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Phytoplankton

 Facts

#GERD#Hyperglycemia#LIPH#Fasting#HyaluronicAcid #Collagen  #LiverGallbladderCleanse #Hemp #Stress #BrainAge #Drugs #EndocrineDisruptiors #Hypertension#Microplastics #WaterSmarts #ToxicChemicals #LiverHealth #MilkThrisle #Magnesium #LiverCleanse #MedicinalMushroomsForAtheleticPerformance #BrainBoostingMedicinalMushrooms #RoyalColloids  #CalciumDGlucarate #ProteinMalfunction #MedicinalMushrooms #JapaneseLongevitySecret #PlantarFasciitis  #BlackCuminTheBlackGold #ThroatThyroidEsophagusLarynx#BasicBiohacks#SkinHealth#VariousLipids #Radiation #LungHealth #Sinkholes #Praying #HepatitisC #ImmuneBoostingFoods #ImmuneBoostingSupplements #ImmuneBoostingBiohacks #BetaGlucans #BetaGlucanKids #Phytoplankton

What do you think of when you hear the words marine phytoplankton?

If you think, “healthy green superfood”, you’ve probably already added this ‘tasty’ green supplement to your daily routine. (kidding… it tastes awful, but it is super effective).

Marine phytoplankton is a robust superfood

It contains a ton of amino acids, healthy fats, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that support the body, all the way down to the cellular level.

Today we’re going to explore some lesser-known, yet truly amazing facts about phytoplankton. Like, did you know that it might be fueling your car, not just your body, one day soon?

Phytoplankton Facts

There are over 40,000 different spices of marine phytoplankton and they are microscopic, single-celled, organisms that live in our oceans. The name phytoplankton comes from the two Greek words; Phyton, which means plant, and plankton, which means drifter or wanderer. Marine phytoplankton contains 400 times more energy than any other living organic matter and thus it is a very potent and complete super-food for our bodies. It gives the body everything that it requires to develop and grow healthy new cells plus it also provides essential neuro-chemicals like serotonin and dopamine for the brain. You’ve also probably already heard of the benefits of omega-3-6-&-9 fatty acids, and how important they are to the body, phytoplankton is the very best way to get these into the body as they are far more easily absorbed than any fish-oil based supplements and can actually cross the blood-brain barrier and are much more bio-available within the body.

Biofuel research

In recent years there has been a flurry of research into the potential of using different microalgae species, including phytoplankton, for biofuel.

The environmental impacts of fossil fuels can no longer be denied and we need cleaner fuels that are renewable. The Environmental and Energy Institute states that: “marine microalgae have the potential to provide us with two other things that we desperately need: a mechanism for carbon sequestration, and a source of sustainable energy.”

Atmospheric cleansing

Phytoplankton use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into energy at an incredible rate. This helps to regulate CO2 levels in the atmosphere.

According toEarth Observatory, “phytoplankton are responsible for most of the transfer of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to the ocean.” Given the role that excess CO2 production has on climate change, phytoplankton are an important part of keeping the temperature of the planet under control.

Plus, NASA reports that as much as 90% of the Earth’s oxygen is produced by phytoplankton!

High S.O.D content

Simply put, S.O.D., aka superoxide dismutase, is a primary antioxidant (primary means your body produces it) that affects your lifespan. Marine Phytoplankton is the most potent source of S.O.D. that the human body can absorb.

Getting S.O.D. from outside sources can have a major impact on your health because your body starts producing less and less of it as you age.

If you want to gain a better understanding of S.O.D, check out our detailed blog post all about this amazing antioxidant and the difference between seaweed, kelp and phytoplankton

Nutritional Properties
of
Phytoplankton

Nutritional Properties:

Alanine Arginine
*activates muscles
*immune system booster
*new muscle builder
*supports immune system
*detoxifies the liver
Asparagine Aspartic Acid
*immune system booster
*brain energizer
*assists making healthy DNA
*immune system booster
Betacarotene Bioflavinoids
*immune system booster
*defends against free radical attack
*aids digestion
*vision enhancement
*cornea protector
*immune system booster
*removes toxins from skin cells
Biotin Boron
*promotes healthier looking hair *promotes stronger bones
*improves mental clarity
*assists with unclogging arteries
Calcium Chlorophyll
*promotes stronger bones
*calms nerves
*improves cholesterol levels
*promotes bowel regularity
*cleanses interstitial tissues
Chromium Cobalt
*moderates existent diabetes
*prevents adult-onset diabetes
*repairs nerve cells
*helps produce red blood cells
Copper Cysteine
*eases arthritis
*helps produce red blood cells
*detoxifies carcinogens
Essential Fatty Acids Electrolytes
*reduces cardiovascular disease *helps kidneys regain optimum function
Fiber Fluorine
*eliminates toxic wastes *fights tooth decay
*improves bone density
Folic Acid Germanium
*increases mental focus
*prevents anemia
*helps control Espstein-Barr virus
Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA) Glutamic Acid
*lowers cholesterol *reduces alcohol/sugar craving
Glutamine Glutathione
*increases mental focus *defends against free radical attacks
Glycine Glycogen
*calms nervous system *boosts physical stamina
Histidine Iodine
*enhances nutrient absorption
*removes toxic metals
*assits with maintaining regulating body weight
Iron Lecithin
*decreases anemia
*increases emotional health
*increases physical energy
*isoleucine
*builds muscle
*helps repair the liver
*dissolves cholesterol deposits
*improves short-term memory
Leucine Linoleic Acid
*reduces hypoglycemic symptoms *combats viral infections
Lysine Magnesium
*helps prevent osteoporosis *promotes tranquility
*moderates mood swings
*reduces migraine headaches
Manganese Methionine
*assists joint mobility *enhances memory
*mood elevator
*removes heavy metals
Molybdenum Niacin (Vitamin B3)
*increases longevity *stress reducer
*lowers cholesterol assists in reversing atherosclerosis
Nickel Nucleic Acids
*promotes cellular growth and reproduction *memory enhancement
Omega-3 Fatty Acids Omega-6 Fatty Acids
*increases cell membrane flexibility
*cholesterol dissolving properties
*reduces cardiovascular diseases
*relieves arthritis symptoms
*skin tone improvement
*reduces cardiovascular diseases
Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5) Phenylalanine
*reduces morning pain caused by arthritis
*reduces toxicity from alcohol
*defender against free radicals
*improves mental clarity
*sugar cravings reducer
Phosphorous Potassium
*assists with healthy teeth
*increases bone fracture repair
*hypertension reducer
*blood pressure control
Proline Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6)
*increases learning ability
*assists repairing torn cartilage
*immune system booster
*relieves PMS
Riboflavin RNA
*boosts physical energy
*defends free radical attacks
*reduces eye fatigue
*improves mental focus
Selenium Serine
*strengthens immune system
*relieves anxiety
*enhances skin beauty
Silicon Sodium
*skin tightening *assists preventing sunstroke
Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) Substance P
*assists in preventing free radical activity *increases mental focus
Thiamine (Vitamin B1) Theonine
*increases energy
*improves mental attitude
*tension reliever
*immune system enhancer
*ameliorates skin tone
Tyrosine Valine
*improves emotional health
*enhances mental alertness
*increases memory ability
*promotes muscle tissue building
Vanadium Vitamin B12
*assists in controlling blood sugar levels *increases physical energy
*enhances mental focus
*assists with nervous system repair
Vitamin C Vitamin E
*promotes healthier gums
*reduces risk of cancer
*reduces duration of common cold
*immune system booster
*promotes healthy nerve tissue
Zinc
*supports prostate health
*strengthens immune system
*reduces outbreaks of acne
*increases memory
*reduces common cold symptoms

Marine Phytoplankton For Treating Malignancy

DAILY DOSAGE: We recommend taking at least 3g of 100% Pure Marine Phytoplankton; 1g taken 1/2 hour before meals as that is when the stomach is at its most emptiest.

Vital marine food source

Marine phytoplankton makes up a quarter of all vegetation on earth. According to The Guardian: “NASA has even called marine phytoplankton the most important plant in the world.”

Phytoplankton are primary producers, meaning they produce the food for the upper organisms in the food web. They also reproduce very quickly, making them an abundant food source. Virtually every creature in the ocean subsists off of phytoplankton, whether directly or indirectly.

According to Underground Health Reporter: “Marine phytoplankton is a single-celled aquatic organism, or microscopic algae upon which the survival of 99% of all life forms on Earth depends.”

Energy booster

Many people find that a marine phytoplankton supplements give them an energy boost that keeps them going physically and also keeps their head clear.

Superfoods for Superhealth writes that due phytoplankton’s small size, it is “readily assimilated upon intake, rather than having to go through the process of digestion, these nucleotides go directly into the cells for a quick energy uplift.“

Rich source of EPA & DHA

Marine phytoplankton is a rich source of both eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). EPA and DHA are both essential omega–3 fatty acids derived from alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).

They are “essential” because the body doesn’t produce them on its own, so we need to get them from the foods we eat, such as a marine phytoplankton supplement.

Marine phytoplankton has more omega–3 by weight than fish or krill oil.

Balances blood sugar

Phytoplankton’s chromium content can aid blood sugar regulation and helps insulin move glucose so it can be burned as energy. This is especially important for people who suffer from diabetes or who are pre-diabetic.

Tiny, tiny, tiny

One of the best-known strains of marine phytoplankton, Nannochloropsis Gaditana is very tiny in size. Underground Health Reporter states that in fact, Nannochloropsis Gaditana is “9 times smaller than a red blood cell”.

This is what makes it so easily absorbed by the body, providing the body with the nutrition it needs.

Oceans Alive Marine Phytoplankton is comprised of two premium strains of marine phytoplankton: Nannochloropsis Gaditana and Tetraselmis.

With these two potent and bioavailable strains of marine phytoplankton plus the powerful sea mineral solution, Oceans Alive is the nutritional supplement you need!

Related Links

http://undergroundhealthreporter.com/what-is-marine-phytoplankton/#axzz44aXQDFXS
http://www.eesi.org/articles/view/marine-microalgae-the-future-of-sustainable-biofuel
http://www.superfoods-for-superhealth.com/marine-phytoplankton.html
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Phytoplankton/page2.php
http://www.superfoods-for-superhealth.com/marine-phytoplankton.html
http://undergroundhealthreporter.com/marine-phytoplankton-eliminates-nutritional-deficiencies-and-causes-cellular-regeneration-and-rapid-healing/

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Hyaluronic Acid in The Liquid Bio Cell Matrix for Glowing Skin, Joint and Bone Health

Liquid BioCell Matrix

#GERD#Hyperglycemia#LIPH#Fasting#HyaluronicAcid #Collagen  #LiverGallbladderCleanse #Hemp #Stress #BrainAge #Drugs #EndocrineDisruptiors #Hypertension#Microplastics #WaterSmarts #ToxicChemicals #LiverHealth #MilkThrisle #Magnesium #LiverCleanse #MedicinalMushroomsForAtheleticPerformance #BrainBoostingMedicinalMushrooms #RoyalColloids  #CalciumDGlucarate #ProteinMalfunction #MedicinalMushrooms #JapaneseLongevitySecret #PlantarFasciitis  #BlackCuminTheBlackGold #ThroatThyroidEsophagusLarynx#BasicBiohacks#SkinHealth#VariousLipids #Radiation #LungHealth #Sinkholes #Praying #HepatitisC #ImmuneBoostingFoods #ImmuneBoostingSupplements #ImmuneBoostingBiohacks #BetaGlucans #BetaGlucanKids #Phytoplankton

Many people spend countless hours using harmful beauty products to keep their skin looking vibrant and young. But there’s a better way. Hyaluronic acid can keep your skin glowing, and it also benefits your joints — all without the harmful side effects of toxic skin products.

Hyaluronic acid is often recommended by dermatologists and other physicians for its ability to improve skin’s texture and appearance, along with reducing joint pain and other symptoms associated with aging. HA is probably most well-known for its inclusion in pricey anti-aging skin serums, but you’ll also find it in joint-supporting formulas, cold sore treatments, eye drops and lip balms.

So what is hyaluronic acid exactly, and how does it work?

Hyaluronic acid is a lubricating, clear substance that’s produced by the body naturally. In the human body, hyaluronic acid is found in the greatest concentrations in the skin, inside joints, within the eye sockets and in other tissues where it helps retain collagen, increase moisture, and provide elasticity and flexibility.


Hyaluronic Acid Benefits

1. Hydrates Dry, Aged Skin

Many people report that their skin feels “dewier,” the bags under their eyes become lighter and their skin texture is smoother after applying serums containing hyaluronic acid. The primary way in which HA helps improve appearance of “chrono aged skin” (skin aged due to sun exposure) is by reducing water loss. In fact, one reason that hormone replacement treatments sometimes cause the skin to look more youthful and less sun-damaged is because they increase the skin’s HA concentration. 

Dryness, dandruff, drooping eyes or lips, and sagginess are associated with aging skin because as we get older molecules in our skin lose some of their ability to bind and retain water. This not only causes dryness, but also decreases skin’s volume. Skin aging is triggered by both intrinsic and extrinsic aging, meaning daily environmental exposure to pollutants and UV light, along with the “the normal process of aging.” Studies show there are multiple sites in the skin involved in the control of HA synthesis, deposition, cell and protein association and degradation.

Researchers have found that stratum corneum dryness caused from prolonged sun exposure plays an important role in wrinkle formation. It’s now been shown that wrinkles and fine lines are usually also more visible in low humidity compared to high humidity environments because they further reduce the water-holding capacity and elasticity of the skin. HA can help naturally reduce signs of aging by decreasing “epidermis water loss” associated with sun exposure, skin dryness or flakiness.

2. Reduce Wrinkles

Although most research shows that HA might take six weeks or more to improve skin’s appearance, some studies have found that anti-wrinkle HA serums and eye creams can sometimes start to work within just two to four weeks of use. For more substantial anti-aging results, dermatologists now use prescription injections or formulas containing hyaluronic acids (including Juvéderm Ultra Plus or Allergan) over the course of several months to reduce lip and eye sagginess.

