Coz Being Ageless Is Priceless

Archive for July, 2010

Hair Supply

I like big hair and I cannot lie.

Why is it that we’re seeing younger people getting hair loss at such an early age? Is it just a genetic issue or does it have to do with environmental factors as well? I believe that it’s due to both. Genetic causes of chronic degenerative disease is only about 3-4%, compared to greater than 90% due to environmental causes.

There’s a lot we can do to prevent or even reverse hair loss. We have to know the factors that lead to this condition. One, there’s the issue of poor circulation. Our hair needs to be nourished. Poor circulation means less nutrients going to the hair follicles. What causes poor circulation? Dietary factors such as intake of trans-fats or hydrogenated oils as well as calcium build-up along the arterial lining can do that. Poor nutrition also leads to hair loss. Where do you think our hair comes from? It comes from our food. Hair is primarily protein. Therefore, an adequate intake of amino acids should lead to a full head of hair. But, it’s not just that. An adequate amount of certain vitamins, minerals and glycosaminoglycans are also needed for healthy hair. Nutritious food should contain adequate nutrients. However, this is not always true because certain produce, esp. ones that are produced through commercial, chemical farming are nutritionally deficient. Produce farmed bio-dynamically and not just organically, should contain adequate amounts of nutrients to help our body renew itself (and that includes the hair).

What about personal products that damage the hair or hair follicles? There’s a substance in hair gels or products that could actually clog the hair follicles and cause them to ultimately die. The one implicated the most is a chemical called PVP coplymer, a petrochemical product. Avoid this at all costs. There are other chemicals that could cause damage to cells in general such as pthalates and sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate. Just notice how more companies are touting that they don’t contain these products.

Another cause of hair loss is hormonal imbalance. Undiagnosed thyroid issues could cause hair loss. A testosterone metabolite called DHT could cause hair loss, thus the popularity of synthetic DHT blockers such as Propecia or Avodart. A more natural way to influence testosterone metabolism is through the use of zinc supplements (which by the way is a very common nutritional deficiency). Other natural DHT blockers include saw palmetto, lycopene (from tomatoes), pygeum and stinging nettle. Low testosterone levels in men as well as low estrogen levels in women could also lead to hair loss. Isolated HGH deficiency could cause regeneration and repair to slow down as we age. That means, less production of new tissue, including our hair.

What do you do to improve HGH levels? Besides exercise, there are amino acids that stimulate HGH release from the pituitary. The most effective one for people over the age of 40 is L-glutamine. Goji berries has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to stimulate HGH release from the pituitary. Otherwise, a peptide called HGHRH (analogue) could also be used. I found this as effective as HGH, with less side effects.

What are other natural remedies that could stimulate hair growth? An Ayurvedic treatment includes the use of neem hair oil. Traditional Chinese medicine may recommend fo-ti pr he she wou. Essential oils that stimulate hair growth include therapeutic-grade peppermint, cedarwood, rosemary, lavender, thyme and sandalwood. Minoxidil works for some people but it does work better combined with substances such as retin-A, aldactone, progesterone, azelaic acid, copper peptides, SOD, and copper-zinc binding peptides.

Procedures one should consider before the last resort (hair transplant) include the use of low level laser therapy and the use of a micro-dermaroller. Consult with your holistic health care practitioner before incorporating any of the above suggestions.

Related Articles

Category:

Tips

Tagged with:

Tired And Sick Of Being Tired and Sick?

A child sleeping.

