May 2017 Newsletter: Natural Solutions for Preventing and Reversing Auto Immune Conditions

I am pleased to announce the next Open House at my office on Thursday, May 4 at 7:00 PM. I’m planning to discuss two topics which emerged from feedback from the Open House in March. They are Graceful Aging for Women and Men and Anti-Inflammatory Diets. We will also have a taste test of a new protein bar called the RXBAR and demonstrate how to check for calcium and zinc mineral deficiencies.  

The details are below. It is very important to let me know if you are coming as seating is limited.

At the last Open House I discussed natural solutions for preventing and reversing auto immune conditions. A summary of that is below.

Natural Solutions for Preventing and Reversing Auto Immune Conditions

Did you know the current list of autoimmune diseases is now over 150 and continues to grow? We can truly say there is an autoimmune epidemic underway in the United States. We all know at least one person who suffers from an autoimmune condition.  In most cases they are offered little help from traditional medicine. The best case is to “manage” it to keep the symptoms as reduced as possible. There is never any mention of a possible reversal of the condition. Fortunately, many natural/holistic practitioners across the country are having success in preventing and reversing autoimmune conditions every day. I recently completed a six week training called the Autoimmune Mastery Program with Dr. Michael Gaeta, one of the country’s leading natural health authorities. This course focused on this very topic – the prevention and reversal of autoimmune conditions.

For the rest of the article click here: http://brwellness.com/nutrition-news/?p=742.

Open House Details

Rosen Wellness @ Well Body

10040 N. Port Washington Road, Mequon

Thursday, May 4, 2017 at 7:00 – 8:30 PM

Soup, salad, and gluten-free desserts

We’ll explore the following topics:

1. Graceful aging for women and men.
2. Anti-inflammatory diets.
3. Everyday useful supplement protocols.

Demonstration of muscle testing techniques:

v  Mineral Deficiency Testing

o   Zinc

o   Calcium

RXBAR (new protein bar) taste test 

Existing clients receive 10% off their next supplement purchase.

Existing clients that bring a friend who becomes a new client receive 15% off their next supplement purchase.

New clients will get $50 off their initial consult!

Seating is limited, please RSVP to bernie@brwellness.com

Natural Solutions for Preventing and Reversing Auto Immune Conditions

Did you know the current list of autoimmune diseases is now over 150 and continues to grow? We can truly say there is an autoimmune epidemic underway in the United States. We all know at least one person who suffers from an autoimmune condition.  In most cases they are offered little help from traditional medicine. The best case is to “manage” it to keep the symptoms as reduced as possible. There is never any mention of a possible reversal of the condition. Fortunately, many natural/holistic practitioners across the country are having success in preventing and reversing autoimmune conditions every day. I recently completed a six week training called the Autoimmune Mastery Program with Dr. Michael Gaeta, one of the country’s leading natural health authorities. This course focused on this very topic – the prevention and reversal of autoimmune conditions.

The purpose of this article is to help you better understand how the immune system works, how autoimmune conditions develop, and how this can be prevented and reversed.

First, let’s take a look at the immune system. It has two main parts. There is the primary or innate immune system and the secondary or acquired immune system. The innate immune system is for immediate response to pathogens. The acquired immune system develops after. It creates highly specific antibodies for foreign (“not self”) or body (“self”) proteins. An allergy is an over-reaction to foreign proteins. An autoimmune condition is an over-reaction to body proteins. The question is of course – what causes the over-reaction?

Next, let’s understand how our cells work. Basically, our cells live and they die. However, there are two ways in which they can die. One way, the natural way, is called apoptosis – this is normal cell death. The cell lives a healthy life, has a natural death, and the body neatly takes care of it. The second way is called necrosis. This is when there is a weakness or degeneration of the cell causing a premature death. Here the clean up method becomes slightly messier which can lead to some problems as we will soon see.

There are two factors that enable an autoimmune condition. The first of these is an immune dysregulation. This occurs when weakened innate immunity allows for pathogens to continuously be active in the body which ultimately leads to an over-active acquired immune system. Causes of immune dysregulation include ongoing infection and infestation, diet, injury, foreign bodies, stress, leaky gut, allergies, chemical sensitivities, genetic factors, vaccinations, cancer and gut dysbiosis.

The second factor is a state of danger. This leads to a high alert status in the body and the launch of an immune attack. The “Danger Theory” implies that auto-immunity occurs when the body is in this state of danger for prolonged periods of time.

Now I would like to pull all the above together. We have what is called the reticuloendothelial system. It works with the lymphatic system to remove dead material from the body. When we experience an overload of necrosis (from immune dysregulation), it is possible for the necrotic tissue cells to overwhelm the reticuloendothelial system (placing the body in a state of danger). As the reticuloendothelial system is overloaded, genetic material from dead cells is now leaking into the blood stream creating autoantigens. This triggers the acquired immune system to create antibodies to destroy the autoantigens. The autoantibodies (these are antibodies to body proteins) will track the source of the autoantigen to the host source and attack those genetic proteins (attacking a specific organ). That in a nutshell is how an autoimmune disease can originate.

