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Wisdom Teeth Removal and the Cavitation Connection

Did you know that the health of our mouth has a huge impact on our overall health and longevity? I was lucky to have the opportunity to interview Dr. Gerry Curatola, a holistic dentist, who refers to himself as a ‘safe’ dentist. In this particular episode, Dr Curatola and I discuss cavitations. Not to be confused with cavities, cavitations are something many of us (myself included) are just not aware of. Chronic systemic disease relating to dental infections are very common.

What is the difference between a cavity and a cavitation?

According to Curatola, a cavity is a hole in a tooth with decay, whereas a cavitation is a term used to essentially describe a hole in the jaw, oftentimes with anaerobic bacteria present. These ‘caves’ often go undetected because many cavitations do not produce symptoms such as fever, swelling, or pain. However, caves can harbor some scary organisms like spirochetes (present in Lyme disease). We have now started to see and diagnose huge numbers of cavitations in the human jaw, because of the advance of some sophisticated diagnostic tools. Among one of them is this 3-D x-ray, which we call a cone beam. Cavitations are typically found where wisdom teeth have been removed. According to Curatola, ‘Over 80% of people that had wisdom teeth extracted (without biologic grafting or proper cleaning out of the socket where the wisdom tooth is) have cavitations.’

What causes cavitations to form?

There are (3) reasons cavitations typically form:
  1. Inadequate removal of the ligaments that attach the teeth to bone. The bone never heals properly because you have these tiny connective tissue ligaments that originally attach that wisdom tooth to the bony socket. You’ve really got to scrape and excavate that, and many Dentists do not.
  2. The vasoconstrictive action of dental anesthetics can precipitate a cavitation (lack of blood flow to the area, preventing healing).
  3. Inadequate closure of the wound site where food and debris can get in there, set up, and actually create almost like a cyst in there where the bone starts to heal around it and it encapsulates this void, which is caused by improper healing.

Chronic systemic disease is related to dental infections.

A cavitation is literally a cave in the jaw. It’s dark, and it’s moist, and it’s warm. It’s a perfect place for opportunistic organisms to hang out, because there isn’t a blood supply. Your body’s immune system is not going to that cave. These caves become a home to so many different types of pathogens and opportunistic bacteria that are constantly challenging the immune system. Lyme spirochetes and parasites love to hide in these caves. These bacteria wreak havoc everywhere in the body. Gum disease, and oral diseases are linked to everything from Alzheimer’s to colorectal cancer. They find the actual pathogens in the plaques and arteries around the heart. Prophyromonas gingivalis bacteria, which is from the mouth are can be found in the arteries around your heart. There is a big connection being made between mouth bacteria health and the health of the entire body. Oftentimes these cavitations can be misdiagnosed. Sometimes people get misdiagnosed with ‘trigeminal neuralgia’ and actually, it could be a cavitation strangling the nerve. It’s called neuralgia induced cavitational osteonecrosis, NICO. What often happens is a perfectly healthy tooth gets pulled because the patient is saying, ‘It’s killing me here. It’s killing me here.’ The dentist can’t see anything. He pulls a perfectly good tooth, and then another perfectly good tooth. However, they don’t get to the root of the problem, the cavitation.

How can a cavitation be detected and fixed?

If you have had any tooth pulled, or had a root canal on a tooth, it’s imperative to check for cavitation. Cavitations do not show up on conventional dental x-rays. That’s why cone beam has become the gold standard for diagnosing. A cone beam clearly shows the areas of cavitation detected. It’s important to find a dentist that offers a cone beam to get clearly diagnosed. With a cone beam you can see three-dimensional representations of the cavitation. Curatola suggests that many biologic dentists are very ‘ozone happy’. Ozone therapy has its application in dental infections. However, ozone therapy should be done generally in the mouth because what we know right now is the bacteria in our mouth keep us alive. We want to keep it happy. We want to keep the microbiome happy. What I like to say, “Make peace with our microbes.” Ozone therapy alone may kill off the parasites and infection temporarily, but they will find their way back. According to Dr. Curatola, there are 2 important protocols to make sure that the biologic dentist you choose follows, when fixing a cavitation.
  1. Water laser use (also known as a waterlase laser) to remove debris in the cavitation. Water lasers remove disease, soft and hard tissue; disinfect the entire area with ozone water; and stimulate bone regeneration.
  2. The second protocol is the bone grafting with A-PRF and I-PRF, which stands for platelet-rich fibrin. Blood is drawn and separated from the platelet-rich fibrin, packed into the cavitation. The idea is to use your own body’s blood to get that platelet-rich fibrin, which is rich in mesenchymal stem cells, rich in growth factors and immune factors. The healing is so much smoother using PRF.
It’s important that both of those protocols are followed, for the site to fully heal and close up. Cavitation is a topic in biologic dentistry that’s very misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and mistreated. The consequences are extreme. That’s why I want to bring this awareness to it. My hope is that the word will spread, and these procedures will one day become the standard of care.

Intermittent Fasting – A Top 5 Strategy To Create Your Best Health Ever

180° Solution™ Strategy #3: Intermittent Fasting 

If you’ve been following my work for any period of time you know I’m a huge believer in the power of fasting and intermittent fasting to decrease cellular inflammation and ignite healing in the body (read a previous article here). Fasting means abstaining from all or some kinds of food or drink for a specified time period, and has been used since ancient times to get sick people well. It is not a magic quick-fix cure, but merely allows the body’s innate healing mechanisms to be triggered by removing the obstacles to healing (R1: Remove the Source). By letting the body exclusively focus on healing itself, restoration is accelerated. Although many health practitioners today are hesitant to recommend fasting and intermittent fasting due to misinformation and stigma, it nevertheless remains one of the simplest yet most profound ways to improve health at the most basic cellular level. Incorporating the practice properly has provided incredible benefits for me personally, as well as those I coach back to health. An ancient healing tool still fit for modern health challenges … Let’s dive in more.

