Rapid Fire Nutrition. Top 10 Questions- #5

Chelsea acquired her degree from the University of Kentucky and spent the early years of her career as the regional dietitian for Lifetime Fitness. At that time Dr. Huber was contracted to providing monthly education to the trainers on weight loss, exercise, and the path for engaging an integrative approach to health. Chelsea joined Dr. Huber’s practice in 2013 and went on to develop a corporate health program that she currently operates with great success.  Chelsea has expanded her knowledge base into the full spectrum of integrative medicine which includes adrenal fatigue, thyroid balance, hormone balance, heavy metal detox, allergy therapies, and more. Her well rounded view of health allows her to see medical issues that are often overlooked by narrow focused specialists.

Chelsea was asked to respond with brief answers to the top 10 nutritional questions that impact your health. This was intended to be a quick hit, rapid fire discussion and not an in depth analysis of all of this issues but we will let you be the judge as to whether we hit the mark. Have fun and enjoy our lively romp through food.

Food and nutrition is essentially very simple but if you want to make it complicated you can. When you look for modern processed convenience you are inviting complications and problems. There is no ONE perfect diet – you can eat Vegan or Carnivore and everything in between and find good health if you know what you are doing. There is no ONE SIZE fits all but there are trends that hold true: Low carb is usually best, healthy fats support longer life, fasting in general is a great tool. How you apply all of this is individualized and this is where the confusion creeps in.

Upfront summary:  

  • Many different opinions on diet and nutrition. We look at real, unbiased research that is not influenced by McDonalds, Nabisco, Coca Cola, FDA, AHA, ADA, or any association that accepts dollars from industry.
  • These 10 topics we discuss with our patients on a weekly if not daily basis. We don’t believe in a cookie cutter approach or a one size fits all diet plan. In general, we believe there are simple nutrition guidelines that apply to ALL humans.
  • Topic today:  Carbs, Fats, Protein, Carnivore, Best & Worst diet for my Heart, Alzheimers, Artificial sweeteners, wheat, fasting, fruit, calorie counting,


TOP 10 Questions

1. Low CARB:  Why are low carb diets so good?  Popular? Is it just the fad?

  • Low carb diets include Paleo, Keto, and Carnivore.
  • You couldn’t eat high carb in 1900 even if you wanted to.  Lack of high carb processed foods and grains.  High carb is not our natural human diet.
  • 1910:  Trans fats were invented in the 1890s and entered the food supply in the 1910s. Processed foods became available: Nathan’s hot dogs, Aunt Jemima syrup, Hellmann’s mayonnaise, Oreo cookies
  • Crisco – 1911   First introduction of TRANS fats
  • 1900 to 1920 heart attacks were RARE, but by 1940, due to entry of hydrogenated man-made oils, heart attacks were on the rise.
  • Want to eat low carb?  Then get rid of grains, fruit and potato. Or greatly reduce them. Yes fruit can be healthy but in general we eat too much too often. Grains include flour, wheat, corn, oats and rice


2. PROTEIN:  How much protein should I be getting?

  • O.5 gram /pound of body weight is the minimum.
  • 0.8 grams per pound if you are heavy exerciser. 
  • Trying to eat 1 gram per pound of body weight is difficult and unnecessary unless you are an Olympic level athlete or have some other special need.     
  • 35 grams/serving is the most protein you can assimilate at one sitting.
  • Peter Attia – book “Outlive” says 1 gram/pound – I say that's too high and difficult
  • Blue Zones eat much less protein than that and do very well. Attia’s idea is theoretical and unproven.
  • HOW to?  “Clean” protein shake. Avoid high carb protein powders.
  • Beef jerky – BEWARE the added sugar
  • Cooked chicken breast – cook 5-6 at a time.
  • Beans, nuts, soy (organic)


3. FAT:  Does fat cause heart disease?  “Man made” fats do. Natural fats do NOT.

  • What did you have for lunch Monday?  Dinner Saturday? You can’t remember, right? And yet most dietary studies are based on this type of questionnaire leading to less than accurate information.
  • Epidemiology studies – correlation is not causation.  Food questionnaire is not an accurate tool. Heart attack rates during 1900 when we ate a lot of animal fat was practically ZERO. Saturated fats have never been proven to contribute to heart attacks or heart disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Heart Association (AHA) have both changed their positions on saturated fats over time, removing some of the caution here. Saturated fat elevates protective HDL. HEALTHY fat is any NATURAL fat that is not man-made or hydrogenated. Olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, butter.
  • “Big Fat Lie” Carnivore diet?  What is it and is it worth talking about? No research behind it so it's a tool for short term use but not a long-term option. Great for busting up type 2 diabetes or stimulating ketosis for weight loss.
  • HOW to?  Meat and eggs ONLY.  Easy to follow. Not difficult. This can be a tool to reduce inflammation when high carb diets generally create inflammation.

