Most of us know about Macronutrients – Proteins, Carbohydrates and Fats. We eat these to give us enough caloric energy to fuel our activities. They get a lot of attention actually, especially around weight loss, as many of us calorie count, measure our macronutrient ratio or restrict certain macronutrients (maybe low carb or low fat etc.).
 
But let’s not forget about Micronutrients. These are nutrients that we need to ingest in relatively small quantities to function at our best and they are vital to our health. You are probably familiar with some or all of them: vitamins, minerals, essential amino acids (the building blocks of proteins), essential fatty acids (omega 3s and omega 6s) and phytonutrients (chemicals found in plants). Each micronutrient has a wide variety of functions in the body so if you don’t consume enough to meet your needs then symptoms can start to show up. We call these Deficiency Symptoms. The following chart shows some of the major functions of some key micronutrients and an outline of their deficiency symptoms.

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How do nutrient levels become depleted?
Unfortunately, it is all too easy to get low on nutrients. Here are some of the ways it can happen.
 
Drug induced
Medications can block the absorption, synthesis, metabolism or storage of nutrients.  For example, statin drugs deplete our stores of CoQ10. Your doctor is supposed to tell you that when prescribing a statin, but I find many of my clients are in the dark on that one.
 
Inadequate intake
The recommended daily amounts, RDAs, are the best information we have on how much of each nutrient is needed to avoid deficiency symptoms. Our individual genes or lifestyle can determine an even higher level of need. National surveys show that many people in the US do not meet even that benchmark for many nutrients. Contributing factors can be:

• a lack of (micro) nutrient dense foods in the diet,
• a high intake of highly processed foods,
• the declining quality of the food supply due to farming practices,
• longer storage time for food between farm and table,
• a restricted diet, such as veganism.

 
Stress and caffeine
For some Americans this is a way of life! Being amped up and stressed takes a toll on your body and you burn through more nutrients. That can leave you depleted.
 
Sugar and white flour foods
Eating a lot of sugar and white flour foods that raise your blood sugar fast can deplete the body of key nutrients like magnesium and chromium, amongst others.
 
Alcohol
The process of metabolizing alcohol requires the liver to use nutrients. These nutrients are diverted from other roles in the body and can leave you depleted.
 
Mal-absorption 
You may be eating enough micronutrients but not absorbing them! There are a number of different situations where this could occur but common ones that I encounter with clients are leaky gut or low stomach acid.
 
If you have symptoms, you may have micronutrient deficiencies!
 
One of the most helpful tools I use in my practice to gather information about my clients and help them get to optimal health is a Micronutrient Test. It is one key for me to knowing how to support and restore health in clients. The results show me which deficiencies in nutrients could be playing a part in symptoms. Testing cuts down on a lot of the educated guess work that would otherwise be needed.
 
If you’re curious about getting your nutrient status checked then read more about our Micronutrient Blood Test or get in touch with your questions. You might also be interested in our Holiday Special Deal on a Total Nutrition Package. It’s a great way to start out 2019!

You’ve probably heard about lots of the benefits of taking magnesium due to its many important roles in the body. Perhaps you also know that many of us are magnesium deficient, estimated at around 80% of the US population. Maybe you’ve even heard about its benefits for brain health but here’s something you may not know about…
 
Certain forms of magnesium have benefits for those suffering from anxiety related disorders such as social anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder, specific phobias and others.
 
You may know someone dealing with anxiety. Anxiety disorders impact a whopping 18% of the US population and are the most common mental illness.
 
Here’s what’s happening:
When in real danger, fear is essential for survival. Fear triggers the brain to use its Cognitive Ability and respond with many split-second changes in the body to prepare to defend against the danger or to avoid it. This response is a healthy reaction meant to protect us from harm.

In anxiety disorders, the fear memory continues or is triggered even when the danger is no longer real or present. Cognitive ability is not sufficient to control the fears.
 
Boosting Cognitive Ability:
Magnesium, in the form of Magtein™, magnesium I-threonate, has been shown in studies to improve magnesium concentration in the brain, which boosts cognitive ability and enhances control of fear and anxiety. Other forms of magnesium have low brain bioavailability and are not able to effectively raise the brain’s magnesium levels.
 
