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Cholesterol – Debunking Myths

High fat diet cholesterol

HIGH FAT DIET – What’s this? HIGH CHOLESTEROL DIET works by lowering intake of dietary fat – true or false? High fat diets like paleo or bullet proof, low carb or Atkins cause cholesterol problems, correct? Not true, entirely. One of the biggest cholesterol myths out there has to do with dietary fat. READ ON AS WE BREAK THIS DOWN…Susannah debunks cholesterol myths.
✗ Trans fats or hydrogenated fats and saturated fats promote abnormal cholesterol, whereas…

✔ Omega-3 fats and monounsaturated fats actually improve the type and quantity of the cholesterol your body produces.          

LOW fat diet

LOW fat diet

Cholesterol Level – What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a fatty substance produced by the liver. The body uses it to help build your cell membranes, the covering of your nerve sheaths, and much of your brain. It’s a key building block for our hormone production: testosterone, oestrogen, progesterone and cortisol. 

✔ The biggest source of abnormal cholesterol is sugar and specifically High Fructose Corn Syrup.

✗ “Corn sugar” or High Fructose Corn Syrup HFCS and cane sugar are essentially the same


HFCS and cane sugar are NOT biochemically identical or processed the same way by the body.     

“The digestion, absorption, and metabolism of fructose differ from those of glucose. Hepatic metabolism of fructose favors de novo lipogenesis (production of fat in the liver). In addition, unlike glucose, fructose does not stimulate insulin secretion or enhance leptin production. Because insulin and leptin act as key afferent signals in the regulation of food intake and body weight (to control appetite), this suggests that dietary fructose may contribute to increased energy intake and weight gain. Furthermore, calorically sweetened beverages may enhance caloric over-consumption.” (i)


✔ HFCS contains toxic levels of mercury because of chlor-alkali products used in its manufacturing.

✔ Consumption of high fructose corn syrup, which is present in soft drinks or fizzy drinks, many juices, and most processed foods, is the primary nutritional cause of most of the cholesterol issues

Harmony & Sensuality. Romantic Blond Female in Black Dress resting in Armchair. Satisfaction

HIGH CHOLESTEROL

✔  Total cholesterol is not as critical as the following:

  • Your levels of HDL “good” cholesterol vs. LDL “bad” cholesterol
  • Your triglyceride levels
  • Your ratio of triglycerides to HDL
  • Your ratio of total cholesterol to HDL

✗ Your lipid profile as often requested by your GP will indicate levels of LDL – keeping this in check is enough to keep you off statins e.g. Lipitor

✗ It is not important to know that there are different sizes of cholesterol particles.

✔ There are different sizes of cholesterol particles. There are small and large particles of LDL, HDL, and triglycerides. The most dangerous are the small, dense particles that act like tiny bullets, easily penetrating your arteries. Large, fluffy cholesterol particles are practically harmless–even if your total cholesterol is high. They bounce off the arteries like beach balls and cause no harm.

✔ The risk of arterial plaque is the more accurate heart attack risk assessment

✔ CVD – as with all disease states – can be prevented or targeted treatment can be administered only by determining the cause; examination and assessment of overall health, the interaction of your genes, lifestyle, and environment that ultimately determines your risks — and the outcome of your life. We practice this functional approach here


Rancid or oxidised cholesterol results from oxidative stress and free radicals, which trigger a vicious cycle of inflammation and fat or plaque deposition under the artery walls.        [tweetthis]Rancid or oxidised #cholesterol results from oxidative stress and free radicals[/tweetthis]    That is the real danger: When small dense LDL particles are oxidised they become dangerous and start the build up of plaque or cholesterol deposits in your arteries.


✔ What is the point in discovering that this is the case by targeted testing if there is no solution? The solution is your Naturopathic Portfolio: Safe, Clinical, Practical, Effective management of this cause or the causes of this type of inflammation. If oxidative stress is a factor then the right antioxidant therapy will play a part – at the right time – in the right way, that is bioavailable and therefore taken up and used by your body to eradicate this issue.

✗  By the time there is inflammation it is too late 

✔ As discussed, cardiovascular illness results when key bodily functions go awry, causing inflammation, imbalances in blood sugar and insulin and oxidative stress

✔ We use the science of nutrigenomics, or how food acts as information. This can be used to stall or totally prevent some predisposed disease risks by turning on the right gene messages with our diet and lifestyle choices. That means some of the factors that unbalance bodily health are under your control, or could be given the right test and therefore, treatment.genetic-makeup

✗ Diet, nutritional status, stress and activity levels cannot be assessed accurately.

