Tiny Habits

Did u know it is easy to add a small change in your daily routine than to add a big change.

For my patients who are primarily eating meat,all kinds of meat ,no matter how much you tell them about incidence of heart problems or increased incidence of Diabetes because of their eating habits,no dietary modification happens.However if you work with them of cutting down one day a week and make the platter 3/4 full of greens and vegetables,they find it easy to follow.

Advising them to add an apple a day or 7 grapes a day may be easier than just telling them increase your fruit and vegetable intake.This tiny change will be followed and in most cases reported to you next visit.

In some states in USA,there is something called National Produce prescription with a website.

Info@nationalproduceprescription.org

Diet and Lifestyle modification is the only way to reduce incidence of chronic diseases.

King of spices Turmeric

 I had to start with Turmeric!The yellow spice which is getting so popular.

The active ingredient of turmeric is curcumin.

It is said that addition of black pepper to turmeric improves its efficacy multicoloured.

Turmeric is anti inflammatory.As we know every illness is inflammation in one form or the other.

Turmeric and more specifically curcumin has anti Cancer properties too.

Turmeric has been used mixed with milk or cream applied on the face for healthy skin.

Hot fomentation with turmeric powder over a boil or inflamed joint is a household remedy in certain Asian cultures.

Most recently,as the corona virus pandemic knows no bounds,we at home drink warm water to which

we add 1/2 to 1 tsf of freshly crushed ginger and 1/2 to 1 tsp of freshly grated turmeric root.A teaspoonful of honey can be added to the water if u find it bitter.

The question I get asked is which is better to take? Turmeric or curcumin.

My answer is any form of turmeric will do good to you but the extracted curcumin does great .

Just remember Turmeric is grown as a root,like  ginger and is now available in all grocery stores like Kroger ,HEB,whole foods.It is available in organic non Gmo,and regular forms.

Part 2 of restoring micro biome after antibiotics

Foods that help restore micro biome include,

Organic stewed apples,cooked until soft,shimmery.

The pectin released after cooking apples is a good food for bacteria in the gut.

Pectin can help heal damaged intestinal linings,seals off tears in leaky gut.

Collagen helps seal leaky gut.

Chicken bone broth also provides collagen ,like prebiotic.

Butyrate from Ghee is very good healer.

Bananas,sweet potatoes,tubers provide insoluble fiber.

Fermented unpasteurised vegetables like sauerkraut,kimchi,fermented beets are helpful.

Patients who have been on long term or multiple courses of antibiotics have lot of candida in gut.

Fungal infections are accompanied by low IgAproduction as candida consumes glycocalyx and

Secretory IgA as fuels.

Chronic urinary tract infections,thrush are red flags for low IgA.

Lactobacillus and bifidobacilli suffer in gut and can't multiply.

So in these cases you need a resistant yeast called Saccharomycesbboulardii,an antibiotic resistant and probiotic yeast isolated from Lychee fruit in china.

This S boulardii is a potent inducer of glycocalyx production and IgA secretion.

This S boulardii causes physical evacuation of candida.

It is specifically active against 7 out of 8 pathogenic yeast species except C tropicalis.

Think of antibiotics as hurricane and S boulardii as the contractor that comes in to repair damage.

S boulardii is very safe.

True contraindication is true IgE mediated reactions to yeasts.

Spices and curries

Spices have a definite role in improving health.

It is not just a flavor when you add spices to food.

I will give a rundown of different spices and their health benefits.

Creating a curry is usually a mix of different spices,mostly fresh ground then mixed with water,or lemon or lime juice,or coconut milk or yogurt or sour cream or tomato sauce or a mix of tomato paste and tomato sauce or with a sautéed mix of yellow onion,fresh garlic, ginger and green chilies.I still remember my mom grinding various spices and the fragrance of fresh ground spices still is in my memory.I remember my mom and my brother making a huge pot of mixed vegetables as an offering and remembering Mother Goddess.Now,this mixed vegetable was not just the mixed vegetable packets we see in the stores.It included all vegetables that were harvested for that season and included root vegetables like potato,sweet potato,Suran,Ratalu,peas,green beans,onion,garlic,eggplant,cauliflower,spinach and more .The spices are sautéed in oil or Ghee and then the vegetables that are cut in medium size pieces are added and pressure cooked.Did u know they also used dried pomegranate kernels that were dried and ground to a powder and Aamchur,which is powdered dried mango.

