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Your gut microbiome — which includes all the beneficial bacteria, yeast and viruses that normally live in your digestive tract — keeps your immune system healthy and your intestinal lining strong.  But if you develop a condition called dysbiosis — which can be too many “bad” microbes (bacteria, yeast, or parasites), or not enough good ones — you have an increased risk of damage to your intestinal lining and increased intestinal permeability (a.k.a. Leaky Gut).  This is a problem because when the barrier function is lost, all types of good and bad bacteria, pathogens and undigested food can cross over from the gut and gain access to your body and your immune system, thus triggering a five alarm fire which we feel as inflammation. This is one way that people develop food sensitivities.

Remember, your gut (which includes your stomach, and your small and large intestines) is your first line of defense, and every day new research shows us that your gut microbiome communicates with every system and organ in your body — your cardiovascular, endocrine, respiratory, nervous, urinary and reproductive systems. Your gut is connected to your brain and mood. It’s even connected to your skin, hair and nails. 

I hope by now you can see why all of us at Blum Center for Health, and in the world of Functional Medicine, believe that The Number One thing you can do right now for your health….is….take care of your gut microbiome!

Here are 9 Telltale Signs Your Gut Needs Attention

• You have gotten sick multiple times this winter
• Have heartburn, reflux, IBS, diarrhea or constipation
• Have fatigue or brain fog
• Are feeling puffy or inflamed
• Have inflammatory conditions like arthritis, autoimmune, heart disease, obesity or diabetes
• Have food sensitivities or reactions to food
• Have mood issues, such as depression and anxiety
• Have difficulty losing weight

Let’s talk about the many different types of gut issues.  If you have gas or bloating after you eat, or if you experience constipation and/or loose stools, or any type of intestinal discomfort, this means that you have a problem with how your gut is functioning. If you go to a conventional doctor they will commonly diagnose you with irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS. But, this diagnosis doesn’t tell you why you’re having this problem, and they’ll likely prescribe medication to control the symptoms, which by the way only makes the imbalance worse in the long run. 

Here are three tips to heal your gut, which will not only treat your symptoms, but address the underlying problem.  And keep your immune system happy, too.

• For your digestive symptoms, find out whether or not you’ve got food sensitivities, which could be causing the problem. The food you eat is the number one influencer on your gut bacteria, too. One way to figure it out is to follow a functional medicine elimination food plan.  Simply remove gluten, dairy, soy, corn and eggs for 3 weeks and then add them back one food at a time every 3 days.  Sometimes you don’t know if you feel better when the food is removed, but be very careful when reintroducing each food, usually that’s when you really find out.
  
  
• Help balance your gut microbiome with supplements: 1) We use herbal antimicrobials to help remove or “prune” the undesirables living in your gut 2) l-glutamine to help shore up the lining of your small and large intestines and treat leaky gut and 3) probiotics (good gut bacteria as a supplement) to help influence the gut ecosystem and immune system.  Depending on the severity of your gut symptoms, you may also need digestive enzymes.
  
  
• Reduce stress by learning resiliency techniques. Stress is the 2nd biggest influencer on the microbiome – in a bad way. It can affect the bacteria directly, impair motility and cortisol itself can directly damage the intestinal lining.  We suggest learning strategies for relaxation that work for you, as this will help heal and protect you from developing dysbiosis and leaky gut. 

We have multiple ways to support the health of your gut at Blum Center.  

• Book a consultation with Melissa Rapoport, our Functional Medicine Health Coach, who can help get to the root of your stomach issues with testing and a lifestyle plan. 
  
  
• Our 10-Day and 30-Day HealMyGut boxes are a great way to clear out the bad gut bugs
  
  
• Stress plays a big role in the functioning of your gut.  Join one of our online meditation classes and learn how to regulate your stress response. 

It’s that time … spring returns to the farmers market! Radishes, spinach, lettuce, peas, rhubarb and cherries, oh my! Bring on the spring produce!

While perusing the seasonal produce at the Farmers’ Market it occurred to me:

Farmer’s markets make people happy.

I hear an all-too-common lament at my coaching practice at Blum Center for Health: “Ever since lockdown I don’t feel as connected to people as I used to.” There’s a sense of loss and loneliness in those words. 

But, imagine shoppers meandering the stalls, slowing down to chat with other shoppers, exchanging pleasantries and conversing with the farmers who grow their food. 

Farmers Markets create connection.

It’s an easy place to strike up a conversation. “Oh, those are beautiful. Have you ever cooked with them?” If you are looking to connect with like-minded people, meet someone with whom you can be conversant, or perhaps you’re looking for a local meet-up group, give it a try. Go with the intention of starting a conversation with three people. Just practice talking with strangers. You’ll see … with each successful conversation it becomes easier and easier.

