Category: Blog Posts

Part One: Breathe Deep

 

Abundant health is not for the taking; it is for the making. One way you can do this is by activating your vagus nerve.


What is the Vagus Nerve?

The vagus nerve, coined ‘the superhighway’, originates in the brain stem and regulates the vast majority of the body’s autonomic functions. This means, for the most part, we do not have to think about these functions for them to happen consciously.

 

“Beginning in the brainstem, the nerve travels through the jugular foramen (the large hole at the bottom of the skull), into the neck, and down through the thoracic cavity to the abdomen. Vagus, the Latin for “wandering,” appropriately reflects the nerve’s meandering pathways.” (van Mersbergen, 2014)


Why is the Vagus Nerve Vital?

An optimal functioning vagus nerve is crucial in optimizing health and halting the progression of inflammation and disease. A great example of this is to imagine your favourite sports team. Each of the different players will have a specific role to play, and optimal performance within the team can only be reached if each player is doing their job correctly. The team coach manages to ensure that all the players are in sync with one another and can fulfill their roles accordingly. The vagus nerve is the ‘coach’ of the human body, as it regulates the function of so many different organs and cells. A coach that is not holding up their end will attribute to a poor overall performance from the team (our bodies); this is known as dysfunctional signaling which will result in a lack of harmony, creating inflammation, and eventually leading to a state of dysfunction and disease.


Is All Inflammation Harmful?

Now it is essential to mention that not all Inflammation is terrible. Inflammation is an essential response within the body to keep us safe from bacterial and viral invaders, physical trauma, and other things that should optimally not enter the body. When inflammation levels are not kept in check and become chronic, the effects can be wide-ranging and lead to many different health conditions. Managing the inflammatory system is one of the most critical functions of the vagus nerve. It can have far-reaching effects on your overall personal state of health and disease.

functional-medicine-calgary

How Can I Support My Vagus Nerve?

The first and most effective way to positively affect your vagus nerve is to learn to breathe correctly.

The average person takes approximately over 23,000 breaths per day. Can you imagine how this might affect your overall health and well-being if you are breathing sub-optimally? Rapid shallow chest breathing is a sign of stress, which activates the sympathetic branch of the nervous system and our fight or flight response. Slow, deep, belly breathing is a sign of rest, which activates the parasympathetic branch of the nervous system, and allows you to rest and digest.


Breathing Exercise: 

  1. Sit up straight without allowing your back to rest against anything, both feet on the floor.
  2. Roll the shoulders up and back; tuck the chin slightly to elongate the back of the neck.
  3. Exhale completely to remove all air from your lungs.
  4. Put your right hand on your chest and your left hand on your belly just above your belly button.
  5. Take a deep breath in through your nose for 5 to 7 seconds, allowing only your belly to rise, feeling only your left hand rising.
  6. Suspend (hold gently) that breath for 2 to 3 seconds.
  7. Exhale through your mouth for 6 to 8 seconds, allowing your belly to fall, feeling only your left hand falling.
  8. Suspend your breath out, without any air entering your lungs for 2 to 3 seconds.
  9. Repeat steps four through seven as many times as you feel comfortable or for a set period.

Note: the longer exhalations help to tap into your parasympathetic nervous system and “hack your vagus nerve” (Bergland, 2019).

You could start with 3 minutes per day and build from there. Make it part of your daily routine. For example, I like to implement this breathing technique first thing in the morning before my feet hit the floor and at the end of the day before I drift off to sleep. For best results, perform this practice multiple times per day, especially during periods of stress. Even a single minute of concentrated focus on slow, deep breathing can significantly positively impact your mood, stress levels, and overall health.

 

References:

Bergland, C. (2019, May 9). Longer exhalations are an easy way to hack your vagus nerve. Psychology Today. Retrieved from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/the-athletes-way/201905/longer-exhalations-are-easy-way-hack-your-vagus-nerve

 

van Mersbergen, M. (2014). Viva la vagus! Choral Journal, 55(3). Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Miriam-VanMersbergen/publication/266376150_Viva_La_Vagus/links/56e97fdb08ae95bddc29e48a/Viva-La-Vagus.pdf


Author

Darla Montgomery

The Health Benefits of Urban Gardening

 

*Hint* It’s not just better nutrition!

During colder months, you can keep planters of herbs indoors to make your cooking fresh and zesty. In summer, no matter the size, your backyard or balcony can be your sanctuary from the world and a source of nutrient-dense foods and aromatic herbs. 

 

One of the most obvious benefits of producing your own food is that you get high quality, fresh, nutrient-dense fruits and veggies, and you are more likely to eat what is in season.

 

But the health benefits of gardening go far beyond the extra vitamins and minerals in your diet.

 

Clean Eating and Air-Purifying

 

No matter the size of your yard, you can start your own urban garden!

