我们很荣幸 LifeClinic 被 Liv 杂誌的 2021 年健康与生活方式奖评选为香港最佳医疗实践金奖，该奖项基于 50 个类别的超过 62,000 张选票投票，感谢您的宝贵投票！ 在过去一年中，我们致力于听取客户的意见，改进我们的服务，非常感谢您的支持及反馈！

LifeClinic的国际医疗团队利用功能性医学及瑞士生物医学来帮助您做事更醒，玩得尽兴，活得长久！ 我们专注于抗衰老、荷尔蒙平衡、慢性疾病及量身定制的个性化生活方式计划，为你打造专属的健康之旅。 除此以外，我们还提供家庭医学及一般全科服务。

最佳医疗实践奖 

LIV 杂誌健康与生活方式奖

The Shortcomings of Conventional Medicine Checkups

It’s that time of year again! You’re about to do your annual check-up with your insurance company and you’re told you have a clean bill of health from the doctor looking at the report. This is the common outcome for many people doing their annual health checks, but deep-down something’s not quite right. That niggling gut pain, low energy, and painful period is persisting, and yet conventional medicine cannot find the cause. Herein lies one of the shortcomings of conventional medicine testing -it doesn’t do the right test to understand the true cause of the problem. Consequently, people’s health problems continue to persist until they become severe and/or chronic and only then can conventional medicine step in with sometimes drastic measures, like surgery or immune-suppressing medications that can come with many side effects.

Why Functional Medicine Testing?

Back in the early 1990’s a group of doctors and biochemists were astute to notice these issues with conventional testing. They started to review the physiology of the body and the pathology of disease and came up with a new model. This new model determines the real issues behind symptoms and diseases by looking deeper into the biochemistry of the body. They set up an institute called The Institute of Functional Medicine (IFM), which helps train doctors, dietitians and nutritionists in this new way of looking at the body. At the same time, the IFM worked with some innovative laboratories to determine new biomarkers to assist in diagnosing the causes of disease. Fast forward to 2020 and we now have a range of specialized Functional medicine laboratories to help doctors address their patients’ problems.

We look at our world today, the environment we live in, and we can see many changes have occurred in the last 20 years. There is more fast food, more toxins, more stress, more factory farming and all of these factors have contributed to the continued demise of health in people. It’s just that most conventional doctors don’t see how this is connected to their patient’s health. For example, by sitting indoors a lot and by eating fast and processed food all the time, these factors can contribute to depression, skin issues, gut problems and hormonal imbalances regulating the period cycle. By looking at the lifestyle and harnessing functional medicine testing like checking the gut microbiome and hormonal cycle regulation, we can optimize the body and help fix all these issues at the same time.

In Functional Medicine, the philosophy is quite unique. One deficiency (e.g. magnesium) can cause numerous symptoms like leg cramps, poor sleep, poor mood, painful periods, while one disease (e.g. diabetes) can have multiple causes including bad diet, toxicities and gut dysbiosis (bacterial imbalance of the gut). So, first thing’s first, we review the lifestyle, then based upon that evaluation we delve deeper either into nutritional deficiencies, toxicities, latent infections, hormonal imbalances, gut health, or immune health. Using a variety of labs available there are solutions now available for even the most complex diseases and situations.

Functional Testing at LifeClinic:

At LifeClinic, we have associations with some of the best functional medicine laboratories in the world. We investigate some key areas of health:

