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Please see below for a complete transcript of this episode.
Hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH
*Intro music*
InViteⓇ Health Podcast Intro: Welcome to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast, where our degreed healthcare professionals are excited to offer you the most important health and wellness information you need to make informed choices about your health. You can learn more about the products discussed in each of these episodes and all that InViteⓇ Health has to offer at www.invitehealth.com/podcast. First time customers can use promo code PODCAST at checkout for an additional 15% off your first purchase. Let’s get started!
*Intro music*
Amanda Williams, MPH:
[00:00:40] When it comes to our immune system, sometimes things can go haywire, and today I want to talk about a autoimmune condition that commonly affects women. So 9 out of 10 people who are diagnosed with lupus are women, and we know that just according to statistics, we recognize that there’s roughly about one and a half million Americans who have a form of lupus. Certainly, men can be impacted by this. Children, teenagers. But for the most part, we find that a good 90% are going to be women. Between usually the ages of 20 and 40 is when the initial diagnosis occurs with lupus. So I want to talk a little bit about what exactly lupus is and what you can be doing if you yourself have been diagnosed with this, or if you happen to have a friend, a family member, a coworker who has been diagnosed with lupus.† [00:01:43]
[00:01:43] So I’m Amanda Williams, MD, MPH, Scientific Director here at InViteⓇ Health and lupus is a incredibly detrimental systemic disease. Whenever our immune system decides that it’s going to rear its ugly head and create havoc for us, that is a big problem. And there are so many different autoimmune conditions. You can look at things such as lupus, we can look at rheumatoid arthritis, we can look at diabetes. We know that there are many different ways to which our immune system can go from being a very protective thing in our, in our body to something that can be very destructive.† [00:02:30]
[00:02:31] Now we know that lupus has a common driving force, and that is inflammation. Now when you look at lupus, this is… We usually just shorten it to lupus, but we’re talking about systemic lupus erythematosus and SLE. Now we know that when it comes to SLE, hence just lupus, we’re dealing generally with multiple areas in the body. So the skin, kidneys, heart, the entire cardiovascular system, the nervous system, connective tissue, the skeletal muscular system, as well as other areas that can be impacted because of the significant inflammation that occurs. So when people have lupus, oftentimes the way that they present and many of the complications is that there are multiple organ systems that have been impacted by this. So this puts someone with lupus at a higher risk of having a heart attack, having diabetes, having chronic kidney disease, bone loss, osteoporosis, as well as different blood disorders.† [00:03:44]
PAINFUL KIDNEY STONES – INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 44. Listen Now>>
[00:03:46] We can see that there are certain areas in the country to which lupus diagnosis can be at a higher rate. So we know that there is a Vitamin D connection to lupus. So you’re going to see higher rates of lupus being diagnosed throughout the Midwest, as well as the Northeast than you do in other parts of the country, including the the west coast of the country, as well as the Southeast. So we know that Vitamin D, which remember, Vitamin D is critical to our immune system. We know that Vitamin D is definitely playing a significant role. We recognize that not only is it geographically driven, but it is also very much so race driven. And we are going to see higher rates of lupus in those who are African-American, Asian-American, Native American as well as Latina women. You see this in a much greater rate, the incidence in these women, much more than you do in Caucasians. This is an area where I think it’s commonly overlooked as a public health issue, and there are so many things that should be done and can be done to improve upon the health outcomes for anyone who is diagnosed with lupus and many of the signs and symptoms of lupus can vary from one person to the next.† [00:05:18]
[00:05:19] Now, the actual diagnosis is going to come down to serum blood levels of those autoantibodies. So looking at the antibodies in the blood. But we know that sometimes people or people present with just really extreme fatigue. They may have painful, swollen joints, muscle pain. Many times people know the famous butterfly rash, but it is a rash across the cheeks. Now, that doesn’t mean that every person who has lupus will develop that because there are different types of lupus and the different systems or organs to which lupus attacks can vary from one person to the next. For some people, they can experience it with pain in their chest when breathing. So there’s many different ways. Headaches is another one that sometimes people will present with, you know, swollen joints and headaches, and it’s like what is actually happening? And then they do the serum tests and then they can see, yes, indeed, this is a case of lupus.† [00:06:27]
