This year it seems has been worse than previous years for those trying to avoid getting sick. Everyone is complaining of not feeling well as they try to fight the “bad bugs” (bacteria, fungus, microbes, virus) that are making us sick. Unfortunately antibiotic use is so rampant, bugs are becoming resistant to this treatment, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3426322/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3426322/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3426322/.=

One way to avoid falling into this antibiotic resistant “trap” and to prevent getting sick is by electron transfer with silver, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4955599/.

Silver Sol is particularly effective because of its Ag₄0₄ molecule, a thin multivalent (having several sites at which the molecule can attach and attack bugs) silver oxide coating that surrounds the metallic silver core. Silver sol works like a superhero’s arsenal of weaponry with its magnetic “force” via positively charged electrons. There are a few different potential mechanisms of action, http://www.silversolutionusa.com/nano-silver/.

Silver Sol is a tasteless liquid. It works to:

• blast away the oxygen capability of aerobic bugs
• kill anaerobic germs via oxidation by demolishing enzymes that help maintain its anaerobic state

For these reasons, silver is more versatile than an antibiotic and much more valuable than gold when it comes to staying healthy.

Silver has been around for centuries. The ancient Greeks and Romans used it to preserve food and they used silver utensils to help prevent food borne pathogens from causing disease. Later in the late 1800’s 1% silver nitrate was placed into the eyes of newborns to prevent blindness from gonorrhea. Treatment dressings for burn victims and wounded soldiers contain silver as a healing ingredient. Silver has been used by surgeons and hospitals preventively against infection and even used by the International Space Station to disinfect water.

Silver works as an antiviral (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22024958),  antifungal and antibacterial that destroys parasites, including both anaerobic and aerobic bugs. Silver can even work against the bugs that are antibiotic resistant (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22324439) rendering us helpless victims to the illness du jour.

I use Silver Sol by American Biotech Labs myself for over 10 years and recommend it to clients for its many uses:

• dental hygiene
• building and maintaining a healthy immune system (especially when an illness is coming on or the flu is in the air)
• skin conditions (acne, eczema,) and wounds (diabetic), minor cuts and burns
• travel (pray it on your mouth before, during or after getting on a plane)
• kids germs and cuts (for faster healing), ear infections and skin lesions (molluscum)
• jock itch
• yeast infections (candida)
• herpes
• as a spray-on hand sanitizer or for gym equipment; the daily hand moisturizer will protect you from germs for 5 hours.

Typically I do not recommend brands but sometimes brand distinction is important. Silversol is a new generation product. It seems that its’ patented technology gives it more bioavailability and makes it more stable because it attaches to the water solution it is carried in, a silver solution. Salt is its one kryptonite and can reduce its effectiveness. So do not use Silver Sol with salt or higher sodium foods.

Some silver products may not be for everyone. Silver products can interact with prescription medication: penicillamine (Cuprimine, Depen), quinolone antibiotics, tetracycline and thyroxine (Levothroid, Levoxyl, Synthroid).

I have done some research on popular risks such as ” turning blue”,http://ablsilver.com/benefits.php, killing healthy gut bacteria or concerns with medication interaction. I found a couple of recent studies on silver safety, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23811290 in, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25137296 and went further to learn more about the author, here’s what I found:

“Funding: This study was funded in part by Award Number UL1RR025764 from the National Center for Research Resources. Conflict of Interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interest or financial interests in any product or service mentioned in this article, including grants, employment, gifts, stock holdings, honoraria, consultancies, expert testimony, patents, and royalties.”

So this should be reliable data. However, as I tell all my clients, if you take any product, food, beverage or supplement and think it negatively affects you in any way. Use common sense, stop its use and communicate with your doctor.

There is no such thing as a “magic” bullet.  But there is such a thing as a silver bullet. Save yourself from getting sick and get rid of germs (foreign body invaders) that make you ill. Silver Sol is a superhero when it comes to guarding against a “home invasion” of body bugs including infections, bacteria, viruses and fungi, that can knock you down for the count!

