Written By: Kevin Cann MS CN

Below is a link to an article I wrote for the paleo Solution site.  The dangers associated with mercury are encouraging people to not eat fish and avoid vaccinations.  Before you decide read about the science, http://robbwolf.com/2013/06/06/9-6-billion-reasons-fear-mercury-fish/

Written by: Kevin Cann MS CN

Health and wellness is an all encompassing concept.  It has come to my attention that people will pay attention to one or two aspects, but not the whole picture.  This is a popular example: ”I exercise for 60-90 minutes 6-7 days per week, eat paleo, but can’t lose belly fat.”  In some cases people have even gained weight in this scenario.  Yes, believe it or not you can literally run yourself into a bigger pants size.  So what can people in this position do?

For one, cut back on the exercise.  Exercise is a stressor and too much of it can cause issues.  We need the right amount of stress to force adaptation to come back stronger.  Too much or too little of the stress and we can run into some issues.  Next, make sure you really are eating paleo.  I have seen people eating paleo pancakes every morning that tell me they eat paleo.  Stick to the meats, fish eggs, and veggies.  Limit fruit intake to 1-2 servings per day and use the safe starches to fuel workout recovery and get plenty of healthy fats.  I am a fan of removing nuts for 30 days because they can be addicting and they are a common gut irritant.  Used as a condiment after the 30 days would be where I stand there.

On top of all that WE MUST HANDLE OUR STRESS!  People tell me all of the time that they are not stressed.  However, if you do not actively participate in some form of stress management it is negatively affecting you.  We encounter stress chronically on a day to day basis.  Deep breathing can be a wonderful tool.  Practicing diaphragmatic breathing can help correct improper breathing patterns as well as lower heart rate.  This not only can help alleviate stress, but also increase performance in sport!

Quality sleep is critical.  If you are not getting at least 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep in a completely blacked out room, you are not sleeping well.  Waking up during the night is a sign that circadian rhythm is not functioning properly.  A disruption in circadian rhythm will make it nearly impossible to lose weight and help alleviate any symptoms (http://edrv.endojournals.org/content/31/1/1.full)

Vitamin D is also critical.  Low vitamin D levels in men correlate with low testosterone (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21154195)  Get outside and get some sunlight.  This can be stress relieving as well.  Bring along your Ipod and listen to some calming music.

It is also important to develop relationships with friends.  Having social support is another big piece of health.  This is why there are “support groups”  You need to find friends that are your support group.  There is actually an increased risk of death in persons with low quantity or low quality social relationships (http://www.math.utah.edu/~lzhang/teaching/1070spring2012/Daily%20Updates/examples/feb1/Social%20Relationships%20and%20Health.pdf).

There is a lot of areas that need to be addressed for us to be totally healthy.  Take a step back and look at the areas in which you can improve upon.  Then develop a plan and check back in a few weeks and see how much better you feel.  I bet you will be surprised at how much improvement can come from something as small as concentrated breathing.

Written by: Kevin Cann MS CN

Are you addicted to exercise?  http://robbwolf.com/2013/05/29/exercise-addiction/

Like many of you, I am frequently attempting to come up with different gluten free breakfast ideas.  Here is one of my new favorites, I call it Berry Porridge.

In a food processor place the following ingredients:

1 Green Apple

5 Large Strawberries

1/4 Cup Blueberries

1/4 Cup Raspberries

1/4 Cup Chopped Walnuts

1-2 Scoops Vanilla Whey Protein Powder 

1/4 Cup Coconut Milk

1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Pulse all the ingredients to your desired consistency, I like it a little chunky.  This will make approximately 2 servings, I usually store the second serving in the fridge and eat as many as 5 days later.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Written By: Kevin Cann MS CN

http://robbwolf.com/2013/05/02/glutathione-synthesis-diet/

Written By: Kevin Cann MS CN

http://robbwolf.com/2013/04/19/dna-methylation-modern-disease/

Kevin Cann MS CN

I was currently part of an expert panel discussing ADD and diet for those who are interested in the topic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUh7mtPRemY

Kevin Cann MS CN

Please share this article with as many people as you can.  The more that see it, the bigger chance of it helping someone out, thanks.

http://robbwolf.com/2013/03/13/understanding-combating-oxidative-stress-huntingtons-disease/

Kevin Cann MS CN

I first began looking for someone with Kevin’s credentials at a very rough moment in my life. I was 23 years old, overweight, on depression and anxiety medicine, exhausted, and being told by every medical professional from registered dietician up through a bariatric surgeon specialist that my issues could all be solved by their own specialty. The registered dietician wanted me to eat better – which I did with no results. The personal trainer wanted me to work out 6 days a week, which I did with no results. The primary care physician wanted me on prescription weight loss medicine with 800 calories, which I did with no result. And the bariatric surgeon wanted to cut out my stomach – which got fully approved by my insurance. To put it plainly, the medical industry had failed me.

