The Jan Plan

Ah....you may have noticed in the news there have been some people who have been taking multiple supplements with B 6 in them and therefore breached the safe limit for B 6. It used to be considered that below 150mg was fine (being a water soluble vitamin after all) but what is fine for some may be too much for others. When I prescribe I take into consideration the 'mix' but often patients get tempted by that supposed energy boost of extra B vitamins (or magnesium to help them sleep which may also have B 6 in the formula) and this may be where problems of peripheral neuropathy may occur. These symptoms are generally reversable when you stop taking it but rarely symptoms persist so .... If in doubt ...check it out! Maybe it is time for a review of what you are doing. B6 has several names: Pyridoxine, Pyridoxine hydrochloride and the active form of Pyridoxal-5-phosphate. Make sure you are not overdosing yourself! All the best, Jan

Ok, buckle in for more talk about our brains.
1. Both Tau and beta amylkoid proteins are involved in basically clogging up our brains as we age - drugs to prevent this aren't getting anywhere as even if they do help they are a. costly b. infusions are needing to be done every couple of weeks and c. 12.6 - 24 % of patients on these drugs get side effects such as swelling or bleeding of the brain . Not happy Jan
2. New approaches of vaccines used to stimulate our own bodies antibodies against tau and amyloid (ACImmune - ACI-35.030) show promise and a monoclonal antibody called foralumab show promise. Maybe by 2030 we shall have optimism we are entering an era where people who show signs of Alzheimers are no longer staring at inevitable decline?
3. Meanwhile: we can work for a. diet and lifestyle and b. immune moderating herbs and nutrients to support the blood brain barrier integrity (to keep toxic yukky stuff and virus's out) and reduce the neuroinflammation of plaques and tangles caused by tau and amyloid. c. we can use nutrients and medicinal mushrooms/herbs to support normal T cell function to reduce neuroinflammation. There are some fantastic herbs we can use daily: garlic, mushrooms, tumeric (quality counts here) and ginger for starters.
I shall talk soon on medicinal herbal medicine for supporting out brain. Another important note is clear sinus and dental infections!!! Bacteria there may cross the blood brain barrier as we age. Pfffft ...not what we want!

Oh our minds!! What amazing things! 2 hemispheres of awe working together till the last breath. That's the plan. Reality is dementia is now the leading cause of death in women and whilst this is often associated with advanced numbers of candles on the cake it is definitely something to avoid. Last weeks seminar I attended on Brain resilience was 'chock a block' full of clinically relevant research. Strengthening the 'blood brain barrier' is very important (yes it is a thing which keeps yukky stuff in our blood out of the brain) and everything good for the heart is good for the brain. With no useful preventative drugs in the immediate pipeline for Alzheimers/dementia herbs have never looked so promising. But not all herbs are created equal. "Medicinal plants are intricately chemically complex, presenting challenges at every stage of the harvesting and manufacturing process" ...this is why I recommend what I do! I know the products are tip top. My brain deserves tip top stuff...and yours does too!

Spring is here! How luscious it is! I can't believe I came all thru winter still having a weekly 'dip' in the cold water (with a lovely group of people) - we braved 11 degree water, 2 degrees air temps, frosty mornings and breezes seeming to be off the antarctic and my goodness I never imagined how cold wet sand could feel!. We all hope this brrrrrr dip will be another helper in slowing the effects of ageing. I've been busy attending some great seminars - stuff on persistent virus's (inc long covid), hormones, mental health and ageing...etc....life goes on!!!
My tip of the day is ....MOVE!!! Non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFD) affects at least 38% of adults and 13% of kids and let me tell you it is NOT GOOD for ageing! In fact the resultant liver fibrosis may even kill you prematurely. Aim for 10,000 steps a day and eat within an 8 hour window (16 hour fasting) at least on some days to allow your body to burn off some of those little fatty droplets in your liver - we all have them!

Goldilocks hey....not to much and not too little

ROS regulation in gliomas: implications for treatment strategies - PubMed Gliomas are one of the most common primary malignant tumours of the central nervous system (CNS), of which glioblastomas (GBMs) are the most common and destructive type. The glioma tumour microenvironment (TME) has unique characteristics, such as hypoxia, the blood-brain barrier (BBB), reactive oxyg...

