Stefan V, Author at Health Secret

Stefan V

Shocker: The Toxic Item You Touch Daily

With all of our advances in technology, industry, and science, can you believe that estimates say that there are tens of millions of Americans still exposed to unsafe drinking water, every year?

In fact, in a 2018 research article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, scientists report that each year there are 16 million cases of acute gastroenteritis due to US community water systems.

Acute gastroenteritis is defined as “inflammation of the stomach and intestines, typically resulting from bacterial toxins or viral infection and causing vomiting and diarrhea.”

The problem is worst in rural areas, but even major cities face challenges with contamination—the more serious kind that can have lifelong health repercussions for residents.

Supplements - 01/15/2020

Neurogenesis Excerpt

An excerpt from interviews with several experts:

Dr. Michael Merzenich
Alzheimer’s is not a disease. It’s the end stage of a decade’s long negative progression that ultimately results in a catastrophe. You should be thinking about how to stop the decade’s long progression from ever happening, or at least delay it for probably indefinitely in most people. When you do that, the changes that you drive in the brain will lead to substantial increases in longevity.

Dr. Dale Bredesen
Doctors have been quite good about telling people that standard therapies are not terribly effective; that you’ll get a small improvement, and they will not affect the decline. But that tells people things are hopeless. Unfortunately then, people think there’s not a lot to be done, so they will wait as long
as possible instead of coming in as early as possible for prevention or reversal.

Dr. Daniel Amen
If you’re blessed to live until you’re 85 or older, you have a one in two chance of having lost your mind. We need to be serious about brain health, whether we’re young, in the middle, or old because it affects everyone.

Dr. Larry Mamaya
Brain scans help because how do you know how to treat an issue unless you look? The type of study we look at is called SPECT. It’s a functional brain imaging tool that’s based on brain blood flow. On a healthy scan, we should see a smooth top surface, smooth underside, smooth, symmetrical on the side views. No holes or dents anywhere, which actually indicates compromised blood flow and brain shrinkage. Those areas have certain functions, and those functions get compromised, depending on where you see the location of those compromised areas. The scan can also show areas of increased activity, and based on how the brain is functioning, that allows you to go in the right direction of treatment.

You can change your brain. You can do a very thorough, proper evaluation doing careful assessments of what might be the best treatment for someone, and people can get better.

Dr. Daniel Amen
Brain health is super simple. You have to care about it, avoid things that hurt it, and do things that help it. To keep your brain healthy or rescue it, you have to prevent or treat the 11 major risk factors, which we call Bright Minds.

The B stands for blood flow. Low blood flow is the number one brain predictor. Anything that damages your blood vessels damages your brain. If you have blood flow problems anywhere in the body, it means it’s everywhere.

R stands for Retirement and aging. When you stop learning, your brain starts dying, and the older you get, the more serious you need to be because age is stealing your reserves. New learning needs to be part of every day of your life.

I stands for Inflammation. When you have chronic inflammation in your body, it’s like you have a low level fire that’s destroying your organs. Inflammation is associated with both depression and dementia.

G is Genetics. People think there’s nothing they can do about it, but that’s the wrong way to think. If you have Alzheimer’s in your family, you need to be serious about brain health as soon as possible.

H is Head Trauma. Helmets don’t protect you against brain damage. They protect you against skull fractures, but your brain floats in water. So if you get a big hit, it vibrates, which tears blood vessels, damages neurons, and bruises the brain. So protect your brain, or you’ll be rehabilitating it.

T is Toxins. They are everywhere. When I first started imaging people, I could clearly see alcohol is not a health food. It decreases overall blood flow in your brain. The scans taught us about all sorts of other toxins like heavy metal exposure. Lead and mercury are clearly neurotoxins. Mold is so damaging to brain function. You have to prevent, limit, or decrease exposure.