Image via Wikipedia

Fatigue is a very common complaint we see daily. It’s not something that should be taken lightly, however. Often, we’re told that it’s a normal part of the aging process. Not if you’re thinking that aging is a gradual and progressive degradation of parts and function. We do have a choice. We can age gracefully or we can age “badly,” for lack of a better word. If a person would like to age well, then they better take care of the basics such as good nutrition, adequate water intake, breathing properly, restful sleep, sensible exercise, stress reduction, detoxification, nutritional supplement intake (individualized) and hormone balancing (through diet and perhaps, the use of bioidentical hormones).
Anyway, back to the subject of fatigue. Fatigue (tiredness) is a vague, subjective symptom. It’s normal to get tired or fatigued at times. But, if it’s chronic and unrelenting, then it need to be addressed further. There are a lot of possible causes of chronic, persistent fatigue. I can enumerate a few here. These include nutritional deficiencies (lack of B vitamins, Coenzyme Q10, etc), heavy metal toxicity (lead, mercury, arsenic), hormonal imbalance (low thyroid, adrenals, growth hormone, low testosterone in men, estrogen/progesterone imbalance in women), poor detoxification mechanisms, anemia, heart/lung problems, pathogens (Lyme’s disease, chronic candidiasis), etc. It’s best to find out the cause/causes of fatigue rather than masking it with excessive caffeine intake (coffee) or using energy drinks (high in sugar).
Once pathologic causes of fatigue are ruled out, then someone may consider incorporating the following nutrients to improve energy levels. Coenzyme Q10 (or better yet, Ubiquinol), L-carnitine, B vitamins and D-ribose. Consult with your holistic healthcare practitioner however, before incorporating any of these into your health program.

Category:

Tips

Tagged with:

Water, the fogotten nutrient

Clean drinking water...not self-evident for ev...

Image via Wikipedia

It’s interesting how we place so much emphasis on food or supplements when we are basically, made up of 75% water (just like the earth). Without water, a lot of the metabolic processes in our body won’t work efficiently. Why is it that we can’t somehow focus on just getting enough water intake? Is it boring to just drink water? Compare that with soda (called “cola” or “soft drinks” in other countries). You see all these ads about soda everywhere. It makes you think that drinking soda quenches your thirst (which it does somewhat) but more importantly, that it makes you “cool,” (well, not as cool as other legal drinks, but you know where I’m getting). More about soda later. Anyway, the typical recommendation of glasses per day is not the best because of everybody differs in their requirements. I typically recommend half a person’s body weight in ounces (more so, if a person’s sweating a lot or when it’s hot outside). Then, as far as the quality of your water in concerned, I recommend pure water, but not just any type of “processed” water. There are pros and cons to each type of water purification system. Some may only removed dissolved solids (filtration). There are others that remove pathogens (such as bacteria, cysts), VOC’s (volatile organic chemicals), heavy metals (lead, mercury), and substances that are typically added to our water supply (chlorine, fluoride and more recently, chloramine). I would go for one that removes all these. Distillation and reverse osmosis water systems are among the more efficient ones available. Distillation probably gets rid of everything, including beneficial minerals unfortunately. This makes the water’s pH acidic in general. So, I recommend squeezing a lemon or lime into the water. The minerals in the water makes the water’s pH more alkaline. Do you know that there are water systems that make alkaline water? They’re considered medical devices in Japan, where acidic and alkaline water have specific applications. More on this later. Have a great week and drink up (water, that is)!

Related Articles

Category:

Common Sense, Tips

No Perfect Diet

Mediterranean diet

There is no such thing as a perfect diet. At least not any more. Even if we ate 100% organic, we all end up with nutritional deficiencies. Different factors such as stress, environmental causes and problems with digestion and absorption all affect our nutritional status.

I recommend an individualized approach when it comes to making suggestions for someone’s diet. I believe that we’re all unique and the one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work and will never work. For instance, for people with thyroid problems, I recommend staying away from soy products and goitrogens which can be found in raw cruciferous vegetables (lightly steamed is okay). For Asians and African-Americans, I recommend staying away from milk and dairy products. For people with arthritis, I may recommend that they stay away from the nightshades (potatoes, pepper, tomatoes, eggplants). For people with autoimmune disease such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, I recommend a gluten-free diet.