Results from a 2014 double-blind, randomized clinical trial that appeared in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology showed that products containing hyaluronic acid effectively decreased the appearance of wrinkles and reduced skin sagging within 30 days of consistent use. Some study participants also reported experiencing fuller lips and increased cheek volume by the end of one month (two traits associated with having a youthful appearance). The trial was carried out on 40 adult females who showed mild to moderate clinical signs of skin aging prior to the study, including decreased skin volume and alterations in the skin’s surface. After either applying a product called Fillerina (which contains six forms of hyaluronic acid) or a placebo product, results were measured after three hours and then seven, 14 and 30 days later. 

Researchers found that after 30 days (and some starting after 14 days), those using Collagen JS Matrix showed significant “improvements in facial contours and volumes” compared to the placebo group, and to the baseline measurements. The active treatment group experienced reductions in sagging of both the face and the cheekbones contours, improved lip volume, and decreased wrinkle depth and volume, while the placebo group saw no such improvements.

3. Weight Loss  

 Collagen JS matrix is found to be key combination in weight loss regimens.

New revolutionary product is on the market, made with clinical-strength collagen, inhibits cellular fat absorption, reduces fat cell size and reduces fat cell formation.

4. Treats Sores, Sunburns and Wounds

Aside from lowering the appearance of wrinkles and dryness, HA is beneficial for treating cold sores and mouth sores, ulcers, wounds, bites and burns due to how it keeps damaged tissue moist. It also provides sunburn relief. Many cold sore treatments for the lips and mouth contain hyaluronic acid gel to speed up the healing process and prevent cracking or bleeding.

HA is part of the structural component of the mouth and the lips, which are made up of connective tissues made partly from collagen and water. Collagen and HA help give lips their structure and shape. Because HA binds to water, it hydrates the skin and tissues within the mouth/lips and keeps skin junctions tight, helps bring nutrients to damaged tissues, controls inflammation and helps fluids carry out waste.

5. Lubricates Achy Joints

Hyaluronic acid is found in all bones, connecting tissue, joints, tendons and cartilage structures throughout the body — especially a type called hyaline cartilage, which covers the ends of bones and provides cushioning. Because it helps buffer bones and provides resistance to wear and tear, HA is useful for lowering pains and tenderness associated with degenerative joint diseases.

It’s also found in another important part of our joints called the synovial membrane, which forms a coating over two articulating bones and produces synovial fluid. Synovial fluid is a “viscous fluid” that helps joints absorb shock, remain elastic and carry nutrients to cartilage.

Hyaluronic acid is now a popular substance used in supplements for treating osteoarthritis pain and injuries. It’s also been approved by the FDA for treatment of osteoarthritis when administered in relatively high doses through injections given by a health care provider. Some research shows that lower doses can also be effective for reducing joint stiffness and chronic pain, although results seem to vary. The types of joint pains most commonly treated with HA include those of the elbows and knees.

6. Helps Reduce Dry Eyes and Eye Discomfort

The fluid inside the eye socket (called the vitreous humor) is composed almost completely of hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid eye drops (such as the brand Hyalistil) can help relieve chronic dry eyes by replenishing moisture within the eye socket, helping with tear production and restoring fluid balance. Hyaluronic acid helps suppress oxidative damage caused by UVB light within the cornea. 

Doctors commonly use lubricating HA formulas to treat eye injuries and disorders, including cataracts, especially at the time before or after surgery when the eyes are most sensitive and dry. HA drops can be beneficial during eye surgery or recoveries, including after cataract removal, corneal transplant or repair of a detached retina.


Advantages of HA

The biggest advantage that hyaluronic acid has to offer is that it has a very high capacity for retaining water, whether on the skin, in the eyes or within soft tissue. HA is considered a glycosaminoglycan, which gives it its capacity to hold a large volume of water along with its high viscosity. Throughout the body, HA is distributed in many different tissues, especially in the skin, where it provides moisture and structure. The skin accounts for about half of all the HA found in the entire body.

Other body parts where HA is concentrated include tendons and joints, the membranes of the eyes, the umbilical cord, synovial fluid, skeletal tissues, heart valves, lungs, aorta, and prostate. HA is basically a very long link of carbohydrate molecules bound together that hold water and therefore allow for fluid movement and pressure absorption.

Over the past two decades, emerging research has shown that beneficial functions of hyaluronic acid include hydration, lubrication of joints, a space-filling capacity within tissue and between cells, building the framework through which cells migrate, repairing tissue and wounds, regulating activation of inflammatory cells (inflammation), enhancing immune responses, repairing injury of fibroblasts, and maintaining skin’s epithelial cells.

Why Hyaluronic Acid Works So Well:

The size of different HA molecules is critically important for hyaluronic acid’s various functions. Larger molecules are found in healthy tissue and help keep inflammation/free radical damage and dehydration under control (antiangiogenic and immunosuppressive). On the other hand, smaller polymers of HA can send distress signals to the immune system and raise inflammation to help with injury or wound healing.

  • HA has been referred to as “the key molecule involved in skin moisture.”
  • HA is capable of holding up to 1,000 times its weight in water — however, because the size of its molecules are relatively big compared to other acids, it’s never been easy for skin care manufacturers to produce a hyaluronic acid product that actually penetrates and stays on the skin.
  • Only in the past decade have scientists been able to create technology-advanced HA formulas that are capable of really seeping below the skin’s surface. Topical application of only advanced (low molecular weight) HA serums can improve skin moisture and lead to significant reductions in wrinkle depth over time, taking HA internally will do this within just several weeks.  
  • HA is beneficial for reducing oxidative damage to the skin caused from both internal and external factors, especially ultraviolet irradiation (also referred to as photoaging). 
  • In addition to UV damage, skin aging is also influenced by hormonal changes, including decreased production of sex hormones like estrogen. Decreased estrogen can result in collagen degradation, which leads to dryness, loss of elasticity and wrinkling of the skin (along with other aging problems, such as joint achiness and dry eyes).

Because HA is involved in slowing down collagen loss in addition to reducing fluid or water loss, it can also help improve joint lubrication, reduce pain, and treat various problems of the eyes and mouth.


Hyaluronic Acid vs. Glucosamine

  • Like hyaluronic acid, glucosamine helps provide elasticity and structure within joints and tissue that can be used to lower pain.
  • The primary difference between the two is that HA provides more lubrication due to how it holds water, while glucosamine provides more structure and strength.
  • HA is an integral component of synovial fluid and articular cartilage, where as glucosamine (especially when used with chondroitin sulfate) works by helping build cartilage. Basically, HA is more beneficial to the joint fluid and important for shock absorption, while glucosamine helps prevent cartilage/collagen loss.
  • Many people experience the best results when they use these products together. It’s even been found that glucosamine increases hyaluronic acid production. 
  • Some anti-aging formulas contain several joint-supporting substances in addition to HA and glucosamine, such as manganese sulfate. Used together, these can all be effective for lowering osteoarthritis pains, improving functions of the cartilage matrix and replenishing synovial fluids.
  • Unfortunately topically used in skincare products HA wont be able to cross BBB for its big molecule structure, will bounce back and have only temporary effect on top skin layer.

Hyaluronic Acid – History and Facts

As you could probably guess, some of the most interesting research to emerge in recent years regarding hyaluronic acid has to do with the way it affects aging skin and joints.

  • Believe it or not, HA was first used commercially in 1942 as an egg white substitute in bakery products. 
  • HA belongs to the extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules of the skin. When it comes to anti-aging products, we usually hear about the primary skin layers (epidermis, the dermis and the underlying subcutis) but not the matrix of ECM molecules that lies between cells of these layers. This is the reason that taken internally HA has permanent effect
  • The ECM helps build the skin layers and has an important role in regulating cellular functions. These ECM molecules include glycosaminoglycans, proteoglycans, growth factors and structural proteins, such as collagen. The most abundant part of the ECM has been discovered to be hyaluronic acid.
  • Other than being part of the ECM, HA has a variety of physicochemical properties in other parts of the body that are showing importance for anti-aging treatments.
  • Researchers are now linking higher levels of HA to increased protection from reactive oxygen species (free radical damage), arthritis, chondrocytes that raise inflammation, certain types of cancer, lung injury, abnormal immune regulation, eye disorders and more.

NOAGENATION.COM
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Collagen BioCell

SmartBioScience

Collagen is the most abundant protein in our bodies, especially type 1 Collagen. It’s found in muscles, bones, skin, blood vessels, digestive system and tendons. It’s what helps give our skin strength and elasticity, along with replacing dead skin cells. When it comes to our joints and tendons, in simplest terms, it’s the “glue” that helps hold the body together.
Our body’s collagen production naturally begins to slow down as we age. We can thank this degenerative process for signs of aging, such as wrinkles, sagging skin and joint pains due to weaker or decreased cartilage (hello, skeleton legs). Other lifestyle factors — like eating a diet high in sugar, smoking and high amounts of sun exposure — also contribute to depleting collagen levels. It’s been found that collagen-related diseases most commonly arise from a combination of either genetic defects, poor intake of collagen-rich foods, nutritional deficiencies and digestive problems affecting production (synthesis) of collagen.

Top 7 Collagen Benefits

1. Improves Health of Skin and Hair

As we age, collagen production declines — it’s happening as you read this! You’ll notice it physically: looser skin, more wrinkles and less elasticity. Increasing collagen levels can help your skin look firmer, increase smoothness, and help your skin cells keep renewing and repairing normally.

Double-blind, placebo-controlled studies investigating the anti-aging properties of collagen have found that 2.5–5 grams of collagen hydrolysate used among women aged 35–55 once daily for eight weeks significantly improved skin elasticity, skin moisture, transepidermal water loss (dryness) and skin roughness, all with little to no side effects. (1) This makes collagen one of the best natural skin care ingredients available.

Collagen also reduces cellulite and stretch marks. When skin loses its elasticity as a result of decreased collagen, there’s another side effect: more visible cellulite. Because your skin is now thinner, cellulite becomes more evident — no more hiding what’s happening below the surface. Improving your skin’s elasticity through collagen helps reduce that dimpling on your skin.

Even severe stages of EDS (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome) are completely cured with  Collagen. 

2. Reduces Joint Pains and Degeneration

Have you ever felt like you’ve got “skeleton legs,” the types that feel extra stiff and cause pain when you move? Yup, that’s likely a loss of collagen rearing its ugly head. That’s because when we lose collagen, our tendons and ligaments start moving with less ease, leading to stiffness, swollen joints and more.

With its gel-like, smooth structure that covers and holds our bones together, collagen allows us to glide and move without pain. Think of ingesting more collagen like greasing a creaky door hinge: It helps your joints move more easily, reduces pain often associated with aging and even reduces the risk of joint deterioration. It’s no surprise then that a recent study even found that collagen is an effective treatment for treating osteoarthritis and other joint pain and disorders.

Researchers at Harvard’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston found that supplementing with type 2 collagen helped patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis find relief from painful symptoms by decreasing swelling in tender joints.  Another study published in the International Journal of Medical Sciences found that people with osteoarthritis joint pain treated with type 2 collagen show significant enhancements in daily activities, such as walking up stairs, ascending or sleeping, and a general improvement in their quality of life. 

3. Helps Heal Leaky Gut

If you suffer from leaky gut syndrome, a condition where bad-for-you toxins are able to pass through your digestive tract, collagen can be super-helpful. It helps break down proteins and soothes your gut’s lining, healing damaged cell walls and infusing it with healing amino acids.

The biggest digestive benefit of consuming more collagen is that it helps form connective tissue and therefore “seals and heals” the protective lining of the gastrointestinal tract. Today, we know that many illnesses can actually be traced back to inflammation or irritation stemming from an unhealthy gut. Poor gut health — including changes in the gut microbiome and permeability in the gut lining — allows particles to pass into the bloodstream where they can kick off an inflammatory cascade (hence the name leaky gut syndrome).

Studies have found that in patents with inflammatory bowel disease, serum concentrations of collagen are decreased. Because the amino acids in collagen build the tissue that lines the colon and GI tract, supplementing with collagen can help treat gastrointestinal symptoms and disorders, including leaky gut syndrome, IBS, acid reflux, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. In addition to helping heal leaky gut, collagen also helps with the absorption of water within the intestines, keeping things moving more freely out of body.

4. Boosts Metabolism, Muscle Mass and Energy Output

A boost in collagen may help increase your metabolism by adding lean muscle mass to your frame and helping with the conversion of essential nutrients. One of glycine’s most important roles is helping form muscle tissue by converting glucose into energy that feeds muscle cells. And remember that retaining muscle mass is crucial as you age, since it helps support posture, bone health and burns more calories than fat. When consuming collagen, you can benefit from also consuming vitamin C to ensure your body can convert the collagen into a useable protein. This can begin to restore the source or your energy and vitality.

That’s not all that glycine can do for your metabolism. Research shows glycine also has important roles in both functions of the digestive and central nervous systems, which play big roles in maintaining a healthy, youthful body. Glycine seems to help slow the effects of aging by improving the body’s use of antioxidants and is also used in the process of constructing healthy cells from DNA and RNA.

In addition, it’s been found that arginine boosts the body’s ability to make protein from other amino acids, which is important for repairing muscle tissue, healing wounds, sparing tissue wasting, boosting the metabolism, and aiding in proper growth and development. And glutamine also helps maintain adequate energy by facilitating the synthesizing of many chemicals.  This amino acid provides “fuel” to our cells, including carbon and nitrogen.

5. Strengthens Nails, Hair and Teeth

Ever had peeling and splitting nails? Well, a lack of collagen could be to blame. Collagen protein is the building block of your fingernails, hair and teeth. Adding collagen into your diet regimen can help keep your nails strong and possibly reverse signs of hair loss.

A study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology found that there’s an “essential relationships between extracellular matrix (ECM) and hair follicle regeneration, suggesting that collagen could be a potential therapeutic target for hair loss and other skin-related diseases.”

