Archives for February 2021

Burnout – What to do?

February 26, 2021 by Dr. Cesar Vasconcellos de Souza - [rt_reading_time label="Reading Time:" postfix="minutes" postfix_singular="minute"]

Have you ever heard of burnout? It is a physical and mental exhaustion, normally resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. What are the symptoms and what can we do to solve it?

Burnout is the result of stress which lasts for a long time, leading to emotional and physical exhaustion, when there are a very stressful work style and difficult relationships with people, which could include the family.

The people who suffer most from this type of exhaustion are those who practice a profession where they are required to involve with people on a frequent and very close basis. They are service providers, especially caregivers and teachers, because their work involves many emotionally stressful situations. Burnout syndrome is manifested by emotional exhaustion, decreased personal fulfillment at work and lack of a human atmosphere. Let’s see how that works.

Symptoms of Burnout

Burnout is a response to various stressors. Its symptoms are telling the person: stop. Re-evaluate your lifestyle. Review and change the way you deal with people. Take it easy on yourself. Put a limit on the abusive people you have to live with, or stay away from them. The person with burnout is not a weak individual. The demands from outside, and often from within themselves, are in general too much for any human being to deal with.

Do you know what symptoms a person with burnout syndrome has? I will mention the physical and mental symptoms. Among the main ones are physical symptoms: constant progressive tiredness, muscle pain, headache, gastrointestinal disorders, insomnia, repeated infections due to low immunity, cardiovascular disorders such as palpitation, high blood pressure, sexual impairments such as premature ejaculation, disinterest or frigidity, bone pain, menstrual disorders, migraine, asthma attack and others.

Mental symptoms of burnout syndrome include difficulty of thinking quickly, feelings of loneliness, helplessness, impaired short term memory, decreased attention and concentration, irritability, emotional lability, like crying easily, loss of self-respect and self-worth, depression, difficulty to relax, impatience, sudden change of mood, abuse of substances such as alcohol or prescription drugs, loss of interest in work, absences from work and others.

Many people who develop burnout feel compelled to succeed and perform well and experience demands that are too strong to compete with. They may have an ambition that may be linked to dysfunctional, that is, unhealthy psychological needs. It is easy to disguise the unhealthy obsessive ambition for professional and economic success in life through hard work that everyone applauds, that is, people do not criticize those who work too much, the employee is always praised, but it can be a compulsive worker and end up developing exhaustion, and behind a compulsion, there is always a history of emotional pain and spiritual conflict.

Exhaustion can arise from exaggerated profound ambition, or desperate need to be approved, thinking that our work is not adequate, a need to feel that we are in control all the time, or any behavior, desire or motivation that dominates us in an uncontrollable way.

Consequences of Burnout

What are the main consequences of this exhaustion called burnout in a person’s life? Loss of physical strength to work, stress in the family, which can cause discontent in the children, who may start to see the work of the father or mother in a negative way and revolt, difficulties in marriage because the husband or wife meets the demands of their work and leaves the affections of married life aside. In this case the person must learn to put limits on abusive work requirements and their own exaggerated desire to get involved with things outside the home.

There are many who develop depression in response to exhaustion. Depression is a sign that there are losses. There is helplessness that is not being respected, perhaps by the person himself, in which case there is a need to regret, to cry, to ask for support from someone who can hear or understand, or accept him in his pain, in his struggle and in his emotional fatigue.

The other consequence of burnout is the loss of motivation due to pressure at work, pressure from the boss who sucks too much, generating stress, exhaustion, and everyone is harmed. The person is asking for sick leave, the production falls, but the costs are the same. Do you exploit your employees? Do you pay overtime and allow for an hour bank? Do you give vacations according to the law? Do you pay fair wages? Are you honest as an employee, and with a co-worker? Do you involve yourself in the company? Do you do your best, are you proactive? Good qualities in bosses and employees prevent burnout at work.

Burnout Prevention

Several scientists studying this syndrome cite that to prevent burnout it is important to take some actions, such as:

prevent the employee from feeling coerced, pressured by strict rules and policies.
to prevent workers with young children in school age from being frequently transferred from the city, so as not to cut the affective bonds, the friend, school, neighbors, creating stress in the family, the father, the mother, and the children.
to encourage individuals by showing them that their work is very important, whatever it is, and that it cannot, it does not need to be quantified by numbers, and that the goals are secondary.
promote human values in the workplace, remembering that people are more important than things, than goals, than reports.

