🫁 Why we say “take a cleansing breath” ➡️
It’s not just cleansing for the mind but actually detoxifying for the body to breathe deeply.
With every deep breath, oxygen floods our cells and tissues—allowing them to function at a more optimal level and to process and metabolize waste better.
Our lungs are one of our main organs of detoxification, along with the liver, gut, kidneys, lymphatics, and skin.
So consider this your reminder…
To take a deep breath.
This one is for anyone who cares about their memory as they age 🧠
🗞️ The just-released COSMOS-Web Study asked this question: Can flavanol supplements benefit the aging brain?
Flavanols are naturally occurring compounds in plant foods that have antioxidant and health-promoting properties, but not everyone eats enough 🍎🍇🍫
Building on over 15 years of research, the current study assigned 3500 healthy older adults to take a daily flavanol supplement (or placebo) for 3 years. The supplement contained 500 mg of flavanols, including 80 mg of epicatechins.
The results?
✅ Memory scores improved slightly for everyone taking the daily flavanol supplement.
✅ Memory scores improved most significantly (by 16%) in those who were consuming a poorer diet and had lower baseline levels of flavanols.
✅ Even more importantly, memory improvement was sustained for at least two more years
Think of it like this:
Just like the developing brain of newborns and small children requires specific nutrients for proper development, so too does the aging brain require specific nutrients for optimal health.
Now we know flavanols are some of those key brain nutrients.
Brickman AM, Yeung LK, Alschuler DM, et al. Dietary flavanols restore hippocampal-dependent memory in older adults with lower diet quality and lower habitual flavanol consumption. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2023;120(23):e2216932120. [link]
🧐 This is going to be controversial but…
Chronic inflammation is not a “root cause” of disease.
We can document evidence of chronic inflammation on blood tests, but that doesn’t mean we know the cause.
🔥 Why is the inflammation there in the first place? What’s causing IT?
It takes detective work to answer this question for any given person—and that is precisely my job.
To give you an idea, here’s a partial list of some of the possible causes of chronic inflammation:
1️⃣ Infections
Many infections can evade the immune system and persist in the body over time—including bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites.
2️⃣ Toxins
Exposure to low levels of toxins or irritants over time can aggravate the immune system and cause inflammation.
3️⃣ Diet
Diets high in refined sugar or trans fats are associated with a higher production of inflammatory molecules.
4️⃣ Low Sex Hormones
Maintaining levels of hormones like estrogen and testosterone can reduce the risk of inflammatory diseases.
5️⃣ Poor Gut Health
Inflammation in the digestive tract can compromise the integrity of the gut lining, allow passage of toxins or other molecules into circulation, and trigger systemic inflammation.
6️⃣ Obesity
Visceral fat tissue (the type that builds up in the abdomen) acts like an endocrine organ, releasing inflammatory compounds.
Don’t settle for being told that chronic inflammation is the cause of your symptoms.
👉 There is always something beneath it 👈
Uncovering the root cause of chronic inflammation is a highly individualized process and best done with a qualified functional medicine practitioner.
That’s what we’re here for.
Which of these causes surprised you the most? Let me know in the comments ⤵️
Do you ever skip exercise because you don’t have time? 👇
A new study in the European Heart Journal found that all you need is 8 minutes!!
How is that possible?
The study looked at data from fitness trackers worn by more than 71,000 people in the UK and followed their health status (tracking heart disease, cancer, and deaths) for about 6 years.
📋 That’s a lot of data 📋
Compared with no exercise, they began to see health benefits at just 15-20 minutes per week of vigorous exercise.
2 bouts per day of 2 minutes of vigorous exercise was associated with 35% lower deaths from heart disease.
👉 The optimal amount of vigorous exercise was 54 minutes per week (8 minutes per day) 👈
More than 8 minutes per day and the benefits plateaued.
If you’re wondering why this sounds a bit different than the typical recommendation to exercise 30 minutes at least 5 times per week, it’s because the 8 minutes we’re talking about is VIGOROUS rather than moderate exercise.
Vigorous Exercise Means:
✅ Heart rate above 77% your max (if you’re wearing a fitness tracker)
✅ Breathing too hard to have a comfortable conversation
✅ It could be dancing, running, biking, lifting weights, or anything that gets you feeling breathless
I have nothing against a long walk or bike ride, but if you’re crunched for time, this study is fabulous news.
Let me know in the comments—have you ever tried short bursts or exercise instead of long? 👇
REFERENCE:
Ahmadi MN, Clare PJ, Katzmarzyk PT, Del Pozo Cruz B, Lee IM, Stamatakis E. Vigorous physical activity, incident heart disease, and cancer: how little is enough? [published online ahead of print, 2022 Oct 27]. Eur Heart J. 2022. [link]
When your lifestyle is at odds with your internal body clock (your circadian rhythm), it can cause everything from fatigue to insomnia, anxiety, depression, weight gain, and more.
Whether or not you’ve disrupted your circadian rhythm yet or not, anybody can begin TODAY to live in better alignment with their circadian rhythms.
Here’s how:
☀️ Get Natural Daytime Light
The most powerful external influence on your circadian rhythm is the 24-hour light-dark cycle. If you expose yourself to bright light shortly after waking in the morning, you will feel more alert during the day and fall asleep more easily at night.
💡 Consider Light Therapy
Light therapy boxes or lamps emit light that simulates sunshine indoors (without the sunburn effects). If used in the morning, they may help to support energy and mood while resetting the circadian rhythm or hormones, like melatonin.
📱 Shut Down Screens at Night
Humans evolved with dark nights, until electricity was invented about a century ago. Screens are especially problematic at night because of the blue light they emit—suppressing melatonin just when it should be on the rise.
🍏 Try Intermittent Fasting
Our digestion and ability to manage blood sugar levels fluctuate on a daily rhythm. Studies suggest that restricting the eating window to certain hours of the day may align with our internal metabolic rhythms and support healthy metabolism.
I have one more post coming your way on the topic of circadian disruption and it’s all about balancing the rhythm of our hormones with supplements.
Be sure to watch for that post to drop soon!
#circadianrhythm #circadiandisruption #lighttherapy #intermittentfasting