Probiotics for the Nervous System

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The nervous system and digestive system are intricately interwoven.  With so much talk about the vagus nerve online and in summits it is really important to explore all of the ways the digestive and nervous systems are connected to avoid the one-problem one-solution idea.  You know when you think there is only one problem and one solution then you miss stuff.  When every problem looks like a nail, you’ll only bring a hammer and may end up disheartened.  And with indigestion.

As an example the nervous system is an important part of letting the stomach know what kind of food we are eating so that it can then begin the digestive process and produce enough stomach acid to digest mineral rich, bitter or protein rich foods.
As another example of our connectedness is the nerves that are connected to the lumbar and sacral spine are very important for large and small intestinal motility and injuries to these areas, while they may have nothing at all to do with the vagus nerve, can have everything to do with digestive health.

While there is much to discuss here I love bringing it down to things that you or your clients or family can do right away.  Here are five species of probiotics that you can find in most health stores and that can help support the nervous system:

Lactobacillus Plantarum
-Has been shown to improve constipation.  Why do we care about constipation?  Our digestive systems are the way out for toxins, both produced in our bodies and taken in from the environment.  The longer those sit in our digestive systems (after the nutrients have been extracted) the more times our liver has to detoxify them.  They go around in a process called autointoxication.  Bleh!  But anyway if our livers are busy on the roundabout of auto-tox-re-tox they can only do less of what they need to do for our hormone health, nutrient absorption, glucose regulation and more!
-I’m loving the cultured vegetable starter from Cutting Edge Cultures for getting more plantarum into my daily life.  You can get vegetable specific starters at your local health store, online, even at amazon.  Fresh cabbages almost always have some form of L. plantarum growing on them so if you’re making your Kraut without a starter you are likely to be culturing some.  We know that these benefits of L. plantarum are stable even if the food is cooked, as in even if the bacteria themselves are no longer viable some of their benefits to the liver still exist.

Bifidobacterium Longum, Animalis ssp Lactis and Infantis
-All shown to improve constipation
-A good colony of bifidobacterium in the large intestine can support the beneficial colonies that create Butyrate and other short chain fatty acids.  Short chain fatty acids protect and support the enteric neurons (digestive nervous system)
-This one looks pretty awesome http://www.seroyal.ca/hmf-immunity-pro.html keeping in mind that the first ingredients are the ones that are in the highest amounts in products including probiotics AND the Animalis are first.  Many companies list the bifidum last because they are the most expensive to reproduce and are therefore under-represented in the supplement/probiotic industry.

Lactobacillus Fermentum ME-3
-Dopamine produced by Clostridium species can slow motility when it is in excess.  Lactobacillus Fermentium ME-3 and many other bacteria such as E Coli produce Glutathione which can degrade dopamine.
-Too much dopamine can have some pretty yucky consequences system-wide including difficulty concentrating, depression, anxiety and much more so this goes beyond the gut into how we feel.  Really shows the connections between our gut and brain.

Lactobacillus Casei
-Dramatically reduced constipation in study participants (I don’t know where to get this strain from the study as a probiotic other than Yakult beverages which I don’t consume but you CAN get L. Casei.  Most of the bacteria featured in these studies become available for purchase shortly afterward so let’s stay tuned on this.)
-Here is a link to the Custom Probiotics Casei http://www.customprobiotics.com/custom-probiotics-l-casei.htm

Lactobacillus Casei Rhamnosus (AKA LGG)
-Has been shown to improve constipation
-Also called Lactobacillus Rhamnosus which you can find in many probiotics
–Here is a link to Culturelle, which contains this bacteria
–Here is a link to the Custom Probiotics Rhamnosus which has no gelatin capsule and no magnesium stearate!
Let me know how you feel about this and what you are going to make with these bacteria.  What?  Make stuff?  Check out this weeks’ recipe for a probiotic popsicle HERE.
Here are some helpful links:

K.H. Wong, et al, “Neuroregenerative potential of lion’s mane mushroom” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23510212

