I thought I would write a post on some gentle support for heavy metals.

To boost heavy metal detox support you need to increase glutathione. It is the major antioxidant in the body and helps attach to heavy metals in the bloodstream so they are flushed out of the liver and the kidneys. To boost glutathione (major antioxidant in the body):

1. Sulfur rich foods – consume arugula, bok choy, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, mustard greens, radish, turnip, watercress.
2. Methylation nutrients- active B vitamins. Include folate rich food like chick peas, liver, pinto beans, spinach, lentils, asparagus, avocado, beets, broccoli.
3. Selenium- take 200 mcg daily which is needed to make glutathione or make sure you get sources in your diet- brazil nuts (1 oz), cooked halibut, sardines (3 oz), wild shrimp (3 oz), turkey (3 oz), spinach (1 cup).
4. Vitamin E rich foods- almonds, spinach, sweet potato, avocado, olive oil.
5. NAC- 600 mg twice daily to chelate heavy metals.
6. Alpha -lipoic acid (~ 200 mg daily)
7. Milk thistle- take as directed on the label. Helpful to bind to heavy metals and flush them out of the liver.
8. Modified citrus pectin- in apples and citrus fruits or take 3 grams twice daily (sodium alginate complex). Bind metals such as cadmium, lead, mercury, arsenic and flushes them out of the body.

Supportive elements also include probiotic bacteria particularly lactobacillus acidophilus (50 billion C.F.U.’s/day), fermented foods like kefir, dairy free yogurt, sauerkraut or kimchi. Make sure to keep minerals high if you are taking out heavy metals. Include seaweed in your diet like nori, dulse, kelp or wakame.  A multimineral supplement would be supportive. Drink enough water- half your body weight in oz. Get lots of fiber (50 grams plus). Eating ground flax seeds or chia seeds, raw nuts and seeds if tolerated, tons of cruciferous veggies as stated above. Limit brown rice which contains higher levels of arsenic in the diet. All types of rice do contain small amounts of arsenic contamination. Boiling rice with water and throwing out the water can help get rid of some of it.  Cilantro and garlic, leeks, onions are great chelators to include in the diet.  Wild blueberries are a great chelator. Include polyphenol rich foods like cocoa powder, dried plums, cloves, green tea, strawberries, black currants, purple grapes or purple grape juice.

Heavy metal Smoothie (Anthony Williams: Medical Medium Source)- 2 bananas, 2 cups of wild blueberries, spirulina 2 tsp, barley grass powder 1-2 tsp, cilantro (1 cup), Atlantic Dulse (2 tbsp flakes). Could consume once daily.

Other supports may include Chlorella 4-8 capsules daily. Vitamin C 1000-3000 mg daily which can chelate metals. A great homeopathic Unda support for heavy metals is Unda 2, 48, 258 – 8 drops twice daily taken at least 15 minutes from food or drink. Please make an appointment with me if you want to explore further testing options for heavy metals or further explanation of treatment options. Parallel Chiropractic and Wellness Center 4032321283   Dr. Robin Vinge, ND

I had an amazing long weekend. I spent time cooking food for people and really felt connected to others. This is good for our health! I thought I would post some notes I made from a book that I read a number of years ago. It is super relevant today as we are all getting older and we want to preserve our brain function. These are notes I made from the Memory Rescue Diet by Dr. Daniel Amen, MD.  Enjoy!

Foods to choose when it comes to supporting mental health…starting with spices to support your mental health. Include saffron, turmeric, peppermint and cinnamon (for attention problems and blood sugar regulation). Spices can be used raw and dried. Spices are full of antioxidants to help protect your brain from free radicals and oxidative stress. Choose organic for the dirty dozen for foods. Try to buy spices that are organic if you can afford it. Choose organic for the dirty dozen foods. The Environmental Working Group publishes a list of the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Green List every year (foods that are safer to eat if they are non-organic). Pay attention to this list every year and get familiar with it!

For support of dopamine the major motivation hormone (helps with focus and motivation) eat dopamine rich foods such as turmeric, theanine from green tea, lentils, wild fish, lamb, chicken, turkey, grass fed beef, free range pastured eggs, nuts and seeds (pumpkin, sesame especially), broccoli, spinach, protein powders from hemp and pumpkin or pea protein.

Serotonin rich foods to support mood and sleep, modulate pain and cravings. Include eggs, turkey, wild seafood, chickpeas, raw nuts and seeds, sweet potato, quinoa, dark chocolate that is dairy free if possible.