Have you heard of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT)? If not it’s about time you do.

After my blog discussion these last two weeks on FMT (https://valerieberkowitz.wordpress.com/2017/02/05/human-hosts-transplants-promote-health-12/,https://valerieberkowitz.wordpress.com/2017/02/13/human-hosts-transplants-promote-health-22/, I cannot possibly think of another more appropriate topic to talk about this week.

HBOT is a not so new medical therapy.  British physician Nathaniel Henshaw created an oxygen chamber in 1662. Yet clinical use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy did not really start until the mid 1800s. In the early 1930s, the military developed and tested hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) for purposes specifically in the area of deep sea diving and aeronautics. And of course we cannot forget the most famous HBOT user, Michael Jackson. Do you remember the picture above from 1986?

Today HBOT is approved by the FDA for the treatment of 14 medical conditions.

1. Air embolism
2. Gas embolism
3. Acute traumatic ischemia
4. Burns
5. Carbon monoxide poisoning
6. Smoke inhalation
7. Diabetic foot ulcers
8. Exceptional blood loss
9. Decompression sickness
10. Gas gangrene
11. Necrotizing infections
12. Severe anemia
13. Skin grafts and flaps
14. Wound healing

But there are more “off label” uses for HBOT. “Off-label” means the prescription medication or medical treatment is being used in a manner that is not FDA approved. Off-label prescribing by physicians is legal and very common. More than one in five outpatient prescriptions written in the U.S. are for off-label therapies, http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/off-label-drug-use-what-you-need-to-know#1.

HOW HBOT WORKS

A patient breathes in 100% oxygen, normally we breathe in 21% oxygen, while resting in a pressure chamber. The atmospheric pressure is kept up to three times (3 ATA) the norm (1 ATA is normal, ATA is one atmosphere absolute, the average atmospheric pressure exerted at sea level, or 14.7 psi.). This helps to “super saturate” the body’s tissues as the oxygen dissolves in the blood at a 10-15 times a greater rate than normal.

Body tissues that are saturated in oxygen with HBOT help heal damaged external skin conditions and wounds and internal tissues that may have been deprived of oxygen as well. HBOT helps restore blood supply to tissues and aids in developing new networks of capillaries. “Re-oxygenation”, its’ direct influence on genes, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4499900/, and its anti inflammatory actions are reasons HBOT is therapeutically successful and may prove to be safer than many conventional medications that have the potential to pose bodily harm. 

HBOT OFF-LABEL USES

• ADHD
• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Autism
• Cancer
• Cerebral Palsy
• Diabetes
• Fibromyalgia
• Lyme Disease
• Macular Degeneration
• Migraines
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Sports injuries
• Strokes

Internationally HBOT is used to treat even more conditions.

My particular interest in HBOT is in its ability to act as an anti-aging tool. Personally, I get an oxygen facial once a month. If I could bathe my whole body in an oxygen chamber instead of just my face, I would do it.

We typically think of food supplying energy from fats, protein and carbohydrates. Vitamins and minerals are catalysts to the process. Oxygen is also converted to energy via cellular metabolism, so to reemphasize it works on the cellular level.

Like water, oxygen is necessary for life. As you breathe, the lungs filter the air and blood carries oxygen to every tissue, every organ and every cell in your body for life.

However oxygen also has the potential to negatively affect health when free radicals are produced and are out of control (ionized oxygen). HBOT can aid in neutralizing ionized oxygen bringing back balance to unstable elemental oxygen.

Based on the role oxygen plays on cellular life, body tissues, hormones, the brain, DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA is a molecule that contains the genetic instructions an organism needs to develop, live and reproduce.) and, like protein, its involvement in growth and repair are important anti-aging processes), HBOT would seem to be an optimal anti-aging tool that works on both the inside (preventing mental decline and promoting cellular re-oxygenation) and protecting the body’s largest organ on the outside (your skin).

