Environmental Research Center

Healthy Habits for the Holidays!

The holidays are rolling in and everyone is wondering what that’s going to look like with covid and the flu looming in the background. You might feel like all of that is out of your control but there are some small things we can all do that make a big difference! We might not be able to help you arrange your travel plans or survive TSA after securing your Thanksgiving PTO but we can help you mitigate the strain red eye travel and staying with your in-laws might put on your body. 


There is a lot of advice floating around out there but we’ve picked our favorite pieces and given you our top highlights here. These are simple steps we can all do to stay well. 


  1. Stay hydrated. This is a rule for everyday life as well as the holiday season but it's even more important when your body is dealing with additional stress. Traveling or just the blur of holiday plans can be exhausting. Make sure you are giving your body what it needs to purge any unwanted toxins weighing you down.  

  2. Prioritize your sleep. This is a hard one but if you are able, sticking as close to your normal sleep schedule will help you balance out those additional stressors on a hormonal level. Sleep not only helps maintain you energy level and brain function so you can tackle the challenges of the holidays but it also keeps your cortisol levels in check!

  3. Don’t forget exercise. You might be tempted to just put your entire workout regime on hold once you start getting busy but even a reduced exercise regimen is better than nothing! Make sure you set aside some time to take a walk or stretch. Once the rush is over, it will be so much easier to pick your regular workout schedule back up if you don’t completely quit for two months!

  4. Enjoy the food in moderation. This is a good rule of thumb for everyday life as well but while you enjoy the holiday favorites, don’t buy into the “stuffed as the Thanksgiving turkey” mindset. Listen to your body and let the only thing overly full of stuffing be the bird. 

  5. Drink responsibly. This one is more about the impact alcohol has on other parts of your body. Alcohol can impact your ability to get quality sleep (yes, even when it makes you sleep) as your body works to metabolize it. We also know that alcohol can have a negative effect on the endocrine system which helps to regulate the immune system as well as the regulation of your hormones overall. Best practice is to give yourself a margin between drinking and going to bed so you can still get that quality sleep to offset some of the other negative impacts of alcohol. 

  6. Practice Excellent Hygiene! We can’t stress this one enough. As you travel from place to place or just spend a little more time in several different grocery stores to get the kind of pickles your great aunt likes and the only brand of cranberry sauce your son will eat, make sure you wash your hands and limit touching your face! Even if you have sworn off of public bathrooms, there’s no way to know if the person before you has and washed their hands before using your cart. Wash off the world before preparing food or eating!

  7. Make a little time for yourself! Last but not least, make sure that you set aside some time for yourself. This is a time of group plans and social engagements but don’t forget to take a little time for yourself. Journal, do some yoga, or just touch some grass. Do something to just decompress from all the rush about. It will help your stress level and allow your to continue to do without being done in. Self care for the win!

We hope you enjoy this holiday season whether you are able to head home or connect with those you love, or if you are splitting a TV dinner special with your cat. Prioritizing you health as we head into the end of this year is paramount! Happy holiday everyone!

Resources: 

Rachdaoui, N., & Sarkar, D. K. (2013). Effects of alcohol on the endocrine system. Endocrinology and metabolism clinics of North America, 42(3), 593–615. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecl.2013.05.008



Receipts and BPA: A Sneaky Truth

There’s nothing quite as mundane as having a waiter hand you several receipts to wade through and sign at the end of a meal or a cashier asking if you want your receipt in the bag with your groceries. It’s a common occurrence most of us think nothing of. We’d probably never assume that such an everyday miscellaneous item was endangering us and our entire families? The receipt has become a vehicle for one of the most potent doses of Bisphenol A(BPA) that the average person encounters on a regular basis. Let’s take a look.