Intermittent Fasting – A Top 5 Strategy To Create Your Best Health Ever!

Slaying the Silent Killer and Other Benefits 

The main reason I believe fasting markedly improves most every health condition is that is downregulates cellular inflammation. There are two types of inflammation: chronic and acute. Acute inflammation lasts just a short period of time (between seconds and a few days), and is a normal and healthy biological response to wound healing or infection. Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, occurs over a longer time period (often many years), is not healthy, and is directly implicated in most all modern health disorders, including autoimmune disease, obesity and diabetes, hormone challenges, and more. To impact most any health challenge we must decrease chronic inflammation, aka the “silent killer.” And there is simply no quicker way to decrease inflammation than fasting.

In addition, a recent study suggested that fasting for three consecutive days actually “flips a switch” to ignite regeneration of the immune system as it triggers the body to begin producing new white blood cells. It’s akin to pressing the reset button on your body’s wiring system. The study also found that prolonged fasting triggered a reduction of the enzyme PKA, linking to aging and increased risk of cancer and tumor growth. Dr. Valter Longo, Professor of Gerontology and the Biological Sciences at the University of California, stated “There is no evidence at all that fasting would be dangerous while there is strong evidence that it is beneficial.” 

And the benefits of fasting don’t stop there. Fasting and daily intermittent fasting also spikes human growth hormone (HGH) levels, which offer strong anti-aging effects by literally slowing the rate at which your cells age. Fasting also dramatically increases energy levels since the body isn’t burdened by digesting food all day. Without the burden of digesting, the gut is able to heal from conditions like IBS, leaky gut and other sever inflammation driven conditions like Crohn’s and colitis.

Other positive side effects of fasting and intermittent fasting include: weight-loss, increased brain function and cognitive skills, powerful detoxification (GCELL & BIND) effects, life extension, improved hormone balance and insulin sensitivity, enhanced digestion, decreased disease risk, reduced appetite, and the list goes on.

Animals: Smarter than Humans?

Animals: Smarter than Humans?
Interestingly, we can observe fasting in nature. Animals appear to be innately smarter than humans in terms of knowing what to do with their bodies in times of sickness and injury. Dr. Felix Oswald, author of “Fasting Hydropathy and Exercise” (published in 1900) says: “Serious sickness prompts all animals to fast.” In times of physical distress, animals instinctively fast, which gives their bodies the needed time to heal and repair. Humans are the only beings in nature who continue to eat while sick. And although we possess a higher intelligence, and remain in our own category, our bodies function in similar ways. Therefore, what causes animals to fall ill often affects us, and what helps them heal can support our health too.

Eating and digesting food requires an extreme amount of energy from the body. Recall the physical feeling of a decadent post-Thanksgiving meal. You’re likely quite lethargic after that last slice of pumpkin pie because the body has to work overtime to process the considerable amount of food consumed. And when our body is busy digesting food, it can’t shift into the natural mode of healing, where it can exclusively focus on detoxification and repair. Animals do not distract their bodies with the energy-sucking process of digesting and assimilating food when they are trying to heal. They simply follow their instincts and rest, drink water and avoid eating. Smarter than we are? Food for thought (pardon the pun).

Animals also fast during times of food scarcity to survive and continue to reproduce. They also fast during hibernation in the cold season since they don’t need much fuel as energy expenditure is reduced. Some fast immediately after birth, when not hungry (no kidding!), if feeling angry or excited, and when they are wounded to accelerate cellular repair. Some animals even support a fellow wounded member of their herd or pack by fasting alongside the injured soldier. True solidarity.

Starvation vs. Strategic Eating

“To rise at six, dine at ten, sup at six and go to bed at ten, makes a man live ten times ten.” – 16th century proverb

Now there’s a big difference between pushing a plate of food away before you’re satiated contrasted with strategically regulating calorie intake. We already know caloric restriction doesn’t work. Starving yourself forces the metabolism to go lower and lower, hanging on to every calorie consumed. Did our ancestors leave food behind to go to waste? Nope, they ate until they were full every time. But they also didn’t sit down to three large meals a day plus snacks. Eating was sporadic, so they feasted when food was aplenty and fasted when food was absent; however, over the course of the day they consumed far less calories than we now do. Our ancestors were fasting and reaping all the benefits, and didn’t even know it (for more info see our 5-1-1 rule post).

Fortunately, we can take advantage of the sporadic eating practice that kept our ancestors’ lean, mean, fighting machines by employing a simple type of fasting known as intermittent fasting. I practice intermittent fasting on a daily basis by fasting for 16-18 hours each day. Sound crazy? It’s actually much easier than you may think. Plus, by using this approach I gain most all the benefits of a longer fast while still enjoying my favorite foods. Here’s how I do it: I skip breakfast, often just drinking organic coffee with plenty of MCT oil and/or grass-fed heavy cream. The good fat helps to turn your brain “on” in the morning and also functions to stabilize blood sugar levels till the first meal of the day. Between 1PM and 3PM I eat a light lunch of protein and high quality fat (see, “Does Fat Make You Fat?” for more) to keep my energy steady as I power through the day. Finally, I feast like a Roman soldier in the evenings between 5PM and 8PM, consuming quality fat, protein, and healthy carbs (most often in the form of veggies). The foods I eat follow core principles of my Cellular Healing Diet. The act of intermittent fasting has changed my body in profound ways, and it’s the game-changing technique that has increased my health like never before. I can honestly say that of all the natural health practices I have used in the last 10 years it has been the most profound.