[00:06:28] Now, conventional treatment for lupus is very… It can be very beneficial, but it can also come with a whole host of different side effects. So many of the anti-malarial drugs, which are antiparasitic drugs, are oftentimes prescribed to those who have lupus. Now, those come with a whole host of different side effects, including significant damage that can occur within the liver. We can definitely look at the overuse of anti-inflammatory drugs, the NSAIDs, so chronic use of NSAIDs in someone who has lupus can lead to damaging effects once again when it comes to the health of the kidneys, as well as the liver, just depending upon which NSAID someone is using.† [00:07:19]
[00:07:20] So what can be beneficial in terms of what someone with lupus can do? We know that looking at the diet, making sure that we’re not adding insult to injury by having a pro-inflammatory diet foods that are going to drive up even more inflammation, so you want to have an anti-inflammatory diet. Fruits and vegetables. High antioxidant foods. Healthy fats. Things that are going to help to lower your inflammatory burden. Understanding how much stress plays a role into this. Remember, stress will drive inflammation as well. So management of stress, whether this is, you know, finding ways to do meditation or yoga or exercise, all of these make a big difference.† [00:08:08]
[00:08:10] And then we have to look at different natural interventions. Knowing that Vitamin D is directly linked to this… If you look at people who have lupus and you test their serum Vitamin D levels, you are likely to find significant insufficiency and even deficient Vitamin D levels. But we can also look at how Vitamin E, you know, inadequate Vitamin E intake can be another driving factor for this inflammation that drives up in the system. We can look at how omega-3s, so by incorporating in fish oil or krill oil, how beneficial this can be for easing inflammation. Of course, we can look at hormonal pathways, and they’ve been able to show… There’s a very important adrenal hormone known as DHEA, and low levels of DHEA have been observed in patients who have lupus, as well as other inflammatory diseases. So oftentimes you will find doctors who will prescribe DHEA to help to improve upon the health of those who have these inflammatory autoimmune conditions.† [00:09:27]
LOW DHEA LEVELS MAY EXPLAIN CHRONIC INFLAMMATION – INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 229. Listen Now>>
[00:09:28] So lupus itself, we know it’s a systemic autoimmune disease driven by inflammation, so the immune system is attacking tissues in the body. We know that when it comes to which system is going to be affected most, this is going to vary from one person to the next. We know that there are different types of lupus. You have SLE, which is systemic lupus, meaning that this is affecting multiple systems in the body. You have discoid lupus. Now this is… Generally speaking, discoid lupus is only affecting the skin. Then you have drug-induced lupus. So this is when you were on a particular medication that then triggers an autoimmune response. There are different drugs that are frequently associated with creating this drug-induced lupus. So this can be many of the cardiovascular drugs antiarrhythmic drugs, hydralazine, which is a blood pressure lowering drug. So we can see how it is that lupus can present in different ways for different people.† [00:10:42]
[00:10:43] But at the end of the day, what we need to do is make sure that we are doing everything in our power to lower that inflammatory burden in the system. So we want to make sure that when it comes to the dietary intake that you are adhering to an anti-inflammatory diet so that Mediterranean diet really comes into play. We know that we don’t want to have to continuously turn to the anti-malarial drugs and the high dose NSAIDs in order to try to regulate this. So we want to try and help our immune system out ourselves by giving the immune system adequate nutrients, key vitamins and minerals. Those omega-3 fatty acids that we know are so key. So Vitamin D is going to be the number one thing that you look at. We know that when it comes to lupus, deficiency of Vitamin D is going to be incredibly high. And if someone with lupus doesn’t have Vitamin D deficiency, it’s pretty much guarantee that they will have insufficiency, meaning low levels, but not to the level of complete deficiency. So having your serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level tested is incredibly important so that you’re supplementing with the right amount of Vitamin D every day to get you back into a healthy range to once again help to regulate the immune system response. Remember, when you’re taking Vitamin D, it’s always advantageous to take magnesium to help with that proper absorption. We want to incorporate in our fish oil or krill oil, or if you want to use the vegetarian option, using flaxseed. I always encourage anyone who has been diagnosed with lupus to incorporate Vitamin E. We know that Vitamin E certainly plays a essential role in terms of stabilizing cellular membranes. So we want to make sure that those immune cells have that support, and we know that Vitamin E certainly can block that autoimmune attack just through that action of stabilizing the cell membrane. They’ve done studies where they’ve shown how Vitamin D supplementation can actually reduce the level of autoantibodies in lupus patients.† [00:13:22]