Now you know a little more about a very big player, HBOT, in health and wellness. Explore the benefits of oxygen therapy. It is likely a much safer option than the conventional alternative.

Last week in “Human Hosts” part 1, https://valerieberkowitz.wordpress.com/2017/02/05/human-hosts-transplants-promote-health-12/, I described the safety and efficacy of fecal microbiota transplantation.  But poop is not the only place healthy microbiota bacteria live. Microbiota transplants (MT) from different body regions have  proven equally helpful.

Scientists are studying the relationship between diseases and balancing “good” and “bad” bacteria from different body regions based on 2 simple theories.

1. “bad” bugs cause inflammation
2. “good” bugs support the immune system

Consider the emerging evidence:

• “Patrice Cani at the Université Catholique de Louvain in Brussels fed a high-fat, “junk food” diet to mice, the community of microbes in their guts changed much as it does in humans on a fast-food diet. But Cani also found the junk-food diet made the animals’ gut barriers notably more permeable, allowing endotoxins to leak into the bloodstream. This produced a low-grade inflammation that eventually led to metabolic syndrome. Cani concludes that, at least in mice, “gut bacteria can initiate the inflammatory processes associated with obesity and insulin resistance” by increasing gut permeability,” http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/19/magazine/say-hello-to-the-100-trillion-bacteria-that-make-up-your-microbiome.html.

In other words, no matter what your weight is, even for those who are thin, no matter what your age, even a child, male or female,  American or not, no matter who you are and where you are from,  junk food can actually cause inflammation that makes unhealthy changes to your gut.  And in turn, you become ill…heart disease, diabetes, obese…

• “Human investigations seem to prove that fecal transplant from lean healthy individuals into obese diabetic patients improved all the pathological parameters,” http://www.akademiai.com/doi/abs/10.1556/650.2015.30296?url_ver=Z39.882003&rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%3Dpubmed&

• ” When gut microbes from easygoing, adventurous mice are transplanted into the guts of anxious and timid mice, they become more adventurous. The expression “thinking with your gut” may contain a larger kernel of truth than we thought. Our gut bacteria also play a role in the manufacture of substances like neurotransmitters (including serotonin); enzymes and vitamins (notably B vitamins and vitamin K) and other essential nutrients (including important amino acid and short-chain fatty acids); and a suite of other signaling molecules that talk to, and influence, the immune and the metabolic systems. Some of these compounds may play a role in regulating our stress levels and even temperament.”

There is also emerging evidence linking colic, allergies/asthma, eczema, type 1 diabetes, obesity and celiac disease with differences between the microbiota of infants delivered vaginally and those that come into this world through C-section. It seems that Lactobacillius (“good” bugs that help digest milk) in the vagina increases prior to birth. Newborns pass through the vagina and absorb the bacteria. C-section babies are lacking the gut flora and are more prone to colic. So it should not be surprising that in the United States with a 32.7 percent c-section rate in 2013 (well above the “medically necessary” target of 10 percent to 15 percent that WHO says is ideal), that the medical conditions mentioned above are on the rise. 

• “Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello, Ph.D., an assistant professor and microbiome researcher at New York University’s (NYU) Langone Medical Center has developed a technique called “gauze-in-the-vagina technique“, doctors soak a gauze pad in the mother’s vagina for one hour and remove it just before her C-section. When doctors remove the baby from the womb, they quickly swab it from head to toe with the gauze, ” http://www.thedailybeast.com/witw/articles/2013/06/02/babies-born-by-cesarean-section-may-not-gain-benefits-of-vaginal-microbiome.html.

From birth to near death,  all over the body microbiota transplants that live in healthy humans can help unhealthy humans live healthy lives!

Who would have thought that medical strides would include using human hosts as a treatment options for undesirable temperment and stress, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, allergies/asthma, eczema, celiac disease,  obesity and probably much much more.

