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DNA is a history book – a narrative of the journey of our species through time. A shop manual, with an incredibly detailed blueprint for building every human cell. It’s a transformative textbook of medicine, with insights. These insights give health care providers immense new powers to treat, prevent, and cure diseases.”

Genetics and Genomics

Gene study exists in 2 facets: genetics and genomics. Genetics is the study of single genes in isolation. Genomics is the study of all the genes in the genome, their interaction with each other, and with the environment. Each individual’s history book is full of possible stories. The stories tell of their influence by factors such as diet, lifestyle, emotional state, and environment.

In clinical practice, we are privileged to have the ability to hear what our patients are presenting with, or their story. We have the capacity to order testing to look at their phenotypical expression. The phenotypical expression describes what each gene is telling the body to say. In other words, the “stories” told. This allows not only to offer better treatment of existing concerns but also to tailor the prevention of future disease.

DNA: A Patient Study

I saw this first-hand through the story of one of my patients, JP. When we met, JP told me “I would love to find relief from the gut pain I feel daily… I can’t remember the last day I had without some bowel pain or issue like gas and bloating.” Alongside her severe digestive symptoms, JP expressed significant anxiety, fatigue toward the end of the day, fertility concerns, and cravings for sweets.

JP was a bright, young individual experiencing undue suffering every day. The issues left unresolved by conventional care were not only causing daily pain and discomfort but put JP at risk for developing serious illness in the future.

To get to the root-cause of JP’s suffering, I ran the following tests:

Enterolab

This uncovered hidden celiac disease, as well as casein (dairy) intolerance.

MRT LEAP

This showed 35 “reds” and “yellows” (food sensitivities), suggesting severe intestinal permeability.

GI Stool Effects

Showing SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) and various medication intolerances.

Neurotransmitter Testing

Showing imbalances that could aggravate and perpetuate her anxiety.

Heart Rate Variability

Showed a stressed system in need of rest and relaxation.

ION Panel

Her ION revealed numerous nutritional imbalances. These allowed for exploration into ‘nutrigenomics’, or how these nutrient deficiencies and imbalances affected JP’s gene expression and determined her health.

All of the above tests allowed for a greater understanding of the underlying imbalances that lead to JP’s debilitating symptoms. This allowed me to eliminate her lifelong digestive problems by cleaning up her gut, reducing her toxicity, balancing her hormones, and replenishing her nutrient depletions.

Her anxiety, however, began to worsen once her digestion improved. It was only in looking at her genome that I was able to finesse her diet and supplement program to heal her fully.

23andMe DNA Gene Test

Prior to the deciphering of the human genome, humans believed that once we knew the code of life in our DNA, we would answer all the questions related to the origin of disease. In reality, we learned that rather than disease being locked-in as hardwired “stories” in our genome, these characteristics included in our genes are dynamic. Each gene is in a constant dance with our environment, lifestyle, diet, stress level, and physical activity (or lack thereof).

In running the 23andMe DNA gene test, we uncovered genetic inefficiencies in methylation, neurotransmitter sensitivity (mood management), and nutrient usage (explaining the nutritional imbalances). We received information so we could optimize her diet and realized how to reduce her risk for the mood disorders most of her close family suffered from. The ability to improve her addictive behavior around sweets, and greatly reduce the risk of her developing the chronic illnesses she was particularly susceptible to getting.

Thanks to genomic testing, I was able to see where JP’s gene expression was hindering her healing journey. With that knowledge, we were able to build bridges where there were once roadblocks, and JP left my office with the gifts of vitality and robust health.

The Genomic Revolution and Paradigm Shift in Healthcare

“Our health and disease patterns are not hardwired by our genes, but are rather a consequence of the interaction of our genetic uniqueness with environmental factors.”
Jeffery Bland, PhD

Jeff Bland called this genomic revolution a paradigm shift in our model of healthcare from a deterministic, disease-centric model to a wellness-centric model. We assumed dominant and recessive traits were locked into our genes with no ability to change them. The assumption said that medicine existed to put a band-aid on symptoms and disease which we could not prevent or heal. Luckily, our new wellness-centric model asks not only “How do you get sick?”, but “How can you be well?”.