In general though, a plant-based diet has been shown to decrease the incidence of chronic degenerative diseases. For people taking hormones, a “cave-man” or a paleolithic diet consisting of vegetable, fruits, nuts/seeds, and meat (free-range/grass-fed) works better. Limit the grains as much as possible.

For vegetarians/vegans, it’s important not to substitute meat with low quality carbs such as bread and pasta. Eat more vegetable and fruits and take something like blue green algae for a non-meat source of vitamin B12.

I also suggest eating produce that’s in season and that’s grown locally. It will help reduce our carbon-footprint.

As far as eating raw versus cooked is concerned, I suggest keeping with the seasons as in Chinese medicine. In the winter months, it’s important to have some warm foods. In the summer months, it’s okay to have raw foods.

Regarding supplement intake, once again, supplements are just that, a supplement to our diet. Our diet is as important as our supplements. At this point in time, we can not rely on our diet alone for over-all health and this is because of farming practices and the process of refining foods. Therefore, it’s now necessary to take nutritional supplements. But you have to take the right ones, however.

I prefer whole-food based supplements and if one has to take synthetic supplements, just stay on it for a limited period. Isolate something from nature and it behaves like a drug (better to take vitamin C complex than ascorbic acid or mixed tocopherols than alpha-tocopheryl).

The nutraceutical industry is not regulated and as such, there are a lot of ineffective supplements according to a study conducted by the Journal of the American Nutraceutical Association. I would suggest working with a nutritionally-minded doctor/health practitioner if someone has to start taking supplements.

Related Articles

Category:

Tips

Medication Side Effects (and how to prevent them)

A pill box with various medications in it.

Image via Wikipedia

Medications are essential for certain acute conditions. There are people who take medications for chronic symptoms, however. It’s all fine and well until side effects happen. That’s why, a person’s biochemical individuality should always be taken into account when a person has to take medications long-term. A regular review of your medications should be in order, taking into account that there’s less metabolism or excretion of medications as we age.
Fortunately, there are genomic tests available that could tell you instantly and reliably on the kind of pharmacological substances which are most suitable for you. It furthermore advises you which dose grants you optimized therapeutic success.
One such lab is called Genosense in Vienna, Austria. They have a genomic test called Pharmacosensor. This test examines carefully selected polymorphisms which lead to structural changes in proteins that strongly influence the speed of metabolism in a series of pharmacological substances and also account for the accelerated or reduced transformation of harmless precursors of given medication into highly efficient substances.
If a person is unable to do this test, then at least they should be aware of possible nutritional deficiencies their medications could cause and make sure to replenish them.
One such class of medications are the antacid or ulcer medications. Nutrient deficiencies in Vitamins B12, folic acid, Calcium, Iron and Zinc could occur with the following potential health problems: anemia,depression, birth defects, increased cardiovascular risk, cervical dysplasia, heart disease, cancer risk, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, hearing loss, tooth decay, hair loss, brittle nails, loss of sense of taste or smell, and sexual dysfunction.
Another class of meds are the cholesterol-lowering agents called “statins”. They deplete the body of Coenzyme Q10. When this happens, various cardiovascular problems, a weakened immune system and low energy could occur.
Anticonvulsants could deplete the body of Vitamins D, B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, C, Magnesium, Selenium and Zinc. Potential health issues could include osteoporosis, muscle weakness, hearing loss, tooth decay, heart and blood pressure irregularities, cervical dysplasia, anemia, hair loss, depression, dermatitis, fatigue, reduced antioxidant protection, poor wound healing and skeletal problems.
My purpose is not to alarm people who take these medications but to make them aware that an integrative approach to any medical condition yields better results. It’s a good thing that we can now check for nutritional deficiencies. One such functional test in done through Spectracell. It checks for 33 nutrient deficiencies. I love this test because it takes the guesswork out of supplementation. Better yet, most PPO’s and Medicare cover for this test.

Related Articles

Category:

Tips

Organic, really?

