Powerful Produce

By Dr. Nikki

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Throughout any given day we are exposed to a plethora of toxins which result in oxidative stress within the body and cause bad molecules, known as free radicals, to form. These free radicals go around attacking and attaching to healthy atoms, causing damage to cells, proteins, and DNA! While you probably aren't looking for a chemistry lesson, I want to paint a picture of why it’s important that we do what we can to prevent and get rid of free radicals! This is where antioxidants enter the scene, preventing the free radicals from causing damage throughout the body.

So how do we get antioxidants? Antioxidants are not something that our bodies can make, but are found in a variety of foods!

A food that is seriously jam-packed with antioxidant power is turmeric! Widely known as an ingredient in Indian foods, turmeric is a root that looks similar to ginger but has a rich orange/yellow coloring to it. You can find turmeric in powder form in the spice aisle of your local grocery store or in whole-root form in the produce section of stores such as Whole Foods and Central Market.

The active compound found in turmeric is called curcumin. Curcumin is a very potent antioxidant that is extremely beneficial in preventing cellular damage as well as helping our bodies to detoxify. The only problem is that our bodies aren’t very good at absorbing curcumin by itself. Fortunately, adding a few ingredients to some turmeric and we’re able to enjoy ALL of the benefits of this antioxidant-rich root!

What are these three necessary ingredients? Great question! One of the elements necessary for us to absorb curcumin is called quercetin. Quercetin is a plant pigment found in red onions, capers, cranberries, kale, blueberries, romaine lettuce and apples (to list a few). Another element which increases the bioavailability of curcumin for our bodies is called piperine. Found in black pepper, piperine increases the bioavailability of curcumin (turmeric) by 2000%!! No, that is not a typo, two thousand percent!! The final ingredient that is extremely helpful in our absorbing curcumin is a healthy fat. By consuming turmeric with a healthy fat we are able to absorb curcumin directly into the bloodstream through the lymphatic system, rather than having it filtered through the liver first!

These may sound like some random ingredients to throw together in order to have  better health, but a little concoction called a Turmeric Tonic (see recipe) does just the trick! In the video below, I show you how to make a turmeric tonic and the benefits of each ingredient that goes into it!

Turmeric Tonic Recipe:

• 2 cups of coconut water

• 2 inches of turmeric root

• 1 drop of food quality black pepper essential oil

• 1 inch of ginger root

• 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

• 1 teaspoon of local honey

• 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

• Juice of 1/2 lemon

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until the consistency of a juice. Pour and enjoy! Makes 2 servings.

Making a recipe that calls for turmeric? Throw in a dash of black pepper and you’re automatically making your meal a natural detoxifier! What are your favorite ways to cook with turmeric? We would love to hear how you integrate this power-house antioxidant into your daily routine!

6 Things You Can Do Today To Mitigate Stress

Stress… now more than ever it’s a hot topic. At this point, I think most people know that too much stress is harmful to our health. Our bodies were never designed to be in a chronically stressed state. The purpose of the stress hormone, cortisol, is to help us survive in life-or-death scenarios, such as being chased by a grizzly bear or escaping a burning building. Most people are not facing these types of situations on a regular basis, but unfortunately our minds are not able to decipher the difference between past-due bills and being pursued by a lion. 

According to a survey done by the American Psychological Association, three out of four Americans report experiencing at least one stress symptom in the last month. 45 percent report lying awake at night, 36 percent report feeling nervous or anxious, 35 percent report irritability or anger, and 34 percent report fatigue due to stress. [1] The most commonly perceived stressors included money, work, economy and relationships. With the current Covid-19 situation, I can only imagine that all of these have become even more prevalent. With each of these circumstances, our adrenal glands pump out cortisol, which is beneficial in small windows, but not on a continual daily basis. 

Studies have shown that there are over 150 diseases associated with cortisol. Some of these conditions include immune senescence (decreased immune function) with age, biological aging, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, decreased testosterone in men and decrease in pain threshold. 

