Vitamin D3 Is a Powerhouse for Your Heart

Vitamin D3 is making headlines again. Research suggests it can help restore the damage that cardiovascular disease does to your endothelium, the organ system that lines your circulatory system. It can also significantly reduce oxidative stress in your vascular system.

February 12, 2018 

Story at-a-glance

• New research suggests vitamin D3 plays a vital role in protecting your endothelium and repairing any damage inflicted by chronic disease on this unique organ system, which lines your entire circulatory system
• Earlier research suggests your endothelium can be damaged by serious health conditions such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, high blood pressure and insulin resistance
• The new findings suggest the presence of vitamin D3 also triggers nitric oxide, a molecule known to play an important signaling role in controlling blood flow and preventing blood clot formation within your blood vessels
• Vitamin D3 significantly reduces oxidative stress in your vascular system, which can prevent the development and/or progression of cardiovascular disease
• If you haven’t checked your vitamin D level in the past six months, you now have another reason to do so — to protect your heart and decrease your risk of heart disease

By Dr. Mercola

It’s no surprise to see vitamin D making headlines again, this time related to research suggesting it is a powerhouse to prevent and restore damage done to your heart.1 Previously, scientists linked changes to your endothelium —  a unique organ system that lines your entire circulatory system — with serious health conditions, such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, high blood pressure, insulin resistance and tumor growth.

Now, a new study2 suggests vitamin D3 plays a vital role in protecting and restoring the damage those diseases do to your endothelium. In addition, the findings suggest the presence of vitamin D3 also triggers nitric oxide, a molecule known to play an important signaling role in controlling blood flow and preventing blood clot formation in your blood vessels.

Furthermore, vitamin D3 was shown to significantly reduce oxidative stress in your vascular system, which is important to help prevent the development and/or progression of cardiovascular disease. If you haven’t checked your vitamin D blood level in the past six months, you now have another reason to do it — to protect your heart and decrease your risk of heart disease. For optimal health, you want a level in the 60 to 80 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) range.

If you live in a northern climate and are not able to enjoy regular sun exposure, I recommend you take an oral vitamin D supplement, as well as vitamin K2 and magnesium. Because they work synergistically, you need all three to ensure proper balance and maximum effectiveness.

Research Suggests Vitamin D3 Protects Your Heart

Research3 conducted at Ohio University suggests vitamin D3 has positive effects on your endothelium, the thin layer of tissue that lines the blood vessels within your vascular system. Published in the International Journal of Nanomedicine,4 the study describes how scientists used nanosensors and a cell model to identify the molecular mechanisms vitamin D3 triggers in your endothelium.

Several earlier studies had also highlighted vitamin D3’s positive effect on the endothelium, including its effects on patients battling chronic kidney disease (CKD) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).5,6,7,8 Individuals suffering from CKD and SLE have noticeable endothelial dysfunction and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Prior to these and other studies, your endothelium was thought to serve very little purpose other than facilitating the passage of electrolytes and water in and out of your bloodstream. That said, as mentioned, changes to your endothelium have been associated with serious diseases. In the current research, the presence of vitamin D3 was shown to:9

• Preserve your endothelium
• Restore your endothelium to health in cases where it has suffered damage due to one of the above-mentioned diseases
• Act as a powerful trigger of nitric oxide, a molecule known to play a vital signaling role in controlling blood flow and preventing the formation of blood clots in your blood vessels
• Reduce oxidative stress in your vascular system, which prevents the development and/or progression of cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure, among others 

According to the researchers, led by professor Tadeusz Malinski, Ph.D., chair of Ohio University’s chemistry & biochemistry department, the study results suggest:10

“[T]reatment with vitamin D3 can significantly restore the damage to the cardiovascular system caused by several diseases, including hypertension, atherosclerosis and diabetes, while also reducing the risk of heart attack. These studies, performed on cells from Caucasian Americans and African-American, yielded similar results for both ethnic groups.”

While Malinski asserts many of those who suffer a heart attack present as vitamin D deficient, it doesn't mean the deficiency caused the heart attack. It’s more likely, he says, being deficient in vitamin D increased the person’s risk of having a heart attack. As such, optimizing your vitamin D3 level is an important consideration toward reducing your risk of heart disease.