M is Mental health issues. Depression doubles the risk of Alzheimer’s in women, quadruples the risk in men. Post-traumatic stress disorder, being under chronic stress shrinks a part of your brain called the hippocampus. You don’t have to take medicine. Kill the ANTs—the automatic negative thoughts that steal your happiness—and exercise. Exercise is one of the best things that you can do for mental health.

The second I is Immunity and Infections. You want to boost your immunity, and your gut has a lot of your immune tissue so having a healthy gut is really important, along with vitamin D.

N stands for Neuro hormone deficiencies. Low thyroid and low testosterone go with low function of your brain. When testosterone is low, your libido’s low, and strength, motivation, mood, and memory are low. To optimize testosterone, kill the sugar and start lifting weights.

D is diabesity, which is a combination of having high blood sugar and/or you’re overweight or obese. As your weight goes up, the actual physical size and function of your brain goes down. Diet is so important.

S is sleep. Sleep apnea triples the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, so if you have sleep apnea, get it treated.

Dr. Ben Johnson
Alzheimer’s is preventable, and it is even reversible up through stage four, maybe stage five. We can hold the line probably at stage six. If you’re stage seven, there’s not much we can do.

Dr. Dale Bredesen
We want to do everything possible to make people better. It’s like a concert. What’s the one instrument that makes the orchestra? There isn’t just one instrument. You’ve got to put the whole thing together to make it work, and the results we’ve seen have been unprecedented. People improve in their MoCA scores, go back to work, increase their hippocampal volume, and spouses say, “I have my spouse back.” It’s absolutely striking.

It typically takes three to six months before you see really striking differences, but keep at it, and include
the diet, exercise, sleep, stress management, and the rest of the program, and don’t stop. If you’re not improving, then you’re missing something in your evaluation and/or treatment.

Alzheimer's and Dementia - 11/20/2018

Core Autoimmune Triggers & Healing Protocols Excerpt

The primary goal of a healthy immune system is to kill pathogens, bacteria, viruses, or any other intruder in the body, including parasites. Autoimmune disease occurs when the immune system begins attacking the body itself.

Anything that causes an inflammatory response in the body can trigger an autoimmune disease. In order to find healing, it is of utmost importance to discover the trigger—the source of the issue. If the trigger can be identified, corrective measures can be taken and healing can begin.

Triggers include Lyme disease, mold, heavy metals, hormone imbalances, electromagnetic radiation, parasites, intestinal permeability or “leaky gut,” fatty liver, genetic expression/allergens, pharmaceuticals, mental and emotional stress, everyday chemical exposures, Genetically Modified Organisms, and poor diet.

Many people have a difficult time getting a correct diagnosis and, in some cases, are mistakenly diagnosed with other conditions. Things you can do to increase your chances of getting a correct autoimmune disorder diagnosis are to know and communicate your family history, track your symptoms, ask about autoimmune disorder tests, consider a second opinion, see a specialist, and look out for other disorders. It can take months or even years to confirm an autoimmune disorder diagnosis and its causes(s), even when you or your doctor suspects that you have one.

Blood tests to diagnose an autoimmune disorder may include auto-antibody tests, inflammation and organ function tests, and Organic Acids Test (OAT)

The Past Pointing Test will not identify all autoimmune problems, but the cerebellum is the second most common tissue to be attacked when a person suffers from autoimmunity problems. If you think you may have some form of autoimmune issue, this would be a good simple, quick, and free test to try.

Stand with your feet very close together and close your eyes. If you start to fall over, that is a sign of potential nervous system problems possibly caused by autoimmunity.

With eyes still closed, touch the tip of your index finger to the tip of your nose. Then repeat with the other hand. If you miss with one hand or it is more difficult, it is a sign of potential nervous system problems possibly caused by autoimmunity.

March in place for at least 50 steps with your eyes closed. If you turn 90 to 180 degrees, you may have potential nervous system problems possibly caused by autoimmunity.

Brain inflammation is a major factor in both chronic diseases and psychiatric illness. By making some simple changes to reduce the foods that are causing inflammation and add in the nutrients we are lacking, we can see a vast improvement in our entire system.