We are on a gigantic wave of a medical revolution, and genomics is at the heart of that wave. Let’s paddle out together and see where the riptides might be.

About the author:

Dr. Murfin is wholeheartedly focused on her life’s mission to help people heal and achieve extraordinary outcomes. She believes that health is more than merely the absence of disease. It is a total state of physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social wellbeing through the creation of a whole and meaningful life. Dr. Murfin leaves no stone unturned to determine the root cause of illness or imbalance.

Body systems lack vibrancy without methylation. Methylation is the process of adding three hydrogen atoms and one carbon atom to a molecule in order to convert it into something else. Together, these are called a “methyl group.” This happens in your body billions of times per second and allows your body to repair DNA, reuse molecules responsible for detoxification, maintain mood, and control inflammation. Poor methylation can lead to a host of chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, cancer, depression, and dementia.

Chronic Illness and Homocysteine

Homocysteine has a large influence on your susceptibility to chronic illness. Even greater this influence than weight, cholesterol, and blood pressure. Every time you ingest protein-rich foods, the methylation cycle produces mild inflammation in the form of homocysteine. In a healthy and well-nourished body, this homocysteine is converted into a powerful antioxidant called glutathione and a compound called SAMe (S-adenosyl-L-methionine). These help the body to produce and regulate hormones and maintain healthy cell membranes. If you are not optimally nourished, the methylation cycle becomes impaired and homocysteine starts to accumulate in the blood. Levels above 6mmol/L have been shown to lead to significantly increased risk for chronic illness.

What Factors Impair Methylation?

Poor diet: too much animal protein, sugar, saturated fat, caffeine, alcohol, and processed food, and low intake of vegetables.
Digestive issues and nutrient malabsorption.
Genetic factors (identifiable through the 23andMe Genetic test).
Medications, including the birth control pill and proton pump inhibitors and antacids.
Smoking
Toxicity from pesticides, pollution, etc.
Stress

Enhancing Vibrancy by Improving Methylation and Lowering Homocysteine:

Improve your diet!
- Eat lots of leafy greens and other vegetables (ideally ten servings per day).
- Cut out caffeine, alcohol, and processed food.
- Reduce saturated fat, animal protein, and canned foods.
Correct digestive issues.
Reduce stress.
Remove toxic exposure and detox your body.
Stop smoking.
Enjoy a nutritional IV, such as our Myer’s, Gut-Healing, or Vitamin/Mineral IVs.
B-vitamin injections.
Take supplements:
- HCl
- A good, methylated B-vitamin complex
- Zinc
- Trimethylglycine
- Glutathione
- Vitamin C
- NAC and ALA
- SAMe
- A quality multivitamin

Vibrancy is a state of strength, full of energy and life. You can achieve it by starting on a new health journey at Linden & Arc Vitality Institute. Contact us today.

Breaking Bad Habits and Addictions Using the Functional Medicine Approach

Functional medicine is the only approach to breaking bad habits and addictions that doesn’t rely on a magic drug. There is no magic drug because pharmaceutical drugs have the potential to create other health issues. Instead, functional, or integrative medicine, coaches on methods of healing thyself. We continue from part 1 in the Mindfulness Series focusing on how our brain works and the actual creation of habits. Part 2 will explore the origins of, and motivation behind pattern behavior and understand how to change these ‘bad’ habits and addictions.

Pain: Conception of Patterned Behaviour

Life is painful, and there isn’t any person alive that’s exempt from trials and tribulations of life. Just the mere thought of a looming divorce, disease, job stress, or financial issues can send your blood pressure through the roof! This is the conception of behavioural patterns and the birth of bad habits. We then consume an externally sourced painkiller to relieve our pain and by consuming it regularly, we create a bad habit that can become an addiction.

Whether your ‘drug of choice’ is alcohol, chocolate, television, social media, sugar, or any catalyst to your feel-good hormones, it serves to divert attention temporarily from life’s difficulties. Making use of this pleasurable effect isn’t inherently bad unless we rely solely on external aid to ease the pain. It’s then that we are at the mercy of these temporary diversions with no tools to actually process and transform what’s troubling us. We paralyze ourselves from in moving forward and the transient pain turns to lasting suffering. We aim to avoid confronting what needs changing and are masters at practicing avoidance.