Chances are you have heard of BPA. Maybe you don’t know what all the talk is really about or fully understand the details but you’ve probably noticed that over the last decade, a lot of plastic products have gone out of their way to announce and advertise the fact that they have eliminated BPA in their products. BPA-free might be on a water bottle you have or maybe a set of tupperware. BPA-free would suggest that BPA is something no one would want to store their food in and without even knowing it, you might now look for that assurance when picking up a new dish. 

Indeed, BPA is a pretty serious culprit. It’s been categorized as an endocrine disruptor which in turn alters the proper balance of a person’s sex and thyroid hormones, which as you might know, control a vast array of other systems within the body. Unsurprisingly, it’s linked to infertility and low sperm quality as well as miscarriages and preterm birth. In adolescents, it’s linked to the impaired development of genitalia and improper sexual function. In some cases, BPA has triggered early puberty. Asthma and imparited immune function have been noted as well.

 In addition, BPA is detrimental to cardiovascular and metabolic health, ushering in ailments such as Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, obesity,high cholesterol and poor liver function. Not to be left out, there are also strong ties between BPA and breast, ovarian and prostate cancer. With so many consequences of BPA exposure, it’s little wonder companies are working so hard to eliminate it from their products. 

Unfortunately, the discovery of BPA in thermal receipt paper is a big blow to those who have been trying to steer clear of this chemical for years. Receipts were found to contain 250 to 1000 times greater than what was found in the liner of food containers!! Even holding a receipt for 60 seconds results in a measurable increase in BPA in the blood. Researchers have also found that if your hands are damp or wet with lotion or sanitizer or even water, the speed of BPA absorption into the skin is significantly higher. 

So, what to do? Well, for starters, anytime you are posed with the question of whether or not you want the receipt for something you know you will not return, decline! Take a picture for your records if you need to keep track and touch the actual receipt as little as possible. Wash your hands directly after handling a receipt and especially before preparing food. Keep your kids away from them altogether if you can! Advocate for your favorite places to switch totally to electronic receipts that you can recieve on your phone! Let’s make this a win-win for every business in the US!

The Omegas: Consumption and Class

Last time we talked about what omega 3, omega 6, and omega 9 do in the body! They are fantastic at supporting cardiovascular health and reducing chronic inflammation when in the correct balance! Now that we know how important they are, let’s dig a little deeper and look at where we can get each different type so we can attain the ideal balance! 

Omega 9 is the only category that is produced in the body so we are a little less concerned with ingesting it in a certain amount. However, foods like olive oil, avocado oil, peanut oil and even the same oily fish foods that support omega 3 will also provide some omega 9! 

Similarly, Omega 6 can be found in oils but instead of olive oil, corn, sunflower, safflower, sesame and grapeseed oil are going to be the best sources. The reason that the American diet has such an unhealthy imbalance of omegas is because omega 6 is in a ton of processed foods and is much easier to obtain. Corn chips, tofu, peanut butter, cured meats, fast food and even cake have considerable amounts of Omega 6. It's very likely that you won’t have to focus on getting Omega 6 but rather limiting it to some extent in order to get into that sweet spot of a 1:1 or at least 1:4 ratio (Omega 3 : Omega 6).

Omega 3 comes from foods like green leafy veggies, avocados, fish and other seafood. It is especially high in fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, herring and sardines. It is also present in nuts and seeds like chia and flaxseed as well as the oils made from these foods. 

There are 3 main types of Omega 3s: Alpha-linolenic acid(AHA), Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and Docosahexaenoic acid(DHA). AHA is the simplest form of Omega 3. It is less essential than EPA and DHA but is found in high amounts in some plant based foods like walnuts, chia seeds, flaxseeds, etc. It also converts to EPA and DHA through a low efficiency process so the high amounts found in these foods are an advantage. ALA’s biggest benefit is it’s link to the decreased risk of heart disease by helping to maintain normal heart rhythm and pumping. It’s also used to reduce the hardening of blood vessels and high blood pressure. 

