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The Role of Traditional Fermented Foods and Modern Probiotics
Élie Metchnikoff, a late 19th century Russian biologist, is attributed as the first to theorize that health benefits could be derived from manipulating the bacteria in our gastrointestinal tract. Today, this has become a focused area of research and a huge industry with the development of beneficial bacteria in the form of a pill known as a probiotic. Though, while the idea may be relatively new (if you consider late 19th century “new”), the ingestion of beneficial bacteria is not. Fermented foods are the traditional form of the modern probiotic and they have been around for a long time. Originally, food was fermented more for the sake of necessity, rather than for…
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The Human Microbiome
Microbes. What do you think of when you hear that word? Bacteria? Viruses? Perhaps you think of all the horrible diseases caused by those nearly invisible little bugs – influenza, tuberculosis, syphilis, pneumonia, strep throat, et cetera. But, should we define a whole biological kingdom based on a few misunderstood villains? I think not. The truth is that the large majority of microbes (I’m admittedly mostly speaking of bacteria here) are not the villainous creatures we think them to be. Most are harmless. In fact, they are all around you right now. They’re on your floor, on your furniture, on your clothes, on your skin, in your mouth and throughout…
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7 Tips to Stop Anxiety in its Tracks
Many of us have probably experienced some degree of anxiety at various times in our life. This is perfectly normal and usually not a huge issue. Anxiety can become a problem, however, when it becomes chronic and begins to interfere with our lives. Whether you suffer from chronic anxiety or just occasional anxiety, there are things you can do to put yourself in a more relaxed and calm state of mind. Here are 7 tips to help keep you feeling calm. Use the breath, Luke Burn off anxiety with exercise Release anxiety and tension with gentle stretching Clear your mind with meditation Sing the anxiety away! Laughter is the best…
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Breathing Through Stress
As part of my continuing discussion on stress and stress management, I’d like to discuss the power of the breath. Most of us don’t think about our breathing because we don’t have to. We just do it. Our body is programmed to continue breathing whether or not we are paying any attention to it, which is a good thing. Can you imagine what your day would be like if you had to continually focus on breathing? Suffice it to say, our species probably wouldn’t have made it this far. Even though we don’t have to focus on our breathing, doing so can actually make a world of difference. That’s because…
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What is Stress?
We’re all familiar with stress. We feel it’s effects and we know it’s there, but somehow it still seems like this incorporeal idea. Where does it exist and what causes it? Let’s be clear that the type of stress I’m referring to is psychological stress. Certainly, one can measure the presence of other types of stress, actual physical stress, but psychological stress is different. It’s highly personal and subjective. It lies in the domain of the mind – a place known to harbor immeasurable constructs, like the imagination. That, in essence, is what makes stress so hard to treat or manage or, sometimes even, to define. Because it is subjective…
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Is Niacin a Dangerous Cholesterol Treatment?
If you’ve watched or read the news recently, you may have heard something about niacin. Niacin is an essential vitamin, a B-vitamin, that is needed for a large number of metabolic processes in the body. Niacin in high doses, however, also has a long history of use as a treatment for lipid abnormalities that may put one at a higher risk for heart disease and stroke. The recent media reports have come from a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine. The purpose of this study, which is called HPS2-THRIVE, was to see if the addition of niacin to patients already being treated with a statin improved HDL cholesterol levels and…
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Heart Disease Part 4: Diet and Nutrition
There is a lot of confusion over what dietary habits contribute to heart disease and what diets are best for heart disease prevention and treatment. Is red meat good or bad? What about dietary fats and cholesterol? Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, there is no one-size-fits-all diet. We are all very unique when it comes to our biochemistry. Recent studies are revealing that our response to a specific type of food may be due, in part, to our genes. So, while saturated fats, red meat, grains or fava beans may not be an issue for one person, they may be for another. Rather than arguing…
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Heart Disease Part 3: Comprehensive Risk Assessment
In the previous articles, I’ve discussed some of the more direct causes of heart disease, but what about risk factors and testing? Current lab testing revolves around cholesterol. But, did you know that LDL cholesterol levels are elevated in only 25% of those with heart disease? In other words, 75% percent of those with heart disease have optimal cholesterol levels! You may not be too surprised by this if you’ve read my last two articles on this topic – especially since I mentioned that cholesterol doesn’t really cause heart disease. As I pointed out, the LDL particle number is a much better marker for heart disease risk than LDL cholesterol…
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Heart Disease Part 2: Endothelial Dysfunction And Oxidative Stress
In my last article, I talked about the role of LDL particles in heart disease. But, we still haven’t gotten to the true cause of this whole process – endothelial dysfunction. Endothelial dysfunction is generally considered to be at the center of what triggers the cascade that leads to the formation of a plaque. Endothelial cells (ECs) are the cells that form the internal lining of our blood vessels. But, they do much more than just sit there lining our arteries. Endothelial cells are very interactive with their environment and sensitive to changes in that environment – changes in blood pressure, oxidative stress and hormone levels among other things. Similarly,…
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Heart Disease Part 1: The Story of Cholesterol
We have all heard of cholesterol and what we’ve heard is that cholesterol is bad. Oh sorry, actually we are told there is a “bad cholesterol” and then there is a “good cholesterol.” So, one is good and one is bad. One gives us heart disease and one helps prevent it. But, is this actually true? Well, not exactly. The fact is, cholesterol itself isn’t really the cause of heart disease, though it tends to get the most attention. In this first article on heart disease, I’d like to clarify what cholesterol is, what it does and its role in heart disease. Cholesterol is a type of lipid – known…
