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12 Science-Backed Ayurvedic Herbs and Spices with POWERFUL Health Benefits

AHA Publisher — Thu, 09 Dec 2021 08:00:02 +0000

Stephanie Woods via NaturalHealth365 – Ayurveda is a traditional system of medicine that originated in India and is more than 3,000 years old. It is an all-natural modality, using herbs and spices to prevent diseases and health conditions from developing in the first place. By taking a whole-person approach, it focuses on balancing mind, body, and spirit for better health. In fact, many Ayurvedic herbs have been studied extensively and now have solid scientific backing as effective remedies for many health conditions. Ayurvedic Herbs Can Improve Your Health in Multiple Ways Ashwagandha Several studies have shown that ashwagandha promotes healthy cortisol levels and normal inflammatory processes that occur in response to stress. Cortisol is called the “stress hormone.” By supporting a healthy stress response, ashwagandha can help lower levels of anxiety and improve sleep quality for people who suffer from anxiety and stress. Bitter Melon Bitter melon supports normal blood sugar levels and boosts insulin secretion, which is the hormone that stabilizes blood sugar levels. According to research, this tropical vine is not only a good remedy for blood sugar problems, but it is also packed with antioxidants and nutrients. Boswellia This herb, also called Indian frankincense, is a potent anti-inflammatory, but research has also shown that it is very effective for reducing pain. Studies also show that Boswellia improves range of motion and mobility, especially in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis patients. It also helps prevent gingivitis and oral infections. Brahmi Studies have found that Brahmi can improve memory, learning rates, information processing, and attention. It is also effective in treating ADHD symptoms such as restlessness, lack of self-control, and impulsivity. Cardamom This “queen of spices” has powerful scientific data recognizing it for its ability to maintain normal blood pressure. Besides supporting blood pressure, inhaling the essential oil also helps to boost oxygen uptake in the lungs during a strenuous activity like exercise. Cumin Studies have shown that this earthy spice provides many health benefits, including boosting digestive enzyme activity. It promotes faster digestion by speeding the release of bile in the liver. In addition, cumin also helps ease fat digestion and relieves symptoms of IBS such as bloating and abdominal pain. Gotu Kola Also called the “herb of longevity,” gotu kola is very effective at relieving anxiety symptoms. According to one study, it also reduced stress and depression when subjects took gotu kola instead of antidepressants for 60 days. Licorice Root Licorice root has several healing properties, and there are plenty of studies to back it up. For example, it reduces inflammation and helps to protect the body from bacteria and viruses. It is also beneficial when dealing with upper respiratory infections. Triphala (amla, bibhitaki, and haritaki) The Ayurvedic remedy triphala is a combination of three medicinal fruits: haritaki, bibhitaki, and amla. This mixture is often used to ease constipation and decrease inflammation that is caused by arthritis. Studies have also shown that it limits the growth of certain cancer cells and may even prevent them. Turmeric Turmeric is a well-known spice and herbal remedy that is one of the rare substances embraced by practitioners of Western medicine. This is because of the abundance of scientific support that shows its effectiveness as an anti-inflammatory. In fact, it has been shown to be just as effective as some drugs used to reduce inflammation – but without the unpleasant side effects. Incorporate Natural Remedies Into Your Lifestyle for Their Mighty Benefits Many natural remedies work just as well as conventional drugs but don’t have harmful or unpleasant side effects. However, before beginning a new supplement routine, including herbal remedies or Ayurvedic medicine, talk to your healthcare provider to ensure you won’t encounter any allergic reactions or drug interactions. The beauty of these natural treatments is that they can be taken in supplement form, but many can be made into teas or used to flavor your favorite foods. Their versatility makes it easy to incorporate them into your lifestyle. Sources for this article include: Herbs.News PhytoPharmaJournal.com NIH.gov To read the original article click here.