“There are not many, if any, known systems which can be used to restore cardiovascular endothelial cells which are already damaged, and vitamin D3 can do it,” stated Malinski. “This is a very inexpensive solution to repair the cardiovascular system. We don’t have to develop a new drug. We already have it.”11

More Ways Vitamin D Supports Your Health and Well-Being

Despite its name, vitamin D is not a regular vitamin. It is actually a steroid hormone obtained primarily from sun exposure, and its ability to influence genetic expression produces many of its wide-ranging health benefits. A growing body of evidence shows vitamin D plays a crucial role in disease prevention and maintaining optimal health. Of the nearly 30,000 genes in your body, vitamin D affects nearly 3,000 of them, while also impacting vitamin D receptors located throughout your body.

Vitamin D is so important, research suggests simply increasing vitamin D3 levels in the general population could lower rates of chronic diseases such as depression, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and obesity, among others. Beyond contributing to strong bones, sufficient amounts of vitamin D can help reduce your risk of several types of cancer. Furthermore, vitamin D strengthens your immune system, which protects you from colds and the flu by helping your body attack and destroy bacteria and viruses.

Finally, there’s some evidence to suggest vitamin D deficiencies are linked to depression (particularly seasonal depression), especially among older adults. Researchers examining the effects of vitamin D on the moods of 80 elderly patients found the ones with the lowest vitamin D levels were 11 times more likely to suffer from depression.12

Safeguard Your Heart, Optimize Your Vitamin D Levels

Regardless of whether you have ever had heart problems, your body needs a certain amount of vitamin D for optimal health, and there is a good chance you may be deficient. While the recommended vitamin D level for general health was previously noted as 40 to 60 ng/ml range, 60 to 80 ng/ml is the current recommended range for optimal health and disease prevention. The best way to raise your vitamin D is by regularly and sensibly exposing large amounts of your skin to sunshine.

However, depending on where you live, that might not be possible. If you reside in a northern climate, you will want to take an oral vitamin D3 supplement along with vitamin K2 and magnesium. Because they work synergistically, you need all three to ensure proper balance and maximum effectiveness.

If you have red hair, you may be interested to know scientists believe redheads require less vitamin D. You can determine your maintenance dose of vitamin D by measuring your blood level, which I suggest you check at least twice a year.

This is particularly important if you're pregnant or planning to become pregnant, or if you have cancer. The best times to check are in winter and summer, when your levels will be at their lowest and highest, respectively. As a general guideline, vitamin D experts recommend 4,000 IUs per day for adults, but that applies only if you are already in the therapeutic range. If your levels are low, you may need 8,000 IUs or more per day to start.

You’ll want to keep a watchful eye on your levels during the darker winter months, especially because a lack of UV exposure can bring out the “winter blues,” leading to feelings of depression. If you notice your mood and energy levels are down, you may not be getting enough vitamin D.

Keep in mind living in an area receiving year-round sun does not guarantee you will receive sufficient vitamin D. You will undoubtedly be at risk of missing out on vitamin D from natural sun exposure if you spend most of your time indoors, use topical sunscreens or wear long clothing for religious reasons.

Are You Vitamin D Deficient?

The Harvard School of Public Health suggests an estimated 1 billion people worldwide have low vitamin D levels, with deficiencies noted across all age and ethnic groups.13 Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey indicates about 90 percent of Americans with dark skin pigments and 75 percent of Caucasians are vitamin D deficient.14 The signs and symptoms of vitamin D deficiency include:

Achy or broken bones Because vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium, it plays a role in your bone health. Studies involving older adults have associated low vitamin D levels with an increased risk of falls and fractures.15

Age 50 or older At age 50, your kidneys may become less effective at metabolizing inactive vitamin D into its active form. At age 70 and beyond, your body will produce about one-third less vitamin D through sun exposure than it did when you were younger.

Overweight and obesity Because vitamin D is fat soluble, when your fat cells uptake it, less is available for use elsewhere in your body.16 For this reason, some experts recommend you increase your intake of vitamin D if you are obese.

Dark skin Melanin, which determines your degree of skin pigmentation and protects your body from harmful UV radiation, impairs your skin’s ability to produce vitamin D from sunlight. If you have darker skin, your body may need up to 10 times more sun exposure to produce adequate vitamin D as compared to a person with lighter skin.