Herbal remedies and nervous system disorders http:// www.healthy.net/Health/Article/ Herbal_Therapy_for_Nervous_System_Disorders/1357/1

On the importance of water, a must-watch although the beginning is a little slow https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=8xweziIaUMo&ebc=ANyPxKpz6tDo1gXMMOT7PKE2WlxhEctzgV FGzLDAfld2ZO1Y19qWw99coTsw9JitX1MPjZU8RG-0NgZPePxxHlQ 05AQAOE5Gww

The “Home Schooling Doctor” on Butyrate https:// thehomeschoolingdoctor.com/2013/10/24/butyrate-and- constipation/

http://drohhiraprobiotics.com/regactiv-probiotic-antioxidant- glutathione-by-essential-formulas/ the probiotic that produces Glutathione

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Blackberry Lemon Balm Probiotic Popsicles

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Easy peasy and so good!  Probiotic Blackberry lemon balm popsicles!!  Smooth, cool and delicious.  You don’t need a popsicle mould if you have containers or cups.  Don’t let anything stop you from fermenting foods and enjoying them in creative ways.

 

Ingredients:
2 C your home made yogurt (link to recipe)
1 C fresh blackberries or raspberries
1/4 C lemon balm
Scant pinch of sea salt
Optional:  4 drops GOOD quality orange essential oil or Medicine Flower orange extract
Optional:  2 Tbsp fresh ginger juice, my personal favourite
Optional:  Stevia or your choice of sweetener
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth
Taste for sweetness and adjust with your choice of sweetener
Pour into popsicle moulds and freeze
When you pull them out of the freezer wait a couple of minutes to de-mould them and if they are round give them a twist to pull them out so the stick comes out with the popsicle.  You can also use little dixie cups and wooden sticks if you have those.  Any container, any strong little stick.

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Strawberries with Rose Hibiscus Cream

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Enjoy sitting out on the patio sipping your water with fancy ice cubes and sharing this fresh and flavourful dessert with your closest friend. I’m doing it right now! Join me.

Rose Hibiscus Cream

Ingredients
1 C cashews (soak ‘em if you have time)
2 T coconut butter (optional but you won’t regret it!)
1 1/4 C hibiscus tea
2 T rose water OR 7 drops of Medicine Flower extract
(alternately you can mix rose petals with your hibiscus when making your tea)
2-5 drops stevia
Pinch of Himalayan salt (totally optional)
Splash of lemon

Instructions
Brew your hibiscus tea and let it cool
Blend all the Cream ingredients
Add liquid as needed for blending so that you end up with just the right texture for you, taste for sweetness and adjust
Cool your finished cream in the fridge
Use the freshest, ripest berries you can find and top them with your cream
Garnish with a sprig of mint or lemon balm

Don’t have rosewater? Use roses. Don’t have roses? Add a pinch of cinnamon.
Don’t have Hibiscus? Use rooibos or honey bush tea.

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3 Ways Processed Foods Keep Us Up At Night