You can find products containing Magtein™ at our dispensaries with EmersonWellevate, Natural Partners NPScript (use code W2O) and Fullscript You’ll SAVE 5% off the retail price when you use our dispensaries compared with going direct. FREE SHIPPING on orders over $49.
​We also love Xymogen’s Magtein™ containing products. Contact us for information and to discuss your needs and we can provide you with a referral code plus a 5% DISCOUNT there on your first order site wide.

You may have noticed that this month at Ways to Optimize we are focused on the immune system. Whilst we typically think about protecting ourselves from colds and flus when we discuss our immunity, I want to touch here on a less high profile aspect of the immune system that’s super important and for many not functioning well and that’s our Stomach Acid Production.
 
Are acid-suppressing drugs helping us?
 
Problems with heartburn and acid reflux are common. Acid-suppressing drugs are among the most commonly used prescription and over the counter pharmaceuticals. The pharmaceutical companies' sales rely on us accepting the idea that stomach acid is something that needs to be kept in check. It does sound plausible, doesn’t it, that symptoms of heartburn, indigestion and gastrointestinal reflux disease are caused by too much acid, because that burning is real. The reality is that it is much more likely that you have too little stomach acid production rather than too much. These medicines are actually working counter to what many people really need. Stomach acid is not something to be feared. We definitely need it. Our body is designed so that enough acid can be produced to bring our stomach pH to around 1.5 to 3.0. That’s a really strong acid!
 
Why is stomach acid important in immune health?
 
Stomach acid has several important roles in digestion but I’d like to highlight these in relation to a healthy immune system.

• It inhibits the growth of microorganisms that enter the body through food to prevent infection. Super important for keeping us from getting sick.
• It ensures proper absorption of many minerals, such as zinc. Zinc is a key nutrient for our immune system and (double whammy!) is critical for production of stomach acid. So it is a circular problem…less stomach acid causes less zinc causes less stomach acid and so it goes on!
• It helps protect us from duodenal ulcers and ensures proper digestion of food. Both are important as protection from a leaky gut. Leaky gut can result in food sensitivities, inflammation and autoimmune conditions.
• It is important to keep our essential gut flora healthy, a key aspect of our immune system.

 
Why do I feel burning when I have low stomach acid?
 
The stomach has two valves, the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) (at the top of the stomach) and the pyloric sphincter (at the bottom of the stomach).
The pyloric sphincter is a one way valve which is designed to open when the food in your stomach is digested to chyme with the correct pH. If you don’t have enough stomach acid the valve may not open.
The other valve, the LES, is designed to open both ways.  When excessive pressure builds up in the stomach, but the pyloric valve doesn’t open, the body releases the pressure by opening up the LES.  Even if your stomach isn’t producing enough acid, any amount of acid going into the esophagus will result in burning sensations because the esophagus is not designed to handle stomach acid and doesn’t have the same protections that the stomach has.  Frequent opening of the LES toward the esophagus will contribute to a weakened valve that compounds the problem.
 
Note:  There are also other causes that contribute to a malfunctioning LES.  Certain foods (e.g. hot peppers, citrus, tomatoes), drinks (caffeine, alcohol), overeating, overweight and obesity, pregnancy, hiatal hernia, and many medications (including NSAIDs, antibiotics, bronchodilators, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, nitrates, antidepressants, anti-anxiety, and anticholinergics) are associated with a weakened LES.           
 
Restoring your stomach acid levels
 
Don’t worry! If you suspect you may have low stomach acid, help is at hand. We can help you identify if low stomach acid is at play in your symptoms, support your digestion as you heal and help you identify and remedy nutrient deficiencies that may be at the heart of things.  Get in touch if you’d like to get help. We also have some Special Deals this month to help you address immune concerns and save you money.
 
 
 
 

​So last time we talked about why it is so hard for people to stop eating sugar and what chemistry is at play that keeps us hooked. So this time I wanted to discuss why we should try to kick the habit.
I’m pretty sure everyone now realizes at this stage that eating sugar is not healthy.  It makes us fat, right?  Empty calories and all that.  Rots our teeth…we all know this.
Well that’s true but that makes us think that if we want to splurge on sugar then we just cut back on calories elsewhere or work a bit harder in the gym and all will be well. And we all brush and floss so what’s the problem?