A company working as a team - Photo by fauxels from Pexels

Each employee must think that his value as a person is given by God, that there may not be a positive return of kind words from colleagues and bosses, not because my work done is not good, but because that company or that institution may have a predominance of demanding, legalistic, cruel and jealous people. And another thing, you need to have friends, at least one with whom you confide your personal problems. To prevent burnout, you need to become responsible for your health, avoid developing burnout by placing limits on the exaggerated and unfair demands of others, without fear of being criticized. Because your conscience will be calm, remembering that there will be unpleasant critics.

The leader of an employee who is experiencing burnout can assist his team member with empathy, understanding, offering personal and institutional help, without paternalism, but with compassion. I want to leave a biblical thought for your reflection:

Do not be overly righteous,
Nor be overly wise:
Why should you destroy yourself?
Ecclesiastes 7:16

Peace and light, don’t be cruel to your employee, and don’t be cruel to yourself.

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Echinacea – An Old Medicinal Plant

February 21, 2021 by Esther Neumann - [rt_reading_time label="Reading Time:" postfix="minutes" postfix_singular="minute"]

They are here again, the cold, wet days when we long for the hot summer days. And with them come colds, coughs and sore throats, the uninvited companions of the cold season. But we are not at their mercy for better or worse, we can strengthen our immune system. And if we do catch a cold, there are herbal ingredients that help us cope with it more easily. I would like to introduce you to a very pretty plant. It blooms in many of our gardens all summer long. But most of them only know it as an ornamental plant and don’t even know what kind of healing powers it contains.

Botany

Echinacea is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the daisy family. It has ten species, which are commonly called coneflowers. Some species can get 4 feet high (140 cm). At the top there is a single, large daisy with a conical flower base and 12 to 15 pale pink to purple-colored ray-flowers. Coneflowers are native in North America, found in moist and dry prairies and open wooded areas. They are often cultivated in gardens for their showy flowers. There are different variations of coneflowers. The Echinacea purpurea, the red coneflower, is mainly used for healing purposes.

Historical

Echinacea is an ancient medicinal plant of the Indians. They used the fresh vegetable pulp or a root pulp for burns, snake and insect bites, poorly healing wounds and fever. The first settlers soon adopted the application as a home remedy for colds. About hundred years ago the plant migrated to Europe. Today preparations of this pretty flower are among the best-selling herbal immunostimulants. And rightly so, as many studies show.

Clinical Studies

The positive effect of Echinacea purpurea extract on the duration and the course of colds is found in numerous studies. In a controlled, double-blind study, in which neither the scientist nor the participants knew who was receiving the remedy and who the placebo, it could be shown that the application could shorten the duration of a cold; the cold symptoms were less severe. Some of the patients with symptoms of a cold were given 5 ml of Echinacea purpurea pressed juice twice a day, the other part an ineffective placebo, i.e. a product that looks the same as the drug but contains no active ingredients. Echinacea reduced the time for symptoms to subside to 6 days. In the placebo group, the duration of the cold was 9 days. The severity of symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose and sore throat could also be reduced significantly.

Another study with 755 participants showed that 46% of the ecinacea group got a cold within a 4 month period, compared to 54% in the placebo group. The participants treated with echinacea were 2.06 days sick on average, compared to 2.44 days in the placebo group.((M. Javad et.al. Safety and Efficacy Profile of Echinacea purpurea to Prevent Common Cold Episodes: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/841315))

In vitro, that means in cell cultures in the lab, an echinacea extract was able to inactivate various types of coronaviruses, those responsible for the common cold as well as for SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2.((J Signer et.al. In vitro virucidal activity of Echinaforce®, an Echinacea purpurea preparation, against coronaviruses, including common cold coronavirus 229E and SARS-CoV-2. Virol J. 2020 Sep 9;17(1):136. DOI: 10.1186/s12985-020-01401-2)) There seem to be no clinical trials available so far to prove the efficacy of echinacea for COVID-19, but we could conclude that it most likely will give us some protective effect against the virus.

Another advantage is that the alcohol-free preparations can be used by two-year-old children. Doctors and parents confirm that the preparations are well tolerated and significantly mitigate and shorten the ordeal of a cold in children.