4. What’s the BEST & WORST diet for my heart and blood vessels? WORST – seed oils, hydrogenated oils, and high carb = Inflammation. BEST – whole food, lots of meat and YES to saturated fat and tons of veggies. It’s not calories we worry about. It's the inflammation. Low carb = low inflame. Shocking to learn there were NO heart attacks in 1900-1910-1920 as we didn't have any trans fat hydrogenated oils and we were eating lots of animal fat. HOW to? Which ones to avoid: corn, soy, canola, sunflower, safflower. ALL processed foods use hydrogenated oils.

5. ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS The BAD ones are: aspartame (Equal and NutraSweet), sucralose (Splenda), and Saccharin (Sweet 'N Low), Acesulfame potassium. These are toxic in different ways. SAFE ones are: xylitol, erythritol (Swerve), stevia, monk fruit.

6. Alzheimers – best diet for avoiding this? Lots of healthy fats, and reduce carbs to avoid insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Alzheimers is now called Type 3 diabetes – WHY??? Cause high carb diets drive it. HOW to? Same diet that reduces heart disease – lots of whole foods, meats, healthy fats and reduced carb. The song remains the same.

7. Wheat – Why are we overrun with “Gluten free” options? Can’t digest wheat as the human body doesn't make an enzyme that adequately does this. We were never intended to eat the modified wheat of TODAY and certainly not in the tremendous amounts that we consume. Wheat is a very high carb food. It is the single worst “allergenic” food that we consume driving the bulk of food allergies.      It is the biggest driver of heartburn and acid reflux. Glia-dorphin (or gluteo-morphin) is an opioid peptide that is formed during digestion of gluten protein. Gluteomorphins are derived from gliadin, one of the main proteins found in gluten.   ADDICTING!  Hitting our endorphin receptors. “Gluten free” does NOT = “healthy” HOW to? I know you love it but its hurting you so find gluten free options or simply avoid eating bread, crackers and pasta.
8. FASTING – hype or hope? Excellent research shows benefit for many issues:  weight loss, glucose control, longevity, cognition, mood, reduce blood pressure and heart rate, drive autophagy (cellular clean out), inflammation reduction, reduced cholesterol. HOW to? Start with a simple 12 hour fast and slowly over time work up to doing a 24 hour fast. It is easier than you think.
9. FRUIT: Is fruit good for me? How much? Berries are best. All other fruit is a high carb affair and needs to be engaged sparingly. Its 1900 – how many days could you eat fruit? Maybe 6-8 weeks. HOW to? Allow berries in the diet once per week. Peaches when in season to scratch that itch but daily fruit intake is potentially problematic unless you are a high output athlete.

10. CALORIES:  Do calories matter?   Calorie counting is not a successful weight loss program. You are better served to change the type of calories you are eating to include more protein and fat as this will keep you feeling full longer and not spike wild swings in blood sugar. Simplest diet in the world – WHOLE foods – NO PROCESSED anything. It's a process but slowly work towards that by making slow changes each week. Best place to buy my groceries?  Local Farmers Market.  FRESH.

 

Call to action:  Actionable steps to take.

Actionable items that will net the greatest impact:

  • Get rid of all wheat. OK, don’t be perfect, but be proactive and work toward this goal over time.
  • Eat lots of healthy fat and NO man-made hydrogenated oils
  • THROW OUT: Corn, canola, soy, sunflower and seed oils 
  • Healthy fat = coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil, and butter.
  • Reduce carbs overall and look for clean protein to replace it.
  • Carb intake of 50 grams is fairly easy. At minimum keep it under 100 grams and be very careful if you are currently eating >150 grams.  
  • Measure “something” – anything – carbs, water, protein, vegetable servings, but any degree of measuring spikes AWARENESS which delivers results.
  • Cut carbs
  • Engage Fasting 
  • Zone 2 exercise  


Bioidentical Hormones in Women. Dangerous Compound or Lifegiving Blessing? #4

Bioidentical Hormone discussion with Dr. Karen Kaufman, board certified OB/GYN. Karen Kaufman, MD is a board-certified Obstetrician/Gynecologist who has been practicing in Boulder, Colorado since 2003. Her medical school training was at Case Western reserve in Cleveland, Ohio followed by OB/GYN residency at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois.
While practicing conventional medicine in Boulder, Dr. Kaufman became aware that patients needed and wanted more than what they were receiving from traditional Western Medical healthcare. She observed that while traditional medicine had its role, many of her patients symptoms and issue weren’t being addressed with this approach. She pursued the idea of functional or integrative medicine and then completed fellowship training with the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine where she honed her skills using bioidentical hormones.

Minute 1:20 

  • The use of bioidentical hormones will enhance longevity, reduce risk of a heart attack, strengthen bone density, and dramatically reduce Alzheimers risk.” Whether you are a man or a woman, supporting natural hormone levels simply improves the quality and vitality of your life.

