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document.write('<li class="rss-item"><a class="rss-item" href="http://nurture-your-health.blogspot.com/2021/01/happy-new-year.html" target="_blank">Happy New Year!</a><br />');
document.write('<span class="rss-date">Fri, 01 Jan 2021 22:53:00 +0000</span><br />');
document.write('&nbsp;Happy New Year! &nbsp;All the lack of familiarity during 2020 has me looking even more forward to the stabilizing energy of my yearly cleanse! &nbsp;Each year since 2001, I have done a cleanse for the month of January. &nbsp;My regular day to day eating (no meat, no dairy, no eggs, no coffee, no alcohol, no refined sugar, limited gluten, limited processed foods) is pretty plain and simple for the most part, but during the cleanse, I also leave out all gluten, unrefined sweeteners, soy, nightshade veggies (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant), and all pre-prepared foods (outside of rice cakes). &nbsp;This year I will also be reducing my intake of some of the high FODMAP foods (like onions and mushrooms). &nbsp;2020 helped to reinforce for me the importance of my internal connection to self and the cleanse always helps to ground me further in my body. &nbsp;I feel especially grateful for this as I move forward into 2021.&nbsp;Sending out wishes for a New Year that is filled with a bit more ease and calm and more love, more peace, and more happiness. &nbsp;Thank you to everyone who supported my practice in 2020, I am deeply thankful. &nbsp;&nbsp;');
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document.write('<li class="rss-item"><a class="rss-item" href="http://nurture-your-health.blogspot.com/2020/03/sibo-pro-course-tidbits.html" target="_blank">SIBO Pro Course tidbits!</a><br />');
document.write('<span class="rss-date">Sun, 29 Mar 2020 17:45:00 +0000</span><br />');
document.write('I have recently signed up for Allison Siebecker ND’s SIBO&nbsp;(Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth)&nbsp;Pro Course - I am only a few hours into the course material, but have already learned a lot of great info! Here are just a few of the interesting points: The migrating motor complex (MMC) is like a push broom working to ensure that bacteria, undigested food, and cellular debris are cleared from the small intestine - healthy MMC functioning is critical in preventing SIBO and when it is dysfunctional, it is one of the main underlying causes of SIBO. The majority of people with SIBO have it due to food poisoning - the bacteria responsible for food poisoning produce a toxin that causes cross reactivity with a protein (vinculin) in the cells&nbsp;&nbsp;(interstitial cells of cajal) in the small intestine lining which control MMC activity - when these cells are damaged, the MMC slows down and can lead to SIBO. We can develop SIBO up to 6 months after having had food poisoning. The MMC requires 3 - 5 hours between eating to be activated (which requires no snacking in between meals) - a snack or a small meal will turn off the MMC for another 1.5 - 2 hours, even a candy will turn off the MMC for another 40 - 50 minutes, as will quickly drinking a large glass of water (aim to drink slowly over 15 minutes to prevent impacting the MMC).&nbsp;&nbsp; The MMC only functions when we are in a parasympathetic state - chronic stress keeps us in a sympathetic state and prevents proper MMC functioning. Because SIBO involves bacterial overgrowth, it also involves the production of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) or endotoxins which inhibit both phase 2 and phase 3 of detoxification impacting our ability to clear toxins, heavy metals, mold etc.&nbsp; LPS doesn’t impact phase 1 detoxification (which leads to the production of more toxic compounds which then need to be neutralized and cleared through phase 2 and phase 3 pathways) - these compounds then become backed up and instead get reabsorbed into circulation. LPS also leads to the production of inflammatory cytokines which signal irritation in the digestive tract which then triggers off signals in the central nervous system which can lead to mood and cognitive concerns, especially anxiety and brain fog. SIBO also damages the lining of the small intestine - we have digestive enzymes that sit within the lining of the small intestine, so when the lining is damaged, it impacts our enzyme levels and our ability to absorb nutrients. Bacteria can also compete for nutrients and this can lead to iron, zinc, magnesium, B12 deficiencies. Our DAO enzyme which breaks down histamine is also in the lining of the small intestine - with SIBO, this is also compromised and can lead to an increased risk of developing histamine intolerance.&nbsp; Hydrogen sulphide based SIBO is more likely to create additional systemic symptoms than hydrogen and methane based SIBO including body pain, bladder irritation, numbness and tingling in the extremities, and people will often feel worse with epsom salt baths, sulphur based supplements (like glucosamine or MSM), and sulphur rich foods. SIBO is often found alongside rosacea, psoriasis, restless leg syndrome, interstitial cystitis, rheumatoid arthritis - people who have found low response to treatment for these concerns will often see improvement in symptoms after being treated for SIBO.&nbsp; HCL in the stomach is designed to kill viruses and bacteria - with acid reflux medications (PPIs/proton pump inhibitors), our internal production of HCL is reduced which can lead to bacterial overgrowth in the stomach which can then spill over and contribute to SIBO.&nbsp; Immunosuppressant medications like prednisone reduce the immune system’s ability to kill bacteria and can also predispose to SIBO. Stay tuned for more interesting info about SIBO as I go along in the course!');
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document.write('<li class="rss-item"><a class="rss-item" href="http://nurture-your-health.blogspot.com/2020/01/snp-analysis-webinar-tidbits.html" target="_blank">SNP Analysis Webinar Tidbits</a><br />');
document.write('<span class="rss-date">Fri, 24 Jan 2020 00:21:00 +0000</span><br />');
document.write('I attended a great&nbsp;SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) Analysis Webinar last night presented by Penny Kendall-Reed ND. &nbsp;SNPs are single nucleotide (gene building blocks) differences in the structure of the gene that change the way that the gene expresses itself/works. &nbsp; Here is a summary of a few of the interesting tidbits: - More than 170 of our genes\' functioning is impacted by stress and some of the impacts include&nbsp;deceased wound healing, increased inflammation, increased weight gain, and decreased sleep quality - TSH levels (which measure our thyroid health/function) can increase by up to 140% from morning to night and fluctuate throughout the day - Estrogen can deactivate T3 (our active thyroid hormone), increase TSH levels, and&nbsp;falsely elevate T4&nbsp;levels (our other thyroid hormone) - this impact is&nbsp;especially seen while on oral contraceptives (the birth&nbsp;control pill) or during the mid&nbsp;part of our cycle/ovulation - TSH levels are higher in the winter/colder months and lower in the summer/warmer months - Stress increases&nbsp;TSH levels and the&nbsp;production of auto immune mediated thyroid antibodies&nbsp; - Our SNPs can help&nbsp;determine&nbsp;whether we are a good candidate for hormone&nbsp;replacement&nbsp;therapy (HRT) - the&nbsp;optimal SNP combination when taking HRT is genes that encourage the conversion of estrogen into the C2 form (the \'good\' form/non carcinogenic form), that do not encourage the conversion of estrogen into the C4 form (the \'bad\' form/ the carcinogenic form), and that&nbsp;encourage proper&nbsp;clearance of these estrogen breakdown&nbsp;forms through phase 2 liver detox pathways&nbsp; - Increased stress and the resulting increased cortisol (stress hormone) production causes inflammation of melatonin receptors which prevents melatonin from binding and&nbsp;prevents us from getting into the deep sleep phase of our sleep cycle&nbsp;');
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