Before you know it your walk through the Farmers’ Market will be teeming with new acquaintances.

Farmers Markets create activity. 

The Farmers Market also provides the perfect setting for a fun evening with family or friends. Meet at the market, collect ingredients for your meal, take your bounty home and cook a meal together. Channel your inner designer and dress a beautifully set table. Marvel, appreciate and savor a truly farm-to-table meal prepared with the freshest ingredients and with love and care. It makes for a memorable meal, a feast for the senses.

Farmers Markets create community.

Research demonstrates repeatedly that social connection is a key to longevity, improved mental health, and a general sense of happiness. As reported in National Public Radio’s program, This Emotional Life, “…people are happier when they are with other people than when they are alone… They also are finding that happy people are more pleasant, helpful, and sociable. So being around people makes us feel happier, and when we are happier we are more fun to be around, creating an “upward spiral” of happiness.”

In essence, connecting with others is the single most important thing we can do for our happiness.

This notion of connectedness at a Farmers Market runs much deeper than solely a place to meet others. It is an interconnected system that serves to reconnect us to our rural roots, the earth, and reminds us that we have a critical responsibility to be part of the food cycle, rather than just buyers at the local supermarket.

Farmers Markets are good for the Earth.

The benefits of farmers markets are myriad. They:

If you haven’t already, it’s time to fall in love with the Farmers Market. Play an active role in the farm-to-table movement. Stay open, smile, speak to people. At the very least you might just walk away with a smile and a great recipe!

About Melissa Rapoport: A skilled listener, Melissa empowers her clients to achieve their goals by working together to create tools and strategies that are unique to each person that walks through her door. Her passion is to look at the whole person and, like a detective, find their keys to success, incorporating health goals with topics as diverse as dealing with stress, eating healthy while managing a busy life, increasing joy and creating powerful self-care practices.

You’ve heard the buzz around NAD+ and its longevity and anti-aging benefits. Is it all hype or is this antioxidant cocktail really the fountain of youth? While it’s not an age reversing time machine, NAD+ does have many superior benefits for longevity.  But just because it’s good for you, do you really need it?  

So that you can decide whether to give it a try, here is exactly how NAD works:

✔ ️ Keeps mitochondria healthy: Your mitochondria are like power plants in your cells. NAD+ keeps them running smoothly by turning the food you eat into energy.  This keeps your body running, from your heart pumping to your brain thinking. As you get older, your NAD+ levels naturally go down, which can make your cells less efficient at creating energy, and potentially causing fatigue. Mitochondria are easily damaged, too, from environmental toxins and infections, causing a higher demand for more NAD in your system. 

✔ ️Repairs damaged DNA: Every day, your DNA gets damaged by things like sunlight, pollution, and even normal processes inside your body. NAD+ helps fix this damage. Keeping your DNA healthy is important for preventing aging-related problems like cancer or chronic diseases.

✔️ Supports sirtuins: Sirtuins are special proteins in your body that help protect cells and control aging. They need NAD+ to do their job. Think of sirtuins as the repair crew, and NAD+ is the fuel they need to get to work.

✔ ️ Fights inflammation: Chronic inflammation (when your body stays “on alert” for too long, causing tissue damage) can speed up aging and lead to diseases. NAD+ helps calm this inflammation by supporting the right cellular pathways.

How to know where to start and if NAD+ is right for you?

As a longevity strategy, NAD+ declines with age, therefore supplementing it with weekly or monthly infusions, will give your mitochondria a boost, help cells work better, stay healthier, and maybe even slow down the aging process! 

As treatment for fatigue, then trying a series of 4 NAD drips weekly or bi-weekly might be just what your mitochondria need.  If you’ve had Covid, Lyme, mold or other toxin- or infectious related illnesses, because they target and damage the mitochondria, NAD IV’s can be an important cornerstone of your recovery.

What can you expect?  You should notice a slight improvement each time, but you might not know for sure if it’s helping until you finish a series of a minimum of 4 drips, and perhaps 8 drips if you are recovering from a chronic illness.  Both new and current patients can come to Blum Center for NAD, but if you aren’t sure, we recommend messaging your provider, or if you are new to us, then schedule a IV consult with Marie to decide if this IV is right for you.  

You’ve likely heard the stories of people being sick for years, visiting doctor after doctor, only to learn that their symptoms (when they finally find the right healthcare provider) are the result of mold toxicity. Of course, we immediately think of the highly publicized black mold found in water damaged buildings. 

But did you know that mycotoxins found in food can be equally dangerous?

