Some are more open to this approach than others, I remember once Nick Mitchell barred me from commenting on the Ultimate Performance page for suggesting that rather than using a suggested supplement such as B12 one might focus on restoring gut health to enhance B12 uptake. He also accused me of pretending to be a Doctor and for any advice relating to these matters that he would speak to a real Doctor instead of “CHEK practitioner pretending to be a Doctor”( I am still barred from said site). I am not suggesting anything malicious about Nick, I am sure he’s nice guy, but it’s Pete Williams who made an interesting point to me a couple of years ago that Trainers are the new Doctors and he’s got a real point.

I recently completed the Applied Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice with the Institute of Functional Medicine and combined with my studies with other Functional Medicine organisations I have to say Pete is onto something. That’s probably why he is considered one of the Instigators of FM in the UK. IN fact it’s not just trainers who are the the new age Doctors, as there were a wide range of people who were on the course, nutritionists, Doctors, Chiropracters and Physios who can all offer something to the population who are suffering from a myriad of health problems such as liver, gut, thyroid and adrenal problems.

There are some people who think that health and fitness is a simple solution.. Eat clean, exercise and you will lose weight. Well it use to be like that but given that most humans have been exposed to thousands of environmental pollutants, its no wonder that issues such as weight loss in some people is just more challenging. That’s why obesity, diabetes and cancer are on the rise, not just inactivity and poor food choices. Health and exercise specialists need to adapt to these problems. Skills such as reading blood analysis (Dicken Weatherby’s CBC analysis is excellent), utilising urinalysis and DNA gut tests (Clinical Laboratory analysis by Lord and Bralley also great!) as well as toxicity profiles should be in the tool box of any health, fitness and well being specialists toolbox for amazing results. thats why many of my clients have often seen at least 6 other practitioners before they end up at my door.

Sure some will be experience great results with the less is more approach, however the net is getting smaller as complexities with neuro-psychiactric cases mediated by heavy metal toxicity from arsenic or mercury, or depression and fatigue from Hypothalamus/pituitary/adrenal/thyroid axis dysfunction are all very real. it may seem a daunting start, and it’s a bit look looking at Mount Everest, and there are days when it still does, as every client you see will be different. In my opinion it’s time to start utilising these techniques so that the cycle of Doctor/patient/medication can be broken sooner rather than later.

Don’t get me wrong there is a place for medicine but it doesn’t mean a life committed to taking pharmaceuticals, after all there’s more than one way to skin a cat isn’t there?

A leaky gut is when the finger like projections of the intestines called the villi start to atrophy or become damaged, inhibiting the secretions of some enzymes that break food down and leaving the tight junctions where food is ultimately absorbed into the blood stream open to further damage and further malabsorption. The list below highlights the many factors that can cause a leaky gut.

* Antibiotics

* Degradation off the mucosal barrier through stress and factors below

* Dysbiosis- imbalance of beneficial bacteria

* Contraceptive pill

* Fungus, bacterial or parasitic infection often all 3 are involved

* Poor food choices

* Gluten consumption

* Environmental toxins

* Estrogen dominance

* Adrenal stress

When people often go for trendy food allergy/intolerance tests such as the 1gG4 test many people often come back with a list of multiple food reactions and are told to cut these foods out of their diet. Whilst there are many modern ‘new world’ foods that we are now exposed to, the multiple allergies that people come back with is a sign that the gut is dysfunctional and 5 or more intolerances should be considered as a sign of a leaky gut. What many people are not told is that if you have a leaky gut, these food intolerances can disappear once the gut has been healed which can take some months and in some cases to regain full digestive health a year or so.

To find out more about food allergies, leaky gut and getting you back to your old self get in touch!