1. Toxicities: Toxins can come from a variety of sources like heavy metals (mercury, lead and cadmium), environmental pollutants (exhaust fumes, plastics), and mycotoxins and biotoxins from fungi and bacteria. We use a variety of urine and blood tests to determine toxicity.
2. Nutrient status: Our fast-food world has put many people in danger of many deficiencies so we can evaluate nutritional deficiencies of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fatty acids. Having the building blocks for optimal health means having all the nutrients in our bodies.
3. Hormonal status: Hormones regulating our metabolism (thyroid, insulin); our cycle, libido and energy (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone); or our stress (cortisol, DHEA, pregnenolone) can be assessed and tweaked if needed to regain that sense of control and optimal wellbeing.
4. Gut health: All diseases begin in the gut a wise man once said, and so in Functional Medicine we delve deep into the gut microbiome with a stool analysis to find imbalances in digestion, inflammation and bacterial overgrowth of the gut (SIBO test) which can cause bloating and gas and bowel movement irregularities.
5. Immune system balance: The rise of auto-immune diseases means that we need to determine what is triggering the immune system imbalance. We can test for food sensitivities intolerances, auto-immune triggers (toxins, stress, over-active under-active immune balance) and immune activators (cytokines).
6. Genetics: For some people, genetics means they’re predisposed to having certain conditions. We can check for genetic predispositions by looking at the DNA of cells and seeing where the genetic expressions can be strengthened. This will help the patient understand what additional lifestyle and nutritional interventions will help to counter potential risk factors.

What Happens After Functional Medicine Testing?

Once the testing is done, your doctor or practitioner will advise you on a personalized plan which may include:

1. Lifestyle change: changing the diet, exercise, sleep or stress management regimen, plus advising on support for optimal relationships.
2. Supplementation: a personalized plan to reset, rebalance, and optimize the body back to its good self.
3. Detoxification: sometimes specialized detoxification strategies are required depending on what is identified in the body. We focus on physical treatments like infra-red saunas, colonics, binders, and optimizing detox compounds in the body.
4. IVs: in certain circumstances, some patients need a real boost to kickstart their recovery. We may prescribe specialized IV’s to help people on their way to recovery.

At LifeClinic, we understand your health differently. We see you in your environment and tweak your biochemistry gently, so that over a period of time a renewed sense of self is achieved. This is after all, the best way to live a healthy life.

 

For more information regarding Functional Medicine Testing please contact Miles Price, Functional Medicine Specialist (IFM, FMU) at 2881 8131 or miles@lifeclinic.com.hk

Miles Price

Miles did his initial training at Hawthorn University with an M.Sc. Holistic Nutrition. He followed this up with a professional accreditation to practice with BANT (UK) the British Association of Applied Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine in 2017 and subsequently obtained a Functional Medicine Diploma with Functional Medicine University in 2017. This was shortly followed by enrolling with the Institute of Functional Medicine on their practitioner program.

This July, inspired by the thought-provoking Netflix documentary Social Dilemma we are kicking off with a much-needed discussion on the challenges associated with the virtual world, the detrimental effects this can have on our own behavior & psychology and that of our younger generation coming off the back increased tech usage for homeschooling while multi-tasking with “weapons of mass distraction” such as gaming, & social media platforms.⁣
⁣
Our expert speakers including our IFM Practitioner Miles Price will share tools to create awareness & develop strategies to better navigate an uncensored, behavioral modifying, anxiety increasing amplification system (known as the internet) that is, on one hand, a powerful tool for infinite knowledge & connection, and on the other, a system to manipulate consumers, polarize opinions & develop addictions.⁣

With such an important topic we have put together a panel including –⁣

• A Psychologist to discuss the psychology of the topic above⁣
• A Clinical Nutritionist/Functional Medicine Practitioner to share valuable information on nutrition and its role in a developing adolescent brain & the nutrients/foods that assist with focus and a stable mood.⁣
• A Movement expert and his experience and strategies on how play can change the brain and reconnect the body to health and better posture/movement outcomes⁣

Tuesday evening July 27th, doors open at 7:15 pm for a 7:30 pm start. Price is $250/person and includes ample healthy snacks, drinks (physically healthy and also the emotionally healthy kind;)) and great discounts from all collaborating companies and one lucky draw prize giveaway!⁣

Deep Longevity is a leading provider of biomarkers of aging and longevity. Owned by Regent Pacific Group, their mission is to extend healthy productive longevity and increase human performance. They have now announced that they are adding LifeHub and LifeClinic to their growing network as a longevity medicine collaboration. The partnership will leverage Deep Longevity’s extensive range of AI-powered aging clocks with the integrative physicians at LifeClinic. Together, they will be exploring the effectiveness of longevity interventions including lifestyle choices and drug regimens.