 

🥕 When you eat veggies grown in your home or yard you decrease your exposure to toxicants. Growing in your own home in some ways is the most organic way to grow – you control the use (or no use!) of pesticides or fertilizer. And you decrease your exposure to plastics that often contain harmful chemicals. If fact, you may be able to completely do away with food packaging completely. This is a huge plus since packaging is one of the most harmful and ubiquitous environmental pollutants that exist.

 

🍅 Plants are natural air purifiers! Certain types of plants have incredible air purification and breathing benefits so while you are outside working in the garden you are not only growing nutrient-dense food – you are growing an air-purifying system. An indoor mini-garden can do wonders for the air quality in your home.

 

What Gardening Improves

 

🍆 Gardening improves brain health. Large sets of data show that plants increase focus and attention. We, humans, evolved in settings with far more plants and far fewer computer screens than we are presently exposed to. While too much screen time is typically harmful to attention span and focus capacity, the presence of plants results in the opposite effects.

 

🌽 Gardening improves mood and overall well-being. Gardening has been shown to improve blood pressure, anxiety levels, and even job satisfaction. It can ground you and be a form of meditation.

 

🍇 Gardening improves immune function, and not only because of the increase in vegetable consumption. Just the exposure to plants plays a role in preventing illness.

 

🍓 Gardening feeds your soul. At the center of Linden & Arc Vitality Institute’s Core Nodes of Healing’ is mind, body, spirit, soul. Plants are aesthetically pleasing and also popular subjects of artwork adorning walls. Why not have real plants in your home, too?

 

Freedom in Urban Gardening

 

Ultimately, there is very powerful freedom of expression with gardening and it can 100% play a role in your healing journey. One of our favourite plants to grow are edible weeds like chives. They pop up like magic and make me so proud for being incredibly resilient, beautiful, and full of flavour. We also like our indoor herb garden to include basil and mint. Basil is aromatic for cooking with and mint leaves are a great addition to both hot and cold drinking water.


Mmm, sounds good, smells good, feels good, and tastes good, too!

Men’s health is defined as identifying, preventing, and treating conditions that are most common or specific to men. It is not just a magazine to help men get buff, however, most men would struggle to come up with even a definition that would resemble the above. Men’s health is under-researched, underfunded, and under-appreciated. How is can this be when it represents half the world’s population?


Unfortunately, health is not an issue men talk about. This lack of societal acceptance as an issue has made men’s health become a silently growing, enormous, and destructive problem. This lack of awareness is causing some extremely disconcerting statistics. For example, the gap between male and female life expectancy continues to widen and is on average 4 years. This gap is even wider in socially disadvantaged groups. There is not a single country where men live longer than women. Not only is life expectancy lower but men have a lower quality of life, poorer health, and significantly decreased functioning. Men have decreased quality of life from poor health and on average men spend 9 years in poor frail states (this is close to a decade spent in disability, poor energy, and loss of independence!). Men are more likely to die from cancer, heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes than women. 

 

Men’s Mental Health

Mental health is another arena that is neglected for men. Men’s risk of suicide is close to double or triple that for women. In fact, the risk of alcohol and illegal drug abuse (including other harmful activities) is extremely high as well. This is a reflection of how men are dealing with mental health concerns. Men participate in higher riskier health activities such as smoking and unprotected sex. They are also at high risk of death and disability due to violence and trauma. Society’s silence on these issues has contributed to men accepting this. 

 

Preventative Health Care and Men

Men access preventative health care much less than women and are much more likely to ignore their health concerns and not participate in universal screening programs. There is a profound lack of interest in men’s health by global health institutions and many health organizations omit men’s health as part of their agendas. Apathy on a personal and global scale has only compounded the problem of men’s health. 

 

The real issue here is men’s mindset. Men take pride if they haven’t been to a doctor in 25 years. They claim nothing is wrong and they believe it makes them sound strong. that they are not broken and they don’t need help. Men neglect their bodies for years and maintain their sports cars regularly. Realizing your body is a more complex machine than the car in the garage is the first step in improving men’s health overall. Once established, men will realize that their bodies require care more often than once in 25 years!

 

There is so much that men can do to improve their health. Follow these 2 steps to optimal men’s health. Research to make better choices and the desire to live a life with more energy and vitality! 

 

Step 1: Become Aware of Where You Are Right Now 

The first thing in creating any achievable plan is having an awareness of where your health is right now. Men should visit their doctor to receive age-appropriate screening. Screenings should include a physical exam and diagnostic tests. You can take deeper dive into your health if you have symptoms or health conditions. These more specific testing options can determine your hormones, vitamin, and mineral levels. 

