Raw Cocoa is nature's most potent tool to lengthen telomeres.

Kill The Most Stubborn of Viruses + Bacteria with Oregano oil

Reference: Appl Environ Microbiol. 2012 June; 78(11): 4057–4061.

Natural Prescription For Hormone Balancing.

Drink Green Tea To Control Diabetes.

Natural Sleep Aids.

The typical alpha male struggles with insomnia 

not only due to work place stress, 

but this type often shows severe depletion 

in their calming neurotransmitters

- namely serotonin and GABA.

Massage is one way of quickly creating a boost in serotonin.

The key, however, is to change your dietary strategies,

 so they support your chemical imbalances,

 and thus enables you to live the life you really want.

Sleep is one of the most important pillars to good health - during sleep is when your brain recharges, most of your fatburning takes place and collagen and cell renewal. Yet, most of us find it increasingly difficult to sleep without either numbing ourselves out with afterwork drinks or rx sleep medication (highly addictive and you do NOT enter those deep layers of REM sleep btw. - that's why you continue to feel groggy!).

Insomnia is just about always associated with an imbalance in your serotonergic neurotransmitter system; and this is something you can rebalance with the right nutritional therapy within 6 months time completely - depending on severity.

A couple of no side-effects natural strategies that I use initially, depending on the client's genetic make-up, are based on Ayurvedic principles on how to calm down an overexcited central nervous system - some work better on certain people than others.
I will use one or more while rebalancing their neurotransmitter system, depending on their unique genotype.

You can incorporate herbs with sedative properties into your daily routine similar to as most of us have gotten used to our coffee fix - change routines, and repeat it until it becomes a natural no-frills habit.

- A warm herbal bath with drops of essential oils of lavender, chamomile, neroli or rose before going to bed works wonders to loosen tense muscles and quiet an overactive mind.

- Stuffed herb pillows with catnip, lavender, lemon balm, or orange blossoms, have been used traditionally to aid sleep.

- Warm milk (preferably goat's or casein a2) with ground almonds and a piece of nutmeg or cardamom helps digestion and nerve system.

- Herbal teas or tinctures of some of the following herbs support proper sleep pattern: lavender, hops, passionflower, chamomile, skullcap, lemon balm, valerian root and kava. These can be used in combinations or alone as suggested by your practitioner.

- A powerful herb for cultivating balance in the central nervous system is ashwagandha. This well-known Ayurvedic herb is helpful in nourishing a depleted and worn out nervous system.

Do remember that which strategies and dosages that will enable you to finally sleep sound, all depends on your genetic make-up and how your brain is wired - that's why custom natural medicine works and generalized advice is hit and miss.

The Skinny on Skincare

When looking for a good skin care, that not only is free of skin junk food such as parabens, alcohol, mineral oil, perfume etc., there are a few proven key ingredients to look for, in order to get an actual effect from those often expensive beauty products out there. Most of those marketed ingredients do not penetrate the outer layers of the skin, making those great-sounding nutrients on the label completely worthless, unfortunately.

I'm going to give you the breakdown here of what to look for that actually has an anti-aging and naturally better-than-Botox effect when used more than 3 months (I don't ever recommend Botox btw. - it's a neurotoxin and makes your skin more saggy in the long run - so you literally will get addicted to Botox. And you're going to look like you came out of a plastic factory - not a good look).

First off, you must wash with a soap, that does not rid your skin of natural oils, so that your washing procedure is not damaging your skin daily. I recommend Dr. Broenner's soap for body and face as this match your skin pH perfectly, and it does not contain any obsolete garbage. And it's cheap. So we can spend more money on awesome stuff instead.

Anyway - here's my skinny on skincare list:

Vitamin A: One of the few anti-aging pharmaceuticals with a scientifically proven efficacy. When applied topically, it is transformed into retinoic acid by human keratinocytes. Retinol stimulates collagen production in the skin, and its application can result in a reduction of wrinkles and skin pigmentation.

Vitamin C: It stimulates collagen production and has a photoprotective effect (it minimizes damage from the sun). Its wrinkle-improving effect has been proven in clinical studies. One problem is its instability in various topically applied products, as vitamin C is prone to oxidation and may lose its efficacy this way. Furthermore, some topical products do not penetrate through the stratum corneum (the outermost layer of the skin), and thus are not able to render the desired effects.

Vitamin E: More studies needed, but there is some indication of a reduction in wrinkle depth and decrease in skin roughness. Vitamin E is found in various cosmetic products, but in most at a way too low concentration to make any difference. I recommend opening a vitamin E capsule and applying it directly to skin beneath your daily moisturizer.