Gluten, dairy, refined sugar and refined carbohydrates, conventional meat, and GMOs all wreak havoc on the body and can contribute to autoimmune disease.

Research indicates only a plant-based diet has been shown to improve autoimmune diseases significantly. Try going on a plant-based diet for a week with just fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds and drink lots of water. You’ll find that your body will respond very well.  When adjusting to any new diet, the body may go through a period of withdrawal when symptoms such as headaches or irritability may occur (1). If that happens, don’t quit. Your body will adjust and begin to feel refreshed and rejuvenated, and you won’t want to go back.

 FOODS TO INCLUDE

Turmeric is one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory foods we have.
Ginger is loaded with antioxidants and potent anti-inflammatory properties, and is believed to play an important role in the health of the brain and has been shown to decrease pain in arthritis.
Reishi mushroom can up regulate or down regulate the immune system as needed (2).
Herbs for autoimmune disease include ashwagandha, Chinese skullcap, stinging nettle, and white willow, which reduce inflammation and help regulate the immune system.
Pumpkin Seeds help to produce GABA, an anti-stress neurochemical in the brain, nervous irritability and other mental conditions. Pumpkin seed oil exhibits anti-inflammatory effects (3).
Flaxseeds are high in omega-3 fatty acids that are essential for brain development and function. Flax contains alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a type of omega-3 fatty acid that boosts the cerebral cortex, an area of the brain that processes sensory information (4). Flaxseeds are also high in lignans, which may be able to counter the effects of estrogen disruptors.
Walnuts & Almonds contain vitamin E, folate, melatonin, omega-3 fats, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatories, and may support brain health, cognition, and memory, and treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
Avocados promote healthy blood flow in the brain, relieve stress, keep nerves and brain cells healthy, and help support information-carrying nerves in your brain (5).

HOW TO GET STARTED

The best way to get started is to not go on a diet but to recognize that food is just food and that some foods are healthier than others, and the same goes for beverages. Therefore, every bite of food you eat or beverage you drink will either contribute to your health or diminish your health. The choices are entirely up to you. The healthier your choices, the healthier your body and mind will become.

What matters most is your overall way of eating and living. Your level of health becomes the result of your level of choices. 

There are many other natural ways to combat devastating autoimmune disease, depression and anxiety which we cannot cover in this article.

References:

(1) https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/why-healthy-eating-causes-that-uncomfortable-feeling/article22275762/

(2) https://restorativemedicine.org/journal/natural-support-for-autoimmune-and-inflammatory-disease/

(3) https://www.healthbeckon.com/benefits-of-pumpkin-seed/

(4) http://www.organicauthority.com/health/5-foods-to-boost-memory-and-focus.html

(5) https://www.mensjournal.com/food-drink/10-best-foods-brain-health/blueberries-3/

Autoimmune Disease - 11/19/2018

Brain Healing Breakthrough Excerpt

“Mental health has two dimensions—absence of mental illness and presence of a well-adjusted personality that contributes effectively to the life of the community.” – Abraham Verghese

Every year about a quarter of the US adult population deals with diagnosable mental health problems.

Too often we are told that mental illness is simply a hormonal imbalance, and we are just genetically predisposed toward a particular mental health problem. However, science is discovering that, while genetics plays a role in all this, we are not doomed by our genetics. The environment we live in and the choices we make can alter our genetic expression.

Continually ruminating on past events is often a sign of depression. By living in the past, we often feel that we don’t connect with those in the present. We feel different or distant from all those around us.

Anxiety, however, is when we are focusing on the future and trying to determine the outcome. Because our minds have limited information, we tend to fill in the gaps. If we’ve had failures or bad experiences, like trauma or abuse in the past, our mind will fill in those gaps with ideas of failure or bad experiences, creating an overwhelming fight or flight reflex.

Both depression and anxiety lead to prolonged cortisol exposure, which can lead to chronic illness. A recent wave of research has unveiled that stress is also a player in the genesis of neurodegenerative disease. Research has also linked neuroinflammation as a major contributing factor.