Deep Longevity’s aging clocks are backed by scientific academic publications supporting its efficacy. In 2020, a review article summarizing the latest research in the field, concluded: “Overall, we expect deep learning, deep neural networks and generative approaches to be the next power tools in this timely and actively developing field.”[1]

As part of the partnership, LifeHub and LifeClinic medical professionals are being engaged in advanced research with Deep Longevity. Physicians will be trained in deep aging clocks to be able to interpret data and provide customized wellness journeys for their clients.

Based in Hong Kong, LifeHub and LifeClinic are one of the largest functional medicine-based medical wellness and medical clinic facilities in the region. By taking a science-based approach to health optimisation and longevity, they are able to address physiological imbalances that could stem from nutritional deficiencies or other factors like hormonal imbalances or the effects of environmental pollutants.

Hear why the leaders behind this collaboration are so excited:

“I am delighted that we will be able to use Deep Longevity’s most advanced aging clocks to assess and improve LifeHub and LifeClinic’s various youth extension products and services.” – Dr Jonathan Seah, Chairman of LifeHub and LifeClinic.

“The traditional approach to preventative medicine is focused on preventing disease by diagnosing the symptoms early or reducing the risks of disease. AI-guided longevity medicine goes much further than that by focusing on tracking the person’s rates of aging at many levels, on the identification of longevity bottlenecks, and on utilizing the latest advances in science and technology to slow down or potentially even reverse biological and psychological aging. We are very happy to have both LifeHub and LifeClinic join the rapidly growing network of our research and clinical partners focused on providing customers with extra years of productive and happy life.” – Dr Alex Zhavoronkov, Chief Longevity Officer of Deep Longevity Inc.

On the franchising potential of LifeHub and LifClinic: “You can walk in, get diagnosed and then work with the doctor to get the optimal IV drip, supplement regiment and diet. Keep coming back, getting tested and explore the ever-growing menu.” – Dr Alex Zhavoronkov, Chief Longevity Officer of Deep Longevity Inc.

References:

1. Galkin, F., Mamoshina, P., Aliper, A., de Magalhães, J. P., Gladyshev, V. N., & Zhavoronkov, A. (2020). Biohorology and biomarkers of aging: Current state-of-the-art, challenges and opportunities. Ageing research reviews, 60, 101050. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2020.101050

The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a spike in interest in health technology companies among investors. But will it last?

The pandemic has increased awareness of the importance of healthcare resources, and has led to steep increases in the valuations of many listed companies in the sector.

Even before the pandemic, healthcare companies were already catching investors’ attention. The sector is supported by strong fundamentals, such as an ageing population globally and a growing middle class, particularly in Asia.

Dr Jonathan Seah, executive chairman of holistic wellness firm LifeHub and LifeClinic, says that healthcare spending is likely to be further boosted by growth in what he describes as the “consumerisation of medical knowledge,” as people look for ways to improve their health.

The sector is also set to be a beneficiary of the application of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data and robotics.

Watch the video below to hear the round table in full with Hong Kong Tatler:

It is common knowledge that we live in a toxic world and defining the toxicity burden around us within our communities has grown due to the increased concerns of how toxins affect our health. A group of toxins called heavy metals are toxic to us because they form poisonous soluble compounds without our bodies, disrupting functions in multiple organ systems, and thus linked to various diseases such as cancer₁, heart disease_2, and dementia_3. More concerning though is how the half-life of mercury can take several decades to eliminate in people with compromised detoxification systems₄ and this insidious but persistent exposure to heavy metals is commonly overlooked in conventional medicine.