 

It is also crucial to know not only your weight but your body fat and muscle mass percentages. Muscle mass has a big role to play in strength and vitality especially in men. The more strength you have, the longer you live in general. As well, the stronger you are the longer you can play sports, hike, golf, and ultimately avoid a wheelchair. When you receive a well-rounded picture of where you are at, you can begin making a plan with measurable and specific goals.

 

Think of it as getting a scouting report for a hockey draft. As a potential draft candidate, you will find out how you measure up and decide if you want to shore up areas that could use some help. Maybe it’s your puck handling or backward skating speed. In medicine, that could be your mental acuity or lack of quad/hamstring strength. A physician helps you get the most out of life and in the best shape you can. Wouldn’t we all want to look as good and feel as good as Richard Branson (he’s in his seventh decade of life now) rather than a guy who had two knee replacements and can barely walk? 

 

Step 2: Creating Change with Different Choices

Sometimes all people need is to see all the different choices and have it explained in a meaningful way by an expert. You can do simple things that to give you energy, increase your muscle mass percentage, decrease body fat percentage, and change your overall health. 

 

For example, did you know that eating better, exercising, and not smoking can drastically improve erections? Or, that the blood vessels to the penis are the same size as those going to the heart? Thus, erectile dysfunction is a real risk factor for developing heart disease. Most men want to have and keep their erections strong. Functional Medicine also shows that doing keeping strong erections will increase your overall well-being. Measuring, tracking, and being accountable can make these changes easy to implement, especially if you have something to gain. Your gains are overall health and the ability to have healthy erections. 

 

That small voice in your head tells you that things can be different, life can be more joyful, more energetic, more meaningful, and that your health can be better. This is a call to an adventure and a journey to be better. Make the decision to have an extraordinary life and start it by taking care of your body. Would you rather drive around in a Ferrari 308 GTB Berlinetta (the one Magnum PI drove) or have your body be the equivalent of a beat-up Dodge Caravan Minivan? It’s your choice. Your body is the only real vehicle you have in this lifetime so decide how you want it to look and feel. 

 

Prostate Cancer

Men today are terrified of prostate cancer. It affects 1 in 7 Canadian men and is responsible for the deaths of 1 in 27 Canadian men. Age, genetics, and race are well-known responsible risk factors in overall prostate health, but the one element that many people ignore is diet and obesity. Diet and obesity are completely modifiable!

 

Getting “man boobs” is not only unsightly, but it is also a warning sign that you are increasing your risk of cancer. Obese men have a 20% higher chance of prostate cancer and really obese (BMI>35) men have a 34% higher chance of developing prostate cancer. This makes sense because the more fat men carry, the higher the circulating hormones they have! (including female hormones)

 

Screening is essential. It has led to detecting cancer earlier with the hope of intervening and preventing death. One of the most deadly combinations in men’s health are these two factors:

  1. Men’s lackadaisical approach to their health. If they wait until symptoms are felt, it will be too late, because…
  2. Prostate cancer symptoms usually don’t surface until it has metastasized.

 

With screening, we can find prostate cancer 8-10 years before a man would have symptoms. Obviously, with earlier detection, the treatments are more effective. 

 

Men can do so many things to decrease their risk of prostate cancer and improve outcomes if diagnosed. All lifestyle factors play a part in these outcomes including nutrition, weight, exercise, sleep, stress, and relationships. These elements are extremely important to prevention, treatment, and recovery from any side effects to treatment (ie. recovering from surgery). Knowing that cancer can be modified by what you do, not just what the doctor says he can do about it is the best way to take control of your health.

 

One plan men can implement with a diagnosis of low-grade prostate cancer is watchful waiting. This is monitoring with no intervening treatment. We encourage you to address lifestyle factors and re-empower yourselves with the knowledge that you can help participate in changing your outcome. This also helps with the anxiety and stress of having a prostate cancer diagnosis. 

 

Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy

A condition called Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy describes the enlargement of the prostate or BPH. Symptoms of BPH include getting up more than once at night, having a noticeably slower stream, and urinating twice before breakfast. It affects almost every aging man, can cause significant disruption in the quality of life, and requires medical intervention. It can also improve by changing modifiable lifestyle factors. Some of the simple ways to reverse Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy and rebalance hormones is decreasing body fat percentage, especially abdominal fat. We advise adding foods to your diet that are helpful in prostate health.

 

Men’s health is finally taking precedence through functional medicine. The Linden & Arc Vitality Institute approach focuses on the patient as a whole. The 7 Core Nodes of Healing covers the mind, body, soul, and spirit which are all connected, in health and wellness. Each node represents a set of interconnected biological functions, much like a web, all influencing each other. Through detailed quantitative testing and keen analysis, we look at the overall function and organ efficiency of each system in the model. If you’re ready to start taking your total health seriously, contact Linden & Arc Vitality Institute today for an initial consultation.