We will be discussing: 

Bioidentical hormones do NOT increase breast cancer risk.

If estrogen causes breast cancer then why don’t 25 year women, bubbling with estrogen get breast cancer?

BHRT = Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy

VAGUE language creates confusion – HORMONES – ESTROGEN

We discuss the actual names of bioidientical hormones such as estradiol and distinguish it from drugs such as birth control pills or Premarin.

Birth control pills, Premarin and Provera are not hormones.  They are drugs. Drugs are useful but dangerous and are never a part of “Bioidentical hormone replacement”.

Bioidentical means it is identical to the hormones you have made your whole life and need forever if you intend on having a vital life.  

Top 4 benefits derived from using BHRT:

  1. Reduce risk of heart attack by 50%
  2. Brain – protective and reduces risk of Alzheimers by 30-60%
  3. Bones stronger and reduced risk of osteoporosis. BEST first line treatment for bone density.
  4. Longevity – mice studies show 19% increase in lifespan.

Why doesn't my OB/GYN offer BHRT?  Hormones are not “drugs”  so it is not taught in traditional western medicine. The vast majority of OB/GYN physicians know next to nothing about true  bioidentical hormones or how to use them.

Your fear of the unknown, bad reporting by the media, and old stale misguided studies of the past, are stopping you from truly understanding the opportunity you have to feel great.

Clarity in our choice of words is critical when discussing hormone therapies. You cannot simply say hormones or estrogen as it is too vague and leaves too much room for misinterpretation and confusion.  Like saying “Food” is bad for you”. Yes, some food is bad for you and some is life giving.  Genetically modified or hydrogenated seed oils are BAD. But just saying food is bad is misleading.  “Drugs” are bad for you”. Some drugs are life-saving while other drugs like cocaine will kill you. Being SPECIFIC in this dialogue is critical to proper communication.

Questions we will answer:

  1. Minute 10:00:  If I am 55 years old and not having any flashes or sweats, do I still want BHRT? The benefits go far beyond flashes or sweats. In all cases, it reduces heart disease, improves bone and brain health. You will live longer and healthier with hormones. 
  2. Minute 12:54: How long can I safely take BHRT? My OB said to only use them for a couple of years. For disease prevention and longevity, a lifetime of BHRT is recommended. The WHI study did NOT use BHRT, they used drug therapy. Provera is a drug, not a bioidentical hormone, that was used during the WHI study that contributed to women having an increased risk of heart issues.
  3. Minute 18:09: How will you measure if my hormones are at the proper level or properly balanced?
  4. Minute 19:21: What about cancer risk? BHRT actually reduces the risk of cancer. Testosterone for women is actually a treatment for breast cancer. Our environment and lifestyle is the large trigger for cancer and not BHRT. See article on our Hippevo website “How to avoid breast cancer”


Studies referenced during the podcast:

Minute 26:00 Going into menopause early, is this a risk for increased cancer? JAMA published 2016 – Muka. Early menopause is deadly – loss of estradiol. 

Minute 29:05: The British Menopause Society & Women’s Health Concern 2020 recommendations

Minute 31:51 Action Points:  

  • Seek out a well-trained integrative clinician to help assess your hormone levels properly.
  • Seek out a well-trained clinician to assess your personal goals and risk factors
  • Understand there is NO need for fear when it comes to hormones. At the end of the day, it’s your body, your choice.
  • Want to learn more?  The check out the 3 videos on Huber Personalized Medicine to hear Dr. Huber answer common questions and explain the process of hormone therapy.
  • Part 1
  • Part 2  
  • Part 3  

Studies – Digging into the medical library.  Buckle up!!

HEART - Cardiovascular studies

Harvard School of Public Health – 1985     Published in NEJM

  • Postmenopausal women who used any form of estrogen had a 50% reduction in risk for heart disease and heart attacks.
    • Stampfer MJ, Willett WC, Colditz GA, Rosner B, Speizer FE, Hennekens CH. A prospective study of postmenopausal estrogen therapy and coronary heart disease. N Engl J Me 1985;313:1044<1049.

National Institute of Health - - 2000.   Annals of Internal Medicine 

  • Nurses Health Study followed >70,500 postmenopausal women: those taking Premarin had 46% lower risk for coronary events. The risk for stroke increased if these women were also taking Provera.
    • Grodstein F, Manson JE, Colditz GA, Willett WC, Speizer FE, Stampfer MJ. A prospective, observational study of postmenopausal hormone therapy and primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Ann Intern Med 2000;133:933<941.


Mendelsohn Study – Cardioprotective effects of estrogen  -  NEJM 1999

Estrogen caused a vasodilatory effect allowing more blood flow.

Reduce atherosclerotic plaque potential, altering gene expression, and providing vascular protection

Estrogen receptors are found lining the blood vessels.