 

Since the start of the industrial revolution our exposure to mercury has been steadily increasing. The process of mining for coal for energy in Western nations back in the 19^th and 20^th centuries has contributed to much of the West’s economic growth but also exposure to mercury.₅ However, Chinas’ massive industrial growth in the last 20 years has been fueled by coal-fired power stations releasing much mercury into air, which then settles onto soil, plants, water and humans. This exposure has now contaminated rice growing paddy fields across the region₆ . This is concerning because although methyl-mercury is less in rice than fish, people in China and Hong Kong consume more rice than other parts of the world, hence their overall exposure to methyl-mercury is now higher. Traditional sources of methyl-mercury like fish₇ are still prevalent, so consuming a diet rich in rice and fish, a staple in china and other regions, could inadvertently be poisoning you.

Lead, another heavy metal is widely prevalent in Asia_8, which has been shown to demonstrate quantified loss in intelligence in young children across many locations. Poor environmental monitoring and poor regulatory control of manufacturing and industrial processes has contributed to this increased exposure. Lead has a significant role in bone density contributing to osteoporosis₉ as well as other conditions like renal failure heart disease and cancer_10.

 

Arsenic is another common heavy metal and is found up to 20 times in higher concentration in urban areas compared to rural areas₁₁ Soil contamination from industrial and manufacturing processes increase the plant uptake of inorganic arsenic and thus increase the risk of a range of chronic conditions including cancer₁₂ and heart disease₁₃

 

It’s these 3 heavy metals which make up the bulk of the heavy metal burden on human health. This total ‘body burden’ of stored heavy metals in our bodies is creating the tipping points of uncontrolled inflammation, oxidation, DNA damage and ultimately chronic diseases in the body.

So how can you tell your body burden of heavy metals, and can you do anything about it? In Functional Medicine we assess toxicity burden by one of two ways. Firstly, we can check the blood levels of heavy metals, however this is only relevant for acute exposure. For more chronic exposure it is recommended to consider a chelation challenge test whereby a chelating agent is added to the body to ‘pull’ the heavy metals stored in fat and bone out into the urine. This is more indicative of chronic exposure. The liver is the main excretory organ for ridding the body of heavy metals with the kidneys supporting behind eliminating metals like arsenic.

 

In some people the excretory mechanisms are compromised for a variety of reasons. Firstly, they maybe genetically deficient in producing some of the enzymes responsible for eliminating heavy metals like glutathione. Glutathione is the predominant enzyme for helping you eliminate heavy metals. Some people produce less glutathione and are therefore more prone to toxin accumulation. Secondly, if the nutrients for supporting detoxification pathways are deficient in the diet – these include amino acids, B-vitamins, zinc, selenium, magnesium, potassium amongst others. Finally, underlying conditions can hinder detoxification, like a fatty liver, cirrhosis, or poor kidney function for example, which slow down the elimination processes.

 

To support detoxification there are various strategies recommended. Firstly, eliminating sources of contamination found in drinking water and food will slow down the build up of the body burden of toxins. Then we can enhance detoxification by either following a supplemental protocol taken over a period of several months to slowly and safely eliminates the toxins, or for people who are more anxious to rid the heavy metals from their bodies, chelation therapy is also an option. Chelation therapy is an IV-based therapy. It is a safe and more intensive method to bind the heavy metals to the chelating agent which is taken out by urine. Research is now showing that as well as reducing the body burden of heavy metals, chelation therapy can successfully help reduce cardio-vascular disease and helping neurological conditions.₁₄ This helps to demonstrate the principle of how heavy metals contribute to chronic diseases. Ultimately, being more careful and analytical about our food and beverage purchases and choices, together with how we live in our communities, can help reduce our toxicity burden thereby helping us enjoy longer happier lives with family and friends.

