The Great Vitamin Debate

The Great Vitamin Debate Every so often I read an article by an “authority” doubting the necessity of vitamins if the ideal diet is maintained. As a specialist in Functional Medicine who actively measures vitamin and antioxidant levels to look for cellular imbalances ( i.e. autoimmune disease, memory, mood, and pain disorders), these deficiencies are in part to blame for the origin of these diseases. Unfortunately, traditional laboratory testing does not include these comprehensive tests as part of the traditional workup and treatment. It is simply not yet taught routinely in the medical training programs today. So, these traditional medical “authorities” are speaking from a blinded point of view. Patients do need to address cellular deficiencies and imbalances to be healthy. Granted that we have a spirit, our body is one big bag of cellular reactions. If pertinent ingredients are missing, malfunctions will occur. At first it may be a symptom such as fatigue, poor concentration, irritability, or pain, but it eventually evolves into a disease if left untreated.

As you might recall the recent publications regarding the newly discovered need for vitamin D3. Despite the fortified foods in our diet, many people have become deficient in this essential vitamin. Its deficiency has been found to play a roll in not just bone formation. It is important in ones mood, immune modulation (prevention of breast, colon, skin, and prostate cancer), inflammation (arthritis), and thyroid function. I find many more deficiencies in D3 than I do in calcium levels (ionized calcium).It makes me wonder how many hip fractures could have been avoided if the patients vitamin D3 levels have been corrected for. Different co morbidities require a host of individualized nutrients in the correct amounts to help our body cope with the additional stresses of those diseases. For example, Diabetes. More than 65% of people with Diabetes die from heart disease or stroke. Having type II diabetes also increased your risk for other serious complications such as blindness (retinopathy), nerve damage (neuropathy), and kidney damage (nephropathy). Some of the nutrients needed for adequate function in Diabetes is Niacin, Magnesium, Vitamin E, Chromium, Homocysteine, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Zinc, Carnitine, Inositol, Alpha-Lipoic Acid, and Vitamin D.

Another important component of our diet is consumption of adequate essential fatty acids. Our culture is told by “authorities” that we need to eat a low fat diet and our food industry has evolved a whole line of low fat products to accommodate this assumption. This theory is only partly correct. We need to lower our consumption of many animal based fats for a variety of reasons including lowering our bad cholesterol (LDL) to reduce our risk of cardiovascular diseases. However, we are forgetting about replacing the bad fats with good fats. Too few good fats can lower the good cholesterol (HDL). Many of the good fats are those derived from consumption of some plant (nuts, seeds) and marine (fish, marine algae) based foods. Of course, the percentage of fats is important as well as the composition of these good fats. People with neurological conditions usually require a higher ratio of DHA, since DHA is found in higher concentrations in nerve tissue. People with inflammatory conditions often require more EPA and even GLA (arthritis, allergies, autoimmune disorders, dermatological conditions). So, if people are eating low fat and not getting their quota of essential fatty acids, they will more readily manifest these conditions. And it is difficult to get enough or these fatty acids because of the polluted food sources. If we consume fish on a frequent basis we can become over exposed to Mercury and PCBs which causes a whole other set of problems.

The topic of polluted environmental concerns brings us to new areas of study known as oxidative stress. Oxidation or the production of free radicals is something that happens as a natural process of Metabolism. This is when our bodies convert ingredients from food into energy. Byproducts of this conversion are called free radicals. You can use the analogy of combustible waste products produced by an engine. They are also used for Detoxification. We need a way to get rid of these byproducts or they build up and cause eventual slowing and breakdown of our body’s parts. However, the human byproducts or free radicals are much more volatile, and our living bodies much more susceptible to damage. The fact that our body has a highly intricate set of mechanism that aid in the repair of its parts and the clearing of waste helps us to keep optimally functioning unless some of the ingredients for these chemical reactions become deficient and the system begins to break down. This is where antioxidants and their cofactors (lipoid acid, coenzyme coQ10, carnitine, glutathione, vitamins A/E/C, zinc, B vitamins, etc.) need to be present in our food sources in high enough supply on a regular basis to allow our body to make its needed repairs. The problem is that many of the foods we consume are nutrient poor. Although it tastes good and you don’t get sick from it does not really make it a food. And, when naturally good foods are consumed, they are often nutrient poor due to our nutrient depleted soils. When you factor toxins (pesticides, household and environmental chemicals, preservatives) and other unnatural disruptors to our bodies chemistry, you need more than what the food provides to fix the problems. I often find antioxidant deficiencies in patients with symptoms of fatigue, cognition, anxiety and depression, as well as in a huge variety of diseases, including cancer. New areas on the study of obesity link weight gain in part due to the body trying to store toxins and the adiposites (fat cells) grow in size to store these built up toxins because the body lacks enough of the ingredients necessary to make toxins water soluble to dispose of them in the form of waste products. Another place for toxins to be stored is in the nervous system tissue which is high in fat as well. These stored toxins disrupt the bodies delicate balance on many levels and set the ground work for chemical imbalances which, if left in this state, help contribute to a whole host of diseases that the body is prone to develop in time.

