Blog

What You Eat Can Reprogram Your Genes

Mounting research shows that there is no magic bullet to treat heart disease, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, allergies, digestive disorders, headaches, fatigue, or any of the myriad problems we suffer from in the 21st century.⁣
⁣
But increasing evidence also shows us something else. It shows that food is the most powerful “drug” we have not just to prevent, but also treat, cure, and reverse most chronic illnesses. Food contains information that speaks to our genes, not just calories for energy. ⁣
⁣
What you eat programs your body with messages of health or illness. We are learning from research in the field of nutrigenomics, that food “talks” to our DNA switching on or off genes that lead to health or disease.⁣

~Praveen Jada

*Do read the Disclaimer

Exercising and Regular Movement is a Natural Medicine

If you think you can exercise your way to weight loss, I am sorry to say you are in for a big disappointment.⁣ You cannot out-work a bad diet and bad lifestyle.
⁣
Using exercise to lose weight without changing your diet is asking for failure. You can change your diet and lose weight, but if you exercise and keep your diet the same, you may gain some muscle, improve endurance, and be healthier overall, but you won’t shed many pounds.⁣
⁣
However, combining a whole, unprocessed diet with the right exercise does wonders for your health. I don’t want you to get the impression that I don’t think exercise is important.⁣
⁣
In fact, if I could put something in a pill that would reverse almost every chronic disease, it would be exercise. If exercise could be put in a pill, it would be the biggest blockbuster medication of all time.⁣
⁣
Here are 7 reasons why exercise is still extremely important to our overall health:⁣
⁣

  • Better insulin sensitivity.⁣
  • Reduced stress.⁣
  • Improved brain health.⁣
  • Reduced risk for chronic disease.⁣
  • Enhanced detoxification.⁣
  • Slowed aging process.⁣
  • Improved sexual function.

~Praveen Jada

*Do read the Disclaimer

The Simplicity and Power of Regular Exercise and Movement

  • Exercise creates a brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is basically Miracle Grow for your brain. When you exercise, your brain becomes more elastic. Exercise also helps to improve your mood, boost your energy, and reduce overall stress in your body and mind.⁣⁣⁣⁣
  • One of my favorite benefits of exercise is that it improves insulin sensitivity, which is the biggest contributor to advance aging. Exercise actually makes your cells and muscles more sensitive to insulin so you don’t need as much. Less insulin means less dangerous visceral belly fat. ⁣⁣
  • Daily movement also enhances detoxification by stimulating the colon and releasing toxins through your sweat. It boosts detoxification of environmental chemicals. Vigorous exercise will help you work up a sweat, but gentle exercise keeps your circulation going and flushes out all the toxic fluids that build up in your lymphatic system. Even just lying on your back and putting your legs straight up against the wall for 20 minutes can make a huge difference. ⁣⁣
  • Clearly, daily movement has whole-body benefits. These are just a few of them. The question becomes, how do we incorporate movement daily? Here are three simple ways. ⁣
  • Make it a priority and think ahead. Every single day I schedule time in my calendar to work out. If I don’t schedule it, I won’t do it. Also, make it easy.
  • Do it first thing in the morning. We all know how easily pushing exercise to the back burner and subsequently neglecting it can become. Do your daily exercise first thing in the morning to jump-start your metabolism and set your day on the right course.⁣⁣
  • Make it fun. I encourage you to explore all the fun things you may enjoy and save exercise for those times when you just can’t find a way to play on your own or with someone else. Vary up your routine and above all, make it fun.
  • If you could put exercise into a pill, it would be a blockbuster drug. So I encourage you to get up today and move your body, even if it’s just for a few minutes.⁣⁣

~Praveen Jada

*Do read the Disclaimer

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver disease (NAFLD) may be a hidden cause of many Diseases

  • Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver disease (NAFLD) is a sneaky and hidden cause of many metabolic disfunctions in our bodies.
  • Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is on the rise in our country due to the overconsumption of sugar, refined products, and ultra-processed food, sedentary lifestyle, chronic stress and insufficient sleep.
  • In many cases NAFLD could be the major reason behind chronic inflammation in our bodies.
  • Chronic inflammation creates insulin resistance which is the leading cause of Metabolic syndrome (Diabetes, High BP, High Triglycerides, Low HDL cholesterol, high visceral fat around waist).
  • Metabolic syndrome is the leading cause of Cardiovascular and Kidney diseases and strokes.