Depression, anxiety, and neurodegeneration are common comorbid conditions. They are more than just what’s in your mind. It’s a whole body effect, and all of these are curable. They take lifestyle modifications and thinking modifications, but they are all reversible.

Many factors cause and contribute to these diseases, including environmental stressors, leaky gut or intestinal permeability, mental/mind/emotional stressors, and genetics.

Indeed, a world authority on brain health, Dr. Michael Merzenich, states that Alzheimer’s is not a disease – it’s the end stage of a decades-long negative progression (1).

Dr. Merzenich believes that Alzheimer’s can be prevented or at least delayed for probably indefinitely, and that when you do that, the changes that you drive in the brain will lead to substantial increases in longevity.

In the nun study (2), the nuns who were on plant-based, whole foods nutrition throughout their entire life had perfect brain function and never developed Alzheimer’s or dementia. But in the group of nuns who were eating meat, cheese, eggs and dairy products, the incidence of Alzheimer’s and dementia was statistically similar to the rest of the population. Both groups were away from stress, didn’t have to worry about a job, and lived under the same conditions. The only difference was their diet.

Even Dr. Alois Alzheimer (after whom the disease is named), stated that the Alzheimer’s condition was found in people who ate a lot of animal products. They had high LDL cholesterol that clogged up the arteries to the brain. That reduces circulation to the brain through the small capillaries and then you can’t think clearly.

According to Dr. Ben Johnson, diet is the number one factor for good health. He believes that sugar and sugar spikes are huge causal factors for Alzheimer’s, as well as diabetes and cancer.

A diet rich with fresh vegetables (particularly dark leafy greens), fruit, whole grains, lentils and beans, nuts, herbs and spices, healthy fats, and low in red meat and processed foods is good for brain health.

We not only want to be eating the right things, but fasting is also an extremely healthy practice. A study (3) shows that cycles of prolonged fasting not only protect against immune system damage but also induce immune system regeneration, shifting stem cells from a dormant state to a state of self-renewal.

Brain inflammation is a serious problem that is impacting a large percentage of our society. Some of the best foods to help reduce inflammation include fermented foods and liquids, broccoli, hemp oil, foods rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, tart cherries, soaked walnuts, pineapple, spinach, and spices, such as ginger and turmeric (4). The closer you can stay to a whole-foods diet and avoid GMOs, the less inflammation you will experience.

Researchers found that regular aerobic exercise appears to boost the size of the hippocampus, the brain area involved in verbal memory and learning (5). Moderate-intensity exercises such as dancing, swimming, cycling, tennis or soccer will all promote brain health. Vigorous housework is also on the list!

We need lots of fluid for both inside and outside the cells. Tap water and water in plastic bottles, which is often mostly tap water, are not the best (6). Fresh water that’s cleansed with activated charcoal (7) and other substances is best.

You need to rest and have your down time. Sleep is a time for brain cleansing (8). Adults should be aiming to sleep for seven to nine hours a night (9).

It has been said that nine out of ten conditions actually start in the mind, in the heart. So just the thoughts that we think and the emotions that we feel will have a dramatic affect.

Essential oils have a direct ability to primarily affect the limbic system, which is your mood, emotions, and remembrance. Studies have shown that diffusing citrus oils on the nurse station have created positive work-life balance for nurses, and they reported being happier at work, less stressed, less anxiety, and overall their life became better.

There are so many natural ways to combat the devastating depression, anxiety and neurodegenerative diseases of dementia and Alzheimer’s that we can’t cover them all here.

References:

(1) https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/6k1k3a/i_am_neuroscientist_dr_michael_merzenich_a/

(2) Robert Goldman, Lisa Berger, Ronald Klatz. ‘Brain Fitness: Anti-Aging to Fight Alzheimer’s Disease, Supercharge Your Memory, Sharpen Your Intelligence, De-Stress Your Mind, Control Mood Swings, and Much More’, 1999 Doubleday, Random House Inc.