The FDA only lists the recommended daily allowances based on an ideal world, ideal food sources, ideal genetics, under ideal bodily chemical functioning. It does not leave room for the necessity of vitamins and antioxidants that are needed on a daily basis that are needed in surplus to make the repairs needed to maintain ideal bodily functions. People are living longer and getting sicker based on us not addressing enough of these issues in our health care system. Until we start to include these issues in our medical workups, we will just still be giving medications to treat the aftereffects of disease pathology, rather than fixing the core imbalances that started the whole disease process to begin with.

In closing, I want to stress that when you purchase vitamins and supplements that you purchase pharmaceutical grade ingredients from reputable manufacturers. There can be as much as 80% variability between the actual ingredient listed and the amount that is actually in the bottle due to a lack of standardization to cut costs. Also, the ingredients used could be those of little activity in the body. For example, instead of vitamin D3 (cholcalciferol), the manufacturer will put vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) which is not the form of Vitamin D that we need to be taking. And, the quality of ingredients may not be refined enough to be fully absorbable, thus they just pass through our digestive tract unused. The companies I list on my web site are those of the highest standard available on the market today. They are also produced with the nutrients in the correct proportions to work in synergy with one another to fix or prevent the imbalances in our body. If the body is missing an ingredient in the correct proportion, the repairs from those ingredients will be less than or ineffective. So, be careful what you invest you purchase. It may not work.

You can find the supplements under the Supplement section of my web site. I am available through office consultation, and have a nutritionist who has a PhD in Biochemistry available for on line or in office consultations to help you with your needs. Good luck and happy healing. Dr. Holec

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An Asian Winter Pearl

Have ever found yourself sampling every sick persons illnesses, especially during the winter months? This often happens to people who are stressing themselves physically (lack of sleep, excess exercise, poor nutrition, illness, environmental toxins) or mentally (anxiety provoking issues like deadlines, finances, unhappiness, anger ). The reason for this is that stress will elevate cortisol and decrease T cell function which impacts your ability to fight off illnesses such as the common cold, bronchitis and the flu. Your immune system is especially challenged when you are faced with these stressors on a regular basis. Many of us underestimate how significantly compromised we are.
There are some things that you can do to prevent these illnesses. Besides nutrition, rest, and proper hygene, you can boost your immune function with a special concentrate of Asian mushrooms called Mycotaki. These mushrooms help to enhance the stressed and immune challenged system that would otherwise predispose you to these unhealthy sequelae. These mushrooms also enhance digestion, relaxation, and stamina. I recommend pairing the Mycotaki with Zinc AG for a high quality protection. I found this to be superior to Echinacea which is not ideal for daily intake. I would rather not worry about fighting off something once exposed. And, this is what you usually find yourself doing with the Echinacea products.
What I recommend is three capsules of Mycotaki a day, boosted to up to three capsules, three times daily if needed. And, I take one Zinc AG a day boosted to two daily if needed. I would not go over two Zinc AG per day.
So, the next time you find yourself in the near vicinity of a person with a contagious disease, why not feel confident that you have a good preventative program on board to keep yourself well.

You can read more about or order the Mycotaki and Zinc products under Supplements, or Resource section of my web site.

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Where wellness and beauty meets: How to reshape your curves

We can all agree that how we perceive life profoundly effects our overall health and well being.

Staying healthy and having an ideal body weight is a natural desire for all of us. The good new is that all this is possible to have if we learn how to take care of ourselves and regain what we naturally were given, but we disturbed it and moved away from it.

Our body was created to function optimally when the appropriate care is given.