EPA is found in cold-water fish like tuna, mackerel, salmon, and even the blubber of bigger animals like seals and whales. It is most commonly used to reduce triglyceride levels. It is also instrumental in supporting heart health. Additionally, EPA is used in treating depression and recovering from the side effects of chemotherapy. Also, EPA has been effective in treating the symptoms of menopause. Not only is it useful in treating the low moods that are sometimes associated with this life change but it also reduces the frequency of hot flashes. EPA like DHA is anti-inflammatory and is also effective in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. It’s also thought that EPA is instrumental in the mental development of children and may even support the burning of excess fat before it is stored. 

DHA, like EPA, is found in the highest amounts in seafood. The highest foods include salmon, tuna, herring, mackerel and sardines. DHA makes up about 97% of the omega-3 in the brain and so it’s no surprise that eating it is helpful for things like ADHD and dementia. It also carries most of the same health benefits as EPA, but also supports cancer prevention and some eye conditions. 

Both EPA and DHA can also be obtained with a supplement made from algae, grass fed meat, dairy or enriched products. If you do pick up a supplement, it is important that you get your product tested by a third party as omega supplements are vulnerable to mercury contamination (due to the mercury content in their source fish/algae) as well as adulteration. 

https://fullscript.com/blog/epa





Fatty Acids: The Omega Family

Let’s talk about fatty acids! You’ve probably heard in passing that Omega 3 fatty acids are good for you but maybe you haven’t had a chance to find out what they are all about and how they are different from Omega 6s and Omega 9s. Let’s hit the basics! Omega 3s are polyunsaturated fats that are not naturally produced in the body but have to be absorbed from one’s diet. They are named after the fact that their last double bond (chemical bond) is positioned three carbon atoms from the end of the molecular chain (or the omega). Thus, Omega 3! The same is true of Omega 6 and 9! The main difference being, as you probably guessed, the position of that last double bond. Omega 9 has two additional significant differences in that it is monounsaturated, possessing only one double bond AND it is actually produced in the body so there’s less need to focus on getting it through supplements or your diet. 

Now, what you might not know is that while Omega 6 is good for you, it, like many things in life, is only good for you in moderation. There is a specific ratio recommended for Omega 6 and 3 that should be maintained. Ideally, you should get as close to a 1:1 ratio as you can but a 1:4 ratio is thought to be acceptable (Omega 3: Omega 6). It’s thought that Americans typically eat foods that equate to a ratio closer to 1:17 or higher. This unbalance basically reverses a lot of the beneficial effects of Omega 6. Some of the side effects include elevated cholesterol levels, weakened immune systems, and a significant increase in inflammation. This increase in inflammation creates the perfect environment for chronic inflammatory diseases such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis,  inflammatory bowel disease, metabolic syndrome and even Alzheimer’s. 

Now, inflammation is not bad on it’s own. In fact, we need inflammation to respond to attacks on the body. However, being in a constant state of inflammation is bad and that’s what an unbalanced ratio of omega 3 and 6 contributes to. Balanced properly, the Omega fatty acids reduce harmful levels of inflammation and improve brain function and blood flow and are overall very supportive of heart health. They may even play a role in preventing certain forms of cancer! Omega 9 also supports the reduction of harmful inflammation with a specific focus on the skin. It adds to the positive effects of balanced omega 3 and omega 6 supporting an increase in HDL cholesterol while lowering LDL, improving heart health. Together Omega 3, 6, and 9 promote the healthful functioning of many of the body's most vital systems.

Next time we will dig a little deeper and discuss how to support and include all three omega fatty acids in your diet!

Got Milk...Problems?

Got Milk…Problems? 