Oh! Do I remember the tender baby eggplants being cooked with all spices but no garlic or onion.It reminds me of visiting the Swaminarayan BAPS temple in Houston and Watching the holy saints follow the tradition of Lord Swaminarayan of cooking tender baby eggplants.I follow some well known Dietitions like Rebecca Katz ,chef AJ,or nutmeg notebook couple or the Minimalist Baker,our own physician colleague and Chef John La PumaMD.           .

These are just a few to name but everybody has added more to my desire to write and share it with my patients.

What nutrients can help with diabetic neuropathy

To male it simple,
1. Omega3 fatty acids
2. VitaminD
3.curcumin
4.Alfa Lipoic Acid   600 mg per day
5.Folic Acid
6.Acetyl L Carnitine. 1500 to 3000 mg per day
7.Benfotiamine

Benfotiamine is the fat soluble form of vitamin B1 Thiamine

Covid-19 Pandemic Times

As a physician I always wondered who would diagnose the first ever patient in USA with this Covid-19.

New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) published the first case details on March 3^rd, 2020.

It reads,” an outbreak of novel Corona virus (2019-nCOV) that began in Wuhan, China has spread rapidly with cases confirmed in multiple countries. The case highlights the importance of close coordination between clinician and public health authorities at local, state, federal levels as well as need for rapid dissemination of clinical information related to the case of patients with this emerging infection.

Just to get timelines straight, China reported on 12/31/19 a cluster of Pneumonia cases in relation to

Seafood wholesale market, Wuhan, Hubei Province.

On January 7^th, 2020 Chinese health authorities confirmed this cluster was associated with novel corona virus (2019-nCOV).

On January 19th, 2020, a 35 year old man presented to an urgent care clinic in Snowhomish county, Washington with 4 day history of cough and fever. He did disclose that he had returned from Wuhan after a family visit on January 15th, 2020.

The patient had seen a health alert from CDC about novel corona virus outbreak in China and as he was running fever and cough decided to get checked. He was checked for flu and culture of all respiratory viruses and they were normal.

Washington Dept of health notified CDC emergency operations center and specimens of nasopharyngeal and oral and blood collected and on Jan 20,2020 CDC confirmed the case as of novel corona virus.

He was admitted to Providence regional medical center in isolation for further observation and care.

He had mild symptoms initially but progressed.

He progressed with vomiting and diarrhea and stool cultures positive for corona.

On Day 9th of his illness he developed pneumonia and dropped oxygen concentrations to 90%.

He was initially treated with IV antibiotics as a hospital acquired pneumonia but quickly discontinued and started on Remdesivir. He improved with care and was discharged.

He was in Wuhan but did not visit the Wuhan seafood market.

Right now, everyone everywhere in the world has been in protection mode to some extent.

We have started social distancing, frequent hand washing, wearing a masks, healthy diet, exercise, and good sleeping habits. Human health depends on healthy ecosystem.

- a tiny video of the precautions to take during Covid-19.

Dharmo Rakshati Rakshita  

                 

A line from Manusmriti says “Dharma protects its protector.”

On similar grounds, the Ministry of environment and Forestry of India, put out their motto as

Prakriti Rakshati Rakshita meaning “Nature protects its protector.”

Science is not political. It pursues truth. A wide majority of new infectious diseases in people come from animals, from wildlife and livestock.

The notion to choose between climate and economy is weird.

There is something called planetary consciousness, meaning taking a holistic view of public health, that includes health of natural environment.

Man clears forests, removes habitats, brings wild animals close to human settlements.

Hunting and selling wildlife are a common sport. This does increase risk of transmission from animals to human.

Have we not heard of HIV, Ebola, Zika, SARS, MERS, and bird flu?

To end my blog,

I am reminded of William Wordsworth’s poem,

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud.

The words in part are,

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o’er vale’s and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils.

Besides the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

Believe in God.

With Him nothing is impossible.

Happiness is like the lost remote control that you are looking everywhere to find out you were just sitting on it.

-        By Nalini Dave, MD