What we have subsequently learned is that at some point all disease becomes autoimmune or has an autoimmune component as we will always find autoantibodies to diseased tissue.

There is actually a very simple three step plan for preventing and reversing autoimmune disease, coined PIN by Dr. Gaeta. The “P” stands for “PMG.” This is a group of products manufactured by Standard Process that can be used to assess the situation, reduce the autoantibodies, and prevent disease. The “I” stands for “Immune Regulation.” This is a group of products to support innate immunity, restore the gut, and to clear latent and subclinical infections from the body. The “N” stands for “prevent necrosis.” This is a group of products that support specific organs and their cellular structures as well as detoxify the body. 

Thus autoimmune disease can be prevented by clearing the body of infection and by general nutrition support. If you would like more information regarding how to prevent and reverse autoimmune conditions call or email me – I am here to help.

Bernard Rosen, PhD is a Nutrition Consultant and Educator. He works with individuals, groups, and at corporations to create individualized nutrition and wellness programs. His office is in Mequon, WI. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, e-mail at bernie@brwellness.com, call (262) 389-9907 or go to www.brwellness.com.

April 2017 Newsletter: Four Hot Topics of Natural Health

Thanks for all the enthusiasm for last month’s Open House! It was awesome! Somehow we got all 30 people comfortable in the office. Also special thanks to my wife, Susana, for suggesting the idea and then preparing all the yummy and healthy food for the event!

We had great discussion and learning related to four topics:

First, we talked about the importance of the lymphatic system for proper drainage of waste and toxins from the body. While I was tongue-in-cheek with my yoga pants remarks, it is a valid point. Tight yoga pants (as well as other tight clothes) restrict the flow of lymph. Over time this can cause a wide variety of health issues from increased toxicity. We demonstrated some simple muscle testing techniques to see if additional lymph drainage support was required. If you want more information on this check out the March 2017 newsletter.

Second, we learned about auto-immune disease. We learned what causes it and what can be done from a natural perspective to prevent and reverse these diseases. Look for a feature article on this topic in next month’s newsletter. If this is relevant to you now and you would like to learn more now about a natural solution please call the office and schedule an appointment.

Third, we talked about the importance of the brain and the nervous system to overall health. Without proper balance in these systems it is difficult for complete healing to occur. We demonstrated some simple muscle testing techniques to see if the brain and nervous system are balanced. And, we saw which supplements can help bring the body back to balance.

Fourth, we learned about the nutritional deficiencies caused by hormone based birth control methods and how these specific deficiencies are strongly associated with depression, low energy, and thyroid issues which seem to affect significant numbers of women. Please see the article below for more detail on this topic.

I am pleased to announce the next Open House which will be Thursday, May 4 at 7:00 PM at my office. I’m planning to discuss two topics which emerged from feedback from the Open House. They will be Graceful Aging for Women and Men and The Anti-Inflammatory Diet.

Nutritional Deficiencies Caused by Hormone Based Birth Control

What you will read below is how the nutrients depleted by hormone based birth control pills play a major role in overall health and may be directly responsible for some of the issues experienced by the women using them including: depression, low energy, and thyroid issues.

Birth control is big business! It is marketed for a variety of purposes to women aged 10-60! They are claimed to make periods “regular”, “lighter”, or “less painful”; to relieve menstrual headaches; to control endometriosis; to clear acne; to help with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome; to help with peri-menopausal changes; and “may lower” ovarian and endometrial cancer risk. Whether or not they live up to these claims is highly debatable. 

These oral contraceptives are marketed as “hormones”, but they are not natural – they are synthetic estrogens and progesterone. As such, they do not act the same of natural hormones. In fact they are suppressing the normal cycle, not “regulating” it. They create a false period. One of the ways the female body clears toxins is through the monthly shedding of the uterine lining. This “false period” creates the condition where there is less cleansing of toxins.

For the rest of the article click here: http://brwellness.com/nutrition-news/?p=737

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Nutrient Deficiencies Caused by Hormone-based Birth Control

Note: This article is not intended as a debate about birth control. It is intended to offer education regarding nutritional deficiencies that are known to be caused by the use of hormone based birth control. Most medications have known associated nutrient depletions. There are multiple books available on this subject. While the books are helpful in listing the depletions, they do not discuss the ramifications of these deficiencies. The purpose of this article is to take that next step and help individuals make better informed decisions. If you use or intend to use this form of birth control, you may want to consider nutritional supplementation.