Well the fact is, excess sugar consumption is detrimental to our health in many other ways that you may not be so aware of:

Glycation
I’m putting this one near the top to appeal to your vanity. It’s not the biggest but maybe it is a motivator for you. Sugar bonds with protein molecules and impairs functioning causing stickiness in joints. It is particularly drawn to collagen and elastin in the skin. Here’s a picture of glycated skin – pretty isn’t it?!

So one of the most crucial anti-aging steps you can take is to get off sugar.

Depletion of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals)
Here are a couple of specific examples that illustrate how sugar depletes our storage of minerals but know that mineral deficiencies can cause leg cramps, muscle tightness, low blood sugar, diabetes, low blood pressure, PMS, ADD, depression and many more!

• It takes 56 molecules of magnesium to metabolize on molecule of sugar leaving many of us magnesium depleted and a prevalence of high blood pressure, poor sleep, neurological problems and immune issues.
• Calcium stores are drawn on to neutralize the affects of sugar.  We see direct links between sugar consumption and osteopenia.

Immune System Repression
White blood cells do not function well in a sugary environment.  It depresses our ability to fight viruses, cancer and parasites and especially bacteria.  1 tsp of sugar depresses the immune system for 5 hours.  Continued sugar consumption results in immune suppression and opens the door to infections and degenerative disease.
In a battle to gain entry to the cell, sugar wins over vitamin C which most of us know is one of our main immune boosting vitamins.

Feeding Cancer Cells
As adults we do not have many actively growing cells in our bodies except for cancer cells. Cancer cells move through each of us all the time and when we have a high sugar levels they gobble it up for growth. Remove the food for cancer cells and it is going to have a harder time taking a grip.

Insulin Resistance and Type 2 Diabetes
When our system is continually bombarded with excess sugar our cells start to become resistant to the insulin produced to deliver the glucose. The body tries to compensate by producing more insulin in the battle to get circulating blood sugar levels lowered (high blood sugar is toxic). When insulin is raised continually, the body is storing fat and there is weight gain. The consequent high blood sugar is also causing damage to the nervous system, suppressing the immune system and all that we talked about above.

Stress on the system
High blood sugar causes adrenaline production, which puts stress on the adrenals and the entire system. Many of us live in a constant state of stress anyway so our adrenals are already exhausted.  When your adrenals are working overtime they may be using up resources needed for other systems like digestion, sex hormones, thyroid hormones etc.

Inflammation
Sugar is one of the main causes of inflammation in the body. We’ve talked about it before so I’ll keep it brief here. Inflammation shows up as diabetes, autoimmune disorders, high blood pressure, and even autism, ADD, ADHD, eczema, asthma—even anger and aggression.

Candida
Candida is a fungal organism that is sometimes known as thrush or a yeast infection. The yeast is always moderately present in your intestinal tract but it can actually loom elsewhere in your body. Candida yeast cells live among the bacterial flora present in the gastrointestinal tract, mucosa, esophagus, small intestine, as well as on the body’s surface. In a balanced healthy state, candida is controlled and mitigated by beneficial bacteria and your immune system. Candida is a sugar-fermenting organism, feeding on blood sugar so it becomes problematic when we eat a high sugar diet. Also it can be a problem if we have a weakened immunity or we possess low levels of beneficial bacteria. Women are typically more susceptible to yeast growth but everyone has a potential to develop a yeast condition.


Does that all motivate you or depress you? It’s a tough one I know! Shifting something in your diet is not easy and particularly with sugar because of its addictive nature and prevalence, not to mention it is wrapped up with so many emotional connections (rewards, treats, celebrations). Most people need help to make lasting change in this area and sometimes it is helpful to check your nutrient levels to have something to really motivate you.  We offer support in these areas so please reach out if you need us.

​Sometimes being healthier is just a matter of an easy switch over from something unhealthy to a better alternative and doesn't have to be about deprivation or dieting.  Here's one that is simple; a great way to raise your micronutrient intake and reduce your exposure to toxins.