Women with heart disease were found to have fewer estrogen receptors than healthy women. Estrogen presence and the receptors that sense it are key to good health.

Estrogen alters serum lipid concentrations, coagulation and fibrinolytic systems, antioxidant systems, and the production of other vasoactive molecules à Nitric Oxide and prostaglandins.

Estrogen treatment improved cholesterol in postmenopausal women, reducing total cholesterol, LDL, triglycerides and even Lp(a), while increasing valuable HDL and inhibiting oxidation of LDL. 

Sublingual estradiol improved treadmill stress test performance.

Am. College of Cardiology – Rosano  published 2000

  • Natural Progesterone, but Not Medroxyprogesterone Acetate, Enhances the Beneficial Effect of Estrogen on Exercise-Induced Myocardial Ischemia in Postmenopausal Women
  • Medroxyprogesterone Acetate is a drug, not a hormone. It cannot replace natural or bioidentical progesterone.


JAMA published 2016 – Muka     Early menopause is deadly – loss of estradiol.

A meta-analysis of 32 studies included 310,329 nonoverlapping women.

Women who experienced menopause prior to age 45 have a higher risk of CAD, cardiovascular mortality, and overall mortality compared to women who experienced menopause after age 50.

Relative risk for heart disease was 50% higher for women who experienced menopause early.

Loss of estrogen earlier in life was strongly linked to vascular disease and death

ALZHEIMERS

Journal Alzheimers & Dementia Research – 2021

  • 379,352 women followed for 5 years, taking hormone therapy reduced risk for neurodegenerative disease (Alzheimers) by 58%.
  • Formulations containing natural steroids 17β-estradiol and/or progesterone were associated with greater reduction in neurodegenerative disease risk vs drug therapy.
  • Long-term therapy was far more beneficial than short term therapy.


Estrogen is simply neuroprotective

  • Studies of trauma victims show that the higher a women’s estrogen levels were at the time of brain trauma, the better and more completely she recovered.
    • Estrogen promotes neuron sprouting and synapse formation while promoting BDNF production (repair).


  • Human trial of head trauma:  110 adults post head injury
    • Glasgow Coma Score <8.   Measured estradiol and testosterone levels in the spinal fluid daily.  
    • A higher Estradiol:Testosterone ratio correlated with reduced mortality and better outcomes.
    • Garringer, Christian, et al.    Impact of Aromatase Genetic Variation on Hormone Levels and Global Outcome after Severe TBI. JOURNAL OF NEUROTRAUMA 30:1415–1425 2013


  • Neuroplasticity - Neese, Clough, et al. Z- Bisdehydrodoisynolic acid (Z-BDDA): an estrogenic seco-steroid that enhances behavioral recovery following moderate fluid percussion brain injury in male rats. Brain Res., 2010, 1362, 93-101.
  • Progesterone administered to head trauma patients showed faster repair – myelin sheath support.
    • Dr Wright – 2007 – “Protect randomized trial of IV progesterone in TBI”


OSTEOPOROSIS

The British Menopause Society & Women’s Health Concern 2020 recommendations:

  • Hormone replacement therapy should be considered the first-line therapeutic intervention for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in women with premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) and menopausal women below 60 years of age, particularly those with menopausal symptoms.
  • They clearly state the superiority of BIOIDENTICAL – progesterone better than progestins.

Journal of Bone and Mineral Research – 1998    Riggs

  • The accelerated phase in women is most apparent during the first decade after menopause, involves disproportionate loss of cancellous bone, and is mediated mainly by loss of the direct restraining effects of Estradiol on bone cell function.
  • Estradiol loss is the primary driver.

Stillness #3

Gary Huber, D.O. is a board-certified physician of Integrative medicine. He is a professor of integrative medicine for the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) and the Metabolic medicine Institute (MMI) out of George Washington University. He is a preceptor for University of Cincinnati College of Pharmacy students and medical students at Ohio University. He lectures weekly to fellows training in integrative medicine and is the medical director for an educational website called HippEvo.com.

Chelsea Dorsett, R.D., L.D. is an integrative health & longevity coach, a cognitive health coach, a corporate health plan director, a registered dietitian, and integral member of Dr. Huber’s health team and practice.

HippEvo (short for Hippocrates Evolution) is an educational website that represents a union of the best that medicine has to offer blended with all of the other health sciences to generate the most powerful healing tool in medical care. It combines nutritional science, stress management, exercise, meditation, sleep science, IV nutrition, hyperbaric oxygen, herbs and plant-based elements and most of all common sense. HippEvo’s mission is to fuel the patient’s ability to understand their body and take responsibility for their own health. HippEvo was built to serve. It exist as a platform where integrative doctors and healthy minded patients can come together to create something special. Check it out for yourself at Hippevo.com.

MINUTE 2.00

INTRODUCTION

  • Listen to these words and tell me how you feel:  
       Restless, Unsettled, Overwhelmed, Dissatisfaction, Frustration, Anger, Stressed
  • Now a contrast:  Inner peace, Contentment, Joy, Creativity, Love.