Flavonoids: Group of substances found in many foods e.g. green tea phenols. They have a photoprotective effect.

Copper: Copper peptides seem to have a positive effect on skin aging. Clinical studies have shown wrinkle reduction and improvement in elasticity.

CoenzymeQ10: A lipophilic antioxidant, which is reduced in the aging process. Little scientific data supports its clinical anti-aging effect at this point - additional double-blind, placebo-controlled studies are needed to establish its efficacy. However, oral supplementation is well-documented as part of a successful anti-aging regime for anyone over 30.

Emblica: This antioxidant is extracted from the plant Phyllantus emblica and is said to reduce free radicals and help with pigmentation.

Polypeptides: Studies have shown that topically applied polypeptides may induce an acceleration of collagen synthesis. A clinical study demonstrates a positive effect on skin thickness and skin density after the application of  product containing palmitoyl pentapeptide for three months.

Change Your Body Set-point.

If you've reached a weight-loss plateau, or even having difficulty losing any weight in spite of monitoring every morsel that passes your lips, you need to change your metabolism and brain chemistry, as these two factors are what will ultimately determine if you are able to keep your body-fat down, get ripped abs and no longer struggle with the munchies. I've said it a million times and I'll say it again: fat-burning has NOTHING to do with willpower, but everything to do with brainpower, and understanding how to harness the power of your brain chemistry and genotype - matching it with the right supplements, amino therapy and dietary strategies for your unique genetic blueprint and brain chemistry wiring.

There are, however, a couple factors that you may not be aware of that are crucial in order to kickstart your body into fat-burning gear:

You can change your metabolism:  A study of sets of twins where one was fat and the other thin found that fat cells in heavier twins underwent metabolic changes that make it more difficult to burn fat.  Physical activity can reverse the effect.

Stress can make you fat: Stressful circumstances can cause cravings for carbohydrate-rich foods. Stress hormones also increase fat storage.

Zac Efron- His physique is not a matter of willpower:
He doesn't stick to a fanatic diet or exercise regime;
it simply flows - because what he is doing,
whether conscious or not about it,
matches his genetic blueprint!

Sleep more to promote weight loss:  Sleep deprivation upsets your hormone balance, triggering a decrease in leptin (a hormone that helps you feel full) and an increase of ghrelin (a hormone that triggers hunger).

Sugar is addictive:  Research has determined that foods people like excite the same parts of the brain that are activated in drug addicts.

Antioxidants are also anti-fat:  Free radicals damage the cells that tell you that you're full. Get rid of them by eating colorful, antioxidant-rich vegetables.

Pine Nut Oil Suppress Appetite: In a paper being presented in an American Physiological Society session at Experimental Biology 2006, "the greatest effect was observed after just 30 minutes, with the 18 women reporting a 29% reduction in "desire to eat" and a 36% drop in "prospective food intake" scores. The experiment found a parallel and significant increase in cholecystokinin (CCK) of 60% and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP1) of 25% that remained as long as four hours after ingestion. CCK and GLP1 are appetite suppressors, which "send signals of satiation to the brain diminishing the desire to eat and food intake usually significantly


To determine your genetic blueprint you can sign up online for a metabolic typing session with The Nutrition Doctor here - the web portal will be online in September.

Eating GREENS can change YOUR GENES!

An international team of scientists led by researchers at McMaster and McGill universities in Canada have found that consuming generous amounts of especially leafy greens modified a gene designated 9p21, the strongest marker for heart disease!

In one of the largest gene-diet interaction studies ever conducted related to heart disease, the researchers analyzed more than 27,000 individuals from 5 ethnicities: Latin American, European, Chinese, South Asian and Arab, and compared to their diet and gene expression. They discovered that man and women with high-risk genotype who consumed the most raw leafy greens had similar risk (low insignificant) to those individuals carrying the low-risk genotype!

STOP choosing to be a victim and blaming your genes for your health! You just need to know your genotype so you can prevent what will trigger the EXPRESSION of your vulnerabilities!


Only if you engage in behaviors that go against your genotype do they express themselves! 


And now there is more clear-cut proof of how we can actually alter our genes!
But you still need to know your type, otherwise you won't know what will trigger it! No diet is right for all!

The Nutrition Doctor will end of August 2012 be launching an online health provider service including analysis of blood labs, genetic testing and a brain chemistry assessment here.