Often times I find that we hear about statistics or data regarding health issues, but that doesn’t really provide us with a solution or even hope of finding a solution. I want to break the process down a bit in hopes that we can simplify the problem as well as the solution!

How does cortisol affect testosterone and what does that have to do with a decrease in pain threshold?

When in excess and/or present for longer than normal, cortisol essentially stops the first step of testosterone production in the Leydig cells of a male. This decrease in production results in low testosterone levels in the body which increases the responsiveness of nociceptors to stimulation. Basically what this means is that the receptors in the body that are designed to sense pain become hyper-sensitive and over-react, resulting in decreased pain tolerance or increased pain perception. So we have men walking around who are stressed out, suffering from low testosterone, and chronically in pain. 

What is biological aging and how does stress cause this?

Chronological age is the number of years you have been alive… pretty straight forward. Biological age is a bit more complex and is based on a number of factors. Biological aging occurs as cells and tissues gradually become damaged and is a result of chronological age as well as lifestyle, nutrition, genetics, diseases and other conditions. [2] 

Cortisol has been associated with oxidative damage and mitochondrial dysfunction. What’s significant about mitochondria is that they are the energy producers of our cells… without this energy the cells cannot operate optimally and that results in cell damage, which results in biological aging. 

So what can we do about all of this? Covid-19 isn’t going to simply evaporate into thin air and those bills are going to keep coming.

Here are six things we can all do to mitigate stress and the symptoms that come along with it. 

1) Focus on what you CAN control. There are plenty of things in this world that are beyond our control and when those things are what consume our thoughts… guess what? We get stressed! So instead, pour your energy into the aspects of your life that you can control. For example, I can control the effort I put into my job and really every activity I do. I can control my thoughts and my attitude towards others. I can control the foods I put in my body.

2) Get Adjusted. A study was performed in which a specific brain response was measured in twelve men, before and after a chiropractic adjustment of the neck. The results suggested that the chiropractic adjustment affected sympathetic (fight or flight) relaxation and pain reduction. [3]

3) Exercise. High intensity interval training (HIIT) for as little as 10 minutes is an excellent stress reset. This can be as simple alternating between walking and jogging or doing a tabata workout. For a few examples, check out this article. 

4) Meditation. Meditation is extremely beneficial in stimulating our vagus nerve, which is a very important aspect of our parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system. In as little as 5 minutes, meditation can decrease that fight or flight response and increase the rest and digest. Simply search “meditation” on youtube and you’ll have access to hundreds of guided meditations. You can also subscribe to apps such as Calm or Peloton. 

5) Yoga. Not only is yoga great because we are exercising and moving our bodies, but we are also focusing on our breath! If flexibility isn’t your strong suit, no need to be intimidated, there are yoga practices for all types. Yin yoga is a great practice to get a deep stretch as well as some deep breathing and serious relaxation. Many yoga studios are offering virtual classes or you can find plenty of options on youtube or the Peloton app. 

6) Nutritional support in the form of phosphatidylserine. This supplement has been found to support health mitochondrial, mitigate cortisol, and reduce the effect of serum-cortisol. If you’re not sure where to find phosphatidylserine, don’t hesitate to contact us!

With more and more Americans being diagnosed with diabetes and Low T clinics popping up all over the place, the issue of stress cannot be ignored. While the stressors may not be changing, our response absolutely can! We each have the power to choose what we put in our bodies and the activities we implement into our daily routine. 

Resources

1) (December, 2017) By the numbers: Our stressed-out nation. Retrieved on May 9, 2020. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2017/12/numbers

2) Chronological Aging and Biological Aging. Retrieved on May 9, 2020. https://www.healthline.com/health/chronological-ageing#biological-aging

3) (November-December, 2017) Cerebral metabolic changes in men after chiropractic spinal manipulation for neck pain. Retrieved on May 11, 2020. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22314714