Feeling depressed, consistently having low energy and body aches Thanks to the brain hormone serotonin, your mood automatically elevates when you are in the sun. If your mood is depressed only during winter, you may need to increase your intake of vitamin D. Also, if you’ve received a diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia, you may want to check to see if vitamin D deficiency may be the root cause.

Frequent colds and flu A Japanese study indicated schoolchildren taking 1,200 units of vitamin D per day during winter reduced their risk of contracting the flu by about 40 percent.17

Head sweating One of the classic signs of vitamin D deficiency is a sweaty head. Excessive sweating in newborns due to neuromuscular irritability is recognized as a common, early symptom of vitamin D deficiency.18

Use the Dminder App to Track Your Sun Exposure

For more information about the importance of vitamin D, check out my interview with Dr. Michael Hollick, a leading authority on vitamin D and professor of medicine, physiology and biophysics at Boston University Medical Center. Hollick consulted with a company responsible for the development of a smartphone app called dminder, which is available for download at dminder.ontometrics.com.

Based on your local weather conditions and unique parameters such as your age and skin tone, dminder tracks everything you need to know about vitamin D. For example, it tells you how much UV radiation you're getting, how many units of vitamin D you're making and when to get out of the sun to avoid sunburn. You may not realize your body cannot make vitamin D when you're exposed to sunlight through glass, but it’s true. Glass filters out most of the UVB responsible for stimulating vitamin D production.

Through glass, you're mostly getting UVA rays, which penetrate deeply into your skin, cause wrinkling and increase your risk of skin damage and skin cancer. Beware: UVA radiation is harsher in the morning and late afternoon.

As such (and contrary to popular advice, which was tailored more to tanning than optimizing vitamin D stores), you'll want to avoid excessive sun exposure in the early morning and afternoon. With respect to the best time for sun exposure, authors of a study published in Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology said:19

“To get an optimal vitamin D supplement from the sun at a minimal risk of getting cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM), the best time of sun exposure is noon. Thus, common health recommendations given by authorities in many countries, that sun exposure should be avoided for three to five hours around noon and postponed to the afternoon, may be wrong, and may even promote CMM.

[S]hort, nonerythemogenic exposures around noon should be recommended rather than longer nonerythemogenic exposures in the afternoon. This would give a maximal yield of vitamin D at a minimal CMM risk.”

When planning your sun exposure, be sure to take into account daylight saving time (if you live in an area affected by it). During periods of standard time, the best time for maximum sun exposure is noon. When you're observing daylight saving time, due to the one-hour shift, peak sun exposure will take place at 1 p.m. instead of noon. Regardless of the season, make a plan today to soak up some sun and increase your vitamin D level. When you do, both your endothelium and heart will thank you.

https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/02/12/vitamin-d3-for-your-heart.aspx

3 T-cell ‘tricks’ to activate your body’s own cancer-killers

Scientists have engineered T-cells to identify, memorize and attack tumor cells. That means a costly drug may be developed soon. But you can increase the cancer-killing effectiveness of your own T-cells starting right now.

The annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington DC ended recently, and a new cancer-killing therapy was a big topic.

Researchers revealed that they had taken human T-cells and engineered them to identify, memorize and attack tumor cells. The therapy didn’t work for everyone and some patients experienced toxic side-reactions and died. However, some of the patients had many other therapies that failed, and some people were in complete remission after 18 months.

It’s great that scientists have used the body’s own natural cancer killing cells in their research. But like many of these therapies, scientists are calling T-cells a “living drug” so they can patent and sell an eventual therapy … which won’t be available to the general public any time soon.

Fortunately, what is available to you are your own T-cells.

They’re not a drug, and they already attack cancer cells. Plus, you can increase their cancer-killing effectiveness starting right now. Here are three natural ways to boost the cancer-killing effectiveness of your T-cells:

1) Start with getting plenty of vitamin D.

The prestigious journal Nature published a study with a stunning discovery: T-cells don’t work very well unless your vitamin D receptors are activated. In other words, T-cells won’t activate without enough vitamin D.

The study also says you can increase your T-cell responsiveness by 750 percent by making sure you have a good amount of vitamin D.

Direct sunshine is best because our bodies make vitamin D from the sun’s rays. If you can’t get some sun every day, it’s best to get at least 3-5,000 IU of D3 daily. You might need as much as 10,000 IU if you’ve been out of the sun for most of this winter already.