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exauted
I know.  You already avoid packaged foods as much as possible.  You already know that sleep is essential for health.  Sometimes it is just really good to reinforce what we already know but from a different perspective.  Processed or non-foods impact digestive flora which can offset the melatonin signalling as well as glucose regulation.  This is especially true if those foods are high in processed fats.  This can disrupt or prevent our sleep and make it less restorative when it does happen.
Why sleep?
I used to say “sleep is for the weak”.  Until I got sick.  In my former life as a musician the middle of the night was my best and most productive creative time when I could really connect to the muse, practice hardest and do my best work.  Now if I’m awake in the middle of the night I know my body is designed to be sleeping at that time but it is not always easy to follow the “should be sleeping” advice.
There are important metabolic processes that happen during sleep:
-The brain cleanses itself and refreshes its fluids, releasing toxic byproducts that have built up over the day
-Growth hormone peaks, allowing the body to repair and rebuild muscles
-Fat burns
-The digestive tract heals
Here are some of the things that happen when we don’t sleep:
-Temporarily reduced insulin sensitivity for 24-72 hours following (induced insulin resistance)
-Feeling brain dead
-More fat less muscle
-Increased cortisol
-Increased inflammation
The 1st way processed foods interfere with our sleep:
Hidden or delayed allergens.  I mention it first because, well, it’s not that exciting and gets glossed over and overlooked but we have to make sure that we’re on the same page here.  Don’t ignore the mundane or obvious, that is usually where the most valuable information is.  If a person reacts to lectins or phytates or really any “ingredients” in foods that are often hidden… this can raise their heart rate, raise their cortisol and up the inflammation and immune reaction.  Most food sensitivities and true allergies are to the proteins in foods or the peptides that make up the proteins.  This would be a sensitivity to a food itself.  These can all be difficult to trouble shoot.  This effects sleep pretty much in a way that feels like coffee.  There are often excitotoxins in foods that affect our dopamine metabolism and can actually damage our brains while keeping us up.  Think about how you would feel after coffee and this is just a really exaggerated picture of how you might feel “stimulated” after processed foods.
Some ingredients that excite and feed the night owl are:
gluten and non-gluten parts of wheat
corn
anything you’re personally allergic (IgE reaction) or sensitive (IgG reaction) to
beans and grains with lectins in them (not prepared thoroughly)
preservatives
chemicals
undisclosed ingredients like “harmless markers” and “generally recognized as safe”
anything hidden in the “natural flavours” category
artificially and naturally concentrated sources of MSG (soy sauces, hydrolyzed yeast extract, most things with the word “Umami”, fermented mushroom or garlic products…)
The packaging itself
The 2nd way processed foods interfere with our sleep:
Nutrient insufficiencies.  Again not that exciting at first but the struggle is real in getting nutrients from packaged foods.  They are made to be tasty, predictable and shelf stable, not to nourish our bodies.  Which nutrients are the most important for sleep?  Where can we get them?
B6 (spinach and cashews for example)
Potassium (apricots, avocados)
Magnesium (can be found in leafy greens)
Calcium (leafy greens, chia, broccoli)
Omega 3 (chia, walnut)
Tryptophan (hemp, collards, seaweed)
If you end up eating packaged food once every couple of days and the rest of your food is pretty nutrient dense maybe this won’t affect you, as long as you avoid sensitivities and excitotoxins.  BUT…
The top way processed foods interfere with sleep:
They mess up the circadian rhythm of our gut bacteria!!  Yup!  Our gut bacteria have a circadian rhythm.  Short chain fatty acid producing bacteria in the large intestine send signals to our nervous systems night and day.  Part of the role of these signals is to let us know when to be tired.  One of the most important factors in this is Butyrate, a short chain fatty acid produced in the large intestine.  The bacteria in a healthy colony produce a good amount of Butyrate which can help heal leaky gut and can help reset OUR circadian rhythms.  If there is too much fat or too many processed foods in the diet the balance of bacteria will change to be one with less butyrate-forming species’ and they will not send signals like they should.  What increases butyrate and helps those bacteria reset our circadian clocks?  Fresh fruits and veggies!  The butyrate bacteria literally need the spectrum of carbohydrates and phytonutrients that can ONLY come from vegetables and fruit in order to produce butyrate at all.  Too much fat in the diet and too much protein creates and environment where these bacteria cannot thrive and are in fact reduced in numbers, reducing our Butyrate and thus our digestive healing and hormone signalling including estrogen balance, insulin receptivity and melatonin (I know but it’s close enough to a hormone).  Look to Bifidobacteria to support a healthy balance of bacteria in the large intestine and to a diet as full of healthy fresh fruits and vegetables as possible.  Check out some further reading on this topic HERE 
So put down the chips (if you can), grab yourself a bunch of spinach or collard greens and find those “visions of sugar plums” with just plums.

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10 Antihistamine Strategies

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Here are ten strategies for seasonal allergies or indoor IgE reactions like dust mites etc.  Let’s talk about the plants, bacteria and other elements that can calm the mast cells or reduce histamine in the body.