Some classic wisdom on daily meal frequency:

“During the zenith period of Grecian and Roman civilization monogamy was not as firmly established as the rule that a health-loving man should content himself with one meal a day, and never eat till he had leisure to digest, i.e., not till the day's work was wholly done. For more than a thousand years the one meal plan was the established rule among the civilized nations inhabiting the coast-lands of the Mediterranean. The evening repast–call it supper or dinner–was a kind of domestic festival, the reward of the day's toil, an enjoyment which rich and poor refrained from marring by premature gratifications of their appetites.” – Dr. Felix Oswald

Practically speaking, fasting is also a great strategy for the on-the-go lifestyle. Since you go for longer periods of time without food, you can avoid eating questionable fare on the road. On travel days, when in and out or airports, I simply fast until evening when I can eat a well-balanced, healthy meal that will make me feel good. The strategy works very well, and allows me to remain energized and peaceful during transit. Fasting is also budget-friendly. By eating less food you, of course, spend less money on groceries. Perhaps you would choose to spend the money saved on the highest quality foods you can afford so you can eat the most nutrient dense diet possible. Quality over quantity.

You may be wondering… am I hungry while fasting? Rarely, because my blood sugar is effortlessly regulated since my body is in an efficient fat burning mode. Therefore, I’m no longer a “sugar burner” relying upon glucose for fuel (i.e. most all Americans). Nope, I’m a “fat burner” using my body’s own fat stores for energy. This fat-burning mode is called ketosis, which has many benefits and I’ve written about extensively here and here. I also discussed ketosis in the previous article in this five part series, Health Strategy #2 (link). But ultimately, if I do experience some hunger, the benefits gained are more than worth it. And who says a little hunger is a bad thing, anyway?

Keys to Successful Intermittent Fasting

Considering how our bodies were designed, it makes sense that intermittent fasting positively impacts the body. The method works in harmony with our circadian rhythms given that humans are inherently nocturnal eaters, as evidenced by our nervous system. Fasting during the day kicks the sympathetic (“fight or flight”) nervous system into gear, in a good way, for all-day energy and vitality. Later on, the evening “feast” of good fat, protein and carbs functions to raise blood sugar enough to trigger the parasympathetic nervous system response to promote relaxation and lull you off to peaceful slumber. The large nightly meal also informs the body that it is not starving, so there’s no need to hang on to stored fat. Therefore, your body burns your stored fat for lasting energy. This is truly how you finally dip into those hard to burn areas that never leave no matter how much you exercise or what you eat. Note: If you don’t eat enough at dinner while you’re intermittent fasting, your body will remain in sympathetic mode and believe it’s not getting enough food to survive. It will then hang on to every calorie, keep you awake at night, tax your adrenal glands, and you will not realize the benefits. Worse yet, you will lose muscle and gain fat, the same thing that happens on caloric restricted diets.

Also, due to less overall food consumption while fasting, it’s crucial to make every calorie count by eating a very nutrient rich diet. I suggest consuming plenty of healthy fats, grass-fed and pastured animal protein, cultured, grass-fed dairy, and organic, non-GMO veggies and low-glycemic fruits, following principles of my Cellular Healing Diet, to ensure nutritional bases are covered. I’ve also found it helpful to consume good fat in the morning to stabilize blood sugar levels and keep you in the fat-burning zone until lunchtime, which still qualifies as intermittent fasting. Try adding plenty of coconut oil, coconut milk, grass-fed butter or butter oil and/or grass-fed heavy cream to your organic coffee or tea to start your day off right. I find the warm coffee or tea first thing in the morning satisfies the comfort we need when we first arise and takes away the psychological need for food.

The Myth of Mini-Meals to Rev Up Metabolism 

What about the popular weight-loss theory of eating 5-6 mini meals a day, which allegedly keeps the metabolism running all day? Well, it might help you drop a few pounds in the short-term, but there’s a price to pay. If you’re eating around the clock, the pancreas is constantly releasing the hormone insulin and raising your blood sugar, which ultimately accelerates the aging process via the release of AGES (Advanced Glycation End Products). Recall Health Strategy #1: the key to anti-aging and longevity is controlling blood sugar. When you’re always eating, the body never gets the chance to burn stored fat because it’s too busy metabolizing food. Dispel this antiquated advice and “think 180” by experimenting with intermittent fasting and watch what happens to your health.

When you look at all the studies on aging the message is pretty clear. If you want to age faster, eat more. If you want to age slower, eat less. However, when we look at cultures like the Okinawans, who eat much less and live much longer, they all eat to fullness. Meaning they are not pushing food away on a caloric restrictive diet; they are simply efficient fat burners and are not hungry. People always say to me, “You haven’t eaten all day”, and I say “No, I ate all day” as I am grab my own fat. When you are an efficient fat burner you are able to use your own fat stores for fuel, which provides perfect insulin and glucose levels all day with no spikes. That means you have no cravings and live longer, leaner.

Fasting Techniques: What's Best for You?

There are various methods of fasting other than daily intermittent fasting, including taking one or two days a week to fast, or the block fasting approach, which involves fasting for consecutive days at a time. I sometimes like to take one day a week as a fasting day, while still including daily intermittent fasting in my routine.

I often have challenged clients do a 4-day block fast on probiotic-rich whey water or 100% grass-fed beef bone stock once or twice a month, which acts as an incredibly effective immune system reboot because it heals the gut and decreases inflammation (R4). However, eating within a daily compressed time window (intermittent fasting) allows me to reap most all of the benefits of longer block fasts while still allowing me to eat my favorite healing foods at dinner. It’s a win-win.

A Tool for Transformation

Fasting is simply another tool to keep in your toolbox of health strategies. The beauty lies in its simplicity and its amazing way of decreasing cellular inflammation. I’ve had much personal and clinical success with the technique, but it doesn’t mean it’s the perfect solution for you. All you can do is give it a try, keep an open mind, and stay in tune with your body. If you’d like to experiment, you can begin the transition from sugar burner to fat burner by putting yourself into ketosis. Once in ketosis, your body is burning your own fat for fuel so you can go for longer periods without food, i.e. intermittent fasting, and not get that dreaded “hangry” feeling. Remember to incorporate the diet variation technique (see Health Strategy #2 here) if you’re not getting results.

Now, if you really want to supercharge fat-loss (especially whilst in ketosis), boost anti-aging growth hormone, and get leaner than ever before, you must implement this next strategy…

Stay tuned for the next 180° Solution™ strategy #4 for your best health ever!

