LifeCare Chiropractic

The Best Chiropractic Care in Mesa, Arizona

inflammation

INFLAMMATION IMPAIRS REVERSE CHOLESTEROL TRANSPORT

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With the focus on what we can do to prevent heart disease entirely centered around a drug standpoint, no one seems to care that a large chunk of those with heart disease have normal cholesterol.  But inflammation is a major player in heart and stroke risk, which is evidenced by hsCRP levels.

This particular study finds that inflammation effects the way our bodies process cholesterol, leading to increased risk despite normal cholesterol levels.  Great ways to lower inflammation include higher intake of omega-3 fatty acids, exercise, stress management and a healthier diet.

Read entire article here

IS MY CHOLESTEROL BAD FOR MY HEART?

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IS MY CHOLESTEROL BAD FOR MY HEART?  If you’ve been reading my posts now, you’ve got my feedback on the lack of association between cholesterol and heart disease.  Interestingly, without the drug companies and doctors coming out and saying that their is no relationship, we’ve been seeing a form of backpedaling in the medical research.

What we’re seeing is twofold.  First, looking for other markers (like inflammation and homocysteine) that are related to heart disease.  Second, looking at the wonder class of drugs, the mighty savior of the heart, the bastion of all that is good in medicine, the STATINS (you can almost hear the angels humming….) and their effects on these markers.  It’s been a quiet movement, but it’s there.

This study looked at 10 yr risk factors for heart disease based on the NHANES III data .  Guess what is suspiciously absent?  You guessed it–cholesterol.

AN EASY WAY TO MAKE THAT HAMBURGER LESS TOXIC?

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AN EASY WAY TO MAKE THAT HAMBURGER LESS TOXIC?  The rapid heating of meat can create carcinogenic compounds like HCA in addition to creating inflammation and damage.  This is made worse by using the grain fed, horrendously treated animals that come off the large farms.

This study found that adding spices (in this case rosemary) to the meat greatly reduced the damage the hamburger did to our bodies.  Want to take this the next step?

Use grass fed ground beef ($6 / lb) and mix in spices (play around–there are literally hundreds of options!!)  and some other items like celery or onions.  Cook slowly and then put on a whole grain bun (or at least as “whole” as you can find–can be tough) and load up with real pickles, tomatoes, mustard, greens, alfalfa sprouts…  You get the picture.  It’s not hard to improve the quality of your diet, but it takes a desire to move in this direction.

Read entire article here

CAN ANTIBIOTICS INCREASE THE RISK OF PRETERM BIRTH?

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CAN ANTIBIOTICS INCREASE THE RISK OF PRETERM BIRTH?  It has been well established that inflammation in the vaginal vault during a pregnancy can increase the risk of a preterm birth.  One of the factors that can contribute to inflammation is bacterial vaginosis (dysruption of the normal bacterial flora), which can be brought about by destruction of the normal vaginal flora with antibiotics.

So the answer is yes–antibiotics taken by a woman before or during pregnancy can increase the risk of preterm birth, as well as leave the as-yet-unborn infant without the right bacteria to jump start their immune system.  The good thing is that the answer can be as simple as replacing normal flora via oral supplementation or via douching.  Or just avoiding antibiotics in the first place (unless absolutely necessary).

Read entire article here.

WHICH COFFEE IS BETTER FOR CONTROLLING INFLAMMATION?

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WHICH COFFEE IS BETTER FOR CONTROLLING INFLAMMATION?  We already know that coffee is very good for us, but which is the best?  The Holy Grail of controlling inflammation is a key compound called NF kappa B.  NFkB is one of the most potent drivers of inflammatory compounds in our bodies.  You control this and you can have a big impact on how you feel.

In this mouse study, the darker roasted coffee was able to slam inflammation down (via NFkB activation) by 68%.  This is far more potent than any anti-inflammatory medication available today.

INTERESTED IN PROTECTING THE WHITE MATTER OF YOUR BRAIN?