6. Improves Liver Health 

If you’re looking to detox your body of harmful substances, improve blood flow and keep your heart young, collagen is extremely helpful. That’s because glycine helps minimize damage your liver experiences when it absorbs foreign substances, toxins or alcohol that shouldn’t be passing through it.

One of the easiest ways to cleanse your liver is with a bone broth fast, but my favourite is the 1 Day Gallbladder/Liver Cleanse. Doctors often recommend a three-day bone broth detox to rapidly repair leaky gut. Vegan variation to it is using Agar Agar. This may help your body rid itself of chemicals and “reset” your gut, improving overall immune function. Studies have even found that glycine can be used to help reduce alcohol-induced liver damage and other forms of acute or chronic liver injury.

7. Protects Cardiovascular Health

The amino acid proline helps your artery walls release fat buildup in the bloodstream, shrinking the fat in the arteries and minimizing fat accumulation. Proline is needed for tissue repair within the joints and arteries, plus it helps control blood pressure. As part of collagen found within joints, it buffers our bodies from the effects of vibration or shock and helps us hold on to valuable cartilage as we get older.  It’s also linked with the prevention of arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) since it helps our arteries stay clear of dangerous plaque buildup.

In addition, arginine helps with nitric oxide production, which allows for better vasodilation — meaning the widening of arteries and relaxation of muscle cells and blood vessels that allows for better circulation.

What Is Collagen? Types and Sources

A little known fact is that there are at least 16 different types of collagen within the human body. These include collagen types 1, 2, 3, 5 and 10. However, the vast majority of the collagen — between 80 percent and 90 percent — consists of types 1, 2, and 3. Type 1 collagen specifically accounts for almost 90 percent of the body’s supply according to some findings. There are also different types of collagen found in certain foods or used to create collagen products and supplements. 

 Here’s an overview of the different types of collagen, collagen sources and their primary benefits:
  • Type 1: This is by far the most abundant, and almost considered to be the strongest, type of collagen found in the human body. It’s made up of eosinophilic fibers that form parts of the body, including tendons, ligaments, organs and skin (dermis). Type 1 collagen also helps form bones and can be found within the GI tract. It’s very important for wound healing, giving skin its stretchy and elastic quality, and holding together tissue so it doesn’t tear. 
  • Type 2: Type 2 collagen primarily helps build cartilage, which is found in connective tissues. The health of our joints relies on cartilage made of type 2 collagen, which is why it’s beneficial for preventing age-associated joint pain or various arthritis symptoms.
  • Type 3: Type 3 collagen is made of reticular fibers and a major component of the extracellular matrix that makes up our organs and skin. It’s usually found with type 1 and helps give skin its elasticity and firmness. It also forms blood vessels and tissue within the heart. For these reasons, deficiency in type 3 collagen has been linked to a higher risk for ruptured blood vessels and even early death, according to results from certain animal studies. 
  • Type 4: Type 4 collagen has the important job of forming basal lamina, which is found in endothelial cells that form tissue that surround organs, muscles and fat. Basal lamina are needed for various nerve and blood vessel functions.  They line the majority of our digestive organs and respiratory surfaces. Basal lamina can be found in the spaces between the top layer of skin/tissue and the deepest layer. They’re a thin layer of gel-like fluid that provides cushion/padding for the tissue above it.
  • Type 5: This type of collagen is needed to make the surface of cells, as well as hair strands and tissue found in women’s placentas (the organ that develops in the uterus during pregnancy, provides oxygen and nutrients to the growing baby, and removes waste).
  • Type 10: Type 10 helps with new bone formation and forming articular cartilage. It’s involved in the process of endochondral ossification, which is how bone tissue is created in mammals. It’s been found to be beneficial for bone fracture healing and repairing of synovial joints.

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1 Day Liver/Gallbladder Quick Cleanse for Deep Detox and General Wellbeing

#GERD#Hyperglycemia#LIPH#Fasting#HyaluronicAcid #Collagen  #LiverGallbladderCleanse #Hemp #Stress #BrainAge #Drugs #EndocrineDisruptiors #Hypertension#Microplastics #WaterSmarts #ToxicChemicals #LiverHealth #MilkThrisle #Magnesium #LiverCleanse #MedicinalMushroomsForAtheleticPerformance #BrainBoostingMedicinalMushrooms #RoyalColloids  #CalciumDGlucarate #ProteinMalfunction #MedicinalMushrooms #JapaneseLongevitySecret #PlantarFasciitis  #BlackCuminTheBlackGold #ThroatThyroidEsophagusLarynx#BasicBiohacks#SkinHealth#VariousLipids #Radiation #LungHealth #Sinkholes #Praying #HepatitisC #ImmuneBoostingFoods #ImmuneBoostingSupplements #ImmuneBoostingBiohacks #BetaGlucans #BetaGlucanKids #Phytoplankton

1 Day Liver/Gallbladder Cleanse

What you need:

EPSOM Salt – 4 tbsp

GRAPEFRUIT – 2 pink or 1 yellow (room temperature)

OLIVE OIL (light) – 1/2 cup

Follow Instructions Closely:

The day you start – Eat non-fat breakfast or just juice to be safe

Same day after 2pm – No food, No water

Mix 3 cups of water with 4 tbsp Epsom Salt, stir well till salt is dissolved completely, make 4 equal parts

6pm  – drink one glass of Epsom Salt

8pm – drink 2nd glass of Epsom Salt

9:30pm – squeeze the grapefruit by hand, take the pulp and seeds also by hand

Mix Grapefruit juice and Olive Oil

Go to  bathroom for the last time

10pm sharp – shake Grapefruit/Olive Oil Mix, drink and go to bed

Lay flat on your back with head elevated on a pillow for at least 30-40 min

Afterwards, you can lay on sides or even get up, or just sleep

8am – drink 3rd glass of Epsom Salt

10am – drink last (4th) glass of Epsom Salt

In between, you will go to the bathroom a lot

Green waste you see is from Gallbladder, Brown – from Liver

By noon you will be fully recovered, drink a glass of orange juice at 1pm, another one at 3pm, you can drink water as well

Dinner – greens without dressing or oil

Next morning you can go back to your normal diet

NOTE: This Cleansing can be done only twice a year, 6 months apart!

WHAT TO EXPECT: Improved liver/bladder efficiency, weight loss, better mobility, clear & brighter eye color, improved vision, better focus, balanced state of mind, bliss and oneness

Enjoy

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Seaweed, Kelp and Phytoplankton (Compared)

Spot the Difference

#GERD#Hyperglycemia#LIPH#Fasting#HyaluronicAcid #Collagen  #LiverGallbladderCleanse #Hemp #Stress #BrainAge #Drugs #EndocrineDisruptiors #Hypertension#Microplastics #WaterSmarts #ToxicChemicals #LiverHealth #MilkThrisle #Magnesium #LiverCleanse #MedicinalMushroomsForAtheleticPerformance #BrainBoostingMedicinalMushrooms #RoyalColloids  #CalciumDGlucarate #ProteinMalfunction #MedicinalMushrooms #JapaneseLongevitySecret #PlantarFasciitis  #BlackCuminTheBlackGold #ThroatThyroidEsophagusLarynx#BasicBiohacks#SkinHealth#VariousLipids #Radiation #LungHealth #Sinkholes #Praying #HepatitisC #ImmuneBoostingFoods #ImmuneBoostingSupplements #ImmuneBoostingBiohacks #BetaGlucans #BetaGlucanKids #Phytoplankton

Around 70% of the earth’s surface is covered by oceans. So much of the life in our oceans has yet to be discovered, who knows what marvels we may uncover in the coming decades.

We do know that the oceans are full of life, from the microscopic to the gargantuan, that the rest of the planet depends on for everything from food to the air we breathe.

One thing we know for sure: if it weren’t for the life in our oceans, humans could not survive on Earth.

In this post, we’re going to focus in on three key forms of algae that humans take from the oceanic world to provide them with what they need to live healthier lives: seaweed, kelp and marine phytoplankton.

Seaweed

Did you know those slimy seaweed stalks that give you the creeps when they brush the bottom of your feet when you swim in the ocean can actually provide you with nutrients?

Seaweed, which is a type of algae, has a lot to offer. In many parts of Asia, seaweed is a very common snack. Here in North America, seaweed, Nori, in particular, is most often found wrapped around a piece of sushi. Based on its nutritional value, though, it might be time for all of us to start snacking on seaweed more often.

Reader’s Digest Best Health tells us that, even as dark green vegetables go, seaweed is incredibly nutrient dense. However, there are more types of seaweed than just the green kind you typically picture. Seaweed may be green, brown, red or blue-green.

Seaweed is the generalized name for a number of different oceanic plants and algae. There are numerous types and subgroups of algae that fall into this category.

Seaweed, in general, has high amounts of calcium, vitamin B12, proteins and soluble fiber. Seaweed is also rich in DHA and EPA omega-3s fatty acids and antioxidants

The Guardian notes that a study in the British Journal of Nutrition, found arame and wakame, two popular types of seaweed, to be great sources of calcium, iodine, folate and magnesium. Purple laver, another type of seaweed, is especially rich in B vitamins.

According to Huffpost, “Seaweed’s best-known benefit is that it is an extraordinary source of a nutrient missing in almost every other food: iodine. Consuming healthy levels of iodine is critically important to maintaining a healthy thyroid, a gland in your neck which helps produce and regulate hormones.”

There are some subcategories of seaweed that are more common that others. Kelp is one such popular seaweed subgroup.

Kelp

Often confused with seaweed more generally, kelp is an important subcategory.

Part of the brown algae group, kelp is often found in shallow ocean waters, in densely grown pockets that are almost forest-like. Kelp is the seaweed you see at the beach most often.

In comparison to other seaweeds, SFGate says kelp has more calcium but less protein per serving. In one cup of kelp, you’ll get 13% of your daily calcium intake.

Kelp is also a superior source of vitamin K when compared to other seaweed types.

According to SFGate, “vitamin K’s main function in your body involves blood clotting — it activates proteins needed to set off a series of chemical reactions, called a coagulation cascade, that result in the formation of a blood clot. It also aids in cartilage and bone development. Kelp boasts a vitamin K content of 53 micrograms per cup, while Irish moss, laver and wakame each contain less than 5 micrograms per serving. Just 1 cup of kelp provides 42 percent of the daily intake for men and 59 percent for women.”

Like other types of seaweed, kelp is also a rich natural source of iodine.

Livestrong tells us that kelp is also rich in a number of vitamins, like vitamins C, B and E. Vitamin B is important for “cellular metabolism and providing your body with energy.” Vitamins C and E “are both strong antioxidants and promote blood vessel health.”

Dangers of eating seaweed and kelp

While getting your fill of seaweed and kelp will definitely benefit your health, there are some concerns. There definitely can be truth to the saying “too much of a good thing.”

While consuming enough iodine  is important for your health, too much of it can actually be detrimental. Since these foods have a lot of iodine in them, it’s worth noting.

Livestrong says that in terms of iodine consumption, “ingesting too much of it can negatively affect thyroid function, causing hypo- or hyper-thyroidism. Many thyroid specialists suggest that adults consume about 150 micrograms of iodine daily, although that is well below the level that could cause side effects. Table salt is iodized, so you should balance your kelp consumption against your salt intake.”

Adding kelp and seaweed into your diet is a good thing. Just be sure to monitor how much you’re taking in on a regular basis. If you like to eat a lot of these foods, switch to sea salt from table salt to reduce your overall iodine intake.

So how do seaweed and kelp differ from phytoplankton?

Marine phytoplankton

Marine phytoplankton is the basis of the aquatic food chain, feeding many forms of ocean life, from jellyfish to blue whales. Not only is marine phytoplankton full of nutrients for marine life, it’s also extremely nutritious for humans.

Like seaweed and kelp, marine phytoplankton is also an algae, but it’s different in some important ways.

For starters, marine phytoplankton is a single-celled aquatic microorganism or microalgae, which is invisible to the naked eye.

Some of the nutrition found in seaweed and kelp is also found in marine phytoplankton, however, in most foods (including seaweed and kelp) those nutrients have to go through the standard process of digestion before they can be absorbed. This means that your body can’t absorb and use as much of them.

Because of its incredibly small size, marine phytoplankton is easily absorbed by the body. It can benefit your health in a number of ways due to the unique combination of nutrients within and their high level of bioavailability.

The bioavailable nutrients found within marine phytoplankton include trace minerals, chlorophyll, amino acids, DHA, EPA, antioxidants and a number of important vitamins and minerals, just to name a few.

This combination of nutrients can help your natural detox system, support your heart, feed your brain, give you energy, strengthen your immune system and more. To learn more about the benefits of phytoplankton, check out our recent post.

Marine phytoplankton is a true superfood, as it works hard for your health, providing a wide variety of benefits and a large quantity of nutrition in a very small number of calories. Its nutrient density simply can’t be matched.

Plus, while the seaweed and kelp that we eat is often harvested right out of the ocean, the marine phytoplankton in our Oceans Alive is grown in a controlled environment  called a photobioreactor. This ensures a consistent end-product that is as potent as possible, as well as free of environmental contaminants.

This makes Oceans Alive a safe and healthy superfood to eat every day, not just as an occasional addition to your salad or wrapped around your sushi.

Algae Advantage

Who knew ocean algae could be so good for you and come in so many different shapes and sizes?

Seaweed, kelp and marine phytoplankton all do a number of terrific things for your body. Make sure, for all three, you’re buying products that are top of the line in order to make sure you’re putting the healthiest versions of each product into your body.

Do your research on brands and don’t skimp on your health. For marine phytoplankton, Oceans Alive is the best option out there.