Other Articles in this Series:

Strategy 1: Controlling Blood Sugar

Strategy 4: Burst Training

Strategy 2: Diet Variation

Strategy 5: PompaCore Cellular Detox™

Key Takeaways for Implementing Diet Variation:

  1. Experiment with daily intermittent fasting, 1 day per week fasting, or a 3-4 day block of fasting and see what works best for you.
  2. Due to less overall food consumption while fasting, make every calorie count by eating a very nutrient rich diet. Consume plenty of healthy fats, quality animal protein, and organic vegetables (following core principles of my Cellular Healing Diet) to ensure nutritional bases are covered.
  3. Take in good fat in the morning to stabilize blood sugar levels and to keep you in the fat-burning zone until lunch time. Try adding plenty of coconut oil, coconut milk, grass-fed butter oil or grass-fed heavy cream to your organic coffee or tea.
  4. Be patient with yourself as you transition from a “sugar burner” to a “fat burner,” and incorporate the diet variation (see Strategy #2) if weight loss plateaus.

Top 5 Strategies for Your Best Health Ever Part II
Edited by Meredith Dykstra 

Ruby Red Zinger

ruby-red-zinger

  • t1 can coconut milk
  • 2 small beets, scrubbed and chopped
  • 1 orange, peeled
  • 2 large carrots, chopped
  • 1 inch piece fresh ginger or 1 tbsp. ginger powder
  • 1 tsp. turmeric powder
  • 2 Tbsp. grass-fed collagen
  • 1 tsp. sea salt
  1. Put all ingredients, excluding collagen, in a high-speed blender and mix on high speed.
  2. Once thoroughly mixed, add collagen and incorporate at low speed.
  3. Enjoy!
  4. Serves 2

DIY Hand Sanitizer with Essential Oils

Natural-Hand-Sanitizer


This article has been medically reviewed by Dr. Charles Penick, MDDr. Charles Penick

Having hand sanitizer at the ready has become increasingly important. Learn how to make your own with a few ingredients & essential oils. Read more!

DIY Hand Sanitizer with Essential Oils

Due to the fear of getting sick, hand sanitizer use has gone up dramatically. While washing with soap and water is still the most effective way to wash and clean our hands, a sink isn’t always available. But most hand sanitizers contain known toxins that can disrupt hormones, impact immune health, and contribute to inflammation in the body. A better option is to create your own hand sanitizer with a simple, easy-to-use recipe containing healthier ingredients than commercial brands.

What Essential Oils Are Best For Hand Sanitizers | What Alcohol Should You Use For Hand Sanitizers | DIY Hand Sanitizer with Essential Oils Recipe

What Essential Oils Are Best For Hand Sanitizers

There are over 90 essential oils available, used in a variety of ways. Common uses include aromatherapy, added to foods, put in cleaning products in the home, insect repellants, and general health. In this article, we will go over the top 5 essential oils for hand sanitizers.

Essential Oil #1: Tea Tree Oil.

Tea tree oil has strong anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. It kills E. coli, S. pneumonia, H. influenza, and other viruses and bacteria. [1] It has also been used as an insect repellant, soothes inflamed skin, and as can treat nail fungus. Order your tea tree essential oil HERE.

Essential Oil # 2: Rosemary. 

Rosemary can increase brain function in studies and increase alertness and reduce stress levels. [2] It also works great as an insect repellent. Rosemary is known most for its aromatherapy benefits but can be mixed with other essential oils with antibacterial and microbial benefits, such as lavender and lemongrass. Order rosemary essential oil HERE.

Essential Oil #3: Geranium. 

Essential geranium oil

Geranium essential oil found in various skin care regimens, including helping to prevent bacterial growth, reduce wrinkles, wound healing, and treating acne. Geranium is a popular hand sanitizer, with studies showing antibacterial and antifungal effects against over two dozen bacteria. [3] Order geranium essential oil from Amazon HERE.

Essential Oil #4: Lemongrass.

Studies on lemongrass have shown it to have antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties. [4] It is also a natural insect repellent used to keep flies, mosquitos, fleas, ticks, and fruit flies at bay. Order your lemongrass essential oil HERE.

Essential Oil #5: Lavender.

Lavender is an antimicrobial, stopping the growth of microorganisms or eradicating them. Its’ antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties treat various skin conditions and reverse signs of aging. Inhaling lavender may also help decrease stress levels, improve mood, and treat migraines. [5] Order lavender essential oil HERE.

What Alcohol Should You Use For Hand Sanitizers

Disinfectants can be added to essential oils to create an effective hand sanitizer. Here are the most popular disinfectants:

  • Witch Hazel
  • Isopropyl Alcohol
  • 190-Proof Ethyl Alcohol

Witch Hazel is the preferred base for essential oils, but according to Covid-19 and CDC guidelines, Isopropyl Alcohol is the most effective base.

DIY Hand Sanitizer with Essential Oils Recipe

Ingredients

The following ingredients can be used to create hand sanitizer:

  • Small Bottle
  • 3 Tablespoons Witch Hazel (or other Alcohol)
  • 1 Tablespoon of Aloe Vera Gel
  • 3 Drops Eucalyptus Essential Oil
  • 3 Drops Rosemary Essential Oil
  • 3 Drops Tea Tree Essential Oil

Instructions

  1.  In a clean bowl with a clean spoon, mix the isopropyl alcohol and aloe vera gel until well combined.
  2.  Add in the essential oils
  3. Transfer the sanitizer to a small, clean bottle.
  4. Shake well before each use (there may be some clumping due to the consistency of the aloe vera gel) and spray or pump into your hands.
  5. Rub the formula onto your hands and let them completely air-dry.
  6. Follow up with a moisturizer to keep your skin hydrated.