2) Add some selenium to your diet, or make sure it’s in your daily multi-nutrient.

Selenium is well-known to be cancer-protective. But studies show it also increases the effectiveness of T-cells, and makes them more powerful.

Fortunately, you don’t need much selenium. You do need more than the RDA, which is only 55 micrograms. It appears that up to but no more than 200 mcg a day is a good target. You should get it from food. A few Brazil nuts will give you all you need. Or you could eat plenty of eggs, fish, and mushrooms.

3) Have you ever heard of Cat’s claw? It’s easier to say than its Latin name, Uncaria Tomentosa.

This plant is native to South America, and its health benefits are so powerful that it’s now being studied to see what it can do against cancer. What they’ve discovered is that cat’s claw cat’s turns on T-cells and unleashes them against many diseases. Like the T-cells in the study, cat’s claw seems to stop cancer from spreading.

You will normally see cat’s claw in supplement form at a 350 mg daily dose, and it’s standardized to contain 8% carboxy alkyl esters, which is the active compound.

Mother nature provides many options to skyrocket your body’s own natural cancer defenses–and more and more people are turning to them. In 2005, 72 million people sought alternative treatments, many like the ones you can read about in Dr. Michael Cutler’s Surviving Cancer manual. Click to learn more.

http://easyhealthoptions.com/3-t-cell-tricks-to-activate-your-bodys-own-cancer-killers/

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5 Natural Cures for Enlarged Prostate

Make no mistake, the size of your prostate can have a major impact on your quality of life.

4 December 2015

Make no mistake, the size of your prostate can have a major impact on your quality of life.

This gland is about the size of a walnut when a man is in his 20s. By the time he’s in his 40s, it may have grown larger, about the size of an apricot. By age 60, a prostate may be the size of a lemon.

An enlarged prostate pushes on the urethra. This makes it hard to urinate. Your bladder can then swell and become painful, leading to kidney damage. Not to mention embarrassing dribbling, loss of sleep because of all the late-night bathroom trips… And those are just the minor effects.

Benign prostate hypertrophy (BPH) can lead to prostate cancer. More than 200,000 North American men develop it each year. And 15% of them die.

But you can avoid the embarrassment, discomfort, and risk of BPH with these five natural solutions:

1. Green Tea: It's loaded with polyphenols. These plant compounds deter cell damage with their antioxidant activity. In other words, they mop up destructive free radicals.

EGCG is the polyphenol unique to green tea. It doesn’t just prevent inflammation that can lead to BPH. It also kills prostate cancer cells.

To get the highest concentration, choose matcha green tea. It has 137 times more than China Green Tips green tea. Or find a supplement that delivers at least 600 mg per serving.

2. Lycopene: Research shows this antioxidant-rich carotenoid from yellow and red plants lowers prostate-specific antigen (PSA) scores in men with BPH.

PSA is a marker for BPH. This means the higher your PSA, the more likely you are to have an enlarged prostate.

To get the most protection, you need 15 mg of lycopene a day. One medium tomato contains about 4 mg. So you may want to also add a quality supplement.

3. Vitamin D3: In one study, men with prostate cancer were given either 4,000 IU of vitamin D3 a day or a placebo. After 60 days, prostate tumors improved in men taking the vitamin. Scientists believe this is because D3 lowers inflammation.

If you’re fair-skinned, being outside in the sun with shorts and a tank top for 10 minutes a day will give you all the vitamin D you need. Darker-skinned people need a bit more exposure. If that’s not an option—especially this time of year—a whole-food supplement will do the trick. We recommend 5,000 IUs a day.

4. Stinging nettle: In addition to taming allergies, stinging nettle is widely used to treat prostate disorders. The herb has been shown to alleviate decreased urinary flow and post urination dripping.

You can find tea preparations of stinging nettle, but it’s most effective when taken as a supplement made from the roots of the plant. Look for one with .8% beta sitosterol. It’s a plant sterol responsible for stinging nettle’s prostate-curing effects.

5. Avocados: They're rich in beta sitosterol. As are pumpkin seeds and pecans. These foods are also great sources of healthy, inflammation-fighting monounsaturated fats. That makes them a double defense against a growing prostate—they fight the causes and the symptoms of BPH.