Related Links

http://www.elle.com/beauty/health-fitness/news/a26568/seaweed-snacks-healthy/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/18578-health-benefits-eating-seaweed/
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2006/apr/15/healthandwellbeing.features
https://draxe.com/kelp/
https://wellnessmama.com/57460/marine-phytoplankton/
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/health-benefits-seaweed
http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/weight-loss-benefits-kelp/

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Microplastics In Water

What You Need To Know

#GERD#Hyperglycemia#LIPH#Fasting#HyaluronicAcid #Collagen  #LiverGallbladderCleanse #Hemp #Stress #BrainAge #Drugs #EndocrineDisruptiors #Hypertension#Microplastics #WaterSmarts #ToxicChemicals #LiverHealth #MilkThrisle #Magnesium #LiverCleanse #MedicinalMushroomsForAtheleticPerformance #BrainBoostingMedicinalMushrooms #RoyalColloids  #CalciumDGlucarate #ProteinMalfunction #MedicinalMushrooms #JapaneseLongevitySecret #PlantarFasciitis  #BlackCuminTheBlackGold #ThroatThyroidEsophagusLarynx#BasicBiohacks#SkinHealth#VariousLipids #Radiation #LungHealth #Sinkholes #Praying #HepatitisC #ImmuneBoostingFoods #ImmuneBoostingSupplements #ImmuneBoostingBiohacks #BetaGlucans #BetaGlucanKids #Phytoplankton

When people think of plastic waste they likely think of items such as bottles, bags, and straws, but there are smaller objects that inconspicuously threaten habitats and wildlife.  Microplastic waste is a monumental problem world-wide, but has received little attention until recently. Microplastic waste endangers both organisms living on land and those in aquatic habitats, and may harm humans.  Additionally, microplastics interfere with industries like fishing, shipping, and tourism, which suffer at least $13 billion in damages every year from plastic pollution.  Microplastics are used in large quantities in many products and are harder to clean up than other plastic materials.  This article answers several questions pertaining to microplastics, some of which may surprise consumers.

What Are Microplastics?

The term “microplastics” is used to describe particles that are made of non degradable plastic, smaller than five millimeters long, and cannot dissolve in water.  Several sources are responsible for creating microplastics: mechanical forces, sunlight, and weather wear down and fracture large plastic containers; plastic pellets used for manufacturing; and the small, manufactured plastic beads used in health and beauty products.  Known as “microbeads”, these tiny pollutants may be as small as one micrometer (1 μm), making them completely invisible to the naked eye.  An estimated eight trillion microbeads enter aquatic environments every day, which is equivalent to lining up microbeads side by side and covering more than 300 tennis courts daily!  A 2015 study estimated between 15 trillion and 51 trillion microplastic particles had accumulated in world oceans.   Microplastics are entering aquatic environments in copious amounts, and coupled with the small size of these particles, environmentalists are struggling to develop methods to successfully clean up these particles.

Where Do Microplastics Come From?

Microbeads, the manufactured plastic beads that are added as exfoliates, have been replacing natural ingredients in personal care products for the last fifty years.  Face wash, skin scrub, hand soap, makeup, shampoo and conditioner, hair dye, sunscreen, baby care products, cleaner, nail polish, deodorant, and toothpaste are just a few of the consumer goods that contain microplastics (including microbeads).  These particles can account for up to 90 percent of the ingredients in certain cosmetic products.  An even less talked about source of microplastics is nylon and polyester clothing.  Laundering nylon and polyester clothing causes tiny bits of plastic to wash down the drain and eventually empty into lakes, streams, and oceans.  One study found that as many as 700,000 tiny synthetic fibers (i.e., pieces of nylon or polyester) washed down the drain after one cycle in the washing machine, while a study conducted using four different types of synthetic fleece jackets revealed that every time a synthetic fleece jacket was washed, 1.7 grams of microfibers were washed down the drain.

Why Do We Care About Microplastics?

Microplastics have the potential to pose an environmental hazard when they enter bodies of water.  Fish and other aquatic wildlife ingest microplastics, which may irritate or damage their digestive system.  If microplastics are not excreted and instead accumulate in the gut, the animal may mistakenly believe it is full of nutritious food instead of harmful plastic, resulting in malnutrition or starvation.  Microplastics may also affect the feeding behavior, predator avoidance capabilities, and cell function in some vertebrates and invertebrates as well as alter sediment composition.  Microplastics also serve as a vessel, carrying pollutants like pesticides and manufactured chemicals such as BPA, DDT, and PCB’s, which may be ingested or filtered by animals.  Crustaceans and other filter feeders may also experience a decrease in reproductive success due to the consumption of microplastics.  Filter-feeding organisms play an important role in creating a healthy food web, and microplastics may adversely affect the biology and physiology of these animals and any animal who consumes them.

It’s not just wildlife that is threatened by plastics in our water bodies.  Evidence suggests that humans who eat seafood are also consuming the plastic particles that fish and shellfish already ingested.  In 2014, researchers purchased fish and shellfish from Indonesian and American markets that were selling seafood for human consumption to assess the number of plastic pieces in the animals’ guts.  In Indonesia and the United States, approximately one out of every four fish contained small plastic or fibrous debris while one out of every three shellfish sampled in the United States contained some sort of small debris in their guts.  While it seems apparent that aquatic wildlife are not the only organisms to consume plastic particles, the effects of microplastic consumption on human health are not yet clear.

What Is Unknown About Microplastics?

A lot.  Research on plastic pollution, which includes the study of microplastics, is still a relatively new field, so a great deal is still unknown with regards to microplastics and their effects on aquatic organisms, habitats, and human health.  Scientists are still identifying how best to quantify the number of microplastics (in all size ranges) that enter aquatic environments, which organisms consume and accumulate particles, and whether the affected animals harm the predators (including humans) that eat them.  In other words, the extent of damage that microplastics are causing to habitats and species at all levels of the food chain need to be studied in much more detail.

What Is Being Done To Learn More?

Researchers are working to answer many unknowns: the extent of microplastics in the ocean; how microplastics uptake in the food web; if pollutants transfer to animals from microplastic particles; and the potential impacts on the conservation and health of aquatic plants and animals.  A collaborative effort between researchers at the University of Washington Tacoma and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Marine Debris Program has led to the establishment of a reliable method to use weight to quantify the amount of microplastics in sand, sediment, or a water sample. Similarly, many nonprofit organizations were formed to investigate microplastic pollution and its effects on wildlife and human health.

What is Being Done To Fix The Problem?

In recent years, preventing microplastics from entering waterways has received international attention.

Important work is ongoing to develop ways to minimize the amount of microplastics going down drains and clean up plastic already polluting bodies of water.

Additionally, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and universities are working together to evidence and encourage lawmakers to pass legislation requiring companies to use fewer microplastic ingredients in their products.

Several states in the U.S. and countries around the world have banned the manufacture and sale of one-time use plastic products, which will reduce the number of plastic items in a landfill that will eventually become microplastic pieces.

Many nonprofit organizations work tirelessly to combat the world’s plastics problem.  The Ocean Cleanup Project recently developed a new method to remove 70,000 metric tons of plastic from the sea within ten years.

Other efforts include collaborations between nonprofits and clothing manufacturers to create clothing and footwear made entirely out of plastic debris.

On a global scale, the United Nations held an environmental assembly for the first time in 2014 involving more than 150 governments who are concerned about the effects of plastic pollution in water bodies around the globe.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was tasked with studying aspects of microplastic debris in marine environments worldwide and developing methods for reducing the number of sources of microplastics.  UNEP also works to mitigate the global impacts that microplastics have on habitats, marine flora and fauna, and humans.

Closer to home, former President Barack Obama signed the Microbead-Free Waters Act, which banned the use of microbeads in all personal care products manufactured after 2015.  This Act was a respectable first step in eliminating the use of microplastics while also increasing public awareness and prompting some corporate action.  However, it contains language that leaves room for the use of microbeads in items that are not considered “personal care” or “rinse-off products” like deodorants, nail polish, or cleansers.  It also contains loose definitions of the terms “plastic” and “biodegradable”, which allows companies to produce plastic products that biodegrade only slightly (not fully) over a short period of time.

Long term projects replacing toxic plastics and synthetic household, building materials with long forgotten hemp plastics, hempcrete, hemp fiber in car industry, hemp fuel

In the short term, focusing on improving wastewater management facilities and their ability to prevent smaller plastic debris from reaching the water has been considered a decent first step.  Perhaps more important for long-term success would be a shift in the way we think about all plastic, regardless of size.  Treating plastic as a valuable, limited resource like water instead of an inexhaustible resource that can be discarded after one use would ultimately lead to a reduction in the amount of microplastics in water bodies.

If companies redesigned products to be more ecofriendly, contain less synthetic material, and use safer chemicals and consumers used these products more responsibly, we will reduce the potential for health threats posed by microplastics.

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Water Smarts

Bioaccumulation & Biomagnification Of Toxic Chemicals:

What You Need To Know

Wendy Spicer, M.S. |  Scientific Contributor    

Editor’s Note:  We’ve been writing more articles about organic chemicals like endocrine disruptors, methylated mercury, so we’ve been getting a lot of questions about how people become exposed to these chemicals.  Even though these questions deal more with food than drinking water, we though that it’d be worthwhile to spend some time on an article explaining how this happens.

What is Bioaccumulation?

Bioaccumulation refers to the process of toxic chemicals building up inside of an organism’s body. This happens when a chemical is consumed or absorbed, and the body cannot catabolize or excrete it quickly enough. Mercury is a well-known chemical that will bioaccumulate in humans.  We commonly hear about mercury exposure resulting from eating fish such as tuna (or other large predatory fish). However, mercury as well as many other harmful chemicals can also be found in drinking water supplies across the United States.

Chemicals that tend to bioaccumulate are stored in cells and not exposed to direct physical or biochemical degradation. These chemicals can collect and hide-out, particularly within adipose tissue (fat cells). Fatty mammary tissue often contains the highest concentrations of toxic chemicals. These chemicals in our mammary tissue are then passed along to infants when nursing.

What is Biomagnification?

Image from http://biology.tutorvista.com/environmental-pollution/effects-of-water-pollution.html

Biomagnification refers to the process of toxic chemicals increasing in concentration as they move throughout a food chain. Bioaccumulation and biomagnification often work hand-in-hand; one animal accumulates chemicals in the body (bioaccumulation) and then a larger predator consumes that smaller animal such that the chemical is passed along to the predator. The chemical “magnifies” as the resulting concentrations increase in the predator because it likely consumes large quantities of that particular prey throughout its lifetime (biomagnification). As top-level predators in our own food chain, humans tend to collect high concentrations of toxic chemicals in our bodies.

What are Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxics (PBTs)?

PBTs are a particular group of chemicals that threaten the health of humans and the environment. Examples include methylmercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT), and dioxins. PBTs are considered extremely dangerous to both humans and wildlife because they remain in the environment for a very long time without breaking down, then bioaccumulate and biomagnify in ecosystems (including ours).

PBTs can also travel long distances and move between air, water, and land. DDT, a notorious environmental pollutant, was developed as a synthetic insecticide in the 1940s. Sprayed over crops, DDT would then wash into water supplies and contaminate lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, and oceans. Small organisms such as plankton and algae absorb DDT through the water. Smaller fish then consume the contaminated algae and plankton. Larger predatory fish then consume the smaller fish. Eventually, large predatory birds or humans eat the contaminated fish. Despite being banned in the United States over 40 years ago, DDT is still found in soil and water supplies today. In addition, humans contain the highest concentrations of DDT when compared to other organisms.

How Does This Impact Human Health?

Exposure to PBTs has been linked to a wide range of toxic effects in humans and wildlife. Some of those adverse effects include but are not limited to disruption of the nervous and endocrine systems, reproductive and developmental problems, immune system suppression, and cancer.

How Can I Minimize Exposure To PBTs?

  1. Avoid eating species of fish that are long-lived and high on the food chain such as tuna, marlin, shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish.
  2. Use a high quality water filters that removes PBTs (e.g. DDT, Dioxins, BPA, Phthalates from contaminated drinking water before the chemicals get a chance to accumulate in you

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Detox Champagne – The Ultimate Golden Detox

#GERD#Hyperglycemia#LIPH#Fasting#HyaluronicAcid #Collagen  #LiverGallbladderCleanse #Hemp #Stress #BrainAge #Drugs #EndocrineDisruptiors #Hypertension#Microplastics #WaterSmarts #ToxicChemicals #LiverHealth #MilkThrisle #Magnesium #LiverCleanse #MedicinalMushroomsForAtheleticPerformance #BrainBoostingMedicinalMushrooms #RoyalColloids  #CalciumDGlucarate #ProteinMalfunction #MedicinalMushrooms #JapaneseLongevitySecret #PlantarFasciitis  #BlackCuminTheBlackGold #ThroatThyroidEsophagusLarynx#BasicBiohacks#SkinHealth#VariousLipids #Radiation #LungHealth #Sinkholes #Praying #HepatitisC #ImmuneBoostingFoods #ImmuneBoostingSupplements #ImmuneBoostingBiohacks #BetaGlucans #BetaGlucanKids #Phytoplankton #DetoxChampagne

 

DETOX CHAMPAGNE

Champagne vs. Prosecco: Do You Know the Difference?

 

What you need:

Apple Cider Vinegar  ACV (1 tbsp) 
Bragg is the best brand so far (organic, raw, unfiltered, unheated, unpasteurized, with the mother, 5% acidity)  Also known as ACV.
It will cleanse your body, shoots up the PH level and kill all sorts of bacteria, leaving you with flawless skin and a Beach Body
 
Activation is my #1 choice.  Natural powerful antioxidant. Its called “Ultimate Life Elixir for All Illnesses Except Death” for a very good reason
 
Baking Soda (1/4 tsp)
Arm & Hammers is a safe brand – aluminum free. Sodium bicarbonate neutralizes the vinegar so you don’t harm the enamel on your teeth, and it neutralizes in your stomach anyway so you are still getting all the benefits of the ACV. It is actually easier for your body to absorb what it needs to from the ACV if you neutralize it first. By taking out that step, you saved your body that work and now it can use all of its energy to absorb what it needs. You want to get it to about a 7% alkaline level. The ACV you buy in a grocery store is about 5%. The more that acid bothers you (GERD, acid reflux etc) the more Baking soda you should use. Start with 1/8 of a teaspoon and assess your tolerance. I have found ¼ teaspoon to be the magic number for me.
 
