 percent and by 15 percent at 12 and 36 hours, respectively, and was still down 8 percent lower at 60 hours.

Researchers suggest this poor anabolic environment is caused by the combination of large metabolic stress, muscle damage, negative energy balance, and depleted glycogen reserves from an intense competition.

Naturally, a very intense weight training program could cause similar physiological stress, making this study relevant to serious recreational trainees as well.

In addition, power output was reduced by 7 percent for 36 hours and returned to baseline at 60 hours post-match. The players reported increased mood disturbance at 12 hours post-match, but this had dissipated by 36 hours. Low mood is related to the stress hormone response and possibly to a high degree of muscle damage and soreness.

Take away the following points from this study so that you maximize recovery:

1) Whether you are simply training at a high intensity/volume or are competing, allow for at least 60 hours of recovery between intense workouts. Be aware that the study showed recovery is somewhat individualized: At 60 hours 7 of the players’ peak power output had not fully recovered, and 9 players still had a decreased T/C ratio.

2) Competing in a sport that is combative or has repeated collisions likely requires longer recovery than non-combative sports.

3) Ensure adequate glycogen stores and protein consumption pre-competition to decrease muscle damage and optimize energy stores. Also, eat a high-protein, healthy fat meal a few hours before competing or training.

4) Maximize protein synthesis and tissue repair by using 20 grams whey or another supplemental protein during training. When glycogen stores are depleted a high-quality carb supplement can help to support recovery. Research shows that supplementing with protein and carbs can lead to a lower cortisol response and speed the replenishment of glycogen stores.

5) Avoid alcohol and NSAID pain killers post-competition because both will significantly delay recovery and inhibit tissue healing in the long run.

6) Get extra antioxidants in the form of berries and green vegetables. Research shows blueberries can decrease muscle soreness after intense eccentric exercise. In addition, the amino acids taurine and glutamine may be beneficial, as will vitamin C, which can help clear cortisol.

7) Take a few grams of fish oil after competition because it has also been found to reduce muscle soreness after intense training.

References – West, D., et al. The Neuromuscular Function, Hormonal, and Mood Responses to a Professional Rugby Union Match. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2013. Published Ahead of Print.

10 Natural Tips To Beat Chronic Stress

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We are learning more and more that stress is a killer. Check out this great article by Dr Mark Hayman.

“If you really knew what was happening to you when you are stressed, you would freak out. It’s not pretty,” I said during the 2013 Third Metric women’s conference.

I wasn’t exaggerating. Chronic stress has become epidemic in our society, where faster seems better and we pack more obligations into our ever-expanding schedules.

Research has confirmed the havoc stress can wreak, with one meta-analysis involving 300 studies finding that chronic stress could damage immunity. Anotherstudy found stressed-out women had significantly higher waist circumference compared to non-stressed women.

Experts have connected stress with blood sugar and belly fat. Chronic stress raises insulin, driving relentless metabolic dysfunction that becomes weight gain, insulin resistance and ultimately diabetes.

Insulin isn’t the only hormone that becomes out of balance with stress. Your adrenal glands release hormones like adrenaline and cortisol that flood your system, raising your heart rate, increasing your blood pressure, making your blood more likely to clot, damaging your brain’s memory center, increasing belly fat storage, and generally doing damage to your body.

Want to reduce stress? Start with your diet.

The right diet can do wonders to reduce stress’s impact. When you eat whole, real foods, you restore balance to insulin, cortisol, and other hormones.

Eliminating mind-robbing molecules like caffeine, alcohol, and refined sugars and eating regularly can help you avoid the short-term stress of starvation on your body. You maintain an even-keeled mindset throughout the day, even when things get hectic.

You’ll replace those foods with clean protein, healthy fats, leafy and cruciferous vegetables, berries and non-gluten grains. Food is information that controls your gene expression, hormones and metabolism. When you eat the right foods, you balance blood sugar, restore hormonal balance and reduce stress’s damaging impact.

Reconsidering Stress

Stress is a thought, a perception of a threat, even if it isn’t real. That’s it. No more, no less. If that’s true, then we have complete control over stress, because it’s not something that happens to us but something that happens in us.

Here’s where it become interesting. Stressors can be real or perceived. You might imagine your spouse is angry with you. Whether or not they are, you raise stress levels. Real or imagined, when you perceive something as stressful, it creates the same response in the body.

Fortunately, a wide variety of techniques and tools can help effectively manage stress. Among them, these 10 are most beneficial:

1. Address the underlying biological causes of stress. 

Find the biological causes of problems with the mind including mercury toxicity, magnesium and vitamin B12 deficiencies, and gluten allergies. Changing your body can change your mind.

2. Begin actively relaxing. 

Humans remain primed to always do something. Even when we’re not working, our mind is on work. To engage the powerful forces of the mind on the body, you must do something relaxing. You can’t just sit there watching television or drinking beer. Whether that means deep breathing or a simple leisurely walk, find active relaxation that works for you and do it.

3. Learn new skills. 

Try learning new skills such as yoga, biofeedback, and progressive muscle relaxation or take a hot bath, make love, get a massage, watch a sunset, or walk in the woods or on the beach.

4. Make movement your drug. 

Exercise is a powerful, well-studied way to burn off stress chemicals and heal the mind. Studies show exercise works better than or equal to pharmaceutical drugs for treating depression. Try interval training if you’re short on time but want a powerful, intense workout.

5. Supplement. 

Take a multivitamin and nutrients to help balance the stress response, such as vitamin C; the B-complex vitamins, including B6 and B5 or pantothenic acid; zinc; and most important, magnesium, the relaxation mineral.

6. Reframe your point of view. 

Challenge your beliefs, attitudes, and responses to common situations and reframe your point of view to reduce stress.

7. Find a community. 

Consciously build your network of friends, family and community. They’re your most powerful allies in achieving long-term health.

8. Take care of your vagus nerve by using deep breaths. 

Most of us hold our breath often or breathe swallow, anxious breaths. Deep, slow, full breaths have a profound affect on resetting the stress response, because the relaxation nerve (or vagus nerve) goes through your diaphragm and is activated with every deep breath. Take five deep breaths now. See how differently you feel?

9. Meditate.

No matter how much or little time you have to commit, find a practice that works for you.

10. Sleep.

Lack of sleep increases stress hormones. Get your eight hours no matter what. Take a nap if you missed sleep. Prioritize it, and if you feel like you’re not getting high-quality shut-eye, find strategies to improve it.

For more visit http://drhyman.com/blog/2015/02/12/5-strategies-optimize-sex-drive/#lightbox/0/