Official seal of the National Organic Program

Image via Wikipedia

There are a lot of products in the market that claim to be organic. Just go to Whole Foods Market or your local supermarket, where they now have organic sections or aisles. Does it really mean anything? Up to now, a lot of companies are using the word “organic” or “natural.” These words are used liberally and loosely to create a niche for their products and to attract green shoppers. What’s up with personal care products that say organic ingredients in percentages? I’ve seen labels on personal care products that say 72% or 94% organic. What does that mean? Isn’t a product supposed to be 100% organic or not at all? Anyway, it’s dizzying just reading labels, much more deciphering what they mean. In a New York Times report, it asks the basic question: is it organic or not? Can a product be 100% organic if water used to grow a produce is not filtered or if there’s cross-contamination from a field that has GMO crops? Is biodynamic farming better? Ideally, one should grow their own crops. But, that’s not possible for most people. I myself can’t do it. I can barely keep my bonsai tree alive and healthy! So, I put my blind faith on these big retailers like Whole Foods. Finally, they’re going to require their suppliers to be certified by 2 agencies. Why just now, however? Shouldn’t they have done this a long time ago. Just wondering….

Related Articles

Category:

News, Opinions

Tagged with:

Bad Make-Up

Assorted cosmetics and tools

Image via Wikipedia

What I mean by bad make-up is not how bad the way a person is made up (although, that gives me an idea on something to write about in the future). I’m actually referring to how harmful some of the make-up/cosmetics/personal care products are for our health. The cosmetic and even the perfume industry are industries that are not regulated. As such, some unscrupulous companies could use whatever they hell they want in their products. Some of these products are known carcinogens (cancer-causing agents) and hormone disruptors. Some companies (even those that claim to be natural) state that the amounts of chemicals (used as preservative agents, among other things) found in their products are so minute to make a dent in someone’s health. Not if you’re getting a little bit of everything here and there. Who decides on what is too much or too little? An article on Time.com called “Toxic Cosmetics” is quite enlightening. Some examples of toxic chemicals include formaldehyde in hair-straightening agents, toluene in nail polish, mercury in skin whitening agents, parabens in shampoos and skin creams/lotions, coal tar in mascara and lead in lipstick. Men are not safe from these chemicals either. Some agents found in men’s personal care products are hormone disruptors, causing an imbalance in testosterone and estrogen. My advise is to use natural, organic products as much as possible. And don’t take a company’s word for it, do your research. Dr. Haushka’s form Germany, Jurlique from Australia and of course, Young Living Essential Oils are among the purest skin care companies on earth.

Related Articles

Category:

News, Tips

Tagged with:

To Cleanse or Not to Cleanse….

Grades of Vermont maple syrup. From left to ri...

Image via Wikipedia

If Demi and Ashton are doing it, shouldn’t we all be doing it? I’m talking about the Master Cleanse here, silly. What is it anyway? Actually, it ‘s a very simple program that consists primarily of a liquid diet. It’s divided into 3 phases but the main program involves a lemonade diet consisting of fresh lemon, maple syrup and cayenne pepper in pure water. It’s a pretty drastic program especially if someone has never done any detox or cleansing program at all. This is not the only detox program available, however. I’ve recommended other ones that are as simple and effective. Anyway, doing a cleanse is no joke. It could be accompanied by uncomfortable symptoms depending on how “toxic” one is. These symptoms may include skin reactions (such as rashes), nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, muscle aches, body odor, headaches, increased sweating, increased urination or increased mucus formation. They’re usually temporary and typically disappear in 2-3 days. When this happens, it means that the body is actually detoxifying itself. If the symptoms persist however, it may be time to call it quits or consult with your holistic healthcare practitioner. People who may not be candidates for a cleanse include those with sluggish bowel movement (constipation), decreased liver and kidney function, those who have chronic degenerative diseases and those are taking prescription medications. Who are appropriate candidates for a cleanse? Basically, everybody (except those previously mentioned) but especially those with people with allergies, joint pain, fatigue, asthma, digestive problems, weight gain, skin problems (eczema, adult acne), headaches, etc. When is the best time to do a cleanse? I recommend doing a major cleanse twice yearly. However, doing some type of cleanse daily could prevent the accumulation of toxins in our bodies (that in turn, could eventually lead to dis-ease). I use a glutathione precursor product twice daily myself and I love it. What can we do to support our detoxification program? Simple things such as getting enough sleep, drinking adequate water (half a person’s body weight in ounces ideally), eating a well-balanced diet, avoiding processed foods, reducing or coping with stress better, exercising regularly and maintaining a positive attitude. Let’s do it!