 
 
How to make the champagne:
 
Mix everything in a bottle or a tall glass except the baking soda
Add 1/2 cup water to the mixture
Add the soda at the end
Shake or stir once, wait a min …….and drink
 
EASY
 
Best time for the Detox Champagne is on empty stomach, after 12 -17 hr of rest (no food)
 
Immediate symptoms you will notice using Detox Champaign:
  • Quick alkaline level spike
  • Less overall pain (joints, muscles, headache, internal inflammations) 
  • Better mobility (due to antiflammatory properties)
  • Less anxiety & better mood
  • Mental clarity
  • Better sleep
  • Weight loss
  • Hormonal balance
  • Skin improvement (elasticity & tone)
  • Cellulite reduction 
  • More energy
 
 
ENJOY
 
 
 
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DRUGS – The Good, The Bad & The Ugly (Informational Read)

#GERD#Hyperglycemia#LIPH#Fasting#HyaluronicAcid #Collagen  #LiverGallbladderCleanse #Hemp #Stress #BrainAge #Drugs #EndocrineDisruptiors #Hypertension#Microplastics #WaterSmarts #ToxicChemicals #LiverHealth #MilkThrisle #Magnesium #LiverCleanse #MedicinalMushroomsForAtheleticPerformance #BrainBoostingMedicinalMushrooms #RoyalColloids  #CalciumDGlucarate #ProteinMalfunction #MedicinalMushrooms #JapaneseLongevitySecret #PlantarFasciitis  #BlackCuminTheBlackGold #ThroatThyroidEsophagusLarynx#BasicBiohacks#SkinHealth#VariousLipids #Radiation #LungHealth #Sinkholes #Praying #HepatitisC#ImmuneBoostingFoods#ImmuneBoostingSupplements#ImmuneBoostingBiohacks#BetaGlucans#BetaGlucanKids#Phytoplankton#DetoxChampagne

BIG PHARMA – Well Planned GENOCIDE

Deadliest STREET Drugs

According to scientists, researchers and law enforcement alike, there are some drugs that have the potential to completely devastate your world. Furthermore, science maintains that any of these drugs could prove extremely dangerous to your health, and in many cases, deadly.

Alcohol   

Damaging Effect of Alcohol

Yes, it’s not the heroin or any other drugs the top danger, it’s the alcohol. Alcohol abuse is so common and destructive like nothing else. Unfortunately many will not agree. It’s scary when we are in denial and do not understand the issue. Even moderate drinking leads to short–term or chronic impairment.   The moment you have your first drink, your brain cells start dying.

“Easier to stay out, than to get out”

In my country, abusing alcohol as a tradition, generation after generation has damaging effect on so many young people.  Did you know that 21 restriction just doesn’t work in Bulgaria and many more countries – it’s completely ignored there. Wine and hard liquor, taken as medicine on a daily basis, beer as a cleanser, just so absurd and wrong.

So, forgive me fellow Bulgarians for being bitter and sarcastic, but if you want to live to the fullest, have loved ones in your life, and still thinking of acting heroic and childish after a beer detox – think again!

Flakka

Flakka is a man-made substance which shares similarities with cocaine and bath salts. Unfortunately, however, it can be much more dangerous than either. Even the slightest overdose can cause the user to encounter symptoms of “excited delirium” which includes violent behaviors, high body temperature, and paranoia. In the end the drug can cause permanent psychological damage because of its effects on the chemicals in the brain.

 Bath Salts

Bath salts” is a term used in North America and Europe to describe a number of recreational designer drugsThe name derives from instances in which the drugs were sold disguised as true bath saltsThe white powder, granules, or crystals often resemble true bath salts such as Epsom salts, but are very different chemically. The drugs’ packaging often states “not for human consumption” in an attempt to circumvent drug prohibition laws Bath salts have also been similarly disguised as plant food, hookah cleaner, and other products, despite only seeing regular distribution in shops selling drug paraphernalia. There is not much scientific information regarding bath salts. However, this popular drug containing substituted cathinones. Most types contain mephedrone or methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV). They cause major changes in brain activity and can certainly cause brain cell death. Elevated stress, paranoia, anger, stimulation, etc. are all side effects from this substance. By using bath salts you are likely going to get brain damage from the excessive stimulation and inability to wind down. Additionally, there may be chemicals in this drug that you are not aware of that may kill more brain cells. Bath salts have a very similar makeup to methamphetamine, cocaine and ecstasy. It is considered a designer drug due to the fact that it is synthetic and created in a lab. The drug looks very similar to household bath salts, however, if ingested it can cause paranoid delusions, hallucinations, violence, anger, and death.

Purple Drank

If you have ever listened to the last rap era, then you have probably heard this term tossed around in the 90’s. Rappers like Jay-Z rapped about the substance that is a mix of soda water, sweets and codeine cough syrup. Unfortunately, this ‘drank’ can cause your upper respiratory infection to fail, and possibly even your heart. It is addictive due to it being an opioid, and in many cases, it can easily prove deadly.

Heroin

Everyone knows that heroin is a killer. It takes fathers, mothers, daughters, sons, brothers, it doesn’t discriminate, it can take anyone. Sadly, and quite often, people unintentionally overdose on heroin, leaving their families behind. If they don’t overdose, many of them will spend a life in the agonizing turmoil of being an addict.

Ketamine

Recent studies have confirmed observations made by Yale clinicians decades ago — the anesthetic ketamine provides rapid and robust relief to those suffering from the most severe forms of depression. However, there is also limited research to advise doctors on best doses and length of ketamine treatment, which patients will most benefit from treatment, and whether ketamine can provide long-lasting relief for depression without dangerous side effects, according to a report published March 1 in the Journal JAMA Psychiatry. 

Ketamine is licensed for use as an anaesthetic and painkiller, but is also used as an illegal party drug. Ketamine can be a quite powerful hallucinogenic that can also be accompanied by paranoia. Others may end up with blood pressure and heart problems for the rest of their lives. , many others find it fatal. Prolonged exposure to ketamine has been linked to the death of neurons and neuronal toxicity. The death was found to have happened in the frontal cortex of monkeys. Ironically enough ketamine is currently being investigated as an alternative treatment for depression. 

Beware of other street names: K, Special K, K2, Vitamin K, Super K, Super C, Lady K, Ket, Kit Kat, Ketaset, Ketaject, Jet, Super Acid, Green, Purple, Mauve, Super Acid, Special LA Coke, Cat Tranquilizers, Cat Valium

 AH-7921

This synthetic opioid was legal until January of this year. Many have referred to it as ‘legal heroin’ and is believed to be quite dangerous by medical experts and scientists alike. Side effects include upper respiratory arrest and gangrene.

Whoonga

Whoonga is actually a drug used in the treatment of HIV, however, when it is abused, it can cause vivid dreams along with a variety of other central nervous system effects. When the HIV patient abuses it, it causes mutant versions of the virus to replicate in the person’s system that is then resistant to the medicine.  Whoonga  is worst than heroin. 

The Devil’s Breath

The Devil’s Breath or Scopolamine is derived from the nightshade plant that can be found in the Northern region in South America. Typically it is a powder that can also be used as a strong poison. Many report having it blown in their face, causing them to become unable to defend themselves. The person will be unable to form memories leaving them unable to recall what happened. Most lose all sense of self control.

Cocaine

COCAINE: A SHORT HISTORY

Crack cocaine became most popular in the 1980’s, and due to its rarity it was excessively expensive. However, many drug dealers broke it down by cooking it with baking soda and created ‘crack.’ Crack and cocaine both can destroy the liver, kidneys, lungs, blood vessels and cause untimely death.Although using cocaine once or twice may not do much damage, there is significant evidence that cocaine use kills your brains pleasure cells. So the cells that allow you to get high off of cocaine are the very cells that become damaged and killed from the drug’s use. The cells that die from cocaine use are in your brain’s pleasure center, which help you feel good via the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Things that previously brought you pleasure may no longer bring you any pleasure due to all of the extinct pleasure neurons in the pleasure center.

10 Facts About Cocaine

Benzodiazepine abuse

Should you end up abusing a benzodiazepine drug like Xanax or Valium over the long term, you put yourself at risk to lose brain cells as well as develop dementia. Although not everyone taking this drug will experience the negative side effects, it can lead to cognition problems in the long term. There are a lot of conflicting results from benzodiazepine studies, but in most the long term effects do not seem favorable.

Cigarettes / tobacco products

A compound in tobacco products including cigarettes and chewing tobacco called NNK (procarcinogen) causes white blood cells in the body’s central nervous system (CNS) to attack healthy brain cells. Normally immune cells called “microglia” attack unhealthy and damaged cells in the brain to help promote healthy functioning. However the NNK causes the microglia to attack healthy cells.

Ecstasy (MDMA)

One extreme myth regarding the popular rave drug ecstasy is that it will “put holes in your brain” – however, it does have the potential to kill brain cells – specifically ones that are of central importance to the serotonin system. Not only can it deplete natural stores of serotonin, it can damage axons and other nerve cells.  Some researchers believe that the brain is not able to restore its axons.  Read more about how ecstasy may cause brain damage if you are interested.

Inhalants – the brutal naked truth

The poisons in inhalants can cause major problems in regards to brain functioning and can damage many brain cells. If you chronically sniff or huff things like paint and glue, you are risking your brain. Some people experience significant brain damage from years of huffing paint to get a high. Individuals that sniff paint are putting themselves at major risk for brain damage. Don’t huff paint or other inhalants as a way to get high – this is a surefire way to end up with brain problems or death.

Methamphetamines

If you want to severely damage your overall brain functioning, consider meth. Over time, this is a sure-fire way to roast your brain cells and cause long term damage to many areas of the brain. What’s interesting is that chronic use of meth can cause changes to the brain similar to those found in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and stroke victims. Scientists have found that the more you use meth, the more damage your brain cells will incur.

Nitrous Oxide

When used by a medical professional for anesthetic purposes, nitrous oxide is relatively safe – it will not damage the brain. However, when it is used recreationally in a repetitive manner to maintain a high, it can deplete oxygen levels may inhibit the uptake of vitamin B12. If you take “laughing gas” or “whippets” on the regular, you are putting your brain at risk for cell death – especially over the long term.

Steroids

Steroids are organic compounds that hold a chemical structure characterized by a particular arrangement of four cycloalkane rings that are connected to one another.

What Conditions Are Treated With Steroids?

Steroids are used to treat a variety of conditions in which the body’s defense system malfunctions and causes tissue damage. Steroids are used as the main treatment for certain inflammatory conditions, such as systemic vasculitis (inflammation of blood vessels) and myositis (inflammation of muscle). They may also be used selectively to treat inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Sjögren’s syndrome, or gout.

What Are the Benefits of Steroids?

When inflammation threatens to damage critical body organs, steroids can be organ saving and, in many instances, life-saving. For example, they may help prevent the progression of kidney inflammation, which can lead to kidney failure in people who have lupus or vasculitis. For these people, steroid therapy may eliminate the need for kidney dialysis or transplant. Low doses of steroids may provide significant relief from pain and stiffness for people with conditions including rheumatoid arthritis. Temporary use of higher doses of steroids may help a person recover from a severe flare-up of arthritis.

Common Side Effects

Diagram of Damage Steroids Can Cause to Your Body

Taking steroids can lead to elevated levels of testosterone which in turn kills brain cells. It was determined that at high concentrations, cell viability decreases. It is believed that the excess testosterone is what plays a role in damaging and knocking neurons out of commission. If you are getting your muscle by taking steroids, you may want to think twice before you have to deal with some brain damage.

Types of Steroids

How To Cleanse DRUGS Out Of Your System

FAST, NATURALLY, SAFE

DETOX CHAMPAGNE

What you need:

Apple Cider Vinegar  ACV (1 tbsp) 
Bragg is the best brand so far (organic, raw, unfiltered, unheated, unpasteurized, with the mother, 5% acidity)  Also known as ACV.
It will cleanse your body, shoots up the PH level and kill all sorts of bacteria, leaving you with flawless skin and a Beach Body
 
Panaseeda is my #1 choice.  Natural powerful antioxidant. Its called “Ultimate Life Elixir for All Illnesses Except Death” for a very good reason
 
Baking Soda (1/4 tsp)
Arm & Hammers is a safe brand – aluminum free. Sodium bicarbonate neutralizes the vinegar so you don’t harm the enamel on your teeth, and it neutralizes in your stomach anyway so you are still getting all the benefits of the ACV. It is actually easier for your body to absorb what it needs to from the ACV if you neutralize it first. By taking out that step, you saved your body that work and now it can use all of its energy to absorb what it needs. You want to get it to about a 7% alkaline level. The ACV you buy in a grocery store is about 5%. The more that acid bothers you (GERD, acid reflux etc) the more Baking soda you should use. Start with 1/8 of a teaspoon and assess your tolerance. I have found ¼ teaspoon to be the magic number for me.
 
