IHS Conference Day 1
Did you know...
Day 1 of the IHS 2023 Conference. Today was actually a pre-conference day that I signed up for. The normal part of the conference begins tomorrow, Thursday.
First presentation was from Dr. Terry Wahls who presented information on Brain Health and lifestyle particularly as it relates to Neuro-Degenerative disorders. While her focus was more on Multiple Sclerosis (MS), her presentation is really about overall brain health. Other common Brain neurodegenerative disorders include Parkinson’s, Cognitive decline, i.e. Dementia.
I consider a short term acute neurodegenerative disorder as Brain Fog. Just think about dealing with brain fog 24 hours a day. Not fun, nor healthy.
No surprise to me or anyone who reads Common Sense Health and Wellness that key factors for brain health include:
Anti-inflammatory nutrient dense diet
Healthy Gut Microbiome - which improves immune health and decreases Autoimmune issues
Proper restorative sleep that helps clean out/clear out inflammatory substances from the brain through something we call the Glymphatic system.
Balanced Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)- meaning balancing out your Sympathetic fight or flight responses with Parasympathetic rest and repair responses. So in other words Stress Control.
Time for some questions, aka “Did you knows?”, with respect to the presentation.
Did you know that the Western diet aka the Standard American Diet (SAD) is very inflammatory?
Did you know SAD can mess up your Gut microbiome and cause a Dysbiosis, which really just means altered unhealthy bacterial balance in your Gut.
Did you know a dysfunctional Gut Microbiome is inflammatory all by itself and often worsens Autoimmune tendencies?
Perhaps the P88 Dietary Antigen test can help us find inflammatory foods to remove??
Did you know that excess stress can be the cause of excess cortisol (the stress hormone) to your brain which further ages and inflames your brain?
Did you know that excess cortisol can cause your sleep and anti-inflammatory hormone Melatonin to decrease thus messing further with your sleep?
Did you know it is when you are in deep restorative sleep that your brain heals, and clears excess inflammation, so if you are not sleeping well you are aging your brain or really your entire body?
Did you know that a healthy Gut microbiome produces Melatonin for us and helps keep excess inflammation at low or reasonable levels?
Did you know it is tough to heal excess inflammation anywhere in the body until you remove the cause of the inflammation? You can’t fix a sinking boat with a hole in the bottom just by dumping water out of the boat. You kind of have to fix the hole first and then removing the excess water will probably help.
Did you know the treatments for neurodegenerative inflammation does not work well until the source of the inflammation is removed? Fix the hole!!
Did you know that as we age our Gut biome ages as well and produces less of the helpful substances we need?
Did you know that some of the best nutrients for the brain, as long as they are in proper balance include, B-Complex vitamins, Fat Soluble Vitamins, Omega 3 Fish Oils, Vitamin D, Iodine and Minerals.
Dr. Wahls has a remarkable story about how she reversed her Multiple Sclerosis and went from bedridden and in a wheelchair to fully functioning. If you are interested here is more information on Dr. Wahls.
When at conference and not at home, eating healthy and Low Carb can sometimes be a challenge. But not always, especially if you plan ahead and there is a small cafe in the lobby with cold prepared protein/fat take out meals.
Pictured below was my Tuesday night dinner in my room as well as lunch break during Day 1 of presentations.
Next presentation was Dr. Mahmoud Ghannoum, PhD presenting how the Microbiome affects/interacts with Stress and Sleep.
I actually met Dr. Ghannoum in Vegas at the A4M conference in December 2022. He is a well researched PhD, very personable, great lecture style and gave a good presentation. So let’s get to it.
Did you know that your Gut microbiome diversity decreases as we age? That is not good as it is believed that a more diverse microbiome is better for our overall health.
Did you know that healthy bacteria Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria can produce the calming neurotransmitter GABA, which can be calming to the brain and nervous system?
Did you know that Stress can alter the Gut microbiome and make it more inflammatory?
