Month: May 2018

My regular readers have now surely gotten the message about what foods we need to avoid. And so as not to sound like a nagging spouse, in this article I am not even going to mention even a single bad food. Instead, I am going to build on a theme we started last week with our healthy snacks article, and provide a list of foods that are not only healthy, but that actually have some pretty neat healing properties. 

I’ve got a long list of favorites here, but because there is a fair bit to say about each one, today we will present just five. I bet many of you are already familiar with some of the health benefits of these. Do sound off on the comments area at the bottom of the article to let me know your thoughts on your healthy food alternatives – whether these five or any others.

1. Turmeric (curcimin)

When it comes to curbing inflammation, one of the best medicines is not a pharmaceutical at all, but a spice. This yellow goodness, native to South Asia, has been getting a lot of recognition by physicians and health activists for its ability to prevent inflammation in the body.

Packed with antioxidants, the secret behind turmeric’s healing properties is its active ingredient curcimin. Curcimin is a godsend because it contains 150 active therapeutic properties.

There are just so many benefits that come with eating curcimin. It is a natural antiseptic and antibacterial agent; it a natural painkiller (with studies having shown that it relieves osteoarthritis pain); it reduces cancer risk by destroying cancer cells; it plays a role in treating and slowing the process of neurodegenerative diseases; its ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and penetrate the brain makes it a potential remedy for Parkinson and Alzheimer’s disease; and much more.

Animal studies have added a lot of scientific backing to the arguments in favor of curcimin. These studies have shown that curcimin lessens glutathione depletion (an early sign of Parkinson disease). Curcimin taken in a medical concentrated form has also been shown to cause cancer cells to self-destruct, with the powerful molecules found in curcimin seen to actually target tumor cells.

Here is an interesting fact: India has a much lower incidence of Alzheimer’s than other countries, and this may well be due to the very regular use of turmeric.

One cautionary note: If you are on blood thinners, it’s best to avoid taking curcimin in pill form.

2. Apple cider vinegar (ACV)

If you’re prone to indigestion and acid reflux, apple cider vinegar might just be your answer. While taking a shot of ACV might put you off due to its bitter acidic taste, when digested ACV has an alkalizing effect on the body, which is important, as maintaining a healthy alkalized system can boost your energy and ward off infections. According to research, consuming ACV cleanses the lymphatic system, which lessens allergies and sinus congestion. But ACV’s healing properties go beyond its antiseptic power.  And this is due to its bioactive component – acetic acid – which is a byproduct of the highly fermented agent found in ACV.

When on the lookout for the right ACV brand, make sure you look for a murky and cloudy appearance. This indicates that the “mother” (the good bacteria) and enzymes and proteins are present. The latest news concerning AVC surrounds its ability to control blood sugar levels and insulin function in people with type 2 diabetes. Recent research finds that ACV dispels digestive enzymes that work on breaking carbohydrates into sugar, thus hindering the conversion and slowing down sugar from entering your bloodstream. In addition, the American Diabetes Association found that taking two tablespoons of ACV before bedtime lowered blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes by at least 6% by morning.

3. Garlic

We use garlic as a means of adding that incredible flavor to our meals, but its medicinal properties also whet our appetites. The use of garlic as a medicine dates back thousands of years to ancient Greece and India. Dubbed as the “stinking rose” for its off-putting scent, garlic, mainly due to an active ingredient called allicin, delivers an array of health benefits, including: Strengthening your immune system due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and antiviral properties; promoting heart health by lowering blood pressure; guarding your cells against oxidative stress which helps prevent plaque buildup in the arteries; and lowering total cholesterol levels.

Garlic has also been making waves when it comes to cancer prevention. It seems now that garlic can actually help prevent the absorption by the stomach of certain carcinogens found in other foods. In fact, according to Iowa’s Women’s Health Study, women with a high amount of garlic in their diets faced a lower risk of certain types of colon cancer than women with low amounts of garlic in their diets.

4. Ginger

This old spice containing many medicinal properties has been used as a remedy for thousands of years. For one thing, ginger is a great support in relieving heartburn and acid reflux, and its anti-inflammatory properties are also legendary, rivaling that of painkillers. As a natural antibiotic, ginger can help fight foodborne bacteria such as salmonella and E.coli. It also has recently been the subject of some high-profile studies into migraines, with ginger proving to have incredible healing power. One study put ginger head-to-head against the migraine pharmaceutical Sumatriptan. In clinical trials, migraine patients were split into two groups, with one group given ginger and the other Sumatriptan. The results? A pretty much equal performance.