Biocell by Modere loaded with hyaluronic acid is my #1 choice.
Comes in 4 variations to chose from depending on your condition, and your taste(Pure, Life, Skin, Sport)
It act as a  powerhouse detox especially If you suffer from leaky gut syndrome, a condition where bad-for-you toxins are able to pass through your digestive tract,  It helps break down proteins, healing damaged cell walls and infusing it with healing amino acids. The biggest digestive benefit of consuming more collagen is that it helps form connective tissue and therefore “seals and heals” the protective lining of the gastrointestinal tract.
Side effect from taking collagen is healthy naturally glowing skin tone, cellulite reduction,  thicker hair, stronger bones, nails  and ligaments
You can substitute the collagen with grape  juice for its resveratrol content or even water, still will be missing the additional healing benefits of collagen
 
CBD Oil (15 mg)
Cannabidiol (CBD) from hemp will TURBOCHARGE your detox.
Cannabis Sativa (Hemp) is a wonder plant.  
Its called “The Plant of the Thousand and One Molecules”
The neutral cannabinoids molecules and over 120 terpenes are so many and so small  that are highly lipophilic and cross the blood-brain barrier in a flash
All these molecules will first correct and repair, protect and act as a barrier, then will start eliminating toxins.
CBD oil is either raw (green), de-carbohydrated (black) or filtered (gold) and comes in different variations: Oil Tinctures, Oil Syringes (paste like), Crystallized, Silicone jars, Vape juices (cant be used in detox champaign), Nano Drops (my personal favourite)
How to make the champaign:
Mix everything in a bottle or a tall glass except the baking soda
Add 1/2 cup water to the mixture
Add the soda at the end
Shake or stir once, wait a min …….and drink
 
EASY
 
Best time for the Detox Champagne is on empty stomach, after 12 -17 hr of rest (no food)
Immediate symptoms you will notice using Detox Champaign:
  • Less overall pain
  • Better mobility
  • Less anxiety
  • Mental clarity
  • Better sleep
  • Weight loss
  • Hormonal balance
  • Skin improvement
  • More energy
  • Better mood
 
 
ENJOY
NOAGENATION.COM
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CAUSES & WHAT TO AVOID: 

HEAD TRAUMA

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an injury to your brain from a blow to your head (closed injury) or an object penetrating your skull and entering your brain (open injury).

Open injury often ends up with an intracranial hematoma, when  a blood vessel ruptures within your brain or between your skull and your brain.

The collection of blood (hematoma) compresses your brain tissue, causing damage or death in 40% of undetected and untreated cases.

Although some head injuries – such as one causes only a brief lapse of consciousness (concussion) – can be minor, an intracranial hematoma is potentially life threatening and in most cases requires surgery to remove the blood.

If not fatal, symptoms of any type of TBI can be long lasting, full recovery may vary from 6 months to 2 years.

TBI can interfere with memory, speech and mobility.

You are at higher risk of head trauma if you:

  • Are 75 or older
  • Are a man
  • Are in car or motorcycle accident
  • Play contact sport
  • Do not wear protective gear
  • Are in military
  • Are victim of violence
  • Abuse drugs or alcohol
  • Have had a previous TBI

DRUGS 

Deadliest STREET Drugs

According to scientists, researchers and law enforcement alike, there are some drugs that have the potential to completely devastate your world. Furthermore, science maintains that any of these drugs could prove extremely dangerous to your health, and in many cases, deadly.

Alcohol   

Yes, it’s not the heroin or any other drugs top danger, it’s the alcohol. Alcohol abuse is so common and destructive like nothing else. Unfortunately many will not agree. It’s scary when we are in denial and do not understand the danger of drinking alcohol, long and short term consequences. Even moderate drinking leads to short–term or chronic impairment.   Been said that the moment you have your first drink, your brain cells start dying.

In my country, abusing alcohol as a tradition, generation after generation has damaging effect on so many young people.  Did you know that 21 restriction just doesn’t work in Bulgaria and many more countries, it’s completely ignored there. Wine and hard liquor, taken as medicine on a daily basis, beer as a cleanser, just so absurd and wrong.

So, forgive me fellow Bulgarians for being bitter and sarcastic, but if you want to live to the fullest, have loved ones in your life, and still thinking of acting heroic and childish after a beer detox – think again!

Flakka

Flakka is a man-made substance which shares similarities with cocaine and bath salts. Unfortunately, however, it can be much more dangerous than either. Even the slightest overdose can cause the user to encounter symptoms of “excited delirium” which includes violent behaviors, high body temperature, and paranoia. In the end the drug can cause permanent psychological damage because of its effects on the chemicals in the brain.

 Bath Salts

 There is not much scientific information regarding bath salts. However, this popular drug containing substituted cathinones. Most types contain mephedrone or methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV). They cause major changes in brain activity and can certainly cause brain cell death. Elevated stress, paranoia, anger, stimulation, etc. are all side effects from this substance. By using bath salts you are likely going to get brain damage from the excessive stimulation and inability to wind down. Additionally, there may be chemicals in this drug that you are not aware of that may kill more brain cells. Bath salts have a very similar makeup to methamphetamine, cocaine and ecstasy. It is considered a designer drug due to the fact that it is synthetic and created in a lab. The drug looks very similar to household bath salts, however, if ingested it can cause paranoid delusions, hallucinations, violence, anger, and death.

Purple Drank

If you have ever listened to the last rap era, then you have probably heard this term tossed around in the 90’s. Rappers like Jay-Z rapped about the substance that is a mix of soda water, sweets and codeine cough syrup. Unfortunately, this ‘drank’ can cause your upper respiratory infection to fail, and possibly even your heart. It is addictive due to it being an opioid, and in many cases, it can easily prove deadly.

Heroin

Everyone knows that heroin is a killer. It takes fathers, mothers, daughters, sons, brothers, it doesn’t discriminate, it can take anyone. Sadly, and quite often, people unintentionally overdose on heroin, leaving their families behind. If they don’t overdose, many of them will spend a life in the agonizing turmoil of being an addict.

Ketamine

Otherwise known as Special K, Ketamine can be a quite powerful hallucinogenic that can also be accompanied by paranoia. Others may end up with blood pressure and heart problems for the rest of their lives. And unfortunately, many others find it fatal. Prolonged exposure to ketamine has been linked to the death of neurons and neuronal toxicity. The death was found to have happened in the frontal cortex of monkeys. Ironically enough ketamine is currently being investigated as an alternative treatment for depression. Short term exposure was not associated with any adverse effects; you really have to abuse ketamine to kill brain cells.

 AH-7921

This synthetic opioid was legal until January of this year. Many have referred to it as ‘legal heroin’ and is believed to be quite dangerous by medical experts and scientists alike. Side effects include upper respiratory arrest and gangrene.

Whoonga

Whoonga is actually a drug used in the treatment of HIV, however, when it is abused, it can cause vivid dreams along with a variety of other central nervous system effects. When the HIV patient abuses it, it causes mutant versions of the virus to replicate in the person’s system that is then resistant to the medicine. 

The Devil’s Breath

The Devil’s Breath or Scopolamine is derived from the nightshade plant that can be found in the Northern region in South America. Typically it is a powder that can also be used as a strong poison. Many report having it blown in their face, causing them to become unable to defend themselves. The person will be unable to form memories leaving them unable to recall what happened. Most lose all sense of self control.

Cocaine

Although using cocaine once or twice may not do much damage, there is significant evidence that cocaine use kills your brains pleasure cells. So the cells that allow you to get high off of cocaine are the very cells that become damaged and killed from the drug’s use. The cells that die from cocaine use are in your brain’s pleasure center, which help you feel good via the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Things that previously brought you pleasure may no longer bring you any pleasure due to all of the extinct pleasure neurons in the pleasure center. Crack cocaine became most popular in the 1980’s, and due to its rarity it was excessively expensive. However, many drug dealers broke it down by cooking it with baking soda and created ‘crack.’ Crack and cocaine both can destroy the liver, kidneys, lungs, blood vessels and cause untimely death.

Amphetamines

Drugs like Adderall are not likely going to cause any major brain damage or loss of neurons if used properly. However, if you abuse amphetamines, it can have detrimental effects on cognitive functioning even years after use. Amphetamines release large amounts of dopamine to help stimulate brain activity. A point of excitotoxicity may be reached if amphetamines are abused and you could lose brain cells.

Antipsychotics

The class of drugs known as antipsychotics is documented as being linked to brain shrinkage as well as killing brain cells. This is a double whammy for people that already have a disease like psychosis or schizophrenia. Their disease is causing significant distress and functional problems, and the medication that they are taking is actually slowly damaging the brain.

Benzodiazepine abuse

Should you end up abusing a benzodiazepine drug like Xanax or Valium over the long term, you put yourself at risk to lose brain cells as well as develop dementia. Although not everyone taking this drug will experience the negative side effects, it can lead to cognition problems in the long term. There are a lot of conflicting results from benzodiazepine studies, but in most the long term effects do not seem favorable.

Cigarettes / tobacco products

A compound in tobacco products including cigarettes and chewing tobacco called NNK (procarcinogen) causes white blood cells in the body’s central nervous system (CNS) to attack healthy brain cells. Normally immune cells called “microglia” attack unhealthy and damaged cells in the brain to help promote healthy functioning. However the NNK causes the microglia to attack healthy cells.

Ecstasy (MDMA)

One extreme myth regarding the popular rave drug ecstasy is that it will “put holes in your brain” – however, it does have the potential to kill brain cells – specifically ones that are of central importance to the serotonin system. Not only can it deplete natural stores of serotonin, it can damage axons and other nerve cells.  Some researchers believe that the brain is not able to restore its axons.  Read more about how ecstasy may cause brain damage if you are interested.

Inhalants

The poisons in inhalants can cause major problems in regards to brain functioning and can damage many brain cells. If you chronically sniff or huff things like paint and glue, you are risking your brain. Some people experience significant brain damage from years of huffing paint to get a high. Individuals that sniff paint are putting themselves at major risk for brain damage. Don’t huff paint or other inhalants as a way to get high – this is a surefire way to end up with brain problems.

Methamphetamines

If you want to severely damage your overall brain functioning, consider meth. Over time, this is a sure-fire way to roast your brain cells and cause long term damage to many areas of the brain. What’s interesting is that chronic use of meth can cause changes to the brain similar to those found in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and stroke victims. Scientists have found that the more you use meth, the more damage your brain cells will incur.

Nitrous Oxide

When used by a medical professional for anesthetic purposes, nitrous oxide is relatively safe – it will not damage the brain. However, when it is used recreationally in a repetitive manner to maintain a high, it can deplete oxygen levels may inhibit the uptake of vitamin B12. If you take “laughing gas” or “whippets” on the regular, you are putting your brain at risk for cell death – especially over the long term.

Steroids

Taking steroids can lead to elevated levels of testosterone which in turn can kill brain cells. It was determined that at high concentrations, cell viability decreases. It is believed that the excess testosterone is what plays a role in damaging and knocking neurons out of commission. If you are getting your muscle by taking steroids, you may want to think twice before you have to deal with some brain damage.

CHEMICALS

Fluoride

Fluoride is a trace mineral that naturally occurs in the earth’s crust and in water.  Artificially adding fluoride to drinking water is a highly controversial practice and World Health Organization puts fluoride, along with arsenic, on their “naturally occurring hazard” list.

  • Fluoride is a developmental neurotoxin. 

neurotoxin is a substance that’s poisonous or destructive to the tissues in the brain, spinal cord and nervous system. A developmental neurotoxin is one that affects the brain during the most susceptible stages of life — before birth and during early childhood.

  • Fluoride increases risk of low thyroid.

Fluoride, especially when added to drinking water, nearly doubles the risk of developing hypothyroidism. Fluoride binds with iodine receptors in the thyroid, displacing iodine. And when there isn’t adequate iodine available, the thyroid can’t synthesize thyroid hormones.  And that is bad news for your brain. Brain fog, memory loss, lack of focus, depression, anxiety, and other cognitive and mental health issues are some of the most problematic side effects of thyroid disorders.

  • Fluoride causes nervous system degeneration.

Once fluoride crosses the blood-brain barrier, it causes degeneration to specific parts of the brain — the hippocampus, the neocortex, and the cerebellum. The hippocampus is considered the seat of memory and is critical for learning, emotional regulation, and shutting off the stress response. The neocortex is considered the most evolved area of the brain where sensory perception, conscious thought and language skills largely take place. The cerebellum is responsible for coordination and balance. The damage from fluoride doesn’t stop at your brain — it continues on to your spinal cord and sciatic nerve.

  • Fluoride  impairs pineal gland function.
  • The pineal gland is a pea-sized structure in the brain where melatonin is produced. Melatonin is known mainly as a sleep hormone, but it’s much more than that. Melatonin is a potent antioxidant that is especially protective of the brain. It can offset the damage of serious brain disorders including dementia and Alzheimer’s. It may even help you live longer. The pineal gland is prone to accumulating deposits in a process known as calcification. Calcification, in spite of the name, isn’t always caused by calcium. These deposits can be caused by other minerals including fluoride which is found in strikingly high concentrations in the pineal gland. This affects melatonin production contributing to insomnia, depression, and accelerated brain aging. Pineal gland calcification is known to contribute to dementia and Alzheimer’s since it is significantly higher in patients with these diseases.
  • Fluoridated water increases risk of lead ingestion.

Lead is another neurotoxin, it has been banned from paint since 1978, phased out of gasoline in the 1990s, and outlawed in the manufacture of water pipes since 1986. But if you live in a house built before 1986 you may still have lead water pipes. Even new brass or chrome-plated faucets contain some lead. If you have fluoridated water coming through lead pipes and chrome faucets you have the “perfect neurotoxin storm”, since fluoridated water leaches lead and greatly increases the amount in your water — up to 9-fold more.

Young brains are most at risk but brains of all ages can suffer from lead exposure that can manifest as memory loss, mood disorders, lower IQ, and learning disabilities.

  • Fluoride linked to ADHD.

Rates of ADHD skyrocketed in the 1990s, about the same time that fluoridation of water supplies was also on the rise in the United States.  This may not be a coincidence since researchers have found a correlation between water fluoridation and ADHD. States with the largest number of ADHD cases also have the greatest proportion of people drinking fluoridated water. If you live in Washington DC, the chances of fluoridated water coming out of your tap are 100%. States with the lowest levels of fluoridated water are Montana at 32% and Hawaii at 10%.

  • Fluoride is found in antidepressants (and causes depression).

If you are one of the millions of people taking Prozac you may have noticed that the generic name for Prozac is fluoxetine. It’s not a coincidence that the name sounds a lot like fluoride. Some of the most commonly prescribed drugs contain significant amounts of fluoride, including antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs. This is disturbing since fluoride causes depression. Besides Prozac, other antidepressants that contain fluoride include Paxil, Zoloft, and Lexapro.

  • How to Avoid Fluoride

The main sources of fluoride are toothpaste and drinking water.

It’s not hard to find toothpastes without fluoride, but it’s very hard to find a water filter that removes fluoride. You can find tons of filters using reverse osmosis on the market, be careful as most of them are fake.