Try a few of these, and your prostate health will improve. Or try them all for even better results. You’ll save yourself from the discomfort and embarrassment of BPH­—and lower your chances of deadly prostate cancer.

This post is on Healthwise

Coping with stress

Coping with stress

Posted on 27 August 2014 - 04:52pm

Steve Yap

Healthwise

STRESS is a major risk factor for many chronic health disorders. However, it is really a perception issue: it arises when we perceive an inability to cope with the various demands placed on us.

Consequently, raising our stress-coping ability goes a long way in lowering our stressful feeling. Just having a 20-minute walk, jog, run and/or swim daily or being deeply involved in a healthful hobby or supportive club can help.

Recent longevity study also shows that meditation can lengthen our telomere, which is a marker that determines our lifespan as well as our susceptibility to major chronic diseases. Possessing a positive and cheerful attitude towards life events can pay rich dividends.

It’s also common to develop sugar/carbohydrate cravings during stressful times. Excess sugar intake can worsen heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, fungal infection, or tumour/cancer growth. Allowing bacteria in our teeth, gum, and gut to flourish can adversely affect our heart too.

A diet low on refined carbohydrates and sweet fruits benefit both diabetic and heart patients. It’s now known that only oxidised (damaged by free radicals due to lack of antioxidants) or glycated (attached to sugar) ‘bad’ cholesterol is likely to clog our arteries.

Regular exercise and adequate intake of foods rich in ascorbic acid (chilli, bell pepper, garlic, guava, freshly-harvested fruits and berries) help raise production of the good HDL cholesterol, which is beneficial for the heart as well as for longevity.

Nutritional therapy uses alpha lipoic acid, chromium and niacin to further enhance the effect of ascorbic acid.

Fructose (fruit sugar) has been implicated in research to cause elevated uric acid, hypertension, and accelerated diabetes type II. This so-called ‘natural’ sugar which causes fruits to rot is a major contributor to fatty liver besides alcohol beverages.

Refrain from having packaged fruit juices for breakfast , especially if you also suffer from pre-diabetic, insulin resistance, hypoglycaemia, diabetic, kidney disease, or high blood pressure.

High intake of refined sugar/starch lowers our defence against infection, besides promoting fungal or yeast infection (candidiasis) commonly found in people living the tropics.

Calcium supplement may lower production of digestive enzymes from both the stomach and pancreas. Even calcium in milk has been shown to promote prostate enlargement/tumour in men.

Research suggests that taking a calcium supplement should be accompanied by adequate intake of vitamins K2 and D3 in order to reverse osteoporosis and calcified plaques in arteries.

Magnesium intake may be good for elderly people since this mineral is responsible for activating more than 350 enzymes in the body. It also lowers elevated cholesterol and hypertension, stabilises irregular heartbeat, reduces muscle/artery spasms and kidney stones, and also binds to other minerals to build stronger bones.

Cocoa (not chocolate drink), organic nuts, seeds and beans are a rich source of magnesium.

Research has shown that men who consume raw nuts regularly lower their heart disease risk. But avoid deep-fried nuts or seeds since they may contain harmful rancid (oxidised) or trans fats which clog arteries.

Stress hormone such as cortisol tears down protein in our body, which leads to a higher demand for protein-rich food when stressed. High-blood cortisol can cause adrenal fatigue leading to diminishing cortisol production. This might lead to the development of autoimmune disorders.

Nutritional therapist uses ascorbic acid, gensenosides, eluthero and other adaptogenic herbs to rejuvenate the stressed-out adrenal glands and to balance their abnormal stress hormone production.

Ribose (d-ribose), which is a sugar produced by our body to feed the heart and other vital organs, may be supplemented to replenish deficient cellular energy levels and for those with ischemic heart disease or congestive heart failure. Other useful energising nutrients include Co-Q10 ubiquinol, creatine, and L-carnitine.

Having adequate sleep at night helps us to cope with stress since it lowers stress hormone production. Avoid strong tea or coffee since it lowers melatonin production leading to insomnia.

Sleep-promoting foods rich in the essential (can’t be produced by the human body) amino acid L-tryptophan include soy isolate, soy protein, tofu, fresh corn, brown rice, egg white, sea algae, sesame, pumpkin seeds, bean sprouts, spinach, watercress, seaweed, wheat germ, wheat bran, duck meat, turkey, game meat, cod, tuna, and crustaceans.