 

Authors: Julie Hong MD CCFP CTM IFMCP and Jun Kawakami MD MSc FRCSC Urologic Cancer Surgeon

A myriad of environmental toxins and heavy metals torment our bodies daily. These terrible toxins cause chronic illness and disease in living things. Humans ingest these heavy metal toxins in 3 ways: consuming pesticides in the foods we eat; inhaling pollutants in the air we breathe; and using chemical-laden beauty products on our skin and hair.


The exposure to environmental toxins can be so slow and steady that it doesn’t become recognized as a source of the illness. Since conventional medicine doesn’t look for the root cause of illness and only treats symptoms, you may never know if heavy metals are killing you. Since we can’t seem to avoid constant exposure to environmental toxins, we must continually detoxify our bodies to remove them before they wreak havoc on our bodies. Let’s identify the 5 heavy metals/environmental toxins that cause chronic illness.

 

What Are Heavy Metals?

Heavy metals lie throughout the earth’s crust and are naturally occurring elements. These metallic elements classify very differently from each other based on your body’s needs. Some heavy metals are actually essential nutrients such as iron, cobalt, and zinc and others are relatively harmless like ruthenium, silver, and indium. Heavy metals are systemic toxicants and cause chronic illness. These heavy metals are such as arsenic, aluminum, cadmium, mercury, and lead.

 

Arsenic

In the world of environmental toxins, arsenic qualifies as the most widely known, abundant, and lethal of heavy metals. Arsenic exists bountifully within the earth’s crust and in smaller quantities within the air, water, rock & soil. While a large amount of arsenic exists in the natural world, the majority is synthetic. The primary use of synthetic arsenic is in ammunition, auto batteries, electronic devices, semiconductors, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, and treated wood.

 

The most common route by which a toxicant such as arsenic can end up in our bodies is through environmental contamination by way of mining and agricultural practices. Arsenic travels through our water and ultimately to the soil where we grow our produce.

 

What Arsenic Does To Our Bodies

Arsenic is a type of heavy metal that can cause toxicity to our bodies at a cellular level. Overexposure can cause an array of terrible symptoms such as drowsiness, confusion, headaches, and gastrointestinal flu-like symptoms. It can also cause seizures, anemia, rupture red blood cells, and lower blood pressure. Those suffering can also experience neurological issues like brain damage, peripheral neuropathy, and edema, Arsenic toxicity poisons the cells and has the potential to cause chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, neurotoxicity, cancer in any part of the body, and ultimately death.

 

Aluminum

Aluminum is the most abundant heavy metal in the earth and like arsenic, is also present in the environment. Although aluminum is not usually harmful, exposure at high levels can cause some serious chronic health conditions. It is in our food, water, air, and soil so our bodies are exposed daily.

 

Overexposure can cause fatigue, confusion, speech problems, cognitive impairment, and seizures. Aluminum toxicity causes other more severe health problems including fractures, deformities, and slow growth in children. Chronic conditions that appear due to aluminum toxicity are muscle weakness, lung and nervous system issues, and anemia due to damaged iron absorption.

 

High levels of aluminum significantly impact bone and brain health. Not only can it increase the potential of brain diseases but can cause bone pain, bone diseases, and reduce bone remodeling capabilities.

 

Cadmium

Cadmium is a silvery, white flexible heavy metal also found in the environment. Most cadmium used today to create batteries, pigments, coatings, and platings and stabilizers for plastics.

Cadmium is not only damaging to the lungs and kidneys, but it also competes with zinc at all cellular binding sites, resulting in loss of enzyme activity.  Breathing in cigarette smoke can cause smokers and non- smokers to accumulate dangerous levels of cadmium.

 

Mercury

We are exposed to the many different forms of Mercury in different ways. It exists in the earth’s crust and emits as a gas via volcanoes and mining or by way of evaporation from bodies of water. But humans do not become poisoned by mercury inhalation but by ingestion, especially through fish.

 

Mercury produces thermometers, batteries, lamps, amalgam tooth fillings, and prescription drugs. People exposed to mercury by way of eating fish containing methylmercury or breaking products containing mercury, including tooth fillings.

 

Mercury poisoning gives tremours, gingivitis, minor psychological changes, and even brain damage. Pregnant women can experience spontaneous abortion, congenital malformation, or development changes.

 

Long term exposure to mercury can affect both the functioning of the central as well as the peripheral nervous system and manifest as a host of symptoms including weakness and fatigue, depressed immunity or gi disturbances . 

 

Lead

Lead has a misconception. It is only present in our drinking water because of lead pipes. While there are sometimes very clear symptoms of heavy metal toxicity such as lead poisoning in children, many symptoms of heavy metal toxicity may not be as obvious.

 

Lead also exists in personal care products and cosmetics. Our everyday exposure slowly builds up in our body tissues and has the potential to cause chronic illness. 