(3) https://news.usc.edu/63669/fasting-triggers-stem-cell-regeneration-of-damaged-old-immune-system/

(4) https://draxe.com/anti-inflammatory-foods/

(5) https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/exercise-can-boost-your-memory-and-thinking-skills

(6) https://bodyecology.com/articles/best_water_to_drink.php

(7) http://science.naturalnews.com/2008/1426452_Neither_hollow_fibre_membrane_filters_nor_activated_charcoal_filters_remove.html

(8) https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/brain-may-flush-out-toxins-during-sleep

(9) https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/feb/15/how-much-sleep-do-i-need-recommended-amounts-all-ages

(10) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21742047

(11) https://prd-medweb-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/evidencebasedpractice/files/Essential%20Oil%20use%20in%20Perianesthesia%20Nursing_Reynolds.pdf

Alzheimer's and Dementia / Plant Based - 11/19/2018

Solutions for Depression & Anxiety Excerpt

A common sign of depression is continually ruminating on past events. A depressed person may feel as though they don’t connect with those in the present because they’re still living in the past. They feel different or distant from all those around them and often feel like no one can understand.

Alternatively, someone who is constantly focusing on the future and imagining the outcome may be diagnosed with anxiety. Because their minds have limited information, they tend to fill in the gaps based on their experiences from the past, like failures, trauma, or abuse. That creates an overwhelming fight or flight reflex, cortisol kicks in, and the feeling of anxiety rushes over them.

Medications can have profound and life-altering side effects, and yet many people are told medications are the only option for these conditions. But there are alternatives, and chronic depression and anxiety can actually be totally reversed, often without these potentially harmful medications.

WHAT ARE THE CAUSES?

It generally takes two or more of these four known factors to trigger depression or anxiety.

Mental/mind/emotional stressors include Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s), physical and emotional traumas such as abuse, brain injury or infection, life-threatening experiences, and multiple life stressors such as death, divorce, serious disease, accident, etc.

Dietary food choices can cause inflammation, a weakened immune system, food sensitivities, allergies, microbiome imbalances, hormone imbalances, and nutrient deficiencies from lack of nutrients and/or inability to absorb nutrients.

Environmental stressors may include heavy metal toxicity, mold, parasites, and Lyme disease and its coinfections. These can cause a weakened immune system, inflammation, and nutrient deficiencies.

Leaky gut or intestinal permeability is a condition in which the junctions in the gut are open bigger than they should be, letting things into areas where they shouldn’t be. And when things get in that shouldn’t be there the body starts attacking it. Then autoimmunity and neurodegeneration starts getting triggered because the body can’t tell the difference between the large foreign particles and the normal particles of the body. So then the body attacks its own particles, such as in specific organs like the thyroid, adrenals, joints, nerves, and even the brain.

EFFECTS OF ANTIDEPRESSANTS AND SSRIS

Medications have their place, but they never heal illness. While they may sometimes be needed, ideally their use will only be for the short term because they only help to suppress symptoms, but then the brain actually pushes back and more medication is needed which increases the side effects.

The goal should be to help people discover the underlying issues that are triggering their mental illness so they can address those and actually get well instead of just masking symptoms through medication.

Both antidepressants and antipsychotics cause problems with mental processing and memory, and start impairing frontal lobe function, which is important for logic, self-control, and moral reasoning. And they make the person apathetic, meaning they don’t really care about things anymore. In addition, the combination of opiates with benzodiazepines can often be very lethal.

THE BEST APPROACH IS HOLISTIC

The human brain can change, and when we find out the causes of the problems and use a comprehensive approach, the brain can become as effective as it was meant to be.

While there are some factors that we cannot/could not control—childhood abuse, deaths, accidents, etc.—the sooner we begin a lifestyle that reduces the factors that cause illness and increase the factors that cause health, the more likely we’ll be able to turn around any illnesses we may have, including depression and anxiety, or at least prevent or slow their advancement.

