After reading my book, Ten Days to Optimal Health, Rebecka wanted more hands-on support.

Labels: adrenal glands, adrenal stress index, binge eating, blood sugar, chemical sensitivities, detox diet, enemas, essential oils, kombucha

Linus Pauling, the founding father of molecular biology and author of Vitamin C and the Common Cold, scientifically demonstrated that the origin of disease is based on specific changes in genetic materials due to environmental influences. Bishop and Waldolz, in Genome, point out that "aberrant genes do not, in and of themselves, cause disease. By and large their impact on an individual's health is minimal until the person is plunged into a harmful environment..." (Simon and Schuster, New York, 1990). In February 2006, The National Institutes of Health launched the Genes, Environment and Health Initiative (GEI) to support research that will lead to the understanding of genetic contributions and gene-environment interactions in common disease. Each person's gene pool has the flexibility to express itself with health and longevity, or with illness and degenerative disease, depending on environmental conditions.

Given that the environment and health are so entwined and given that many environmental influences — stress, inadequate nutrition, toxins — modify genetic expression towards disease, wouldn't it be fantastic to have a tool to accurately monitor your health on an ongoing basis? Your conventional medical doctor uses blood tests. Unfortunately, blood tests often look good until something is "really" wrong.

Recently, I was talking to a client whose medical doctor had told him, "There is nothing wrong with you, but there is really nothing right."

On the other hand, your hair can provide unique metabolic and intracellular information more readily than your blood. First of all, human blood is highly regulated to stay within narrow ranges. For instance, a buffer of carbonic acid and bicarbonate is present in blood plasma to maintain a pH between 7.35 and 7.45. These buffer solutions are necessary because many enzymes work only under very precise conditions. Because of this, the blood is often not an effective diagnostic tool for metabolic imbalance. Second of all, toxins such as lead are instantly removed from the blood as a protective measure. For 30 to 40 days following an acute lead exposure, elevated serum levels of lead are undetectable in the blood. Smartly, our bodies deposit the metal into tissues such as the liver, bones, teeth, and hair.

The hair is analyzed through a Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA).

HTMA areas of analysis are:

• Mineral/electrolyte levels in the body's tissues including calcium, chromium, magnesium, selenium, sodium, potassium, nickel, iron, copper, lithium, and zinc. All these minerals are key to good health. If you don’t know your mineral levels, how do you know if you need a multi-vitamin or how much of that multi-vitamin you need to take each day? Also, did you know that calcium loss from the body can become so advanced that severe osteoporosis can develop without any appreciable changes noted in the calcium levels in a blood test? And, did you know that magnesium is required for normal muscular function, especially the heart, and that magnesium deficiency has been associated with an increased incidence of heart attacks, anxiety, and nervousness?
• Toxic metal levels including lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and aluminum. Hair is used as one of the tissues of choice by the Environmental Protection Agency in determining toxic metal exposure. A 1980 report from the EPA stated that human hair can be effectively used for biological monitoring of toxic metals. The average person is continually exposed to toxic metal sources such as cigarette smoke (cadmium), hair dyes (lead), hydrogenated oils (nickel), anti-perspirants (aluminum), dental amalgams (mercury and cadmium), copper and aluminum cookware, and lead-based cosmetics. Your body is designed to cleanse; without this mechanism, you would die. If your individual biochemical needs are being meet, you can fight off pollution and the ill effects of stress and your biochemistry. However, most of us aren't. An HTMA allows you to track the heavy metals and biochemical stress within your own body, assisting you to create and more easily follow a personalized health plan.
• Significant mineral ratios that help determine carbohydrate metabolism, thyroid function, level of inflammation, adrenal reserves, copper toxicity, and tissue breakdown.

Take an HTMA seasonally to develop a nutritional program that is tailored to your body's particular requirements to assist it to express health and longevity.

Labels: adrenal glands, adrenal stress index, electrolyte levels, environmental toxins, genetics, hair tissue mineral analysis, HTMA, mineral ratios, thyroid

by Kristina Amelong

Over these many years of clinical practice, and even more years of working to optimize my own health, I have come to know a certain truth about the human body: sustain, support, and nourish – with lifestyle choices – the energy-producing mechanisms of the body steadily throughout each day.

Yes, the needs of the human body happen to be countless; thus we are encouraged to take fish oil, exercise, eat enough protein, limit our carbohydrates, sleep enough and on a regular schedule, cleanse the colon, optimize our intake of vitamins A, B, C, D, and E and our intake of the minerals zinc, copper, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and sodium, drink an ounce of water for each pound of body weight, and so forth.

Yet this one need – sustain, support, nourish – with lifestyle choices – the energy-producing mechanisms of the body steadily throughout each day – reigns supreme.

The marketers at Dr. Pepper/Seven Up, a successful soft drink company founded in the late 1800s, capitalized on this scientifically established fact of our biological nature, as we see in their popular and long-lasting slogan to promote one of their products, Dr. Pepper, the first carbonated soft drink, during the 1920s and 1930s: "Drink a Bite to Eat at 10, 2, and 4 o’clock".

As the story goes, a Dr. Walter Eddy of Columbia University was studying the human body and metabolism, which led him to discover that a natural drop in energy occurs for each and every one of us at about 10:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. He also discovered that if the people in his research study had something to eat or drink at 10:00, 2:00, and 4:00, the energy slump could be avoided.