 

Lead toxicity can be difficult to detect as high blood levels of lead can occur in even the healthy. Symptoms do not normally appear until a person has accrued dangerous levels, and even more strange, symptoms vary between infants, children, and adults.

 

Lead Poisoning In Infants Exposed Before Birth

Infants exposed to lead before birth can be born prematurely, have lower birth weight, and can experience slowed growth. This is whether the pregnant mother had experienced any symptoms at all.

 

Lead Poisoning In Children

Children are the most susceptible to lead poisoning. Those exposed to lead can experience irritability, abdominal pain, vomiting, constipation, loss of appetite, weight loss, and fatigue. Worse cases can occur that exhibit developmental delay and learning difficulty, hearing loss & seizures in children.

 

Lead poisoning In Adults

Adults exhibiting symptoms of lead poisoning may experience headaches, concentration issues, mood issues, high blood pressure, joint pain, and muscle pain. Males can have reduced sperm count and abnormal sperm where females can miscarry, have stillbirths or premature birth.

 

With the serious health impact of heavy metals it is prudent for us to educate ourselves and avoid as many potential sources of these multi-system toxicants as we can. There are many resources available online (The Environmental Working Group and the Center for Hazardous Substance research to help you stay informed and safe.  

 

We are exposed to heavy metals most often through ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact. If you are concerned or believe heavy metals are compromising your health, you may want to consider testing. The most accurate method of testing for total body burden of heavy metals is with a urine toxic metals test. The results can assist practitioners in recommending customized treatments to pull the heavy metals out of your body.  Please contact the clinic if you are interested in learning more.

 

Author

Nora Kassay-Farkas is our Functional Medicine Health Coach and Natural Nutrition Clinical Practitioner at Linden & Arc Vitality Institute. Nora is pleased to provide nutrition consultations and Functional Medicine health coaching to you in your journey to wellness. She offers sessions for CIRS, Brain Health, weight loss, and supports Autoimmune conditions. Contact Nora at: [email protected]

Do you ever wonder what the root cause of your headaches is? Probably not in the middle of having one! Realistically, you just want it gone. The functional medicine approach does not stop at the symptoms. It is a whole-body approach that asks what the root cause of those symptoms is. It’s at the moment you realize that your headaches don’t start in your head, that you are on your way to healing.

 

4 Types of Headaches

There are 4 different types of headaches, each with their own distinct symptoms but all are debilitating, no matter the form. Distinguishing the symptoms will help you categorize the type. These types are migraines, tension headaches, cluster headaches, and secondary headaches. Let’s explore the symptoms of each.

 

Migraine Headaches

The most severe and longest-lasting of all types of headaches are migraines. Migraines often times are preceded by an aura, flashes of light or blind spots. Sufferers may have difficulty speaking and experience tingling on one side of the face, an arm, or a leg. The throbbing or pulsing pain lasts from hours to days and is normally felt on one side of the head. Other symptoms of migraines can include light and noise sensitivity, nausea, and vomiting.

 

Tension Headaches

The most common headache is called a tension headache, or stress headache, It feels much like squeezing or “vice” like feeling around the head, temples, and upper neck. This type of headache is continuous and lasts anywhere from a half-hour to a week and symptoms can include trouble sleeping and difficulty concentrating.

 

Cluster Headaches

Cluster headaches, lasting 15 minutes to 3 hours occur in cluster periods, over a longer period of time. These are considered the most painful or excruciating types of headaches developing on one side of the head, in or around one eye and one side of the face. The severe, burning pain strikes at night.

 

Secondary Headaches

Secondary headaches are those that are caused by other conditions. These conditions can include sinus issues; high blood pressure, overexertion, medication side effect, withdrawal, or hormone imbalances, just to name a few. 

 

The Functional Medicine Treatment of Headaches

Functional Medicine treats all types of headaches with success by looking deeper at the causes. We have remarkable success in treating headaches because we look deeper at the causes and treat accordingly. Often, more than one underlying cause contributes to each headache. Conventional medicine treats headaches and migraines with over the counter and prescription pain medications.

 

Noting the History of Your Headaches

Linden & Arc Vitality Institute doctors and practitioners will take thorough notes on the history of your headaches, along with an in-depth look at your full health story.  We examine the location, type of pain, measured intensity, duration, and any other symptoms associated to determine the potential causes of the type of headache you are suffering from. We use the LMMD 7 Core Nodes of Healing approach to assessing your individual root causes and dig deeper. Let’s apply Linden & Arc Vitality Institute 7 Core Nodes of Healing to your headache relief.