DIY Hand Sanitizer

DIY Hand Sanitizer using essential oils

  • Mixing Bowl
  • Small Funnel
  • 1 Small Bottle
  • 3 tbsp Witch Hazel (or other Alcohol)
  • 1 tbsp Aloe Vera Gel
  • 3 drops Eucalyptus Essential Oil
  • 3 drops Rosemary Essential Oil
  • 3 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil

  1. In a clean bowl with a clean spoon, mix the isopropyl alcohol and aloe vera gel until well combined.

  2. Add in the essential oils

  3. Transfer the sanitizer to a small, clean bottle

  4. Shake well before each use (there may be some clumping due to the consistency of the aloe vera gel) and spray or pump into your hands.

  5. Rub the formula onto your hands and let them completely air-dry.

  6. Follow up with a moisturizer to keep your skin hydrated.

 
Hand Sanitizer

Medical Disclaimer: This article is based upon the opinions of Dr. Daniel Pompa. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Pompa and his associates. This article has been medically reviewed by Dr. Charles Penick, MD for accuracy of the information provided, but Dr. Pompa encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.

References:

[1] C. F. Carson, K. A. Hammer, T. V. Riley. Melaleuca alternifolia (Tea Tree) Oil: a Review of Antimicrobial and Other Medicinal Properties. 2006 Jan; 19(1): 50–62. doi: 10.1128/CMR.19.1.50-62.2006. [PMID: 16418522].https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1360273/

[2] Ruth McCaffrey, Debra J Thomas, Ann Orth Kinzelman. The Effects Of Lavender And Rosemary Essential Oils On Test-Taking Anxiety Among Graduate Nursing Students. Mar-Apr 2009;23(2):88-93. doi: 10.1097/HNP.0b013e3181a110aa. [PMID: 19258850].https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19258850/

[3] S Pattnaik, V R Subramanyam, C Kole.Antibacterial And Antifungal Activity Of Ten Essential Oils In Vitro.  1996;86(349):237-46. [PMID: 8893526].https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8893526/

[4] Gagan Shah, Richa Shri,1 Vivek Panchal (et al). Scientific Basis For The Therapeutic Use Of Cymbopogon Citratus, Stapf (Lemon Grass).  2011 Jan-Mar; 2(1): 3–8. doi: 10.4103/2231-4040.79796. PMCID: PMC3217679. [PMID: 22171285].https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3217679/

[5] Payam Sasannejad 1, Morteza Saeedi, Ali Shoeibi, Ali Gorji (et al). Lavender Essential Oil In The Treatment Of Migraine Headache: A Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial.2012;67(5):288-91. doi: 10.1159/000335249. Epub 2012 Apr 17. PMID: 22517298. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22517298/

Top Summer Fitness Tips

Summer is here and people are making vacation plans. In order to get ready for that cruise or family vacation, many are looking for ways to get lean, eliminate bloating and lose weight. Here are the top fitness tips to get in great summer shape:

Foods to Avoid

Losing weight and eliminating bloat are key to looking your summer best. Here are the top foods to avoid this summer:

Grains. Grains are found in a variety of products, including hamburger and hotdog buns. In the 1960’s, grains were hybridized, making them resistant to drought conditions and pesticides. Modern grains may be easier to grow and cultivate, but they are now extremely unhealthy and dangerous for human consumption. Grains should be avoided for the following reasons:

  • Spike in blood sugar. Grains have been called super sugars because of their effect on blood sugar and insulin. While many people consider whole grains healthy, eating two slices of whole grain bread raises glucose levels quickly in the same manner as drinking a 12 ounce soda. When blood sugar levels rise dramatically, they can fall just as quickly, causing a person to “crash,” with feelings of brain fog and sluggishness the result. They can also cause people to be hungrier than ever.
  • Gluten. Most grains contain gluten, which can cause bloating, inflammation, diarrhea and leaky gut syndrome in those who are gluten intolerant.

For more on the dangers of grains watch the CHTV episode featuring Dr. Stephanie Seneff, HERE.

In addition to hamburger and hot dog buns, other foods with grains listed in their ingredients that should be avoided are chips, crackers and cookies.

Vegetable oil. Before 1900, American households cooked with lard and butter. Today, most cookies, cakes, microwave popcorn and fast foods are made with vegetable oil. Even though they are called vegetable oils, they are extremely toxic.

Vegetable oils are used in most restaurants and households as well. Studies indicate vegetable oil has been linked to many health issues:

  • Heating up vegetable oil prompts a release of aldehydes, which have been linked to cancer, heart disease, inflammation and dementia.1
  • Vegetable oils can raise the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL’s) and decrease the level of high-density lipoproteins (HDL’s) in the blood, which increases the risk of blood clots. This is also known as the “double deadly effect.”2
  • Studies indicate the consumption of trans-fats can increase a person’s risk of depression by 50%.3

Vegetable oils have been deemed toxic and unsafe for human consumption worldwide. They have been banned in Denmark, Austria, Hungary, Iceland, New Zealand, Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland. New York City banned the use of vegetable oils in 2012, and the FDA has given food manufacturers until June of 2018 to totally remove them out of processed and fast foods.3

Vegetable oils go by many names:

  • Soybean
  • Corn
  • Canola
  • Cottonseed
  • Safflower

Avoiding these oils is essential to good health.

Grilling. Grilling is one of the most popular summer events, but it’s also one of the most toxic. There are many studies citing the dangers of grilling:

  • When meat is charred on the grill, it creates heterocyclic amines, (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). A report from the National Cancer Institute claims that rodents fed a diet of HCAs and PAHs developed tumors of the breast, colon, liver, skin, lung and prostate.4
  • The smoke from barbeques contains PAHs as well. The toxin can get inside the lungs when inhaled.

Conventional meat. Cows are meant to eat grass, but the majority of them are fed GMO and hybridized grain, which is not healthy for them. In addition to the cows being malnourished, the grains are laden with pesticides, which in turn affect humans when they are eaten. Remember, you are what you eat eats! Consumption of grain fed cows has been linked to the following diseases:

Cancer. Countless studies indicate that eating grain fed red meat has significant health risks.