 

For more information regarding heavy metal toxicity, testing, and chelation therapy please contact Miles Price, Functional Medicine Specialist (IFM, FMU) at 2881 8131 or miles@lifeclinic.com.hk

References:

1. Zefferino R, Piccoli C, Ricciardi N, Scrima R, Capitanio N. Possible Mechanisms of Mercury Toxicity and Cancer Promotion: Involvement of Gap Junction Intercellular Communications and Inflammatory Cytokines. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2017;
2. Genchi G, Sinicropi MS, Carocci A, Lauria G, Catalano A. Mercury Exposure and Heart Diseases. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2017;14(1):74. Published 2017 Jan 12.
3. Mutter J, Curth A, Naumann J, Deth R, Walach H. Does inorganic mercury play a role in Alzheimer’s disease? A systematic review and an integrated molecular mechanism. J Alzheimers Dis. 2010;22(2):357-374.
4. Rooney JP. The retention time of inorganic mercury in the brain–a systematic review of the evidence. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2014;274(3):425-435.
5. Heebink LV, Hassett DJ. Release of mercury vapor from coal combustion ash. J Air Waste Manag Assoc. 2002;52(8):927-930.
6. Xiaohang Xu, Jialiang Han, Jian Pang, Xun Wang, Yan Lin, Yajie Wang, Guangle Qiu, Methylmercury and inorganic mercury in Chinese commercial rice: Implications for overestimated human exposure and health risk, Environmental Pollution, 1016/j.envpol.2019.113706, 258, (113706), (2020).
7. Li M, Sherman LS, Blum JD, et al. Assessing sources of human methylmercury exposure using stable mercury isotopes. Environ Sci Technol. 2014;48(15):8800-8806.
8. Caravanos J, Chatham-Stephens K, Ericson B, Landrigan PJ, Fuller R. The burden of disease from pediatric lead exposure at hazardous waste sites in 7 Asian countries. Environ Res. 2013;120:119-125.
9. Akbal A, Tutkun E, Yılmaz H. Lead exposure is a risk for worsening bone mineral density in middle-aged male workers. Aging Male. 2014;17(3):189-193.
10. Steenland K, Barry V, Anttila A, et al. Cancer incidence among workers with blood lead measurements in two countries. Occup Environ Med. 2019;76(9):603-610.
11. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Regisstry (ATSDR) Arsenic toxicological profile.Atlanta, GA: ATSDR, Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 1997
12. Smith AH, Hopenhayn-Rich C, Bates MN, et al. Cancer risks from arsenic in drinking water. Environ Health Perspect. 1992;97:259-267.
13. Moon K, Guallar E, Navas-Acien A. Arsenic exposure and cardiovascular disease: an updated systematic review. Curr Atheroscler Rep. 2012;14(6):542-555.
14. Ferrero ME. Rationale for the Successful Management of EDTA Chelation Therapy in Human Burden by Toxic Metals. Biomed Res Int. 2016;2016:8274504.

Miles Price

Miles did his initial training at Hawthorn University with an M.Sc. Holistic Nutrition. He followed this up with a professional accreditation to practice with BANT (UK) the British Association of Applied Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine in 2017 and subsequently obtained a Functional Medicine Diploma with Functional Medicine University in 2017. This was shortly followed by enrolling with the Institute of Functional Medicine on their practitioner program.

Part I: HRV – Are you stressing out towards a heart attack? How your Autonomic Nervous System regulates heart health.

When it comes to diagnosing the risks of cardio-vascular disease, we now know we need to look beyond cholesterol. Statistics show that over half of all new diagnosed heart disease patients have normal cholesterol and that there are other factors to look out for when it comes to heart disease risk.¹ The real revolution in the prevention and assessment of heart disease risk is the assessment of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). The ANS controls sub-consciously all of our our internal organ functions including the heart.

The ANS is divided into the sympathetic or ‘flight and fight’ mode and the parasympathetic ‘rest and digest’ mode. The activation of the sympathetic nervous system is by the secretion of adrenalin from our adrenal glands, which helps release more glucose into the bloodstream for the impending demands on energy expenditure. The activation of the parasympathetic nervous system is through the release of acetylcholine, nitric oxide and other compounds together with the vagus nerve, which innervates the heart directly by slowing it down and relaxing it.