I am using Hydroviv filters installed to my kitchen sink and shower (super easy), remove the Fluoride, Lead, Mercury, Chromium VI, Arsenic, Cadmium, Vanadium, Barium, Thallium, Chlorine, Chloramine.

It’s also very important to shower with fluoride free water, because every 10 min of showering is equivalent to drinking 1 glass of tap water

Keep in mind that only 5.7% of the world’s population drinks artificially fluoridated water, many parts of the world have naturally high fluoride concentrations in their groundwater that can reach dangerous levels. These areas are known as “fluoride belts” and include parts of Africa, China, India, and the Middle East. People who live in these areas are at risk for dental fluorosis, which stains and pits teeth, and skeletal fluorosis, a crippling bone disease.

Aluminum 

We have come into the Aluminum age awhile ago

There has been a dramatic increase in neurological diseases linked to aluminum toxicity past 10 years. The blood brain barrier doesn’t stop aluminum’s intrusion into our gray matter. Aluminum accumulates and remains in tissue that doesn’t have a rapid cellular turnover leading to apoptosis (natural cell death that occurs throughout the body, excluding cancer cells. Cancer cells keep reproducing and colonizing into tumors).

Aluminum accrues to toxic levels over time in slow apoptotic cell turnover tissues, such as bone matter, the heart and the brain. The brain and its associated nervous system is where diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, MS, chronic fatigue and other neurological or autoimmune diseases manifest, including the complete autistic spectrum, from learning disorders to full blown autism.

And it’s not just your kitchen aluminum foil, where else:

  • All Vaccines
  • Cookware
  • Beverage containers
  • Cigarette smoke
  • Cosmetics, antiperspirants, sunscreen,
  • Antacids
  • Ubiquitous chemtrails that most ignore from which aluminum nanoparticles can be breathed into our lungs and routed directly into our blood or through the sinuses into our brains (vinyl flooring, adhesives, detergents, lubricating oils, automotive plastics, personal-care products like soaps, shampoos, hair sprays, nail polishes).

How to eliminate aluminum? 

It’s basically an oxygenated silica. The best and most bio-available way to get silica through the gut and into the blood, then into brain matter where it binds with the aluminum molecules and leads them out of brain cell tissue safely through the urine. Perhaps coconut oil is better for reversing AD, but mineral waters high in Orthosilicic or ionic silicic acid  will reduce aluminum toxicity in the brain to help ward off AD. Mineral water with highest  levels of silicic acid, which can penetrate the blood-brain barrier, are Volvic and Fiji. My personal favorite is Fiji because it has the highest level of ionic suspended silica as silicic acid, bottles are BPA free, and is the least expensive. Walmart have it at $1.99 per liter. Other rated highly as BPA free are Voss, Evian, and Smart Water with lower ionic level. Other good sources of silica are the herb horsetail, cucumbers, and diatomaceous earth powder. 

Although these three other sources are helpful for the recent aforementioned reasons, they lack the ionic suspension of silicic acid found in the mineral waters to penetrate the blood-brain barrier.

The neutral cannabinoids in hemp oil are all small molecules that are highly lipophilic and cross the blood-brain barrier.  The acid forms are  lipophilic and also cross the BBB. 

PSYCHOLOGICAL

Stress  

 Stress is an unavoidable part of life, still we can avoid OR benefit from it. There are two main kinds of stress — acute stress and chronic stress — and not all stress is bad for you.

  • Acute stress –  is the reaction to an immediate threat, commonly known as the “fight or flight” response. Once the threat has passed, your levels of stress hormones return to normal with no long-lasting effects. Some degree of acute stress is even considered desirable as it primes your brain for peak performance.  There is no borderline between pressure and the acute stress (the good one). Epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) and norepinephrine are stress hormones produced  in moments of extreme excitement. They help you think and move fast in an emergency. In the right situation, they can save your life. They don’t linger in the body, dissipating as quickly as they were created.

Need to quote the great Billy Jean “Pressure is a privilege”!

  • Chronic stress — the kind most of us face day in, day out — is a killer. Chronic stress makes you more vulnerable to everything from cancer to the common cold.  The non-stop elevation of stress hormones not only makes your body sick, it negatively impacts your brain as well.

Then the cortisol comes in play. Can’t “stress” enough how dangerous is the cortisol when spikes up. Cortisol streams through your system all day long, and that’s what makes it so dangerous. Excess cortisol leads to  weight gain, osteoporosis, digestive problems, hormone imbalances, poor sleep, short attention span, memory issues, cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

When stress becomes chronic, it changes your brain’s function and even its structure down to the level of your DNA, that will also be passed on your kids.

Cortisol creates a surplus of the neurotransmitter glutamate. Glutamate creates free radicals — unattached oxygen molecules — that attack brain cells much in the same way that oxygen attacks metal, causing it to rust.

  • Stress creates free radicals that kill brain cells.

Free radicals actually punch holes in the brain cell walls, causing them to rupture and die. If stress causes you to lose sleep, eat junk food, drink too much alcohol, or smoke cigarettes to relax, these are contributing to your free radical load.

  • Stress creates never ending vicious cycle of fear and anxiety

It builds up an area of your brain called the amygdala. This is your brain’s fear center. Stress increases the size, activity level and number of neural connections in this part of your brain. This makes you more fearful, causing a vicious cycle of even more fear and stress.

  • Stress halts the production of new brain cells.

Every day you lose brain cells, but every day you have the opportunity to create new ones. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a protein that’s integral in keeping existing brain cells healthy and stimulating new brain cell formation. It can be thought of as fertilizer for the brain. BDNF can offset the negative effects of stress on the brain.  But cortisol halts the production of BDNF resulting in fewer new brain cells being formed.  Lowered levels of BDNF are associated with brain-related conditions including depression, OCD, schizophrenia, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease.

It plays a large role in mood, learning, appetite control, and sleep. Women low in serotonin are prone to depression, anxiety, and binge eating. Men, on the other hand, are more prone to alcoholism, ADHD, and impulse control disorders. CBD directly activates multiple serotonin receptors in the brain, giving you the balance you need in positive decision making

  • Dopamine the “motivation molecule.”

It’s in charge of your pleasure-reward system. Too little dopamine can leave you unfocused, unmotivated, lethargic, and depressed. People low in this brain chemical often use caffeine, sugar, alcohol, and illicit drugs to temporarily boost their dopamine levels. Serotonin-based depression is accompanied by anxiety and irritability, while dopamine-based depression expresses itself as lethargy and lack of enjoyment of life. CBD derived from hemp is known for its fast interaction with dopamine and is highly recommended for optimal brain health

Stress can cause your brain to seize up at the worst possible times — exams, job interviews, and public speaking come to mind. This is actually a survival mechanism. If you’re faced with a life – death situation, instinct and training overwhelm rational thought and reasoning. This might keep you from being eaten by a tiger, but in modern life this is rarely helpful.

Stress impairs your memory and makes you bad at making decisions. It negatively impacts every cognitive function

  • Stress can let toxins in your brain

Your brain is highly sensitive to toxins of every kind.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a group of highly specialized cells that acts as your brain’s gatekeeper. This semi-permeable filter protects your brain from harmful substances while letting needed nutrients in.  Stress makes the blood-brain barrier more permeable, in effect making it leaky.

This lets things into the brain you don’t want there such as pathogens, heavy metals, chemicals, and other toxins. Having a leaky BBB is associated with brain cancer, brain infections, and multiple sclerosis.

  • Stress leads to premature aging on a cellular level, causing cells in both your body and your brain to commit suicide prematurely.

To understand how this happens, we need to take a look at a part of your chromosomes called telomeres. You may recall from high school biology that when a cell divides, it passes on the genetic material to the next cell via chromosomes.

Telomeres are protective end caps on our chromosomes similar to the plastic tips on shoelaces. 

(Telomeres are shown in contrasting colors to the rest of the chromosome in this image.) Every time a cell divides, the telomeres get a little shorter. When they reach a critically shortened length, they tell the cell to stop dividing, acting as a built-in suicide switch. Subsequently the cell dies. Shortened telomeres lead to atrophy of brain cells and longer telomere length leads to the production of new brain cells.  Telomere length may be the most important indicator of biological age and disease risk.

  • A little-known fact –  the brain has its own immune system.

Special immune cells called microglia protect the brain and spinal cord from infections and toxins. Unfortunately, a microglial cell has no ON or OFF switch, so once it is activated, it creates inflammation until it dies. Chronic stress is one of the factors that increases the risk of activating your microglia, thus producing brain inflammation. It’s generally believed that depression is caused by serotonin deficiency, but there’s a growing body of evidence that brain inflammation is the root cause of depression instead. This theory is called the “cytokine model of depression.” Activated microglia produce cytokines — proteins that turn on the inflammation response in the brain. Cytokine production is linked to depression including major depressive disorder and risk of suicide. It’s also associated with anxiety, memory loss, and inability to concentrate, as well as some serious disorders including schizophrenia, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s.

Did  you know that among all surgeons, brain doctors are the most relaxed and easy going. Dealing with stress – some are  natural – many of us need to learn how to calm down and have FUN.

So yeah, just take your time, don’t worry, give yourself a break, anything that bothers you will pass, try to benefit from it

Here are five simple tips to stop stress in its tracks and overcome its harmful effects on your brain. Balance is the Key

  • Stop free radical damage by eating a diet high in antioxidant-rich foods like fruit, vegetables, dark chocolate, and green tea.
  • Increase levels of brain-boosting BDNF by getting daily physical exercise. It doesn’t have to be strenuous. Walking is excellent, so are exercises with strong mind-body orientation like yoga, tai chi, and qigong.
  • Meditate. Meditation not only reduces stress, it’s a proven way to rejuvenate your brain  by keeping telomeres long.  Meditation is also the best tool for learning how to master your thoughts. Stress does not come from events in your life as much as it comes from your thoughts — your automatic negative reactions and cognitive distortions
  • Try one of the many mind-body relaxation techniques such as self-hypnosis, biofeedback, autogenic training, simple visualization, nanosizing
  • Look into taking an adaptogenic herbal remedy. Adaptogens increase your resilience to stress while supporting overall health. They promote balance between feeling energetic and feeling calm. Examples of adaptogens include raw phytoplankton, adaptogenic hemp oil, ginseng, holy basil, arctic root, and bacopa.

Laziness

Ever heard 21st Century called “The Age of Inactivity”? Yes, we don’t read books or articles unless it has pictures, videos and highlights, summaries, we don’t write on paper either, but its ok (green is good, saving trees)

Yes, physical inactivity has its price tag. It is linked to the development of chronic health problems like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, depression, dementia and cancer.

We know that 90 to 95% of our biology and thinking is controlled by our subconscious mind. So, only 10% or less of our thoughts are generated from our conscious mind based on what we’re experiencing now.

What’s wrong with it?  Isn’t it better to automate more things in our life?

Automating your mind is fine if you are happy with the type of thoughts and beliefs you are conditioned to and you’re still able to enjoy life  without the need of growing. We are held hostage by our conditioned subconscious mind. We are more accustomed to I can’t, there is no way, ain’t gonna happen and so on.  We all can be whatever we want to be. It’s not a matter of capability but a matter of desire and belief. We have different unique talents. Unfortunately, the majority of us chooses to stick to the limiting thoughts and excuses.

How can we strengthen our conscious thinking muscle and reduce mind chatter?

This is not to be confused with fooling yourself to think positive thoughts. It is more about awakening to the pattern of your own thought and challenging the negative beliefs.

  • Observe your thoughts.

The first step is to start observing your thoughts. Thoughts come and go. Just notice the thought as it passes by. Don’t judge or fight it. Become the observer. Experience it in your body. How does it feel? Don’t label – ALLOW.

The moment you pay attention to a thought, it starts to change, so you can shape it. As you continue to observe your thoughts, you will notice the ones that keep coming up. If they are positive – Enjoy them, if they are negative – Question them.

  • Meditate.

You don’t have to be a guru, start a very simple practice of sitting still for a few minutes, breathing deeply and observing the breath. If you lose focus, bring your attention back to your breath (up, down, in, out)

  • Practice mindfulness.

Pay attention to everything you do. Become aware of your surroundings; enjoy the food you’re eating; listen to the sounds around you. Experience life through your senses and body. As your awareness expands, your appreciation for life grows. This is the best way to overcome boredom and mind numbing thoughts.

  • Learn & Play Games

Learning languages, playing sudoku, board games, card games, challenging but safe not full-contact sports is highly beneficial and fun

  • Get clear about what you want in life

Nothing scares people more than intentionally thinking about what they want and what they can be. And because being scared is a protective mechanism, we hold back

Allow yourself to dream and explore the possibilities of what it is and what could be, make a dream/wish board, travel often, even in your mind, start with breakfast in Paris, then have some pizza for lunch in Italy 🙂

This is more effective in advancing your life. You don’t gain anything from continuous negative thinking and made-up excuses.

All great things come from happy thoughts first

  • Reduce escapism activities.

It is OK to escape and enjoy entertaining activities to renew and relax. However, if you become obsessed with entertainment and heavily rely on it to feel good, you are numbing your mind and avoiding your life.

The same can be said about the consumption of alcohol and recreational drugs. People think they experience spiritual highs through such use. The opposite is true, drinking and using drugs will take a person below thought level (lower consciousness) and not enlightenment (higher consciousness).

Thoughts are very powerful. They are energy that resonates, creates and affects the quality of our experiences.  Being aware of our thoughts brings us one step closer to living up to our potential and being more at peace with life.

Watch your thoughts, for they become words.  

Watch your words, for they become actions.

Watch your actions, for they become habits.

Watch your habits, for they become character.

Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.

Multitasking

Our brains are designed to focus on one thing at a time, and bombarding them with information only slows them down. This constant task-switching encourages bad brain habits. When we complete a tiny task (sending an email, answering a text message, posting a tweet), we are rewarded with dopamine. Our brains love that dopamine, and so we’re encouraged to keep switching between small mini-tasks that give us instant gratification.