There are two directions that our body’s balance can be disrupted from:
From acquired toxins that override the body’s detox capacity and initiate self-intoxication and/or from the lack of nutrients that disturbs/alters our body’s ideal physiology.

We get toxins from various sources: in general anything that producing distress on the body is considered a toxin. These distressing agents are toxic chemicals from the environment (chemicals, heavy metals, pesticides just to name a few), artificial chemicals from food, allergy causing compounds also a distressed mind will produce internal production of harmful biochemicals.

It does not matter where the distress originated from the body will respond to it with an increased production of destructive biochemicals. One of those destructive processes is the overproduction of free radicals. Free radicals are very unstable molecules that cause oxidation in the body. These very unstable molecules can disturb the fine balance of the production of pro- and anti-inflammatory signaling molecules called cytokines to favor pro inflammatory processes. This can be visualized like “internal rusting”. This process can create inflammation that leads to disease processes also weight gain and aging.

How do we build up body weight from toxic exposure?

The body from its own intelligence first dilutes the toxins that are threatening the proper physiological balance; the result is excess extra cellular water and swelling. As a next step it will store the excess toxins away into fatty tissue. The more toxicity the body is exposed to the more fatty tissue it will create. This fatty tissue however will soon become an inflammation producing organ and will produce pro-inflammatory biochemicals that will create disease process in the body. These imbalances are signals that it is time to detoxify the body in order to regain optimal health.

You probably have wondered before why is it so difficult to loose weight even though you are exercising and limiting your calorie intake. Well the answer really lies in the purpose of fatty tissue in your body storing toxins that pose danger to your health and can not be released unless the detox capacity of your body is properly supported and enhanced. So, to reshape our curves, and to go back to our natural and healthy constitution we need to eliminate the accumulated toxins from our body.

Once our body’s effort to detoxify is properly supported and the toxins are released, the fatty tissue will “melt”away.

Our skin is one of our largest organ, and it reflects how clean our body is, or how much excess toxins it has. Detoxification not only supports your internal well being, but will also produce radiant skin.

Once the body is properly supported with its effort to detoxify the next step is to introduce the right nutrients to eliminate fatty tissue build up and encourage the increase of lean tissue mass, which is a result of healthy metabolism. In general a low glycemic load/anti-inflammatory diet is recommended. This diet emphasize organic whole grains, meat, raw dairy, plenty fresh fruits and vegetables and mineral rich water. Specific individual biochemical characteristics needs to be determined and implied for best serving of one’s individual needs. With proper, balanced dietary support and exercise program the ideal weight can be maintained.

In our office we provide the proper tools for our clients to encourage healthy body composition so they can feel and look they best.

While the health of the skin is primarily determined from within we also provide topicals that can further enhance the vitality and beauty of the skin.

To request more information on our program please contact our office.

Eva Vig Varga is a PhD Biochemist and Clinical Nutritionist who is providing individual nutritional consulting, aesthetics and body care.

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The Stress Link

Chronic stress has become the new norm in our society. And, unfortunately, so is our eroding health. I don’t mean just the obvious, but it is one of the direct links to many of our illnesses today. Before you think yourself immune to chronic stress, look at some examples of what chronic stress can be. It can be mental, physical, environmental and habitual. Some examples of stressors include lack of sleep, poor nutrition, lack of supportive relationships, job environment, deadlines, pain, self esteem, illness, childbirth and child rearing, environmental toxins, and surprisingly, too much exercise.

Our body was made to withstand acute, non-prolonged stress which lead to recovery. All organ functions would return to normal and hence, the body would recover. Prolonged stress leads to an intricate cascade of events that lead to diseases such as insulin resistance/pre diabetes, immune malfunction, memory loss/ fuzzy thinking, hormone imbalances, hunger, sugar cravings, vitamin deficiencies, chemical imbalances in brain and body, and fatigue to mention a few. Ultimately, larger diseases occur, including some types of cancer.

Initially when we are stressed our body makes adrenaline (epinephrine and nor epinephrine), followed by an increase in cortisol (amongst other things). When cortisol is elevated your blood sugar elevates. Over months and years your body is producing more insulin in effort to normalize the blood sugar. Eventually, your body becomes resistant to insulin and your blood sugar rises further. Over time you develop insulin resistance, then glucose intolerance (pre diabetes), then diabetes II. I have a subpopulation of stressed, skinny patients with insulin resistance and its associated problems. Some of these people eat very well, but still have this problem. These early signs are often not addressed in traditional medicine.