A child sneezing - Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

In the literature contradicting results of the effectiveness of Echinacea are found.((M Karsch-Völk et.al. Echinacea for preventing and treating the common cold. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD000530.pub3)) This can be attributed to the fact that these studies were made with ill-defined products. If different species, plant parts and extraction methods are used, this leads to falsification. It also depends much on where the plant grew and how the active ingredients were extracted.

Science is still researching the exact active ingredients. Modern analytical methods have already identified a large number of ingredients, such as various essential oils, terpenes, alkamides, glycoproteins, polysaccharides and many others. But it is still not known exactly which chemical compounds are actually responsible for the known effects. It is probably just the whole plant in its diverse composition.

Mechanisms of Action

Echinacea purpurea has a phagocytosis-stimulating effect on granulocytes. Granulocytes are white blood cells. They serve to ward off microorganisms. In our case of a cold, they render the invading pathogens harmless by englobing and thus incapacitating them. The extract also increases the number of white blood cells.

The entire immune system is being fortified, increasing the body’s defenses. The formation and activity of the antibodies is stimulated. Interleukins are increasingly formed, which are communication proteins that serve to regulate the immune system. Acute-phase proteins, which also serve to ward off infection, are increasingly formed in the liver.

The number of natural killer cells is also increased. They bind to virus-infected cells and destroy them.

Echinacea products are offered as drops, ointments, gels and injection solutions. To strengthen the immune system, the drops can be swallowed on a spoonful of honey as a preventive measure during the period when the flu is suspected. If the cold has already broken out, Echinacea helps to accelerate the natural healing process in a gentle way.

An Echinacea flower - Photo by Mabel Amber from Pexels

A Healthy Immune System

Always remember that prevention is better than cure and let us strengthen our immune system. This is best done through regular sport and persistent exercise in the fresh air. Sauna sessions, alternating showers, a vitamin-rich diet and clothing that is appropriate for the season also make a significant contribution to health. Let us also try to influence our thoughts positively through contemplating beautiful things. Because a balanced mood also serves to strengthen the immune system.

If we catch a cold anyway, we have to drink a lot and ensure sufficient humidity in the air, which is often neglected during the heating season. In addition, Echinacea purpurea helps us to cope with the cold faster.

We have a special opportunity just for you. If you want to receive practical and up to date advice on how to implement an immunity-boosting lifestyle, simply join the Coronavirus Immunity Challenge and prepare yourself to face the pandemic with a bullet-proof immune system.

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Can Vitamin D Prevent COVID-19?

February 13, 2021 by Martin Neumann - [rt_reading_time label="Reading Time:" postfix="minutes" postfix_singular="minute"]

In the beginning of last year, I was reading the news that a Chinese hospital in Shanghai was successful in treating COVID-19 patients with high doses of vitamin C. Not much attention was given to the subject, but evidence is increasing recently that vitamin D supplementation could be crucial in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

Vitamins are substances that you need to ingest with your food in order to live. They are vital to your health. Vitamin D is different. There are small amounts present in your food, but the bulk part is actually produced by your body. Your skin is able to metabolize it under sun exposure. If you do not get enough sun, then you need to supplement it, since the dietary intake is not sufficient to cover your needs.

Vitamin D is also different from other vitamins in the way it works in your body. In a certain sense, it almost works like a hormone, being able to regulate several essential body functions. It is able to bind to a receptor on the cell membrane and enter even into the nucleus, this way affecting how the genes express themselves in relation to cell function.((Vitamin D and COVID 19: The Evidence for Prevention and Treatment of Coronavirus (SARS CoV 2) Youtube)) Numerous cells have receptors for Vitamin D. This includes immune cells, an important fact for our subject of COVID-19 prevention. It was shown that vitamin D is essential for the proper functioning of the immune system.((F Sassi et.al. Vitamin D: Nutrient, Hormone, and Immunomodulator. Nutrients2018, 10(11), 1656; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10111656
Xu, Y., Baylink, D.J., Chen, CS. et al. The importance of vitamin d metabolism as a potential prophylactic, immunoregulatory and neuroprotective treatment for COVID-19. J Transl Med 18, 322 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-020-02488-5))