While acute inflammation is an essential part of the immune system’s ability to defend the body from infection, chronic inflammation can have dire results. In a study published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation in 2013, scientists established that the evidence supports a strong correlation between brain inflammation and psychiatric illness. In this same study, the connection between these conditions and autoimmune disease was also established. This helps us to understand that brain inflammation is a major factor in both chronic diseases and in psychiatric illness like depression and anxiety. By making some simple changes and adding in the nutrients we are lacking, we can see a vast improvement in our entire system, and our immune system will run more efficiently overall.

NUTRITION AND DIET

Many people feel that to have to restrict their diet or leave things out that they enjoy would be depriving them of a full and happy life. But few people realize that it is possible to have the full benefits of a healthy diet, still have delicious food, and feel and experience amazing benefits from healthier foods. Many activities in life can really bring joy and fulfillment that are missed out on when the diet is lacking in nutrients that the body needs to run optimally.

Research regarding dietary intervention with depression and anxiety indicates there’s only one diet that has been shown to improve depression and anxiety significantly, and it starts to do it in as little as two weeks. That’s a plant-based diet.

Animal products increase inflammation in the brain. Arachidonic acid and oxidized cholesterol, which come from eating animal products, are both pro-inflammatory.

Sugar, refined carbs, and processed foods also increase inflammation and decrease the ability of the brain to change in a healthy way.

These products leave us deficient of nutrients. They were first stripped of many nutrients and then “enriched” by putting a few back in, plus the added vitamins and nutrients are often not in a bioavailable form, and our bodies are not able to use them. When foods come to us naturally from nature, they are in the perfect combination of vitamins and nutrients that can be readily absorbed and utilized by our bodies.

Decreasing inflammation decreases the over activity in the emotional part of the brain and enhances the frontal lobe, which balances the brain so the person can think more clearly, make better decisions, have better self-control, and not make stupid errors and decisions.

Depression clears up much better with an optimal diet of fresh fruits and greens loaded with polyphenols and antioxidants, and it’s the whole food that has the most optimal effect on the body and brain.

TAKE THE CHALLENGE

Go on a plant-based diet for the next week. See what it’s like with just fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Then slowly incorporate good healthy greens back into your diet, and your body will respond very well.

Drink lots of water and cut out coffee, which can cause a lot of anxiousness and also messes with your neurotransmitters and serotonin.

SPECIAL MENTION FOODS

Turmeric is one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory foods we have, especially the extract from turmeric, called curcumin. Turmeric is not commonly used in the US, but Indian food has a lot of turmeric with all the curry.

Herbs for depression and anxiety include St. John’s Wort, the mints, and chamomile tea, which help calm down and uplift the spirits.

Ginger is loaded with antioxidants and potent anti-inflammatory properties, and is believed to play an important role in the health of the brain. A 2012 study found that ginger extract helped improve cognitive function and attention in middle-aged women.

Pumpkin Seeds are highly essential for the functioning of the nervous system. They help to produce GABA, an anti-stress neurochemical in the brain, nervous irritability and other mental conditions. Pumpkin seed oil exhibits anti-inflammatory effects.

Flaxseeds are high in those all-important omega-3 fatty acids that are essential for brain development and function. Flax contains alpha-linolenic (ALA), a type of omega-3 fatty acid that boosts the cerebral cortex, an area of the brain that processes sensory information.

Walnuts & Almonds contain a number of neuroprotective compounds, including vitamin E, folate, melatonin, omega-3 fats, and antioxidants. They may support brain health, cognition, and memory.

Avocados are “full of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats that promote healthy blood flow in the brain, along with several of the brain’s most valued nutrients, including folate, vitamin C, vitamin E, and copper. The B vitamins in avocados relieve stress and keep nerves and brain cells healthy. Its high amount of potassium helps lower blood pressure. And the monounsaturated fats also help support information-carrying nerves in your brain, according to research from the Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology.”