Overstimulation or Avoidance of Pain

Our society prizes instant gratification and encourages the avoidance of pain. It plays upon our biological drive to maximize pleasure and minimize discomfort. Our bodies are actually built to look externally for comfort. With time, cues and triggers develop which initiate learned response, like eating the chocolate or turning on the TV. The last post, explains how each repetition reinforces this habit pattern and modifies our perception to be continually seeking reward. Though this may lessen the immediate discomfort, it is a “band-aid solution” that often leads to both the consequence of not processing the pain and the fallout of the habit itself. We do ourselves a double injustice by not trying to find inner and lasting healing to the pain.

Finding Inner Sweetness To Heal the Pain

What then, is a better remedy to healing life’s pain? After taking the time to be consciously aware of the discomfort (as we practiced in part 1), become aware of what exists beneath that discomfort. What lies beyond the pain or emotional turmoil? Quietude. Peace. That is the inner sweetness we all desire and it can be achieved. In conclusion, let’s explore now how to find freedom from bad habits and addictions and change our lives for the better.

Changing Bad Habits and Addictions

You’re on your way to changing your bad habits for good! The first 2 steps below were discussed in Part 1 of the Mindfulness Series. Let’s continue with the remaining steps to finding freedom from addictions!

Functional Medicine Approach to Freedom From Addiction

Take five deep breaths
Observe & note the state of your body and mind when confronted with craving.
Close your eyes and shift your attention to any part of your body that is free of discomfort. It may be your left earlobe or your right big toe. No matter how small or how large, take time to observe one part of your body that feels GOOD.
Hold your focus on that point for one to three minutes.
Say a silent “thank you” for this part of you. Remind your body that you are doing your best to help it heal.

Mental force “is a physical force generated by mental effort. It is the physical expression of will.” _{p.295 Schwartz– The Mind & The Brain}In other words: where your attention goes, energy flows. The habits hard-wired into your brain can be shifted to patterning more conducive to healing by the power of will, or attention. Through the power of your pointed attention, with patience and dedication, it is possible to breed an unchangeable awareness of inner peace and balance. This experience can carry you through even the most difficult circumstances. Just as there is infinite sorrow to be found should you look, so too, is there infinite joy. The more we train the mind to focus on what’s right, the more things will fall into place.

As you progress through your path to greater physical and mental vitality and re-wiring old habits, try to approach each change from a place of gratitude. Conquer a challenge! Then, each step toward health is a gift to your future self and a “thank you” for being alive.

Pleasure Hormones Help to Create Bad Habits

Whether it’s gluten, dairy, eggs, or coffee, creating bad habits may be pleasurable but also bring some level of pain. A few things factor into why they are so hard to break. One factor is the plastic nature of our brains which refers to the ability for it to change. Most of these substances catalyze the release of pleasure hormones.

Neuroplasticity

Imagine your brain as a field covered with fresh snow. You walk from one end of the field to a birch tree on the other side. Looking back, you can see your footsteps clearly carving a path from your starting point to the birch tree. Now, imagine that every day for a week, you walked that same path- following your footprints from the previous days. As more snow falls on the rest of the field, your path to and from the birch tree has been dug down to the dirt. Let’s explore more about how the human brain works.

Creating Bad Habits: How Our Brain Works

This is how the brain works when it comes to creating habits. New connections are created by every act, word, and thought. Through repeated action, pathways in the brain become reinforced and turn into a habit. ‘Walking a path’ you’ve walked many times before are similar to habits like turning to chocolate or wine when you feel stressed or sitting on the couch after a long day. These habits become so ingrained in the brain that it happens almost automatically.

Now, imagine after a week, you decide to walk from your original starting point to a pine tree on the opposite side of the field. There is no path to this tree, so you have to trudge through deep snow to get there.

But you get there.