Ginger also seems to work its magic against ovarian and prostate cancer. According to the University of the Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, ginger powder induces apoptosis (cell death) in ovarian cancer cells, while separate research found it did the same in prostate cancer cells.

5. Matcha green tea

We are all familiar with green tea, but what’s this about matcha tea – a.k.a. the greener and more potent form of green tea? Made from processing green tea leaves that have been ground on a stone mill until finely refined, matcha tea has become the tea fanatic’s darling due to its remarkable health benefits. Containing a mind-boggling amount of antioxidants, we have a real disease-fighter here folks.

Apparently, one cup of matcha tea is equivalent to ten cups of green tea. And this mainly goes back to the fact that you’re not straining the leaves, but rather consuming them (since they are finely ground). Benefits of the high antioxidant properties include cell protection against both oxidation and UV radiation. One of the more powerful antioxidants in matcha is epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which is 137 times more bioavailable in matcha than in regular green tea. The active ingredient in EGCG protects DNA cells from damage and has been a household name in research when it comes to cancer prevention. In animal studies, it was found that the polyphenols (natural plant compound) of matcha have been shown to inhibit tumor cells and promote cell destruction, while catechins (a type of antioxidant) also promotes detoxification enzymes that are known to prevent tumor growth.

 

About Dr. Simpson
Graham Simpson, MD is Chief Medical Officer and Founder of Intelligent Health, located in Dubai, UAE. Dr. Simpson graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand Medical School in Johannesburg, South Africa, and is board certified in Internal Medicine and Emergency Medicine. Dr. Simpson is a founding member of the American Holistic Medical Association (AHMA) and is also a licensed homeopath. He has taught as an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Nevada. He is certified in Age Management Medicine by the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and by the Cenegenics Education Research Foundation, and he remains a consultant for the Cenegenics Medical Institute. Dr. Simpson writes extensively in his mission to educate the public so that we can all live better and healthier. He is author of Wellman (Live Longer by Controlling Inflammation), Reverse Cardiometabolic Disease, co-author of Spa Medicine (Basic Health) with Dr. Stephen Sinatra, and Editor-in-Chief of Health in Context. You can read about Dr. Simpson’s health programs here.

Not in the mood?

You could be forgiven for thinking that low libido among men was not a huge problem. I mean, it’s not exactly water cooler conversation. But however reticent we may be to talk about it, there’s no doubt it is something that many men encounter. One in five of us to be precise.

But based on my experience in the clinic, I would put that number even higher.

In fact, there are plenty of men out there who may not even be aware that the term low libido describes their symptoms. So first things first, let’s be clear what we are talking about: Low libido is not erectile dysfunction. Rather, it is the loss of sex drive – essentially, having a lack of desire for sex. It is also often referred to by its more clinical name: Hypoactive sexual desire.

As regular readers will know, the issue of low libido is something I have covered before. Previously, I have looked at this topic in relation to declining hormone levels (in particular testosterone) that occur as part of the ageing process. While the ageing process certainly brings with it a decline in libido, there are also many lifestyle factors that impact our sex drive. And that is what I will be focusing on today. 

How your lifestyle lowers your libido

Before we get into some of the most common reasons for low libido, let me start by making clear that there is no ‘correct’ level of sex drive for men of any age. Libido varies throughout life and differs hugely from person to person. However, if you have noticed a drop in your own libido and find yourself not as interested in sex as you once were, there’s a good chance one of the following factors could be to blame. 

1. Stress

Whether it’s money worries, work deadlines, relationships, children or something different altogether, the majority of us have experienced periods of stress at some point in our lives.

In a 2013 survey, it was found that 60% of UAE residents felt some degree of stress connected to their employment.

Aside from the litany of health conditions that can result from being overly stressed out – heart disease, stroke, depression and many more – it can also have a devastating impact on the sex drive. When we become stressed, our body undergoes a series of chemical changes to prepare us to deal with what it interprets as a threat – this is what we know as the fight or flight response.

Aside from the litany of health conditions that can result from being overly stressed out – heart disease, stroke, depression and many more – it can also have a devastating impact on the sex drive.

