Folate, and its synthetic form folic acid, is a water-soluble B vitamin that plays a fundamental role in a variety of functions in the human…
Our diet can significantly affect inflammation in our bodies. Several foods can increase inflammation while other foods can reduce inflammation. According to healthcare professionals, a…
The MTHFR or methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene is well-known due to a genetic mutation that may cause high homocysteine levels and low folate levels in the…
Exercise has been proven to help many medical conditions and reduce inflammation. However, those who are high risk do not usually feel comfortable exercising. Treating disease and developing a program for long-term health is the overall goal with exercise prescriptions. To begin, all patients must undergo an assessment of physical capabilities as well as physiological. The hard push of exercise is not something all patients are mentally ready to tolerate.
Calories are defined as a measurement of the energy our body produces from the foods we eat. However, not all calories are created equal. If…
For those who have lactose intolerance, the LCT gene transcription is reduced, leading to a low level of lactase. To turn off LCT it involves blocking an activator or turning up a repressor. In fact, it is theorized that lactase persistence is a human evolutionary adaptation to drinking milk from domesticated animals. The mutation in the gene started to appear around the same time as the domestication of cattle.
Nutrition is considered to be one of the most well-understood environmental factors associated with changes in the epigenome. Nutrients in the foods we eat are…
Insulin is an essential hormone that regulates blood sugar levels. It is naturally produced in the pancreas and helps move excess glucose from the bloodstream…
Depression is a natural response of the body and brain when there are biochemical imbalances occurring. These imbalances can involve toxicities, inflammation, metabolic issues, and genetic predispositions. When we are in a stressful state that lasts for too long, dysautonomia occurs and we burn out, leading to depression. Bun out is what occurs when any system is operating at too high of levels for too long. No matter what the issue is, depression or adrenal exhaustion, all chronic health issues can be related back to stress. We have the ability to test the neurotransmitters and take on depression from a holistic approach.
Researchers are trying to understand how nutrigenomics can affect a person’s health. Studies have shown that epigenetics increases the risk of several health issues. Other…
One of the best ways to reduce your chances of developing type 2 diabetes, or slow down the progression/reverse a diagnosis is to start with reducing inflammation. This is done by starting in the kitchen. Evaluate diet first. We should be eating clean locally sourced organic foods to fuel our cells and alter our genetic expression in a positive way. By eating pizza and chips we are adding fuel to the inflammation fire and throwing constant reactors at our genes, altering their expression to be pro-inflammatory rather than anti-inflammatory.
The term allostatic load refers to any type of stress occurring in the body for long periods of time. Types of stress we encounter daily from environmental stress or psychological stress have the ability to alter the way our body operates. Stress is directly linked to causing inflammation. Stressors include: Trauma/mechanical, Infection, Toxicology, Nutrient Imbalance, Neurology, and Electromagnetic. When these stressors are present and coupled with genetic polymorphisms or epigenetics we see chronic issues arise. The chronic health conditions we see from stressors and epigenetics are IBS, Fatigue, Leaky Gut, Pain, Weight, Thyroid, Inflammation, Autoimmune, Depression, and Insulin Resistance.
Healthcare professionals commonly give nutritional recommendations based on an entire population, only sometimes changing these according to age, sex, and pregnancy. Over the last 20…
The balance of homocysteine in the body is critical. Too much as we start to see neurodegenerative disorders, inflammation, and even cardiovascular disease. Homocysteine can be tricky to balance as it requires an understanding of how homocysteine is produced. Research is showing now a link between homocysteine metabolism, specific pathologies, and its influence on our genes.
The mitochondria is the “powerhouse of the cellâ€. It obtained this nickname by being the creator of ATP, or the energy our body produces to carry out functions. However, the mitochondria is responsible for so much more than that. More recently, studies have been showing a link between mitochondrial health and degenerative age-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and others. Mitochondrial dysfunction can be linked and grouped into three categories: neurodegenerative diseases, immune diseases, and hepatic diseases.
We have found that approaching the body as a whole rather than treating it as compartments gives patients the most relief. As research develops, it is found that over 125 clinical conditions have been identified as having inflammation along with oxidative stress as a contributing factor to the diagnosis! Oxidative stress impacts our bodys chemical pathways and genes!
Every single cell in our body requires energy to complete its functions. The energy our body creates and uses is known as ATP. ATP is created in the mitochondria and relies on a mixture of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates to source its fuel. This energy is created in an essential process called The Krebs Cycle. Similar to other functions throughout the body, when inflammation occurs important process can become hindered and not performed to their greatest extent. We have the ability to maximize our Krebs Cycle by the food we eat, ultimately leading to a postive alteration in our genes and reduced inflammation throughout our body.