Whether you are a 13-year-old pug taking the world by storm or a young, human athlete trying to build a solid physiological foundation for success, everyone wants strong bones. If you grew up in the 90s, milk was touted to be the best way to strengthen bones as it contained high amounts of calcium. The iconic “Got Milk?” commercials were in their prime, presenting a spectrum of unlikely events hinging on the need and lack of milk! Many probably remember the fateful commercial where a mom in her two kids witness their older neighbor who never drinks milk comically losing both arms while lifting a heavy wheelbarrow. It was “common knowledge” that milk supported bone health and was necessary for healthy kids! Even now there are a number of experts that still believe milk is the fastest way to get a spectrum of nutrients, including calcium, quickly and easily. When research came out discussing how milk leaches some calcium from your bones, the pro-milk group claimed that while milk leaches some calcium from the body, it also adds significantly more, having an overall positive impact.  So, what does the research actually show about the consumption of milk?

Research shows that while excellent for baby cows, cow's milk is not particularly healthy or necessary for growing humans. It is, in fact, linked to vascular congestion and weight gain. Additionally, while human breast milk is an important part of human nutrition, cow’s milk is instead an integral part of the development of gastrointestinal issues. More than half of the global population is thought to have some level of lactose intolerance. It’s also been tied to several different types of acne and other types of dermatitis. 

What about bone health? Well, for one notable group, older women, research shows that there is no real link between milk and protection against osteoporosis. Additionally, in another study, drinking milk increased the frequency of broken bones (brittleness) in men by 9%! The research as a whole seems to agree that limiting milk is best for bone health. Even if one cup a day doesn’t hurt your bones significantly, more is shown to be measurably detrimental. Besides that, higher dairy consumption has been linked to several forms of cancer, including ovarian cancer, and is thought to be a possible trigger for Type 1 diabetes. It’s also known to raise cholesterol and increase a population's risk of multiple sclerosis. 

What about all that calcium? Not only does milk leach calcium from your bones but it isn’t the best form of calcium for the human body to absorb! There are many other better sources of calcium that don’t carry as many deleterious side effects. Leafy greens, tofu, plant-based milk or even a clean supplement might be a better source of the calcium you need. Additionally, as far as strong bones go, the research also found that more than taking calcium or drinking it, exercise is the best way to support strong bones! So maybe give that 2% a break and instead eat well and keep moving! 

Resources: 

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190408-should-we-drink-milk-to-strengthen-bones

https://www.pcrm.org/news/blog/white-lies-five-myths-debunked

https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2018/08/christopher-gardner-busts-myths-about-milk.html

Milk intake and risk of hip fracture in men and women: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20949604/

Milk consumption during teenage years and risk of hip fractures in older adults https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24247817/

Got milk commercials https://youtu.be/0PAj5X4oYro 

Neonicotinoids: Death in the Dirt?

The agricultural industry in this country has always been a bulwark of our economy. We not only grow food for the United states but our crops are a huge part of our export industry as well. We ship products all over the world as well as providing food aid to a number of countries which increases and maintains the steady demand of products in our own market. This high level of demand requires a consistent and bountiful supply of goods and that necessity has contributed to the development and industrialization of the growing process over the last century.

In the last few decades in particular, we’ve used a number of chemicals to overcome what was once an unpredictable challenge when growing bulk amounts of food. That challenge being pests or more specifically insects. Insects are easily one of the main negative factors a grower must consider when planting and maintaining a crop. A specific insect is capable of wiping out an entire season's produce which could cripple and even bankrupt the grower. Some insects are named after the plant they devour as it is truly their only purpose in life. For this reason, millions of dollars in research and innovation is dedicated each year to combating the threat of pests. Plants have been modified to be less appealing to their common pests or more resistant to their attacks. They are made to be more resilient to their attacks and more capable of producing a larger crop that could more easily take the hit of some loss due to pests. Even with all of this, the biggest preventative measure most growers take to protect their crop is pesticide or insecticide use. Insecticides like Acetamiprid kill an insect after ingestion of the chemical-treated plant. Acetamiprid works by interrupting the brain signals within an insect's body causing an over-excited stage, a paralysis stage and finally death. Acetamiprid belongs to a class of insecticides known as neonicotinoids. 