Brain vs Heart. Are you living your days trapped inside your thinking brain? The brain is a tool we should use to solve problems but to spend all of your time stuck in circular random thinking is a self-made prison.

The things you value MOST – joy, love, inner peace, calm, creativity – come from the heart.

The heart is fueled by stillness & quiet.  But our lives are the extreme opposite.

Society values productivity and MONEY – having THINGS.   Society may view Stillness = LAZY. That is a destructive view and one that drives STRESS!!

Our joy, inner peace and calm got stampeded by our egoic need for MORE. We crave more money, more power, more productivity, more things, faster, higher, longer, harder – an insatiable mental insanity that is destructive to our own personal well-being. A life spent chasing the notion of “MORE” is fueled by desire of the ego and will overshadow our sense of the present moment and an appreciation for what we have in this very moment. 

Upfront summary -   KEY points we will discuss:

  • Stillness – what is it and WHY I should develop this skill. Medical research using fancy MRI’s and other technology have proven that stillness & meditation . . .
  • Slows the rate of aging
  • Protects the brain from Alzheimers disease
  • Lowers blood pressure and slows heart rate
  • Reduces the occurrence of heart attacks.
  • Brain repair  BDNF (Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor)
  • Reduces stress and enhances cognition
  • Your thinking brain should be a tool that use and then put away.
  • You are addicted to your thoughts, and you never allow your brain to rest.
  • Your Ego lives in your brain, your mind, and creates 100% of the stress you feel every day. NO ONE can give you stress – you GENERATE IT – 100%
  • Here are 5 clues that you are stressed: always irritable, life is HARD, feel drained, poor sleep, crave junk food.
  • MEASURE your stress:  Blood pressure, HRV.  Take the Aging Score Questionnaire and begin to unravel where you are wound up.
  • Two Part Podcast – send us your questions or challenges that you have faced in your stillness attempts, and we will answer them in our next podcast. Email us at [email protected] 

DISCLAIMER – this is not a talk about religion. We may mention spirituality of even say the word God but it is not tied to ANY specific religious practice.

  • ALL religions practice meditation – the word meditation appears in the bible over 30 times. Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Baptist, and yes even Catholics engage meditation as a part of their religious doctrine.


MINUTE  15:11

I am the AUTHORITY on living life WRONG:  Confessions of an ER Doctor 

  • As an ER doc I learned to rapidly judge everything, it was a part of my job description, and look for “Worst case scenario”.  This had the side effect of creating a very negative view of the world. Always looking for problems when perhaps there weren’t any.
  • I was diagnosed with high blood pressure 15 years ago. I didn't want to rely on a drug, I wanted to remove the source so I discovered meditation and this reversed by blood pressure issues.
  • Learning to meditate brought other huge changes to my life and I have been a student ever since.

Chelsea’s journey toward stillness & meditation . . .

  • As a mom of two young kids, learning to meditate is the best “me time”.
  • 10 minutes of meditation is more relaxing than 2 hours of TV
  • Provides stress relief, better sleep and more patience throughout the day


What is “Stillness” and how do I engage this? 

  • Difference between Stillness & Meditation.
  • Stillness is the first step toward building a true meditation practice. It is easy to do and takes just 5-10 minutes per day. Read the article The Art of Stillness
  • Meditation Guide will offer you some gentle suggestions that will make your initiation into meditation an open, easy relaxed experience. Take your time and make this practice your own. Shape it in whatever direction best suits you.
  • People have told me that “My exercise/jogging or my artistic painting or other activity is my stillness”.  Is it?
  • A true stillness practice takes “thinking” out of the experience. Stillness is about losing your ego, your identity and turning your focus into simply BEING. Being without judgement, without resistance, and opening yourself to a total acceptance of what is. Your exercise and painting are wonderful practices that reduce your focus to a single activity which is tremendous. Now go one step further and remove even that one activity in an effort to be at ease, so still that you can listen for the silence and melt into it.

MINUTE 13:40

OBJECTIONS:  Here are a few objections I sometimes run into when I offer the idea of stillness and meditation:

  • I can’t quiet my brain so I can’t meditate.  I need to always be BUSY.
  • This exactly why you would benefit from learning this new skill. Anyone is capable of meditation and stillness. It is something you learn over time bit first you need to be willing and wanting the benefits that come from it.
  • I need more money so I need to work more and have no time to meditate.
  • The classic mindset that generates pain, suffering, and misery.  We will explore this in our next podcast.
  • Meditation goes against my religion. 
  • “If I open my mind to nature something bad might enter me”.   “Meditation is a tool of the devil.”
  • These are actual quotes I have heard to which I point out that Jesus, Mohammad and Buddha where all spiritual leaders that engaged meditation. Many of my friends are Christians and follow the bible which speaks of meditation over 30 different times.
  • No interest. 
  • That's OK, enjoy your pain and misery and when you have had enough you might find interest later. Free will to choose your path is one of life’s greatest treasures.