Unfortunately, after Dr. Eddy’s research findings were released, the Dr. Pepper Company commandeered this information for its own advertising campaign – a theme suggesting that Dr. Pepper should be that “10, 2, and 4 o’clock” drink which would keep the blood sugar level up. If the Optimal Health Network were around then, we would not have suggested a sugary soda but rather that you eat a small meal at those times, rich with each of the macronutrients – carbohydrate, protein, and fat. We would have also suggested that you supplement your diet with herbs such as licorice root and/or Rehmannia to optimize your adrenal health.

When promotions for Dr. Pepper announced that on Saturdays, the local movie theater would interrupt the film at 10 a.m., 2 p.m., and 4 p.m. to serve complimentary bottles of Dr. Pepper, advertisers were acting on an important truth of human biology – we function best when we keep our blood sugar stable and consistently live our lives such that our adrenal glands don’t unnecessarily release the stress hormone cortisol.

It may also be of interest to my readers that this slogan, intended to encourage boosting your blood sugar level at 10 a.m., 2 p.m., and 4 p.m., over the years saw its meaning become muddled, leading thousands of mothers and grandmothers in the South to believe, to this day, that the drinking times are meant to help one achieve bowel regularity.

Labels: adrenal glands, blood sugar, cortisol, energy level, optimal energy

by Stephanie Carnes
OHN Contributor

A good after-Thanksgiving reminder: Eat smaller portions more frequently! Refraining from food to prepare for an extra large one is never a good idea when it comes to keeping your body in balance.

Since smaller quantities of consumed food are apt to flow through the digestive system without becoming toxic, it makes sense that we eat food in proportions that improve our digestive abilities rather than put a strain them. Eating every three to four hours is recommended.

Providing the body with a continuous supply of usable nutrients throughout the day allows individual body systems to function with efficiency. This way your blood sugar level will remain more consistent and spare your body from the typical unhealthy fluctuations you have been subjecting it to for years. A second key reason for eating every few hours is to keep the adrenal glands in top shape. When you eat infrequently, you force your body to run on adrenaline.

Modern living easily drains our adrenal glands. The adrenal glands, located one on top of each kidney, are stress glands that help us cope with internal and external stress factors, both physical and mental. It is essential to give the body adequate nutrition to lessen chances of adrenal exhaustion; and, in many cases, to assist the healing of the adrenal glands themselves. Persistent fatigue, a racing brain, an inability to “turn off” the feeling of being stressed out, as well as a lack of vitality, all point to adrenal exhaustion. The good news is that by keeping your blood sugar balanced, by eating small amounts of food often, and by eating animal protein throughout the day, you can keep your adrenal glands in a vital state of health.

Recognizing that we are all unique in our food needs, the actual size, as well as the ratio of macronutrients, (carbohydrates to proteins to fats), of meals consumed every three to four hours can vary. Eat what will keep you satisfied for three to four hours. If after a meal you have an adverse symptom or worsening of existing negative symptoms, including: specifically sweet cravings, hunger too soon after eating, lowered energy, worsening moods, and others, then you are not eating the correct foods in appropriate ratios at your meal.

If toward the end of your meal, you find yourself full and yet you continue to eat until you are stuffed, then you are not eating the right proportions of macronutrients. Start by cutting down on your carbohydrates, and keep in mind that the meal size and proportions can change as your body accommodates the cumulative effects of the Optimal Health Center Plan.

Given how much stress is inherent in modern living, “having” to eat every few hours can appear impossible. But it is important to remember that you are at an exciting point in your life where you are changing habits, and that this takes time!

Feel free to call or email our office with questions or for support in this venture.

SOURCE: Ten Days to Optimal Health (Amelong 2006)

Labels: adrenal glands, blood sugar, fatigue

• Routine Colon Cleansing - A weekly to monthly enema series is an excellent foundation for self-care and can assist the body’s ability to detoxify and heal. 
• Men's Hormonal Support Enema Salt
• Exercise Regularly - If exercise is difficult for you, you may have hormonal issues that can be identified through a Male Hormone Panel Saliva Test. Exercise also reduces risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in men.
• Sleep & Relaxation – If you struggle to get a good night's rest or find deep relaxation, you may have adrenal fatigue which can be identified through an Adrenal Stress Index Test. 
• Optimize Vitamin D Levels – This will decrease risk of heart disease, colon cancer, and prostate cancer. 
• Therapeutic Diet - Optimal levels of iodine are needed for all of the endocrine glands to function, especially the thyroid, adrenals, and gonads. 

Other levels to consider are ferritin and cholesterol. Ferritin is a intracellular protein that stores iron and releases it in a controlled manner. High ferritin levels can cause testicular atrophy, and it is important to note that ferritin increases drastically in the presence of an infection or cancer. Additionally, cholesterol is the precursor for all steroid hormones. If your cholesterol levels are too low (much below 180), you may experience health troubles due to steroid hormone imbalances.

The Optimal Health Center can assist you with each of these tools and help you create a plan that works best for you. Please contact us for support.

Labels: adrenal glands, cholesterol, colon cleansing, ferritin, male steroid hormones