One of cortisols’ functions is to make glucose available in our blood for quick energy. It is great for a soccer match, but not for chronic circumstances. For one thing, cortisol increases food craving, in particular, sugary foods like candy, bread, cookies, and pasta. Too much of these have their own issues associated with them such as causing more inflammation in the body. The higher your sugar, the higher your insulin, and the more you gain weight! This is not simply due to calories, but because insulin's’ job is to store this excess sugar as fat. The more fat you have, the more inflammation. These inflammatory chemicals cause not only joints and muscle to ache more, but, can cause changes in immune function which lead to greater risk of cancer. Who hasn’t heard the news address how obesity is a risk factor in cancers such as breast, colon, or uterine cancer.

Well, that is just a piece of the story,. When our body is overwhelmed with environmental toxins, and does not possess enough antioxidants and other nutrients to break down and remove (detoxify) these toxins, guess where they are stored? Yes. Toxins are stored in our fat. Two big areas these fats and toxins accumulate most are areas of the most fat, such as the abdomen and brain. Toxins just don’t sit there either . They cause what is called oxidative stress. This has to do with positive and negative charges, and chemical reactions being thrown off. This can affect anything from our immune system to the way nutrients are carried into our cells, to energy production, and even the way our DNA is properly manufactured.

When we are stressed our hormones become imbalanced. Cholesterol is a parent chemical which helps to make estrogen, testosterone, DHEA, progesterone, and aldosterone. When your body needs to make extra cortisol due to stress, the cholesterol will selectively go to making more cortisol and less hormones. After all, who needs hormones in times of fight, flight, or famine. This is called the Cortisol Steal Phenomenon. After Living under those conditions is not conducive to procreation, hence libido goes down the tubes as well. Stress will also affect how our thyroid functions. Cortisol decreases the production of the active thyroid hormone T3, and indirectly affects the relative value of TSH. This will not only cause fatigue, but cause a form of hypothyroidism that is often missed with traditional medical thinking.

Did you know that stress will cause you to get sick more often? Elevated cortical will cause the part of our immune system that fights off infections to become suppressed. Yet, cortisol will cause the part of the immune system that recognizes non threatening things like parts of our body, or certain foods to become over reactive, or trigger happy where it begins to attack itself. This is one reason why there is a greater incidence of auto immune disease in stressed people. Examples of these diseases are Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Crohns’ Disease, Graves Disease, Hashimoto Hypothyroidism. But, did you also realize it is a contributor of maldigestion, food allergies, chemical sensitivities, atopic dermatitis, chronic hives and other skin conditions? Much of the traditional medical tests do not pick up on these root causes.

Lastly, cortisol imbalances will affect your mind and mood. Elevated stress hormones like cortisol cause brain and body chemicals known as neurotransmitters to become excessive, and later, depleted. This leads not only to difficulty with concentration and memory, but on many levels, permanent damage if not properly addressed. Examples of these imbalances include depression, anxiety disorders, insomnia, obsessive/compulsive issues and, cravings. You not only get inflammatory damage but, you get accelerated aging of the brain. Traditional approaches do not try to measure the neurochemical imbalances in the brain, but usually try to target only one or two of the neurotransmitters, while ignoring the rest. It is unfortunate, but it just the way it was taught in medical school and residency programs. Many of these medications do help with the symptoms, but they are not aimed at the permanent fix. This doesn’t mean just getting counseling for insight work or participating in meditation classes. These prescriptions just keep what few chemicals there are around longer to cause an affect. There are ways to measure 13 or more of these imbalances in chemicals and give people the dietary ingredients and nutrients that cross into the brain. You can then make more of what your brain needs to make in order to regulate itself. Some of the prescribed meds can be added for extreme cases, but at much lowered required amounts.

In closing, by simply ignoring our lifestyle, environment, and nutrition we are creating a perfect setup for further disease and premature aging. I used the example of one simply undervalued symptom, stress, to elaborate on a much more global problem in addressing our health needs. I hope it will cause you to not only think, but to also act to create good health within not only ourselves, but others around us. I hope to elaborate on many of these topics, amongst others, in the future. Please contact us with your suggestions and comments.

Dr Holec is an osteopathic physician trained in a new field of medicine called Functional Medicine. She focuses her practice at looking for root causes with new, innovative specialized testing protocols. She treats with both traditional and integrative natural approaches.

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