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Jamieson
Health Center
Newsletter
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JuNE 26, 2012 |
Volume 4, Number 4 |
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First of all, I wanted to let you know that we are hiring a
Practice Assistant for
4-days/8-hours per day, 32 hours a week to help us stay focused on what
matters most: treating you -- our patients. If you know of anyone who might
be interested in this position, please refer them to our website for the job
description and how to apply. Secondly, I want to spend some time discussing inflammation,
what it is, what causes it and how to avoid it. I use this word often in my newsletters,
because it’s at the root of so many of our modern day chronic diseases. Normal inflammation promotes
healing. Most of you know what inflammation is. It’s the natural
reaction of our body’s healing systems and occurs in the affected cells and
adjacent tissues of our body as a result of an injury. But some of you don’t
know that this reaction also happens as a response to an abnormal stimulation
or invasion by a physical, chemical or biological substance. Normal
inflammation is confined to a specific location, serves a purpose of healing
and ends when the problem is solved. Chronic inflammation promotes
disease. The type of inflammation I keep referring to in my newsletters
is not the healthy inflammation. Sometimes inflammation becomes chronic and
doesn’t end when the problem is solved. As a matter of fact, this type of inflammation
can start to target healthy tissues and just won’t quit; it’s abnormal and
promotes disease rather than healing. Inflammation has become one of
the hottest areas of medical research. Hardly a week goes by without the
publication of yet another study uncovering a new way that chronic
inflammation does harm to the body: ·
It destabilizes cholesterol deposits
in the coronary arteries, leading to heart
attacks and even strokes. ·
It chews up nerve cells in the brains
of Alzheimer's victims. ·
It fosters the proliferation of
abnormal cells and facilitates their transformation into cancer. In other
words, chronic inflammation is the engine that drives many of the most feared illnesses of middle and old age. Modern diet and lifestyle cause modern
diseases. So what causes it? I believe
without question that diet and lifestyle causes inflammation. The choices we
make can determine whether we are in a pro-inflammatory state or in an
anti-inflammatory one. I
quote from the research 'A healthy diet for a healthy life'
SEC(2010)480 Brussels, 28.4.2010 C(2010)2587: “If
common lifestyle risk factors, among others diet-related ones, were
eliminated, around 80% of cases of heart disease,
strokes and type 2 diabetes, and 40% of cancers, could be avoided”. I
encourage you to read the full
newsletter on our website, where I discuss a 2009 article from the
British Journal of Nutrition, offering specific recommendations for foods to
include in your diet and foods to avoid as well as lifestyle recommendations.
The
article also suggests that many of the modern world chronic diseases are
indeed caused by modernity, which is driven by economic growth, further
suggesting that investing in growth beyond a certain point begins to yield
diminishing returns in health. Eat healthy whole foods and take your
supplements. Here
are the facts as I see them. I have always maintained that supplemental
nutrients are not substitutes for the whole foods that contain them. The more
regularly we supply our bodies with antioxidants and phytonutrients,
the better our health. However, most of us simply can't do that with food,
hence the need for supplements. Apart
from providing insurance against gaps in the diet, supplements can provide
optimum dosages of natural therapeutic agents that may help prevent and treat
age and modern society related diseases. EFA’s, Vitamin D and E are typical
examples. They provide anti-oxidant protection against chronic diseases. However
most people are deficient and need supplementation. I
always use nutrition response testing as part of your treatment to see what nutritional
gaps exist, what foods you need to avoid and what supplements you need to
take and in what amounts. I
encourage you to set up an appointment if you haven’t been checked for a
while. This may be just what you need to get back on track of leading a long,
healthy, quality life! Yours in good health, Dr. Samuel R.
Jamieson P.S. Read more of
my newsletters at http://www.jamiesonhealthcenter.com/archive.htm |
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Inflammation – the fire within. Normal inflammation – promotes
healing. Most of us know what inflammation is. It’s the natural
reaction of our body’s healing system that occurs in the affected cells and
adjacent tissues of our body as a response to an injury. When a child hurts his knee, histamines are
released who usher in the phagocytes to fight the invaders as well as platelets
to heal and seal the injury. It is confined to that location, serves
a purpose of healing and ends when the problem is resolved. The same happens
in the tissues as a response to an abnormal stimulation caused by a
physical, chemical or biological substance or invader. This is healthy
inflammation. Abnormal or chronic inflammation – promotes disease. However, what many of
us don’t realize is that sometimes inflammation to an abnormal physical,
chemical or biological substance becomes chronic and doesn’t end when the
problem is resolved. It extends beyond its appointed limits in space and
time. The inflammatory process starts
unleashing some of the immune system's most sophisticated weaponry, including
enzymes that can rupture cell walls and digest vital components of cells and
tissues. When inflammation targets normal tissues, when it just won't quit,
it is abnormal and promotes disease rather than healing. Abnormal
inflammation has been linked to a wide range of diseases, including cancer,
coronary heart disease, stroke and the autoimmune diseases--Type 1 diabetes,
multiple sclerosis, rheumatic fever, rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus. Chronic disease and inflammation, a result of modern life. So what causes it?