Excess L-tryptophan is converted by the body to niacin, which is a heart-protective nutrient.

Retiring just before midnight helps raise production of anabolic growth hormone so long as the last meal doesn’t contain too much refined sugar/starch which causes insulin elevation.

For chronically-stressed men, their production of the anabolic testosterone hormone is lowered. Intake of foods rich in vitamin C and zinc while reducing refined sugar/starch can help raise blood testosterone levels.

Stress-relieving mind-body therapies licensed with the Ministry of Health under complementary medicine (www.fcnmam.org.my) also help.

These include hypnotherapy, aromatherapy, and psychotherapy as well as physical therapies such as soft tissue manipulative therapy and reflexology.

Biological-based treatment for elevated stress include nutritional and herbal medicine which aims to bring the stressed body into equilibrium through physiological regeneration and hormonal balancing.

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/1153200

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This Critical Vitamin May Lower Your Risk for Prostate Cancer

Healthwise

May 28, 2014 

In most cases, prostate cancer isn’t that big of a threat. It has one of the highest survival rates of any cancers. Some patients simply take a “wait and see” approach without any formal treatment. But if the cancer starts spreading, it’s a different story.

Researchers at Northwestern University studied a group of over 500 men. They found that men with low levels of a certain vitamin were at greater risk for prostate cancer. In fact, the group with the least amount in their blood was up to 3.66 times more likely to develop prostate cancer.1 But that’s not the worst of it.

This form of prostate cancer was very aggressive. It’s the type of cancer that spreads to other parts of the body. This includes your organs. And if you’re African-American, you’re at even greater risk.

African-American men in the study had lower levels of this vitamin. They were nearly five times more at risk for developing aggressive prostate cancer. Even the highest levels among African American men were about 60% lower than the other men in the study.2

But researchers think they may know why. Healthwise

The sun is our main source of vitamin D. After all, it’s called the sunshine vitamin. But how much vitamin D you absorb from the sun depends on your skin color. Darker pigmentations have a harder time getting the vitamin from sunlight than lighter ones. It takes more exposure to get the same benefits.3 But sunlight isn’t the only way to bring up your vitamin D levels.

You can add more to your diet by eating grass-fed beef liver and wild-caught salmon. You’ll also find good amounts of vitamin D in pastured egg yolks and organic mushrooms. But your best bet may be to find a quality, natural vitamin D supplement. Look for vitamin D3—it’s the most potent form of the vitamin. Aim for a serving of about 5,000 IU each day.

About one out of every seven men will face prostate cancer in their lifetime. It’s true that there’s a 94% survival rate up to 15 years after diagnosis. But some forms are aggressive—and deadly.4 Don’t risk your life by playing the odds. Instead, do everything in your power to lower your risk. Adding more natural vitamin D to your diet may help you avoid a deadly diagnosis.

References:
1http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/05/01/vitamin-d-deficiency-may-indicate-prostate-cancer-study-says/
2http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/276190.php
3Idem
4http://www.cancer.org/cancer/prostatecancer/detailedguide/prostate-cancer-survival-rates

http://institutefornaturalhealing.com/2014/05/this-critical-vitamin-may-lower-your-risk-for-prostate-cancer/

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5 Natural Ways to Ease Your Allergies

Healthwise

March 28, 2014 

It’s a fact…

Allergy meds—even if they didn’t have dangerous side effects—won’t ever work. They don’t get to the root of the problem. Allergies are a sign your body is attacking itself. And it’s usually in several different ways.

Treating your allergies before your body goes into attack mode makes more sense. Here are five ways to defend your body as allergy season kicks off.

1. Quercetin: This antioxidant lowers inflammation. Quercetin also stops immune cells from releasing histamines. They cause the inflammation that leads to allergic reactions.1 And taking it doesn’t make you drowsy or cause memory gaps like some allergy medications.2

You’ll find it in apples, citrus fruits, onions, and tea. You can also take it as supplement in pill form or as a liquid extract for temporary relief of allergy symptoms.

2. Beta Glucans: They’re a type of sugar that comes from cell walls of yeast, algae, fungi, and plants. Beta glucans activate your macrophages.3 These are the immune cells that fight off germs and tell other cells to help defend your body. But not all beta glucans work the same.

