March 2 2015

March 2015 e-Newsletter

Monthly Newsletter Alzheimer's, cold laser, dementia, demyelination, fermented foods, healthy fats, Low Level Light Therapy, myelin sheath, omega-3 fatty acids, probiotics, sugar cravings

I wish to share some very exciting news this month on healing techniques and nutrition!

Dr. Partain and I just attended a conference on dementia and Alzheimer’s. Recent research shows that sugar consumption and insulin resistance are directly related to demyelination which is a root cause of dementia and Alzheimers. Demyelination is the term used to describe damage to the myelin sheath which wraps around nerves.

The exciting news is that the application of Low Level Light Therapy (cold laser) will help remyelinate the nervous system. A diet which contains healthy fats (medium chain triglycerides) is another very effective way to ward off dementia and Alzheimer’s.

HEALTHY FATS

Healthy fats are the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, which are found in cold-water fish, coconut milk (cream, oil), avocado, olive, flax and hemp oils. These healthy fats also help to decrease inflammation, increase our HDL (the good fats), which protect the heart and feed our brains! Check out the March Recipe of The Month for some great ways to use coconut.

How do you know if your cells are getting enough of the healthy fats? Your body lets you know. But it’s up to you to pay attention to the following symptoms:

Dry, itchy, scaling, or flaking skin,
Soft, cracked, or brittle nails,
Hard earwax,
Tiny bumps on the backs of your arms or torso,
Achy, stiff joints

I have to be honest! At first, I was afraid to add fat into my diet! For the past 20 years the “story” has been that fat is bad for us. Dieters were warned to avoid it and low-fat foods became popular, often substituting carbohydrates (sugars) to replace fats. Thus, we seem to have created a diabetes, obesity and Alzheimer’s epidemic worldwide.

Adding healthy fats back into my diet has been nothing short of miraculous! Did you know we actually get more energy production from fats than sugar and carbohydrates? My brain and thinking process has improved and my energy is sustained throughout the day, while abating my hunger. Plus, I no longer have sugar cravings.

PROBIOTICS

There has been a wonderful resurgence of traditional fermented foods, heralding a revival of age-old healthy nutritional practices. It is backed by a growing scientific recognition of the several hundred-trillion microscopic, probiotics found in healthy bodies and the role they play in keeping us alive and well.

Some of the top fermented foods include:

sauerkraut (nature’s viagra) and kimchi,
sourdough bread,
yogurt and kefir (cultured dairy products and coconut),
miso, (delicious in soups),
kombucha (fermented tea).

Since fermented food is a probiotic power-house, it balances out the gut, which makes you able to absorb nutrients better. With a diet that contains fermented food, you have improved digestion and a boost to the immune system – 75% of the body’s immune system resides within the gut!

Bacteria is often cast as the enemy, but we couldn’t live without these friendly-type organisms that protect us from infection and disease. We depend on the billions of microorganisms that live in our digestive tract to keep us healthy and provide us nutrients. They also can influence the way we think – producing hormones that regulate mood and affect neural pathways to the brain and keep us trim.

I hope you experiment with this month’s simple recipes below to boost your health and wellbeing.

To Your Good Health!

Dr. Melissa