Vitamin D and Immunity

The flu season is peaking exactly at the end of the winter, when sun exposure is limited and the Vitamin D storage is depleted. Studies have shown that children with rickets caused by Vitamin D deficiency, are also more susceptible to tuberculosis. Also, the relationship between respiratory diseases and vitamin D deficiency is well established.((H Brenner et.al. Vitamin D Insufficiency and Deficiency and Mortality from Respiratory Diseases in a Cohort of Older Adults: Potential for Limiting the Death Toll during and beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic? Nutrients 2020, 12(8), 2488; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12082488
Vitamin D supplementation to prevent acute respiratory tract infections: systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data. BMJ 2017; 356 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.i6583
M Urashima et.al. Randomized trial of vitamin D supplementation to prevent seasonal influenza A in schoolchildren. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 May;91(5):1255-60. DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.2009.29094))

On average we spend only 7.6% of the day being outdoors,((N. Klepeis et.al. The National Human Activity Pattern Survey (NHAPS): a resource for assessing exposure to environmental pollutants. Journal of Exposure Analysis and Environmental Epidemiology (2001) 11, 231-252)) which means our sun exposure is very limited. Living above the 35th degree of latitude you do not have sufficient Vitamin D production in the winter. That includes any location of Tennessee and above. Europe is included entirely.

Indoor Light in a Metro -
Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

Studies have shown that people in the age of 77 to 82 years had less than half the capacity to produce Vitamin D in the skin compared to teenagers.((J MacLaughlin, M F Holick. Aging decreases the capacity of human skin to produce vitamin D3. J Clin Invest. 1985 Oct;76(4):1536-8. DOI: 10.1172/JCI112134)) Darker skin colors have significantly less absorption of vitamin D as well.((O. M. Gutiérrez et.al. Racial differences in the relationship between vitamin D, bone mineral density, and parathyroid hormone in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Osteoporos Int. 2011 Jun; 22(6): 1745–1753. doi: 10.1007/s00198-010-1383-2))

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin. It is therefore stored in the fat tissues, and the more fat reserves you have, the more Vitamin D you will need. For that reason, individuals with a BMI higher than 35 are more likely to be Vitamin D deficient, and larger doses will be needed for supplementation.((J Wortsman et.al. Decreased bioavailability of vitamin D in obesity. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 72, Issue 3, September 2000, Pages 690–693, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/72.3.690))

It is interesting to notice that people with higher age, dark skin color and increased BMI are having an increased risk of dying from COVID-19. Those are exactly the same risk factors for Vitamin D deficiency. Is that coincidental, or is there a causative relationship?

Vitamin D and COVID-19 Infections

Before we start, one note about unit conversion. Some countries are measuring blood levels of vitamin D in nmol/l. In the US the commonly used unit is ng/ml, and we are using this unit throughout the article. If you want to convert to nmol/l, you need to multiply those values by 2.5.

Some scientists analyzed the COVID-19 cases compared to the latitude of each country. They found out that all the countries with higher mortality rates were located above the 35th-degree latitude, thus having insufficient sun exposure in the winter.((J M Rhodes et.al. Editorial: low population mortality from COVID-19 in countries south of latitude 35 degrees North supports vitamin D as a factor determining severity. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2020 Jun;51(12):1434-1437. DOI: 10.1111/apt.15777)) Another research looked at the mean vitamin D level of each country and found that those with higher vitamin D levels had significantly lower numbers for COVID-19 cases and deaths.((P C Ilie et.al. The role of vitamin D in the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 infection and mortality. Aging Clin Exp Res. 2020 May 6 : 1–4. doi: 10.1007/s40520-020-01570-8))

In a research among elderly hospital patients was found that the mean vitamin D level of COVID-19 positive patient was 11 ng/ml compared to 21 ng/ml in the group who tested negative.((V Baktash et.al. Vitamin D status and outcomes for hospitalised older patients with COVID-19. Postgraduate Medical Journal Published Online First: 27 August 2020. doi: 10.1136/postgradmedj-2020-138712)) A study in Switzerland compared the vitamin D level of hospitalized patients and found that those who were hospitalized for COVID-19 infection had significantly lower vitamin D levels than those who were tested negative for COVID-19.((A D’Avolio. 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentrations Are Lower in Patients with Positive PCR for SARS-CoV-2. Nutrients 2020, 12(5), 1359; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12051359))