Related Articles

Category:

News, Tips

Tagged with:

Smart Fat Loss

My Weight Loss Coach

Image via Wikipedia

What is smart fat loss? Fat loss is the process of losing excess body fat. It is a better term to use (rather than weight loss) because weight loss could be unhealthy esp. if a person is losing muscle mass rather than excess body fat. I think that relying on just 1 pill alone for weight loss is “the opposite of smart.” There are a lot of factors that contribute to obesity. A smart weight management program should look into all these issues. What I don’t comprehend is how drugs used for treating obesity are being reserved for those who are obese (BMI greater than 30) or those who have co-morbid conditions such as hypertension or diabetes. People with complex medical problems don’t need another drug to complicate their life further. In fact, an article on CNN dares to ask the question: “Three New Weight Loss Drugs: Will They Work?” Apparently, prescription weight loss remedies have a spotty history. The article stated that, “some have proved to have a relatively modest effect, while others have been downright dangerous.” A lot of the potential danger lies in the fact that people who take these drugs use it for the long term. Without making dietary and lifestyle changes, it’s bound to create further problems down the road. Anyway, for those who have weight issues, some dietary changes that one could easily incorporate are: eliminating refined carbs, eliminating grains altogether (for some people), staying away from “low-fat” meals (they’re usually laden with sugar; sugar turns into fat; and fat is what tells our satiety centers that we’re full), eating naturally as possible (staying away from foods that have artificial colorings, flavorings or preservatives, although “natural” may not mean a thing anymore), drinking pure water (more on fluoride issues later), chewing our food well and eating like the French (slow food instead of “inhaling” food like some people who eat on the go do). I’ll discuss about dietary supplements, exercise and perhaps, correcting hormonal imbalances to achieve weight loss in future blog entries. In the meantime, let the fat loss begin….

Category:

News, Tips

Tagged with:

Balance Bars……

Fire and Ice

Image by ecstaticist via Flickr

That’s one of my favorite Olympic sports. I remember as a kid trying to balance myself on our “pader”, which is the Tagalog word for wall or a tall fence made of cement basically. It is a delicate balancing act. One wrong step and you’re off to the ground (just like Humpty Dumpy). Anyway, it’s the same balancing act that goes on with our hormones. Factors such as nutritional deficiencies (lack of selenium prevents conversion of T4 to T3), heavy metal toxicity (mercury attacks some hormones), or oxidative stress (excessive free radical formation could affect every cell in the body including our endocrine glands) could influence hormonal balance. Hormones by the way, are chemical messengers (secreted by endocrine glands in our body) that act on different target organs. Our hormonal/endocrine system is intimately connected to the nervous and immune systems (which secrete neurotransmitters and cytokines, respectively). These three systems work together bringing optimal communication among every cell in the body. There is such a strong connection among these systems that it’s difficult to treat one system without messing with the others. That’s the reason why we need to be careful about what we take in (whether it’s food, drugs, supplements, water, and yes, even our thoughts) because it affects everything. We cannot isolate one part of the body from the rest of it. In fact, I’m reminded of one Biblical verse which says that, “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it.” Just thought I’d mention that. Hope everybody’s having a great week!

Related Articles

Category:

Random Thoughts, Tips

Tagged with: