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Can we talk? I mean really talk? I work with clients who come to me with autoimmune conditions, mainly gut related, however, all diseases start with the gut. Hmm, let me back up, all diseases start with what you put into your mouth. Have you read the report from Consumer Reports about food packaging? If you have, good, read this. If you have not, please read this. Consumer reports did independent testing of more than 100 packaging products from US restaurant and grocery chains. They found what is called “Forever Chemicals” in paper bags for french fries, wrappers for hamburgers, molded fiber salad bowls and single-use paper plates. "Forever Chemicals" means, they stay in our body forever because our overwhelmed liver and kidneys can not detoxify them. With the right tools, it is possible to release them from the body. I believe it is quite possible, given the fact on average, PFAS can remain in the body between two and nine years. Unfortunately, most people are not willing to change their habits. Believe it or not, this also plays a role in the severity of some cases of Covid-19. According to the findings of Consumer Reports', restaurants, especially fast food restaurants had at least one packaging product containing Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) (pronounced PEA-fahs). Grocery chains such as Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Kroger, and Stop and Shop. There are more than 4,700 different PFAS chemicals, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and among the 9,000 known PFAS, testing can only identify a couple dozen according to Consumer Reports. Here is the thing, this is not the first time Consumer Reports has done this type of a report. They have done it several times. We hear the message, it remains in the news for a couple of days, and restaurants go back to how they have always done it. If we, as consumers, are not demanding change, it is not going to happen.  And, believe me, it is not just Fast food chains, restaurants from chains to high end are all using these types of packaging. More than likely, not knowingly or turning a blind eye. According to Consumer Reports; “retailers that claimed to be phasing out PFAS, including Cava, Chipotle, Panera Bread, Sweetgreen, and Whole Foods Market. All 13 of the products the companies said had reduced PFAS still had some detectable organic fluorine, and seven were above 20 ppm. They ranged from a Whole Foods soup container with 21 ppm organic fluorine—the only Whole Foods item to top the 20-ppm limit—to a paper bag for pita chips from Cava with 260 ppm. PFAS are a a class of industrial chemicals used to repel grease, water and stains in consumer products. This is why you will find these chemicals in pizza boxes, fast food packaging, restaurant take away containers, disposable coffee cups and soup containers, nonstick coating on many pans and bakeware, carpeting, in some areas, drinking water, packaging lining (think cereal, crackers), furniture coating, clothing, electronics. Why are PFAS Dangerous?According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the chemicals are linked to liver damage, harm to the immune system, developmental toxicity and cancer, and can accumulate in humans and the environment. PFA’s in packaging, are seeping into the food. This contamination is building up in our body, is leading to health issues. Studies have shown in animal testing to cause liver, pancreas, and testicular tumors, effects on serum liver enzymes, however, how it is effecting humans is uncertain. Other studies have shown increases in prostate, kidney and testicular cancers in people who live near facilities and workers exposed to PFAS Studies looking at the harm of elevated levels of PFOS and PFOA in drinking water found that, people who’d been exposed to higher than normal levels of PFOA had an elevated risk of high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, testicular cancer, kidney cancer, and pregnancy-induced hypertension According to a 2020 Consumer Reports article, PFAS have been detected in the drinking water of more than 1,400 communities in 49 states, according to research by the PFAS Project at Northeastern University in Boston and the Environmental Working Group (EWG), an advocacy organization that estimates that 110 million people may have tap water contaminated with the chemicals. Other studies in people and animals have shown that high enough doses of PFAS chemicals like PFOA can affect the immune system and have toxic effects on the liver and other organs. According to a report from Florida, non- cancer effects appear more common and include, increase cholesterol levels, impact hormones, the immune system and fetal and infant developmental effects. There’s clear evidence that being exposed to high enough levels of PFOS and PFOA is linked to an elevated risk for a number of diseases, and experts say it’s possible that other PFAS chemicals could have similar health effects. Continuous high exposure is what increases the risk the most. What is even more sickening, the federal government still hasn't set limits for PFAS compounds. Keep in mind, it may be small exposure in fast food or grocery packaging, known as chronic exposure. It is the accumulative effect at play here. There are newer chemicals on the market. Researches are testing people to see how these will pan out. Wait, what? Sounds like we are the cohort, once again. But, according to the companies who are producing alternatives they are well-studied and safe. Um, no thank you! Sounds like when we woke up and screamed “foul-play” on Bisphenol A (BPA). The companies changed to Bisphenol-S (BPS) and we all think this is safe. Um, no! Covid-19 and PFAS, A Deadly CombinationPFAS (perfluorinated alkylate substances) are everywhere! Getting them out of the Environemental is not possible. Even the healthiest of the healthiest packaging will contain trace amounts of PFAS. There are substitutes available, however, CR tested 50 products and guess what? They are not so healthy. One of the newer subset or substitute is erfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA). This has been found to accumulate in the lungs and has been linked to more sever cases of COVID-19. The researchers found; “Measures of individual exposures to immunotoxic PFASs included short-chain PFBA known to accumulate in the lungs. Elevated plasma-PFBA concentrations were associated with an increased risk of a more severe course of COVID-19. Given the low background exposure levels in this study, the role of exposure to PFASs in COVID-19 needs to be ascertained in populations with elevated exposures.”  According to US Department of Health and Human Services; “CDC/ATSDR recognizes that exposure to high levels of PFAS may impact the immune system. There is evidence from human and animal studies that PFAS exposure may reduce antibody responses to vaccines and may reduce infectious disease resistance." According to Toxic Free Future Advocacy Group; many products are made with these compounds, including: "food packaging, such as microwave popcorn bags and fast food wrappers; stain-resistant carpets, rugs, and furniture; non-stick cookware; outdoor gear with a “durable water repellent” coating; aerospace, medical, and automotive applications; and many specialty items such as firefighting foams, ski wax, and industrial applications." These chemicals are everywhere and in just about everything and are here to stay messing up our health. Why do we need talk?Because I really want you to be the healthiest you can be, not just in this moment, but when you are old! You see, what you eat today, or what it is wrapped in, may not show a cause and an effect today. It will show an accumulative chronic effect later. Cancer doesn’t happen over night, an autoimmune condition does not happen over night. It is an accumulative effect. These chemicals are a contributing factor. What you are doing today is going to affect how you feel in the future.I met with a potential client, who has Crohn’s disease. His diet was terrible, two days of eating a better diet, he felt better. Food is powerful! If he keeps going, eating real whole foods and avoiding as many chemicals as possible, he can reverse numerous side effects of his current condition. Of course, we are talking about what our food is wrapped in. Food that you purchase in the organic produce section comes in its own package. Whole organic fruits and vegetables will not contain any PFAS, xenoestrogens and other chemicals. I am keeping this post mainly to food exposure however, this is also a growing concern for children’s toys, baby bottles, toys, appliances and personal care products. How Can we limit our exposure to PFAS?Get Your Water TestedGet your water tested whether it is municipal or well water. Water systems tested in 2013-2015 revealed an estimated six million U.S. residents with drinking water supplies contaminated with PFAS above safety levels set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A 2018, report drafted by the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry suggested more communities may have PFAS levels in their water that are a concern for health. For some, water can be the highest exposure. Not just drinking, but bathing. When these chemicals are heated they are more volatile and steam is an easy way to inhale large amounts of these chemicals, not to mention what is absorbed through the skin.  Reverse Osmosis for your home Invest in a Reverse OsmosisOnce your water has been tested you can either trust what you are drinking out of the tap or, install a reverse osmosis. Whether you live in a building or your home rolls like ours you can get a reverse osmosis. When we had our home, I had the iSpring 7-Stage Reverse Osmosis and I loved it. The water tasted so good! There are different filter stages you can get. I went for this one because the water in Phoenix, Arizona is less than stellar including containing chemicals such as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and Chromium-6. This Ispring Reverse Osmosis (picture above) has 7 stages of filtration including a UV light stage for microbes, the other filters remove harmful chemicals and the best part, a pH filter to remineralize the water. It was truly the best reverse osmosis system I have ever had. If I could have fit this under the sink in my Motorcoach, I would have it in there too. But, alas, it is too big!  I did find a company that makes RV reverse osmosis units with different tank and cartridge sizes. We got the 2 gallon tank (pictured above) and it is perfect for shore hookup or boondocking. The company is Weco Filters. The one we got is a mini 3 cartridge (with membrane) reverse osmosis machine. I also found it on Amazon which is super nice for the free shipping and getting it in a couple of days. A friend of mine just purchased the same one off of Amazon for his coach and he loves it! We have a 3 stage filter system for the whole coach and a filter on the hose outside. Because of this, instead of changing our WECO Mini Reverse Osmosis filters every 3 months, we can go 6 months, sometimes longer. The membrane is changed every two years. We are just coming up on 2 years and will have to see where it is at and then decide if we can get a little more time on it. Although, the filters are quite inexpensive. For the home, typically the filters are changed every 6 months to a year and the membrane is every 5 years.  Use a shower and bathtub filterYou can also get shower and bath filter systems to help catch some of these chemicals. Weco Filters carries filters for the bath and shower. Amazon has vast array of shower and bath filters from a simple carbon to elaborate remineralizing filters. Like SparkPod, Aqua Earth, AquaBliss, which have different stages of filtration to not only block out the bad stuff but remineralize for better skin and hair. For the bath, there are bath ball filters such as, Sprite Showers, BB-BN Ball Bath Filter, Organic Cotton Bath Faucet Filter by Santevia, and CuZn Bath Ball Faucet Filter. Upgrade your dining experienceFood chains use less than stellar ingredients, especially the oil. On the notes, your local restaurants may also be using less than stellar ingredients and packaging. Open Googlemaps and search “organic restaurants”. A ton of healthier option restaurants will pop up. They will not all be organic, however, they will be a 100% step up from fast food chains. Now you get to explore cleaner, fresher food.  Before going to the restaurant, bring a glass container with you for leftovers. You can now get glass dishes with bamboo lids. There are tons to choose from on Amazon from small to large and ones with individualized compartments. I recently purchased these bamboo glass containers with separate compartments to try out in my HotLogic. I love that that I can bring home SAFE leftovers, refrigerate, then pop into my HotLogic to reheat the next day. I can also store food in these and pop them into the freezer. Bamboo is naturally antimicrobial, and does not contain any of the forever chemicals. I also leave a glass container in my car, for unplanned nights out.  If you already have glass containers with plastic lids, like I do, I use non-bleached parchment paper to put under the plastic lid. I have been using the brand "If You care" non-bleached, chemical free parchment paper because they really go far to ensure the best healthiest quality parchment paper.  For my round glass dishes, I use "Zenology" unbleached parchment paper rounds. All I can say is one word, GENIUS! They come in every size and are easy to use. I have researched these two companies for parchment paper and they are not using “forever chemicals” to the best of my knowledge. Pay Attention to the PackagingNow that you have a better idea of what is lurking in the food products, limit your consumption of canned foods, foods wrapped in styrofoam, microwaved foods such as popcorn (the ultimate worst) and, liners in food. Look for food in glass over plastic. Now, you are probably thinking, there is no way I am giving up my popcorn. You do not have to. You just need to upgrade what you are eating. Instead of a chemical laden popcorn bag cooked in the microwave, go retro. Go old skool with a popcorn machine. If you like buttered popcorn, go for real organic butter from pastured raised cows or ghee. Voila! Look at you, making yummy buttered popcorn and not a chemical in sight! Pat yourself on the back. This is just one example of how you can easily upgrade your food choices for the better. Here is a great trick. When picking a product off of the shelf, grab the one at the back. If the employees are stocking their shelves correctly, the newest is at the back and the oldest product is at the front. It won't protect you from leaching. But, when you add in the lights beaming on the shelves, the newer product is hiding in the back under the cloak of shade. It just means maybe there is less contamination. Which means, when you get your product home, transfer it from the packaging to a glass dish or jar. Oh, and do not forget to use non-bleached waxed paper or parchment paper if you are using a plastic lid. Upgrade your protein sourcesIf you are subscribed to my weekly newsletter, You all know I order my animal and seafood protein through Butcherbox. Not only am I side-stepping harmful antibiotics, toxins and inflammation, I am also not getting styrofoam packaged foods. Seriously, upgrading your animal and ocean protein means, less chemicals altering your physiology leading to disease and cancer. Plus, its fresh, not hanging around in a supermarket under those harsh lights. I also like that Butcherbox is delivered right to my door. Check out a local Farmers Market. Besides Butcherbox, I also go to local farmers market and chat with the farmer, they are super honest and will tell you up front what they are feeding their animals and how they are raised. I have yet to be handed meat that was stored on styrofoam. Its just a better a choice.  Eat at home, cook at homeSunday dinners were my favourite when I was kid. We would gather together at grandmas house and enjoy good food and great conversations, well the adults anyway. I was just happy to play with my cousins. If you are subscribed to my weekly newsletter, (and, if you are not, get on it now), you know I am always sharing a recipe with you. Ok, so a lot of them are using the HotLogic, but, there is method to my obsession! The HotLogic ((use my discount code HEALTHY GUT for an additional 10% off) is a simple way to upgrade your food with minimal effort. Throw all the ingredients into a glass dish (no chemicals), slap on a piece of non-bleached parchment paper (no chemicals) and then the lid (protected from chemicals), plug the HotLogic in- eat when you are ready chemical free! Seriously, we need to get back to eating real food! It has been proven, that food wrapped in packages especially fat, salt and acidic leach the PFAS chemicals quicker. What foods could these be? Just about everything on the menu! Research suggests, PFAS levels are higher in those who regularly eat out especially in females. Covid lockdown should have had us all cooking again. But, unfortunately, because we had a car and tons of drive-thrus, with a wipe of the sweat off our brow, we thwarted the horror. I believe from looking at the research, our immune system has been attacked, our gut is compromised and we are dealing with the aftermath of ill health, blaming it all on Covid. Seriously, we need to start cooking whole organic, foods that grow from the ground and graze upon it. In other words, less packaged foods and more real food, minimally processed.  I get it, we are all busy, and purchasing a ready cooked meal and popping it into a microwave is quick. Or even quicker, driving up to the drive thru, and spending 15 minutes in a line sucking in exhaust fumes while we pass the time away scrolling through social media. Seriously, have you stopped to understand what is missing when you eat these types of food? You are not getting what you need to run your body, protect you from disease and cancer! Autoimmune disease, cancer are preventative if we take a little time now to do the work. If you do not put the right oil and gas and change the filter in your car, it doesn’t run quite as well. We are much the same. It may seem like a lot of work and in the beginning it may seem like that. But, once you get used to cooking real whole food, you will never go back. There isn’t a client I have worked with who, after working with me has said “I think I am going back to the way I used to eat.” Not one! I have worked in integrative healing centers in 3 different countries. The running theme; whatever the ailment, the diet and lifestyle was the same. Change the diet and lifestyle, and they all got better to reversing their symptoms and diagnoses for the better. You have the ability to change. Don’t do it all at once. Start slowly. Look, if you want to learn how to cook from scratch and have left overs for the next day. Make the recipes I share with you. It is quite easy.  Boondocking with our HotLogic is the best -Use Discount code HEALTHYGUT on the checkout page save 10% My husband and I boondocked for a week in the middle of nowhere. It took me a little prep-work however, my HotLogic did all the work. In my HotLogic MAX Oven I effortlessly cooked at the same time, a whole chicken and beef roast in separate containers. My personal size HotLogic Mini I cooked a pork roast. I made up 3 different salad dressings in left over Kombucha jars. If you are starting to think the HotLogic is the way to check it out and use the discount code HEALTHYGUT on the checkout page for an additional 10% off. I have been using mine for 4 years now. I made sure we had enough for veggies for salads for the week. I will confess, I forgot to buy some onions. I made pickled onions -these went on everything they were sooooooooo good. You can easily cook up a batch of potatoes. Leave some boiled whole, mash some up and you can easily reheat in the HotLogic along with a choice beef, pork or chicken. I cooked my asparagus in the HotLogic for our asparagus pickled onion salad, paired it with chicken and it was absolutely delicious. Guess what was not lurking? PFAS! Yippeeee!  Butcherbox Roast beef reheated in my HotLogic with Feta cheese dressing. so good! We ate like royalty. The salad dressings were out of this world. Way better than any store bought dressing-I promise! The pickled onions were the perfect set of sweet and tangy. And mixing them with asparagus was just delightful. Eating outside every night with the sound of nothing but the Sonoran desert was better than any 5 star dining experience I have done. We had different fresh veggies and salad dressings throughout the week, alternated our animal protein and we never felt like we were eating the same thing every night. You can do this too. You do not need to boondock in order to eat super healthy and effortlessly. Detox your way to healthThere are things that can be done to help remove some of these chemicals from your body. But, first, you must start by removing the culprits and it starts with the what I have suggested above. Once this is done, then you can start the healing process. It can take up to a year or longer to release these stored toxins. Sorry, there is no quick fix. You can however, use foods to help in the process. Foods such as chlorella, spirulina, turmeric and Ginger are wonderful cleansing herbs to add to your smoothies and food. Leafy greens (the darker the better), apples and citrus for the pectin, sprouts and beets are wonderful for supporting the liver and its detoxification pathways. Add lots of organic fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds to help feed your microbiota that in turn can keep bacteria at bay that interfere with your liver's ability to detoxify. Fiber also helps bind toxins so they can be eliminated via a great bowel moment! Drinking quality water is also a super support. It helps to keep the body properly hydrated so that it can perform the necessary functions for proper detoxification and elimination. If you are taking fiber, it is important to get at least 32 ounces of water daily to help with good bowel movements to get the junk out of you. Sleep is super important. Sleep is what triggers the liver to start cleaning and sorting nutrients from our food intake and eliminating toxins and chemical processing metabolites from the day. Our entire digestive process is in high gear while we are sleeping; building and repairing. We do not need to worry, but we do need to worryPerfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) may be considered forever chemicals however, I believe we can do something about it. We can detoxify these chemicals from our body. But, first we must do some prepwork to get to the point of releasing these toxins. The first is to incorporate the suggestions in the article. The more you can stop bringing the chemicals in your body, the better your body will react at getting the rest out. We can all get back to basics with our food. What we put in our mouth affects our physiology, our emotions, our frame of mind, and our health. Disease and cancer is preventable. Now that you know how forever chemicals may be affecting your health, what will take for you to do something about it. You have the power to take back our health. If you need coaching or help in upgrading your diet and lifestyle, I am here for you. Email me or text me and let's get you going on your road to the best life now and in the future! Checkout these great articles
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 Image; RODNAE Productions from Pexels We need to talk about traditional charcuterie (pronounced “shar-ku-trie”) boards since they are all the rage. In case you spend more time off-grid then on (like me), charcuterie is the art of taking cured meats, cheese, artisan breads, crackers, fruit and nuts and creatively displaying them on a board. They are quite popular for date night, get togethers including football parties. but what's lurking in the deli meats is can be a total nightmare. But first, let me share a story with you. When I was kid, one of my favorite things to eat was a bologna sandwich. It would start with fresh Wonder bread, margarine thickly spread on both sides of the bread, 2 pieces of bologna and 2 slices of Kraft single cheese and iceberg lettuce. I would squish the bread until it was a dense doughy mess, eat it and then wash it down with a glass of cow’s milk. Man, how things have changed! In fact, this memory seems like it is someone else’s memory, it is that foreign to me. I couldn’t imagine eating this way today. What is so wrong with the way I used to eat? everything! But, first, let me ask you, are you still eating deli meats? What about cured meats? Even the healthy ones? Should you? Whether it is a charcuterie or a sandwich, let’s explore how eating deli meat, cured meat, bacon, hotdogs and other prepared processed meat may potentially be affecting your health and the ramifications. Deli meats, sometimes called luncheon meats , cold cuts and cured meats, can have some potential ingredients that can cause problems. When I was growing up, deli meats were meat you got at the deli counter and luncheon meats were what you shopped for in the prepared meats isle of the grocers.  Image; Karolina Grabowska from Pexels So, what the heck is a cold cut?Deli meat is what you would get at the deli market. It would be large pieces of meat, individually sliced by the butcher to the specifications of the customer. My mum used to get 100g of shaved black forest ham. Honestly, it was the best tasting ham. Luncheon meats are sealed prepackaged meats hanging off of a peg in the refrigerated section of the grocers’ store. Cold cuts, are a slang term for the slang term “luncheon meats” (which is the slang term for deli meats). Essentially, they are refrigerated prepackaged luncheon meats. Cold cuts and luncheon meats mean the same thing, it just depends on where you are from. What is the problem with Deli and luncheon meats? Whether it is deli, luncheon or cold cuts (and for the rest of this article I will combine the term into deli meats) and cured meats contain some seedy ingredients that seem harmless, however, when they mix with our bodily fluids may be deadly. It all has to do with how deli meats are cured. Conventional methods use nitrates and nitrites. According to WebMD[1] Nitrate is an inorganic, water-soluble chemical. Your body makes around 62 milligrams (mg) of nitrites a day, but the majority of nitrates come from your diet.  Did you know regularly eating even small amounts of cured processed meats increases cancer and heart disease risk? Maybe you have heard of this in the past. I know I have covered it a time or two in past emails. So, you upgraded to the healthiest you could find and, guess what? Even healthy, including 'uncured' products have the same effect. How can this be? According to 2019 JNCI Cancer Spectrum statistics [2];
The reason why deli meats including bacon and hotdogs are questionable is because they are loaded with nitrites and nitrates. Nitrites and Nitrates are similar in that these compounds are inorganic composed of nitrogen and oxygen.
 Nitrites and nitrates are anti microbial preservatives used to stop the growth of microbes and they also help keep the pinker tones in the meat. There have been numerous studies indicating nitrites and nitrates on their own are safe. Like all research, it is what I call, “narrowed research” and it is up to the consumer to read the broad scope. Research has indicated that nitrites and nitrates are safe. Indeed, they are. But, the research, which is typical with most research, they look at a very narrow approach. Indeed, these chemicals are safe, however, what happens, when they are ingested? How do they interact in our body? This sometimes is overlooked. In this instance, when nitrates combine with saliva and stomach acid, the proteins create a compound called nitrosamine which studies show have been linked to causing cancer. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, based in Atlanta, Georgia, a federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, [3] released a patient education care instruction sheet “Nitrates/Nitrates Poisoning”[4] looking at nitrites in drinking water reported the following; “Usually nitrates that enter the body by eating or drinking leave the body without harm. Sometimes, though, conditions such as diarrhea and dehydration (not enough fluids in the body) can make nitrates change to nitrites in greater amounts. These nitrites in the blood cause changes in hemoglobin, or the molecules that help move oxygen in the body. Nitrates can make it so that less oxygen is available for the body to function properly." When looking at shallow rural domestic wells not tested properly, may cause problems for infants. The same paper states; [5] "Infants younger than 4 months of age are the highest risk group for harm from exposure to nitrates."
Infants with diarrhea and vomiting form more nitrites inside the body that place them at higher risk for health effects with or without nitrate exposure. A pregnant woman and her fetus might be more sensitive to toxicity from nitrites or nitrates at or near the 30th week of pregnancy.” It is not just rural areas, it is also our municipal tap water. According to it is also our municipal tap water. According to Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), What Are U.S. Standards and Regulations for Nitrates and Nitrites Exposure? [6] Looking at recommended limit for nitrates and nitrites in drinking water concluded;
Although we are not talking about nitrites and nitrates in drinking water, could these same concerns spill over into our meats? An article from THE CONVERSATION, Academic rigor, journalistic flair; “Why nitrates and nitrites in processed meats are harmful – but those in vegetables aren’t” [7] talks about nitrites and cancer; “…cancer risk likely comes from when the sodium nitrites react with other molecules in the body. So it isn’t necessarily the nitrates and nitrites themselves that cause health issues – including cancer. Rather, it’s what form they are converted into that can increase risk – and what these converted molecules interact with in our bodies. The main concern is when sodium nitrite reacts with degraded bits of amino acids – protein fragments our body produces during the digestion of proteins – forming molecules called N-nitroso compounds (NOCs). These NOCs have been shown to cause cancer. Cancer-causing NOCs can form either during the preparation of nitrite-containing processed meats or during their digestion in the gut. This is because both the preparation and digestion of processed meats generate plenty of protein fragments for the nitrites to react with. Research shows that the NOCs already present in the processed meats we eat (known as “preformed NOCs”) are linked with a greater risk of developing rectal cancer than from NOCs that are subsequently formed in the body. By contrast, given that there are far fewer protein fragments in vegetables, these aren’t a significant source of preformed NOCs. Haem reacts with nitrites, resulting in a molecule called nitrosylated-haem. It’s this molecule – rather than the nitrite itself – that likely reacts with protein fragments to form NOCs. The reason NOCs cause cancer is because they damage DNA. This is the first step in cancer, which is why NOCs are sometimes referred to as “tumour initiators”. But other agents, called tumour promoters, are then needed to drive the cancer process forwards. Tumour promoters are produced in high amounts when meat is fried. So it may be that processed meats that are fried – such as bacon and sausages – contain more initiators and tumour promoters and may be more of a cancer risk than non-fried types such as hams."  Image; congerdesign with Pixabay If you are thinking…well, Karen, there are nitrites in our veggies, how come they do not affect us?Approximately 80% of dietary nitrates are derived from vegetable consumption. we, along with our saliva and bacteria also produce nitrites. But, because there are no protein compounds mixing with stomach acid, plus these veggies will contain naturally occurring vitamin C [8] and E, (antioxidants) and and polyphenols, which prevents the conversion, thus, they are a safer choice. Another win-win for the plant based versus meat argument. However, with this said, we do not know the long-term effects of genetically engineered “plant-based” foods such as burgers that bleed,[9,10] Back to processed meats; it only takes a little bit. Harvard researchers [11] found increasing processed red meat intake by just half a serving a day (½ ounce deli meat, ½ hot dog, or 1 slice bacon) raised the risk of dying over the next eight years by 13 percent. I am a little freaked out because I do eat bacon..I love my bacon! Cold cuts; not-so-much, hotdogs? I have not eaten those in over 25 years. What about “uncured’ processed meats?There is a big hot mess going on when it comes to properly labeling processed meats. There are two methods to curing meats; there are the synthetic “sodium nitrate and nitrite” and the natural, coming from celery or other natural sources. By USDA standards, the label “uncured” simply means the manufacturer did not use chemicals, instead used natural sources for the curing process. When I was healing from Crohn’s disease, part of the healing process was an upgrade in my diet. I would eat gluten free bread, lavishly buttered with butter from pasture-raised cows, organic cheese and organic deli meat with naturally occurring nitrite from celery.” In my mind, my upgrade was healthier, was it? According to Joseph Sebranek, Ph.D., Morrison Endowed Chair in meat science at Iowa State University whether synthetic or natural [nitrites and nitrates] the composition are the same along with the negative health effects.  Source; Consumer Reports, Danger at the Deli Consumer’s Reports[12] tested 31 packaged deli meats from nine companies for nitrites and nitrates. They found on average the levels of nitrites and nitrates were almost the same for cured and uncured meats. If you are still eating conventional processed meats, it is not just the nitrites and nitrates that are problem, but the injections of sodium and other additives to plump up the the meat and make it look good enough to eat. Not to mention fake skins on sausage, and other bloating chemicals and synthetic flavorings. Oh why oh why would you want to eat this? Why do we have to cure meat? Meat is cured to keep bacteria from growing which can literally kill you. Some of the top concerns include;
On average, deli meats should only be kept in the refrigerator 3-5 days once opened. This is one example where the smell test will fail you. Listeria does not have an odour and you can’t see it, but it sits there quietly growing because the cold does not kill it. If you have purchased prepackaged luncheon meats or cold cuts there should be an expiration date, follow it. And, the best advice I can give you, and I live by, when in doubt, throw it out. These are just 3 examples of the numerous microbes which can make their way in to our guts wreaking havoc and the argument for why deli meats need to be cured. Can we eat ‘uncured’ processed meats?I still believe you should opt for the healthier version of processed meats, hotdogs, deli meats and bacon. Why? Because typically when you look at the package you know what is in there.  Examples of processed meat with nitrites, which one is better? Take a look at the difference between these two labels. The left is Applegate organic, humane raised, uncured and the other is Great Value, black forest ham, conventionally raised. Which one do you think is healthier? I hope you said the left one. Remember, healthier processed meats are going to have better ingredients over conventional products. There will be naturally occurring nitrites, in this case using cultured celery powder, however, the conversion in the gut, may just be something your body can better utilize versus the synthetic ingredients. Not only this, take a look at the other ingredients, on both packages, which one do you think is the better choice? Natural or organic deli, meat products typically use celery juice or powder to “cure” the meat because it can produce the similar coloring and flavor like conventional cured meats. Any processed meats labeled “natural” or “organic” cannot be prepared with nitrites because “preservatives” are not allowed in those products.[16] Confusion between cured and uncured meat?Have you seen “uncured” on the label of natural and organic products, such as deli meat, ham, bacon and hot dogs? How about “No nitrates or nitrites added”? They are cured, but with celery juice or powder. Celery contains naturally occurring nitrites. Celery, along with other vegetables, including green leafy vegetables like lettuce, spinach, Bok Choy, and carrots and beets, do contain naturally occurring nitrites.[17] In fact, it is estimated 80% of dietary nitrites come from vegetables. There are studies showing nitrites from vegetables sources can help lower blood pressure and protect against cancer. Not to mention the amount of nitrites consumed is negligible. And, our body knows what to do with naturally occurring ingredients from foods that organically grow from the ground. Nitrates and nitrites are also found in our drinking water mainly due to nitrogen-based fertilizers and animal waste getting into the water source, which happens quite often. Our own intestinal bacteria also produces nitrites. Nitrites are produced endogenously through the oxidation of nitric oxide and through a reduction of nitrate by commensal bacteria in the mouth and gastrointestinal tract.[18] In our mouth, commensal gram negative bacteria on the tongue reduce salivary nitrates. Approximately 25% of ingested nitrate is secreted in saliva, where some 20% is converted to nitrite by commensal bacteria on the tongue. The metabolic activity of commensal bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract and probiotic bacteria also provide nitric oxide from nitrite, and to a lesser extent, from nitrate.  Can you cure your own meat?If you want to take this one step further and avoid the whole delusion of processed meats and bacon you can cure your own meat. If you want to get adventurous check out Amazon, there are numerous books on naturally curing, drying and smoking your own meat, poultry and fish. What if I don’t want to cure my own meat?If you are less adventurous like me (yes, I am admitting “ain’t no body got time for that”) get quality meat like Butcherbox and make your own sort of. Hear me out. I have been getting Butcherbox sent right to my door wherever I am parked. They have several boxes to choose from however, I get the ‘surprise me box’ ( I coined the name) better known as the Beef, pork, chicken box. Because I do not not order what I want, I get whatever they give me; hence the ‘surprise me.’ It’s about as on-the-edge-living the dangerous-side-of-life as I get! Well, that and living and driving a 45 foot motorcoach in city traffic. Butcherbox does offer boxes where you can pick out your own cuts of meat, poultry, pork and sea food as well as ready to heat-and-serve meals. I do not cure the meat. Here, is what I do. I typically end up with big cuts of pork and beef roast. Since we are a family of two; I cook it up, and then slice it thin, wrap it up in non-bleached waxed paper and freeze into meal or lunch size. When I want to make a sandwich or add to a salad, I take what I need out of the freezer, It thaws super-quick. I believe it tastes way better than store-bought cured meat. Before we sold our home and decided to live full time in a motorcoach, my daughter would come over to go “meat shopping” in my freezer. Gotta love the collage student! She would take “lunch meat” along with some other frozen goodies. Now that is she out in the working world, she has her own Butcher Box of goodies delivered right to her door. One of my email subscribers in Alabama asked if they could get it there-Yes, you can. All across the USA. You can find out by going here to see if Butcherbox is servicing your area. In case you are wondering about bacon. I am not willing to give up my bacon. I love bacon. Bacon just makes everything tastes better, do you agree? Butcherbox bacon does not contain any of the synthetic ingredients or synthetic nitrites, just clean ingredients from humane raised pork and is uncured. Guess what? Butcherbox has allowed me to give you $30.00 off of your first box plus free shipping (always) Check it out right now— all I can say is this deal has me shouting “Winner, winner, organic pastured-raised chicken dinner.” What should I look for on the label?Let’ get back to nitrates and nitrates. If the deli meat, hotdogs or bacon have nitrates, nitrites, sodium nitrites listed on the label, slowly, put the package back and walk away quickly and look for “uncured,” or “naturally occurring nitrites” on the package. Oh, and be sure to read the other ingredients. You want the one that is organic, from pastured-raised, and contains the least amount of ingredients on the label. To recap, nitrites and nitrates are similar in that these compounds are inorganic composed of nitrogen and oxygen. Nitrites are found in water, vegetables and meat. Regularly eating even small amounts of cured processed meats increases cancer and heart disease risk. If you are gong to consume deli or cured meats, look for “uncured,” “natural”, or “contains naturally occurring nitrites from celery juice or powder”. Be sure to read the other ingredients on the label. Make your own “deli meats” from pastured-raised meat such as Butcherbox, and thinly slice for sandwiches and such. You have control of what happens in your body, by what you put in your mouth. What are you going to choose?
When it comes to diabetes There are two standard tests (well, there are some others) to determine if someone is Diabetic. They are blood glucose and Hemoglobin A1C test, also called HbA1c, glycated hemoglobin test, glycohemoglobin, glycosylated hemoglobin, or shortened to A1C, HbA1c. A hemoglobin A1C test measures the amount of glucose (sugar) attached to hemoglobin. Let’s talk about what hemoglobin is so that we can better understand the hemoglobin A1C test and what is measuring.  Hemoglobin Illustration from Anatomy & Physiology Connexions Web site https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology/pages/1-introduction What is HemoglobinHemoglobin (or haemoglobin) is the iron containing protein in the red blood cells known as erythrocytes. It is responsible for transporting oxygen to our tissues, then transporting the spent oxygen called oxyhemoglobin from our tissues to the lungs to be expelled. How is hemoglobin madeHemoglobin’s journey begins in the bone marrow.[1] This process known as hematopoiesis, happens in the spongy tissue inside the bone. Inside this environment, stem cells are formed. These stem cells develop into different cells, however, we will stick to the 3 types of blood cells: red, white and platelets. Stem cells are like rabbits. Rabbits reproduce quite fast and efficiently. Same with our cells. Stem cells, make copies of themselves constantly. In fact, as you are reading this, you have more than likely created thousands of new red blood cells. In the case of red blood cells, once the copy is mature enough to be functional, they travel out of the bone marrow and enter the blood stream. If you want to go really in depth, watch the video above, it is quite fascinating. For our purposes, let’s just stick with what happens after a stem cell creates a red blood cell. When the hematopoietic stem cell creates a myeloid stem cell, it matures from a proerythroblast into a reticulocyte and then an erythrocyte. When you get your blood drawn for a yearly checkup, if you have a proper CBC, chem screen and comprehensive metabolic profile it will include reticulocyte values. This can tell us how well your bone marrow is creating blood cells. Erythocytes are your red blood cells. Red blood cells are made up of different components but do not contain a nucleus or organelles like other cells in our body. Did you know Erythrocytes are the most abundant cell type in the blood? Red blood cells carry oxygen to all parts of the body and also takes the carbon dioxide to the lungs to be expelled with our exhalation. Red blood cells have a biconcave shape, meaning, both sides curve inwards. Think of pizza, the crust curves inward with a slight depression slowing towards the middle. The flexible sphere-shape of the red blood cell is designed for ease of maneuvering through the blood through arteries and teeny-tiny veins.  Stem cells maturing into one of three types of mature blood cells: red blood cells, platelets, and white blood cells. Precursor cells are also shown: stem cells, myeloid blasts, lymphoid stem cells, and lymphoid blasts. | Alan Hoofring (Illustrator) The biconcave shape also helps increase the surface area to allow for oxygen and carbon dioxide to easily diffuse onto the membrane of the red blood cell. What keeps the oxygen and dioxide in place is the help of hundreds of millions of hemoglobin proteins which binds it to the sphere. Hemoglobin is what gives blood its red color. What triggers us to need more red blood cells is our kidneys. If the kidneys detect low oxygen levels, they will produce and release the hormone erythropoietin to stimulate production of red bone marrow; those stems cells we talked about. Think about when you are running, you need more oxygen for your muscles, tissue and your lungs. We do not have to think about it, our body just gets busy creating red blood cells with millions of hemoglobin attaching oxygen to help our muscles work and to help us breathe and dumping the spent oxygen so we can breathe it out. This is basically the function of red blood cells, oxygen and carbon dioxide, energy in, energy out. All 25 trillion red blood cells continuously do this for their life span of about 90-120 (3-4 months). Our spleen, liver and lymphatic system are always checking on the health of these red blood cells, removing them from circulation when needed sending them to the white blood cells that then engulf and digest them. It is amazing that we have our own recycling and waste disposal system happening right in our cells. The lymphatic system is part of the highway in keeping our system clean and sludge free. It dumps everything into the bowel for removal. Now that we understand hemoglobin are proteins that bind oxygen and dioxide to the red blood cells for transpiration, now we can get back to understanding what is hemoglobin A1C and why it is measured especially in the case of diabetes. What happens when we eat carbohydratesWhen we eat carbohydrates and fats, our body breaks it down into glucose. Our mouth enzymes start the process, but the biggest breakdown happens in the small intestine with the help of enzymes released by the pancreas. As the sugars and fats are broken down into simple glucose molecules, this also triggers the pancreas to release the hormones insulin and glucagon to help monitor the amount of glucose entering the blood stream. It monitors when to store glucose if we eat too much or release the glucose back into the blood stream for energy. When we are eating foods, insulin increases hormones for; Glycolysis; involves converting glucose to pyruvate for energy use (in the metabolic pathway for ATP and NADH)[2] Glycogenesis; the formation of glycogen from glucose stored in the liver and muscles.[3] Lipogenesis; converting glucose or other substrates into fatty acid and triglycerides for storage in the liver (sometimes fat cells)[4] These three metabolic reactions decrease glucose in the blood stream by converting it for storage in the liver mainly, and sometimes fat cells. If we have not eaten in while, glucagon is released causing the liver to release stored glucose (glycogen) into the bloodstream (glycogenolysis), thereby increasing the level of glucose in the bloodstream[5] so we can get some energy. Most of us eat carbohydrates, we tend to break them down into simple glucose molecules to create the energy we need to run our body and brain. It is the main fuel source of the body. What is Hemoglobin A1CWhen glucose enters our blood stream from our gut, it attaches to hemoglobin, a normal physiological feat. This glucose is called glycosylated hemoglobin, or glycohemoglobin, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c).[6] Hemoglobin A1c compound is produced when glucose reacts with the amino group on a hemoglobin molecule forming a ketoamine. The glucose molecule is attached to one or both N-terminal valines of the β-polypeptide chains of hemoglobin. The HbA1C formation is proportional to the blood glucose concentrations.[7] Depending on the amount or lack of glucose attachment, we can look at the Hemoglobin A1c formation on red blood cells over the lifespan of the blood cell (90-120 days) to determine if there is too much or too little glucose in the blood stream. What is the hemoglobin A1C test purposeThis is where we look to the serum hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) test to measure the amount of glucose attaching to the hemoglobin. Since red blood cells live on average 90-120 days, the hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) test [18] is looking at what has been happening over the last 90’s days and gives an average.[9] If the hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) lab test comes back with high values this indicates what has been happening over the last 3 months. Your body has been busy trying to figure out what to do with the excess amount of glucose. If you recently changed your diet, and your hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) lab test comes back with high values, remember, it is showing from three months ago, not the present moment. If you are wanting to know the impact of your diet on your hemoglobin A1C, you would have to continue for 4 months. Then, have another serum hemoglobin A1C test done and see how your diet has impacted your A1C lab results. What is a good hemoglobin A1C normal rangeEach lab has their own hemoglobin A1C ranges. There is also what I call, conventional hemoglobin A1C levels, which is used to determine whether a person requires medication. This is the actual purpose of the hemoglobin A1C test. Collectively, conventional
 Functional Hemoglobin A1C levelsThere are also functional levels of hemoglobin A1C which is not rooted in the determination of medication, rather, where the physiology needs to be supported through diet and lifestyle upgrades. Functional levels are similar and include;
An increased hemoglobin (HbA1c) above the optimal range 5.7-6.5% they are possibly in the insulin resistance phase, also known as pre-diabetic state. This is known as hypoglycemia. This is often due to hyperinsulinemia, insulin sensitivity or insulin resistance which if not corrected may eventually lead to type II diabetes. It is not a fast rule. A good functional practitioner will look at other factors in the person’s lifestyle and diet that may be contributing to the high hemoglobin A1C lab value. We can also look at other lab markers to determine the course of action such as
Can you have a low hemoglobin A1CThere is such a thing as low hemoglobin A1C. A low hemoglobin A1C (HBA1c) test is between 4.2-5.6%. This would be considered low to low-normal hemoglobin A1C. Less than 4.1% may be caused by an inability to maintain adequate long-term levels of glucose or may have something to do with diet. What causes a low hemoglobin A1cWe must also look at other conditions such a dysfunction of the spleen, or splenectomy, iron deficiency anemia, pancreatic function, low blood pressure, adrenal insufficiency, alcohol, lead toxicity and other conditions. We also need to look at other functions that may shorten the lifespan of red blood cells which would influence hemoglobin A1C lab values such as the various types of anemia including hemolytic anemia, chronic blood loss, sickle cell anemia disease, chronic renal issues, pregnancy  U.S. Naval Hospital Guam's phlebotomist Dio Patague draws blood from the arm of Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Karla Manuel during the opening of the new blood donor center at the hospital's laboratory. | U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Gabrielle Blake How do I prepare for a hemoglobin A1c testTypically, when we have regular routine blood tests done, we fast for it. Do we need to fast for a hemoglobin A1C test? No. The reason, it is testing the amount of glucose that has attached to the hemoglobin over the last 90-120 days. Therefore, it is not affected by you eating and drinking before the test. If you are having just a hemoglobin A1C test, show up to the lab appointment on time. The phlebotomist will inset a needle into the vein in your arm to take a sample of your blood. That it is. Should I be concerned if my Hemoglobin A1C is highIf your hemoglobin A1C levels are high depends on how high. But, to answer the question, yes, you should be concerned. An increased hemoglobin (HbA1c) above the optimal range 5.7% is a sign of not controlling long term glucose levels very well. This is what is referred to as insulin resistance or pre-diabetes. This is a wakeup call. It’s a warning that you need to change something in your diet and lifestyle. If you have read this far and are concerned, I can help you with this. Studies have shown a shift in diet can help shift your hemoglobin A1C scores back into the optimal range. We know that a high A1C is a concern for diabetes, and is often monitored in those with diabetes, but what if you are not diabetic? Or, what if you are diabetic and A1C is high, is it just for monitoring glucose in the blood? We now know that hemoglobin is what glucose sticks to. If the production of hemoglobin changes, then ratio of hemoglobin to glucose A1c will also alter. Hemoglobin A1C and anemiaWhen there is an iron deficiency, the percentage of glycosylated hemoglobin goes up. Iron-deficiency anemia may raise a person's A1C as much as 1.6 percent, [10] but, it will not affect blood glucose. Whether diabetic or not, if there is an iron deficiency, it needs to be treated and may just bring hemoglobin A1C under control When testing for iron deficiency, it is important to ask for the following to be on the lab requisition form
These markers are crucial to understand where and what type of anemia you may be dealing with. These markers suggest an iron deficiency anemia. If these markers come back normal, then you would look to a possible B vitamin or other nutrient type anemia This is where we are looking at B vitamins, folate, copper, chromium, vitamin C as these all play a role in the production of hemoglobin. In this case there could be a hemoglobin type anemia known as microcytic or macrocytic anemia. Before getting your blood drawn add the following to your lab requisition form
I have highlighted the tests in red, that are normally missed on a routine lab requisition form. You will have to ensure these are added in order understand where and what type of anemia. It is important to know your hemoglobin A1C, but it is also important to understand why it is out of the reference range so that you can do what can to bring it under control and not be misdiagnosed. A hemoglobin HgA1C above 5.2% is associated with an increase in your brain shrinking. Think dementia and alzheimers (which is considered type III diabetes). MRIs have shown in diabetes where the brain is not getting fed enough glucose, end up with brain tissue rigidity, and less energy flow. If we do not have adequate vitamin B12 and iron this is going to slow down the development of red blood cells and we will see an impact on the hemoglobin A1C lab values. Studies have confirmed that an HbA1c greater than 5.5% increases the risk of retinopathy and an HbA1c greater than 6.0% increases the risk of chronic kidney disease. Other factors affecting hemoglobin A1C scores that may be overlooked include; COVID 19 and increased hemoglobin A1CWe must look at the impact of COVID-19 on hemoglobin A1C. A systematic review and meta-analysis [16] looked at studies from December 1, 2019 to May 15, 2020 investigating blood glucose or glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). Three studies reported blood glucose and HbA1c according to the severity of COVID-19 and were included in this meta-analysis. The combined results showed that severe COVID-19 was associated with higher blood glucose. In addition, HbA1c was slightly higher in patients with severe COVID-19 than those with mild COVID-19, yet this difference did not reach significance. What we need to understand and remember, hemoglobin A1C is an accumulation of the last 90 days, 3 months. If you have blood work done and also contracted SARS CoV2 this may be a reason why your Hemoglobin A1C has increased. We also know that COVID-19 also affects iron and hemoglobin thus, will impact hemoglobin A1C lab values. You can check out my article on Long Covid and symptoms. Or, if you would like to get the whole scoop on Long Covid you can own your own on demand Long Covid series, check it out here. It is still too early to know how the long term effects of vaccination will affect our health including hemoglobin A1c. We must take this into effect when looking at hemoglobin A1C values. Make a point to record the dates of COVID 19 vaccinations including booster shots. If they have taken place in the last 3 months, may influence lab values. However, with this said, Long Covid and vaccination long term effects are still being researched. In other words, we are the cohort for understanding how this experimental vaccine is affecting the future of our health.[17] Should I worry about hemoglobin A1C high values?A hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) greater than 6.4% is a diagnostic for Diabetes. Is this the end? No! There are numerous strategies to help turn this around. Studies have shown a shift in diet and lifestyle can positively impact lab values and better support how glucose is used in the body so that it does not oversaturate red blood cells. Should you worry? Yes and no. No, because worry doesn’t change anything. Yes, because worry should prompt you to be proactive and do something about it now. It is not over, it is time to get to the root cause of your hemoglobin A1C high score. There are other blood lab values we can look at that can help determine where to start to know how to nutritionally support you for a better hemoglobin A1c test outcome. If you would like help in getting your hemoglobin A1c score into an optimal range, reach out. Email me HelloKarenLangston@gmail.com or call me (347) POO-WELL (347 766. 9355) and let’s get you feeling great again! Other articles you may like
Carrageenan Side Effects are no jokeLet's look at carrageenan side effects, how carrageenan affects the gut, is it safe, and how carrageenan can cause stomach problems and beyond. Let's also look at what foods contain carrageenan including organic products and decide whether or not, if it is safe to eat. When I was first discovered the relationship between the food I was eating and my Crohn’s disease my naturopathic at the time had me keep food journals. I was suffering with bathroom trips any where from 5 to 40 times a day (sometimes more), I was also suffering with migraines and, sometimes constipation so bad that when I did finally go I was pleading with God to “take-me-now” rather than bear the unbearable pain of passing what felt like rocks wrapped in barbed wire. I had transitioned into eating more natural and organic foods as I learned more about the benefits and yet I was still suffering. Going through my food journal my doctor suspected that I may be reacting to a thickening agent called carrageenan. I decided to pay more attention. Another two weeks and I noticed that when I ate anything with carrageenan in it I would get a migraine. My doctor picked up that it was also affecting my bowels. I did not have any cramping or anything so I did not see the connection right away. I was also keeping track of the number of bowel movements; sure enough my bathroom trips were increased on a meal that contained carrageenan; whether it was a small amount or large my bathroom “ticks” on my journal page would be any where from 20 to 45 times! In one day! The bulk of them would be in an hour after ingesting. I was stunned. This was was over 15 years ago! My naturopathic doctor had the studies that indicated the connection between this ingredient and bowel problems. And, the rest of the world is merely catching up? Or is it that there are more and more researchers and scientist who can no longer stay quiet? Carrageenan has been in the news and more studies indicate not only digestive disturbances and tumors of the colon but the health ramifications this stabilizer is causing. Some companies removed carrageenan from their products others have not. In fact, fast - forward to 18 years later I found I was ingesting carrageenan without knowing it. My food is 98% organic. I like to make my own whip cream and I use whipping cream in my coffee. I only purchase organic whipping cream. And as much as I am an avid label reader, I was duped for being näive. I was in my local grocers grabbed my usual organic whipping cream and saw a local heavy cream next to it with the label “40% real cream.” It made me pause. My brain was on fire with the obvious question, why is this brand marketing the percentage of cream? I looked for the ingredients and it said “40% organic cream.” Could it have been the carrageenan? Could my face ulcers be a result of carrageenan? Of course, curiosity had me drop everything and check the ingredients of the two I usually purchase. My heart stopped. I felt so duped! One had thickening agents the other, carrageenan. And then, the light bulb went off. I couldn’t figure out why my bowels had been irritated lately (I have been eating and drinking more cream), and I had this low throbbing pain on my right side. And my face (sigh), my poor face, has been a horrible mess of ulcers and irritation. No matter what I did, I just could not clear it up. It has been a nightmare. Could it have been the carrageenan? Time will tell me as I start the clean up process and making sure all my food is carrageenan free (more on this later). It has a been a week since I switched cream, and I can say the low-grade discomfort in my side is gone. My face, well, that is going to take longer. I have ordered myself a GI MAP and an OMX | Organic Metabolomics from Diagnostic Solutions. I do know carrageenan has a profound effect on the microbiome, and I am curious to see mine. Working with the gut microbiome is a great place to start to clear up my skin and get back on track. What is CarrageenanCarrageenans are a common food additive water-soluble polymer family of linear sulfated polysaccharides derived from red seaweed found in conventional, natural and organic products. Carrageenan has been used as a natural food additive for over 600 years coming from a natural source however, it is highly processed and manipulated (classified as an algal polysaccharide) into inexpensive stabilizers and thickening agents used in dairy products, yogurt, ice cream, nut and rice milks, pudding, including infant formulas, baby food, diet soda, medications, topicals and toothpaste; basically anything that needs to be thickened, gelled, creamy or stabilized so that particles stay mixed together.  Eucheuma denticulatum, farmed for iota-carrageenan, in a local off-bottom cultivation in Bweleo on Zanzibar, Tanzania. | Image; StinaTano Carrageenan BenefitsWe must define the fact that carrageen benefits are coming from seaweed that naturally contains the carrageenan and has been extracted in a natural way, or the entire seaweed has been dried and not extracted. It is hard to believe there are benefits to using highly processed carrageenan. I do not think they are benefits for you and I rather ease of making products for the manufacturer. Carrageenan benefits include ease of thickening products like yogurt and ice-cream or, my new found horror, heavy whipping cream. It is also a stabilizing agent and is useful in meat products, medications, juices and infant formula. I shudder to think of how many innocent babies have had unnecessary bowel issues. According to WebMD[2], Carrageenan is also used for coughs, bronchitis, tuberculosis, and intestinal problems. The French use a form that has been changed by adding acid and high temperatures. This form is used to treat peptic ulcers, and is used as a bulk laxative. Some people apply carrageenan directly to the skin for discomfort around the anus. I could not imagine the ramifications of this action. The only webpages I found with actual carrageenan benefits were companies that use the seaweed in the manufacturing of raw products. According to Xtendlife[3] they have used red seaweed, sift, remove sand and impurities, then soak the seaweed in a heated alkali solution such as potassium hydroxide to remove the carrageenan from the seaweed. The cellulose is then removed mechanically with filtration and centrifugation leaving a solution which is then evaporated. The final result is a powdered carrageenan. According to this company, the process they use, results in antioxidant properties that make it useful in health supplements. According the company, because it has antioxidant activity is also supports the digestive system. One study found that carrageenan oligosaccharides helps support cells from damage due to oxidative stress, may help with stomach irritation and discomfort, support regular bowel movement. There is also evidence that if you have higher total cholesterol, this indicates a most significant sign that you may benefit from chitin supplements. What I did not find on this website was the link or hyperlink to the studies. I did find the comparative study, Structural characterization and antioxidant activities of κ-carrageenan oligosaccharides degraded by different methods.[4] “These results indicated that the antioxidant activities of κ-carrageenan oligosaccharides could be related to the degree of polymerization, the content of reducing sugar and sulfate groups, and the structure of reducing terminus.” Other benefits of carrageenan included a 2105 study “Prebiotic effects of diet supplemented with the cultivated red seaweed Chondrus crispus or with fructo-oligo-saccharide on host immunity, colonic microbiota and gut microbial metabolites” demonstrated a number of prebiotic effects. The study used mechanically air-dried, whole plants of a proprietary strain of Chondrus crispus, cultivated intensively on-land, were obtained from Acadian Seaplants Limited (Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada). The seaweed samples were finely ground and passed through a 60-mesh sieve (0.25 mm in diameter)for the use in rats for the study. They also used fructo-oligo-saccharide (FOS) powder, extracted from chicory roots, was provided by Cargill (Wayzata, MN), as Oliggo – Fiber™ DS2 inulin, with an average degree of polymerization less than 10. C. crispus and FOS were mixed with a standard basal feed (RMH 3000, LabDiet, St. Louis, MO, USA), respectively, at the ratio of 0.0 (plus 2.5 % corn starch), 0.5 (plus 2.0 % corn starch) or 2.5 % (dry w/w). The mixed feed was then pelleted (4.7 mm in diameter, 1.0-1.5 cm in length) using a feed mill facility located at the Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, Nova Scotia. Diets were prepared just before the trial and stored under dry and cool conditions. The results of the study found; “Phylochip array analysis indicated differing microbiome composition among the diet-supplemented and the control groups, with the C. crispus group (2.5 % supplementation) showing larger separation from the control than other treatment groups. In the 2.5 % C. crispus group, the population of beneficial bacteria such as Bifidobacterium breve increased (4.9-fold, p = 0.001), and the abundance of pathogenic species such as Clostridium septicum and Streptococcus pneumonia decreased. Higher concentrations of short chain fatty acids (i.e., gut microbial metabolites), including acetic, propionic and butyric acids, were found in faecal samples of the C. crispus-fed rats. Furthermore, both C. crispus and FOS supplemented rats showed significant improvements in proximal colon histo-morphology . Higher faecal moisture was noted in the 2.5 % C. crispus group, and elevated plasma immunoglobulin (IgA and IgG) levels were observed in the 0.5 % C. crispus group, as compared to the basal feed group. The results suggest multiple prebiotic effects, such as influencing the composition of gut microbial communities, improvement of gut health and immune modulation in rats supplemented with cultivated C. crispus.”[5] A clinical trial study has shown helpful with lowering cholesterol and as a treatment for cardiovascular disease. [7] Like many other substances that are highly processed, in their original state and form, may be the best way to consume this product. However, these studies are not indicating this is not how it used in the product and food industries.  Red seaweed on beach | Image; Yuval Birger Can Carrageenan cause inflammation?Carrageenan and constipation? Carrageenan contains chemicals that may decrease stomach and intestinal secretions. Large amounts of carrageenan seem to pull water into the intestine, and this may explain why it is tried as a laxative. Carrageenan also might decrease pain and swelling (inflammation). I believe the laxative effects were more of a gastrointestinal reaction and question the use of carrageenan as a laxatives in light of recent research. In other words there are studies associating carrageenan and IBS. IBS is an irritated bowel. Could it be carrageenan works on constipation by irritating the intestinal lining? Carrageenan has been well established as an inflammatory-inducer. In other words it is used to induce inflammation. If you look at any study involving reducing inflammation especially for intestinal inflammation, carrageenan is used to create the inflammation in a healthy subject. typically rats, mice and other animals. Here are some examples; “Shilajit at an intraperitoneal dose of 50 mg/kg decreased carrageenan-induced inflammation in the rat paw by approximately 75%. Furthermore, shilajit administration decreased carrageenan-induced acute pedal edema, granuloma pouch, and adjuvant-induced arthritis in these animals, indicating significant anti-inflammatory activity”.[9] Shilajit black, is a blackish brownish—like goo, fulvic acid extracted from layers of rock in several mountain ranges throughout the world, including the Himalayan, Tibetan, and Altai mountains. This study, looking at anti-inflammatory medicinal spices, goes into detail on the use of carrageenan; “Carrageenan-induced paw edema is one of the most popular tests used in the screening of African spices and vegetables for antiinflammatory activity (Winter et al., 1962). It is a highly sensitive and reproducible test for nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs and has long been established as a valid model to study new antiinflammatory drugs (Willoughby and DiRosa, 1972). Carrageenan-induced inflammation is useful in detecting orally active antiinflammatory agents; therefore, it has significant predictive value for antiinflammatory agents acting through mediators of acute inflammation (Vinegar et al., 1969). The development of edema induced by carrageenan injection causes an acute and local inflammatory response. In the early phase (0–1 h), histamine, serotonin, and bradykinin are the first mediators involved, whereas prostaglandins and various cytokines such as IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α are implicated in the second phase (Crunkhorn and Meacock, 1971).”[10] Another Review “The Role of Carrageenan in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases and Allergic Reactions: Where Do We Stand?[11] respectfully acknowledges with the spread of the Western diet, along side is the wide spread use of carrageenan in processed foods for its properties as a thickener, gelling agent, emulsifier, and stabilizer. The review is looking at the debate on its safety, given the fact that carrageenan is used on animals to induce inflammation for the efficacy of anti-inflammatory drugs. The take away; “Carrageenan (CGN) can activate the innate immune pathways of inflammation, alter the gut microbiota composition and the thickness of the mucus barrier. Clinical evidence suggests that CGN is involved in the pathogenesis and clinical management of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), indeed food-exclusion diets can be an effective therapy for disease remission. Moreover, specific IgE to the oligosaccharide α-Gal has been associated with allergic reactions commonly referred to as the "α-Gal syndrome". This review aims to discuss the role of carrageenan in inflammatory bowel diseases and allergic reactions following the current evidence. Furthermore, as no definitive data are available on the safety and the effects of CGN, we suggest gaps to be filled and advise to limit the human exposure to CGN by reducing the consumption of ultra-processed foods.” Just think about it, if studies are using carrageenan to induce inflammation, what do ou think it is doing to our intestines? Study after study will tell you, remove the ultra processed and certain organic processed foods, more on this below, and you may find the relief you have been looking for.  Image; Sora Shimazaki from Pexels Carrageenan and Ulcerative ColitisCarrageenan’s past became questionable in a 1982 laboratory rat study indicating sulfated polysaccharides increase hydrogen sulfide production which inhibited the metabolism of butyric acid and other short chain fatty acids, which in turn starved colonocytes inducing lesions similar to colitis. In other words, there is an association between carrageenan and ulcerative colitis. Butyrate is an important short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) and it is an energy source for the intestinal epithelial cells, which also influences several factors affecting colonic health.[12] Butyrate may also have an anti-inflammatory potential, affecting the intestinal barrier, playing a role in satiety and oxidative stress, and contribute to the maintenance of stability and balance within the colon. Animal studies on rabbits and guinea pigs have demonstrated that feeding sulfated polysaccharides (such as carrageenan), but not unsulfated polysaccharides, can induce lesions similar to ulcerative colitis.[13] The reason this is important to those with ulcerative colitis is that research indicates higher counts of sulfur reducing bacteria in the feces of patients with active ulcerative colitis than in patients in remission. Incidence and activities of sulphate-reducing bacteria in patients with ulcerative colitis. [14] The effects of carrageenan is not reserved to those with ulcerative colitis it seems to affect persons with any type of digestive disturbances that does not seem to abate. This includes irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, and other digestive issues including constipation, diarrhea, explosive and uncontrollable diarrhea, vomiting, indigestion, painful cramping, gas gallbladder pain and other unexplained digestive upset. In the journal of Nutrition one study conducted on rats fed a non-fiber diet or a diet containing about 5% of apple pectin, λ-carrageenan, locust bean gum, gum xanthan, guar gum or sodium alginate found that pancreatic-bile secretion increased in rats fed for 2 weeks on a highly viscous polysaccharides, sodium alginate, locust bean gum, gum xanthan and guar gum. The polysaccharides may have interfered with the digestion and absorption of nutrients, resulting in decreased digestibility and an enlargement of digestive organs. When alginic acid and calcium alginate, insoluble polysaccharides that did not contribute to viscosity, were given in rats, they had no effect on pancreatic and biliary secretion compared with sodium alginate. The results demonstrate that consumption of viscous indigestible polysaccharides causes changes in the exocrine pancreatic-biliary function and may depress the process of digestion and absorption.[15] I have found that gallbladder removal is on the rise and I am starting to see that there may be the possibility of saving some gallbladders simply by removing irritating carcinogenic ingredients like carrageenan from the diet. What if it is that simple? To remove chemical and synthetic ingredients to resolve chronic symptoms; at the very least to see if they do indeed subside. This is a cost effective measure before adding to the overburden health care system and having a potentially unnecessary surgery and future health problems.  Carrageenan: a review. Veterinarni Medicina, 58, 2013 (4): 187–205 | J. Necas, L. Bartosikova | Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech Republic | PDF What are the different types of carrageenanThere are different types of carrageenan, regardless of the process described below, the end result is extracting the carrageenan from the seaweed. There are two types of carrageenan degraded and undegraded. Degraded carrageenan is processed with acid (or, hydrolyzed) which degrades into a low molecular weight and quickens the process to remove carageenans from the seaweed. This is not allowed to be used in food production or manufacturing. However, tests have been randomly conducted on food and have been found to be contaminated with degraded “food-grade” carrageenan. Degraded carrageenan is such a potent inflammatory agent that scientists routinely use it to induce inflammation and other diseases (especially IBD) in laboratory animals, to test anti-inflammation drugs and other pharmaceuticals.
I know, it is quite confusing. Let me help you clear up the confusion;
The one that has come under scrutiny is undegraded carrageenan. Undegraded is the one used in food processing however studies indicate that undegraded carrageenan is in fact degrading in food and scientists are concerned that the acid environment of the stomach may “degrade” foodgrade carrageenan once it enters the digestive system, thus exposing the intestines to this potent and widely recognized carcinogen.[16] Carrageenan and CancerIn a petition to the FDA Results from the 2005 Marinalg Working Group’s tests clearly show that degraded carrageenan, a substance that is known to cause colon inflammation and is classified by the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer as a “possible human carcinogen,”was present in all samples of food-°©grade carrageenan. Therefore, all carrageenan should be prohibited from foods, especially organic foods.[17]  CHAPTER 3 - PRODUCTION, PROPERTIES AND USES OF CARRAGEENAN Is Carrageenan in Organic food?This is an important point to remember. Usually choosing organic over conventional is the answer to removing harmful substances. This is not the case. The petition to the FDA was to remove carrageenan from organic foods because it does not fall within the criteria of organic. In the petition it states "Based on scientific research and industry data, the inclusion of carrageenan on the National List is illegal, since it violates the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990, Sec. 2118(c)(1)(A)(i) -.‐ ‘the National List may provide for the use of substances only if ... the use of such substances would not be harmful to human health or the environment." "Carrageenan fails the following criterion in the organic standards: 7 CFR 205.600(b)(3) -’The nutritional quality of the food is maintained when the substance is used, and the substance, itself, or its breakdown products do not have an adverse effect on human health as defined by applicable Federal regulations.’ Please note that the standards include the phrase “or its breakdown products.” Research shows that food-.‐grade carrageenan is broken down in the gastrointestinal tract to degraded carrageenan, a “possible human carcinogen.” Food-.‐grade carrageenan should therefore be removed from the National List based on 7 CFR 205.600(b)(3)."[18] Scientists at the University of Illinois at Chicago and University of Chicago have been looking at the health effects of carrageenan for more than a decade and were concerned enough to have petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2008 and 2012 to prohibit the use of carrageenan in food and both times was turned down. UIC physician and professor Joanne Tobacman petition cited decades of publicly funded, peer-reviewed science including her own (she suffered gastrointestinal issues when consuming carrageenan) on carrageenan-induced inflammation in animals and cells. In June, the FDA responded with a letter of denial. [19] At the USDA’s National Organic Standards Board meeting in May 2012, Dr. Joanne Tobacman, a physician-scientist at the University of Illinois College of Medicine and the nation’s foremost independent expert on carrageenan, presented her research and urged the NOSB to remove carrageenan from organic foods. Companies decided to ignore years of disturbing findings of dozens of independently funded and peer-reviewed studies, including several that found higher rates of colon cancer in lab animals given a diet containing food-grade carrageenan.[20] According to Professor Tobacman in a Review of harmful gastrointestinal effects of carrageenan in animal experiments reviewed 1982 study data which demonstrated that exposure to undegraded as well as to degraded carrageenan was associated with the occurrence of intestinal ulcerations and neoplasms. This association may be attributed to contamination of undegraded carrageenan by components of low molecular weight, spontaneous metabolism of undegraded carrageenan by acid hydrolysis under conditions of normal digestion, or the interactions with intestinal bacteria.[21] It has been scientifically shown since 1982 (and as far back s the 1960’s) that there are health risks associated with carrageenan and yet it is ignored.  Image; Piotr Arnoldes from Pexels My heavy whipping cream contained carrageenanI must take a moment here to just sit in silence to really to take this in. I consider myself an informed consumer. Like I said earlier, I read labels. But, for some reason I did not read the labels on the organic whipping cream I was purchasing. I took it at face value the word “Organic” was something I could trust. Over the last year, I have consumed a lot of whipping cream. I use it in my cooking, baking, and in my coffee. I also take hydrochloric acid to increase stomach acid. Could it be a year of low- grade inflammation, not feeling well, grossly disturbed microbiome, digestive disruption and my face ulcers be due to my faith in taking the word “organic” at face value? Take action against Carrageenan in food The Cornucopia Institute encourages people to take action and protect their health and sign the petition to have carrageenan removed from food products. “Given its effect on gastrointestinal inflammation, Cornucopia urges anyone suffering from gastrointestinal symptoms (irritable bowel syndrome IBS, spastic colon, inflammatory bowel disease IBD, chronic diarrhea, etc.) to consider completely eliminating carrageenan from the diet to determine if carrageenan was a factor in causing the symptoms. This is serious enough to take action. Even Dr. Weil advises against any product containing carrageenan and has been quoted as saying that carrageenan can lead to inflammation and inflammation is “a root cause” of a number of serious illnesses, such as Heart disease Gastrointestinal disorders (IBD) Alzheimer’s disease Parkinson’s disease Diabetes Cancer[22] A 2012 citizen petition to the FDA was turned down so it really is up to you. You have to take the initiative to read labels. I know I am. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Avoid food that has these listed in the ingredients list; Carrageenan Polygeenan Irish moss Agar-agar In fairness, irish moss and agar-agar, is a better processing method, and, perhaps you may not have a reaction. However, if you are dealing with Crohn's, Ulcerative colilits, Irritable Bowel Syndrome(IBS), diarrhea - try taking these out of your diet as well. And, as mentioned if the product is organic the carrageenan ingredient is not. In the United States it is not mandatory to list all ingredients on food labels so, you maybe ingesting carrageenan with out knowing it. The best advice; if you are experiencing digestive disturbance from a particular product avoid it because there is something in it whether it is carrageenan or not that is affecting you. Some of the words that may be listed in the ingredient list;[23]
Look for other names such as Seaweed, Agar-agar, Algas, Algue Rouge Marine, Carrageen, Carrageenin, Carragenano, Carragenina, Carragheenan, Carraghénane, Carraghénine, Chondrus crispus, Chondrus Extract, Euchema species, Extrait de Mousse d’Irlande, Galgarine, Gigartina chamissoi, Gigartina mamillosa, Gigartina skottsbergii, Irish Moss Algae, Irish Moss Extract, Mousse d'Irlande, Red Marine Algae.[24] Food products with CarrageenanCarrageenan can be found in ice cream, chocolate milk, flans, puddings, whipped cream, whipping cream, half and half cream, heavy cream, yogurt, creamy milk desserts, cheeses, dry mix desserts, coconut milk, dessert gel, jam, dough sweets, marshmallows, gum drops, confitures, cake icing, tart fillings, bread dough, meringue, cooked ham, imitation meat, sausage, canned meat, hamburger, pureed meat, poultry, processed meat, clarifying and refining of juices, beers, wines and vinegars, chocolate milk, syrups, powdered fruit juices, diet shakes, protein shakes, dry mix salad dressings, powdered soups, mustard, white sauce, ready to eat sauces[25], milkshakes, instant breakfast powders, cooked flans, custards, cooked pudding and pie fillings, cold prepared flans and custards, chocolate syrup, sherbet, skim milk, cottage cheese, cream cheese, evaporated canned milk, infant formulas, ready-to-eat milk puddings, whipping cream, aerosol spray cream topping, frozen whipped toppings, imitation milk, desert gels, fruit drinks, low-calorie jellies, jar or canned fish products, frozen fish coating, relish, pizza sauce and barbecue sauce.[26] When it comes to non food grade products such as toothpaste, air fresheners, lotions, ointments, creams, medication, cosmetics, paints and emulsions, dental impression materials, laxative preparations, mineral oil, insoluble drug preparations, antacids, antacid gels, drugs for peptic and duodenal ulcers, barium sulfate suspensions, water based paints, immobilization of enzymes and cells.[27]  Get your FREE guide to avoiding Carrageenan in Organic Food. There are numerous ways to save the file How to know if carrageenan is affecting your healthIf you are dealing with gastrointestinal symptoms that are not being being relieved. This is an inexpensive way to put this to the test. Avoid any products that contain carrageenan or any of the derivative names for at least a month. Start with a symptom journal; list all of your symptoms on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the most uncomfortable. List all of them including headaches, joint pain and anything else including what you think are “Crohn’s symptoms,” IBS or Colitis symptoms. No symptom should be assumed to be something else. If you have it, list it. Then list how many bowel movements you are experiencing and consistency. It does not have to be anything elaborate just a slash and a code such as watery diarrhea “WD” Loose; “L” and so on. Then, continue keeping a daily log of the number of bowel movements. Once a week go over your symptoms list and re-rate your symptoms..see if some of your symptoms lesson or abate.  If you would like some guidance, you can download my symptom tracker and food journal to help you keep track. If you think you do not need to track, think again. We are wired to forget our pain quickly. Think back to how you felt 3 days ago? Can you remember all of the symptoms? Can you remember what you ate? Download the tracker and get tracking! Although there is not a conclusive list of symptoms other than “gastrointestinal symptoms” you may want to explore the elimination of carrageenan for a period of time such as a month to see if the symptoms indicated below are attributed to carrageenan consumption.
What are alternatives to Carrageenan?Let me confuse you even more. I know, I am not doing this intentionally. it is amazing how the laws are to protect the food industry and not the consumer. Alternatives to carrageenan include guar gum and locust bean gum and animal studies indicate not to cause gastrointestinal distress unlike carrageenan.[28] However, I would avoid these as well. Sometimes, carrageenan can be combined with locust bean gum and it does not have to be listed on the label. According to Cornucopia your trusted food watchdog says right on their website “Carrageenan may be present in the final product but not listed on the ingredients label when it is used as a “processing aid,” for example in cream.”  Image; RODNAE Productions from Pexels Carrageenan in beer?Do you drink beer? You may be unknowingly drinking carrageenan. “Note: The law does not require ingredients to be listed on alcoholic beverages, and carrageenan is commonly used to clarify beer.” Get your list of carrageenan in organic productsFind out what products to avoid or to purchase without carrageenan with the Shopping Guide to Avoiding Organic Foods With Carrageenan. You can get a complete listing of companies and their products that do and do not contain carrageenan. It is too long of a list to add to this article however, I encourage you to take a look and familiarize yourself. As always the best thing to do is start reading labels. Forget reading about caloric intake the real truth is in the actual ingredient list. If you have eliminated carrageenan from your diet and have found relief from gastrointestinal symptoms, let Cornucopia know the results by filling out a questionnaire developed in collaboration with medical researchers. Get the questionnaire by going here.  Cornucopia questionnaire was developed in collaboration with medical researchers. Let's eliminate carrageenan If you have eliminated carrageenan from your diet I would love to hear from you and what the results were; what was your “aha moment” that tuned you into the fact that carrageenan may be contributing to your health issues? And, add your advice for those who are on the fence as to why they need to get carrageenan out of their diet. You have the power of voice and soon manufactures will hear you by the decline in profits. Look at high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oil and recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) a hormone that studies indicate can be found in dairy products such as cheese and milk. The studies would go back and forth about it’s health risk and it really did not matter. Consumers like you and I, began to avoid these products forcing food processors to remove it because their profit margin was hit for the worse. The same will eventually happen with carrageenan. Some of the organic companies that refused to remove carrageenan have since changed their minds due to public pressure and more so declining profits. Don’t be duped, do get active and take action! If you need help getting your gut back on track get in touch with me. Either email me HelloKarenLangston@gmail.com or call me (347) POO-WELL (347) 766.9355  Do you believe in stress and the gut connection? In this post, let’s cover what is Long Covid, how it first started, the difference between Post Covid and Long Covid, How many cases are there worldwide, and the incomplete symptoms list of Long Covid (you will understand as you read on). For the latest COVID-19 news and information, visit Penn State's Coronavirus Information website. Continue to follow CDC-recommended health/safety precautions, contact your healthcare provider if you have questions or feel ill, and review information from state and national health authorities. This presentation does not have a treatment, cure, or prophylactic for SARS-CoV-2 There are no products to cure or treat the virus at this time. This information does not provide medical advice. It is intended for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never ignore professional medical advice in seeking treatment because of something you have read here. If you think you may have a medical emergency, seek immediate medical treatment. There has been a new phenomenon emerging from the SARS-CoV2 infection known as “Long COVID”, “Long Haulers”, “long-haul COVID”, “Post COVID syndrome”, “post COVID-19 syndrome[1]”,“chronic COVID-19”[2] , “Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC)[3]”as well as “Microbiome post COVID syndrome[4], which we will talk about later. Thanks to social media Long Covid is the one most referred to. For this blog, it is also the terminology I will use to describe this concerning emerging conditon. I was listening to one of my many online continuing educational courses and was busy getting dinner ready while the presenter was introducing himself. There was idle chitchat when suddenly, my ears perked in astonishment. He is an ER nurse and was talking about the amount of people coming into the ER saying they didn’t have shortness of breath, they just had to think about breathing. At this time, I had not really paid attention to the information on the virus that was taking over the nightly news. I had been suffering with this type of breathing issue along with inability to breathe properly while sitting and found myself having to sing in order to help me to forget thinking about breathing. It was almost like it reset me. I also would wake up because I was not breathing. I had no idea these were symptoms of SARS CoV-2 because these symptoms were not showing up in the literature. The nurse went on to say, with these symptoms, it could be a very long haul back to proper health. The next day, I was scheduled to give blood. When I arrived, they tested my hemoglobin, and I was well below the healthy threshold to give blood Low hemoglobin and breathing issues, for no apparent reason, I soon discovered I had been infected. What I didn’t know at the time, was the symptoms I had been dealing with for months, were recognized as Long Covid. I suffered in silence, not knowing others were also suffering. It has taken me over a year fighting to get my health back to where it was once. I have written and recorded an informational video for health coaches and practitioners on Long Covid. I have presented the information on Long Covid in such a manner, that even if you are not a health professional, you too can watch this program. There was so much information on the complexities of Long Covid symptoms that I thought I would write about it here, just in case, the common symptoms are not what you have but the more complex ones. I had been infected quite early, December 2019 right as I was healing with from Valley Fever. Talk about leaving the year on a low! By February 2020, I was having such odd symptoms and the breathing issues stayed with me for over a year. I had no idea they were attributed to Long Covid. I wish I had known earlier. I am the type of person who just doesn’t look at the numbers and chalk anything up to what is being presented. I believe in researching for the underlying condition, which starts with understanding our unique physiology. But, for now, in this post I will stick to the foundation the “what” of Long Covid and the symptoms. I really do hope this helps you especially if you have been struggling with symptoms that no one has connected the dots for you. How Did Long Covid start?As much confusion as there is for SARS CoV-2 there is for Long Covid. It has come to be understood once infected with the virus, the recovery was about 2 weeks later. Many were turning to social media[5] as early as March 2020 to discuss symptoms they were experiencing well after the infection recovery time.[6] It was then discovered by news media[7], and then various clinical media picked it up from there. In your search operating system type in "Long Covid" and you will see numerous academic papers on the phenomena.  Frequency of reported ongoing symptoms in survey participants (n=2526) Ziauddeen N, Gurdasani D, O’Hara ME, et al. Characteristics of Long Covid: findings from a social media survey. medRxiv; 2021. DOI: 10.1101/2021.03.21.21253968. Doctors understood the viral infection could lead to chronic illness but exploring this was not a priority. “At the beginning, everything was acute, and now we’re recognizing that there may be more problems,” according to Helen Su, an immunologist at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Bethesda, Maryland. “There is a definite need for long-term studies.”[8] What is the difference between Long Covid and Post Covid?This is a tough one to answer, because the information is still being collected. Although there are tons of studies pouring in, the distinction between post COVID and long COVID is blurred, due to a temporal evaluation only.[9] According to Elsevier Public Health Emergency Collection May-June 2021 publication Diabetes metabolic Syndrome (published April 2020; Long Covid: An Overview “Long COVID is the collective term to denote persistence of symptoms in those who have recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection[10]”. The difference between Long Covid versus Post Covid according to Elsevier Public Health Emergency Collection[11]; Post COVID syndrome is the time lag between the microbiological recovery and clinical recovery. The majority of people with post-COVID syndrome are PCR negative, indicating microbiological recovery.[12] “Long COVID can be divided into two stages-post acute COVID where symptoms extend beyond 3 weeks, but less than 12 weeks, and chronic COVID where symptoms extend beyond 12 weeks.[13]  Classification of long COVID | Diabetes Metab Syndr. 2021 May-June; 15(3): 869–875. Published online 2021 Apr 20. doi: 10.1016/j.dsx.2021.04.007 Looking at insurance records of nearly 2 million people who were diagnosed with COVID-19, researchers found that 23% of people of all ages developed a condition 30 days or more after infection.[14] According to The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)[15], the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network[16], and the Royal College of General Practitioners[17] use the following terms to characterize different stages of post–COVID-19 condition[18];
Research[19] group from Spain proposed the following groupings;
Long Covid Frequency is still being researched as the symptoms keep coming in. According to JAMA Systematic Review[20] looking at the short term and long term rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection showed that at least 50% of people who have been infected with and survived COVID-19 will continue to suffer from symptoms for 6 months or longer. Other institutions worldwide have defined Long Covid into subtypes;
The short answer for what is Long Covid according to JAMA Network; “Long COVID is the collective term to denote persistence of symptoms in those who have recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection beyond the acute infection phase 4 weeks after being infected.[28]” What has been established so far, it will take researchers at least 5 years to understand the long-term health impact of SARS-CoV-2[29] as we are the cohort for COVID and for Long Covid drug trials. How many Long Covid cases are there worldwide?The prevalence of Long Covid is quite extraordinary. According to Penn State College of Medicine researchers, more than half of the 236 million people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 worldwide since December 2019 will experience post-COVID symptoms -- more commonly known as 'long COVID' -- up to six months after recovering.[30] How frequent is long covid? Another study, “Global Prevalence of Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) or Long COVID: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review[31]”, researchers at the University of Michigan examined the prevalence of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) across the world to provide prevalence. Looking at 886,000 patients who tested positive for COVID-19, overall, the research team found that global prevalence of long COVID was about 43%. Among patients who needed hospitalization, the prevalence increased to 57%, between the sex, 49% among women and 37% among men. According to WebMD quoting World Health Organization on long covid frequency, estimate of 237 million worldwide COVID-19 infections in mid-October, more than 100 million people still experience or previously had long-term health consequences from the coronavirus, the researchers calculated.[32] Penn State research looked 57 systematic reviews which included data from 250,351 unvaccinated adults and children who were diagnosed with COVID-19 from December 2019 through March 2021. Among those studied, 79% were hospitalized, and most patients (79%) lived in high-income countries. Patients' median age was 54, and the majority of individuals (56%) were male. The researchers analyzed patients' health post-COVID during three intervals at one month (short-term), two to five months (intermediate term) and six or more months (long-term). According to the findings, survivors experienced an array of residual health issues associated with COVID-19. Generally, these complications affected a patient's general well-being, their mobility or organ systems. Overall, one in two survivors experienced long-term COVID manifestations. The rates remained largely constant from one month through six or more months after their initial illness. In the beginning, some thought long covid was nothing but a psychosomatic phenomenon. After turning to social media to share their experiences and then the review of over a year’s worth of data; these studies proved Long Covid is not psychosomatic like some believe.  Approach to patients with Long COVID | Diabetes Metab Syndr. 2021 May-June; 15(3): 869–875. Published online 2021 Apr 20. doi: 10.1016/j.dsx.2021.04.007 What are the symptoms of Long Covid?The early lack of awareness of the range of symptoms associated with Covid19 meant that many people did not associate their symptoms with Covid19 and therefore did not associate their enduring symptoms with Long Covid.[33] Long Covid symptoms vary from person-to-person. A 2020 follow up after discharge from a Paris hospital report that 64% of respondents reporting a period of wellness before relapsing, 76% presented new symptoms that were absent during the acute phase of their Covid19 infection. 86% of respondents experienced relapses occurring in an irregular pattern, or in response to specific triggers (such as physical or mental activity, stress, menstruation, heat, or alcohol).[34] Long Covid can affect anyone – old and young, otherwise healthy people and those battling other conditions. The list of long COVID symptoms is long, wide and inconsistent. For some people, these lasting symptoms are nothing like the original COVID-19 symptoms.[35] Long covid without initial symptoms can occur, whereas the same can happen with severe symptoms of the initial SARS CoV-2 infraction. One can have one, some or numerous overlapping symptoms, some may start with a couple and over time, have more symptoms. Some people may be suffering with more than one syndrome at the same time.[36] According to the CDC As of July 2021, “long COVID,” also known as post-COVID conditions, can be considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).[38] National Institute for Health Research Review (NIH) found there are 205 different symptoms related to Long Covid leading to the bundled name of “Corona coaster.” According to the NIH[39] the common symptoms were identified into two categories;
According to the CDC[40] Multi-organ system effects of COVID-19 have been documented in most, if not all, body systems including cardiovascular, pulmonary, renal, dermatologic, neurologic, and psychiatric along with multi-system inflammatory syndrome (MIS)[41] and autoimmune conditions. To date, the most commonly reported persisting symptoms include:
These may be the more common symptoms of Long Covid, leaving you thinking you may not fall within the parameters. Think again, there are other symptoms associated with this critical emerging condition.  Long-term effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The meta-analysis of the studies included an estimate for one symptom or more reported that 80% of the patients with COVID-19 have long-term symptoms. CRP C-reactive protein, CT computed tomography, IL-6 Interleukin-6, NT-proBNP (NT)-pro hormone BNP, OCD Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, PTSD Post-traumatic stress disorder. This figure was created using Biorender.com | Lopez-Leon, S., Wegman-Ostrosky, T., Perelman, C. et al. More than 50 long-term effects of COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sci Rep 11, 16144 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-95565-8 Long Covid Parosmia (Pernio)During the acute infection phase of SARS CoV-2 was the loss of taste and smell. Most recovered from this condition without any long term effects. For others, this was not the case. Parosmia is a condition which cause normal or familiar pleasant smells to now smell unpleasant or even of disgust. This olfactory disorder is considered a rare occurrence; however, it is coming into the spotlight for some suffering with Long Covid, now known as Long Covid Parosmia. Potential cause of parosmia includes upper respiratory infections.[42] Viruses can lead to olfactory dysfunction by causing damage to the upper respiratory tract and olfactory neurons.[43] Although researchers are still trying to understand the relationship between the virus infection, long covid and parosmia, what they do note is that COVID-19 vaccine cannot cause parosmia.[44] Covid ToesCovid toes is a skin condition that can also affect the fingers. What causes covid toes has yet to be determined. The symptoms of covid toes includes the skin on one or more toes or fingers swell up, may start with looking bright red, the gradually turn purple and may have brownish-purple spots. Covid toes can last 10-14 days, for some, the symptoms may persist for months. According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association[45] for some with covid toes, may develop blisters or a small amount of pus under the skin. There may also be;
