Author: Scott & Rhonda

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Today’s post is about Inflammatory bowel disease

Recently I was speaking with someone about Crohn’s disease, which is a type of inflammatory bowel disease, so I thought I would share a bit of information on this condition.

First of all, what is it?

Inflammatory bowel disease an umbrella term for a group of intestinal disorders that involve inflammation of the digestive tract. These disorders can cause a range of symptoms that include pain in the lower abdomen, blood in stool, unintended weight loss or chronic diarrhoea. If affected long term and not treated, these can lead to more serious issues like colon cancer and perforated bowel.

What causes it?

The exact cause is not known, but like so many other disease states it begins in the gut. It is here that the immune system thinks some of the cells in the gut are foreign and starts attacking them, causing inflammation. This may be due to an infection, a genetic polymorphism, or even just an imbalance in gut bacteria.

There are several triggers like smoking, antibiotic use, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like paracetamol and even stress, that may lead to inflammatory bowel disease if you have the genetic propensity for it.  Diet is being considered as a possible link to these conditions.  This is due to studies of migrants who have changed to a western style diet and subsequently develop an inflammatory condition.

Can it be treated or cured?

Standard medical treatment involves the use of antibiotics for infection, corticosteroids for inflammation and immunomodulators to control the immune response. These are designed to reduce the symptoms but not to perform any kind of repair to the system.

Naturopathically, we look at things a bit different, with the aim being as close to a cure as possible.

The standard practice is to reduce the intake of fibre to reduce irritation of the bowel however, this is not always the best treatment. Many short chain fatty acids that are anti-inflammatory are produce in the bowel by bacteria that feed on fibre. Therefore, depending on the level of inflammation, fibre can help with reduction as well as regeneration of colonic tissue.

There are also several nutrients and herbals that can assist with this regeneration.

A few of these are;

  • Omega-3 fatty acids as an anti-inflammatory,
  • Zinc because it is important for a healthy immune system, wound healing, and gut barrier integrity.
  • Vitamin A will help to rebuild the gut lining where the inflammation is.
  • Wormwood has been shown to have a steroid sparing effect. This means that it works in a similar way to a corticosteroid but without the side effects, but it should not be used long term.
  • Slippery elm can be used to reduce the irritation. It does this by helping the mucosal layer in the gut which often suffers due to inflammation.

 

Inflammatory bowel disease is a serious thing that should not be taken lightly. Treatment is available and may help with long term outcomes.

If you think you have any problems that may be caused by gut inflammation. Get yourself checked out with a doctor, then come and see me.

 

Till the next post,

Live clean n prosper.

A bit about Vitamin A

We have been diving into a series of nutrients and looking at what they do. Today we are going to take a look at vitamin A.

What is it?

Vitamin A, also known as retinoic acid, is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in many foods. It plays a role in many bodily functions.

There are two different sources for vitamin A:

*Preformed vitamin A is found in fish, organ meats (such as liver), dairy products, and eggs

*Provitamin A carotenoids are turned into vitamin A by your body. Carotenoids are pigments that give yellow, orange, and red fruits and vegetables their colour. Your body is able to convert some carotenoids into vitamin A.

What does it do?

It is important for normal vision, the immune system, reproduction, and growth and development. Vitamin A also helps your heart, lungs, and other organs work properly.

I think the most important function of vitamin A is gut health. Its benefit for the gut is twofold, first it helps to restore the mucous lining and second, it helps to balance the immune system. This means that it can be particularly useful in autoimmune conditions of the gut like Chrones disease and leaky gut.

Retinol, is one of the 4 forms of vitamin A which studies have found assists in the regeneration of the mucous lining, thus reducing leaky gut. This happens because the mucous layer is a protective layer, as well as being involved in the health of tight gap junctions that make up the physical part of the gut.

Another form of vitamin A, Retinoic acid, has been found to promote T cell activation as well as increasing the rate of NK (natural killer cells) in the body, both play a major role in immunity.

Our bodies have an adaptive immunity, which means it creates T cells to fight a particular infection. NK cells on the other hand are part of our innate immunity that we get from our parents and from natural child birth. They are particularly good at protecting the body from tumour growths and viral infections until the adaptive cells can mount a specific response.

What if I am low in Vitamin A?

Some of the signs and symptoms of vitamin A deficiency can include night blindness because it helps to create Rhodopsin, a protein found in the eyes. A long-term deficiency of vitamin A can also lead to a higher risk of respiratory diseases (such as pneumonia) and infections (such as measles and diarrhoea).