*Statins have been shown to increase the risk of diabetes, and are the cause of energy and muscle issues due to the inhibition of HMG Co reductase, which synthesises the antioxidant Quinone or CoQ10
*Chemotherapy whilst killing cancer cells also decimates many healthy cells including the immune system such as the mucosal barrier that produces Secretory Immunoglobulin or SIgA
*Hormone Replacement Therapy or HRT has been shown to increase the likelihood of cancers
*Antibiotics can totally eradicate the species of beneficial gut bacteria which can have many far reaching effects on the immune system and how we utilise the foods that we eat.

Each of these statements has been scientifically proven but so what you might say as for most studies so has the efficacy of each of these therapies in the management of each of these conditions. However there is an increasing amount of medical practitioners that are realising that the studies used to justify the use of primary intervention are flawed. The Jupiter study used to justify the treatment of statins was such a flawed study and a recent review in The Cochrane Report has started to question the use of statins in the management of cholesterol. Consider that cholesterol is usually raised when there is inflammation in the body or the thyroid gland is dysfunctional, then a thought process of getting back to basics would seem more appropriate, rather than the overuse of medications to treat a symptom.

Yet still, to many of those in the medical community the concept of food and nutritional supplements as our real medicine is often frowned upon. Simply taking a look at the production of energy, you can clearly see that Vitamins such as B1, B2, B3 and B5 are used in the production of energy and when assessing clients with chronic fatigue you can see a clear deficiency in these nutrients.

Amino acids are also, usually deficient in these conditions and Weston A. Price one of the founders of nutrition analysis and Ray Peat a nutritional scientist both make the point that broth, gained from cooking animal bones have been used in the treatment of many conditions throughout the ages. Peat highlights that this broth contains high amounts of glycine, proline and alanine which, not only have huge anti-cancer properties but help to aid in repair, are great anti-aging compounds and assist in calming the sympathetic nervous system and aiding sleep as well as improving memory.

All of these foods are easily obtained and more often than not combined with a targeted course of nutritional supplements are vital in restoring energy, brain, function and health.

Below is a testimonial from a client that I had worked with who had seen many specialists to deal with his chronic fatigue and only after assessment of his nutritional status and energy production, was there any relief from his years of chronic fatigue.

“I’ve been dealing with chronic/adrenal fatigue recovery for the past 5 years, having been to every medical and alternative specialist in the book looking for a good explanation of what was wrong with me and why I wasn’t bouncing back. I was sure that my system was depleted somehow but every test came back saying I was fine, which I clearly wasn’t.

I eventually found a good rehab personal trainer who helped me to re-integrate good basic habits like getting quality sleep, eating quality protein and doing the right type of exercise for my condition. He also introduced me to Keith, who ran a series of tests looking at things I’d not ever heard mentioned in 5 years of speaking to experts. And it was through these tests that Keith found an amino-acid deficiency that could be supplemented with tyrosine, which is making a big difference. I’m now about to go through the next steps of improving my digestive health, which was assessed and found to be below par, which Keith is overseeing and which I believe will be another big step towards getting back to full health.”

Martin

To find out more on repairing your body and getting the most out of your day please get in touch.

Celiac disease can often have a genetic marker combined with environmental factors but it is ultimately gluten, the protein molecule or gliadin found within grains such as wheat which causes the onset of celiac disease. If left unchecked it causes damage to the lining of the stomach and intestines and contributes to malabsorption and malnutrition of key nutrients. It can also be the precursor for many other auto immune disease such as chronic fatigue and could even lead to cancers.

Some of the symptoms of celiac disease include:

• Infertility
• Osteoporosis
• Frequent abdominal cramps
• Liver dysfunction
• Fatigue
• Weight loss/gain
• Anemia
• Skin Problems
• Joint pain
• Sores in the mouth
• Menstrual issues

Children are at particular risk and those who dispaly symptoms of irritability, stomach pains and diarrhea should be considered for eliac disease or gluten sensitivity. Furthermore teenagers with delayed onset of puberty who also display abdominal dysfunction such abdominal pain, gas or loose stools should also be considered.  In adults anemia and osteoperosis can also be attributed to celiac disease.