It is the imbalance of these two branches of the ANS that is responsible for most heart disease. In terms of assessing the ANS, the most accurate method is through Heart Rate Variability (HRV), that is, the variation between the beats of the heart determines whether you are more sympathetic or parasympathetic dominant. One study has shown that patients with heart disease have on average 33% less parasympathetic activity² and typically the more severe the heart disease, the lower the parasympathetic activity.³

In further supportive evidence, 80% of ischemic events are preceded by chronic reductions in parasympathetic activity. ⁴ These are typically brought on by lifestyle factors like smoking, sedentary lifestyle, emotional stress or hypertension and this is further exacerbated by a period of intense sympathetic nervous system activity characterized by some intense acute trauma or physical exertion. To protect yourself from a heart attack we need to have normal parasympathetic activity which can buffer bouts of intense sympathetic activity. What is chronically happening right now in the health of people is chronically low levels of parasympathetic life restoring activity.

Therefore, maintaining vagal tone and activity is key. Comorbid factors of heart disease like having high blood pressure, diabetes or insulin resistance, decrease the vagal tone.

What happens in the lead up to a heart attack event? In the majority of cases there is an underlying low parasympathetic tone, then there is some big increase in sympathetic activity for example some physical or emotional stressor. This stimulates the myocardial cells to break down glucose via the glycolysis pathway and a subsequent increase in lactic acid production in myocardial cells. This happens in 100% of myocardial infarctions (heart attacks), with no coronary artery mechanism involved.⁷ This increase in lactic acid causes localized acidosis, which makes calcium unable to enter the cells and the cells less able to contract. This causes diminished muscle function in the walls of the heart. The continued build up lactic acid in the cells causes necrosis of the tissue which then leads to a heart attack.

Further we see localized edema, which causes increase pressure that ruptures unstable plaques which further blocks the arteries and worsens the hemodynamics of the heart. This is the only explanation why plaques rupture.

So in essence we need to nourish our parasympathetic activity, with more outside nature exposure like walks in the parks and forests. More loving and nurturing relations with our loved ones, and more stability in our lives. There are herbal and supplemental interventions that can stimulate the parasympathetic activity and in Part II I will be explaining these interventions in more detail.

 

For more information regarding stress and heart health, please contact Functional Medicine Practioner, Miles Price at 2881 8131 or miles@lifeclinic.com.hk

References:

1. Normal LDL-Cholesterol Levels Are Associated With Subclinical Atherosclerosis in the Absence of Risk Factors Leticia Fernández-Friera, Valentín Fuster et al. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2017 Dec, 70 (24) 2979-2991
2. Baroldi, Giorgio, Malcolm D. Silver, and Giorgio Baroldi. The Etiopathogenesis of Coronary Heart Disease: A Heretical Theory Based on Morphology. Georgetown, Tex: Landes Bioscience, 2004
3. Sroka, K. On the genesis of myocardial ischemia. Z Kardiol93, 768–783 (2004)
4. Takase et al., “Heart Rate Variability in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus, Ischemic Heart Disease and Congestive Heart Failure,” Journal of Electrocardiology 25, no. 2 (April 1992): 79–88,
5. James Scheuer and Norman Brachfeld, “Coronary Insufficiency: Relations between Hemodynamic, Electrical, and Biochemical Parameters,” Circulation Research (1966): 178–189.

作者：Miles Price

Dr Shivani Sharma | TEDxManhattanBeach

Exosomes – tiny nanoparticles in our bodies – may offer a new path to curing and managing disease. While first discovered in the 1980’s, a new breakthrough method of studying exosomes using the Atomic Force Microscope, offers scientists the ability to comprehensively study these fragile but powerful particles. A new frontier in microbiology, Dr. Shivani Sharma and other nano scientists are just beginning to understand the important role of exosomes in our body. 