Mycotoxins are naturally-occurring compounds that are produced by fungi (molds, yeasts and mushrooms).There are over 400 different mycotoxins, and unfortunately any of them can cause health problems. Because there are so many different mycotoxins, symptoms of toxin exposure might attack one organ or be diffuse, causing many symptoms that don’t seem to be related. 

Unlike mold itself which is a living organism and susceptible to being destroyed by medications or your immune system, mycotoxins are actual toxins produced by the mold and can deposit in your body’s tissues and persist for years.  They aren’t destroyed by your immune system and in fact can wreak havoc in your body long after the exposure is gone. They need to be cleared out by your body’s detox system.  

Issues Related to Mycotoxin Exposure

• Allergies
• Asthma
• Risk for Cancer 
• Changes in cognition and/or mood 
• Diseases affecting the liver and kidneys
• Eye infections and irritation
• Fungal infections, such as nails and vagina
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol 
• Nasal irritation and sinusitis
• Respiratory infections
• Skin infections
• Damaged immune system 

Foods that Harbor Mycotoxins

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) about 25% of the world’s agricultural products are contaminated with mycotoxins.  Several factors contribute to the presence of mycotoxins in food – climate, pests and harvesting and storage practices. 

Here at Blum Center for Health we often test for toxins and of the hundreds of mycotoxins, here are the most prevalent we find and their implication on your health: 

AFLATOXINS: Known for its carcinogenic and toxic effects, aflatoxins also affect the liver, and suppress your immune system. It has been classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Aflatoxins are often found in peanuts, corn, rice, coffee beans and tree nuts, particularly in warm and humid environments where mold growth is more common. 

CITRININ: This mycotoxin is primarily associated with liver and kidney damage, and impairs cell function due to mitochondrial damage. It is often found in wheat, corn, rice, apples, nuts and red yeast rice

FUMONISINS: These mycotoxins cause liver, kidney and nerve damage. Researchers have also found a link between fumonisins and esophageal cancer and birth defects. They are one of the most prevalent fungi associated with contamination of corn and other grains, including wheat, barley, oat, sorghum, rice, rye and millet.

OCHRATOXINS: Ochratoxins have been shown to be toxic to the kidneys, liver, cause cancers, weaken the immune system and are considered toxic to embryos. It has been suggested that ochratoxins are associated with neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.  It is found in barley, oats, rye, wheat, coffee beans, and other plant products, with barley having a particularly high likelihood of contamination.  It is also frequently found in pork products. 

TRICHOTHECENES: These mycotoxins are known to induce gastrointestinal issues, including vomiting and diarrhea. They can also cause skin and neurological symptoms. They are found mainly in corn, but can also be found in other grains, such as wheat, oats, barley, rye, sorghum and rice.     

ZEARALENONES: Zearalenones are known hormone distruptors. They are a type of phytoestrogen (plant-based estrogen) which mimics estrogen in the body. They impact the reproductive system as well as damage the liver as suppress the immune system. While zearalenones are found primarily in water-damaged buildings, they are also found in corn, wheat, barely and rice. 

Your Liver is An Incredible Organ

Although the human body has an innate capacity to detoxify itself, people now are exposed to a level of consumer, agricultural, and industrial toxins that we are no longer able to handle. 

Toxins do all sorts of damage: they gradually clog the liver, block insulin-receptor sites, damage the genes, and undermine DNA repair and recovery. As noted earlier, they contribute to inflammation, blood-sugar problems, digestive problems, mitochondrial disorders, low energy, immune and a host of other problems. When toxins build up over time to overload your body, they gradually undermine your health and cause disease. 

Think of it this way: You want to keep your overall toxin load as low as possible. It could be any one that tips the scale. While it’s important to identify the main culprits so that you can reduce your exposure, it’s not necessary to know this for treatment purposes.  Therefore, we recommend  addressing toxins in the body by taking a broad spectrum approach to reduce all toxins.  

The Good News: You Can Protect Yourself from Mycotoxins

• Buy the freshest possible food – think local!
• Buy low residue organic coffee
• Store nuts and seeds in the fridge and do not purchase them out of large bulk bins
• Inspect grains, nuts, seeds before eating or cooking with them and discard anything that looks discolored, moldy or doesn’t feel good
• Buy organic, non-GMO products
• Minimize processed food grain products, including breads, crackers, rice and others
• Don’t keep foods for extended periods of time before being used

The good news is … elevated mycotoxins are not only preventable, they’re also reversible. 

Ready to assess your toxin load and learn what you need to do to bring your body back into equilibrium? Join the 3-Day Toxin Reset where you will learn:

Day 1: What are toxins and how they are connected to your health

Day 2: Where in your past and in your daily life are toxins found

Day 3: What you can do about it using food as medicine, supplementation and minimizing exposure

We begin February 15th … >>>> I’m In! <<<<