Neonicotinoids are one of the most widely used classes of insecticide taking up more than 25% of the global insecticide market. They are chemically similar to nicotine which has raised a few questions within the scientific community. In rodents, the effects of acetamiprid in particular were seen to cause a similar neurological response as nicotine and it has been noted that in insects the effect of neonicotinoids can be several thousands times the strength of nicotine. While more research is needed to definitively say what this means for human ingestion, the formal recommendation is that, at the very least, neonicotinoids should be removed from the supply chain for baby food as the highest risk category observed was that of developing children. Neonicotinoids are absorbed through the roots and travel to every part of the plant so this risk could not be mitigated by peeling or washing the fruit or veggie. This fact is also the reason they are so detrimental to bees and other beneficial insects as they do not discriminate between victims and are a major contributing factor in our perilous losses in the bee population.

In addition to developmental risks for children, neonicotinoids or neonics have also been linked to erectile dysfunction, a decline in overall male fertility with neonics impacting sperm quality and quantity, shifting levels of estrogen in women, and a wide range of neurological illnesses such at autism and Alzheimer's disease. 

While industry leaders try to convince the public that neonicotinoids are completely safe for human consumption, the research suggests that regularly consuming any of these toxins will have negative results. As one expert pointed out, most industry research supporting their safety has done so by isolating each chemical and demonstrating how that one chemical's exposure alone is unlikely to exceed the recommended threshold for neonicotinoid exposure. However, the research shows that it is highly improbable that a person will only be exposed to one neonicotinoid at a time. More likely, an individual is exposed to 4 or 5 different chemicals at one time and this combined impact is strangely missing for industry reports. 

As always, we suggest buying local and getting to know where even your local food is coming from as a way to mitigating this issue. Take special care if you are expecting or feed a small child and get to know your local fruit stand seller. Maybe consider organic produce as you strive to eliminate or reduce the amount of neonicotinoids you consume. Not all organic produce is created equally but some will specifically be avoiding the use of synthetic chemicals. Dig a little deeper and eat better!

For more information on neonicotinoids and their diverse impacts on the human and bee populations, check out the resources listed below. 

Resources: 

Here is the link to "Potential pathways of pesticide action on erectile function – A contributory factor in male infertility": https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2305050015000305

Neonic Pesticides: Potential Risks to Brain and Sperm, https://www.nrdc.org/experts/jennifer-sass/neonic-pesticides-potential-risks-brain-and-sperm

Cimino, A. M., Boyles, A. L., Thayer, K. A., & Perry, M. J. (2017). Effects of Neonicotinoid Pesticide Exposure on Human Health: A Systematic Review. Environmental health perspectives, 125(2), 155–162. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP515

Kimura-Kuroda, J., Komuta, Y., Kuroda, Y., Hayashi, M., & Kawano, H. (2012). Nicotine-like effects of the neonicotinoid insecticides acetamiprid and imidacloprid on cerebellar neurons from neonatal rats. PloS one, 7(2), e32432. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0032432

Quan Zhang, Zhengbiao Lu, Chi-Hsuan Chang, Chang Yu, Ximing Wang, Chensheng Lu,Dietary risk of neonicotinoid insecticides through fruit and vegetable consumption in school-age children,Environment International,Volume 126,2019,Pages 672-681,ISSN 0160-4120,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2019.02.051.

Bacteria: The Unsung Hero

You might be tempted to think that all bacteria are bad bacteria but the truth is that we depend on a certain amount of bacteria for our bodies to function properly. Bacteria helps us break down food, fight infection, process vitamins and minerals and absorb nutrients. It also boosts our immune system and helps fight off infection. Some bacteria are harmful to the human body but ironically, we often use other types of bacteria to fight them and keep them under control. The human body is all about balance and the level of bacteria in our bodies is no different. 