This is interesting as the dosage of B 12 is higher than most people would get at 5mg (B1 and B6 are usually easy) - there are many reasons why B 12 may be low in someones body - simple reasons could be gut dysbiosis, use of proton pump inhibitors for reflux or poor quality vegetarian/vegan diets. Luckily I have a great range of options of active B 12 in my dispensary making it easy to top up whilst you look at what is happening for you!

A recent clinical trial found that treatment with a fixed dose combination of vitamins B1, B6 and B12 for 90 days progressively improved ankle and knee reflex, motor strength and sensory perception status in the toes and fingers of patients with peripheral neuropathy (PN).

Most PN treatments relieve pain but do not restore neuronal health and function. A fixed dose combination (FDC) of vitamin B1, B6 and B12 was previously reported to improve subjective symptom perception in patients with mild to moderate PN.
The Neurobion Non-interventional (NENOIN) study was a prospective, open-label, multi-centre, single arm observational study of 411 people with mild to moderate PN of various aetiologies conducted in Indonesia. They were prescribed a once-daily dose of 100 mg of vitamin B1, 100 mg of B6 and 5 mg of B12 for 90 days and evaluated with neurological examination comprising 51 assessments at baseline and days 14, 30, 60 and 90. Peripheral neuropathy occurred either spontaneously (27.3%) or from diabetes (25.3%). Most suffered from peripheral neuropathy due to a combination of factors (30.7%).

Patients with no reflex at baseline had statistically significant improvements in their reflexes. For example, significant improvements were seen in 92.3% of patients who reported a lack of reflex in the left knee. This was also true for 75%, 67.6%, and 54.3% of patients who reported absent reflexes in the right knee, left ankle, and right ankle, respectively.

“This finding is significant because a significant proportion of patients with PN (peripheral neuropathy) lose ankle or knee reflexes, which can lead to loss of balance and increase the risk of falls.” said the researchers.

However, 6.7% and 4.4% of patients with normal left and right ankle reflexes at baseline reported a worse reflex after 90 days of treatment.
Improvements in ankle muscle strength and sensory perception were also reported by the end of the study. The percentage of participants who had normal ankle dorsiflexion strength increased from 86% at baseline to 97% at day 90. Statistically significant improvements were also found in the sensory perception of touch, vibration and temperature in the toes and fingers.

“These results support the finding that treatment with FDC (fixed-dose combination) of B vitamins improves proprioception in patients with PN, which has also been linked to the ankle reflex.”

“To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first to examine the benefits of vitamin B on both nerve reflex and motor strength in a large number of patients with different aetiologies of PN and demonstrate potential improvement in nerve function.” the researchers concluded.

“Peripheral neuropathy can be reversed if detected early.” said Aalok Agrawal, senior vice president, P&G Health at a webinar on November 6. Agrawal added that doctors often prioritise peripheral neuropathy over any other complications that might arise with diabetes. Furthermore, patients do not report symptoms because they are unaware that it could be something serious and irreversible. “Published Studies in various countries confirm that up to 80% of patients with PN remain undiagnosed and untreated. Further, vitamin B deficiency affects the quality of life of around 19% of all people with diabetes,” he said.

For more information see:
https://newsbeezer.com/zimbabwe/supplementation-with-b-vitamins-improves-reflexes-and-motor-strength-in-patients-with-peripheral-neuropathy-pg-study/
https://www.walshmedicalmedia.com/open-access/the-improvement-of-ankle-reflex-knee-reflex-muscle-strength-and-sensory-perception-after-fixed-dose-combination-of-vitam.pdf

