Healthy Water For A Longer Life

Last year I wrote an article on hydration, the signs of dehydration and how much water we need to drink each day. We now know how much water to drink but what water is best? I found a great little book called “Healthy Water for a Longer Life” by Martin Fox. It reviews an extensive body of research carried out on the effects of the quality of water on health. Although it was published in 1986, I don’t think there exists a more comprehensive book on the subject. What follows is a summary of the main points.

High levels of water hardness and total dissolved solids have been linked with decreased cardiovascular disease. Hard water is water that has high levels of calcium carbonate or magnesium carbonate. In areas with hard water, you’ll notice your kettle fur up pretty quickly and in areas with soft water you’ll find it harder to wash off soap when showering. British studies have suggested hardness of at least 170 mg/l for health benefits. In the north of England, the neighbouring towns of Scunthorpe and Grimsby drank the same water for years. Scunthorpe then softened its water from 448 mg/l to 100 mg/l and Grimsby continued with the same water as before. This led to a striking increase in cardiovascular disease in the town that softened its water!

No correlation between sodium levels in water and hypertension or mortality has been found. This is probably because only 10% of our sodium intake comes from water and the rest comes from food. So avoiding processed foods and not salting our food has a bigger impact on our health.

Increased water hardness, increased total dissolved solids, increased pH and increased silica (SiO2) are each linked to decreased risks of cancer.

Fluoride is thought to prevent caries but its use is controversial due to the risk of cancer, genetic damage and birth defects. Water fluoridation has been abolished in most of Europe but continues in some parts of North America. High levels of water hardness and total dissolved solids can negate the deleterious effects of naturally occurring fluoride. Studies of dental caries in primitive groups have found that a healthy unrefined diet leads to healthy teeth.

Chlorination of water has saved countless lives by killing harmful bacteria but it has also led to an increase in atherosclerosis, heart disease and cancer. This is thought to be caused by a release of free radicals.

Animal experiments have shown that hard water provides protection from potentially harmful agents such as cadmium, lead, chlorine and dietary fat. An interesting calcium-chlorine relationship has been found. Pigeons were fed a diet that contained only 80% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of calcium. Half the birds were given unchlorinated water and the rest drank water that contained 10 mg/l of chlorine. Three months later the pigeons that drank chlorinated water had blood cholesterol levels that were 50% higher than the group that drank unchlorinated water. Further tests showed that pigeons given a normal diet show no differences in cholesterol levels between those that drink chlorinated water and those that don’t. When 10% lard is added to a calcium deficient diet, pigeons that drink unchlorinated water only have a minor increase in cholesterol but those that drink chlorinated water have cholesterol levels that increase about 3 fold!

Some people claim that demineralised water is better for health but there is no rationale or scientific study to support its benefits. In fact, the reverse is true…soft water is hazardous to health. Minerals with beneficial effects are: silica, magnesium, chromium, lithium, vanadium, calcium and zinc. Interestingly, mineral absorption is greater from drinking water than from food and protein enhances the absorption. If essential elements are present in water, there is less absorption of non-essential (toxic) elements.

Finally, which water is best? It has to have a presence of essential minerals and an absence of harmful minerals and compounds. Tap water may be suitable but one would have to verify its composition with the water company…a water filtration system may be required to remove harmful compounds (inorganic and organic)…the quality of filtration systems varies widely…and one has to be careful to avoid a build up of bacteria within the filtration unit…

By far the easiest option is to select bottled mineral water that satisfies the following criteria:

• approximately 300 mg/l of total dissolved solids
• around 170 mg/l hardness (calcium carbonate)
• an alkaline pH (over 7)

Cheers!

Acupuncture Helps Nerves Regenerate

Several experiments have been conducted on animals to study the effects of acupuncture or electroacupuncture on nerve injuries. Here are some of the results and conclusions:

• acupuncture increases the survival of damaged neurons
• electroacupuncture increases the number of nerve fibres
• electroacupuncture increases axon density and blood vessel area
• electroacupuncture improves nerve conduction speed
• electroacupuncture improves the function of de-innervated muscle tissue

So those are the effects on rats, rabbits and frogs…but what about humans? Well, a study conducted in Germany at the Heildelberg School of Chinese Medicine and published in the European Journal of Neurology showed some promising results. Forty seven patients with peripheral neuropathies of unknown cause were assigned to either an acupuncture group or a control group (the control group received the best medical care but no specific treatment for peripheral neuropathy). The patients were evaluated over a year by nerve conduction studies.