Most people have had the need to take antibiotics at one point or another to combat an illness or infection. Sometimes, a doctor or nurse will tell you to eat yogurt after your pills. Why? It is because an antibiotic does not discriminate between the helpful bacteria in our bodies and the detrimental bateria. It wipes it all away as aggressively as possible. Then, you might feel nauseous or experience bloating afterwards for a week or more as your good bacteria slowly comes back. Yogurt, particularly greek yogurt, contains probiotics, a set of helpful bacteria, that may give you a push as your natural gut bacteria is recovering from the onslaught of antibiotics. Unfortunately, antibiotics are not the only things that can upset this balance of bacteria we need to thrive. Just consuming a poor diet can be detrimental to your microbiome, the combination of your beneficial bacteria and the other microorganisms that live symbiotically within the body. Not getting enough sleep, or experiencing too much stress can also have a negative impact. Smoking, daily or frequent alcohol consumption, and even a lack of physical activity can all contribute to an imbalance and lack of the bacterial support system we need to survive. 

While the best practice would be to fix some of these lifestyle issues in order to naturally balance and support your bacteria levels, supplemental probiotics are designed to give you an extra push when you need it. A probiotic supplement is often used when you know you will be under a lot of stress and want to support your body through it or when you are recovering from something like a two week round of antibiotics. There are refrigerated supplements as well as shelf-safe capsules and you might want to speak to your doctor to find out if either would be useful for you. Most importantly, you want to use a reputable company and test your probiotics to make sure you are getting what you paid for. A good supplement should come temperature protected if it needs to be refrigerated and all types should have a “best by” date guaranteeing their quality for a specified range of time. Probiotics should be live as their value is in what they “do” more than what they “are.” A dead probiotic cannot facilitate any of the beneficial processes we value them for so find a provider who protects their product and when in doubt, reach out! We would, as always, be happy to test a specific product for you. 

Resources:

Quick Facts about the Microbiome

Cleveland Clinic on Probiotics

A NIH “Need to Know” for Probiotics (Fantastic Resource for Continued Research)


Deadly Sweet

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What’s sweeter than sugar, calorie free, and wrapped in a weight-loss lie? If you guessed any sort of “diet dessert” you are right on track. If you’ve ever tried to lose weight you might have considered eating some of your favorite foods anyway but just switching to the “diet” version of that product. Diet soda, for example, is supposed to preserve the flavor you love so much but without any of the pesky calories you are attempting to cut out. If you ever thought to yourself, “Man, this seems too good to be true…” You were, in fact, correct. Studies from as far back as 1987 and as recently as last month, shine light on the fallacy of artificial sweeteners. Not only is your sugar-free product not likely to help you lose weight but it may cause the opposite effect! Even more notable is the possibility that it may cause a wide spectrum of even more serious health issues that go beyond obesity and its complications! 

The most common artificial sweeteners are saccharin, acesulfame, aspartame, neotame, and sucralose. These sweeteners have been approved for use by the FDA but each carries its own list of concerning statistics. All artificial sweeteners are considered to be potentially addictive and to reduce the body’s sensitivity to natural sweetness. This causes whole foods like fruit to be less appealing and foods that aren’t sweet at all to hold even less appeal. Sucralose in particular was noted in one study to increase the amount of food women and those overweight consumed by sending “hunger signals” to the brain, which encouraged the consumption of more calories overall than the control group. Saccharin in a study using lab rats was found to be more addictive than cocaine. Neotame, probably one of the newest additions to this group, is under scrutiny for a noticeable disruption of gut bacteria and negative effects to the gut microbiome and metabolism. Acesulfame has shown a similar propensity to cause a perturbation of the gut biome and has been linked to weight gain as a result. 