Did you know that the Gut microbiome has communicates with the brain via the Vagus nerve? This is actually a two way communication. So your gut can influence your brain and your brain can influence your gut.
Did you know that there is some research that believes that a yeast by the name of S. Boulardii may help with travelers diarrhea?
Did you know that Insulin Resistance, which is extremely common in anyone overweight, can cause sleep issues?
Dr. Ghannoum’s general support for Gut microbiome includes healthy balanced levels of Vitamins A, B, C, D, Fatty Acids and Proteins, a Low Carb Diet, some biofilm busters such as garlic, turmeric, fresh veggies and fruits. Don’t forget to be active every day to help clear out toxins/inflammation, and try and get 7-8 hours of sleep nightly.
The next presentation was from a chiropractor, Dr. Christopher Bump, DC, who sounded like my long last cousin. Great speaker and it was good to hear from someone I had not known before pretty much state what I have been advocating for in terms of a healthy diet for the past 20 years.
Here were his first few slides.
Sucrose is table sugar.
Sugar does not just fall off a tree. You need a chemical process similar to how heroin is produced to create table sugar. Don’t ask how they make High Fructose Corn Syrup, referred to today as the Frankenstein chemical sugar.
If you disagree with the above, I hope you continue to read Common Sense Health and Wellness. Perhaps you will have your eyes and ears opened….
To simplify the entire presentation:
Sugar is sticky.
Our human body is made up mostly of proteins.
Our muscles, bones, tendons, organs, connective tissue and immune system are all primarily protein. Our genes in our DNA are codes that are used to produce proteins. So we really want our proteins to work as intended.
Here is the catch.
Sugars, which come from dietary carbs, are sticky and can irreversibly bind to proteins making the protein function decline.
Example: Hemoglobin A1C is a blood test that is used to determine Blood Glucose control, especially in Diabetes/PreDiabetes. It measures the amount of sticky Glucose that attached to Hemoglobin. Here is the problem. When the glucose is permannetly attached to the Hemoglobin, the hemoglobin can not perform it’s function as well. Hemoglobin carries and distributes oxygen and carbon dioxide through the body. I don’t know about you but I kind of find that important.
One more pearl.
The excess Glucose can lead to Insulin Resistance, and bind up proteins that disrupts the blood brain barrier causing inflammation in the brain which can lead to buildup of Beta Amyloid proteins in the brain. Too much Beta Amyloid can cause neuronal cell death and earlier cognitive issues, i.e. dementia. This may be why we are beginning to call Alzheimers Type 3 Diabetes.
The last presentation I attended for the day was a Pediatrician Dr. Chris Magryta who discussed issues with children’s brain beginning in utero, meaning while they were still in the womb. To simplify his presentation he pretty much said to avoid stress, eat healthy, and avoid toxins. Well Duh!!
But his presentation was actually very good.
He has a podcast that I may try and listen to at some point.
Dr. M’s Women and Children first.
So what was my overall takeaway from today, in simple terms?
We need more balance in our everyday life.
Here is what to strive for.
Eat Real Food and make sure you get plenty of natural proteins and fats.
Stay active- it’s a great anti-inflammatory
Get proper Restorative Sleep
Maintain a Healthy Gut
Keep your Hormones balanced
Try and keep stress low. I think 3 out of the 4 speakers all said what I say. STOP WATCHING THE NEWS!
Try and keep away from toxins and work on healthy detox mechanisms
Work on maintaining a healthy well balanced immune system
Keep your Mitochondria healthy
I don’t expect you to know how to do all these things.
But I know a place you can go for help with these.
That is enough for now.
It was long enough.
I hope you learned something or at least it gave you something to think about.
Thanks for taking the time to share all of this with us. Maybe you can write on getting better and deeper sleep.
Makes you wonder how many degenerative/autoimmune illnesses are the result of excess and prolonged inflammation. Something like MS has such a narrow distribution(predominantly white North American women in higher latitudes) that it draws lifestyle into focus. You will find similar narrow distributions with something like thyroid disjunction.