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Stress Hormones: How Diet Affects Hormonal Balance

AHA Publisher — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 07:52:37 +0000

Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DMN, CNS – Stress is a major issue literally everyone deals with in way or another, and chronic stress is a problem like never before. That’s why it’s so vital to keep your stress hormones in check. In a podcast episode with Dr. Anna Cabeca, DO, FACOG, I talked with the board-certified gynecologist and obstetrician, hormonal health expert, and best-selling author of books like “The Hormone Fix” and “Keto Green 16” about some of the major stress hormones and how to eat to beat stress. What Are Stress Hormones? When we talk about stress hormones, cortisol typical tops the list, and for good reason. It is called the primary stress hormone, after all. It’s released when we’re under pressure and triggers the fight or flight survival response. However, cortisol isn’t the only stress hormone, and truthfully, it may not even be the most important of the stress hormones. That title could just as easily be reserved for insulin. While most people think of diabetes when discussing this hormone, insulin is related to weight gain, PCOS, low testosterone and, of course, blood sugar levels. In addition, insulin can affect almost every hormone in the body and certainly has a major impact on stress. “I always say oxytocin is the master hormone,” Dr. Cabeca says. “If you would consider oxytocin the dean of the university, the professors would be insulin and cortisol, and the student body is the rest of the hormones.” Other stress hormones besides cortisol and insulin include: Adrenaline Norepinephrine Catecholamines Vasopressin Corticotropin-releasing hormone ACTH Gonadotropins Thyroid Hormones Growth Hormone Prolactin How Diet Affects Hormones What are the biggest things in terms of diet that are really throwing our hormones out of whack today? “Definitely it’s sugar,” Dr. Cabeca says. “The brain fog, the memory loss, the … increased risk of dementia — all of that coming into a diet that is too high in sugar and creates insulin resistance so we have a harder time using the glucose that we do have. “The second thing is actually a practice that’s so hormonally disruptive to women and men, and that is snacking throughout the day. Three meals, three snacks — how did that ever come about?” The snacking habit can wreak havoc on stress because of the way it affects stress hormones. When we snack, it bumps up insulin, which affects the rest of our hormones, and insulin goes up every time we eat. Thus, the more we snack, the more insulin goes up, helping create insulin resistance. It also creates a roller coaster for hormonal balance, with large fluctuations affecting everything from our moods to gut health and, yes, stress levels. How to Eat to Beat Stress What’s the No. 1 thing you can do to get your hormones in balance and keep stress hormones in check? “I consider breaking up with sugar one of the most valuable gifts you can give yourself,” Dr. Cabeca says. Here are some other tips she shares: Practice Intermittent Fasting There are many benefits of intermittent fasting, and that includes helping manage stress. Going without food for an extended period of time puts the body in ketosis, switching from using glucose to fuel the brain to ketones as brain fuel. “Always try to keep at least four hours between meals because you need to get your body sensitized to glucose again and to insulin again and shift to using ketones for fuel,” says Dr. Cabeca. Follow a Green Keto Diet “There are many ways to do keto. What’s going to create the best metabolic stability, the best hormone balance? Through my own experience with keto that’s where I discovered how important the green aspect is,” Dr. Cabeca says. Monitor Urine pH Levels According to Dr. Cabeca, urine pH levels can show how well we’re managing stress. “It’s as important as our blood pressure, as important as our heart rate, as important as our weight,” she says. “… The more cortisol we secrete, the more acidic our urine pH is. Even vegan, plant-based eaters can be acidic if they’re stressed, if they’re worried, if they are inflamed, if they have too much carbs in their system.” Pinpoint Outside Stressors “It’s not just about what you eat. Maybe it’s about who you’re eating with — are they stressing you out? If that’s the case, it doesn’t matter how amazing your food is,” Dr. Cabeca shares. Avoid Toxins “We are what we eat ate,” Dr. Cabeca says. “It’s important to consider not just what they ate, but how they lived and how they died. That comes into play with additional stress hormones getting into our system and how that can really affect our physiology.” You want to avoid foods sprayed with herbicides or pesticides, along with animals that have eaten foods that contain harmful toxins. Why? They can act as endocrine disruptors that throw hormones out of balance. Don’t Eat Too Late “We know if we eat after 7 p.m., our body’s going to increase more of that insulin hormone as much as 30% to 70% compared to the same meal we ate before 7 p.m. That’s huge,” Dr. Cabeca says. Stress-Busting Foods/Supplements Here are some of the top foods Dr. Cabeca recommends to manage stress hormones: Dark leafy greens/cruciferous vegetables — kale, beet greens, Swiss chard, collard greens Healthy fats — olive oil, avocado, MCT oil, coconut oil, wild-caught salmon, grass-fed beef, bison Omega-3 fish oil — make sure it’s high-quality and contains EPA, DHA and DHEA Adaptogens — maca root, ashwagandha, rhodiola, ginseng, astragalus, turmeric Melatonin Magnesium Vitamin D What does a typical day of eating look like for Dr. Cabeca? She shared an example of her daily eating routine: Wakeup time: Hydrate with alkaline water and a shot of maca. “The body has been detoxing and rejuvenating all night. We want to hydrate well in the morning and support our body’s natural detoxification process.” Breakfast: Fried egg served over spinach and arugula with a side of tomatoes and some organ meat on the side. “Our plates are 75% green or combined with additional alkalinizers, sprinkled with olive oil, lemon juice, some herbs and spices.” Lunch: Usually skip lunch as part of intermittent fasting. “We work to get a 16-hour fast.” Dinner: Salmon cakes, poaching salmon, add additional alkalinizers right there into protein and fats. Add in great mayo, eggs or additional fats and protein, instead of a binder such as bread crumbs or flour, use a little chickpea flour. It adds a nice spice and stays low-carb. You could use a nut flour just as easily. Add some celery, cilantro, onions, dill, Himalayan sea salt. Serve with aioli side and some asparagus. After dinner: Cup of tea before bed. Final Thoughts Dr. Cabeca signed off with a vital message to keep stress hormones in balance: “If our body’s not having to constantly produce insulin and cortisol to fight inflammation often caused by glucose as well as stress, if our body’s not fighting those hormones and we have more of our own natural progesterone and DHEA, these are hormones that build us back up, that give us healthy breasts, a healthy mind and strong bones as well as an empowered immune system. “When our body’s not constantly putting out fires with insulin and cortisol, then we can really build our body back up and create a really strong, resilient body. “It stars with an early morning ritual based on appreciation, gratitude and meditation, and then an evening ritual that sets us up to get a fabulous night’s sleep.” To read the original article click here. For more articles from Dr. Axe click here.