The liver is about 3 and a half pounds, sits over the right side of the body, and has over 500 different functions. When someone starts to develop a fatty liver, there can be no symptoms at all. But, as the condition becomes more advanced, they may start to notice symptoms of a fatty liver, such as: 

  • Fatigue
  • Weakness
  • Nausea
  • Abdominal pain
  • Right shoulder pain 
  • Pain in the upper right trap
  • Headaches on the right side
  • Pain in the right rhomboid 

After years of inflammation from having a fatty liver, cirrhosis (scar tissue) builds up on the liver and can cause the person to lose the function of the liver and lose the ability to detoxify. It can also lead to the building up of excessive amounts of cortisol (the stress hormone) or excessive amounts of estrogen. A functional liver is really important in the detoxification and regulation of these two hormones.  The other problem when you have less liver function is you get less bile production. This situation can lead to the inability to break down toxic waste and fats, and the inability to absorb certain vitamins and nutrients like vitamins A, D, E, K, omega 3 fatty acids, and more. 

There are two different categories of a fatty liver: 
  1. Fatty Liver – caused by drinking too much alcohol. 
  2. Non-Alcoholic Fatty liver (NAFL) – can be developed by eating poorly. 

The big thing that causes a fatty liver is fructose in the form of high fructose corn syrup. It is 20x more likely to cause fatty liver than any other sugars.

Fatty Liver Cleansing Tips: 
  • Do a combination of cruciferous vegetables and fattier proteins (egg yolks, fish – but make sure they are grass-fed).
  • Get rid of the toxins and fat from the liver by doing the healthy ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting.
  • Take choline as a supplement (400 to 500mg).
  • You can get methionine from quality protein.
  • May consider supplementing Milk thistle (Silybum marianum).
  • Two of the most important nutrients for correcting or reversing a fatty liver are methionine and choline, and they are in foods that are higher in fat and protein.

~Praveen Jada

*Do read the Disclaimer

Use Active Relaxation to Recharge Yourself Mentally

Your stem cells are wired to your brain and help you repair and regenerate. But they only turn on and make new brain cells when you relax.
⁣⁣
In school, we all learned how to read and write, but we never learned how to use our minds to help us with the most important survival skills of all: which is Health – Fitness – Mental and Moral strength – Emotional wellbeing. Research has shown over and over again that learning to relax is one of the most important keys to long-term health and vitality. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
To engage the powerful forces of the mind on the body, you must DO something. Learn how to ACTIVELY relax – Which does not mean watching TV or youtube or Netflix or browsing through social media or drinking alcohol.
⁣⁣
Whether you practice deep breathing or take a simple leisurely walk, find an active relaxation that works for you and do it. Here are a few more ideas on how to push your pause button.⁣⁣

  • Make choices that make your life balanced — practice saying “YES” to yourself.⁣⁣
  • Try yoga or meditation or deep breathing.⁣⁣
  • Get enough sleep.⁣⁣
  • Eat whole foods that decrease the stress response.
  • Any Exercise.

~Praveen Jada

*Do read the Disclaimer

Just blocking the Pain does not Fix the Problem (Root cause)

Why do we need right and reasonable levels of pain, fever and inflammation in our bodies? Why do we need them to recover from an external stressor? There is a real reason behind pain, fever or inflammation in our bodies. Indiscriminate use of Steroids and Anti-Inflammatory drugs is harmful. Take them only when needed. Take a doctor/medical expert’s advise before using steroids/NSAIDs for controlling Covid or any other infections.