I needed someone who could take a birds-eye view and catch what thousands of dollars and years of professionals had not.

From my first interaction with Kevin, he’s offered more scientific insight than anyone had ever given me. The information regarding metabolism, adrenals, and neurochemistry has guided me to surround myself with new medical professionals to supplement Kevin’s guidance (all of which have always backed up Kevin completely. I paid a new primary care physician $600 to tell me what Kevin suspected in 10 minutes).

I now have a clear understanding of what has been happening with my body, and on the right track with Kevin and my medical team to reverse it. He caught I had an autoimmune disease called Hashimotos, which caused a lot of the lethargy and depression, and gave me a supplement plan (which I ran by my Dr who agreed with it) which has allowed me to go completely off of all my anti-depressants and anti-anxiety.

In no uncertain terms, I owe finally discovering my thyroid issues, balancing my neurochemistry and coming off medication, and coming onto a path of health and wellness (without cutting out my stomach) all to Kevin.

-Nathan

Written By: Kevin Cann MS CN

In my previous entry I discussed how the survival benefit of increased protein p53 inhibits glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, which inturn decreases intracellular glutathione and leads to an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS).  You can read it here: http://geneticpotential.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/circadian-melotonin-and-huntingtons-disease/.

To help prevent neurogeneration in those diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease we need to find a means to increase intracellular glutathione to combat the ROS.  This is where N-acetylcysteine supplementation comes into play.  N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a precursor to glutathione.  It also plays a role in modulating the inflammation, glutamatergic, and neurotropic pathways.  New research outlines NAC’s therapeutic use in disorders such as; bipolar disorder, gambling addiction, drug addiction, compulsive disorders, and schizophrenia (Dean, 2011).

Researchers have shown that NAC may be beneficial to those diagnosed with HD.  In one study rats were induced with the disease.  They were given the Wistar strain which inhibits the mitochondria in the striatum.  This is seen in human’s with the disease.  The rats given the strain showed increase ROS and a decrease in antioxidants.  There was an increase in capase 3 expressions as well as p53 in the rats given the Wistar strain.  This is very similar to the mechanisms seen in the human brain.  Capase 3 is important here because it plays a major role in apoptosis, programmed cell death.  An increase in capase 3 leads to an increase in apoptosis.    This lead to neurodegeneration in the rats by means of cognitive decline and motor impairment.  The rats treated with NAC showed a reversal of the symptoms induced by the disease including mitochondrial dysfunction and neurobehavioral deficits (Sandhir, 2012).

Not only is NAC a precursor to glutathione, it is a stimulator of the cystolic enzymes involved in glutathione regeneration.  NAC also has the ability on its own to reduce ROS and it has been shown to prevent apoptosis in cultured neuronal cells and comes with a lack of human toxicity (Benaclocha, 2001).

The other important part of increasing glutathione levels, as I mentioned in my previous article, is through our circadian melatonin levels.  Depression and sleep disorders are very common in patients with HD.  Serotonin is a key player in both aspects.  Serotonin is referred to as our “feel good” neurotransmitter.  Also, when the sunlight goes down our serotonin should be converted into melatonin. I wrote an article about serotonin here:  http://robbwolf.com/2012/10/05/serotonin-deficiency-food-cravings/.

Mouse models have shown an impairment in serotonergenic pathways as the cause for the depression seen in HD patients (Pang, 2009).  Serotonin binding sites in the basal ganglia were decreased in post-mortem human brains.  The basal ganglia is where the decreased GABA and increased dopamine occurs leading to chorea.  Serotonin may play a role in this area as well.  The interesting piece of this study is this same serotonergenic pathway dysfunction was not seen in patients with Parkinson’s disease (Waeber, 1989).  These studies tell us we have a neurotransmitter imbalance problem in the brain causing some symptoms of HD.  To alleviate a decrease in melatonin and to decrease the risk of depression in HD serotonin tissue levels need to remain constant.  5-htp supplementation may be the answer.

In conclusion, patients with HD suffer from increased oxidative stress.  This is due to a decrease in intracellular glutathione.  To increase the levels of that powerful antioxidant supplementing with NAC and restoring tissue levels of serotonin using 5-htp may have positive outcomes in the treatment of HD.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/22327485/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/11339849/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3044191/

http://hmg.oxfordjournals.org/content/18/4/753.short

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0306452289900821