When the intestines have been subjected to years of gluten and poor food choices there can be a real need to heal the gut with an anti inflamatory diet and some essential gut healing supplements to help repair the surfaces within the gut. Once on this program clients often report feeling the best that they have ever felt with energy levels and vitality at an all time high.

You can have a gluten sensitivity or celiac assessment completed  here at the clinic. Get in touch to book your test.

The exposome would appear to represent everything that a person is exposed to thats not in the genes.   It would appear that the human genome is not as helpful as predicting issues such as cancers and diseases. The article quotes Jeremy Nicholsom of Imperial college who says that ‘ Knowing Genetic risk factors can prove absolutely useless.’

It would seem that scientific community is starting to look at the wider implications of environmental toxins and their effect on disease rates. consider that autoimmune disease, cancers, infertility and many other conditions are on the rise it would take only the myopic to see that genetics has a very small part to play in the disease process.

Other scientists were quoted that using urine analysis would serve much better markers for an individuals exposure to environmental toxins.  At Balanced Body Mind we have been using such tests for several years to determine our clients exposure to toxins as well as determining the key functions of the body such as liver detoxification, energy metabolism and infections. In fact some of these tests have been used with great effect to determine possible causes of chronic fatigue and create a nutrition and supplement protocol to help treat and  improve this condition.  Many other conditions can also be treated that can cause ill health simply by completing the Organix urine test.  Even those who find weight loss particularly difficult should consider analysing their exposure to environmental toxins as a key part of a weight loss and health program.

If you’re not feeling on top of your game and would like to find out more about environmental exposure, increasing your health and wellbeing, pain relief or just getting fitter and stronger please get in touch for your free consultation.

Happy New year from Balanced Body Mind

ED source can usually be classified from either vascular, endocrine, cellular, neural and psychological. One of the main attributes of both ED and low libido can be increased tone of the sympathetic nervous system or the fight or flight response which decreases the parasympathetic or rest and digest nervous system.  The Parasympathetic nervous system  releases key transmitting chemicals that allow for the relaxation of the smooth muscle within the penis and allow for pooling of the blood and the veins which carry blood away from the penis contract.

Endocrine or hormonal issues associated with ED can come from a variety of sources. Testosterone is key to normal sexual function and circulating levels can be reduced due to increased levels of stress be they physical, chemical or hormonal. Aromatisation converts testosterone to estrogens an, increasing observation of man boobs is a clear sign of aromatisation and estrogen dominance. Low levels of testosterone have been implicated in Libido and less so in ED

During repeated exposure to stressful situations Instead of cholesterol being converted to pregnenolone and into the subsequent major hormones such as testosterone, estrogen or growth hormone they are converted into adaptive stress hormones via a pathway called pregnenolone steal. Instead of conversion to the sex hormones, constant stress requires the conversion of pregnenolone to progesterone to convert to cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone that has many qualities including anti inflammatory, and blood sugar regulation but is primarily used when the sympathetic nervous system is constantly activated. The problem is that the stressful situation be it running from the sabre tooth tiger, arguing, traffic wardens, injuries, poor food choices and all the rest of stressful situations are not interpreted any differently, just stress.

As much as 50% of ED issues have been linked to vascular diseases such as diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and the like. Therefore management of diet and lifestyle issues can play a key component in increasing blood supply to erectile tissues.

Psychological stress can prove to be a vicious  cycle in both libido and ED and having someone appropriate to speak to work out the issues associated with psychogenic ED and low libido is useful.  A way of identifying between psychological ED and other forms of ED is by determining if a loss of nocturnal erection had been lost or not. If you are not achieving an erection during deep sleep and never waking up with an erection then ED of vascular, endocrine, neural or cellular can be implicated. Whereas waking with an erection but when exposed to a reflex(touching) or psychogenic stimulation and ED occurs psychological ED can be implicated.

A complex issue of gut and liver health can be implicated in both low libido and ED.