This creates a dangerous feedback loop that makes us feel like we’re accomplishing a ton, when we’re really not doing much at all (or at least nothing requiring much critical thinking). In fact, some even refer to email/Twitter/Facebook-checking as a neural addiction.

Multitasking lowers your work quality and efficiency, makes it more difficult to organize thoughts and filter out irrelevant information. Multitasking amplifies automatic thinking. When you divide your attention, you sacrifice enjoyment, meaning and quality results.

Do one task at a time and give it all your intention, attention and effort. This is the best way to get in the flow and just be one with what you are experiencing at the moment.

A study at the University Of London showed that people who multitasked while performing cognitive tasks experienced significant IQ drops. In fact, the IQ drops were similar to what you see in individuals who skip a night of sleep.

Multitasking has also been found to increase production of cortisol. Having our brain constantly shift gears pumps up stress and tires us out, leaving us feeling mentally exhausted

Protect yourself from the multitasking mental tearing by establishing an e-mail/texting checking schedule.

Multitasking men have it the worst.

For men, multitasking can drop IQ as much as 15 points, essentially turning you into the cognitive equivalent of an 8-year-old.

A study from the University of Sussex (UK) ran MRI scans on the brains of individuals who spent time on multiple devices at once (texting while watching TV, for example). The MRI scans showed that subjects who multitasked more often had less brain density in the anterior cingulate cortex. That’s the area responsible for empathy and emotional control.

My point here: Multitasking is not a skill to add to the resume, but rather a bad habit to put a stop to. Turn off notifications, create set email checking time slots throughout the day (rather than constant inbox refreshing), and put your mind to the task at hand.

HEALTH CONDITIONS

Dehydration (Severe)

Due to the fact that the brain is 75% water, it is important to make sure that it stays hydrated. Although failing to drink 8 glasses of water a day isn’t going to do any sort of damage, if you go without any fluids for a 24 hour period, you will likely end up killing some brain cells. It may take even less time, but 24 hours is a long period to go without water. Make sure you keep yourself hydrated to avoid an unnecessary loss of brain cells.

Water intoxication

If you drink water in excess, you can actually become intoxicated and lose brain cells. When a person drinks too much water, it can actually result in brain cells swelling and increasing pressure within the cranium. In cases of extreme water intoxication, brain cells can die and brain damage may occur. Never flood your brain with too much water – drink it in moderation.

Sleep Deprivation

Sleep allows your body to repair itself- and that means creation of new cells in all organs, the brain included. Long term sleep deprivation can in fact cause brain damage as new cells are not being generated and the brain loses its ability to communicate properly with the nerve cells.

Oxygen deprivation (Cerebral hypoxia)

Hypoxia occurs when your brain cells aren’t getting enough oxygen. Neurons are extremely sensitive to oxygen levels and if oxygen levels are depleted, your cells start to die off. In layman’s terms, hypoxia means suffocation – so if you can’t inhale oxygen for a significant period of time, your brain cells begin to die and you would eventually become vegetative before brain death would occur.

Lyme disease

If Lyme disease isn’t detected and treated as soon as possible, the victim could end up suffering memory problems as well as have to deal with brain cell death. Other things that the victim may experience include: personality changes, anxiety, depression, and inability to concentrate. It is not going to result in instant brain cell death, but if left untreated may do some damage.

Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea can cause brain damage and kill brain cells due to lack of oxygen. If your breathing becomes obstructed, your brain will not get enough oxygen to keep cells alive and healthy. More specifically, sleep apnea can harm cells associated with memory and even lead to loss of actual brain tissue.

Strokes

If you suffer a stroke, it can cause major brain damage and involves extensive recovery to help get yourself back on track. In the aftermath of a stroke, many neurons continue to die even after normal blood flow has been reinstated to all areas of the brain. Researchers have found that the NMDA receptors activate the SREBP-1 protein, which leads to cell death. Although this cannot be prevented, scientists have developed drugs to help prevent this cell death from happening.

ENVIRONMENTAL

Air pollution

Whether you are indoors or outdoors, it’s important to make sure you are not a victim of air pollution. In places like Mexico City where air pollution is rampant, many residents wear masks to help block the dirty air from entering their nasal cavities. In larger cities, there are toxins in the air that have the potential to cause brain damage and kill brain cells. If you live in a city where you suspect such air pollution, you should take some sort of action to protect yourself or move to a cleaner environment.

Your brain uses up significant amounts of oxygen in order to function properly- which can be a problem if you’re constantly exposed to air pollutants. Polluted air impairs the supply of oxygen to the brain, which lowers cognitive function and could also cause actual physical changes to the brain. Air pollution is caused by industrial waste, vehicles, dust, etc, and the pollutants can reach deep areas of your organs, inhibiting proper function of your body.

Carbon Monoxide poisoning

Carbon monoxide poisoning basically deprives the brain of oxygen while poisoning them. This results in a fairly quick cell death if immediate action is not taken to fix the problem. A minor exposure may not kill cells, but it could traumatize them or affect their ability to function normally. What’s interesting about carbon monoxide exposure is that people react differently to different amounts. For some people it may only take a little amount to kill brain cells, while for others it may take more.

Lead exposure

If you end up getting lead poisoning via things like lead paint chips, it can lead to major depression, problems with cognition, as well as kill brain cells. Although lead poisoning is less common these days, the most common ways to get it include: food, water, air, paint chips, soil, and various products. For adults the most common way to get lead poisoning is by exposure on a work-related job. Not only will lead cause increased brain aging and neurological problems, it can kill a lot of cells in the process.

Mercury toxicity

It is well documented that mercury toxicity can cause major problems within the nervous system and brain. In some cases things like mercury fillings cause depression and suicidal thinking in people with no prior history of psychiatric illness. If you have ever gotten mercury fillings, you may be a victim of mercury poisoning – which can cause brain damage and kill your brain cells. You can get mercury poisoning from a number of sources including fish like salmon – so make an attempt to avoid exposure. Mercury will cause your neurons to degenerate and die quickly.

Pesticides

Many individuals don’t realize how exposure to pesticides can cause major cognitive decline. We already know that pesticide exposure has a major impact on memory, so it should be no surprise that exposure to a significant amount of pesticides will cause brain damage and kill brain cells. How does a person get exposed to pesticides? Over half of people with lawns or gardens use some sort of pesticides to help maintain their flowers and crops. So residentially exposure via air, water, and food isn’t uncommon. Most people absorb pesticides through the skin while working certain jobs and aren’t even aware of it. Just keep in mind that if you work with them, you are putting your brain and body at risk.

Welding fumes

The fumes that are emitted from welding contain high amounts of manganese. It is the manganese that has been linked to damaging the brain in the same area that is found in Parkinson’s victims. Studies have shown that there was a significant reduction in dopamine as well as dopaminergic neurons. If you work as a welder or are located in an area where you are exposed to welding fumes on a consistent basis, just keep in mind that the fumes are detrimental to your brain.

Heat  

 Heat exposure, in general has degradative effect over your body and mind.  Whether it is a shower or a soak in a bath, very hot water, above  39 C (102 F) is a big NO

Babies should be bathed in much lower temperatures, as close to normal body temperature (37C/98.6F) especially for newborns.

Although moderate warm water stimulate the brain’s release of oxytocin, which can reduce stress and ease anxiety, if is too hot and longer than 10 min the heat will “boil” your brain.

Heating up and cooling down the body do not require equal amounts of energy.  The body needs greater energy (glucose) in order to cool down.  Hot climates will require the use of more energy than colder climates.  So once glucose is used to regulate body temperature, less glucose is available to be used for higher order cognitive function—like making decisions.

“Cold is health” The intense shock of the cold sends a jolt of electrical impulses from the peripheral nerve endings to the brain, boosting  your brain activity, your sharpness and your mood.

Cool showers are also less drying, and promote healthy skin and hair. They also cause the pores to close up, which helps keep out dirt and grime. Cool temperatures also stimulate weight loss.

The body essentially produces two types of fat: white fat and brown fat. White fat is what is stored when we consume more calories than we burn, and it is the kind of fat we struggle to lose. Brown fat is the healthy fat that our bodies need to stay warm. Cold showers promote brown fat activity, which  eliminate white fat. And not only you feel lighter, you are lighter after a cold shower, you are more energized, fearless, ready to ROCK your day.

Singers benefit from cool showers as well, taking down the inflammation, making more room for vibration, vocal cords become sharp and sound

I personally didn’t like cold at all, so started slow, alternating warm-cold water, finishing showering with cold. Now I love it, even willing to get a dog to walk in those lovely winter mornings in Chicago 🙂

GLUTTONY & JUNK FOOD

Many factors influence the development of and deterioration of brain cells. Unhealthy diet, lack of stimulation, overeating, and a sedentary lifestyle are major contributors to killing brain cells and memory problems.

Diets high in certain foods can actually harm or kill brain cells.

  • Trans Fatty Acids.

Fatty acids are found in all sorts of things including: processed foods, margarines, salad oils, deli meats, bakery goods, potato and corn chips, and candy. Americans consume an estimated 10-30 grams of trans fatty acids every day. The RDA is less than a third of that. Regular consumption of such things as: trans fatty acids, saturated fats or refined sugars can raise levels of harmful LDL cholesterol, linked to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

To make trans fatty acids, natural unsaturated vegetable fats are heated to a high temperature with a nickel catalyst and hydrogen gas. This process is called hydrogenation. Trans fatty acids have an unnaturally long shelf life..

  • Saturated Fats

From a chemical standpoint, saturated fats are simply fat molecules that have no double bonds between carbon molecules because they are saturated with hydrogen molecules. Saturated fats are typically solid at room temperature.

  • fatty beef,
  • lamb,
  • pork,
  • poultry with skin,
  • beef fat (tallow),
  • lard and cream,
  • butter,
  • cheese and
  • other dairy products made from whole or reduced-fat (2 percent) milk.

In addition, many baked goods and fried foods can contain high levels of saturated fats. Some plant-based oils, such as palm oil, palm kernel oil and coconut oil, also contain primarily saturated fats, but do not contain cholesterol.

  • Sugar, Syrups and Simple Carbs

Refined sugar, syrups and simple carbs increase the risk of metabolic syndrome.
High-fructose syrups are an inexpensive way to sweeten such processed foods as: soft drinks, condiments, applesauce and baby food.

A UCLA lab study showed that a diet high in fructose slowed down cognitive functions, hampered memory and retarded learning. Lab animals fed a diet high in fructose for six weeks had trouble signaling each other. Their ability to think was disrupted. They had difficulty recalling things they had learned before being fed the high fructose diet.

Sugar, syrups and simple carbs have the highest GI. They release glucose very quickly. This causes spikes in blood sugar and cognition. Consuming carbohydrate foods with a lower GI means eliminates peaks and spikes which controls and maintains brain cells healthy

  •  Food Additives

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is frequently used in processed foods to enhance the flavor. MSG is an excitotoxin, that over-stimulates nerve cells, actually killing them. This can result in serious neurological disorders and mental cognition difficulties. MSG is found in: salad dressing, low-fat yogurt, frozen dinners, condensed canned soups, canned meats, potato chips and flavored crackers.

Aspartame is a common food additive (artificial sweetener) that is highly controversial in terms of impact it may have on your overall health. There is some evidence that excess aspartame can excite your brain cells to a point of overstimulation – leading to excitotoxicity and brain cell death. Aspartame contains amino acids that are capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier which can lead to neuronal destruction and damage.

Sucralose –  Despite its marketing slogan “Made from sugar, so it tastes like sugar,” Splenda (sucralose) is not sugar -It is a chlorinated artificial sweetener in line with aspartame and saccharin,  a substance that acts as an excitotoxin. Basically what it does is excites your neurons to such an extreme that they die.

Miscellaneous

Anesthesia – Many types of anesthetic drugs can cause significant brain impairment and even memory problems after use. Although anesthesiologists are highly trained professionals, the anesthesia exposure can wipe out some brain cells. Although there isn’t conclusive evidence in humans that anesthetic drugs kill brain cells, there is significant evidence in rats and mice. Currently there hasn’t been any direct research conducted in humans to find whether anesthesia causes neuronal death.

Chemotherapy – Not only can chemotherapy cause brain cells to die off rapidly, but certain drugs given post-treatment continue to damage and kill neurons. Most chemotherapeutic agents target rapidly dividing cells – an extremely common trait of cancerous cells. Because these agents kill rapidly dividing cells, they also kill non-cancerous cells that divide rapidly as a part of their normal everyday functioning.

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) – There are many psychiatrists that promote the heck out of ECT as being a good option for treatment-resistant depression. If you’ve tried all the medications, and tried different therapies, why not give ECT a shot? The fact is that ECT works by shocking your brain cells to trigger a seizure. The goal is to help normalize activity within a person’s brain and alleviate their depression. However, in many cases ECT ends up damaging the brain and killing neurons. Some people find it effective, but most end up with memory and other cognition problems. In some cases people are worse than ever before.

Helium – Helium is a gas that is non-toxic – so it won’t do any direct damage to your brain or cells. However, what helium does is basically suffocates the person breathing it in via the displacement of oxygen. If you are inhaling helium instead of oxygen, your brain cells aren’t getting the oxygen that they need to survive – which can not only kill cells, but lead to brain death. So indirectly helium can be classified as something that kills brain cells.

Radiation – Radiation damages the cells that make up the human body. Radiation is extremely effective at helping destroy cancerous and tumor cells. However, this exposure can have an impact on other areas of the brain and cells. Although radiation is typically only given once per day to avoid damaging other parts of the brain, it still can have an impact on other brain cells. Most people notice changes in cognition, mood swings, and memory issues during radiation. It’s quite obvious that this treatment can kill some healthy brain cells, but doctors do their best job to target the exposure strictly to the area with the tumor.

Good news: Your brain can repair itself from damage

Even though your brain may lose cells from harmful toxins, it also has the potential to heal itself. Your brain has the ability to grow new cells through a process called neurogenesis. More info in my next posts!

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