HOW TO GET STARTED

The best way to get started is to recognize that food is just food and that some foods are healthier than others, and the same goes for beverages. Therefore, every bite of food you eat or beverage you drink will either contribute to or diminish your health. If you indulge yourself one day, just eat healthier the next. Your level of health becomes the result of your level of choices.

You’ll feel so much better when you have that one meal a day that’s plant based and you’ll say, “Well, maybe I’ll have two meals,” and then it comes out of your own experience and that ultimately is what makes it sustainable.

Depression & Anxiety - 11/15/2018

Save Your Brain Excerpt

One in three people are expected to die of dementia, killing more people than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. This report covers the principles for good mental health and how you can use them to preserve and regenerate brain function.

It isn’t simply ‘not having a mental illness’ that we are looking to accomplish. We want our minds to function at the best possible level and have a completeness and fulfillment, even well into old age.

Neurodegeneration is the progressive loss of structure or function of neurons (nerves), including death of neurons, which results in disease. Neurodegenerative diseases can occur at any age, and although they haven’t always been known as autoimmune diseases, they do show all the same features, and they are just as debilitating.

While genetics may make an individual more prone to neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases, it generally takes one or more of several factors to trigger the expression of the genomes that results in the disease. Without a triggering factor, the genomes can lie dormant and the inherited genetic potential for a disease may never develop. Here are the factors and what they include.

Environmental stressors may include heavy metal toxicity, mold, parasites, and Lyme disease and its coinfections. These can cause a weakened immune system, inflammation, and even nutrient deficiencies.

Leaky gut or intestinal permeability is where the junctions in the gut are open bigger than they should be, letting things into areas where they shouldn’t be. And when things get in that shouldn’t be there, like big, undenatured proteins or any type of food or pathogen, the body starts attacking it. Then autoimmunity and neurodegeneration starts getting triggered because the body can’t tell the difference between the large foreign particles and the normal particles of the body. Then the body attacks its own particles, such as in specific organs like the thyroid, adrenals, joints, nerves, and brain.

While there are some factors that we cannot/could not control, the sooner we begin a lifestyle that reduces the factors that cause disease and increase the factors that cause health, the less likely we will develop neurodegenerative diseases. Similarly, the earlier we begin to practice a healthy lifestyle, the more likely we’ll be able to turn around any diseases we may already have, or at least prevent or slow their advancement, including neurodegenerative disease.

A Mediterranean diet has been scientifically shown to improve brain health. Not only is it a possible natural treatment for Parkinson’s, dementia and Alzheimer’s, but it is also shown to improve mood, preserve memory and lower brain shrinkage.

This diet is rich with fresh vegetables (particularly leafy greens such as spinach and kale), fruit, whole grains, legumes (such as lentils and chickpeas), nuts, herbs and spices (like oregano, rosemary and parsley), healthy fats such as olives and olive oil, and is low in red meat and processed foods.

It is good for brain health because many of the included foods are anti-inflammatory, and it’s full of protective vitamins and antioxidants like B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and polyphenols. Certain B vitamins help regulate the production of neurotransmitters, the chemical substances that transfer messages from one cell to another in the brain.

Fasting is another critical element of diet. Fasting allows the body to purge itself of some of those old cells, and then the immune system creates new, vibrant stem cells that haven’t identified anything, and now they’re looking for that new cancer cell or that new fungus or virus, and they can react to it.

On a daily basis, we should be fasting for 16 to 18 hours without food, and on a monthly basis, a 3-day water-only fast, preferably 72 hours, but no less than 48 hours.

Too much inflammation in the body can damage neurological tissue and cause problems. Food can be a big contributor to inflammation. Inflammatory foods include dairy, sugar, refined grains, grain-fed meat, and bad fats, such as corn, unfermented soy, and non-organic canola oil, hydrogenated oils, all oils that have been used for frying, and fried foods.

Exercise is another critical element for the brain and for the body. Researchers suggest that any aerobic exercise (the type that gets your heart pumping) should do the trick. Standard recommendations advise half an hour of moderate physical activity most days of the week.