Call to action:  Actionable steps to take.

  • Aging Score – measure your level of stress and areas of weakness
  • Know your blood pressure, heart rate at rest and Heart Rate Variability.
  • Asses your Sleep and your Cognition scores to look for areas of weakness.
  • Read The Art of Stillness &  Meditation Guide
  • Simply play with it like a toy. Make it your own.
  • TODAY – notice any negative emotions and simply become aware of them – where are they coming from?  Past or Future concerns?  Brain generated thoughts emerging from our ego.
  • PAST:   Regrets, Guilt, Resentment, Grievances, Bitterness, Unforgiveness
  • FUTURE:  Worry, Stress, Unease, Anxiety, Tension, Fear

Tune in next month as we offer further discussion and answer YOUR questions so that a path toward a rewarding personal habit of stillness is within reach.

Email us at [email protected]

Dementia & Alzheimers Disease #2

Gary Huber, D.O. is a board-certified physician of Integrative medicine. He is a professor of integrative medicine for the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) and the Metabolic medicine Institute (MMI) out of George Washington University. He is a preceptor for University of Cincinnati College of Pharmacy students and medical students at Ohio University. He lectures weekly to fellows training in integrative medicine and is the medical director for an educational website called HippEvo

Chelsea Dorsett, R.D., L.D. is an integrative health & longevity coach, a cognitive health interventionalist, a corporate health plan director, a physician assistant, a registered dietitian, and integral member of Dr. Huber’s health team and practice.

A quick note on HippEvo. Hippocrates was a Greek physician in 400 B.C. and is known as the “Father of Medicine”, a title awarded for his commitment to evolving the medical arts of his day. He is famous for many quotes but a few are shared here:

  • Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.

  • It is more important to know what type of person has a disease than what type of disease a person has.

  • The greatest medicine of all is teaching people how not to need it.

  • The natural force within each of us is the greatest healer of all.

  • Just as food causes chronic disease, it can be the most powerful cure

Doctors take a Hippocratic oath when they receive their medical license. I fear that if Hippocrates were alive today, he would be sadly disappointed with much of what we have done with medical care. It is my contention that if Hippcrates were to lead medicine forward he would have EVOLVED into an integrative minded approach. Drugs are powerful and have their place in medicine, but they hold very little power to heal or reverse disease and no ability to drive true health. HippEvo is an abbreviation of Hippocrates Evolution and represents a union of the best that medicine has to offer blended with all of the other health sciences to generate the most powerful healing tool in medical care. It combines nutritional science, stress management, exercise, meditation, sleep science, IV nutrition, hyperbaric oxygen, herbs and plant-based elements and most of all common sense. HippEvo’s mission is to fuel the patient’s ability to understand their body and take responsibility for their own health. Yes, doctors have a role here but doctors are helpless if the patient isn’t moving their lifestyle in the right direction. HippEvo was built to serve. It exist as platform where integrative doctors and healthy minded patients can come together to create something special. Check it out for yourself at Hippevo

Podcast #2

Punchline up front – conclusions we will arrive at today:

  1. Dementia is not a genetic issue. Genetics may increase risk but are not a big factor.
  2. Lifestyle is more significant than genes. Lifestyle is POWERFUL.
  3. Lifestyle is the biggest determinant: higher risk if obese, high carb diet, smoker, stressed.  Overweight and high blood pressure will TRIPLE your risk.
  4. You can reverse it if you catch it early.
  5. 5 biggest risk factors / interventions:  plastic, diet, hormones, thyroid, weight loss.
  6. Don’t overlook your thyroid and hormone levels.
  7. You can test for it with a simple blood test - p-Tau-181 protein and your ApoE gene.
  8. Also test CRP, Insulin, hormones and the whole Alzheimers panel.
  9. See HippEvoShopto get a discounted panel.   

   10. High end treatment includes Hyperbaric oxygen & Stem cell therapy is here today and has been studied and shown effective in treating dementia. Stem Cell Webinar 

Easy first steps

  1. Fasting – engage a regular fasting habit. Intermittent Fasting

  1. Change diet to reduce carbs and sugars and increase “healthy” fats

  2. Sleep is critical for repair and long-term health. Value the quality of your sleep. 

What is HippEvo?  “Hippocrates Evolution”  Hippevo is a website to offer vetted information to help you educate yourself so that you are empowered to participate and drive your own best care. You don’t have to go it alone as integrative doctors are also engaged in this website so that you can connect with help from integratively trained doctors and clinicians when you need it. The website offers discounted tools such as labs and pharmaceutical grade supplements from only the best manufacturers. Each supplement offered has been hand-picked by Dr. Huber for its efficacy and purity and represents the best option in the marketplace.