Here are three antihistamine strategies that really don’t work for me:

1. Eating pollen. Not joking. Some folks recommended it and I tried it and I have to say um, no, not working.

2. Lemon, lavender and peppermint essential oils. Cleared my sinuses but no, kept sneezing.  Also peppermint and anything with menthol has been shown to just make it FEEL like we are breathing better (and smell good) but not actually increase oxygen or decrease congestion.

3. Acupuncture. I wish this worked but it just didn’t 🙁 I will keep trying!

 

OK now onto what DOES work.

We must go deeper to the root cause.

If you are having springtime or full-time environmental allergies it is important to figure out why. So before getting into ten easy strategies for allergies that are already taking place I want to talk about an overarching plan. Taking away as many distractions for the immune system and then balancing it and removing the offending allergen are really all that are needed.

Taking away immune distractions means dealing with gut infections, sinus infections, tooth infections. It may mean doing a liver cleanse or a water fast to help with detoxifying or reducing those foods that can distract the immune system. This step may mean dealing with yeasts in the body.  Even if you are a practitioner it can be very helpful to work with someone who can help you trouble shoot this systematically.

Balancing the immune system means communicating with the two main branches of immunity, the swat team and the pencil pushers as I like to call them, tH1 and tH2 immunity. These branches of the immune system usually come into balance after long term infections and irritants are resolved but if not then the careful use of some herbs can be helpful. For example mangosteen, cardamom, moringa, watercress, nettle and so on.

If allergies catch you by surprise here are ten useful strategies:

  1. Netipot – about five times daily. This may not be for everyone but lessens the symptoms to some degree. When I have the schedule to be extremely vigilant with this I feel better.
  2. Vitamin C – liposomal, 1 gram five times per day three days per week and then back down to 1 gram three times per day for the rest of the week (doing too much for too long is not helpful to the body for how it uses vitamin C)
  3. Quercetin – at least 500 mg daily, I like 500 mg 3x per day.  Did you know onion skins are a great source of quercetin?  You’d have to tincture them…
  4. Plant resins and essential oils as a throat spray – I have thyme, savory, black spruce and lemon mixed with black cumin oil in a spray bottle
  1. Nettle tincture – Click HERE for the Wild & Grounded Green Smoothie Recipe is good but you will be getting more of the antihistamine properties and less of the histamine itself if you are using a tincture of nettle instead. I take dropperfulls throughout the day in springtime.  This has to be nettle LEAF tincture and the amounts to take are actually quite substantial.
  2. Having someone else clean my house for me – I’ll admit this agrees with me on so many levels however I have yet to find a really positive way to sell the benefits of this to my family who should do the cleaning. If I stir up dust in the springtime it’s not pretty. The same goes for mowing the lawn…  I couldn’t afford to hire outright so I am doing a trade and it works for me.  Do whatever you need to do to keep yourself away from the dust/cat/grass that is bothering you.
  3. Bai Hua oil – a mixture of essential oils from China (literally means white flower) but I don’t know exactly what is in there. This is helpful to me when I rub it directly under my nose. It can be a bit stingy though so watch out.  Don’t put something on your face without first testing it to see if it irritates the eyes or skin.
  4. Hard core 100% raw foods diet – Honestly this was the only thing that ever completely stopped my allergies. I know it’s not for everyone but I have to admit I notice the difference even between mostly raw and totally raw in my seasonal allergies depending on what I am doing with my food.  It may be the lectins, fats or just the grains consumed otherwise.  If you can figure out what diet is the most anti-inflammatory for YOU then stick to it.  And you can’t know until you’ve tried them all.  You may feel good but not know that there is an opportunity to feel better.
  5. Watercress, moringa and lotus daily – These do seem to make a tangible difference to me
  6. Cleansing yeasts – Candida, Penicillium, Brewers’ Yeast and others. Yeasts are big producers and releasers of histamine so they can exacerbate if not directly cause this issue.

 

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