In the same way, adopting a new habit takes more effort than keeping to status quo, but it is possible. The human brain remains plastic long into adulthood so it is never too late to create new habits! As Dr. Norman Doidge, author of The Brain That Changes Itself, says, “…we don’t so much ‘break’ bad habits as replace bad behaviors with better ones.” It all starts with a shift in attention; cultivating curiosity toward the ‘automatic’ action and introducing the possibility of NOT acting on an urge, or of responding differently.

Here’s where mindfulness comes in…

Mindfulness & The Brain

Diana Winston of UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center describes mindfulness as “Paying attention to present moment experience with open curiosity and a willingness to be with what is.” In the context of creating new habits, this means creating pause. Take a step back when you get the urge to do something you’d prefer not to do. Notice how the body feels, listening to the stories in your mind, and put distance between the urge and the action.

Simply note the feelings in your body and mind as being pleasant or unpleasant. Know that even if your immediate feelings are very unpleasant, the long-term effects of making a healthy diet and lifestyle change will produce longer-lasting and more profound benefits than the transient giddiness of a “guilty pleasure.” Bad habits will ultimately lead to long-term suffering in the form of chronic illness, cognitive decline, or metabolic imbalance. Here’s an easy exercise that will help train your brain and create new and good habits.

Functional Medicine: Training Your Brain for Good Habits

Choose one daily habit you’d like to change.

For the next week, before acting on this habit, stop and take five deep breaths. Then, notice how your body and mind feel. You don’t need to change your habit yet; just notice the feelings that come before the action.

You may want to record your discoveries in a journal.

One Last Note:

KINDNESS is KEY. Remember: you are on this journey of wellness and vitality because you care for yourself. There is nothing inherently wrong with you. There are merely subtle refinements to be made in your physical health which can help you to feel more fully alive and ready to share your unique gifts with the world. Together, we are working as a team to optimize your health. We want to see you shine! Throughout this process, especially in times of challenge and transition, remind yourself that you are here at Linden & Arc Vitality Institute because you love yourself enough to want to feel better. Be kind in the way you relate to your mind and your body. Be curious about why you’ve developed certain habits and resist the temptation to judge yourself for them. If you take a step back or can’t find clarity at the end of certain suffering, choose to trust the process and keep going. Do this because you love yourself; because you’re worth it.

Interested in reading more on mindfulness? We recommend Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn, and The Mind & The Brain by Jeffrey Schwartz, M.D

“Mindfulness is about being fully awake in our lives. It is about perceiving the exquisite vividness of each moment. We also gain immediate access to our own powerful inner resources for insight, transformation, and healing.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn

My grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in his early 60’s so the subject of dementia is near and dear to me. I was only a year old when he died from the disease, but what strikes me about his illness is the fear that it has left behind for some of my family members. This is something I see commonly in my practice. Dementia, the word, can trigger very strong emotions in patients who have been touched by the illness in some way. It is terrifying to lose your ability to think, as this, in basic terms, defines who you are. This article will examine the old and new perceptions of dementia and cover the functional medicine approach to reversing it.

Dementia is debilitating.

Defining Dementia

In Canada, over 500 000 people are living with dementia. This number does not take into account undiagnosed dementia, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and subjective cognitive impairment (SCI). SCI is when you perceive yourself to have deterioration in memory (or other cognitive functions), but your cognitive screening tests are negative. MCI occurs when your screening tests are abnormal but not severe enough to be dementia. Typically you are able to function quite normally and adapt to the cognitive decline.

The success of improving cognitive decline through the Functional Medicine approach and the Bredesen Protocol is best in the SCI group, then the MCI and then dementia groups. The earlier you start your journey, the better. It is never too early to start looking after your brain.

Dementia: The Old

The thought of reversing dementia sounds like something from the future and most consider it a terminal diagnosis. Conventional medicine physicians tell patients there is nothing further that can be done and to get their affairs in order while the change in a loved one’s condition devastates families. Not only do they lose memory, but they also may have personality changes and lose independence in social, occupational, and financial domains.

In the 20^th century, Alzheimer’s and other causes of dementia were often diagnosed very late in the course of the illness and treated with medications, which are not very effective. They in no way improve function or recover “lost” neural activity. There is a loss of control and no hope of getting better.