Last but not least, the most popular artificial sweetener, aspartame. You’ve probably heard a number or things for and against this additive but here are a few quick highlights. In 1987 there were hundreds of cases linking Nutrasweet (aspartame) to seizures and partial or full blindness! Eliminating the sweetener from the diet often resulted in full or partial recovery and the cessation of symptoms. In 1997 several studies linked Aspartame to not only brain tumors but also neuropsychiatric reactions from headaches to seizures, confusion, depression and even the acceleration of Alzheimer’s disease. The overwhelming recommendation was the removal of aspartame products from public use. In the early 2000s, the studies were a mix of industry-sponsored ones claiming aspartame was safe and independent studies reiterating the conclusions of the previous two decades. In the last 5 years, the list of countries banning Aspartame has grown but the US isn’t currently among them. Whatever side of this ongoing controversy you decide to stand on, there is definitely less risk in limiting or eliminating aspartame as much as possible. 

Artificial sweeteners might claim to carry very few or even zero calories but are they worth it if even a fraction of the claims and studies over the last 4 decades are true? Especially if their ultimate purpose, creating a way to consume sweet food while still losing weight, does not pan out? For the average person, eating real sugar in moderation may just be the safest option for now. Even better, we could eliminate processed sugars altogether and stick to whole foods! Fiber filled fruit for the win!

Disorderly Sleep and the Side Effects

We’ve talked a bit about the basics of sleep but let’s delve a little deeper into the dysfunction of sleep! A sleep disorder is basically any condition that interrupts your normal sleeping pattern. You’ve likely heard of a number of sleep disorders without ever looking into this subject. Insomnia for example is incredibly common and most would recognize it as the inability to fall asleep and/or stay asleep. Sleep apnea is also a commonly discussed disorder and is usually the culprit for loud snoring and abrupt and brief pauses in breathing. A popular one in the media is narcolepsy, when someone seems to fall asleep abruptly. More correctly they would be suffering from a cataplexy attack and may be fully conscious as it is happening. There are currently more than 80 recognized sleep disorders including parasomnia, circadian rhythm disorders and other hypersomnia besides narcolepsy. Sleep disorders can affect your overall health beyond just exhausting you. As we’ve discussed, sleep supports your physical, mental  and psychological health and as one might expect, sleep disorders impact all areas of your life. 

The causes of sleep disorders vary almost as heavily as the disorders themselves but there are some well-known origins. Often another condition or disorder can cause a sleep disorder. Things like heart disease, nerve disorders, chronic pain from arthritis or headaches, fibromyalgia can all be the root of a sleeping problem. Unfortunately, something like sleep apnea can also contribute to heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, stroke and other illnesses creating a cycle that feeds into itself and must be intentionally treated and broken out of. The same with mental health sources of sleep disorders such as depression and anxiety. An individual would need to take in the whole picture to be successful in treating one or the other.

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More than 30% of adults struggle with some form of insomnia.

So, how would one go about treating a sleep disorder? Some like narcolepsy require a diagnosis from a medical professional and their treatment might require medication but there is a lot one can do to optimize one’s chances of successfully treating a sleep disorder. First, monitoring one’s current sleep pattern and identifying the contributing factors to the disorder (whether that’s a medical diagnosis or acceptance of a known issue like insomnia). If you’ve been going to sleep at 1am consistently and having a coffee an hour before bed most nights, these might be things you need to evaluate and see if they are contributing to your inability to stay asleep. Are you stressed at your job? Have you noticed your depression from high school reasserting itself when you haven’t spiraled for years? Take a look at environmental factors as well? Is your bedroom window right by a street light? Do you live by a busy, noisy road? Do you share a home with someone who works the night shift and is always up when you are trying to sleep? Now, how many of these things can you minimize or eliminate? Then, give yourself some time to adjust and reevaluate! How is your sleep now? Better? No change? Keep evaluating. Do you have major anxiety that you’ve left untreated? Maybe it’s time to figure out a treatment plan for that as well. 

Sleep is the foundation of your health and you are in a position to be your biggest advocate even if the biggest challenge you have to overcome is any reluctance you might have to change. Nutrition, physical exercise, supplements, and an entire spectrum of complementary treatments are there for the taking once you’ve prioritized addressing the root of your sleeping disorder. As always, any supplement or nutritional change should be from a third party tested source or, in the case of fresh foods, acquired locally if possible! If you ever want to get a supplement tested for purity, don’t hesitate to reach out using the form on our “Contact Us” page. 