  • A study published in the British Medical Journal showed that women who ate red meat had a slightly increased risk of breast cancer:5
  • Analysts at the World Cancer Research Fund analyzed over 800 studies on processed meat and conclude that bowel cancer is more common among people who ate processed meat. The researchers also believe there is a possible link between processed meat and cancer of the stomach, colon and pancreas.6

Increased risk of atherosclerosis. When eating grain fed meat, the gut can react in negative ways that may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease:

  • A study in the journal Nature Medicine claims that ingesting high levels carnitine, which is found in red meat, increases a person’s risk for cardiovascular disease.7
  • According to Victoria Taylor, a senior dietician at the British heart Foundation, “diets that are linked to good heart health are lower in foods like red meat, and include more pulses, nuts, seeds and fish as protein sources.”8

Diabetes. There is growing evidence that consumption of grain fed beef can increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes.

  • A study of 149,000 American men and women found that the probability of developing Type 2 diabetes increased as the consumption of red meat increased.9

Humans have been eating red meat for thousands of years, but it was not until the cows were fed grains that these health problems started to occur. The grains are the root cause of the problem, and eating grass fed cows is the first step in eliminating these health issues.

Dairy. Due to its extreme toxicity, eating conventional dairy that is served in most restaurants and supermarkets may cause unwanted weight gain. Dairy products can be the root cause of other health problems as well:

  • A Swedish study claims that women who consume more than 3 glasses of milk per day had twice the mortality rate of women who drank less than one glass per day over a 20 year span.10
  • Many studies indicate dairy protein raises Insulin Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1), which has been linked to various types of cancer, including prostate and ovarian cancer.10
  • Bloating, stomach pain, gas and diarrhea are common and all symptoms of lactose intolerance.

Many people are allergic to conventional dairy products, but like beef, the root cause is not the dairy but the grains that cows are fed. In addition to improved overall health, weight loss can occur when raw, organic, grass-fed dairy and grass-fed meat are consumed.

Healthy Summer Alternatives

The list of foods a person should avoid may be intimidating but there are countless delicious and viable options available.

Many people avoid fried foods because of the oil, but not all oils are bad. The following oils are healthy and are suitable for preparing dishes in a variety of ways:

Coconut oil is great for medium heat sautéing. It can help with weight loss, is good for the heart, boosts the metabolism and is great for the skin.

Olive oil. Olive oil has many antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Best to use raw or for low-medium heat cooking.

Ghee. Grass-fed ghee is rich in vitamin A, D, K2 and conjugated linoleic acid. Best for medium heat cooking.

Butter. Like ghee, grass-fed butter provides the body with a variety of healthy nutrients, including conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and is best for medium heat cooking.

Grilling. When it comes to grilling, the best advice is to cook the food inside and take it outside to enjoy. Grilling is discouraged, but the following tips may be helpful for those who insist on grilling outside:

  1. Marinate. Researchers at Kansas State University marinated steaks in different mixtures of vinegar, herbs and spices. After grilling, the carcinogens were decreased ranging from 57 to 88 percent. Use grass fed meats only.11
  2. Avoid flame flare ups. When the fat drips onto the flame, it causes flare ups. Lean meats have less fat, which helps minimize flare ups.
  3. Remove charred pieces. The charred pieces of meat are extremely carcinogenic. Dispose of those pieces immediately, and do not eat them.
  4. Cook quickly. The longer food is on the grill, the greater the probability of Heterocyclic amines, (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) forming. Remove food from the grill immediately after cooking.

  Indoor grilling tips. Grilling indoors is the preferred method of cooking because it avoids the dangerous carcinogens that are created when grilling outdoors. Here are a few tips on grilling indoors:

  1. Use your broiler. The fire on an outdoor grill is below food, while fire on the broiler is above it. This helps eliminate the threat of carcinogens forming while still providing flavor similar to the outdoor grill.
  2. Smoked spices. Using smoked spices will give food prepared indoors an outdoor flavor. Try adding smoked paprika, smoked olive or chipotle chilies or smoked sea salt to impart an extra punch.

Practice Diet Variation. Diet variation is the practice of changing the diet periodically and eating different foods for an extended period of time. It can also mean not eating for a predetermined amount of time (incorporating a technique called intermittent fasting).

Diet variation has been around for thousands of years, albeit involuntarily. In previous generations, as the seasons changed, certain foods came into season, while others went out of season. The weather affected the production of certain foods as well. As a result, people ate what was available at the time, or not at all. For example, during the winter season, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds were not available, so meat and fat were the primary foods eaten, which in essence was a low carb diet. In the summer, fruits and other high carb foods were available, so those were eaten primarily. This type of diet variation eating caused the hormones in the body to shift and go through ketosis.

Ketosis is defined as a metabolic state where most of the body’s energy supply comes from ketone bodies in the blood and can be an effective way to lose weight.

For more on ketosis, read Part One and Part Two.
And watch CHTV with keto expert Dr. Dominic D’Agostino, HERE.

While our ancestors dealt with real life feast or famine scenarios in their diet variation, incorporating intermittent fasting is an easy way to imitate this safe (and natural) type of eating into modern life.

Diet variation has two important benefits:

Eliminate allergies. By not eating certain foods for an extended period of time, a person can determine what foods they may be allergic to and allow time for the gut to heal as well.

The body burns fat. The body switches its energy source from glucose to fat, causing the body to work more efficiently and shed unwanted pounds.

Diet variation can be compared to exercise and working out: exercise routines must be changed periodically to stimulate muscle growth and increase performance. If the routine is not changed, the body will adjust accordingly and become stagnant.

When it comes to losing weight, the body will adapt if you’re eating the same foods day after day, week after week, month after month. When diet variation is incorporated, the body is force to change and adjust, which will stimulate weight loss and other positive changes.

There are several ways to partake in diet variation:

Vary the diet. Try eating high (healthy) carbs one day a week and/or a whole day of fasting once a week.