What I’d like to share with you is that there is hope. More than hope.

Dementia: The New

Amyloid-beta deposition & neurofibrillary tangles cause dysfunction of neural networks and the symptoms of Alzheimer’s. We have known for some time but until now, we have not known why this occurs. With many years of research, Dr. Dale Bredesen and his team have finally been able to find the “why” of dementia.

They have identified 36 underlying triggers for amyloid-beta deposition and divided dementia into 6 broad categories, based on the cause. These are Type 1 “Inflammatory,” Type 2 “Atrophic” (or lack of nutrients and hormones), Type 1.5 “Glycotoxic” (sugar/ glucose regulation), Type 3 “Toxic,” Type 4 “Vascular” (blood vessel-related) and Type 5 “Traumatic.” What they have found is that amyloid-beta deposition is a protective response to these triggers but the removal of the amyloid-beta, without fixing the underlying cause, can do more harm than good. In any given patient, there is likely to be a contribution from each of these groups, but one or two often predominate.

Dementia and Genetics

Does genetics play a role in getting dementia? If this were true, then it is a waiting game that you have no control over. This is absolutely not true. Less than 5% of Alzheimer’s genes are of high penetrance and destine you to have the illness. The more common underlying genes that influence but do not always cause Alzheimer’s, are the Apo E4 genes, and genes can be tested. The number of copies of the gene may influence your risk of developing Alzheimer’s, but the beauty of 21st-century medicine is that we now know that epigenetic mechanisms are far more important than the gene itself. What this means is that the signals that you send to your genes will influence the way that they express themselves.

So through diet, exercise, stress management, curbing inflammation, managing toxicity and chronic infections, and healing the gut, we can improve the signals we send to our genes. When our brains are sent these good signals, they build synapses and brain function improves. The concept of neuroplasticity – the ability to change our brains- is very empowering.

Functional Medicine and Reversing Dementia

The purpose of functional medicine is to look at the root cause of illness. This makes it the perfect approach for reversing dementia. The Bredesen approach to brain health parallels the Core Nodes of Healing that we use in our practice. In conventional medicine, a doctor makes a diagnosis and gives a specific treatment or treatments focused on that specific diagnosis. Functional Medicine and Bredesen’s program maintains that many causes exist for any given symptom, and each underlying cause can lead to a number of different symptoms. In the management of these complex underlying causes, there are many focuses of treatment and each patient’s presentation is very individual, based on their underlying causes.

Bredesen refers to “36 holes in a roof”. If each underlying cause represents one hole in the roof, healing will not occur unless every hole is plugged. After plugging away at the holes, there is some synergism. This means plugging 10 holes can give the body enough momentum to start plugging the other holes. In other words, if you give the body enough help, it can start to heal itself. Genetics plays a role in dementia.

Since 2017, I have been a Bredesen Certified Practitioner. MPI Cognition was established to provide the research, support, and information to make this approach available to all. Dr Bredesen has created a RECODE report (REversing COgnitive DEcline), which is a software program that can be accessed online by interested patients. You would select me as a practitioner and pay a $75 USD monthly fee to be part of the program, with a 1 year commitment. This is to ensure continued compliance with the program because it can take at least many months to start making progress. This fee is separate to our usual clinic fees.

Your Next Steps

The next steps are crucial. First, I will gather your history during your initial consultation. Every piece of information I can gather about you helps complete this puzzle. Your family history, your mother’s health while pregnant with you, and every detail of your health through your life. This is so I can pinpoint where the triggers to your current health may have come from. We then gather further information through more tests which allows us to populate the RECODE report and prioritize your treatment. Next, we provide a list of recommended tests. You are able to choose as many as you are able to do. Even if all tests are not done, the RECODE report can still be completed but will be most accurate with the most information. Part of the initial intake includes baseline cognitive testing, which is tracked over time.

Once your individual management plan is identified, a multidisciplinary approach is taken. Nutritionists, exercise therapists, neural retraining, intravenous treatments, supplements, and meditation training are all possible aspects of your treatment.