Just because ice may feel good & take pain away / limit inflammation in the short term does NOT mean you are fixing the problem! Ask any medical professional what the three phases of healing are and they’ll all tell you the same thing: inflammation, repair and remodel. Inflammation is the first stage of the healing process no matter the location or severity of the injury in the body. If this is a normal response to injury, why do we want to prevent it?


When injury occurs (such as a sprained ankle) inflammatory cells called white blood cells naturally rush to the site of pain to kick start the healing process. Specifically, tiny cells called neutrophils are deployed to destroy bacteria (if there is an open wound) and others called macrophages come to remove the damaged tissue cells caused by the initial trauma. Macrophages are like Pac-Man swarming in and chomping down and consuming all the tiny dots (in this case the cells that died off due to the initial trauma). At the same time these cells also release an anabolic hormone called Insulin-like growth Factor (IGF-1) into the surrounding area that sparks the next phase of the healing process, muscle repair and regeneration.

~Praveen Jada

*Do read the Disclaimer

Take 5 – Breathing Technique and power of Breath Work

Among its many benefits, meditation reduces stress. Think of your brain as a computer, simultaneously keeping many windows and programs going. Meditation helps you close out the unnecessary windows so you can focus on what’s essential. When you do less with more, you enjoy life more and perform at a higher level.⁣
⁣
Stress relief might be the most-studied benefit, but meditation also has been found to help reduce addictions, relieve anxiety, and boost immunity. ⁣
⁣
There are so many forms of meditation and mindfulness. You have to find what works for you. There’s breathwork, mantras, guided meditations, walking meditation, and even coloring or painting can be forms of meditation.⁣

Right now, we’re living in a particularly stressful time. If we don’t take time to pause, put away our devices, and tune inward, we’re missing out on whole body healing. ⁣
⁣
Here’s a simple practice that you can incorporate a few times a day, and it only takes minutes.

  • Sit straight in a comfortable place with less noise and disturbances.
  • Close your eyes and mouth.
  • Breath in slowly on count of 5 seconds, Hold it for 5 seconds and exhale through mouth for 5 seconds.
  • Repeat as per your comfort.

~Praveen Jada

*Do read the Disclaimer

The Power of Walking

The Power of Walking. Move as much as you could in a day. Target between 8000 and 12000 steps per day. Brisk walking is one of the most underrated activities you can perform. Walking burns a moderate amount of calories and does so without elevating hunger or messing with recovery.
Walking is great for mood and improves health. In fact, research shows that those that walk 10000 steps daily have lower rates of depression and anxiety, maintain a lower body fat, balance blood sugars and lower risk of health issues related to heart, liver, kidney and brain.

~Praveen Jada

*Do read the Disclaimer

Things to Do to Reduce Plaque in your Arteries

  • Lower your carbohydrates to improve your insulin levels. We get high amount of carbohydrates from sugar (or sugar based foods) and all kinds of grains. High insulin causes a massive amount of inflammation throughout your body, which can contribute to clogged arteries and clots. High insulin can also cause AGEs (advanced glycated end products), which is a situation where the proteins inside your arteries become damaged. The first thing you need to do is normalize your insulin levels. Increase your vegetable intake and include high protein foods in diet.
  • Do Intermittent Fasting.
  • Exercise regularly.
  • Sleep well.
  • Avoid snacking in between meals.
  • Eat foods rich in Omega 3 fatty acids or use supplements. Use healthy unrefined fats, including fatty fish (such as salmon), cod liver oil, walnuts, and grass-fed meats. A good omega-3 to omega-6 ratio helps supports cardiovascular health.
  • Maintain optimum vitamin D3 levels in blood.
  • Take Vitamin K2 supplement. Consume foods rich in vitamin K2. Vitamin K2 lowers the amount of calcium in your blood and transports it to your bones. If you take vitamin D3, make sure you take it with vitamin K2.
  • Increase your potassium. Potassium helps keep your arteries soft and not hardened. Eat a lot of vegetables to get the daily recommended dosage of 4.2 grams or supplement with Potassium Citrate under the guidance of an expert.