Wheat: Faster Isn’t Always Better

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Wheat permeates every area of the American diet, from desserts and entrees, to snacks and the best (and worst) breakfast foods. Even that cold drink you knock back with friends on the weekends is basically liquid bread. For some, this isn’t an issue but about 3 million people in the US alone suffer from celiac disease with about 18 million reporting some level of gluten sensitivity. These numbers probably fall short of the truth and most of us likely know at least one person who suffers from a gluten sensitivity. It’s estimated that about 5% of the global population deals with some form of gluten related ailment. Put into perspective, that’s more than the population of both the United States and the UK combined, making it an issue worth noting. While there continues to be a lot of discussion around whether or not this is a real phenomenon, separate from celiac disease, experts seem to agree that the overall impact seems to be much more widespread than celiac disease alone and this phenomenon is just getting worse over time. Wheat is a larger part of the American diet than many may realize and its consumption often correlates with a number of health issues even for those without celiac disease. As we consider the changes in the production of wheat, it's also possible that gluten may not be the only reason wheat has become such a consistent contributor to the rise of gastrointestinal issues in the American population. Let’s take a quick look at how things stand. 

First, while wheat has been a major player in the human diet for centuries, recently, we’ve managed to squeeze wheat, or wheat-based proteins generically called gluten, into EVERYTHING. It’s no surprise that gluten is in foods like bread, pasta or even beer but what about salad dressing? What about soup or processed, or even just pre-seasoned, meats? We also have an entire subcategory of meat alternatives that are made from gluten. Gluten is also used as a type of adhesive and might be added to a number of foods (like ice cream) to function as a binder. More than ever before, we’ve cultivated and incorporated gluten into every area of our daily diet. 

Second, it’s important to know the type of ailments that have been attributed to gluten sensitivity if for no other reason than if you do suffer from any of these issues, limiting or excluding gluten might improve your quality of life. Including celiac disease, the five major categories of gluten-related disorders are dermatitis herpetiformis, gluten ataxia, wheat allergy, and non-celiac gluten sensitivity. These express in a variety of ways including but not limited to bloating, abdominal discomfort, fatigue, a blistering rash, rhinitis, eczema, and wheezing. Plus, Celiac disease alone is often linked to “chronic and persistent diarrhea, malabsorption, abdominal pain, weight loss, and steatorrhea. Atypical and extra-intestinal manifestations include hepatic hypofunction, iron deficiency anemia, hair loss, osteoporosis, growth retardation, epilepsy, psychiatric disorders, mouth ulcers, muscle weakness, fatigue, arthropathy, delayed onset of puberty in children and infertility in adults.” As you can see, gluten-related disorders cover a wide spectrum of ailments and if you consistently suffer from any combination of these issues, a gluten sensitivity might be worth considering.

Third, you might take a look at the information presented so far and wonder why now? Even with the increased usage of gluten in a greater variety of foods, why are we seeing this explosion of related diseases and disorders rapidly growing in the last couple decades? Simply put, efficiency. As we’ve discussed in previous articles, the larger the agricultural yield and the lower the cost of that yield, the higher the profit. Therefore, changes like using genetically modified seeds, new fertilizers and pesticides (like glyphosate-based Roundup) to increase efficiency and profit margins often don’t stop even when we’ve seen what those changes can do to the consumer’s health. Additionally, the over processing of the wheat post harvest and its susceptibility to adulteration by both addition and substitution further complicate the real source of our current gluten-related challenges. It’s possible that those eliminating gluten from their diet and seeing positive health results might be eliminating an avenue for chemical exposure or cutting off the consumption of dust and fillers as well! In the end, locally sourcing your wheat flour and limiting highly processed foods might be a smart choice for supporting your health whether you have a gluten-related illness or not.