What you will read below is how the nutrients depleted by hormone based birth control pills play a major role in overall health and may be directly responsible for some of the issues experienced by the women using them including: depression, low energy, and thyroid issues.

Birth control is big business! It is marketed for a variety of purposes to women aged 10-60! They are claimed to make periods “regular”, “lighter”, or “less painful”; to relieve menstrual headaches; to control endometriosis; to clear acne; to help with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome; to help with peri-menopausal changes; and “may lower” ovarian and endometrial cancer risk. Whether or not they live up to these claims is highly debatable. 

These oral contraceptives are marketed as “hormones”, but they are not natural – they are synthetic estrogens and progesterone. As such, they do not act the same of natural hormones. In fact they are suppressing the normal cycle, not “regulating” it. They create a false period. One of the ways the female body clears toxins is through the monthly shedding of the uterine lining. This “false period” creates the condition where there is less cleansing of toxins.

There are numerous known side effects including headaches, vomiting, unclear speech, dizziness, weakness or numbness in arms or legs, chest pain, coughing blood, shortness of breath, rash, heavy bleeding, blood clots, stroke, leg pain, altered vision, stomach pain, loss of appetite, tired, weak, fever, swelling, and depression. In fact, many women quickly discontinue usage due to these side effects.

It is likely that many of these side effects are associated with the nutrient depletions. Following is a very brief description of the key impacts of some of these nutrients:

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) and Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine): These have many functions, but a major one is the tryptophan pathway. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid and a precursor to melatonin and serotonin. Melatonin is a key anti-oxidant and important for sleep; serotonin is important for mood. Depression is associated with lack of serotonin. 

Vitamin B2 is also an integral part of enzymes involved in oxidation reduction reactions that drive cell respiration.  What does that mean? It is critical in our cell making energy for our body.  It also supports the function of antioxidant enzymes and interacts with the other B vitamins.  It promotes a healthy immune system and regulates the activity of 50 of our enzymes. 

Vitamin B6 plays an important role in our metabolic reactions, specifically amino acid metabolism (making proteins for your body to use in building itself) and glycogen utilization (blood sugar control). B6 also acts as a co-enzyme for 100 other enzymes that play key roles in many biological processes. It is also involved in supporting the production of hormones and neurotransmitters - the chemicals that are directing all your body's activities.  

Vitamin B9 (Folate): Folate is key to the process of methylation which covers just about everything our body does – from clearing of toxins to energy production to neurotransmitter regulation to DNA replication.  Folate is critical to the metabolism of nucleic acids and amino acids.  Because of this, it supports overall growth and development and blood cell formation and supports normal growth of the fetus. 

Vitamin B12: Shortages of B12 can cause anemia. B12 is a cofactor for two, yet very important enzymes.  One is used for methionine metabolism.  Methionine is an essential amino acid.  The other enzyme aids in producing energy from proteins and fats.  Overall B12 supports the nervous system, promotes the maturation of red blood cells (hence the tie to anemia when deficient in B12) and other cells, and supports bone and joint health.

Vitamin C: Many functions, chief among them immune system support. Vitamin C is also involved in forming collagen which is in our connective tissue.  It also facilitates iron absorption and assists in cholesterol metabolism.  So it is helping the blood, cardiovascular, endocrine, immune, musculoskeletal, and nervous systems.

Zinc: Many functions, main co-factor in many biological processes plus immune system support. Zinc supports the formation of many enzymes and insulin.  The same insulin we need for blood sugar control.  It also assists with wound healing, reproductive organ growth and development, and metabolism of phosphorus, carbohydrates, and proteins.  Putting it simply - zinc helps many body processes work.

Magnesium: Many functions and most people are deficient even without being on hormonal birth control. Magnesium aids in enzyme activation; helps metabolize blood sugar; supports healthy nerve and muscle function; assists in forming bones and teeth; and plays a role in nucleic acid, protein, carbohydrate, and fat synthesis.

Tyrosine: A building block of thyroid hormone. Shortage of tyrosine can then lead to low thyroid symptoms.

Selenium: Many functions, among them converting thyroid hormones from storage form (T4) to available form (T3) and for breast health. Selenium supports a healthy immune system response, prostaglandin production (hormone precursors), and healthy reproductive, pancreatic, and thyroid functions. 

CoQ10: A key nutrient for energy production in the mitochondria.

It is evident that the nutrients depleted by hormone based birth control pills play a major role in overall health. When we look at three main health concerns of women today (depression, low energy, and thyroid issues) there is a very strong association between these symptoms and the nutrient being depleted by birth control pills. 

Bernard Rosen, PhD is a Nutrition Consultant and Educator. He works with individuals, groups, and at corporations to create individualized nutrition and wellness programs. His office is in Mequon, WI. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, e-mail at bernie@brwellness.com, call (262) 389-9907 or go to www.brwellness.com.