~Praveen Jada

*Do read the Disclaimer

What does Science say about connection between Food and our Children’s Mental Development

  • Whole new fields of research such as nutritional psychiatry have emerged from last 12 years. Stanford has a department of Metabolic Psychiatry. Harvard now has a department of Nutritional Psychiatry. Studies show that simply swapping out processed, sugary starchy foods for whole foods is effective in treating depression. Many scientific studies show that minimizing or stopping eating foods containing artificial colors, flavors, preservatives and artificial sweeteners could improve our overall wellbeing.
  • Studies also show kids with severe violent behavior transform when swapping out processed foods for whole foods.
  • One study of violent juveniles found that simply giving children a vitamin and mineral supplement reduced violent acts by 91 percent compared to a control group. Why were they violent?
  • Their brains were starving for nutrients that regulate mood and behavior including iron, magnesium, B12, and folate. Just giving these kids vitamins for three months fixed their abnormal brain waves on EEG. The kids who also changed their diet had an 80% reduction in violent crime and those who stayed on a processed diet continued their violent ways.
  • While many children are not eating enough brain food, they are also eating too many chemicals, including about five pounds of dyes, preservatives and additives that are linked to hyperactivity and worse.
  • While therapy, stress reduction, and movement are equally critical in many brain disorders, food plays a pivotal and often overlooked role.
  • Start  with eating lots of veggies, some fruit (especially the low-sugar, nutrient-dense ones), whole grains like millets, oats, brown rice, nuts and seeds, low-starch beans and legumes, and some high-quality meat, poultry, and fish. Focus on brain foods that have been shown to impact mood and reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety— foods rich in omega-3s, zinc, magnesium, vitamin D, antioxidants, and B vitamins.

~Praveen Jada

*Do read the Disclaimer

Copper – Importance and Supplementation

Copper is a mineral and we need it in trace amounts. It is found in foods such as organ meats, seafood, nuts, seeds, wheat bran cereals, grain products, and cocoa products.

Copper is involved in many of the natural processes in the body. Copper plays a part in many of your body’s organs and systems. It helps you:

  • Make red blood cells
  • Keep nerve cells healthy
  • Support your immune system
  • Form collagen, a protein that helps make up your bones and tissues
  • Protect cells from damage
  • Absorb iron into your body
  • Turn sugar into energy

Copper plays an important role in maintaining a healthy body and has a variety of health benefits. It is rarely needed to supplement Copper. Required copper can be derived from natural food sources. It is generally included in multi-vitamin supplements in a minor dosage which is sufficient to provide below benefits.

  • Anti-Inflammatory Properties.
  • Antioxidant Properties.
  • Improves Cardiovascular Health.
  • Boosts Immune Health.
  • Protects Bone Density.
  • Assists in Collagen Production.
  • Promotes Brain Health.

~Praveen Jada

*Do read the Disclaimer

References:

COPPER: Overview, Uses, Side Effects, Precautions, Interactions, Dosing and Reviews (webmd.com)

Copper – Health Professional Fact Sheet (nih.gov)

Copper – Consumer (nih.gov)

Nutritional Supplements that can Help Balance Sex Hormones

First and foremost, remember that nothing can replace a healthy lifestyle. Supplements do help to maintain optimum hormonal balance in body however, they need to be combined (means supplemented) with a healthy and whole food diet, regular exercise/movement and quality sleep.