It can also cause anaemia (a condition in which the red blood cells do not supply enough oxygen to the body). In severe cases, not getting enough vitamin A can increase your chances of dying.

What foods provide vitamin A?

Vitamin A is found naturally in many foods and is also added to some foods during processing, such as milk and cereal. You can get your daily dose of vitamin A by eating a variety of foods, including the following:

*Some types of fish, such as herring and salmon

*Beef liver and other organ meats (which are also high in cholesterol, so limit the amount you eat)

*Green leafy vegetables and other green, orange, and yellow vegetables such as spinach, sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli, and winter squash

*Fruits, including rock melon, mangos, and apricots

*Dairy products, such as milk and cheese

*Fortified breakfast cereals

*Eggs

It is also important to note that cooking these foods, can reduce the amount of vitamin A by as much as 35%.

If you think you may be deficient in vitamin A, talk to your chosen health professional about the steps appropriate for you to take.

We hope you found this information interesting.

Till the next post,

Live clean n Prosper.

Sources – National Institute of Health – Web MD

A bit about Light Therapy

Today’s post is about light therapy.

In the past couple of years, red light therapy including infrared saunas and LED light masks have been in the media. These different light treatments are meant to help us with everything from wrinkles to back pain.

We decided to research these different light treatments and see if they are worth the hype.

For ideal health, we humans require regular exposure to light! A great example is Vitamin D which comes from sunlight. The sun’s rays include the more commonly known ultraviolet light (UV), but more than half of its output is infrared. When it comes to visible light, violet coloured light produces the most energy and red coloured light provides the least.

So, what is red light therapy

Red light therapy involves having low-power red light wavelengths emitted directly through the skin, although this process cannot be felt and isn’t painful because it doesn’t produce any heat. Red light can be absorbed into the skin to a depth of about eight to 10 millimetres, at which point it has positive effects on cellular energy and multiple nervous system and metabolic processes.

Through emitting red, low-light wavelengths through the skin, red light therapy may naturally jump-start the process of tissue recovery and other forms of rejuvenation. It’s believed to work in such ways as increasing blood flow and stimulating collagen production.

Clinical studies show that red light therapies have certain healing capabilities and medical applications, due to the way they positively affect the human endocrine and immune systems.

There are many different types of red-light therapy devices, some of which can be used at home. But home devices are usually less powerful than those used in clinics and may be less effective or take longer to work.

What about an infrared (IR)sauna?

This type of sauna uses a different kind of red light.

Infrared light is invisible and is effective for use on the surface of the skin as well as penetration of about 1.5 inches into the body. The wavelength infrared puts out is longer than the wavelength of red light, which allows it to penetrate more deeply into the body.

The longer the wavelength, the deeper the penetration. Consequently, IR light provides some similar, but some completely different benefits than red light.

An infrared sauna is a type of sauna that uses light to make heat. A regular sauna uses heat to warm the air, which in turn warms your body. An infrared sauna heats your body directly without warming the air around you. It is safe because all humans produce IR and it is easily absorbed by our tissues.

When IR enters the body, it breaks up fats and toxins that are trapped in water molecules, it makes us sweat to let them out.

And LED light masks

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) lights have been around since the 1960s but have only recently been used as a skin treatment.

Using the LED technology to create light weight masks enables people to use light therapy  in the home. However, these are not medical-grade products. They aren’t as strong, so while there is some benefit, there won’t be the same result as a professional treatment.

‌The masks use different wavelengths of the visible light spectrum to penetrate the skin to different depths. Depending on how deeply they penetrate, will determine which of the skin’s natural healing processes are triggered.

Red and blue lights are typically used in LED skin treatments. Experts believe that red LED light acts on cells in the skin known as fibroblasts, which play a role in production of collagen. Blue LED light is most often used to treat acne.

According to research, LED light therapy has an excellent safety profile. It does not contain UV rays, which can be harmful to the skin.

Unlike chemical peels or laser therapy, LED light therapy does not cause burns. Therefore, LED therapy is considered suitable for regular use. Which is important, as usually several treatments are necessary to see results.

However, more research is needed to confirm that these lights are truly effective and that they produce lasting results.

Hopefully you have found this information interesting.

Till the next post,

Live clean n prosper

Sources – National Library of Medicine – Harvard Health Publishing – Mayo Clinic – Web MD –