Try intermittent fasting. Skip breakfast and eat within a 4-8 hour time window daily, or a few days per week.

The body has been able to adapt to cycles of feast and famine since the beginning of time. Diet variation is an excellent way to lose weight and get fit for the summer.

Burst Training

Burst training and fasting go hand in hand and are powerful when done together, i.e. working out on a fasted stomach. Burst training is an exercise program where a person performs at 90-100 percent of their maximum for 30-60 seconds, followed immediately by 30-60 seconds of rest or exercise at lower intensity.

When a person exercises on an empty stomach, the body eventually runs out of glucose in the liver, which is its primary energy source. Once this happens, the body starts to burn fat not only during exercise, but up to thirty six hours after exercise.

Also known as high-intensity interval training or HIIT, burst training burns sugar, not fat. As a matter of survival, our bodies must replace that stored sugar. The body will increase its growth and anabolic hormones so it can become an efficient fat burner to replace it. As a result, it then burns the fat. It does not want to burn the muscle to replace the stored sugar that it needs to survive.

Endurance sports are extremely popular, but studies indicate that burst training may be healthier and more beneficial than endurance training:

  • Endurance exercise elevates the stress hormone cortisol, which stores fat and breaks down muscle. On the other hand, burst training also raises growth hormone to balance out the cortisol levels.
  • Reports in the journal Clinical Science found that 93% of long term endurance athletes had gut problems.12

In addition to weight loss and fat burning, other benefits of burst training include:

Decreased risk of diabetes. Burst training can improve glucose control and metabolic function in those with Type 2 diabetes.

Heart disease. Much research has been performed on the benefits of burst training with promising results:

  • A study in the American Journal of Human Biology claims that burst training is a time efficient way to boost cardiovascular health in adolescents.12
  • Burst training “significantly enhanced VO2 max and O2 pulse and power output in active men and women” according to the Journal of Strength Conditioning and Research.12

  Burst Training Exercises.

The following exercises are great for burst workouts:

  • Jumping jacks
  • Running on treadmill
  • Riding a bike
  • Jumping rope

Watch my bursting workout video, HERE.

Burst workouts can be done for 10-20 minutes, 2-3 days per week. Less time, more results!

Diet: The Secret to a Lean Body

Public perception is when it comes to losing weight and having a lean body, exercise is key. A lack of exercise is the primary reason why they are overweight or obese. Exercise is an important component of good health, but diet is more important than exercise when it comes to how your body looks. It is estimated that 70-80% of the human body composition is really determined by what we eat. Exercise is an added bonus.

Most fitness professionals tell a person to exercise a minimum of 60 minutes daily and eat every 2-3 hours. In actuality, the opposite is true: eat 1-2 times per day and exercise less than half the time for best results.

Travel Tips

Many people have a difficult time staying on their diets while on vacation. Here are some great tips to stay on track:

Keep healthy snacks handy. Coconut butter, grass fed cheese and jerky, avocados, canned wild sardines, and mixed nuts are easy to carry and high in fat. They are energizing and keep blood sugars level.

Restaurants. More and more menus have healthy choices to choose from, including grass fed beef. Other options are chicken salad, lamb, omelets and veggies. Avoid bread and sauces that are high in bad fats and vegetable oil.

Airplane flights. When traveling on planes, take the glutathione supplement GCEL to keep your glutathione (GSH) levels high. Gcell raises intracellular GSH which is key to removing toxins from the body. GSH is in every cell in the body, and if levels get too low, the cell can die from toxic overload and inflammation. GSH is the strongest antioxidant in the world, and is has many healing properties. GSH is important for airplane flights because of the low levels of radiation that are on planes.

Following these tips will ensure good health for this summer and years to come.

  1. The Telegraph – Cooking with vegetable oils releases toxic cancer-causing chemicals, say experts
  2. Vegetable Oil
  3. Be Brain Fit – 7 Reasons Canola Oil Is Bad for Brain Health
  4. National Cancer Institute – Chemicals in Meat Cooked at High Temperatures and Cancer Risk
  5. Dr. David Perlmutter – Grass-Fed Matters: Red Meat Causes Cancer?
  6. Cancer Research UK – Processed meat and cancer – what you need to know
  7. Prevention – 10 Reasons To Stop Eating Red Meat
  8. Express UK – Red meat is direct cause heart disease, experts warn
  9. WebMD – Red Meat Linked to Increased Diabetes Risk
  10. T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies – 12 Frightening Facts About Milk
  11. Cooking Light – Nutrition Made Easy
  12. Livestrong – The Facts on Why Burst Training Beats Steady State Cardio
  • Skinny and Co. Coconut Oil
  • GCEL

The Truth About Cholesterol And Statins

High cholesterol: these are two words that many dread seeing on medical test results. Modern medicine contends that high cholesterol is linked to an increased risk of developing heart disease, which in turn increases risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Currently the most common treatment for high cholesterol is for your doctor to prescribe a medication from the class of drugs known as statins. There’s no doubt that statins measurably reduce cholesterol for some people. For the vast majority of doctors, even naturopathic ones, this is as far as they go. The risk of fatal heart attack or stroke is lessened, and that’s all that matters to them. But is this really a good approach to health? Patients given statin drugs to control cholesterol face taking them lifelong. and never get to the root of what’s going on inside their bodies. In Cellular Healing TV podcast episode 114, Meredith and I interview Dr. Jack Wolfson, author of “The Paleo Cardiologist: The Natural Way to Heart Health.” We discuss some of the myths still being spread about heart health. The notion that cholesterol is bad and that statins are necessary to control cholesterol levels are two big ones.