PART I: Are you stressing out towards a heart attack? How your autonomic Nervous system regulates heart health

When it comes to diagnosing the risks of cardiovascular disease, we now know we need to look beyond cholesterol. Statistics show that over half of all new diagnosed heart disease patients have normal cholesterol and that there are other factors to look out for when it comes to heart disease risk.¹ The real revolution in the prevention and assessment of heart disease risk is the assessment of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). The ANS controls sub-consciously all of our our internal organ functions including the heart.

 

The ANS is divided into the sympathetic or ‘flight and fight’ mode and the parasympathetic ‘rest and digest’ mode. The activation of the sympathetic nervous system is by the secretion of adrenalin from our adrenal glands, which helps release more glucose into the bloodstream for the impending demands on energy expenditure. The activation of the parasympathetic nervous system is through the release of acetylcholine, nitric oxide and other compounds together with the vagus nerve, which innervates the heart directly by slowing it down and relaxing it.

It is the imbalance of these two branches of the ANS that is responsible for most heart disease. In terms of assessing the ANS, the most accurate method is through Heart Rate Variability (HRV), that is, the variation between the beats of the heart determines whether you are more sympathetic or parasympathetic dominant. One study has shown that patients with heart disease have on average 33% less parasympathetic activity² and typically the more severe the heart disease, the lower the parasympathetic activity.³

 

In further supportive evidence, 80% of ischemic events are preceded by chronic reductions in parasympathetic activity. ⁴ These are typically brought on by lifestyle factors like smoking, sedentary lifestyle, emotional stress or hypertension and this is further exacerbated by a period of intense sympathetic nervous system activity characterized by some intense acute trauma or physical exertion. To protect yourself from a heart attack we need to have normal parasympathetic activity which can buffer bouts of intense sympathetic activity. What is chronically happening right now in the health of people is chronically low levels of parasympathetic life restoring activity.

 

Therefore, maintaining vagal tone and activity is key. Comorbid factors of heart disease like having high blood pressure, diabetes or insulin resistance, decrease the vagal tone.

 

What happens in the lead up to a heart attack event? In the majority of cases there is an underlying low parasympathetic tone, then there is some big increase in sympathetic activity for example some physical or emotional stressor. This stimulates the myocardial cells to break down glucose via the glycolysis pathway and a subsequent increase in lactic acid production in myocardial cells. This happens in 100% of myocardial infarctions (heart attacks), with no coronary artery mechanism involved.⁷ This increase in lactic acid causes localized acidosis, which makes calcium unable to enter the cells and the cells less able to contract. This causes diminished muscle function in the walls of the heart. The continued build up lactic acid in the cells causes necrosis of the tissue which then leads to a heart attack.

 

Further we see localized edema, which causes increase pressure that ruptures unstable plaques which further blocks the arteries and worsens the hemodynamics of the heart. This is the only explanation of why plaques rupture.

So, in essence, we need to nourish our parasympathetic activity, with more outside nature exposure like walks in the parks and forests. More loving and nurturing relations with our loved ones, and more stability in our lives. There are herbal and supplemental interventions that can stimulate the parasympathetic activity and in part II I will be explaining these interventions in more detail.

 

For more information regarding heart health, please contact Functional Medicine Practioner, Miles Price at 2881 8131 or miles@lifeclinic.com.hk

References:

1. Normal LDL-Cholesterol Levels Are Associated With Subclinical Atherosclerosis in the Absence of Risk Factors Leticia Fernández-Friera, Valentín Fuster et al. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2017 Dec, 70 (24) 2979-2991
2. Baroldi, Giorgio, Malcolm D. Silver, and Giorgio Baroldi. The Etiopathogenesis of Coronary Heart Disease: A Heretical Theory Based on Morphology. Georgetown, Tex: Landes Bioscience, 2004
3. Sroka, K. On the genesis of myocardial ischemia. Z Kardiol93, 768–783 (2004)
4. Takase et al., “Heart Rate Variability in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus, Ischemic Heart Disease and Congestive Heart Failure,” Journal of Electrocardiology 25, no. 2 (April 1992): 79–88,
5. James Scheuer and Norman Brachfeld, “Coronary Insufficiency: Relations between Hemodynamic, Electrical, and Biochemical Parameters,” Circulation Research (1966): 178–189.

