Dr. Soram's Integrative Medicine
Practical Complementary and Alternative Medicine
You know how you can put on a couple of pounds by just looking at a cheeseburger and fries? Well, some foods have the opposite effect, helping you burn extra energy — and keep weight off — just by eating them.
Better still, these slimming foods do not all taste like grass or rice cakes; these are REAL, delicious and satisfying foods — foods that you might even be craving right now. So go ahead and indulge. With food options like these it’s easy to eat right … and lose weight while you’re at it.
David Perlmutter, M.D.,pictured to the right,a prominent neurologist from Florida gave excellent lectures. at the convention, for many hours about how to protect our brains from the growing epidemic of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as from Parkinson’s disease. He stated that “Alzheimer’s is very preventable.”
He also quoted in his lecture the saying “The time to fix the roof is when the sun is shining.” This is true with regards to the prevention of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Basically, he shows that Alzheimer’s disease is due to damage to the mitochondria – the energy organelles inside the cell – and its DNA, that cause Alzheimer’s disease. Basically the mitochondria dictate whether a cell will live or die. Therefore he considers Alzheimer’s disease to be an illness of the mitochondria, which he calls a mitochondropathy. He talked to us about how we can nurture our mitochondria.
He pointed out that fungicides and solvents as well as heavy metals contribute to this damage to the mitochondria.
There is a powerful molecule in our brain called BDNF, which stands for Brain Derived neurotrophic Factor. Just by exercising we increase our BNNF. He gave us a list of the things that increase our Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor.
This list is as follows:
1. Caloric restriction.
2. Physical exercise.
3. DHA
4. Mental exercise
5. Hyperbaric oxygen.
Here is a chart from the convention.
He also pointed out that blood sugar is a problem for the brain. He feels that a HgA1C of 5.6 to 5.8 is not low enough. HgA1C is a common blood test that shows us the average blood sugar we have had over the last three months in one number. He points out that high fructose corn syrup is one of the worst ways for us to take in sugar. This is what most soft drinks are made with. He entreats all of us to avoid getting diabetes, at all costs, because of the effect of high blood sugar on the brain.
He also gave nutritional recommendations to help cope with “Advanced Glycation End Products” also known as AGE’s. These are the end products of our proteins being combined with too much sugar.
The nutritional therapy he recommended includes the following with links to my Healthy Living Shop:
-Benfotiamine
–Taurine:
-Aspirin
-Carnosine
–DHA-derived from fish or algae:
-Low Carbohydrate Diet.
Lipid peroxides, which we measure at our clinic, are a sign of oxidative stress. When they are elevated, this implies that the brain is “on fire” which creates a feedforward mechanism causing more oxidation which contributes to mitochondrial damage.
Dr. Perlmutter also recommends healthy fats in our diet as the brain is composed of large amounts of fat.
He pointed out that gluten can be a toxin to the brain directly. He cited out an experiment: If you were to put your finger in the acid contained in the stomach, your finger would be dissolved in 10 to 15 seconds. If you put gluten in your stomach acid, it is still there untouched 12 hours later.
Dr. Perlmutter went on to conclude that we have inherited two genomes or genetic structures. One is from our parents and the second is the bacteria in our gut. The gut bacteria, called the microbiome, is very dynamic. Dr. Perlmutter pointed out that the human genome combined with the microbiome make metabolites that tell us who is “playing the piano”. He therefore reminds us that food is information, that is targeting our genetic structure.
I encourage you to read Dr. David Perlmutter’s Books
Dr Perlmutters article on Neurogenesis
The Lancet article on gluten and brain
Great Photo of the Gluten molecule showing its toxic elements
October is breast cancer awareness month and I post this article in honor of the women who have had this disease.
For years now my patients with breast cancer or who have risk for breast cancer have repeatedly asked me if it is safe to take soy products. Oncologists have repeatedly told them that soy products have “hormones” and that these could contribute to breast cancer, and therefore women should AVOID soy products at all times.
I extensively researched this soy issue, and talked with many colleagues in integrative medicine all over the world and found that this explanation from their oncologists was not correct.
I explained to my patients, that the “hormones” in soy were not real hormones but that they were Phyto-hormones, and that these hormones actually help protect the estrogen receptors from the woman’s own estrogen. Therefore there would be no increased risk whatsoever for getting breast cancer when eating soy products.
However the oncologists have persistently told my patients the opposite and I understand that my patients would be confused and might err on the side of “safety” and NOT eat soy products.
Now we have three solid studies showing the exact opposite of what my patients have been told by other doctors. Specifically that soy consumption improves the prognosis of women who had breast cancer, and actually women eating soy with a history of breast cancer had a REDUCED incidence of death. In one study, women on Tamoxifin, who consumed the most soy, had a 60% reduction in breast cancer recurrence compared to women who did not eat soy.
Below you will find a video from my colleague Michael Gregor, M.D. explaining all this from the medical journal articles. He has given me permission to use his videos which also appear on YouTube on my website, whenever I would like.
You may ask “Well how much soy is safe then?” The answer as Dr. Gregor explains in this video is 3 -5 servings a day is safe. So that would mean you could safely have soy with every meal and be safe, even with a history of breast cancer.
Dr. Gregor has a wonderful website which is NUTRITION FACTS and a daily newsletter with the latest updates in subjects directly related to integrative medicine as appearing in the traditional medical literature. His bias, like mine, is to encourage patients to eat a Whole Food Plant Based diet. I highly recommend you subscribe to his daily newsletter. It is amazing that he can read every medical journal article that is published and sift out the essence and present it to us in a two-minute video on a daily basis.
Dr. Gregor has also written an article on Soy and Breast cancer which you can find HERE.
I look forward to hearing your comments about this new information. Are you a breast cancer survivor? What do you think of this information? Will it change your dietary habits? Put a note in the comments below please.