 

7 Core Nodes of Healing For Headache Relief

 

The Gut

One of the 7 Core Nodes of Healing is the gut. Managing the gut and food reactions in terms of managing headaches could be the answer to headache relief. Food sensitivities and allergies are some of the most common reasons for headaches that we see in the clinic. You may not have symptoms immediately with a delayed IgG food sensitivity, the inflammation that grumbles from repeated exposure to a triggering food can result in daily headaches for some. 

 

Histamine and Tyramine food reactions are common triggers of headaches and migraines. As well, dysbiosis, an imbalance in good and bad bacteria, can trigger headaches. An example of dysbiosis is high opportunistic candida overgrowth in the gut. 

 

Hormones 

High levels of cortisol, one of our main stress hormones, can lead to headaches. Therefore, take note of the timing of the headaches during your menstrual cycle. Typically, migraines are caused by an imbalance in Estrogen and Progesterone in women. This is why we typically see a surge in headache symptoms the week leading up to the period. Functional Medicine physicians call this Estrogen Dominance. High levels of Xenoestrogens in our environment and inflammation both cause headaches as well. We can manage migraines/ headaches in a cyclical fashion, using supplements or hormones at different stages of the menstrual cycle.

 

Energy

Mitochondria, the little ‘powerhouses’ or ‘factories’ in the cells, make our body’s energy (or ATP). They do this using nutrient substrates and oxygen. These mitochondria can function sluggishly from nutrient deficiencies, inflammation, chronic infection, and toxicity. This leads to a cascade of events that causes “energy failure” in the nerve tissue. This energy failure can activate headaches.We are able to test the Krebs cycle to assess for mitochondrial dysfunction and can test the individual nutrients that we know fuel the mitochondria.  Riboflavin (B2), coenzyme Q10, magnesium, niacin (B3), carnitine, alpha-lipoic acid supplements are very effective in giving the mitochondria the boost that they need. Intravenous nutrients can start functioning much quicker in someone with an unhealthy gut. 

 

Detoxification

The body needs regular detoxification to remove the many external toxins that we are faced with on a day to day basis. These exposures come from many different sources. These sources can be anything from pesticides on our food to the air we breathe, the water we drink, chemicals in our cosmetics, and cleaning products. We are exposed to other endocrine disrupters in places like receipts or plastic bottles. Detoxification system overwhelm and poor detoxifying genes allow our bodies to accumulate toxins much easier. These are well established in the literature to cause many health conditions. This “backlog” of toxins in the body can cause many different symptoms, one of which is headaches. Fortunately, we are able to test for all of the different chemicals and metals that we know to be an issue. In a stepwise, staged process, we teach the body how to detoxify more efficiently and see improvement in many symptoms including headaches.

 

Immune Balance/ Chronic Inflammation

Chronic inflammation usually appears from infective triggers, known as “Biotoxins.” Biotoxins can appear from the inflammatory sources from food, gut imbalances, hormone imbalance, and toxin accumulation. Living toxins cause headaches. Examples are mold, Lyme, virus, or bacteria.

 

In genetically vulnerable individuals, these can trigger an inflammatory response termed Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome. This is a multi-symptom, multi-system disease, with headaches and other cognitive disruptions being very common. Mast cell activation syndrome, commonly associated with this, leads to the release of Histamine & other inflammatory cytokines, which can cause headaches. These are exceedingly common in our very ill patient population. We take a detailed history and analyze it appropriately.

 

Brain Power and Mood

Brain neurotransmitter’s imbalances can cause headaches and mood issues. A high level of glutamate, an excitatory neurotransmitter, can lead to headaches and mood changes. It is important to rule out underlying neurological disorders or syndromes as a cause of headaches. Your functional medicine physician will be able to determine what to look for based on a history and examination.

 

Heart Vitality

Your physician will test your heart vitality with regard to headaches. There may be vascular (blood vessel) contributions to your migraines, from vascular activation of the nervous system. There is communication between blood vessels, nerve cells, and possibly Mast cells (mentioned above) in the activation of headaches. Headaches can be caused by high blood pressure so this is an important cause to initially rule out. We can establish from your personal and family history, and other lab results whether you have risk factors for the above.

 

Structural Issues

Cervical Spine, Head, Temporomandibular joint (TMJ), and Dental structural issues are all very closely related. Imbalances in one area can cause disruptions in the other. A detailed history of previous injuries is extremely important. Even “a bump to the head” or hidden dental infections or TMJ can be significant enough to throw things out of balance and contribute to headaches. We refer our patients to brilliant Nucca Chiropractors, Physio/ manual therapists and World Class Biological dentists with experience to assess these areas.

 

Mind Body Spirit Soul 

The doctors at Linden & Arc Vitality Institute always look back to the emotional and spiritual contributions to your symptoms. Your mind, body, spirit, and soul are connected and one out of balance leads to all in illness. Addressing underlying issues helps to start the healing journey. We hold emotions and stress in our cells. Therefore, physical symptoms arise if these emotions have been held or suppressed.