So, with my family history in mind, what have I done to prevent the development of this devastating disease? I have identified my genes and my triggers and am working towards optimizing each of the 6 categories, mentioned above. I look forward to working with patients and families to optimize brain and total body health rough clinical and personal experience with Functional Medicine, and the Bredesen Protocol.

Resources:

https://lynnemurfinmd.com/lynne-murfin-bio/dr-michelle-van-der-westhuizen-functional-medicine-physician/For further information please contact us.

Visit: https://www.mpicognition.com/programs/report/ and https://www.drbredesen.com/copy-of-the-bredesen-protocol-tm for more information on the Bredesen Protocol.

You can also read Dr. Dale Bredesen’s book entitled “The End of Alzheimer’s”. I recommend this for those who have a family history of dementia, notices cognitive issues in themselves, or knows someone with dementia. It is truly enlightening and empowering.

About the author:

One of Dr. Michelle’s greatest passions in life is to help people help themselves. She understands that your current health tells a story and that when you have symptoms of disease, your body is already out of balance. She believes that we should not have to settle for anything other than our most vital self and that her job is to figure out how to put you back on track. To book an appointment with Dr. Michelle, contact [email protected]

What are you going to feed your kids as they make their way through the school year? How is their food going to boost their immune system, support healthy sleep, help them focus and balance their moods?

As kids are heading back to school, it is time to put some real thought, effort, energy and love into their lunch boxes. Start your kids off on the right track this year with healthy whole foods. This is essential for focus, attention, memory, good grades, long and lasting energy and fuel for their extra-curricular activities. It will also help their physical appearance by providing the right nutrients to prevent acne, dandruff, greasy hair, body odor and excess weight that so many kids get picked on for.

Below are some essential tips to get your family fueling the right way. Also, read Tip #66 in this book for many healthy ideas for snacks: Journey to Optimum Wellness Through Sound Nutrition by Amy Bondar.

1) Start the kids’ day with protein. Protein will leave them with long and lasting energy and will help them to feel satisfied and satiated throughout the morning.

Scrambled eggs with fresh fruit
Fried eggs on a slice of sprouted bread, sourdough spelt bread (available at Lakeview Bakery or gluten-free bread)
Protein shake (Learning Factors protein power (available at health food stores), water, coconut milk, blueberries, banana and tsp ground flaxseed)
Cottage cheese or Organic Full Fat yogurt with fresh fruit and hemp seeds (if not sensitive to dairy)
Organic chicken sausages from the Calgary Farmers Market or Spolumbo sausages (free of MSG and nitrates)

2) Pack nutritious snacks that include essential fats which will nourish their brains and prevent desires for sugar

Sunflower and pumpkin seeds and piece of fruit
Celery with 100% seed butter (hemp, pumpkin, sunflower or pea butter)
Avocado slices with a sprinkle of sea salt and lemon juice
Homemade granola or power bars
Olives
Yogurt with ground flax

3) Ensure lunches are full of protein, essential fats and vegetables

Deli roll ups (oven roasted turkey or bison rolled with cucumber, sprouts, bell pepper and lettuce)
Tooth pick lunches – healthy sausage, mozzarella cheese and tomato on tooth picks
Nori wraps – any protein, veggies and a spread of hummus
Mini burger bites with cut up vegetables
Homemade soups or chili in a thermos

4) Send your kids to school with a 1 litre stainless steel water bottle to ensure they are hydrating throughout the day.

5) Welcome them home from school with a healthy snack to rejuvenate them before homework or extra-curricular activities,

Bowl of soup or chicken, vegetable or beef broth
Cut up veggies with hummus
Cheese, fruit and rice crackers
Celery stuffed with cream cheese, nut butter or hummus
Corn chips, guacamole and salsa
Bison pepperoni sticks

6) Sit down to a family dinner 3 times a week or more. Find out what your kids liked most in their day and disliked most in their day as you eat a nourishing meal cooked from scratch,

7) Get your kids involved in meal planning and preparing their lunches. Connecting to their food and understanding what eating well is all about will raise their odds of embracing a healthy whole food lifestyle.

Nourishing our children is one of the most important roles we have as parents. May you fill their bellies with love and nourishment!

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