Just Ask Hippocrates

Earlier this month, I attended a continuing education class sponsored by the Institute for Brain Potential. This quote by Hippocrates sets the stage for today’s post “let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” The class material centered on medicinal foods. Did you know there is an FDA definition of medical foods? Further, medical foods are not regular foods; they aren’t drugs nor dietary supplements; efficacy claims must be based on recognized scientific principles and clinical data; and medical foods may only be used under medical supervision. For those interested in obtaining more information, consider consulting a functional medical doctor. A few gems from the class. Per the instructor, the following are conditions for which medical foods are used as treatments: 1. PKU 2. Metabolic syndromes, 3. Osteoporosis 4. Chronic pain 5. Gastrointestinal and 6. Neuropsych. Some benefits of combining medical foods with prescription drugs include: 1 Reduction in medication side effects. 2 Lower overall medical costs 3. Enhances patient adherence. 4. Empowers patients to take an active role with meal planning and overall nutrition and 5. Combination therapy perceived as natural treatment regimen. We also know that stress is deadly and can lead to chronic inflammation such as: 1. Cancer. 2. Cardiovascular 3. Alzheimer’s 4. Pulmonary 5. Arthritis, 6. Autoimmune 7. Neurologic and 8. Diabetes. Unfortunately, there are numerous lifestyle factors that contribute to chronic inflammation. For example: 1.Too much or too little exercise 2. Nutrition-high in Tran’s fatty acids, high in omega 6’s, high in G.I. foods, low in fiber 3. Obesity 4. Sleep deprivation, 5. Smoking and 6. Stress. Now a word about probiotics and the human gut. The human gut contains more than 10 trillion microorganisms. A few facts. 1. The human gut contains 10 times more bacteria than all the human cells in the entire body. 2. The composition of gut flora [community of microorganisms that live in the digestive tracts] differs from people who are obese and diabetic compared to people of normal weight. 3. Changes in the gut flora can increase the rate of which we observe fatty acids. Carbohydrates increase the storage of calories as fat and 4. Disturbances of gut flora may lead to symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis. Some sources of probiotics may help and they include fermented foods such as Kiefer, sauerkraut, kimchi, and yogurt. Another health tip is that caloric restriction increases lifespan across a range of animal species. It also improves memory, cognitive function and overall health in humans. Further, intermittent fasting improves blood glucose levels, lipid profiles and cognitive function. One example of intermittent fasting is eating an early dinner around 4 PM and then breaking that fast at about 7:30 AM the next morning. Once again, we are what we eat. Most of us agree that proper food is good for its medicinal and health purposes. As a result of the information obtained in this class, I have added Branch Chain Amino Acids [BCAA] cocoa, Medium Chain Triglycerides [MCT] organic salted butter, heavy whipping cream, Stevia, and psyllium husk in varying amounts for my nutritional drinks. The primary purpose of these additions is to improve my endurance, burn fat, and reduce lactic buildup during my running workouts and competitions. I also have made an appointment for a physical with a functional physician for a second point of view. I’ll keep you posted. PS That Greek Hippocrates, maybe on to something.