✔ The right tests can reveal problems with a person’s blood sugar and insulin, inflammation level, level of folic acid, clotting factors, hormones, and other bodily systems that affect your risk of cardiovascular disease.


What do we mean by inflammation and how do we reduce it?

We test for inflammation  here Cardio C-reactive protein. This is a marker of inflammation in the body that is essential to understand in the context of overall risk. Your C-reactive protein level should be less than 1.

Inflammation can arise from poor diet (too much sugar and trans and saturated fats), a sedentary lifestyle, stress, autoimmune disease, food allergies, food intolerance, hidden infections such as gum disease, and even toxins such as mercury. All of these causal factors need to be considered anytime there is inflammation. We conduct clinical consultation and examinations to evaluate these in order to target your treatment effectively.
Safe, Clinical, Practical, Effective 


✗  Cholesterol levels are the best indicator to predict Coronary Heart Disease

✔A major study done at Harvard found that people with high levels of a marker called C-reactive protein (CRP) had higher risks of heart disease than people with high cholesterol. Normal cholesterol levels were NOT protective to those with high CRP. The risks were greatest for those with high levels of both CRP and cholesterol. (ii)

✔ Metabolic Syndrome or Insulin Resistance can be tested and treated to manage pre-diabetes (typically in middle age and in PCOS patients) before full blown DM2 takes over. This can prevent or slowly reverse reliance on blood-sugar regulating medication, commonly Metformin 

✔ The side effects of statins have been called to question recently in a research study by the Cleveland Clinic. Problems including muscle pain and weakness have been called to question in this recent study. Statin intolerance is real. (iii)


Elevated levels of a substance called homocysteine (which is related to your body’s levels of folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12) appears to correlate to cardiovascular illness. We measure Homocysteine. Your homocysteine measures your folate status and should be between 6 and 8. Where problematic levels occur, they can be easily addressed by adequate folic acid intake, along with vitamins B6 and B12.


(i) Bray, G.A., Nielsen, S.J., and B.M. Popkin. 2004. Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup in beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity. Am J Clin Nutr. 79(4):537-43. Review.

(ii) Ridker PM, Danielson E, Fonseca FA, Genest J, Gotto AM Jr, Kastelein JJ, Koenig W, Libby P, Lorenzatti AJ, MacFadyen JG, Nordestgaard BG, Shepherd J, Willerson JT, Glynn RJ; JUPITER Study Group. Rosuvastatin to prevent vascular events in men and women with elevated C-reactive protein. N Engl J Med. 2008 Nov 20;359(21):2195-207.

(iii) Steven E. Nissen, MD et al Efficacy and Tolerability of Evolocumab vs Ezetimibe in Patients With Muscle-Related Statin Intolerance. JAMA. Published online April 03, 2016. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.3608

What is The Microbiome?

What is the Microbiome?

WHAT’S THE MICROBIOME? Our microbiome is the community of trillions of bacteria that live within us, outnumbering our own cells by 10 to 1. This newly discovered world plays a dramatic role in our health and is transforming our very understanding of modern medicine. Indeed, the Mayo clinic has recently said that understanding the microbiome is:

“…as important in the practice of modern medicine as germ theory or the principles of genetics.”

 

skincare-dna

 

The gut microbiome includes communities of microorganisms from the three kingdoms of bacteria, yeast, and archae plus viruses that live primarily in  the large intestine. The human microbiome consists primarily of bacteria, most of which make their home in the large intestine.

More than 1000 species of bacteria can be found in the human gut microbiota but it’s been estimated that only 150 to 170 predominate in any one person.


What is the Microbiome? Is Your Gut Healthy?


At Susannah Makram Clinics we use The Organix Dysbiosis test

The Organix Dysbiosis test is a urine organic acids test measuring the by-products of microbial metabolism, and is particularly useful in detecting the presence of pathogenic microbial overgrowth. As a stand-alone test, the Organix Dysbiosis Profile allows Susannah to assess microbial overgrowth and guide and monitor targeted therapy for patients.

“Dysbiosis,” is described as an imbalance in the microecology of the digestive tract. When the microbial balance of the gut is disturbed, opportunistic (“bad”) bacteria can overgrow and impede the effects of the “good”, predominant bacteria needed for a healthy gut.

lab

Urine is an important medium for testing microbiology in the gut. Urine contains unique products of microbial metabolism which are used to measure small bowel yeast and bacterial overgrowth.