 Alteración dermatológica en los dedos de los pies provocada por coronavirus | Dermatology registries[46] created during the COVID-19 pandemic have collected more than 8000 cases since they opened for case reporting in March and April of 2020. In multiple states, COVID toes are now part of their testing criteria and have served to highlight the importance of dermatologic data for characterizing the different phenotypes of COVID-19.[47] A JAMA research letter[48] from Italy found that 87% of people recovered and discharged from hospitals showed persistence of at least one symptom even at 60 days. Long covid quality of life was also assessed on the questionnaire finding a difference of 10 points defined worsened quality of life (44.1% ). Other commonly reported problems include;
Other symptoms reported also included;
Patients also reported inability to do routine daily activities, in addition to mental health issues such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress. According to a white paper initiated by A FAIR Health White Paper,[49] June 15, 2021 “A Detailed Study of Patients with Long-Haul COVID. An Analysis of Private healthcare Claims” found the five most common post-COVID conditions across all ages, in order from most to least common, were;
 Table 2. Top 15 Post-COVID conditions by age group ranking, March 2020-February 2021 | A Detailed Study of Patients with Long-Haul COVID. An Analysis of Private Healthcare Claims. A FAIR Health White Paper, June 15, 2021 According to Mayo Clinic more severe symptoms of long COVID include damage to other organs including the brain, heart and lungs, as well as blood clots or blood vessel problems.” According to Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis and the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System[50] are urging attention to kidneys to be an important part of post-COVID-19 care. Their research shows that people who have had COVID-19, including those with mild cases, are at an increased risk of developing kidney damage as well as chronic and end-stage kidney diseases. Senior author Ziyad Al-Aly, MD, an assistant professor of medicine at Washington University states; “If kidney care isn’t an integral part of COVID-19 post-acute care strategy, then we will miss opportunities to help potentially hundreds of thousands of people who have no idea that their kidney function has declined due to this virus. This is in addition to the millions of Americans who suffer from kidney disease not caused by COVID-19.” Having regular blood work that includes glomerular filtration rates (GFR) or (eGFR), BUN and creatinine can help a doctor to determine level of kidney function. In the same Washington University School of Medicine study[51] found after the initial 30 days of COVID-19 infection, 4,757 (5.3%) of the patients experienced a decrease of 30% or more in glomerular filtration rates (GFR). People who had milder COVID-19 cases had 1.09 times the risk of having an estimated GFR decline of 30% or more. For hospitalized COVID-19 patients not in intensive care units, there was two times the risk of having an estimated GFR decrease of 30% or more, while intensive care unit patients were at three times the risk of experiencing an estimated GFR drop of 30% or more. A collection of more studies have shown the following Long Covid symptoms including; Kidney damage, kidney abnormalities Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) Inflammation of the heart muscle, lung function Skin rashes Neurologic issues Depression, anxiety and mood swings Brain Fog, forgetfulness Dizziness Chronic inflammation Hair loss (alopecia) [54, 55, 56} COVID-19 interstitial pneumonia Disrupted sleep, insomnia Gastrointestinal pain, stomach pain, diarrhea Loss of taste and smell Fibromyalgia Ringing in their ears Skin issues (e.g., rash), dermatological issues Cough Persistent fatigue Heart damage Lung scarring and others Another study[52] showed common symptoms in people with “Long COVID” are profound fatigue, breathlessness, cough, chest pain, palpitations, headache, joint pain, myalgia and weakness, insomnia, pins and needles, diarrhea, rash or hair loss, impaired balance and gait, neurocognitive issues including memory and concentration problems and worsened quality of life.  According to Penn State College of Medicine[53] researchers have found several trends among Long Covid such as:
This is by no means a complete or final count of Long Covid symptoms for “long haulers.” Long Covid can result in prolonged illness, even among young adults without underlying chronic medical conditions and doctors do not know when the symptoms will subside. If you are experiencing Long Covid symptoms, do not hesitate to reach out to your physician. Keep track of your symptoms with dates to help your doctor determine the best course of health for you. And if you are not being listened to, then you keep going until you find a doctor that will believe you. This is not in your head. There are more than 100 million people worldwide with Long Covid symptoms. You are not alone! If you would like to learn more about What Long Covid is all about, this on demand webinar is for you. The 1:45 minute on demand video broken down into relevant parts for you to easily watch at your convenience on any device at any time. Download full size slides, and all supporting material. All references are hyperlinked for your convenience. You will not find a more comprehensive program specifically targeted at understanding the nutritional support connection to Long Covid and what it entails. Includes Serum panel checklist, Polyphenol chart, additional reference material related to video. You can check it out here. If you would like to get back on track and just feel good again, reach out via email HelloKarenLangston@gmail.com or call me (347) POO-WELL (347 766-9355) Head back on over to the blog for more great articles or check out these articles
The Connection Between Gut health and StressDo you believe in stress and the gut connection? Have you noticed, when something bad happens, a breakup, a passing of a loved one, or you are super upset or angry you no longer feel like eating? Have you ever had a bad feeling in your gut about something or someone and it turned out to be true? You are not alone! How the Gut Talks to the BrainYour body and mind are one unit. Your brain is connected to your gut and, your gut is connected to your brain. It is known as a little thing called the gut-brain axis.  Photo credit; Thet Tun Aung Pexels Think of it as a hormonal and biochemical-driven highway between the gastrointestinal tract and the brain. OK so, it's a little more complex than this, but you get the idea. Have you heard of the gut brain axis or the HPA axis? The hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis is our central stress response system; our flight/fight, rest and digest. The HPA axis includes the hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal glands. When we are stressed the HPA axis sends out a cascade of signals releasing hormones and neurotransmitters such as epinephrine, and norepinephrine and cortisol to help us handle the stress. We need this stress response. Essentially, our gut brain connection has to do with our central nervous system. When we perceive something not good, like, things going wrong, bad news, a break up, the boss yelling at us, kids going bonkers and you just need a break, our body responds. We are the ones who tells our body how to respond. We are wired for this response. When we hear, see, smell or touch something negative, it sends a message to our nervous system to respond. This message puts us into our stress response; our eyes dilate for better focus, our digestive system shuts off to redirect blood flow to our heart, lungs and muscles. Our heart rate goes up so we can increase oxygen to run away or, stay and deal with the stress. How the Gut Talks to the BrainWhile our, digestion is shut off, this also alerts our gut microbes. Our gut microbes are in constant contact with the millions of nerve cells in our digestive system which then communicate with our immune system. Essentially, when we are perceiving a negative situation, we go into a state of stress response. This is known as our sympathetic nervous system. When we are recovering, we go into our rest and digest response known as our parasympathetic nervous system. We are supposed to cycle through both our sympathetic and parasympathetic system through out the day.  The problem, most of us are staying stuck in our stress state. This shunts our digestive system and affects our microbial balance which then leads to leaky gut-or intestinal hyper permeability. In a chronic state the HPA axis may affect the small intestine. When we are in a constant state of stress the gallbladder does not release fat and anti-microbial busting bile, the pancreas does not release enough enzymes to break down food and our mouth does not produce saliva full of enzymes. In the chronically stressed gut there is chronic activation of the HPA axis because of the constant sympathetic state. If the triggers are not released for the gallbladder this leads to other problems in the small intestine. Since the HPA axis and the gut microbiome are intimately linked, it affects the gut microbiome. Bacteria and fungi can creep into the small intestine leading to bacterial and fungal overgrowth. The small intestine is pretty clean because of bile soaps. The bacteria that creeps up from the colon is not supposed to be there and causes problems. In this chronic state, we have bacteria and fungi migrating to other parts of the body including the small intestine and creating toxins called lipopolysaccharides (LPS). LPS leads to inflammation of the central nervous system which affects the HPA axis. Bacteria also produce hormones and neurotransmitters that can alter the HPA axis along with additional hormone production during stress that further affects the growth and proliferation of microbial overgrowth and leads to more toxic metabolites known as virulence. Virulence factors are what can eventually lead to pathogenic states leading to disease.  The gut, HPA axis, microbiota overgrowth leads to a viscous cycle with each piece making the others worse. Over time, this effects the motility of the gut leading to constipation which encourages more bacterial overgrowth and inhibits gastric acid secretion. When gastric acids are insufficient, this leads to susceptibility of taking in parasites and other infectious microbes which, can stick around and affect hormones, tissues and organs. This can lead to a whole host of symptoms that are not matching up with perfect blood test reports leaving the doctor confused. The symptoms are there to tell you something is out of whack. We have not been taught how to interpret our symptoms. It continues, the symptoms get worse, the process becomes constant and destructive. Eventually this pattern results in autoimmunity and eventually all barriers are breached including the blood brain barrier, The blood brain barrier is a barrier much like your intestinal tract; designed to keep toxins out and only allow nutrients in and wastes out. Once the blood brain barrier has been breached it leads to "neuroautoimmunity." Look at the amount of depression, ADD, ADHD, obsessive compulsive disorders, bipolar, schizophrenia, anxiety diagnoses we have today. They have increased right along the same time line as the gastrointestinal disorders. In fact, most gastrointestinal disorders are either linked to emotional issues and, or traumas or leads to issues of anxiety, depression and behavior and mood disorders. I am not discrediting someone going through a painful experience. I just want you to understand what is going on. I am hoping his helps you to understand at those times when you feel like you are caught in a constant loop of feeling good one day, then so down the next you can barely stand it. its a cycle and it has to do with your gut microbes and your brain. Your microbes can literally alter your moods!  Do You Believe in the Gut - Brain Axis?Our gut and stress are intimately connected. If we are spending more time in our sympathetic state, this can affect the brain and our emotions. Our gut produces neuroactive compounds, neurotransmitters, and other metabolites that act on the brain. When we are in a chronic stress response, this alters our gut microbes which then affects the blood brain barrier. The blood brain barrier is much like our gut barrier, it is to protect you from things like pathogens and other foreign materials from getting in and creating havoc. Academics are slowly unravelling the mystery of our gut brain connection. Researchers at UCLA identified the intestinal microbiota that interacts with the regions of the brain associated with mood and behavior. WOAH! This is huge. According to a Frontiers Neurology study; Crosstalk Between the Gut Microbiota and the Brain: An Update on Neuroimaging Findings. An increasing amount of evidence suggests that bidirectional communication between the gut microbiome and the central nervous system (CNS), which is also known as the microbiota-gut-brain axis, plays a key role in the development and function of the brain. Our gut has been referred to as the little brain or second gut. The proper term is the enteric nervous system (ENS). The ENS contains two thin layers of more than 100 million nerve cells lining your gastrointestinal tract from esophagus to your bum. Although the ENS can not think like our brain, it responds to what is transmited to the brain; what we see, hear, smell and touch. According to John Hopkins article, Brain - Gut Connection. The ENS may trigger big emotional shifts experienced by people coping with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional bowel problems such as constipation, diarrhea, bloating, pain and stomach upset. One more study, this time at UCLA, gastroenterologists found looking at fecal samples and brain scans from 40 healthy women between the ages of 18 and 55 there was a correlation between emotions and gut bacteria. The study revealed the group with greater abundance of Bacteroids in their gut showed greater thickness of grey matter in the frontal cortex and insula (the part of the brain regions which process complex information) and a larger volume of the hippocampus, involved with memory. Women with higher levels of the bacteria, Prevotella, demonstrated lower volume in these areas, and demonstrated greater connections between emotional, attentional and sensory brain regions. The participants with higher counts for the bacteria Prevotella were shown negative images; they showed lower activity in the hippocampus however, reported higher levels of anxiety, distress and irritability after looking at the photos. So, the question is, do you know what your gut microbial community is?  