Eat This: Bone Broth

There’s a South American Proverb that says, “A good broth can raise the dead.” There is a reason why we eat soup when we are sick. A real bone broth has been simmering for hours to leach all the minerals and vitamins out of the bone making it liquid gold for our immune system. There are other great benefits to drinking bone broth on a daily basis.

If you slow cook the bone it draws out the collagen, marrow, and other healing elements from the bones, including amino acids, minerals, glycine, and gelatin—which helps heal the gut and reduce inflammation for the whole body.

Collagen, the protein matrix in bones, tendons, ligaments, and other flexible tissues, is broken down during the cooking process into another protein called gelatin. Gelatin is the reason properly prepared broth congeals in the fridge. This gelatin has in it the raw materials to rebuild your own connective tissue, especially tendons (which connect muscles to bones) and ligaments (which connect bones to each other).

Another benefit of bone broth for joint health comes from glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), a family of carbohydrates found in bones and connective tissue that show interesting effects in reducing joint pain. One of these GAGs, hyaluronic acid, is an effective treatment for osteoarthritis.



Bone broth helps in digestion by containing glycine, because it stimulates the production of stomach acid. Who may need more stomach acid, you ask? People who have acid reflux do because acid reflux is actually a problem of too little stomach acid, not too much. By prompting your body to secrete more stomach acid, glycine can help prevent or treat this painful and potentially dangerous problem. This makes bone broth a delicious supplemental food for anyone suffering from acid reflux, IBS, or FODMAPS intolerance.

Adding to its metabolic virtues, glycine is also an important component of bile acid, which is necessary for fat digestion in the small intestine, and also helps maintain healthy blood cholesterol levels. Especially for people who are new to Paleo and switching from a carb-based to a fat-based diet, this has the potential to keep the digestive process running a lot more smoothly.

Glycine isn’t the only useful protein for gut health, either. glutamine, another amino acid found in bone broth, is a natural remedy for “leaky gut,” that unpleasant and dangerous condition where the barrier between your gut and the rest of your body isn’t working properly, allowing molecules that should stay inside the gut to cross over into the bloodstream and potentially set of a cascade of autoimmune reactions. Glutamine helps maintain the function of the intestinal wall, preventing this damage from occurring.

Glycine also helps in detoxification because it supports the liver in removing anything dangerous from the body.
Glycine is also necessary for the synthesis of glutathione and uric acid, the body’s most important endogenous antioxidants.

Yet another detox-related benefit is that glycine helps clear out excess methionine, another amino acid found in large quantities in eggs and muscle meat. Methionine is an essential amino acid, but too much of it can raise blood levels of another amino acid called homocysteine, and the process of breaking down homocysteine increases the body’s need for B vitamins (thus increasing the risk of B vitamin deficiency even if your intake is adequate). Glycine from broths and cartilage can help break down homocysteine without the need for B vitamins.

Bone broth is extremely high in minerals. Bones from land animals are rich in calcium, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus, and fish bones also contain iodine. We know that at least some of this mineral content leaches out into the water, because the bones are crumbly and demineralized when the broth is done cooking – often they’re so weak that they’ll fall apart if you put any pressure on them. If you use smaller bones, like chicken or fish, they’ll sometimes even entirely dissolve into the stock.

Another interesting anti-inflammatory benefit of the proteins in bone broth is more rapid recovery from injury. Under the stress of an injury or disease, the body’s needs for these amino acids increases and bone broth is perfect for supplementing this increased need for the body to repair.

So the old advice of drink soup when you are sick still stands. Drink soup when inflamed, when joints hurt, to heal the gut or when recovering from an injury as well! If you don't want to make your own bone broth there's a great organic bone broth place in NYC, Brodo and online, even though it comes in plastic, The Osso Good Co.

Turmeric Is a Brain Health Miracle

Are you concerned about maintaining the health of your brain as you age? I wasn't concerned until I read that by age 65, sadly 1 in 8 Americans will suffer from severe cognitive decline, and by age 80, an astonishing 1 in 2 will at the Alzheimers prevention website.

Researchers have been working for years to develop an effective treatment. But one "miracle" drug after another has failed to live up to its promises, and it's becoming more and more apparent that pharmaceuticals are not the solution. Unfortunately, the medical establishment is so narrowly focused on finding an elusive "cure" that scientifically proven prevention strategies are often ignored.

There are a number of natural brain protectors out there, but did you know that one herb has shown more promise when it comes to supporting your neurological system than any other medical finding to date? It's a scientific fact that curcumin, an antioxidant compound found in the root of the turmeric plant, is one of the most powerful natural brain protecting substances.

The hallmark process associated with certain types of cognitive decline is the formation in the brain of abnormal protein structures. Normally when malformed proteins are formed with the brain, the immune system sends out cells known as macrophages, which engulf and destroy the proteins. If this ordinary function fails, defective proteins accumulate in the brain and cognitive decline can follow.

Curcumin works by encouraging the immune system to send macrophages to the brain in order to destroy these abnormal proteins, restoring proper brain function.

For more information on how healthy turmeric can be for you read how turmeric helps with killing Candida and cancer and another blog on 8 reasons to drink golden milk or to add turmeric to your curries, apple cider vinegar drink, smoothies or in supplement form.

What is a MTHFR Gene Mutation and How is it Affecting Your Health?

It is estimated that about 25% of the population has a MTHFR gene mutation which has many adverse effects. One of the effects is the inability to break down folic acid and it must be supplemented in the form of “methyltetrahyrofolate” or “metafolin” or “folinic acid”. When the body cannot break down folic acid, you end up with high levels of homocysteine. The effect of high homocysteine takes many forms and they are still being discovered. But here is what is known:

The effects of a MTHFR gene mutation is that the liver doesn't fully do it's job and it can cause: blood clots, stroke, depression, autism, bi-polar disorder, cardiovascular disease and infertility or several miscarriages.