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INTERESTED IN PROTECTING THE WHITE MATTER OF YOUR BRAIN?  If you’re reading this, the answer is probably yes.  Don’t know about all of you, but I want my brain (and body, for that matter) to last as long as I want it to.  The rates of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s continue to go up, but this is NOT a genetic disease.  It is absolutely a disease of lifestyle.  Unfortunately, I do not feel that it is possible to stop the disease once it has progressed far enough to be picked up clinically.  The chance for prevention, however, is very, very strong.

Yet another study linking inflammation (in this study as measured by hsCRP) and loss of white matter in the brain and loss of cognitive function.  To lower inflammation, increase your intake of healthy fats, use omega-3 supplements, avoid intake of refined carbs and hydrogenated oils, reduce stress and exercise consistently.

ALZHEIMERS IS NOT GENETIC–IT IS ENVIRONMENTAL

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ALZHEIMERS IS NOT GENETIC–IT IS ENVIRONMENTAL.  The problem is that there may be a genetic link, which means that the children of those with AD or Parkinson’s need to be educated on how to protect their brain.  And it’s not being done by neurologists at this point.  That means we are probably a generation or two away from lowering the tide of incidence.  We know that being prediabetic drastically increases your risk (to the point where AD and PD are being considered “type 3 diabetes) as does inflammation.

Basically, anything that is going to prevent your brain from generating the energy it needs (ATP from the mitochondria) is going to increase your risk, and anything that protects the mitochondria is going to lower your risk.

IS ALL GRASS FED MEAT THE SAME?

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The easy answer is no.  There are many people who are trying to improve their diets, but without knowing a single small detail it can be derailed quickly, even at stores like Whole Foods.

First, we need to address the “red meat” issue.  We  clearly have hunter gatherer genetics.  We spent some 55,000 generations as hunter gatherers and it’s just not that easy to change.  But, let’s face it–we probably weren’t the greatest hunters.  Sure, we all envision our ancestors in a well disguised lean-to in camouflaged gear sporting a hunting rifle ready to take out a 12 point buck.  In reality, our ancestors were probably better at hunting squirrels and insects than big game, although I’m sure the occasional hunter got lucky.

Overall, though, a plant based diet with <20% animal protein seems to be the best for us.  Our choices for the animal protein we take in are critical and need to be of high quality.  This last aspect is what is severely missing in our country and we’re paying the health price for it.  When most people think of meat, they think of chicken, beef and pork.  Or rather, commercially grown, hormone laden, grotesquely large-breasted chicken, corn fed, highly stressed, living in their own feces beef or pork.  And we won’t even begin to get into the concept of xenohormesis in this post…

The greater our protein options are, the better.  When we choose animal proteins, these need to be of the highest quality.  That means organic, free range chicken.  It means wild game.  It means grass FINISHED beef.

The last is an important factor that many are not aware of.  Even if an animal is raised as grass fed, if they grain finish (most commonly with corn), the ranchers have completely undone the benefits of the grass feeding.  This will raise the omega 6 content of the meat, instead of the higher omega 3 content found in animals grass fed throughout the entire life cycle.

This particular study, although it is a mouse study, illustrates this point beautifully.  Researchers looked at the effect of different feeding practices of animal proteins (grass fed, grain finished, wild) and how they affected prostaglandin levels.  Prostaglandins can be pro- or anti-inflammatory depending on the type.  PEG2 will promote inflammation while PGI2 will help to keep our blood clot free and lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

The results, after 2 weeks on specific diets, are summarized as follows:

  • chicken-based diet increased PGE2 (bad)
  • PGE2 was lowest in with range-fed beef, range-fed bison, and elk (good)
  • PGE2 was highest with grain-finished beef (bad)
  • elk meat had the greatest PGI2 (good)

The bottom line is that we should maintain a plant based diet with our animal protein < 20% of our intake.  If we take in animal proteins, they need to be of the highest quality and consist ideally of locally grown, grass fed throughout the entire life cycle beef, wild caught fish or wild game.  The extra cost will be offset by the small quantities.