In light of the coronavirus outbreak, immunity is on everyone’s mind, even more so if you have kids at home. Babies tend to be more susceptible to infection, due to lack of stringent personal hygiene practices such as washing hands, keeping their hands out of their mouth (and nose), and not being able to wear a mask. But we try to increase awareness and implement protocols at home to prevent them from catching infection. After all, as parents we control their diet, sleep, and environment, and they can’t do anything about it!

My top health & safety tips during the Coronavirus outbreak include:

1. Personal Hygiene Practices
2. Diet & Nutrition
3. Sleep Routine

Personal Hygiene Practices

Normally, we have an innate laissez-faire approach to health and safety.  They have a strict daily schedule complete with meals, play time, naps, etc.  However, during this time we have been stricter about what they can and cannot do. These are the key health and safety guidelines my household follows:

1. The kids are indoor cats now – they have gone out briefly around the housing complex we live in for some fresh air, but in the stroller only.
2. Frequent hand washing – this has been a normal task for them since they were little so they’re used to always washing their hands after play, before meals, and coming back from the outside world.
3. Guidelines for visitors – this might sound a little crazy, but having experience in quarantine control, we have all outside visitors (namely grandparents) follow some guidelines:

• Wearing a mask when they are out and about and of course when they come to visit
• They have a spare set of clothes to change into when they visit
• All outside shoes stay outside until cleaned

Diet and Nutrition

I’ve always focused on balance, variety, and moderation as their main points for their diet. They eat pretty much everything under the sun from what they’ve been introduced to and we continue to monitor as we add more food ingredients to their diet.

In addition to food, a regimen of supplements is routine in our household. The twins have been taking supplements since they were born, either through breastmilk or direct.

Their normal routine is:
– Every Day: Colostrum and Probiotics
– Alternate Days: Omega 3’s and liquid Vitamin D3 after breakfast

During this Coronavirus epidemic, they’re on addition supplementation to boost their immune defences:
– Daily Vitamin C liquid
– Echinacea drops for kids

Sleep Routine

Sleep is a key component of a healthy immune system, not just for the kids but for the adults too!

Although initially I wasn’t sure we needed one, I’m glad we brought in a Sleep Trainer to help sleep train the kids. The twins have been sleeping through the night since they were 7 months old, so now we follow a table of allowable awake times on top of reading “sleepy signs” for nap time.

6:00am – wake up time, even if they are awake we don’t go into their room until 6am  

9:30-10:45 – first nap lasting 1h 15m

~2:15 – second nap, this nap is open-ended with no specific time limit although we do wake them up at 4pm if they aren’t up

6:15pm – begin night-time routine of bath time, diaper change, milk, brush teeth, clean face, story time and bedtime by 7:30pm

It can take some time to implement changes to the household routine but with everyone on board, these tips can significantly reduce the chances of infection and help build a strong immune system for your children. After all, healthy kids make happy parents!

Dr Ken Chu, Naturopathic Doctor

Kenneth J. Chu is a practicing naturopathic doctor, and is also a board member of the Integrated Association of Naturopaths in Hong Kong. Ken Practices a holistic healing approach, using a combined approach of clinical nutrition, homeopathy, and herbal medicines to address the root causes of his patients’ problems. He has an interest in pediatrics, gastroenterology, and sports medicine.

After obtaining his Bachelors Degree in Biological Sciences, Ken then graduated from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM) in Toronto. Ken also did further education programs in advanced clinical nutrition, and expanded his homeopathy knowledge by training with the Ullmans, Jonathan Shore, and the Rajan Sankaran and the Bombay Group of Homeopathy in India.

Ken was selected to advance his studies in the sports medicine rotation at CCNM and he treated many athletes at Canada’s largest wellness/multidiscipline clinic in Edmonton, including some of Canada’s Olympic sportspersons and also several MMA athletes.