WOAH! This is huge. If we can understand how certain bacteria are interacting, we can then work to ensure we are feeding the right bacteria. Finally, this just helps us to better understand how stress and emotions affect our digestive system and how the digestive system affects our emotions. I love this! When I am working with clients, especially those with severe gut issues, they typically suffer with some form of depressive type symptoms and or, anxiety-like symptoms. They also tend not to feel good about themselves and their confidence is almost non existent. I totally understand this. As I was going through the perils of Crohn's disease there were times when my gut was so bad and so was my outlook on life. As my clients' gut calm down and started to feel better, their emotions and outlook on life also changed. It changed from negative to more positive, more confidence and a more positive outlook on life. It is simply amazing. What can I do to help my gut health and stress?So glad you are asking about your gut health and stress because they are so important. A happy gut is a healthy life. You can not have one without the other. Below I will share with you some things you can do to help your gut. Get a Stool Test DoneThere is nothing more glorious than looking at poop and having it analyzed. Poop is basically the end processes of biological chemical reactions and microbes. From a stool test not only can we see what your colon microbial community looks like, we can also see a snapshot in time as to inflammation, pancreatic enzyme function, immune system reactions to gliadin (a protein in gluten), how well you are breaking down fats, how your gut microbes are interacting or interfering with phase II detoxifications and how zonulin is being manipulated by microbes which may give us a better clue to why there is leaky gut. All this from a small sample of your poop! The test that I find the most helpful and useful is the GI MAP by Diagnostic Solutions. Approved by the FDA and its Covid19 tests have been approved and recommended by the CDC and excepted by Medicare. I add this to get you to understand the legitimacy of this test designed for gastroenterologists.. It a comprehensive stool test looking at the diversity of the colon as well as potential pathogenic bacteria, endotoxins, viruses, worms and parasites and how they are interacting with the liver and the immune system. I like this one because it is easy to read and understand and it is far more comprehensive and sensitive with no false positives like what can occur with stool tests that are cultured. The GI MAP is based on the DNA of microbes and test results can come back, Negative, detectable limit and High or low with reference ranges. If you have a trained professional looking at the test results, they are able to help you understand what maybe affecting your gut brain axis. Sometimes, when the numbers look normal, there may be some that are just within the reference range that could be causing problems.This is why you need a trained eye to look over your results. I find this absolutely the number one stool test to have done especially when there are unexplainable symptoms that are not showing up on conventional lab tests and yet the person is suffering with symptoms that the doctor can not put a finger on! I can not tell you how many times I have had clients suffering with multiple unexplained symptoms and we run this test, clean up the gut and the microbiome and the symptoms disappear. It's not magic, just pure science! The GI MAP is perfect for constipation and diarrhea symptoms. When it comes to constipation and diarrhea our gut microbes can be a culprit. Of course, there can also be other problems like drinking and eating foods that irritate the intestinal lining. A medical doctor or chiropractor can order this test for you here in the USA. The test is available in the USA, the UK, Australia and Singapore. Here in the USA, If you can not get your doctor or chiropractor to order this test for you, most states you can order it yourself. You can create an account with MyLab.com and search GI MAP. I have found it doesn't come up easily, so I had a profile created to make it easier for my clients to find it. Click this link and it will take you right to the test. I do not make any monetary gain from this link. I had this created simply for my clients. I also can not in any way see what you order or your results unless you invite me to see your results. Rest assured, you are fully protected! Talk With A Professional.Depending on the stress you are going through you may need to talk with a professional who can help you work through the emotions. There is nothing wrong with this at all. In fact, I think it is down right empowering. I have been working with professionals for years to help me let go of the shit that is no longer serving me. It may seem fearful but honestly, it is not only empowering but enlightening. Give it a go. Make a list and check it twiceSometimes we just need to get a handle on our stress. Write down everything you consider a stress in your life this includes at home and at the office. Prioritize which of these you need to keep. Then figure out how to make this shorter list less stressful with the right tools. For instance if you are doing everything at home, can some of these tasks be distributed to other family members to take some of the load off? How about Bringing in outside help? Have you thought about integrating positive self talk? When you are in a really stressful state, call someone who can help you feel better. I like to call me "power friends" these are the ones who just are so full of energy and positivity, it literally travels through the phone line and infect you. By the time I hang up with these friends, I feel aamzing. Who is your "power "friend" you could call?  Just stop and breatheRemember, gut health and stress are intimately connected. When we are in our sympathetic state, we shallow breathe, our body is tense, and we are just looking for a really good row which is our wired flight or fight sympathetic reaction. Have you noticed when you are stressed to that limit that you just yell at everything and everyone? That's your sympathetic system in maximum overdrive! So, when you are in this state, STOP PUASE and just belly breathe! All it takes are three deep belly breaths to switch you from your sympathetic state to your parasympathetic rest and digest state. Ahh just give it a try. Belly Breathe…. and remember this, in the wisdom of Bob Marley , don’t worry about a thing, cause every little thing is gunna be alright. Eat more polyphenol foodsOf course I have to talk about food. If we feed our gut microbes the right foods, especially polyphenols, we can instantly start shifting our behaviour and emotions for the better. Polyphenols are naturally occurring compounds found largely in fruits, vegetables. Epidemiological studies and associated meta-analyses strongly suggest that long term consumption of diets rich in plant polyphenols offer protection against development of cancers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, osteoporosis and neurodegenerative diseases. This is because polyphenols feed the bacteria which releases compounds to keep us healthy.  What are polyphenol foods?While you are shopping picking out your bounty, I want you to think like a bruise, black, blue, purple, and red. Organic black grapes, blackberries, blueberries, purple eggplant, plums, beets, red raspberries, dark red cherries, pomegranates red skinned apples, purple potatoes and cranberries are an abundant source of polyphenols. We have heard of polyphenols in red wine, and pomegranate juice as heart healthy but, did you know polyphenolic foods are the number one source for feeding your beneficial gut bacteria? Basically, when we eat polyphenol rich foods, our gut bacteria ferments the compounds, creating anti inflammatory short chain fatty acids called butyrate. Butyrate’s natural anti-inflammatory properties protect our intestinal tract, keep our mucosa layer healthy and provides the right fuel for our gut microbes. This translates to a healthier immune system, heathy hormone balance, radiant skin, and better energy. It is the true anti-aging secret; right there in the produce section. Eat up my friend! If our gut and immune system is healthy then your brain has to be healthy too, right? If you would like your own polyphenol chart all you have to do is sign up to my newsletter list and I will give it to your right away. You can get it here. Shake what your Mama gave you Covid has turned us into a chronic couch potato. And, I am sure this has also led to anxiety, and other negative emotions. The best way to get our of a funk is to get moving. You do not have to work out with weight unless you like to. Movement ideas? Here you go; Chase your pet around the house Jog in place while there is a commercial on TV Workout to a video Do some housework Park as far away from the store as possible how about some Yoga? Just go for a walk Being in nature can affect your health in ways we are just starting to understand. For instance did you know that your gut microbes could be lulling you to the great outdoors? It's called the LoveBug Effect. What is the Lovebug Effect?Do you find that when you are grumpy, frustrated, or just need a break you think about getting outdoors? Especially with this year of lock up and lock down? There may be more than just you proving this desire. I know personally, when I start feeling off, grumpy, edgy, frustrated I know it's time for me to go on a walk, a hike or a walkabout. I literally need to find somewhere where automobiles can not penetrate the sounds of nature. This puts me back in balance and ready to tackle my daily tasks once again. How about you? You all know if the gut is involved, I am gunna find it. And, guess what? Your desire to get outside could have to do with your gut microbes. Honest! A paper published In the journal Science of The Total Environment suggests that our thirst for nature could be driven by our gut microbe's desire to connect! Researchers have discovered our desire for the outdoors is contributed by the bidirectional communication properties of the gut-brain axis. This is amazing. The researchers have called this the Love-Bug Effect. Essentially, researchers theorize the gut-brain communication also drives, nature-seeking behaviors. First author of the study, Jake Robinson, an ecologist and planetary health researcher at Sheffield University, explains that our microbes long to interact with nature's microbes by manipulating our thoughts; “Microbes in a gut environment that are starved of contact with environmental microbiota might be hijacking neural pathways between the brain and gut to drive nature-seeking behavior. There’s now pretty robust evidence from animal studies that microbes can intercept gut-brain crosstalk by activating the vagus nerve and sympathetic neurons through their release of key neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, dopamine, and GABA. When the microbiome is lacking in diversity, the chemicals it releases might have an effect on the brain that manifests as a thirst for nature."  source; Science of The Total Environment Volume 720, 10 June 2020, 137626 When you are outdoors, you smell the earth, the air, if you are in a forest you smell the earth's floor, the leaves and rotting trees, you can smell a river, a marsh and so on. These are microbes in the microbial ecosystem, creating these smells. We yearn for them and when we come into contact with them, they interact with our gut microbe ecosystem. I think the best way to explain this is like taking your dog to a dog park. The dog becomes happier when interacting with other dogs. Think of our microbes as a bunch of happy dogs in a dog park! An article looking at this study finds, hands-on exposure to soil microbes may boost the immune system, and fresh country air offers a microbial diversity that avoids the accumulation of harmful microbes. Mental health might also benefit; gut microbial imbalances have been linked to psychiatric disorders, including depression and anxiety. The Lovebug Effect serves to remind us of our deep-seated connection with the natural world. With everything going on, and heading into a long hard, stressful winter, do your body a favour and get outside at least once a day for at least 30 minutes. We need to keep our immune system healthy and strong. This is just one way of creating some balance. Don't fight it, just do it. Gut health and stress, don't worry about a thing!When it comes to stress and the gut microbiome and gut health and stress; remember this, our gut and brain are intimately connected. If we are under a ton of stress, negative emotions creep in, this is going to affect the gut’s delicate balance. In turn, this can further cause us to stay in this negative emotional state. Which eventually affects our immune system. Let’s go from reactive to proactive. Let me know in the comments, which of these tips are you going to give a try today? If you enjoyed this video or blog post, be sure to like, heart, subscribe, comment and share with others including social media. References
Front. Neurol., 13 August 2019 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2019.00883 The Johns Hopkins University The Brain-Gut Connection https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-brain-gut-connectionwww.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-brain-gut-connection Human Emotions Really Are Affected by Gut Bacteria, New Study Suggests https://www.sciencealert.com/new-findings-suggest-human-emotions-really-are-affected-by-gut-bacteria Craving Nature? Your Gut Microbiome Might Be Responsible by Nia Cason, https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/626812/gut-microbiome-controls-craving-for-nature The Lovebug Effect: Is the human biophilic drive influenced by interactions between the host, the environment, and the microbiome? https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969720311372 Have you ever had foodborne illness or food poisoning?
If you have ever had food poisoning or foodborne illness you probably will never forget it. Especially, if it was severe. Some of us, have mild reactions and there are others who never knew food poisoning or foodborne illness was the culprit.
Did you know the FDA ​estimates that there are about 48 million cases of foodborne illness each year. This estimate is equivalent to 1 in 6 Americans becoming sick from contaminated food, which results in an estimated 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths. WHOA! What is the difference between Foodborne Illness and Food poisoning?
The CDC refers to "foodborne illness" as "foodborne germs and illness" and then goes on to talk about food poisoning. And, this is where it can come quite confusing. Foodborne illness and food poisoning are used interchangeably and are somewhat similar but have different classifications. Stay with me here.
FoodBorne Illness Definition
Foodborne illness is caused by eating contaminated food. Which, leads to getting sick within minutes or developing symptoms over the several weeks or even later.
​Foodborne illness is caused by harmful bacteria or other pathogens in contaminated food. ​ Food Poisoning Definition
Food poisoning happens by swallowing toxins, a form of poison caused by microorganisms in food.It is a TYPE of foodborne ilness. Food poisoning begin quickly, usually within 60 minutes after eating the contaminated food.
​ 
Food Poisoning and Foodborne Illness Symptoms
As you can see from the picture above, food poisoning and foodborne illness symptoms are a bit different. Both are severe, especially for those who are immune compromised, the very young, pregnant women and those over 60 years of age. Food poisoning symptoms are far more sever and you should seek immediate medical attention.
​ How Do We Get Foodborne Illness or Food Poisoning?
Foodborne Illness and Food Poisoning typically come from food and sometimes beverages. It can be canned food, packaged food, fresh food. It just has to be contaminated. It can be from food you purchased at a Farmer's market, restaurants, food truck, festivals, grocery stores, any where you can purchase food.
With the increase in food borne illness outbreaks from produce to packaged foods including restaurants with less than stellar kitchen habits, can we protect ourselves from getting sick? 
How to Prevent Foodborne Illness and Food Poisoning
Preventing foodborne illness and food poisoning can be tricky because we usually do not know it has happened until after it has happened. Of course, check the expiration dates. Make sure the product is within consumption date.
If the restaurant and the bathroom looks dirty, more than likely the kitchen is too! Walk away! ​
According to the CDC, when it comes to handling food at home, to prevent contamination try these 4 steps
Let's Talk About Food Poisoning Remedy You Can Do
A top food poisoning remedy is prevention. We just talked about some tips in the kitchen, but there are also things you can do with your body! Sounds far fetched, right? Not really, if you understand how your body works
​ Let me Share 5 ways you can prevent foodborne illness and food poisoning.
1. Chew Your Food!
​Most of us don’t chew our food. Chewing is your number one defense to fight off microbial attacks! Chewing your food releases antimicrobials in your mouth which can begin the process of killing off microbes later in the digestive tract. Microbes like salmonella, e.coli and listeria . These Bad guys have been dominating the news and the CDC’s list of food borne illness outbreaks, A LOT.
2. Stomach Acid.
if there is good hydrochloric acid, the stomach acid will kill these invaders. Think of battery acid. Your stomach acid is like battery acid — highly corrosive and will burn them up, or, at the very least, can break down the protein structure of the pathogens to help out the small intestine.
3. Which brings us to Pancreatic Enzymes. If your stomach acid does not get all of the pathogens, enzymes made by your pancreas activated in your small intestine will attack the protein structure and break them down.
4. Don't forget the Gallbladder. The gallbladder releases bile acids that will also burn those little critters up and make their protein structures weak. Bile made in your liver and stored in your gallbladder also contains soaps. Think of washing your hands with soap, same thing here, bile soaps will help wash out the small intestine of bad guys and keep the proper alkaline pH so that microbes can not grow, causing illness and helps wash away metabolic debris, even parasites do not stand a chance.
5. 3 Healthy Poops a Day ​If you have a good, strong, diverse microbiota the bacteria in your colon will create the proper acidic pH and crowd out and inhibit pathogenic microbes from colonizing in the colon. If you are constipated this leads to less diversity and more opportunistic chances of suffering the symptoms of foodborne illness.
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and Kate Rheaume-Bleue’s book 
who cracked the code on Price’s mysterious vitamin-like activator X which is vitamin K2, I was hooked! I felt like vitamin K2 was the final puzzle piece of a 5000 puzzle set. I get excited talking about vitamin K2.
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