Adjacent figure 1 from a 2009 article in the British
Journal of Nutrition, describes how the environment and lifestyle effects the
development of chronic disease through inflammation, also showing that you
don’t need to be obese to suffer from inflammation. How to avoid inflammation. As the
British Journal of Nutrition further describes, researchers have identified a
number of inducers of inflammation (both pro- and anti-) in the body. A list
of those is shown in Table 1: Figure 1
The left-hand
side of Table 1 lists inducers with evidence of a pro-inflammatory response. As well as
obesity and weight gain, this includes excessive alcohol, acute excess energy
intake, a Western-style diet and a range of nutritive factors including
saturated and transfats, and
excessive fructose- and glucose-rich foods. Non-nutritive
factors include inadequate sleep, smoking, stress and depression. While some
of these (e.g. inactivity, excess energy intake) can cause weight gain, this
is not a prerequisite for chronic inflammation to occur. Nutrient
overload from acute excessive energy intake, for example, even in the absence
of weight gain, can abnormally tax the intracellular metabolism, cause acute
oxidative stress, possibly disrupt normal protein folding in the endoplasmic
reticulum and lead to the accumulation of intracellular metabolites,
activating inflammatory pathways and inducing insulin resistance. Similarly, a
high glycemic index load, or even an excess of
otherwise benign low glycemic index foods, can have
an inflammatory effect in the absence of obesity. At the other extreme, a
similar response results from extended fasting. Paradoxically,
there are also similar pro-inflammatory effects of both inactivity and
excessive exercise, suggesting a healthy range of certain lifestyle actions,
above or below which there is a negative metabolic outcome. Table 1 Adopt anti-inflammatory
inducers. Interestingly,
the pro-inflammatory inducers shown in Table 1 are all relatively new to the
human environment. The British Journal of Nutrition suggests that these
pro-inflammatory inducers and the increase in chronic disease are linked to
modernity, and to economic growth, which is the primary driver of modernity. This
is supported by the identification of the inducers with evidence of an anti-inflammatory
effect listed on the right-hand side of Table 1. Anti-inflammatory responses have
been associated with physical activity and fitness, a healthy lifestyle
change including smoking cessation, weight loss and a reduced energy intake,
a ‘Mediterranean’ style, or a varied diet, and a range of nutritive factors
including a moderate alcohol intake, fish, fruits and vegetables, herbs and
spices, nuts, etc, all of which have been part of the human diet throughout
history. Your lifestyle choices define your quality of life. The British
Journal of Nutrition not only describes that inflammatory environmental
inducers and the increase in chronic diseases are linked with modernity and
with economic growth, but furthermore, it says that epidemiological data
suggests diminishing returns in aspects of health from economic growth beyond
a certain point in advanced economies. This supports a view becoming more and
more prevalent that investment in growth beyond a certain point begins to
yield diminishing returns of health. So what can
be done to counteract this environment initiated epidemic, given that a
return to a pre-industrial society is unlikely? There is a need for an array
of workable solutions at many levels of modern society, and away from an
isolated view of health as simply being a pharmaceutical problem. We know
that a major economic paradigm shift is unlikely to happen in the immediate
future. However each
one of us can make healthy lifestyle choices and do what’s best for our
health to the best of our knowledge. Hence a reason why we take the time to
write this newsletter and educate you on what you can do to avoid chronic
disease. After all, you are in charge of your health. Your lifestyle choices
define your quality of life, both now and in the future. From the British Journal of Nutrition (2009), 102, 1238-1242. |
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Eat healthy whole foods and take your supplements. Here
are the facts as I see them. I have always maintained that supplemental
nutrients are not substitutes for the whole foods that contain them. Taking
supplements does not excuse you from eating a healthy diet. This is
particularly true for the micronutrients. Take a good daily multivitamin-multimineral supplement as insurance against gaps in your