That study was able to show a correlation between those two factors, but a correlation is not always causative. Some scientists found out that during an infection the serum vitamin D levels tend to drop, and stipulated the possibility that COVID-19 infection caused the vitamin D levels to drop, and not that the vitamin D deficiency has caused COVID-19.((J Smolders et.al. Letter to the Editor: Vitamin D deficiency in COVID-19: Mixing up cause and consequence. Metabolism. 2021 Feb; 115: 154434. doi: 10.1016/j.metabol.2020.154434)) Although the drop in vitamin D levels could be proven, it is though very moderate, and does not fully explain the drastic difference in vitamin D levels between those two groups.

To help us establish the causative effect, there were two studies done in Israel, that checked out people who had a prior Vitamin D test on record, and they found that those who had adequate Vitamin D levels before being exposed to COVID-19 were less likely to get infected.((A Israel et.al. The link between vitamin D deficiency and Covid-19 in a large population. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.09.04.20188268)) The second study found that those who had Vitamin D levels below 30 ng/ml, were almost twice as much needing hospitalization compared to those with normal levels.((E Merzon et.al. Low plasma 25(OH) vitamin D level is associated with increased risk of COVID-19 infection: an Israeli population-based study. FEBS J. 2020 Sep;287(17):3693-3702. DOI: 10.1111/febs.15495)) A study in the US found that persons with vitamin D level below 25 ng/ml had twice as many COVID-19 infections compared to those above 55 ng/ml.((H W Kaufman et.al. SARS-CoV-2 positivity rates associated with circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0239252))

Vitamin D for COVID-19 Treatment

Another research done in Spain went some further to find out whether vitamin D is an effective treatment option. They gave vitamin D injections to patients that were hospitalized for COVID-19 treatment. For those in the placebo group, 50% were submitted to the intensive care unit, while in the group treated with vitamin D, only 2% needed intensive care.((M E Castillo et.al. “Effect of calcifediol treatment and best available therapy versus best available therapy on intensive care unit admission and mortality among patients hospitalized for COVID-19: A pilot randomized clinical study” J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2020 Oct; 203: 105751. doi: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2020.105751)) This is quite a significant improvement! As a result of the study, the hospital started wheeling out COVID-19 patients in recovery to the seaside.((Coronavirus: Barcelona beach trip for recovering patients. BBC News, 3 June 2020))

In a clinical trial done in India, they gave a dose of 60.000 UI of vitamin D3 for 7 days to patients being hospitalized for COVID-19. After 3 weeks 62.5% of those who received Vitamin D were cured compared to 20.8% in the control group.((A Rastogi et.al. Short term, high-dose vitamin D supplementation for COVID-19 disease: a randomised, placebo-controlled, study (SHADE study). Postgraduate Medical Journal Published Online First: 12 November 2020. doi: 10.1136/postgradmedj-2020-139065)) A meta analysis concluded that vitamin D supplementation can cut COVID-19 mortality in half.((L Nikniaz et.al. The impact of vitamin D supplementation on mortality rate and clinical outcomes of COVID-19 patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.01.04.21249219))

COVID-19 Emergency Hospital - Photo by CDC from Pexels

Scientists start to explain the many different mechanisms in which Vitamin D shows so much benefit in COVID-19 treatment. One major problem in severe patient is an overreaction of the immune system, leading to a cytokine storm. This exaggerated inflammatory response can cause multiple organ damage. Vitamin D seems to be capable of regulating the immune system to minimize cytokine storm in severe patients.((Xu, Y., Baylink, D.J., Chen, CS. et al. The importance of vitamin d metabolism as a potential prophylactic, immunoregulatory and neuroprotective treatment for COVID-19. J Transl Med 18, 322 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-020-02488-5))

Vitamin D Supplementation

There is no consensus on which levels of vitamin D are ideal for supplementation. In 2010 the Institue of Medicine raised the recommended daily allowance from 200UI to 600UI per day. The Endocrine Society recommends supplementation of 1500 to 2000UI per day in order to raise blood levels consistently above 30 ng/ml. They deem it safe to supplement up to 4,000 UI per day without medical supervision.((M F Holick et.al. Evaluation, Treatment, and Prevention of Vitamin D Deficiency: an Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Volume 96, Issue 7, 1 July 2011, Pages 1911–1930, https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2011-0385))