Over three-quarters of the acupuncture group improved. These results are even more impressive when we realise that the natural progression of the neuropathies, as shown by the control group, was one of gradual deterioration.

The overwhelming data suggests that acupuncture can help promote nerve regeneration and this remains true whether the nerve problem results from injury or some undefined cause.

Nerve Injuries

Nerves are cable-like structures that send information between the central nervous system (spinal cord and brain) and the target organs (internal organs, skin, muscles, joints, etc). A nerve if formed of bundles of axons surrounded by layers of connective tissue. Nerves are responsible for reflexes, sensation and muscle contractions. Pain, tingling, numbness and muscle weakness are tell-tale signs of nerve pathology.

The most common nerve injuries are:

• Stretch-related injuries: these are encountered when traction forces exceed the nerve’s capacity to stretch eg. Erb’s Palsy is an injury to the brachial plexus during childbirth
• Lacerations: these are caused by knifes, glass and other sharp implements
• Compression injuries: these can either be caused by external forces, as in the “Saturday Night Palsy” or “Honeymooners Palsy”  which is a radial nerve compression generally preceded by arm pain to a degree that only excessive alcohol or love would drive a person to keep the arm in such an uncomfortable position; or internal forces eg. carpal tunnel syndrome and sciatica and it’s associated neurological symptoms. The latter is often referred to as a nerve entrapment or “trapped nerve”.

Seddon was the first to classify nerve injuries in 1943. His classification is probably the simplest and is still used today:

• Mild injuries (Neurapraxia): temporary loss of conduction at injury site leading to sensory or motor problems; no damage to axon or surrounding sheath and connective tissue; full recovery within days or weeks.
• Moderate injuries (Axonotmesis): temporary loss of conduction below the site of injury leading to sensory or motor problems; complete disruption of axon and surrounding myelin sheath below the level of injury but connective tissue encapsulations are preserved; because the tunnels formed by connective tissue are preserved, the sprouting axon shoots are able to eventually reconnect to the target organs; the process can take some time as nerves regenerate at a speed of about 1mm/day (0.5-9mm/day).
• Severe injuries (Neurotmesis): temporary or permanent loss of conduction below the site of injury leading to severe sensory, motor and autonomic problems; partial or complete disruption of the entire nerve, including the connective tissue encapsulations; because of the discontinuity in the connective tissue tunnels and the formation of scar tissue, recovery without surgery is unlikely; also, after about a year of denervation, the sprouting axons are no longer able to connect to receptor sites on target organs such as muscle, sensory receptors may survive for many years.

In summary, and this may be obvious, nerve injuries that leave the connective tissue tunnels intact have a greater likelihood of leading to full recovery. Although it may take several months or even up to a year for this to happen. This type of injury usually results from compression injuries or mild stretch-related injuries. Severe stretch-related injuries and lacerations are more serious because they usually damage the connective tissue tunnels. This requires surgery and often leads to incomplete recovery.

Next week we’ll see how acupuncture can promote the regeneration of nerve injuries.

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

Nelson Mandela

“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.”

Confucius

Chronic Pain And Emotion

Professor Apkarian has studied chronic pain for over 20 years. In a recent study looking into people with recent back pain, he was able to predict with 85% accuracy those that would go on to develop chronic back pain! How? By noticing an increased level of cross-talk between two specific parts of the brain…suggesting that the more emotionally the brain reacts to the injury…the greater the likelihood of developing chronic pain. The researchers also found that the subjects that developed chronic back pain lost grey matter density…this is in accord with earlier studies that have measured brain atrophy in people with chronic pain. These changes can be compared to those that occur with aging.

Best Sources Of Omega-3 Fatty Acids

What are the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids? Before we delve into that, it’s important to distinguish between 3 types of omega-3 fatty acids:

• alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)
• docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)
• eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)

Our bodies don’t produce ALA, so it’s essential to our diet. We can convert ALA into DHA and EPA but this is limited, so they’re required as well. In brief, we need all three. ALA is found in flaxseed oil (1:3) , canola oil (2:1), soybean oil (7:1), olive oil (3-13:1), butternuts, walnuts, edamame and chia seeds. EPA/DHA are found in oily fish (herring, sardines, mackerel, salmon, anchovies, trout and halibut). Surprisingly, EPA and DHA can also be found in meat and eggs but mainly when the animals were fed on grass rather than grain.