 As hosts to trillions of microbes, both good and bad, we may find that the answer to good health and longevity truly rests within ourselves.

Photo credit: Cleveland.com

Heart, kidney and liver transplants can save lives. But…transplanting beneficial bacterial cells from one healthy human to another unhealthy human sounds preposterous; doesn’t it? Yet, so far bacterial transplants seem to produce favorable health outcomes without the adverse effects of many common conventional medical treatments.

You may just be the perfect solution to your family, friends or neighbors medical ills.

Considering  bacterial cells outnumber human cells 10 to 1 and we are hosts to an estimated 8 million non-human genes from bacteria, viruses and other pathogens that are dwelling inside us. This should come as no surprise; but I must admit, I’m surprised.

As we start to understand more about bacteria or “bugs” (otherwise known as our microbiome or microbiota that are living inside us), that inhabit our bodies and their tie in with the immune system, the brain, the gut, unexplained fevers in children, acne etc…medical science is making huge strides in utilizing these bacteria for medical treatments from human hosts.

For example, fecal transplant or fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), http://thefecaltransplantfoundation.org/what-is-fecal-transplant/, also known as “yellow soup” in traditional Chinese medicine is a procedure that has been in practice since the 4th century in China; and for the last few hundred years this same technique has been used in veterinary medicine. During this FMT process, stool is collected from a healthy host “donor” and transferred inside the colon of an unhealthy patient via a colonoscopy.

One purpose of transferring poop from a healthy person into a person who suffers from intestinal issues is to replace healthy bacteria that has been suppressed (typically due to overuse of antibiotics) causing colonization and overgrowth of “bad” bacteria.

Successful transplants have been experienced with those diagnosed with Clostridium difficile (otherwise known as C. diff. an intestinal pathogen normally found in the gut that causes diarrhea and life-threatening inflammation of the colon). “The annual burden of Clostridium difficile infections in the United States is 453,000 cases per year, with 29,300 associated deaths,” http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2015/02/cdc-puts-c-difficile-burden-453000-cases-29000-deaths.”

But because of its winning track record, uses for FMT has expanded and now used for those suffering from digestive or auto-immune diseases (Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Crohn’s Disease, and Ulcerative Colitis) and more findings suggest links between other physical and mental disorders,  like metabolic diseases, neuropsychiatric disorders and autism via the gut brain axis, allergic disorders, and tumors, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4284325/.

Have not heard of  FMT? Let’s be honest not exactly a topic you might want to discuss at the dinner table. But, as disgusting as it sounds and despite the repulsive thoughts, IT WORKS!

Fecal transplants are safe. Since the 4th century, there have been no reports of any serious side effects and it has a 90% success rate, http://www.mayoclinic.org/medical-professionals/clinical-updates/digestive-diseases/fmt-demonstrates-consistently-high-success-rates-for-recurrent-cdi.

I’m not just talking sh*t, microbial transplants (MT) from various body regions, and not just the colon, are gaining in popularity. This discovery has expanded the breadth of people bacterial bug transplants are helping.

Next week you can read more about which specific body parts have been studied and learn how body bugs can influence health far beyond conditions related to the gut. In the meantime you may want to meander into some of these links:

• http://www.ageofautism.com/2015/03/autism-and-the-microbiome-will-fecal-transplants-be-the-next-awakenings.html
• http://www.ageofautism.com/2016/07/autism-and-the-microbiome-will-fecal-transplants-be-the-next-awakenings-part-2.html
• http://thepowerofpoop.com/dannys-story/
• https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20927962-600-faecal-transplant-eases-symptoms-of-parkinsons/
• http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/lifestyle/health/body-soul-daily/faecal-transplants-can-restore-health–soon-we-might-be-popping-crapsules/news-story/7c91f280dcd8954d06d720acfbef8721