Vitamin D toxicity is though very rare. The first negative side effect of high doses is increased calcium uptake, which can cause calcium deposits in the arteries and other organs. This effect is starting to be observed only in persons with Vitamin D blood levels above 150 ng/ml. Vitamin D is considered the least toxic among the fat-soluble vitamins, so there is no concern about toxicity doing a short term application of high doses of vitamin D. Some specialists like Michael Holick suggest that supplementation of up to 10.000 UI per day is perfectly safe.((„Vitamin D – State of the art“ – Dr. Michael F. Holick in Vienna (English) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuWC2d0mTbo))

It is possible to produce up to 10,000 UI of vitamin D just with a few minutes of sun exposure. This will work though only between 10 am and 3 pm, using no sunscreen and having large parts of the skin exposed to the sun. Latitude, season, age and skin color are factors that can significantly influence the amount of vitamin D production. In order to find out the ideal sun exposure for you, download the app Dminder that is found in Google Play and the App Store alike.

Now what levels of vitamin D in the blood are adequate? Here again, most recommendations are way lower than they are supposed to be. If you are below 30 ng/ml (75 nmol/l) consider yourself deficient. An ideal level for a well-functioning immune system would be between 50 and 100 ng/ml (125-250 nmol/l).

There are many who advocate a wider use of Vitamin D supplementation to help control the COVID-19 pandemic. In an initiative, 200 scientists and doctors have called on governments around the world to recommend a widespread supplementation of at least 4,000UI per day.((Over 200 Scientists & Doctors Call For Increased Vitamin D Use To Combat COVID-19. VitaminDforAll)) For those who did not do any supplementation so far, they recommend taking 10,000UI daily for 2-3 weeks in order to raise the levels, and then maintain with 4,000UI per day. Most governments that far have ignored this call, but individuals are able to do their part to protect themselves. And the message is reaching the consumers. Vitamin D supplement sales increased by more than 30% during the last year.((J Grebow. Vitamin D made headlines over COVID-19 studies last year. Sales of vitamin D were also up in 2020. What will 2021 look like? 2021 Ingredient trends to watch for food, drinks, and dietary supplements. Nutritional Outlook, February 10, 2021)) And even Dr. Fauci has stated that supplementing vitamin D may be beneficial, and takes supplements for himself.((Dr. Fauci says to take vitamin D if you’re deficient — here’s how to know. CNBC. September 26, 2020))

We have stated already that obese people need higher intakes of vitamin D, since it gets absorbed by the fat tissue. Overweight person with a BMI between 26 and 30 should take 1.5x the dose of normal weight individuals, and obese persons with a BMI above 30 should triple the dose of vitamin D supplementation. Age, should be taken into consideration as well when establishing the correct dose of supplementation. Individuals above 70 years of age should consider doubling the dose of supplementation.

It is interesting to note that High Fructose Corn Syrup which is present in soft drinks and many other industrialized foods can inactivate Vitamin D.((V Douard et.al. Excessive fructose intake causes 1,25-(OH)(2)D(3)-dependent inhibition of intestinal and renal calcium transport in growing rats. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2013 Jun 15;304(12):E1303-13. DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.00582.2012)) The same mechanism may not apply to table sugar, but an excess of any kind of sugar will reduce the effectiveness of the immune system.

Conclusion

In summary we have seen that vitamin D has a profound impact on our immune system and is essential in the prevention of COVID-19. Based on this fact, we highly recommend to test for adequate vitamin D levels, and correct with proper sun exposure or supplementation if levels are low. In questions of doubt, consult a nutritionist to define the ideal dose for you.

Although vitamin D is essential, it is by far not the only thing you can do to strengthen your immune system. We have prepared a 10 day immunity challenge that will cover several habits that are essential to keep your immunity in top shape. Participate now to find out what you can do to have maximum protection against the coronavirus that is circulating around the entire globe.

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Chlorophyll and Your Health

February 6, 2021 by Esther Neumann - [rt_reading_time label="Reading Time:" postfix="minutes" postfix_singular="minute"]

They have almost the same chemical formula: chlorophyll – the green plant pigment, hemoglobin – the red blood pigment in humans, and cobalamin (vitamin B₁₂), which is essential for the development of red blood cells. Isn’t that fascinating?