And how is the gene mutation “turned on”? Usually methylation is inhibited by Candida overgrowth in the gut. And what is the #1 cause for Candida (or yeast)? It is heavy metals toxicity. So the best way to help the body with this type of gene mutation is to detox heavy metals first and then kill Candida while supporting methylation which is the liver's ability to breakdown toxins. So unfortunately, when I help patients with the mutation their detox program has to go slow so the already slow liver doesn't get backed up with the detox and become even slower.



However, we know now that it is possible for a gene mutation to be “turned on” and “turned off” with environmental factors. So what can you do if you suspect a MTHFR gene mutation?

#1 – Get a geneticist to run the tests to look for a MTHFR gene variation. Or www.23andme.com tests for methylation SNPs. You download your 23 and me results into genetic genie to get methylation information. It is only $99 and is a spit test. LiveWello can also interpret your raw data from the 23 and me test for you.

*And please be advised that testing levels of folic acid in the blood does NOT tell us anything. The only true measure of one's folic acid is measured with a spinal tap and that is very invasive.

#2 – Treat the Yeast. Eat a low sugar diet with more healthy fats like coconut oil, olive oil & avocado and less grains and carbs. Yeast feeds on sugar & carbs. Also get muscle tested for the right, exact supplements and dosage you need to kill the yeast.

#3 – Take Methyltetrahydrafolate. I like 5-MTHF by Thorne. 5-MTHF is the most biologically active form of the B-vitamin folic acid. 5MTHF works in concert with vitamin B12 in the conversion of homocysteine to methionine.

#4 – Removing the heavy metals from the body and brain is the only way to possibly reverse the effects of the gene mutation.

#5 - Most importantly....please know that this mutation makes detoxification difficult for the body. So, go green and keep toxins away!

Benefits of Ozone Water

I have been doing a lot of research on ozone therapy and what machines would be best. I finally decided to purchase the Ozo-pod. My main use for it is to make ozonated water to clean all my fruits and vegetables.  I felt like all the cleaning sprays for pesticides were not really doing a good job so when I first learned about ozonated water I was excited to try it on my produce and I love it!  It also purifies drinking water which is great for camping and I also started washing my face with the ozonated water and I do feel a difference, like my skin is tighter. more oxygen to the skin is only beneficial.  I then wanted to learn more about what drinking ozonated water could do for the body.  In general, I suggest drinking 16 ounces of ozonated water a day on an empty stomach.  

In the ozone process, the water molecules are disrupted by agitation from bubbling or electricity, infusing some of the oxygen molecules with an additional two oxygen molecules, creating ozone which is a bond of three oxygen molecules together. Ozonated water is composed of 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom with separate 3 oxygen atoms (or ozone) instead of the normal 2:1 ratio in regular water. Because ozone is unstable, the newly formed bond is only temporary and the ozonated water must be used or preserved no more than 20 minutes after creation to be most effective.

Biological Benefits

Ozonated water has a clean, fresh taste. This type of water has been shown in a number of scientific studies to kill bacteria and viruses. It has proven effective in killing E. coli, yeast, salmonella and listeria. The biological benefits are a result of the ozone breaking apart creating a single oxygen atom that the body can use.  The more oxygen in the body the better! Ozone adds oxygen to the blood stream and eliminates impurities. Increased oxygen in the brain heightens its function. Single oxygen atoms introduced into the immune system makes it stronger and better able to fight infections. Drinking cold ozone water on an empty stomach regularly can detoxify your intestinal tract.

Physical Benefits
Drinking ozonated water increases energy level. It speeds extra oxygen into the body. But the effectiveness of ozonated water is not limited to drinking. Bathing in ozonated water is great therapy for skin disorders. It can be used to treat muscle soreness, spinal and back injuries and neck stiffness. These baths can be incorporated into a healing or wellness plan as directed by a physician. Proper diet and hydration work in conjunction to make these ozone baths most effective. The level of clean after a bath in ozonated water is better in comparison to regular water. The benefits extend to food, also. Washing foods such as fruit, vegetables and meats in ozonated water improve their cleanliness, too.

Medical Benefits
Due to its disinfecting properties, ozonated water is used during surgeries to keep opened areas sterile. It also is used as a supplemental treatment of cancer. Research has shown that the introduction of the third oxygen cell can aid the body’s immune system in containing the existing cancer cells, thus preventing the spread of cancer to uninfected areas of the body. Though this is not potent enough a therapy to be used alone, ozonated water has been shown to kill small numbers of cancer cells in patients.

Blood Detoxification
Ozonated water has been found to convert wastes and toxins to water and carbon dioxide after which they are easily expelled from the body. This is especially essential in neutralizing the effects of harmful toxins.

Fungal Infection
Water that has been ozonated for at least 10 minutes has been found to be effective in treating fungal infections, such as athlete’s foot, ringworms and nail fungus.

Mouth Health
Ozone water when used in bushing of teeth, eliminates bad breath and gum problems.

Skin Cleanser
Ozonated water is a gentle yet effective cleanser for the skin, and is especially helpful in treating acne, blackheads and pimples.

As if drinking ozonated water was not enough you can also get an ozone sauna treatment at our office where you sit in a sauna pod and your skin soaks up ozone.  The extra oxygen gets absorbed into the blood and lymphatic system giving your energy and immune system a boost while also helping the body detox.  For more information on the ozone sauna therapy, read here.