Although the previous post focussed on the anti-inflammatory effects of omega-3s, there are other benefits. They have been found to improve appetite, weight and quality of life in cancer patients. They stimulate blood circulation and decrease systolic blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart attack and help with varicose veins. Lastly, they improve brain function and help with depression and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, like most things in life, omega-3s should be taken in moderation…an excess of 3g of DHA/EPA per day could lead to an increased risk of bleeding, stroke, decreased blood sugar tolerance in diabetics and an increase in low density lipoproteins (LDL). Another concern is the presence of heavy metals and other fat soluble pollutants in fish…healthy eating is good but not simple! Fortunately the benefits outweigh the disadvantages.

The suggested intake of ALA is 1.1g/day (women) – 1.6g/day (men) and for EPA/DHA it’s 2 servings of fish per week (more for those with risk of heart disease).

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.

Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”

William Hutchinson Murray (attributed to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)

Omega-3 Fatty Acids Decrease Inflammation

Our diets have changed considerably over time. Today, diets in industrialised countries have a higher composition of saturated fat, trans fatty acids, omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and a lower composition of omega-3 PUFA than ancestral diets. The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is around 15:1 and it’s thought that an optimum ratio should be about 1-4:1.

What’s the significance of this? Well, omega-6 PUFA and omega-3 PUFA have opposing effects on our bodies. Put simply, omega-6 PUFA are pro-inflammatory whereas omega-3 PUFA are anti-inflammatory.  Omega-3 PUFA inhibit the metabolism of omega-6 PUFA into inflammatory cells. Inflammation is characterised by the cardinal signs: pain, redness, swelling, heat and loss of function. Although it’s a normal response to infection and injury…inappropriate inflammation can cause problems! Scientists have noticed that the change in our diets has coincided with an increase in inflammatory disease such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, cardiovascular disease, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, etc.

Clinical studies have reported beneficial effects of increased omega-3 PUFA consumption in people with rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and asthma. Less pain, fewer tender joints, a shorter duration of morning stiffness, a decreased use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and an improved physical performance has been observed in people with rheumatoid arthritis. It has also been suggested that omega-3 supplements may be beneficial to patients in intensive care or post surgery. The grandmother’s remedy of taking cod-liver oil for arthritis now seems to make sense!

I would recommend eating foods rich in omega-3 PUFA or taking supplements for any musculoskeletal condition with inflammation and pain. What foods are rich in omega-3? Make sure to check in next week for the answer…

BBC Horizon’s Secret World Of Pain

Last year BBC Horizon created a documentary entitled ‘The Secret World of Pain‘. I watched it on YouTube a week ago, thought it was really well put together and so decided to share the most salient points.

Pain is one of our most ancient survival mechanisms and it protects and alerts us to danger. The SCN9A gene is responsible for regulating electrical signals that send pain sensation to the brain. Certain rare genetic disorders can prevent people from feeling pain…these unfortunate people are much more susceptible to burns and other injuries…this underlines just how crucial the sensation of pain is to us.

Pain can alert us to injury or potential injury, but why doesn’t it reflect the extent of injury…and why is it so subjective? There are a couple of possible reasons for this. Key experiences in early life have been found to be as important to pain perception as genetics. Early life is crucial for the formation of pain pathways which are shaped in response to touch. For example, premature babies are exposed to a lot more painful procedures and this alters the normal development of their pain pathways…the overdevelopment of pain pathways makes them hypersensitive and much more likely to experience pain in the future.

Pain and pleasure are both perceptions…psychological constructs…and so environment, context, decision-making, attention, distraction, motivation, emotion, etc can change how signals are processed and hence influence pain. There is a limit to how much information the brain can process at any one time…focussing attention on something pleasant (distraction) decreases the brain’s ability to process pain signals.

Subjects in an experiment were shown a triangle and exposed to a low temperature which they rated as 3/10 on a pain scale…this was repeated several times…they were then shown a square and exposed to a high temperature which they rated as 7/10 on a pain scale…this was repeated several times…they were then shown the square but exposed to the low temperature instead…surprisingly they rated the pain as 5/10. The researchers concluded that anxiety had affected their sensation of pain. I would add that expectation and conditioning may also have played a part.

Chronic pain is pain that persists long after an injury has healed…and therefore serves no purpose. It affects 1 in 5 people and is one of the biggest medical health problems. It can become an enormous burden on the brain and leads to chemical and structural changes. MRI scanning has revealed that people with chronic pain have less grey matter in the pre-frontal cortex. The answer to chronic pain may lie in reversing these changes. Encouragingly, electromagnetic impulses to the brain cortex have helped to normalise changes and to decrease pain, albeit temporarily. Research into this sort of treatment is extremely promising but still in its infancy.