What is Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is simply a fatty substance found in every single cell in your body, both in the cell membranes and within organelles inside the cell. Cholesterol is a vital substance, necessary for numerous functions, including:

  • Maintaining cell membrane integrity and fluidity within the cell
  • Assisting with cell signaling
  • Integral for hormone production, especially reproductive hormones
  • Vitamin D production
  • Used in bile acids production, necessary for digestion
  • Brain and neurological function (the brain generally holds about 25% of the body’s cholesterol)

Cholesterol is so vital to the body’s functions that your liver can make all that it needs to survive. It’s not reliant upon you to eat cholesterol to provide the necessary amount, though some of the cholesterol that you eat may make its way into the bloodstream. Looking at the importance of cholesterol, it’s difficult to imagine how modern medicine has come to vilify it. The answer to that involves a look at the plaque inside of hardened arteries (atherosclerosis).

We know that heart disease arises from hardened arteries, called atherosclerosis. In those with atherosclerosis, plaque builds up along arterial walls, diminishing both the elasticity of the artery and the space available for blood to flow through it. When doctors analyzed the plaque itself, they found that it was made up of several components, including calcium and, you guessed it, cholesterol. This led to cholesterol eventually being declared dangerous at high levels in the blood, and the development of drugs to lower cholesterol, like statins.

When looking at cholesterol levels, doctors further subdivide it into LDL (low density lipoproteins), HDL (high density lipoproteins), and triglycerides (not actually a cholesterol, but another kind of blood fat, involved in energy storage). A lipid panel is the usual test for establishing blood cholesterol levels, and measures total cholesterol in the blood. The results are compared against a range of norms for each type. Depending on where you fall compared to these “normal” ranges, your doctor could advise the use of statins and/or a “heart healthy” low fat diet.

Learn more about cholesterol sulfate and the dangers of glyphosate here.

Cholesterol can’t travel alone through the blood, because it’s water insoluble. Once it’s manufactured in the liver, cholesterol is combined with other compounds like sulfur or protein to transit through the bloodstream. The protein in a lipoprotein surrounds the cholesterol kind of like passengers in a car, hence the word lipoprotein. LDL (low density lipoprotein) is considered the bad cholesterol, the most involved in damage to the inner walls of blood vessels. In actuality, LDL isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s sent out from the liver to perform the many functions that cholesterol performs, as noted. HDL (high density lipoprotein) is in many ways LDL’s balance. HDL’s are on their way back to the liver, and are involved in healing damage to vessel walls (plaque removal) and latching on to spent or oxidized LDL particles in order to return them to the liver for reprocessing. This is why HDL is considered the good cholesterol. HDL levels are what doctors are looking for when they test total cholesterol. Statins come in when doctors want to lower LDL levels in the blood.

How Do Statins Work?

Statins are basically enzyme blockers. They target a reductase enzyme, specifically HMG-CoA reductase (abbreviated to HMGCR), which sends the trigger to the liver to produce cholesterol. Normally this process happens naturally in the body, and is balanced by other triggers, which induce the liver to break down LDL particles. Statins inhibit HMGCR production, which reduces the amount of cholesterol that the liver can produce, often resulting in lowered total blood cholesterol. Sounds good, right? Here’s the catch…

Mainstream doctors will tell you that high cholesterol will increase your risk of heart attack or stroke, and so, therefore, taking a lipid lowering drug like a statin will reduce that risk. Then they use the standard lipid panel to determine cholesterol levels, and a whole lot of people end up on statin drugs. But did you know that many people who have heart attacks don’t have high cholesterol levels? A very large study using data from the WHO established that only about half of the people who suffered from a heart attack had elevated LDL levels at the time. About 20% of those in the study were taking lipid lowering meds and still had a heart attack. This calls the effectiveness of statin drugs into question.

Now let’s look at the side effects of statins. We learned earlier that cholesterol is vital to the proper functioning of our cells and numerous systems of the body. Inhibiting the production of cholesterol can have some very negative effects, and we see this borne out in the listed side effects of statin drugs which include:

  • Myalgia (muscle pain or weakness) and muscle damage, potentially severe
  • Insomnia
  • Headaches
  • Rashes
  • Digestion problems
  • High blood pressure
  • Type 2 diabetes (increased risk)
  • Neurological problems, including memory loss, brain fog, mental confusion, cognition problems

Now, scroll back to the top of the article where I listed a few of cholesterol’s vital functions in the body. Can you see the connection? A lot of these side effects are exactly what could happen in a body with a reduced ability to produce cholesterol. That’s what statins do.

A Better Solution to High Cholesterol

The problem with modern medicine’s approach to balancing cholesterol levels is really the same problem that we see time and again in mainstream medical practice: it doesn’t get to the underlying cause (R1). Be sure to listen to our podcast with Dr. Wolfson where we go into detail on what we believe to be the true cause behind LDL build-up in the blood. If inflammation and toxicity came to mind, then you’re on the right track.

I’ve spoken and written about inflammation countless times because it’s vital to understand the relationship between cellular inflammation and malfunction in the body. There certainly is a connection between LDL levels in the blood and arterial damage, but doctors aren’t testing properly or offering treatments that can help you get well.

To illustrate the importance of the right tests for cholesterol, and the right way to be thinking of LDL/HDL levels, review this short, classic video.

I described the lipoprotein as a car with the cholesterol as the passengers inside the car. The number of passengers determines the density of the lipoprotein (the car). Imagine that your blood is a highway, and that there’s a traffic jam. What matters more in clearing the traffic jam, the number of cars on the highway, or the number of passengers in each car? It’s the number of cars on the highway, and their size, that matters more in establishing cholesterol levels and inflammatory damage to the blood vessel walls. That’s the number you need, and what must be evaluated to determine what steps to take to decrease that inflammation.

Once you know those numbers you can begin to use natural methods and a Multi-Therapeutic Approach to bring your cells back to health, and reduce the factors that led to the inflammation in the first place. Remember, just because you have high cholesterol doesn’t mean you are at risk for a heart attack, just as having low cholesterol doesn’t mean you aren’t at risk. Fix the cell, get well. I can’t tell you get off statins, only your doctor can do so. I can suggest you educate yourself about statins, cholesterol’s true function, inflammation, and root causes of disease.