Include GABA rich foods if you suffer from anxiety such as broccoli, almonds, walnuts, lentils, bananas, organic beef liver, brown rice, wild halibut, gluten free whole oats, oranges, rice bran, spinach. I also love L-theanine for anxiety. You can get l-theanine in matcha which is green tea powder. I love drinking a matcha tea latte in the am with non-dairy milk for that reason. I tolerate green tea powder much better than coffee. Genetics typically determines how well you tolerate caffeine.

Include choline rich foods to support your memory. Choline rich foods include shrimp, eggs, scallops, sardines, chicken, turkey, cod, grass fed beef, collard greens, brussels sprouts.

Eat 8 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables to improve mood. THe more fiber you include in your diet the better your health in general.

Maca is an herb that can help reduce depression. It is a key herb to use in menopausal women. It also works to counteract stress as it is an adaptogenic herb. It is also been called Peruvian Ginseng. 

Include antioxidant rich food such as acai fruit, parsley, cocoa powder, raspberries, walnuts, blueberries, artichokes, cranberries, kidney beans, blackberries, pomegranates, chocolate, olives or olive oil. hemp seeds, dandelion greens, green tea.

Include magnesium rich foods such as dark leafy greens, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, almonds, spinach, Swiss chard, sesame seeds, beet greens, summer squash, quinoa, black beans, cashews. Magnesium rich foods are especially beneficial if you suffer from constipation, hypertension, or anxiety. 

Include Zinc rich foods especiallly if you have suffered from eating disorders in your past. Zinc can be a common mineral deficiency as you get older. Foods rich in Zinc include oysters, beef, lamb, spinach, Shitake mushrooms, Cremini mushrooms, asparagus, sesame and pumpkin seeds. 

Include foods rich in B6, B12 and folate such as leafy greens, bok choy, cabbage, bell peppers, cauliflower, lentils, asparagus, chickpeas, Swiss chard, sesame seeds, beet greens, summer squash, quinoa, black beans, cashews.

By paying more attention to the foods that you bring into your body you can influence your mental health for the better!

Resources: The Memory Rescue Diet. Daniel Amen, MD. 

So what more can we do to calm our inflammation in the way of supplemental support? I do use Curcumin to target inflammation in the gut and the body in general. It can work to reduce pain, for instance, if a patient has arthritis. It does not inflame the gut or contribute to permeability in the gut like an antiinflammatory medication like NSAIDS or ibuprofen could do. Curcumin has antibacterial effects in the gut as well as antifungal effects. It helps strengthen the intestinal barrier which helps reduce endotoxemia which is associated with LPS. Curcumin increases alkaline phosphatase that deactivates bacterial LPS  which helps lower inflammation all throughout the body. Curcumin also increases production of antimicrobial peptides.

I use L-glutamine powder to support healing in the case of leaky gut. It is well tolerated and helps reduce inflammation after you have taken the food sensitivities out of the diet. It is instrumental in repairing the gut and intestinal lining. I usually dose it 20 minutes before a meal. It has a benign taste and can be added to water. 

Cloves also help increase intestinal mucus in the GI tract by its’ eugenol compound. Drinking a tea made from whole cloves can be a safe way to ingest some of the protective properties. William Davis, MD talks about how to make this tea in his new book “Super Gut.” I highly recommend reading it as he talks about healing the gut in an extensive way. He also describes how to make therapeutic yogurt as a way to address many health issues. 

Consuming fresh herbs and spices like oregano, rosemary, ginger, cinnamon and cumin help stimulate the proliferation of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species in the gut by their polyphenol constituents. Taking probiotic bacteria that contain Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidum bacteria can help support the residence population of gut bacteria. I use HMF Intensive as a good combination of these 2 strains. It has been shown to be clinically effective in the treatment of Irritable Bowel Sydrome in studies. The GI Map is a stool test that can taken a close look at the bacteria populating your gut if you are interested,

I also stock Megaspore probiotics which is a game changer for gut function in my opinion. Megaspore helps seal up the gut in just 30 days. It also helps reduce circulating levels of LPS levels shown to have a disruptive effect on serotonin and dopamine function. It inhibits LPS from accumulating in the brain where it can damage neurons and increase inflammation. LPS otherwise known as lipopolysaccharide originates in the cell walls of organisms of gram negative bacteria like E. Coli and Klebsiella common inhabitants of the colon. When these microbes die, their cell wall contents can be liberated and pass into the blood. This drives a lot of inflammation in the body not to mention the blues. Megaspore helps reduce LPS therefore can be helpful in improving gut health. To learn more and have a consultation about yout gut health, please come and see me at Parallel Wellness.  Dr. Robin Vinge  4032321283

References: Super Gut, William Davis, MD, Eat Dirt, Josh Axe, MD, Microbiome Labs, Megaspore probiotics, Genestra HMF Intensive probiotics.