Cooking is on my mind...all sorts of cooking...cooking for summer, cooking for festivities....ah the smell of baking ...takes me back to happy childhood memories. Makes me think too of ingredients. I cook by instinct and experience yet this Christmas I wanted to find my mums recipe for HER version of christmas pudding (something I love). When I found it I realised I'd added a few things (cardamon, crystalised ginger, dried apple and a few cranberries) but in essence the spices and flavour were 'pretty good' - hugely comforting. Naturopathy is like cooking...we have ingredients and we mix them....there are plenty of ingredients to choose from but just like with a good curry, knowing which ones aren't needed for best effect is a result of experience (after experimentation - recent scientific or over generations of accrued knowledge).
I often devise a unique recipe for someone and later on hear they have 'added' some 'you beaut' found on-line wonder. I may sigh....whilst things may do no harm (except to your finances)...some things may clash due to timing of taking or what is being taken. Common minerals like zinc, calcium or iron may benefit from not competing with other minerals. Often a poorer quality version (less well utilised but cheaper in manufacturing) of something (eg magnesium) may be in the 'you beaut' formula which promises it will do everything except make you tea and toast.
Your Indian curry may end up tasting Egyptian. Nothing wrong with egyptian food or stir fry with parsnip in it like mum once made. But if you were fancying a good Indian curry you may be be-mused. My Jan Plan is get 'your recipe'!

Wow we've been blasted by 3 full days of thunder, wind and rain - like the tail end of a cyclone but we don't get cyclones down here...anyway it is blue skies this morning which is fabulous. This 'we don't get that' attitude makes me think of all the people who get surprised by their diagnosis 'we eat healthy food so why did this happen'. The answer is just like the weather - sometimes the unpredictable happens and when it does - be as prepared as you can. My radar means it is hard standing at a checkout sometimes - seeing a conveyor belt full of foods (?) which will harm and sensing a variety of diseases (can't prove that of course)....sigh....it amazes me that people don't get ready for the fire season, or cyclone season or whatever season of health that could be heading their way. My job is to help them do those little positive things that could make a big positive difference. Sure we'd have less blackouts from fallen wires if we cut all the trees down but we need trees - and sometimes we need treats in our lives too ...the smart thing is to have trees growing well and pruned appropriately AND have glorious rainbow coloured treats or the best version of chocolate or champagne we can afford....small amounts is key ...not large amounts of crap. People sometimes tell me they have been eating crap....makes me feel sad - there is so much beautiful stuff which can be treats....to share and relish....make this festive season a time to be sussing out the weather AND the colour of your treats! A final word for the moment ...enjoy...enjoy life...it is the best gift we could have...even if the wrapping is a bit crumpled or torn. That's my Jan Plan!

Ah ...this morning blue skies are perfect...a perfect day. My organic garden is thriving today as we had 36mls of rain last week after a very dry Sept/Oct. The rhythms of life in a garden ...you germinate, you grow, you bear seeds or fruit and then you wither when the season ends. Much like life ....you want your full season. The time for withering and returning to the soil should come at 'the right time'. Not too early. In my years of practice I have helped people palliatively and they have a special place in my mind - my goal was to help them live the last of the summer wine season...and I achieved that for them. Small victories - being well enough to go on a family trip, being able to go down to the bowling club to sit with long term mates, feeling well and strong enough to be present at special family times....and more.....I remember them all. Also there were way to many to mention whom I support/supported as they dealt with the pestilance in the garden of cancer....2 complete remissions stand out (as no conventional treatment was being used) and others who were told they came through 'far better than usual'....young and old. A young boy with brain cancer whose life depended upon agressive chemo - hearing would be lost ....but it wasn't ...he was the doctors 'star'....Alpha lipoic acid was the magic from my Mary Poppins bag. I've cried for and with them and cheered loudly too. I always told my clients I would look after them as if they were my extended family...and I always meant it. Still do. That's my Jan Plan.

Naturopathy is an art - I paint my canvas with traditional knowledge from healers way back, modern science and technology and my intuition. Good naturopathy keeps up with modern design....sure I can make my own tincture with herbs I gather....but logic tells me that if someone else gathers them, studies them with modern tech to work out all the 'actives' are present in the right amount AND works out they are grown sustainably for our environment (no good pulling all the plants up and having no more for the future) ....AND does research on these plants ... well happy days! My intuition comes in handy when I consider the client who needs my help. Not much use having a wonderful treatment if a. the client hasn't got the ooompff to follow instructions, b the time or money to engage c. the belief it is worth doing anything. Sometimes clients come because they feel they should do 'something' but really they are burnt out and don't have energy to do anything! That's when my art comes in....mixing the colours of tech, healing arts and intuition to find a way to make a start and a difference. That's the Jan Plan.