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Stress Hormone Helps Control the Circadian Rhythm of Brain Cells

AHA Publisher — Mon, 18 Nov 2019 04:49:57 +0000

University of Copenhagen the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences via EurekAlert – As day turns into night, and night turns into day, the vast majority of living organisms follow a fixed circadian rhythm that controls everything from sleep needs to body temperature. This internal clock is found in everything from bacteria to humans and is controlled by some very distinct hereditary genes, known as clock genes. In the brain, clock genes are particularly active in the so-called suprachiasmatic nucleus. It sits just above the point where the optic nerves cross and sends signals to the brain about the surrounding light level. From here, the suprachiasmatic nucleus regulates the rhythm of a number of other areas of the body, including the cerebellum and the cerebral cortex. However, these three areas of the brain are not directly linked by neurons, and this made researchers at the University of Copenhagen curious. Using test rats, they have now demonstrated that the circadian rhythm is controlled by means of signalling agents in the blood, such as the stress hormone corticosterone. ‘In humans, the hormone is known as cortisol, and although the sleep rhythm in rats is the opposite of ours, we basically have the same hormonal system’, says Associate Professor Martin Fredensborg Rath of the Department of Neuroscience. He explains that recent years have seen an increasing, scientific focus on research on clock genes, one reason being that previous research on clock genes have found a correlation between depression and irregularities in the body’s circadian rhythms. New Method with Medical Micropumps In the study with the stress hormone corticosterone, the researchers removed the suprachiasmatic nucleus in a number of rats. As expected, this removed the circadian rhythm of the animals. Among other things, the body temperature and activity level of the rats went from circadian oscillations to a more constant state. The same was true of the otherwise rhythmic hormone production. However, the circadian rhythm of the cerebellum was restored when the rats were subsequently implanted with a special programmable micropump, normally used to dose medication in specific quantities. In this case, however, the researchers used the pump to emit carefully metered doses of corticosterone at different times of the day and night, similar to the animals’ natural rhythm. ‘Nobody has used these pumps for anything like this before. So technically, we were onto something completely new’, says Martin Fredensborg Rath. For that reason, the researchers spent the best part of a year carrying out a large number of control tests to ensure that the new method was valid. Interaction Between Neurons and Hormones As mentioned, the new method paid off. With the artificial corticosterone supplement, researchers were again able to read a rhythmic activity of clock genes in the cerebellum of the rats, even though their suprachiasmatic nucleus had been removed. ‘This is hugely interesting from a scientific point of view, because it means that we have two systems – the nervous system and the hormonal system – that communicate perfectly and influence one another. All in the course of a reasonably tight 24-hour programme’, says Martin Fredensborg Rath. With the test results and the new method in the toolbox, the researchers’ next step is to study other rhythmic hormones in a similar manner, including hormones from the thyroid gland. To read the original article click here.