Minute 9:30  - Brain Physiology

Brain is only 2% of your body mass but is highly metabolic and receives 20% of all the blood flow from your heart. Any toxin you ingest or incur is going to impact the brain more than any other body part.

The brain has twice as many immune cells as it has nerve cells. Our immune system is largely housed in our gut so if you have gut issues like IBS or heartburn then this reflects an irritated immune system in the bowel and increases risk for dementia and Alzheimers. 

What are you doing right now to make your brain more or less inflamed. 

Minute 16:00  -  ApoE-4 gene test

The ApoE-4 gene increases your risk for Alzheimers but doesn't sentence you to have Alzheimers. Are you engaging bad habits that would turn that gene ON or are you being smart with your lifestyle and silencing that gene? How well you manage your blood sugar, weight, exercise, plastics exposure, etc will play a huge role in whether this is really an issue for you. You can easily test for that gene but then what? The treatment remains the same – be smart, be proactive and measure basic labs to assess your body’s functional status.

Minute 17 – Causes of Alzheimers

Amyloid is a good thing and healthy for our brain UNLESS . . . we do things to generate EXCESS amyloid of a bad form. This leads to stockpiling of amyloid that leads to “plaque”. Stock piling amyloid in the brain is a problem.

Causes of Alzheimers – things that increase risk:

Minute 38:20  - Top 3 Nutrition changes

Things to pursue:

  1. Eat healthy fats – don’t be afraid of healthy foods à olive oil, coconut oil, fish, nuts, seeds, meat, eggs, or any “natural” fat source. Avoid with extreme prejudice any man-made hydrogenated oil such as corn oil, canola, soybean, sunflower, safflower as these are chemically altered and very risky to ingest in any amount.

  2. Eat ample clean protein such as organic meats and eggs.

  3. Eat organic vegetables – choose to pick organic as much as possible to reduce Round Up exposure and genetically modified foods.

What to avoid:

  1. Fast foods and all hydrogenated oils as mentioned above.

  2. Sugar and high carb diet in general. The highest carb foods are grains (rice, corn, wheat and all baked products like bread, crackers and pasta). Fruit and potato are also high carb foods.

  3. Processed foods in general. Try to remove all processed food as much as you can and work to increase whole, natural, foods the majority of the time.

Minute 43:30 – “MENTAL” Health

  • M – MEASURE – track your “Cognition Score” and get labs done. HippEvo – Alzheimers panel. Hormones, Thyroid, Glutathione, Insulin P-Tau-181 Protein lab Cognition Score

  • E – EXERCISE – both your body and your brain

  •  BrainHQ – website with cognitive games and challenges. 

  • N – NUTRITION – lots of healthy fats, antioxidants, veg, eggs, olive oil

  • T – TOXINS – toxins, plastic, sugar, EMF’s, PPI, statins

  • A – ACCEPT – life is what it is, stop the stress and resistance. Meditation & Stillness Exercise are strong tools.  Stillness Exercise

  • L – LEARN – new language, skills, hobbies, art, exercise, puzzles

Longevity – How fast are you aging? #1

Gary Huber, D.O. is a board-certified physician of Integrative medicine. He is a professor of integrative medicine for the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) and the Metabolic medicine Institute (MMI) out of George Washington University. He is a preceptor for University of Cincinnati College of Pharmacy students and medical students at Ohio University. He lectures weekly to fellows training in integrative medicine and is the medical director for an educational website called HippEvo.com.

Chelsea Dorsett, R.D., L.D. is a dietitian, an integrative health coach, a corporate health director and integral member of Dr. Huber’s health team and practice.

A quick note on HippEvo.com. Hippocrates was a Greek physician in 400 B.C. and is known as the "Father of Medicine", a title awarded for his commitment to evolving the medical arts of his day. He is famous for many quotes but a few are shared here:

• Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.

• It is more important to know what type of person has a disease than what type of disease a person has.

• The greatest medicine of all is teaching people how not to need it.

• The natural force within each of us is the greatest healer of all.

• Just as food causes chronic disease, it can be the most powerful cure

Doctors take a Hippocratic oath when they receive their medical license. I fear that if Hippocrates were alive today, he would be sadly disappointed with much of what we have done with medical care. It is my contention that if Hippcrates were to lead medicine forward he would have EVOLVED into an integrative minded approach. Drugs are powerful and have their place in medicine, but they hold very little power to heal or reverse disease and no ability to drive true health. HippEvo is an abbreviation of Hippocrates Evolution and represents a union of the best that medicine has to offer blended with all of the other health sciences to generate the most powerful healing tool in medical care. It combines nutritional science, stress management, exercise, meditation, sleep science, IV nutrition, hyperbaric oxygen, herbs and plant-based elements and most of all common sense. HippEvo’s mission is to fuel the patient’s ability to understand their body and take responsibility for their own health. Yes, doctors have a role here but doctors are helpless if the patient isn’t moving their lifestyle in the right direction. HippEvo was built to serve. It exist as platform where integrative doctors and healthy minded patients can come together to create something special. Check it out for yourself at Hippevo.com.