diet. The more regularly we supply our bodies with antioxidants and phytonutrients, the better our health. Most of us simply
can't do that with food, hence the need for supplements. Apart
from providing insurance against gaps in the diet, supplements can provide
optimum dosages of natural therapeutic agents that may help prevent and treat
age-related diseases. ·
Consider
vitamin E. Oil-rich seeds and nuts are
the main food source of it. Many studies suggest that doses in the range of
200 IUs to 400 IUs of alpha-tocopherol (or, better,
80 mg to 160 mg of the whole complex, including tocotrienols)
offer great antioxidant protection against common age-related diseases. Nuts
are good for you, but you would have to eat far too many to get that amount
of vitamin E. ·
Consider
vitamin D. We get vitamin D from the
sun. Unfortunately most people I know are sun phobic and are therefore
vitamin D deficient. What’s more, new
research shows that high serum levels of vitamin D can help curtail insomnia and
sleep apnea and ensure deep restorative sleep, which is very important to
fight age related chronic diseases. ·
Consider
Essential Fatty Acids. The ratio of omega-6 to
omega-3 fats has changed dramatically due to the widespread use of vegetable
oils in cooking and to the processing of omega-3 oils to improve shelf life
and eliminate their strong taste. (Think non-fishy cod-liver oil). Historic
estimates place the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 oils at nearly 1:1 in
prehistoric humans. By the turn of the century (1900), the ratio had
increased to about 4:1. Today, in the US the ratio is 25:1. Maintaining a healthy balance
between all of the dietary fats may be one of the most important preventative
measures a person can take to reduce the likelihood of developing one of the
diseases of modern day civilization, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke,
irritable bowel syndrome, Alzheimer’s and autoimmune disease. And for
patients who already have one of those diseases, EFA testing and therapy has
demonstrated to reduce both morbidity and mortality associated with these
diseases. For more information, read our newsletters about the truth about fats
and transfats. I
always use nutrition response testing as part of your treatment to see what nutritional
gaps exist, what foods to avoid and what supplements you need to take and in
what amounts. If you haven’t been seen for a while, I encourage you to set up
an appointment. This may be just what you need to get back on track of
leading a long, healthy, quality life! |
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JAMIESON
HEALTH CENTER
Applied Kinesiology Nutrition Emotional Stress Relief Total Body Modification Advanced Neurofeedback 1175
Saratoga Ave, Ste 8 San Jose, CA
95129 Phone
408.517.0706 Email drjamieson@sbcglobal.net Visit us on the Web! |
Seminars we’ve taken. Since I want to make a difference in
your lives and that of your children, I’m constantly trying to keep up with
the latest developments in healing practices, clinical research and new
discoveries in the area of integrative holistic medicine. To that end, I have
attended the following seminars and conferences over the last several months: ·
International College
of Applied Kinesiology – annual conference ·
The Neuorendocrine-Immunology of Hepatic
Detoxification ·
Functional Neurology
– ongoing at the Carrick Institute of Neurology ·
Understanding
the complexity of gluten sensitivity ·
Breaking the
complex web of leaky gut ·
Neurochemistry
of childhood brain developmental disorders ·
The neuroendocrine immunology of andropause ·
The neuroendocrine immunology of perimenopause ·
The aging brain ·
The brain-gut
axis ·
Nutrition
Response Testing ·
NeuroIntegration therapy– Level
1 and Level 2 training ·
Alpha/Theta
training with neurofeedback ·
Deep States training
with neurofeedback – level 2 ·
Level 2 advanced
neurofeedback training ·
Alpha-Theta
advanced training ·
Autoimmune
regulation ·
Functional Endocrinology ·
Metabolic
Biotransformation: an overview of detoxification and weight management ·
Restoring
Gastrointestinal Health ·
Practical Blood
Chemistry ·
Neurotransmitters
and Brain ·
The
Thyroid-Brain–Immuno Connection ·
Restorative
Endocrinology: Balancing Female Hormones in Menopausal Women ·
Restorative
Endocrinology: Balancing Hormones in Cycling Women ·
The Impacts of Estrogen
on the NeuroEndocrine-Immune Axis ·
Restorative
Endocrinology: Balancing Male Hormones ·
Advanced
Nutrition Therapeutics for Addictions and OCD Some
patients have asked about previous newsletters and they can be found on our
website at http://www.jamiesonhealthcenter.com/archive.htm |
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