One study on beta 1, 3/1, 6 glucan found that it reduces total allergy symptoms by 28 percent. And any symptoms subjects still experienced were over 50 percent less severe.4 But unless you feel like eating brewer’s yeast all day long, your best bet is to get it as a supplement.

3. Vitamin D3: The sunshine vitamin fights off bacteria that cause your allergies in the first place. Taking just 4,000 IU of vitamin D3 can improve your allergy symptoms by 30 percent in just a week. And if you stick with it, you could see a 70 percent improvement after four months.5

You can get vitamin D3 from being out in the sun. Eating wild-caught salmon and mushrooms will also provide you with it. But for allergies, find a 4,000 IU supplement that comes from a quality, natural source. You shouldn’t have any trouble finding a good one online, so leave the drugstore vitamins on the shelf.

4. Probiotics: Your gut is one of your body’s best defenses against invading bacteria. Just look at H. pylori. Roughly 70 percent of people with autoimmune symptoms—like allergies—have it.6 Probiotics can prevent these bacteria from turning your immune system against itself. And if you already have the infection, probiotics can help ease the inflammation.7

You can support your gut by eating synbiotics. These contain the good bacteria that help fight off harmful germs. But it also contains the food that fuels the good bacteria. Asparagus, onions, and artichokes are symbiotic foods. You can also take a probiotic supplement. Just make sure to find one that gives you at least 1 billion live colony forming units (CFUs) per serving.

5. Stinging Nettle: Despite its strange name, stinging nettle stops your body from producing the histamine that causes inflammation. It also interferes with the way your body sends and receives pain signals.8

Stinging nettle isn’t something you can eat on its own—or even add to a dish. But you can find its extract as a supplement. It’s also available as a tea. It’s a satisfying way to help ease your allergy symptoms while getting the antioxidant benefits from the tea.

Don’t just treat your allergy symptoms when they pop up. By that point, your body is on the attack and you’re feeling miserable. Stop them from coming on the first place. These natural solutions will help keep you from tissue to tissue, and without having to take dangerous allergy drugs.

References:
1 http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/quercetin
2 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11056414
3 http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2009/dec2009_The-Immune-Enhancing-Benefits-of-Beta-Glucans_01.htm
4 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/fsn3.11/abstract
5 http://www.annallergy.org/article/S1081-1206(14)00012-X/abstract
6 http://www.medicinenet.com/helicobacter_pylori/article.htm
7 http://www.worldgastroenterology.org/assets/downloads/en/pdf/guidelines/19_probiotics_prebiotics.pdf
8 http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/stinging-nettle

http://institutefornaturalhealing.com/2014/03/5-natural-ways-to-ease-your-allergies/

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The essential nutrient you never hear about

Healthwise

June 24, 2014 | Dr. Isaac Eliaz

Breathing is essential to life, but we rarely think about it. Because it’s usually automatic, we don’t have to focus on breathing like we do eating or exercising.

For all the time and effort we spend on our diets, it’s interesting that we spend so little on breath. Perhaps it’s time to pay better attention though, especially since lung diseases are now responsible for up to one in eight deaths worldwide. Air pollution, both indoor and outdoor, is the primary cause of respiratory and numerous other health problems, which are manifesting themselves in greater numbers.

The good news: We can strengthen our lungs and respiratory defenses with diet, lifestyle and supplements as well as specific breathing practices. These healthy adjuncts can help protect against environmental assaults, strengthen immunity, boost vital energy and benefit numerous  areas of health.

For example, one study shows that polyphenols — powerful health-promoting phytonutrients found in many fruits, vegetables, herbs and botanicals — from apples may help protect against the lung damage caused by smoking or pollution. This is just one more reason that an apple a day may be one of the most basic strategies for good health.

The importance of deep breathing

Though Western philosophy does not devote much energy to considering the breath, our friends in the East have a different take. Chinese, Tibetan and other oriental systems have long recognized the relationship between breath and body. The process of breathing — and especially conscious, meditative breathing — allows us to receive nourishment, as oxygen, and release our physical, mental and emotional burdens.

When we inhale, we take in energy and connect our bodies to the universe. That energy is vital for our well-being. Oxygen energizes and nourishes our cells and defends against pathogens.