 

Functional medicine practitioners have many tools to help you get the bottom of your headaches. You see from this discussion why medications fall short and do not help many headaches. If we look in the right places and treat your headaches with the individual care that they deserve, true healing and resolution can occur! 

 

A HANDY RESOURCE
To track your symptoms: https://migrainetracker.ca. This can be useful for your physician to determine what type of headache you are having, which will help determine the root cause. 

 

REFERENCES 

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  7. Pringsheim T, Davenport W, Mackie G, et al. Canadian Headache Society guideline for migraine prophylaxis. Can J Neurol Sci. 2012;39(2 Suppl 2):S1-59.
  8. Hajihashemi P, Askari G, Khorvash F, Reza Maracy M, Nourian M. The effects of concurrent coenzyme Q10, L-carnitine supplementation in migraine prophylaxis: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial. Cephalalgia. 2019;39(5):648-654. doi:10.1177/0333102418821661
  9. Bektas H, Karabulut H, Doganay B, Acar B. Allergens might trigger migraine attacks. Acta Neurol Belg. 2017;117(1):91-95. doi:10.1007/s13760-016-0645-y
  10. Sadeghi O, Maghsoudi Z, Khorvash F, Ghiasvand R, Askari G. The relationship between different fatty acids intake and frequency of migraine attacks. Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res. 2015;20(3):334-339 
  11. Köseoglu E, Talaslioglu A, Gönül AS, Kula M. The effects of magnesium prophylaxis in migraine without aura. Magnes Res. 2008;21(2):101-108.
  12. Andreeva VA, Szabo de Edelenyi F, Druesne-Pecollo N, Touvier M, Hercberg S, Galan P. Macronutrient intake in relation to migraine and non-migraine headaches. Nutrients. 2018;10(9):E1309. doi:10.3390/10091309

Author

Dr. Michelle van der Westhuizen, MD

The Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet is a fairly new, food-based approach aimed at reducing inflammation and healing the gut. Although the diet is very restrictive (mainly meats and vegetables), it offers relief and even healing for those who suffer from autoimmune conditions and disorders. These are some go-to recipes we highly recommend: Roast Chicken, Salmon, Ginger/Chicken Soup, Lamb Meatballs, Beef Tacos, Ginger Snaps, and Carob Banana Ice Cream.

 

 

Lemon Herb AIP Roast Chicken

 

This flavourful rendition of roast chicken will give your taste buds a tease! The savoury flavours used in this Lemon Herb Roast Chicken will make you forget you are eating for AIP.

 

Ingredients:

  • 3 tbsp kosher salt
  • 1 pastured chicken 3-4 lbs
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 tbsp ghee/duck fat/olive oil
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 1 parsnip, diced
  • 1 yellow onion, diced

 

Instructions:

  1. One night before: thaw chicken and salt liberally with kosher salt then set in the fridge overnight to dry out. This will make the skin nice and crispy while the meat is juicy when you cook it the next day.
  2. Preheat the oven at 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
  3. Take out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Lay it flat on a cutting board breast side down. Using kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone to remove it. (You can save the backbone to use for bone broth later). Once the backbone has been removed, flip your chicken over and press down to flatten it. 
  4. In a small bowl combine the ghee, lemon zest, garlic, and parsley. Carefully reach under the skin on the chicken breasts and thighs and massage in some of the ghee mixture throughout. Rub any remaining ghee mixture on the outside of the skin.
  5. Place the chicken in a large cast-iron pan and surround it with diced carrot, parsnip, and onion.

Roast the chicken for approximately 45 minutes (basting every 10 minutes) or until thigh meat reaches 165 degrees F.  Serve with lemon and roasted veggies and enjoy this wonderful feast of flavours.

 

 

Lemon Garlic Salmon AIP Style

 

A delicate salmon filet is the quickest, most nourishing meals you can make. It is much less fishy than other types of fish and is a wonderful complement to your AIP protocol. Simple ingredients like lemon and garlic enhance this already flavourful and perfectly textured fish. This will soon become one of your favourite AIP recipes.

 

Ingredients

  • 1 Salmon Fillet
  • Zest of one lemon
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1-2 tbsp Braggs Coconut Nectar (soy sauce substitute)
  • 1 tsp Alderwood smoked sea salt from Silk Road Spice Merchant (can use regular salt)

 

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Set the salmon fillet on a parchment-lined baking sheet, let sit for 30 mins (longer if it was frozen). Season the salmon with lemon zest, garlic powder, smoked salt, and coconut nectar.

Bake for 15 minutes (a few minutes longer if it is a large piece). The trick is not to overcook it, so it does not dry out. All that’s left is to enjoy!