When I first noted the similarity of these three compounds during my study as a nutritionist, I was very excited. I thought of the networked thinking of Leonardo da Vinci. He said that nothing stands in this world alone. Everything that happens, that was discovered or invented, is related to something else, maybe even to a whole. Where was the connection with my discovery?

At first, of course, I thought of the daily diet. What was the original diet for humans? I found the answer in the book of books, the Bible. There on the first pages, God said to the first humans, Adam and Eve: “I have given you all the plants that bring forth seeds in all the earth, and all the trees with fruits that bring seeds.” Genesis 1:29 Plants were the foundation of the first diet. In Genesis 3:18 vegetables were added to the diet, which are normally rich in chlorophyll.

In order for plants to grow, they have to photosynthesize. For photosynthesis to work at all, the plant needs chlorophyll and carotenoids. They collect the light from the sun and pass it on. In addition, there are mechanisms in the leaves that prevent too much light from entering when there is very strong sunlight. Otherwise the leaves would be destroyed. But on the other hand we know ingenious facilities, so that plants growing on the forest ground in the shade of large trees can still benefit from sunlight.

Cancer Prevention

Now we know that chlorophyll is not only important for plants, but also for us humans. It inhibits in vitro, ie. in the test tube during scientific experiments, the mutagenic effect of pyrolysis products that are formed when animal products are exposed to great heat. Mutagens are substances that cause changes in the genetic make-up. If, in our case, meat is exposed to very high heat, which happens when roasting or grilling, this can result in mutagenic products. Chlorophyll can counteract this by binding these mutagens and thereby inactivating them. If you eat some grilled meat at all, you should at the same time eat a big bowl of lettuce and a good amount of bell pepper. There is a lot of chlorophyll in both.

Chlorophyll sources - Photo by Daria Shevtsova from Pexels

There are chlorophyllin supplements on the market, which consist of a modified chlorophyll, where the central atom has been replaced with copper, and some endings may be modified as well. Chlorophyllin is more stable, and unlike chlorophyll it is water soluble. This supplement has a similar effect than chlorophyll, but they are not equally effective for all applications.

In vivo, that is in living humans or animals, a cancer-inhibiting effect of chlorophyll and chlorophyllin could be demonstrated in liver cancer.((Sudakin DL. Dietary aflatoxin exposure and chemoprevention of cancer: a clinical review. J Toxicol Clin Toxicol. 2003;41(2):195-204. DOI: 10.1081/clt-120019137
Egner PA, Munoz A, Kensler TW. Chemoprevention with chlorophyllin in individuals exposed to dietary aflatoxin. Mutat Res. 2003;523-524:209-216. DOI: 10.1016/s0027-5107(02)00337-8)) The effect of the chlorophyllin was strongest when administered simultaneously with the carcinogen (cancer-causing substance). The main carcinogen causing liver cancer is aflatoxin, a substance produced by a fungus that is present in moldy corn, peanuts or soybeans. Chlorophyll blocks the binding of carcinogens to the DNA, that contains our genetic code.((Kensler TW, Groopman JD, Roebuck BD. Use of aflatoxin adducts as intermediate endpoints to assess the efficacy of chemopreventive interventions in animals and man. Mutat Res. 1998;402(1-2):165-172. DOI: 10.1016/s0027-5107(97)00294-7
Simonich MT, Egner PA, Roebuck BD, et al. Natural chlorophyll inhibits aflatoxin B1-induced multi-organ carcinogenesis in the rat. Carcinogenesis. 2007;28(6):1294-1302. DOI: 10.1093/carcin/bgm027
Breinholt V, Hendricks J, Pereira C, Arbogast D, Bailey G. Dietary chlorophyllin is a potent inhibitor of aflatoxin B1 hepatocarcinogenesis in rainbow trout. Cancer Res. 1995;55(1):57-62. Full text)) Heterocyclic amines found in cooked meat are another carcinogen that showed significant reduction when ingesting chlorophyll.((Dashwood R, Yamane S, Larsen R. Study of the forces of stabilizing complexes between chlorophylls and heterocyclic amine mutagens. Environ Mol Mutagen. 1996;27(3):211-218. DOI: 3.0.co;2-h”>10.1002/(SICI)1098-2280(1996)27:3<211::AID-EM6>3.0.CO;2-H)) Studies have found that people who eat a lot of green vegetables have lower cancer rates. This could actually be due to the anti-cancer properties of chlorophyll.