Dysfunction within the stomach and associated intestinal tract can  have may knock on effects to sexual performance. Symptoms of Gut dysfunction can be varied such as

Fungal/parasitic/bacterial infections

Low levels of stomach acid and digestive enzymes

Bowel toxaemia

Diminished mucosal barrier

Leaky gut

Food allergies

All of these can lead to many conditions associated to other body dysfunctions but in particular fungal, parasitic and bacterial infections can lead to reduced health, energy and low libido as well as physical function.

The liver is under constant burden to detoxify xenoestrogens and other chemicals. These are often found in tap water, plastics in bottles or foods, in the air, medicines, cleaning products, perfumes or commercially produced or genetically modified vegetables. In order to cope with all of these factors the modern liver is working overtime and uses up large amounts of glutathione which is used in the two phases of liver detoxification

Key   areas to improve your sex drive and function

Heal your gut: Have a stomach test to find out any nasties that might be hiding in your stomach. Remove all disease causing factors such as  parasitic overgrowth, poor food choices such as alcohol, flour products, sugar and caffeine which increase sympathetic nervous system activation.

Boost your liver function: lowering the total load on your liver can readily help in increasing the detoxification capacity of the liver. Cutting down on alcohol and Eating more vegetables from the brassica family such as sprouts and broccoli help to improve detoxification of estrogens. Increasing organically produced meat, fruit and vegetables as well as getting a decent water filter fitted at home and eliminating hydrogenated and vegetable fats all help to lower the total burden on the liver Supplements such as vitamin C increase the amount of glutathione within the body and DIM also helps out with hormone detoxification.

Increase the testosterone producing ability of the body: Low fat diets are notorious for affecting the hormonal balance of the diet.  So eating adequate amounts of fat within the diet is a good start. High fat intake does not correlate with increasing cholesterol levels within the body. Cholesterol elevation is associated with tissue inflammation or hypothyroidism, so don’t be scared to increase use of butter, coconut fat, ghee and other good quality organic fats.

Adrenal stress:

Exercise,  going to the gym and blasting weights and CV can be the most counter -productive activity when the body is stressed. A good way to determine this, is if you are doing weights and not gaining any strength or size or even are putting on weight with CV exercise its probably not a good idea. Completing zone exercises such as (which promote quality of movement, low load and focus on breathing rather than exertion can have a great effect on reversing sympathetic nervous system tone and helping to increase activation of the sympathetic nervous system. Supplements such as increased vitamin C, ginger, ginko beloba are useful in adrenal gland regulation.

Its no wonder why sales of Viagra are on the rise, however taking a look at what drives issues such as ED and low libido, be it in males or females can be a great way of naturally healing the body and boosting your sex drive.

To book your free health and lifestyle consultation get in touch @ Keith@balancedbodymind.com

The C8 study was set up in the wake of the lawsuit against Du Pont who were found guilty of poisoning the water table in a situation not to dissimilar from the story told in the film Erin Brockavich. The Du Pont waterworks in Virginia had leached the toxic chemicals Perflourooctanoic Acid, Perfluorooctanesulfonate or PFOA and PFOS which is used in the production of non stick cookware and waterproof fabrics into the local water for many years. PFOA and PFOS has been found in drinking water, food packaging, dust and even breast milk due to its widespread use. The problem was, not only were these chemicals being leached into the atmosphere (approx 37,000 pounds per year) and local water, these chemicals also release an off gas during cooking. They have been found to have detrimental effects on the liver, been responsible for birth defects and a known carcinogen. The study showed a clear correlation between those who had been exposed to these chemicals and a raise in cholesterol levels. Cholesterol levels would have risen in response to inflammation and possible tissue degeneration due to toxicity.

Its worth noting that these two chemicals are in a pond of hundreds of thousands of chemicals that we are exposed to on a daily basis, which can be a potential source of liver dysfunction and potential cancer causing issues.

As much as using non stick pans may be easier, using traditional iron pans will help to lower the load on your liver and body and I would advise that any old chipped or scratched pans to be scrapped straight away.