As part of this response, the hormone cortisol is released into the body. If we stay in this state of stress for too long, or experience it too often, the stress response isn’t reversed and our cortisol levels stay elevated. Why is this a bad thing? Well, cortisol blocks the body’s natural response to testosterone in the testicles – that is, it stops the stimulation of libido.

This link between stress and low libido was recently confirmed by a team of researchers at the University of Fribourg Institute for Family Research and Counseling in Switzerland. Their study was published in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease and found that stress ‘separate from psychological symptoms and relationship quality’ did indeed have a direct effect on sexual desire.

2. Lack of sleep

Much like stress, a lack of sleep can have a huge impact on our lives. Not only does it affect brain function, mood and concentration, it can also be linked to another long list of health conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. And yes, as it’s on our list, it also causes problems with our libido.

According to a study from the University of Chicago, men who sleep for less than five hours a night for a week or more have significantly lower testosterone levels than those who sleep longer. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, went a step further to reveal that the levels of testosterone in the otherwise healthy sleep-deprived young men (average age of 24 years old) were similar to those they would expect to find in men at least 15 years older than the test subjects.

According to a study from the University of Chicago, men who sleep for less than five hours a night for a week or more have significantly lower testosterone levels than those who sleep longer.

Need any more proof? How do you feel when you have a week of not getting enough sleep? 

3. Diet and weight

Another lifestyle factor that plays a pivotal role in our testosterone levels, and in turn our sex drive, is our diet. There are plenty of foods that most of us eat far too much of that will greatly impact libido. I’m talking here about the Western diet that is full of processed food, sugar, and grains. What does this lead to? Well, the excess sugar which in turn causes huge insulin spikes within the body that over time can lead to insulin resistance – a by-product of which (as well as diabetes) is a slowing of testosterone production.

A fascinating study that was published in Clinical Endocrinology seems to confirm this, finding that men with high glucose levels showed a significant reduction in testosterone levels. 

4. Low Mood / Depression

In many cases, a loss of sexual appetite can be a symptom of a much bigger problem – most notably, depression. As mood disorders such as depression cast a shadow over our lives, one of the first things to go are feelings of pleasure.

Researchers from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine authored a paper on the subject, stating that, ‘Decreased libido disproportionately affects patients with depression. The relationship between depression and decreased libido may be blurred, but treating one condition frequently improves the other.’ They also added that drugs often used to treat depression may themselves have a negative effect on libido. 

The relationship between depression and decreased libido may be blurred, but treating one condition frequently improves the other.

Staying well

So there are four aspects of our lifestyle which can greatly impact libido. And we should just take a moment here to emphasize why libido is so important in our lives in the first place. A healthy level of intimacy in life, aside from bringing pleasure and lifting mood, also has a surprising number of health benefits. A study carried out by Wilkes University found that the more active one is on the intimacy front, the stronger one’s immune system is.

Of course, to stress again, libido will naturally decline with age. If you are in your 60s, you cannot expect to still have the same levels as you did say 30 or 40 years ago. Having said that, maintaining a healthy libido into your later years is perfectly natural and you should not have to accept that those days are far behind you.

If you have noticed a distinct drop, though, the first thing to do is visit your physician. There is a good chance – particularly if you are over 40 – that your low libido could be linked to decreasing testosterone levels, and the easiest way to establish this is by getting your hormone levels checked. In the meantime, ensuring you’re getting enough sleep, coping with stress, and eating a good diet will not only help with libido but will certainly aid overall health and wellbeing as well.

About Dr. Simpson
Graham Simpson, MD is Chief Medical Officer and Founder of Intelligent Health, located in Dubai, UAE. Dr. Simpson graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand Medical School in Johannesburg, South Africa, and is board certified in Internal Medicine and Emergency Medicine. Dr. Simpson is a founding member of the American Holistic Medical Association (AHMA) and is also a licensed homeopath. He has taught as an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Nevada. He is certified in Age Management Medicine by the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and by the Cenegenics Education Research Foundation, and he remains a consultant for the Cenegenics Medical Institute. Dr. Simpson writes extensively in his mission to educate the public so that we can all live better and healthier. He is the author of Wellman (Live Longer by Controlling Inflammation), Reverse Cardiometabolic Disease, co-author of Spa Medicine (Basic Health) with Dr. Stephen Sinatra, and Editor-in-Chief of Health in Context. You can read about Dr. Simpson’s health programs here.

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