List of vitamins and minerals that support sex hormonal balance in both men and women are:

  • Vitamin A
  • Vitamin B complex (Especially Vitamin B3, B6, B9 and B12 play a key role)
  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin D3
  • Vitamin E
  • Zinc
  • Magnesium
  • Chromium
  • Selenium
  • Copper
  • Omega 3 Fatty Acids (Fish oil which is refined to have high strength of EPA and DHA)
  • N- Acetyl Cysteine

Herbs that could help especially for men(though there is no solid scientific evidence)
  • Ashwagandha Extract
  • Tribulus terrestris Extract (Gokshura)
  • Fenugreek extract
  • Ginseing
  • Curcumin
  • Shatavari
  • Safed Musli

~Praveen Jada

*Do read the Disclaimer

How to Control Psoriasis with Lifestyle Changes and Supplementation

Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune condition that causes the rapid build-up of skin cells. This build-up of cells causes scaling on the skin’s surface. The most common symptom is a rash on the skin, but sometimes the rash involves the nails or joints.

It is really worth to try and control any chronic disease with lifestyle changes and supplements before using steroids, creams and other invasive procedures.

While psoriasis often becomes linked with food intolerances more often with gluten, that isn’t always the case. To address psoriasis, remove inflammatory habits while restoring the body’s natural balance. Take away the things that cause the problem and add those that ameliorate it. Remove food sensitivities. Check out and eliminate foods that are causing inflammatory response in your body.

Eat a whole food, anti-inflammatory diet. Focus on anti-inflammatory foods including wild fish and other sources of omega-3 fats, red and purple berries, dark green leafy vegetables, colorful vegetables and fruits and nuts. Add anti-inflammatory herbs and spices including turmeric, ginger and rosemary to your daily diet.

  • Exercise regularly. One study found increased physical exercise along with dietary intervention reduced psoriasis severity in systemically treated overweight or obese patients with active psoriasis. You don’t have to go to the gym, just start moving around more.
  • Practice deep relaxation. The proportion of psoriasis patients who believe stress affects their skin condition ranges from 37 to 78 percent, and researchers believe stress may worsen psoriasis severity and may even lengthen the time to disease clearance. Calming techniques such as yoga, deep breathing, biofeedback, and massage.
  • Sleep for 8 hours every night.
  • Test for heavy metal toxicity. Mercury and other metals trigger or exacerbate psoriasis.
  • Fix your gut and intestinal health. Your gut plays a significant role in skin health. One study found intestinal permeability (or leaky gut) can contribute to psoriasis. Yeast overgrowth, abnormal gut flora and other gut issues can also trigger or exacerbate psoriasis. If you suspect these or other issues, work with an integrative practitioner to optimize your gut health.

Use the right supplements. Some of the nutritional supplements that could be helpful in controlling Psoriasis are :

  • Omega 3 Fatty acids high in EPA and DHA
  • Vitamins – A, B6, B9, B12, C, D3
  • Zinc, Selenium, Copper
  • A high quality Probiotic supplement
  • Curcumin
  • Rosemary extract
  • Ginger extract
  • Quercetin
  • Grape seed extract
  • Rutin

~Praveen Jada

*Do read the Disclaimer

Another Study Shows High Vitamin D levels reduce COVID-19 Infection Severity

  • High Vitamin D levels reduce COVID-19 infection severity: Confirms by a study done by the doctors of Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) on the COVID-affected patients of Gandhi Hospital, Secunderabad. 
  • Improvement of Serum Vitamin D level to 80 to 100 Nanograms per MilliLitre (ng/ml) has significantly reduced the inflammatory markers of COVID 19 (N/L ratio, CRP, LDH, IL6, Ferritin) without any side effects. 
  • Vitamin D is known to enhance the production of various anti-microbial peptides by the immune cells and it also modulates the immune system apart from reducing the dysregulated production of self-damaging pro-inflammatory cytokines. The dynamic role of Vitamin D can be of immense value in the context of immune dysfunction observed in COVID-19 patients with cytokine storm and acute respiratory distress syndrome.
  • Less than 5% of people contracted the COVID-19 if the Vitamin D level was more than 55 ng/ml in them
  • The mortality of COVID patients is almost zero if Vitamin D level was 60 ng/ml and it is very high if the levels are less than 30 ng/ml. 

~Praveen Jada

*Do read the Disclaimer

Reference:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/high-vitamin-d-levels-reduce-covid-infection-nims-study/article34684271.ece