A thought to take away might be for those concerned with lowering cholesterol levels, if indeed we actually need to, the goal of a cholesterol lowering regime would be to understand what elevates cholesterol levels as it serves as a protective mechanism to inflammation and toxicity. Most medical practitioners throw drugs such as Statins at those who have scored a so called high cholesterol reading in an attempt to lower cholesterol despite its healing effect.

Symptoms of liver dysfunction and toxicity can be

• Fatigue

• Fluctuating emotions

• Skin problems

• Bags under eyes

• Bad breath or body odour

• Decreased libido

• Obesity

• High blood pressure

If you have any questions on cholesterol levels, liver dysfunction or getting to your optimal health please get in touch.

Perflourooctanoic Acid, Perfluorooctanesulfonate, and serum lipids in Children and Adolescents Results from the C8 Health Project Stephanie J. Frisbie, MSc, MA. Anoop Shankar, MD, PhD; Sarah S. Knox, PhD; Kyle Steenland, PhD; David A Savit, PhD; Tony Fletcher, PhD, Alan M. Ducatman, MD, MS

If we didn’t we would end up as a large toxic overweight mess, which you may have noticed some of the population are becoming already.

The main organs of detoxification are:

Liver/gall bladder

Kidneys

Skin

Digestive tract

Lymphatics

Exogenous toxicity is caused by the absorption of toxins from outside our body. Xenobiotics are external toxins that are foreign to our bodies but still have a biological impact on our body.

So think……

• Pesticides in food
• Plastics in bags or wrapping that leach gas called phthalatates
• Perfumes/aftershaves that we breath /absorb via skin when sprayed
• Antibiotics from meat
• Pollution from cars and factories
• Homes, carpets contain formaldehyde and other unseen toxins
• Kids toys
• Tap water  medications, estrogens, styrene
• New cars and the list goes on

Besides tasting and oral ingestion even the smell of a chemical means that the molecules have already hit our bloodstreams and added to that toxic load.

Styrene for example which is a component of polystyrene has been linked to

• Pain
• Weakness
• Brain fog
• Rashes
• Hair loss
• Fatigue  and many other conditions

Other Xenobiotics found that cause cancers, endometriosis, thyroid and other degenerative conditions have been linked to

• Dioxins – bleached paper products
• Xylene- exhaust fumes
• Benzene-  petrol/carpets
• PCB’s- plastics pesticides, flame retardants
• Xenoestrogens- pesticides

If you think of the abundance of pesticides used in commercial food it’s no surprise to find these substances in the body. Even if you are not swayed by the nutrient denser organic foods, then the lower load of ingested pesticides from organic food should be a reason for you to switch and make a change to the load on your liver.

Xenoestrogens that mimic estrogens and push the body to cancerous states also have been found to have the following deleterious effects.

• Abnormal fertility
• Impotence
• Hyperactivity
• Thyroid dysfunction
• Brain dysfunction
• Early menarche of younger girls (aged 8 or younger) developing breast and menstruation.  Important to note that this also occurred with phytoestrogens from soy products also.

There has been considerable research that has shown that the toxic burden has been responsible for infertility and it is no wonder that the UK ratios of 1:6 facing fertility issues.

Metals also contribute to toxicity and issues related to mercury, lead, aluminium, cadmium and many more have been well documented.

Another reason why the liver can become backed up and unable to detoxify may also come from endogenous or internal sources. A leaky gut for example can cause undigested food molecules to seep into the blood due to a poor mucosal barrier and larger junctions of the absorbing surfaces of the digestive tract. Further toxicity or bowel toxaemia can be caused when undigested foods due to poor hydrochloric acid or digestive enzyme insufficiency allowing purification of foods which cause toxic chemicals to be produced which must also be detoxified. Overgrowth of yeasts and fungus also create toxins, Candida Albicans being a well known culprit.

So what might indicate a need to detoxify?