Podcast #1 Show Notes

What gets measured gets done so the point of this podcast is for to have tools for measuring your "rate of aging". Using a simple questionnaire, some fitness measure and some lab measures you can gain keen insights to your rate of aging and more importantly engage steps to slow it down. Future webinars will explore exact action to engage and why these actions send youthful signals to your cells. First . . . measure it.

Centenarians are people that live beyond 100 years of age. That may not be your specific goal, but we learn a lot when studying them. See the Netflix special on "Blue Zones". The "standard American" lifespan is not very sexy as we begin to lose vitality in our 30’s and by the time we are 50 we are on medication 50% of the time. Glucose and cholesterol problems begin in your 30’s and 40’s and by age 60 there is a 75% chance that you are taking drugs to control it. Lifespan is length of life but Healthspan reflects "quality" of life.

By contrast, centenarian are going strong at age 70, no meds, lots of energy and none of the slow decline. If they start to show signs of age-related disease it typically isn’t affecting them until they are in their 80’s. Most Americans aren’t living to see 80.

Aging involves our decline in hormones, immune system function and mitochondrial (cellular energy) decline. We will address how to improve all of these marks in future podcasts.

We spoke of the Stevens study looking at numbers from the National Health and Nutrition Examination which showed that only 12% of Americans even qualify as being metabolically healthy. That is a sad fact but also a statistic that you easily avoid with proper lifestyle change. 

Beyond this we discussed the 2018 study in JAMA that compared 11 prosperous countries with good health care systems and showed that even though Americans smoke and drink less alcohol than many other countries, we ranked dead last in longevity!! Ouch! 

But wait . . . it gets worse. In 2023 the Centers for Disease Control in the U.S. reported that life expectancy had continued to DECLINE and our average life expectancy was now down to 76.4 years while Japan and other European countries continued to show gains in longevity. That same study reported on drug use and here again the U.S. was not the shining example of health. This also shed light on our general love of drug therapy or maybe it’s simply our love of money that comes from drug sales. Lots of drugs but not much health to show for it.

The Dunedin study was a very curious exploration into aging. It followed 954 people from birth to age 38 and measured labs and vitals to assess their rate of aging. It was clear from this study that the rate of aging could be quantified to some degree with simple measures. You can read about fancy DNA methylation testing based on the Horvath clock but this study of simple lab tests and fitness showed equally meaningful measures and clearly pointed to flaws in lifestyle that could be corrected.

I have developed our own "Aging Score" based on an even deeper and more exacting exploration into labs and other lifestyle habits that offer a broader scope and therefore a more meaningful measure of your rate of aging. This questionnaire and aging guide can be seen on HippEvo.com by looking in the LEARN section under ARTICLES. https://www.hippevo.com/articles/aging-score

Taking Action:

It all starts by getting a baseline measure to see where you are. Your body wants to heal and can definitely get younger but how do you know where to start if you don’t have a line in the sand. Make the decision that you want to be in control of your health journey rather than a victim of it. Get some labs done – I recommend starting with a look at some detailed labs.

If insurance will cover your labs then that's great but if not then don’t get robbed – use discounted lab option through HippEvoShop.com where you can order labs on a cash pay basis and save a ton. You need an NMR lipid panel, HgbA1c, Glucose (chem14) and insulin, and a CRP-hs as a good start point. Add to this your sex appropriate hormone test panel that includes testosterone and SHBG.

Yes, there is more that can be measured but this is a good start. If you want to order all of the labs seen in the "Aging Score" questionnaire then contact Liz at HippEvo.com (Phone 513-366-2100) and request the Longevity full panel which includes: NMR lipids, Insulin, Chem14, HgbA1c, Testosterone, DHEAS, Thyroid, CRP, ApoE gene, Omega 6:3 ratio, Lp(a), Glutathione, Vitamin D, SHBG. You can also order this panel direct off the HippEvoShop.com site. The price is $699.00 but there isn’t a cheaper more inclusive panel to be found anywhere.

Then measure your fitness as outlined on the "Aging Score" sheet. This is when reality sets in but that's a good thing. No more mystery. We are filling in facts and details to arrive at a statement of health. You are putting yourself in the driver seat by laying claim to your reality. More importantly, once measured you can begin to sculpt a different result. Don’t be American – Age slowly.

Future Podcasts – where do we go from here?

The sky is the limit as we uncover the bare facts behind each of these tools listed below.

It will be FUN and you will empower yourself with the skill set you need to accelerate your health while you put the brakes on AGING. Next month . . . "Dementia" will be our topic. How do I protect my valuable brain and avoid Alzheimers? How can strengthen my cognition to reduce some early signs?