Deodorant

Chlorophyllin also has an antibacterial and deodorant effect. It is therefore found in cosmetics and personal care products. The observation that chlorophyllin had deodorizing effects on foul-smelling wounds, led clinicians to administer the substance orally to control fecal odor in patients with colostomy.((Chernomorsky SA, Segelman AB. Biological activities of chlorophyll derivatives. N J Med. 1988;85(8):669-673.)) In a study of 62 nursing home patients, the administration of chlorophyllin tablets was found to be helpful in controlling body and fecal odors. It aided also in easing chronic constipation and assisted in reducing excessive gases.((Young RW, Beregi JS, Jr. Use of chlorophyllin in the care of geriatric patients. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1980;28(1):46-47. DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1980.tb00124.x))

Wound Healing

Research in the 1940s indicated that chlorophyllin was able to slow the growth of certain bacteria and accelerate wound healing. It was since then added to ointments for the treatment of persistent open wounds.((Kephart JC. Chlorophyll derivatives – their chemistry, commercial preparation and uses. Econ Bot. 1955;9:3-38.)) Several subsequent studies using a Papain-urea-chlorophyllin ointment confirmed those findings.((Smith RG. Enzymatic debriding agents: an evaluation of the medical literature. Ostomy Wound Manage. 2008;54(8):16-34.)) In a pilot study, a chlorophyllin solution was beneficial in the treatment of acne.((T J Stephens et.al. Pilot Study of Topical Copper Chlorophyllin Complex in Subjects With Facial Acne and Large Pores. J Drugs Dermatol. 2015 Jun;14(6):589-92.))

Blood Formation

Chlorophyll has a blood-forming effect as well. Now we are into networked thinking with hemoglobin. As already mentioned, chlorophyll is a very large molecule that looks almost similar to the very large molecule of hemoglobin. In chlorophyll, the central atom around which all other atoms are built is magnesium. All green plants are therefore an excellent magnesium source. In hemoglobin, the pigment in red blood cells that is responsible for transporting oxygen, iron is the central atom.

Chlorophyll is the essential substance for the plant. Hemoglobin is essential for humans. And both are built almost identically, so they can easily be converted into one another. In fact, with chlorophyll obtained from wheat grass, anemia and leukemia can be very positively influenced. In a pilot study of patients with the blood disorder thalassemia, the requirements for blood transfusions could be significantly reduced with the application of wheat grass juice.((R.K. Marwaha et. al. Wheat Grass Juice reduces Transfusion Requirement in Patients with Thalassemia Major: A Pilot Study. Indian Pediatrics 2004;41:716-720))

hemoglobin defines the color of the blood

Sources of your blood building chlorophyll will be any form of green leaves. Especially rich sources are spinach, parsley and garden cress.((Chlorophyll and Chlorophyllin, Oregon State University)) Some other green plants have reasonable amounts, like green beans, peas, and green pepper. Eating those products on a regular basis will make the use of supplements needless.

Vitamin B12 is just as vital as hemoglobin. Without it, the red blood cells would not be able to develop properly. Cobalamin is also necessary for the functioning of the nerves, the immune system and the formation of DNA. A deficiency in vitamin B12 affects every cell in our body. By the way, the central atom in cobalamin is cobalt, hence the name.

Creative Patterns

Is it a coincidence that our Creator God built these three important molecules almost the same way? Or is He pursuing a plan? If He has given us the plants for food and they have a protective role for our body, reasonable people will eat mainly or entirely from these plants.

The whole physiology of humans, animals and plants shows to a large extent the same systems, the same enzymes, the similar structure of the cells and the same metabolic pathways. He is the creator of all three, yes of the whole universe. He networked everything. Everything He has created is in some way serving other created beings.

The more I am allowed to penetrate into the wonders of creation, and we have truly wonderful insights into both the micro and the macrocosm, the more I admire God’s imagination, his greatness and creativity. And I am grateful that I can be part of it. Although I am only a tiny part, but wonderfully precious and valuable, networked into a larger whole, where everyone is dependent on the other. And I want to fulfill my part that is meant for me. Which part is mine, that is worth thinking about.

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