When we don’t inhale deeply enough, we decrease the amount of oxygen to our cells, reducing their ability to produce energy. Respiration also balances our body’s pH, reducing the acidity that can impair immunity and other functions. The other side of the process, exhaling, removes carbon dioxide and toxins.

In other words, breathing plays critical roles in our most important functions for health: nourishment, protection and detoxification.

Deep breathing also helps the heart. Reduced blood oxygen forces the heart to pump more; increased oxygen has the opposite effect. In addition, deep breathing reduces oxidative stress, enhances vital energy and improves cognition.

Specific breathing practices

Over the past century, our breathing volume has decreased. This is partially due to modern life, which seats us at computers rather than putting us outdoors in nature. Physical demands are less; plus, we’re often hunched over, restricting lung capacity.

Normally, we breathe in about half a liter (two cups) of air. But our real lung capacity is much larger. For a real deep breath, we can take in about three liters. We have gotten into the habit of taking shallow breaths — and stress makes it much worse. How do we break out of it?

The answer is mindfulness. If you are aware of your body, you naturally take deeper breaths. Time honored, mind-body healing practices like meditation, yoga and tai chi rely on harnessing the breath for greater health and wellness. These practices bolster the immune system on the genetic level, improve cardiovascular health and grow connections between neurons, decreasing anxiety and depression.

One of the key elements to deep breathing is engaging the diaphragm, the muscle between the chest and the abdomen designed for this purpose. All too often, we mistakenly breathe with our abdomens. By working to engage our diaphragm, we improve the ability to take in more air.

Also, you shouldn’t exhale quickly. Give the body time to exchange oxygen for carbon dioxide. Then exhale.

How we take in air is also important. Inhaling through the nostrils warms and moisturizes the air and filters out bacteria, viruses, dust and other foreign objects. The nose pre-processes air for the lungs. That can reduce allergies and other respiratory ailments. Switching from mouth to nasal breathing can also help people suffering from sleep apnea.

Ingredients for lung health

One investment you should make for your respiratory health is in high-quality air purifiers for the home and work environments. Often, indoor air is more polluted than outdoor air and is filled with dust, toxins, mold and fungi. Look for an air filter that’s HEPA-rated for more effectiveness against particulates.

You can also keep your body moving to increase lung capacity and improve breathing.

Mind-body practices like yoga and tai chi are excellent, but cardiovascular exercises like brisk walking and cycling are also important for strengthening breathing and increasing oxygenation. A low-glycemic, low-sugar diet emphasizing nutrient-dense whole foods, lots of vegetables and low-sugar fruits, healthy fats and lean protein, can reduce inflammation and support respiratory function and immunity.

A number of herbs and supplements can also increase oxygenation and support better breathing and respiratory health.

Lung nutrients

These nutrients and foods can help your lungs cope with a polluted world:

• The mushroom cordyceps significantly addresses airway inflammation and supports respiratory immunity, offering important support for asthma and inflammatory lung diseases.
• Vitamin D3 is a critical supplement for lung and respiratory health. It enhances immunity, reduces inflammation and supports lung function. Research shows it has potential to control the progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as well as asthma.
• Probiotic bacteria significantly support lung health. Because of their immune-enhancing and anti-inflammatory benefits, these microorganisms support respiratory function and may prevent lung deterioration in patients with cystic fibrosis.
• Vitamins A, C and E have been shown in several studies to offer some lung protection in clinical trials.
• Antioxidant-rich foods and beverages such as apples, red wine and green tea have been shown to reduce inflammation and support respiratory function.
• Modified Citrus Pectin is an important supplement proven in preclinical research to inhibit inflammation and fibrosis by blocking the rogue protein, galectin-3. Chronic inflammation and fibrosis (excessive scar tissue buildup) are characteristic of a number of life threatening diseases that relate to the lungs, including cardiovascular disease, cystic fibrosis and pulmonary fibrosis.

Modified Citrus Pectin also actively fights cancer, significantly boosts immunity and safely chelates heavy metals and toxins. This last point is also important, because regular detoxification is also shown to support lung health.

First step

The first step toward developing a sound breathing regimen is changing our attitudes toward the breath. If we think of oxygen as a key nutrient, the way we think of vitamin C or protein, we will naturally want to inhale as much as possible. Given the benefits to immunity, brain health, cardiovascular function, sugar metabolism and cellular energy, it just makes sense to breathe deeply.

Healthwise

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