Reference:
Ron Do et al. The Effect of Chromosome 9p21 Variants on Cardiovascular Disease May Be Modified by Dietary Intake: Evidence from a Case/Control and a Prospective Study. PLoS Medicine, 2011; 9 (10)

New Research Sheds Light on the Role of Manganese in Tumor Suppressor Gene

Hazelnuts are one of the few top scores in manganese.
 Other decent options include pecans, pumpkin seeds, mussels
....and let's not forget raw cocoa or dark chocolate.
A super decadent manganese-rich spread can be made
from raw honey, hazelnuts and dark chocolate that I'll be posting soon,
so stay tuned cos it's finger-licking good stuff!

A study on the powerful antioxidant manganese superoxide dismutase shows that this antioxidant is controlled by a gene - the so-called p53 gene - that actually switches on or off, depending on the stage of cancer - it turns off in early tumor growth and turns on in late stages of cancer.

The Nutrition Doctor uses a medicinal nutritional approach based on the science of nutrigenomics to starve off cancer cells - it is imperative to understand that different types of cancer actually thrive on different nutrients! Certain aminos and vitamins, otherwise thought healthy, can be deadly for certain types of cancer patients. Only if you understand the nutrient requirements for various cancers can you develop a successful cancer fighting program by depriving the cancer cells of fuel and shutting off gene expression.




Reference:

Cancer Res. 2011 Nov 1;71(21):6684-95. Manganese superoxide dismutase is a p53-regulated gene that switches cancers between early and advanced stages. Dhar SK et al.

The Nutrition Doctor is here...

Follow The Nutrition Doctor on twitter and get the latest on metabolic optimization and delicious, nutritious recipes here.

This is culinary medicine taken to the next level based on the science of nutrigenomics and well, what's yummy in your tummy.

And don't forget to get The Nutrition Doctor's Rx for Natural Solutions for Drug Prescriptions here!

Get your biochemistry type determined today: Make an appointment with The Nutrition Doctor.

Lick it! Nature's Viagra: This Valentine's get your SEXY on!

Do you know that your sex drive is an indicator of your overall health?
If your libido is diminishing, then this is simply a symptom of imbalanced hormones and a messed up brain chemistry! Factors that put you at risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes type-2, dementia and other inflammatory based diseases!


Before you resort to Botox in the quest of eternal youth do this...
Yes, your passion in the bedroom affects one of our greatest anti-aging hormones being HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE. This secret-to-eternal-youth hormone helps boost collagen production and keep cellulite at bay. Yes, you heard me... sex may very well be an underestimated cure for cellulite. Cellulite being a major issue for most women when they hit menopause - as their hormones drop, their libido vanishes and their mood fluctuates... just coinciding with those less-than-flattering derriere dimples appearing. It's NOT a coincidence. Hormonal imbalance sets off a major cascade of aging biochemistry reactions in your body!


And no, I am certainly not recommending Viagra here - the side effects are vast and many, and quite frankly, this is a disaster of a drug.


Lick it, baby!
What I am recommending is that you eat these two foods daily for a period of 6 weeks, and watch your sex-drive rise!
Apart from that you hereby have Rx to eat dark, decadent chocolate daily, the health impact of these two natural aphrodisiacs  go far beyond the bedroom, as they help to boost dopamine and serotonin levels, as well as balance your hormones NATURALLY and without any side-effects! 
So yes, lick every drop of that dark chocolate!


The scientific low-down on the two SEXY foods:

The Mayan Super food of the gods...
Dark chocolate contains a high concentration of phenethylamine. This chemical stimulates the nervous system and triggers the release of pleasurable opium-like compounds known as endorphins. It also potentiates the activity of dopamine, the neuro-chemical associated with sexual arousal.


The Incan secret to strong stamina... from the bedroom to the boardroom!
It's called MACA baby! And to be honest I have never seen anything quite as efficient with regard to boosting your sex drive! MACA is a Peruvian root that is one of the few foods that act like an adaptogen (balancing your hormones), support exhausted adrenal glands by lowering cortisol levels. However, dosage is crucial to notice any effect whatsoever; I have found that 1-2 tbsp. daily boosts libido for the majority of my clients dramatically within 6 weeks! Mix it in smoothies, yogurt or add it to flour in recipes when baking.


The taste of SEXY is dark, decadent and delicious...
You can get hold of RAW, high-potency and organic cocoa nibs and MACA here.


Reference: 

Dillinger TL, et al. Food of the gods: cure for humanity? A cultural history of the medicinal and ritual use of chocolate. J. Nutr. 2000 Aug:130(85 Suppl):2057S-72S

TASTE & TALK on YOUR YOUNGER YOU HORMONES!