Advantages of using the Organix Dysbiosis test specifically include:

  • Reports D-arabinitol, a specific marker for Candida sp., which can cause disease in patients, especially if they are immunocompromised.
  • Reports D-lactate, an indicator of L. acidophilus overgrowth and carbohydrate malabsorption.
  • Utilizes the LC/MS-MS method, providing more stability, accuracy, and sensitivity in measuring organic acids at low levels for optimum test results.
  • A single urine specimen is easy for patients, leading to increased patient compliance.
  • Discrimination between microbial classes allows for more focused and targeted therapies.
  • An economical follow-up test for practitioners to monitor targeted therapy.

 The new techniques for identifying microbes have led to the microbiome being called “the forgotten organ” and like any organ in the body, it can go wrong. Problems with the microbiome are being linked to diseases including inflammatory bowel disease and Type 2 diabetes, obesity, cancer, asthma and mental health disorders and autism. 


The NIH Human Microbiome Project has been set up to explore correlations between the microbiome and human health and disease. These also have a impact on healthy pregnancy, birth, mothering and midwifery.

Matamoros et al. (2012) ‘development of intestinal microbiota in infants and its impact on health’ and Collado et al. (2012) ‘microbial ecology and host-microbiota interactions during early life stages’.


Subscribe to Susannah Makram TV channel on youtube. What health conditions are we discussing this week? Let’s start the conversation. What’s good gut health EXACTLY?

 

Should I Have My Child Vaccinated?

Are Vaccinations Safe?

The 2014-2015 flu vaccine or flu jab offers protection from currently circulating H1N1 and H3N2 flu strains. As well it offers protection from two strains of influenza B.

Should I have my child vaccinated?

Childhood vaccines protect children from a variety of serious or potentially fatal diseases. These include diphtheria, measles, meningitis, polio, tetanus and whooping cough. Still, you may wonder about the benefits and risks of childhood vaccines – and rightly so.

Vaccines and Immunisations – 10 Facts

  1. To answer the question – should I have my child vaccinated? – we need to fully understand that vaccination prevents deaths every year in all age groups from diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), and measles. It is one of the most successful and cost-effective public health interventions.
  2. In 2010, an estimated 109 million children under the age of one were vaccinated with three doses of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP3) vaccine. These children are protected against infectious diseases that can have serious consequences like illness, disability or death.
  3. An estimated 19.3 million children under the age of of one did not receive DTP3 vaccine. Seventy percent of these children live in ten countries, and more than half of them live in WHO’s Africa and South-East Asia regions.
  4. Over 1 million infants and young children die every year from pneumococcal disease and rotavirus diarrhoea. A large number of these deaths can be prevented through vaccination. Public-private partnerships facilitate the development and introduction of vaccines & the supply of vaccines has been significantly expanded.
  5. Global measles has declined by 74% thanks to intensified vaccination campaigns. Polio cases have decreased by over 99% & annual deaths by neonatal tetanus have fallen

    Are childhood vaccinations safe?

    Are childhood vaccinations safe?

    Susannah is interested in this topic because when you come to see her in clinic you are unwell or sick. There is a medical history or story to this illness – starting from birth. This story is told by your body’s defence mechanisms or immunity. The way your body identifies and then responds to pathogens changes your treatment from PHASE ONE – FOUR. Which of those pathogens also changes your treatment with Susannah.

    The Body Youth Code supports the unique expression of health and vitality for each individual. PHASE ONE: It is important to understand this following. The microbiome plays its role, ensuring your gut health is optimal. This is a foundation upon which the subsequent PHASES 2-4 are built.

    Chronic illness

    You will not feel better from chronic illness unless this (his)story is understood. Susannah’s treatment addresses the cause or causes of health concern. This might be chronic illness, weakness, tiredness, chronic pain. It may be your general inability to improve your health by losing weight. You may want to improve skin health and subsequent appearance. Similarly, creating optimal conditions for fertility, regaining your hair health.

    What is a vaccination and immunisation?

    Adaptive immune systems or non-speciifc immunity are natural unless or until they are provoked. This is by injecting a small amount of weak or dead infectious agent through our skin to trigger a immune response. You are unique and your body will react differently today as it did in the past but how your body will react to treatment today is product of many such factors, that we enquire about at consultation. You can subscribe to Susannah Makram TV to learn a bit more about this process.