 

 

Comforting AIP Ginger/Chicken Soup

 

Spicy, peppery, sweet, and comforting – ginger is a wonderful compliment to any sweet or savoury dish. Even better, ginger has anti-inflammatory properties, helps digestion, and reduces nausea. Adding ginger to chicken soup takes it to a whole new level.

 

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small red onion, chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
  • 2 litres chicken bone broth
  • 2 medium parsnips, chopped
  • 2 medium carrots, chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1 medium turnip, chopped
  • 3 bay leaves
  • Kosher salt
  • Leftover roast chicken
  • 4 green onions sliced

 

Instructions:

  1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring until fragrant, 1-2 minutes
  2. Add the broth. Stir in the parsnips, carrots, celery, turnip, and ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, using a fork or your fingers, shred the chicken meat. Add the chicken and cook until heated through, 3-4 minutes. Top with green onions to serve and enjoy!

 

 

 

Savoury AIP Lamb Meatballs

 

Lamb seems to be a tough culinary sell because it’s considered gamey and pungent. Though, when seasoned properly, it is a perfect addition to your AIP recipes. Plus, there are quite a few health benefits, including its richness in iron, more-so than chicken and fish.

 

Ingredients:

  • 1lb ground lamb
  • 3 tbsp basil leaves, minced
  • 2 tbsp mint leaves, minced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ cup onion, minced
  • 2 tbsp Bragg’s Coconut Nectar
  • 1 tsp Himalayan pink salt

 

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
  2. Mix all ingredients together.
  3. Form 10 meatballs (approx 2 tablespoons each).
  4. Bake for 30 minutes OR cook in Air Fryer for ten minutes for perfect crispiness and juiciness.

Serve these tasty lamb meatballs with salad, cauliflower rice, or sweet potato fries. You’ll certainly forget this is an AIP recipe.

 

 

Tastiest AIP Beef Tacos

 

We think these are the tastiest beef tacos and will make you look forward to the designated day of the week you serve this delicious meal. Make it one of your regulars.

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1/3 medium onion, diced
  • Garlic powder
  • Onion powder
  • 1 tsp Oregano
  • 1/8 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp Ginger
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • 1 Avocado
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
  • Salt to taste
  • Green onion
  • Lettuce/greens of choice
  • Coconut or Cassava Tortillas

 

Instructions:

  1. Brown the beef, spoon out fat, then add diced onion and spices and cook through.
  2. Guacamole: Mash the avocado, mix in the lime juice, cilantro, and salt to taste

Place the tortillas in a warm oven for a few minutes then top with beef, guacamole, greens, and green onion. Add some extra fresh lime.

 

 

Best AIP Ginger Snaps

Ingredients

  • 1 1⁄2 cups cassava flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
  • 3⁄4 cup coconut oil
  • 1 cup coconut sugar (or ½ coconut sugar plus ½ cup Lakanto)
  • 1 gelatin “egg”, (1 tbsp gelatin + ½ cup boiling water)
  • 1⁄2 cup molasses

 

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat mat.
  2. Combine flour, baking soda, spices and salt in a medium bowl, whisk to combine and set aside.
  3. In a separate bowl, cream together coconut oil and sugar. Add gelatin egg and molasses, continue mixing until well combined. Add dry ingredients, mixing well to combine.
  4. Scoop dough into tablespoon-sized balls. Roll in coconut sugar or Lakanto if desired and place on prepared baking sheet about 2” apart. Before baking flatten the dough slightly with the bottom of a glass.
  5. Bake 8-10 minutes for a softer inside, 12-14 minutes for a crisper cookie.
  6. Remove from oven and let set on baking sheet for approximately 3 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack. Cookies will crisp up as they cool. You should get approximately 36 cookies.

 

Ginger Snap Sandwiches with Carob Banana Ice Cream: AIP recipes

 

Creamiest AIP Carob Banana Ice Cream

 

Some AIP recipes, like this one, taste fantastic. You’ll soon fall in love with this Carob Banana Ice Cream and have no guilt devouring it.

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 can full fat coconut milk
  • 2 bananas
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ¼ carob powder
  • 1-2 tbsp maple syrup (optional or can substitute honey or alternative sweetener)

 

Instructions:

  1. Combine ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth
  2. Pour into ice cream maker and process until frozen
  3. Eat right away or freeze for about 1 hour for optimal consistency
  4. Use ginger snaps to make ice cream sandwiches

These fun and tasty AIP recipes are meant to make the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) easier to bear and create a new, delicious normal for your routines. They can become a replacement for the old days of ‘whipping up spaghetti and meat sauce.’ These recipes aren’t any more difficult or time-consuming than the average ‘go-to’ foods. These dishes are inspired by the Functional and Integrative Medicine approach to reducing inflammation and healing the gut.


We hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

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