Hydration is critical. It washes out toxins and waste products, and contributes to cellular function. The best water is fresh water that’s cleansed with activated charcoal and other substances, preferably right in your own home and stored in glass.

Getting enough sleep at night is absolutely critical for your cognition. When you sleep, your brain drains fluids carrying waste products. Melatonin protects the nerves and the neurons from falling apart. Your body produces melatonin while you’re sleeping, so if you’re not sleeping, you’re not producing melatonin.

Our emotions play an important role in our physical and mental health. Mindfulness. Meditation. Practicing loving kindness in our relationships with others. All of these things will help us manage stress.

There are so many natural ways to combat the devastating neurodegenerative diseases of dementia and Alzheimer’s that we can’t cover them all here.

Alzheimer's and Dementia - 11/15/2018

Silaine Marquez Key Takeaways (Depression & Anxiety Secrets)

Highlights from Jonathan Otto’s interview with Silaine Marquez, for the Depression & Anxiety Series. Silaine discusses distorted thoughts, and cognitive behavioral therapy. Silaine shares a story about how once a client was able to identify and correct her distorted beliefs, she was able to overcome her depression. She shares how to identify distorted beliefs in your own life.

Depression & Anxiety / Key Takeaways - 11/08/2018

Dr. Dean Ornish Key Takeaways (Depression & Anxiety Secrets)

Highlights from Jonathan Otto’s interview with Dr. Dean Ornish, for the Depression & Anxiety Series. Dr. Ornish discusses a whole food, plant based diet, and why it is so powerful as a therapy for so many different diseases.

Alzheimer's and Dementia / Autoimmune Disease / Depression & Anxiety / Key Takeaways / Plant Based / Weight loss - 11/08/2018

Ocean Robbins Key Takeaways (Depression & Anxiety Secrets)

Highlights from Jonathan Otto’s interview with Ocean Robbins, for the Depression & Anxiety Series. Ocean discusses the obesity epidemic in the United States, and why this issue exists. He also talks about his family legacy (Baskin-Robbins), and why he is so passionate about health advocacy. He shares a solution for obesity and illness, by drawing on the Blue Zones study.

Depression & Anxiety / Key Takeaways / Plant Based / Weight loss - 11/08/2018

Sharon Porter Key Takeaways (Depression & Anxiety Secrets)

Highlights from Jonathan Otto’s interview with Sharon Porter, for the Depression & Anxiety Series. Sharon discusses what’s wrong with today’s food industry. In light of this, she discusses what people should do in order to protect their health from this corrupt industry.

Autoimmune Disease / Depression & Anxiety / Key Takeaways - 11/08/2018

Otto is an investigative journalist, natural health researcher, documentary filmmaker, and humanitarian.

He has created several highly-acclaimed, groundbreaking docuseries — Vaccine Secrets, COVID Secrets, Unbreakable: Destined To Thrive, Depression, Anxiety & Dementia Secrets, Autoimmune Secrets, Natural Medicine Secrets, Women’s Health Secrets, and Autoimmune Answers — covering innovative, effective natural remedies for autoimmune disease, neurodegenerative disease, mental health, cancer, and heart disease.

These docuseries — watched by millions around the world — represent Jonathan’s unceasing quest to discover the root causes of debilitating diseases by interviewing over 100 world-renowned natural medicine doctors, scientists, natural health experts, and patients.

In response to this life-saving knowledge, Jonathan created Well of Life, a line of doctor-formulated, 100% natural supplements specially designed to detox and fortify the body.

Jonathan’s greatest reward has been hearing the testimonials from people whose lives have literally been saved with the protocols he developed.

His work has been featured in international TV broadcasts, print media, national news, and radio broadcasts. He received the awards, Young Citizen of the Year and International Volunteer of the Year, by the Australian government for international humanitarian contributions, which he continues to support.

Jonathan and his wife, Lori, welcomed their first son, Asher, in January 2019 and their second son, Arthur, in May 2021.

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