  6. Immunisation not only protects children from vaccine-preventable diseases. It also serves as an opportunity to deliver other life-saving measures, such as vitamin A supplements to prevent malnutrition, insecticide-treated nets for protection against malaria and deworming medicine for intestinal worms.
  7. There Are Suspicions That vaccines Cause Autism

    Suspicions that vaccines cause autism exist even though the original study by Andrew Wakefield  that posed this hypothesis has been debunked in many subsequent studies. There are suspicions that the vaccines are poisonous and harmful, rather than protective. There’s also a lack of concern for the diseases the vaccines protect against. Despite much controversy on the topic, researchers have not found a connection between autism and childhood vaccines. In fact, the original study that ignited the debate years ago has been retracted. Although signs of autism may appear at about the same time children receive certain vaccines — such as the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine — this is simply a coincidence.

  8. To fully understand the studies on the reproduction of the wild chicken pox virus compared to the vaccine virus in the body, or the data on the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, one would need expertise on microbiology, immunology and statistics.
  9. The vaccination debate isn’t even as simple as to vaccinate or not. Among those who decide to vaccinate their children there are conversations about the recommended vaccine schedule, and if it is too taxing for a child’s young body.
  10. So you are still likely asking the question: should I Have My Child Vaccinated? After all, if vaccines truly worked, then why would the parents of vaccinated children be concerned of risk by exposure to un-vaccinated children? The World Health Organisation  (WHO) underscored this fact in their report titled, Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals. They wrote that, “Children under two years of age do not consistently develop immunity following vaccination.” Therefore, vaccines can fly “below the radar” of our immune system.

Summary. Should I have my child vaccinated?

Depending on your child’s age and health, you might be able to choose between a flu jab and the nasal spray vaccine:

  • Nasal spray The nasal spray flu vaccine can be given to children 2 years and older. It’s recommended for healthy children ages 2 through 8 years. If the nasal spray is not immediately available, the flu shot should be used. Side effects of the nasal spray might include runny nose, cough, fever, wheezing, headache and muscle aches.
  • Flu jab Flu jabs can be given to children 6 months and older. Side effects might include soreness, redness or swelling where the shot was given, low-grade fever, or muscle aches.

It is also important to consider how many doses of flu vaccine your child needs:

  • 2 doses. If your child has not had the flu vaccine before and he or she is younger than 9, plan for two doses. these 2 doses are given at least four weeks apart. Begin the process as early as possible. If your child is exposed to the flu before the second dose or isn’t able to get the second dose, he or she is more likely to get the flu.
  • 1 dose. If your child has had the flu vaccine before — or your child gets the flu vaccine for the first time at 9 or older — one dose is enough. Timing is still important, though. It takes up to two weeks after vaccination for a child to be fully protected from the flu.

Vaccinations – Protection For Children And The Elderly

Does the flu jab or flu shot or flu or influenza vaccine really protect my child, or even the elderly i.e. vulnerable populations? If you are a parent you are asking again: should I have my child vaccinated? This review is saying there is not enough evidence either way to say anything about the efficacy of vaccines in this vulnerable population. This study seems to suggest that the influenza vaccine is not an evidence-based recommendation but rather a recommendation based on a belief system.


Firstly, if you have made the decision to vaccinate (influenza vaccine specific) your child you should note the following and query your paediatrician or family doctor if:

  • Your child is not feeling well.
  • Your child recently had other vaccines.
  • Your child has any medical conditions. The doctor will likely recommend a flu shot rather than the nasal spray vaccine if your child is younger than 5 and has asthma or a history of wheezing. Similarly, the nasal spray flu vaccine isn’t recommended for children on long-term aspirin treatment or those who have nerve disorders, a weak immune system or certain other medical conditions.
  • Your child is allergic to eggs. The flu vaccine contains tiny amounts of egg protein. If your child has an egg allergy or sensitivity, he or she will likely be able to receive a flu vaccine. However, you might need to take special precautions. This means waiting in the doctor’s office for at least 30 minutes after vaccination in case of a reaction.
  • Your child had a severe reaction to a previous flu vaccine.The flu vaccine is not recommended for anyone who had a severe reaction to a previous flu vaccine. Check with your child’s doctor first, though. Some reactions might not be related to the vaccine.

You should be registered with a GP if you are a resident in the UK. They can offer this vaccination or immunisation service. Yearly flu vaccines are also recommended for adults — especially those who have close contact with young children.


Safe, clinical, practical and effective.


Call  020 7060 3181