]]> https://valerieberkowitz.wordpress.com/2017/02/05/human-hosts-transplants-promote-health-12/feed/ 1 valerieberkowitz Image result for image fecal transplant https://valerieberkowitz.wordpress.com/2017/01/30/whey-protein-is-not-just-for-athletes-read-about-all-the-wheys-it-can-help-you/ https://valerieberkowitz.wordpress.com/2017/01/30/whey-protein-is-not-just-for-athletes-read-about-all-the-wheys-it-can-help-you/#respond Mon, 30 Jan 2017 11:05:02 +0000 http://valerieberkowitz.wordpress.com/?p=4896 ]]>

On the heels of my last two blogs on supplements  https://valerieberkowitz.wordpress.com/2017/01/09/supplement-safety-part-1-of-2/ and https://valerieberkowitz.wordpress.com/2017/01/23/supplement-safety-part-2-of-2/, I thought it might be appropriate for this week’s banter to include a dose of whey.

The “whey-in”on whey as a protein supplement is that has proved itself to be safe and effective for enhancing muscle mass and strength. Whey has also been shown to  help slow gastric emptying, positively effect the hypothalmus via the gut-brain axis, reduce inflammation, lower LDL cholesterol and blood pressure, promote fat burning and weight loss, http://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2006/3/report_whey/page-01.

Whey contains two amino acids that likely contribute to its well rounded health and weight loss portfolio: leucine, a growth promoting amino acid, and cysteine which helps boost the cellular antioxidant, glutathione.

Just think, whey as a dietary supplement may have benefits for all of us. It is important for athletes and those who are interested in fitness, the elderly and an aging population (we are all aging daily), those with gut issues (as it is easy to digest), heart disease, type 2 diabetes, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4620107/, and blood sugar control. There is also reason to believe that dieters can benefit too.

In a recently published study, “Whey protein consumption after resistance exercise reduces energy intake at a post-exercise meal” published in the European Journal of Nutrition (2016), pages 1-8, authored by Monteyne, A. et al., 15 volunteers participated  in resistance exercise and then drank either 25 g of whey protein or 25 g of dextrose/carbohydrate. They were then allowed to consume an ad libitum (eating without restriction) meal. Volunteers drinking the protein drink consumed an average
of 430 calories less on an diet.

This is a small study, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24724774, but a meta analysis was done comparing similar variables (protein, carbs and resistance training) in over 600 individuals and the results support the study results from Monteyne, A. et al. There were significant improvements in body composition when whey protein and resistance exercise were used together.

It may be worth a try, try resistance exercise and a post workout whey protein isolate drink and you might just eat less and cut calories without feeling deprived.

• Whey protein isolate (>90% protein has less than 0.1 gram of lactose per tablespoon) is the best option over concentrate (70-80% protein and lactose) or hydrolysate, which can cause 30-40% greater insulin spikes for those who have concerns with insulin resistance.

How much whey should you take? Generally consuming between 25-50 grams. You can
use the information below to calculate a more accurate dose/bodyweight.

• .68-1g/lb for athletes or highly active person attempting to lose body fat while preserving lean muscle mass.
• .45-.68g/lb for athletes or highly active person who is not attempting to lose body fat or for anyone trying to lose body fat but wants to preserve lean muscle mass.
• .4g/lb for those who are inactive.

Higher doses of whey can cause some side effects such as increased bowel movements, nausea, thirst, bloating, cramps, reduced appetite and tiredness. And if there are unlisted allergens like MSG there may be additional types of side effects like migraines or headaches.

Try this E-Z whey protein recipe:

1 cup unsweetened coconut or almond milk

1/2 avocado

1 scoop whey powder

* you can also add a scoop of high antioxidant greens, http://www.greensplus.com/advanced-multi-vanilla-chai/.

Whey is in! It is a healthy nutrition supplement that has many health applications and just as importantly helps promote weight loss and preserve muscle.