Fatigue

Headaches

Mood swings

Pain

Memory loss

Weight gain

Lack of energy

Most people who go on a specific detox protocol report amazing results and eradicate many of their symptoms, to find out more about your detox program or to book a free consultation please get in touch.

One of the main findings of the study stated ‘ studies reporting the quantity of antibiotic use found that larger duration of multiple courses were associated with higher rates of resistance.’ There was particular emphasis on findings for individuals who were prescribed antibiotics for a urinary or respiratory infection, where bacterial resistance developed to that antibiotic.

One of the many problems of sustained sporadic use of antibiotic prescription is that it kills all microbes in the body be they good or bad. Beneficial gut flora such as lactobacillus, clostridia and bifidobacterium  and many others are necessary for an optimal digestive system, these microbes are wiped out following a course of antibiotics. The mucosal lining of the gut  and respiratory passage which houses approximately 75% of the immune system and produces antibodies necessary for fighting invading bacteria and parasites also becomes compromised.

Once compromised and other microbes, found on food, in the air and even from partners or pets can develop an imbalance between the beneficial and bad bacteria, this is often termed a dysbiosis or dysbacteriosis. This often leaves the immune system compromised and if left long enough can be the cause of auto immune issues from leaky gut, skin, mood, energy, muscle pains, arthritis and many other issues including elevated cholesterol levels.

I often see many clients with compromised immune systems and auto immune diseases such as uticaria, ulcerative colitis, celiac, colitis, chronic fatigue and many other conditions which can often be traced back to a dysfunctional digestive system. In 100% of all clients assessed findings of bacterial, parasite and fungal, (in many cases all 3) overgrowth have been recorded usually coupled with suppressed immune system and low levels of stomach acid and digestive enzymes.    There are many experts that have linked conditions such as urinary and respiratory infections with compromised immune and digestive dysfunction.

Therefore the way to treat these conditions is by looking at dietary and lifestyle issues and using botanical anti bacterial and parasite protocols to build the immune system rather decimate it further.

If you would like to find out more about digestion, hormonal, energy, liver or other body   analysis please feel free to get in touch for your free consultation

Costelloe, C. Metcalfe, C. Lovering, A., Mant, D., and Hay, A.D. Effect of abtibiotic prescribing in primary care on antimicrobial resistance in individuals patients: systematic review and meta analysis. British Medical Journal, BMJ 2010;340;c2096

The Jupiter study which whole heartedly justified the use of Statins in primary prevention, reported a substantial decrease in the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients without coronary heart disease (CHD).

In June this year the American Medical Association’s (AMA) critical reappraisal of the study found that the study, which was discontinued after fewer than 2 years of follow up, with no differences between the two study groups was flawed.

It was interesting to note that of the original JUPITER Trial , 9/14 of the authors had financial interests associated  with the medical Statin manufacturers. The AMA’s conclusion was that the JUPITERS trial of Rosuvastatin was inconsistent, in fact there were 12 other studies that failed to show that statins failed to demonstrate a protective effect to those without CHD.

But let’s not lose sight of why large pharmaceutical companies consistently produce data to sway medical practitioners and the public to suggest their lifelong consumption of medicines.  Financial gain is at the very heart of this matter and Statin medication accounts for over $29 billion dollars lining the large pharmaceutical companies pockets.

Statin medication has many side effects which can include digestive dysfunction, muscle pains, kidney failure and rhabdomyolysis which is the breakdown of muscle tissue.

Instead of being obsessed with cholesterol levels, which is just a symptom or expression of some deeper metabolic imbalance, why not try to find out why lipid levels have risen. Cholesterol levels usually rise due to factors such as inflammation or thyroid dysfunction.

Poor food choices, excessive alcohol, environmental toxins  and many other factors can cause high cholesterol levels and with the right type of analysis, lifestyle  and diet plan cholesterol levels can be lowered without the need for harmful medications that cause further health problems.

To find out how to have your cholesterol levels assessed and effectively lowered contact me at The Foundry