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9 Habits to Reduce Cortisol Naturally

AHA Publisher — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 07:00:50 +0000

Dr. Don Colbert – Don’t let chronic high stress and cortisol levels bring down your health, brain, or memory. Use these 9 strategies to reduce cortisol naturally today. Cortisol is making news once again. This time, it’s especially concerning for women. If you’ve ever wanted to manage stress and reduce cortisol naturally, this study on brain health is a great wake-up call. According to an October 2018 study, researchers found that increased blood cortisol levels are correlated with impaired memory and lower brain volume in mid-life (1). What’s more, after studying 2231 human participants, they found the effects were more pronounced in women participants than men. Cortisol is a hormone that’s released by the adrenal glands when the body faces stress. In modern times, this stress is often more mental than physical and usually has no outlet. For many, it’s chronic. It builds. And it does damage. High blood cortisol levels are correlated with weight gain and impaired loss, increased blood pressure, negative impacts on mood, sleep and energy, and an increased incidence of diabetes and heart disease (2). And now, lower brain volume and memory issues. What’s this mean to you? Especially if you’re a woman, it’s imperative to find ways to reduce cortisol naturally and lower overall stress. How? Here are 9 daily habits you can use, from the time you wake until bed, to lower yours today. 9 Daily Habits to Reduce Cortisol Naturally Each Day 1. Make mornings easy. Cortisol is naturally highest in the mornings, so don’t add more with a hectic start to your day. Mornings are usually much smoother when you wake up just 5 minutes earlier, prep breakfast and lunches the night before, and keep a bag with everything you need when leaving the house next to the door. 2. Exercise and be active, early and outside if possible. Studies have found that activity outside improves health markers and reduces cortisol, tension, fatigue, and depression. A recent study concluded that men and women over 66 years who exercised outside reported higher levels of total activity per week than inside-exercisers (3). 3. Choose foods and drinks that may reduce cortisol naturally. Try fatty fish like salmon, dark chocolate (70% or higher cocoa), fruits and vegetables, or superfood fruit and vegetable powders. You can also drink cortisol-busting green tea and black tea to lower cortisol levels. Great for chilly winter days! 4. Clear your schedule. Want to know the magic word to lower cortisol naturally? It’s “no.” Instead of filling up your calendar with many obligations, say no more often. Then, decide on a few and engage with quality time. Less is more when it comes to your schedule and feeling busy and stressed. 5. Take charge of your attitude and reaction to any given stressful situation. Cortisol is your body’s reaction to stress. By controlling your reactions, you can impact your cortisol levels. Take a deep breath, respond with reigned-in emotions, or even leave the situation to cool off. It’s never been said better than Pastor Charles Swindoll: “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life….I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you…we are in charge of our attitudes.” 6. Find a way to laugh every day. Spend time with a friend and laugh. Listen to comedy on your drive home rather than stew in traffic. Play with kids. Read funny books rather than serious ones occasionally. 7. Speaking of friends, cultivate meaningful, positive in-person relationships. If you don’t think you have the time, consider this: According to a 2016 report, most social media users spend an hour per day on Facebook alone. What’s more, using social media correlates with worsening mood, while time spent with friends increases positive moods. Skip just half the social media, and take 30 minutes to meet with a friend instead. 8. Pray and practice gratitude. At the end of each day, take time to practice gratitude and pray. Put down the screens and write three to five specific things for which you are grateful. Pray with thanksgiving, releasing things you cannot control and the stressors you face. 9. Last but certainly not least, get good quality sleep, preferably 7-9 hours per night. It’s not always easy, but sleep is crucially important to brain health and stress levels. While lack of sleep can impair melatonin levels and cortisol, adequate sleep helps our brains rid themselves of toxins and heal. What’s on your short list? What habits do you use to lower stress levels? Don’t let chronic high stress and cortisol levels bring down your health, brain, or memory. Use these 9 strategies to reduce cortisol naturally today. To read the original article click here. For more articles by Dr. Colbert click here.

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