[00:13:23] We have to look at other herbal extracts. There have been many studies done with curcumin and understanding that the bioactive components those curcuminoids can do a wonderful job in terms of easing that inflammation through targeting and suppressing or lowering different cytokines that are directly linked with lupus. So looking at things like different interleukins and tumor necrosis factor alpha. We can look at the clinical trials where they’ve given curcumin extract to patients with lupus, and they can start to see an improvement across all different markers, including those who have significant impact to their kidneys. Remember, lupus is going to attack multiple organ systems. When it attacks the kidneys and creates kidney disease because of lupus, so you get nephritis, so inflammation within the kidney, they can see how it is that that curcumin can help to stabilize that kidney function. So a lot of different things that we can be looking at. We can look at that hormonal component. And if your DHEA levels are low, then looking at supplementation with DHEA can help to create that balance once again within that adrenal stress response, but at the same time helping to heighten the body’s immune system, so it’s not going into this self-destructive mode. So lupus is something that you definitely want to make sure that if you know someone, if you, you yourself have lupus, that you take action in terms of diet, exercise and proper supplementation to have a better management of this autoimmune condition.† [00:15:21]
[00:15:22] So that’s all that I have for you for today. I want to thank you so much for tuning in to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast. Remember, you can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting invitehealth.com/podcast. Now do make sure that you subscribe and you leave us a review. You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @invitehealth and we will see you next time for another episode of the InViteⓇ Health Podcast.† [00:15:22]
*Exit music*
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Subscribe Today!
Please see below for a complete transcript of this episode.
Hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH
*Intro music*
InViteⓇ Health Podcast Intro: Welcome to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast, where our degreed healthcare professionals are excited to offer you the most important health and wellness information you need to make informed choices about your health. You can learn more about the products discussed in each of these episodes and all that InViteⓇ Health has to offer at www.invitehealth.com/podcast. First time customers can use promo code PODCAST at checkout for an additional 15% off your first purchase. Let’s get started!
*Intro music*
Amanda Williams, MPH:
[00:00:40] When it comes to our health, people oftentimes have concerns about their blood sugar and their kidneys. So today I want to talk about a couple of formulations that zero in on those two specific areas. I’m Amanda Williams, MD, MPH, and I want to discuss the Gluco MaintainⓇ formulation along with the Renalaid* formulation for you today.† [00:01:00]
[00:01:01] Now the Gluco MaintainⓇ has chromium in it. We’ve got vanadium in this one. There is banaba extract, there’s bitter melon extract, there’s cinnamon extract in this. There’s gymnema sylvestre. So all of the different herbal extracts that we know have been studied across the spectrum when it comes to helping to support a healthy blood glucose response are contained within this, along with those key trace minerals, including that chromium and vanadium. And then of course, we have alpha lipoic acid because we can’t have a blood glucose support formulation without having a little alpha lipoic acid, which is one of our endogenous antioxidants. Once again, we’re targeting glycation, so trying to have a good, healthy blood glucose response is essential to regulating glycation, those advanced glycation end products that do so much damage throughout the entire body, that drive up inflammation, that create vascular damage, that create neuronal damage, that alter the cellular DNA. It can basically make a cell become nonfunctioning, and that is a big, big problem. The Gluco MaintainⓇ formulation, this is the Dr. Pressman formulation that has all of those different herbal extracts, along with those trace minerals and alpha lipoic acid to really help to optimize our body’s ability to manage those spikes that occur in blood glucose.† [00:02:33]
CHROMIUM: AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT FOR HEALTH – INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 444. Listen Now>>
[00:02:34] So we think about what actually is happening. So every time you eat, there is a biochemical or physiological response that occurs and we end up with this rise in blood glucose. Now what happens is we need insulin to then respond to that to help bring that glucose back down. Now, when insulin is being resistant or delayed, then that glucose can circulate at that higher level for too long. And this is when we end up with issues with those advanced glycation end products starting to, to form. So this is why we want to use a targeted nutrient approach to help to really enhance the body’s ability to drive down that elevation in glucose. So helping to wake up that insulin so that the insulin can better support healthy, balanced blood glucose. I always say you want your glucose to feel like you’re driving down a nice, smooth road. We don’t want to have all of these peaks and valleys, ups and downs. That’s not, not the ideal thing.† [00:03:45]
[00:03:46] So we can look at the the banaba leaf extract in the way that that has been studied. Interestingly enough, with the banaba extract, they have found that that’s not only beneficial when it comes to the blood glucose yielding of fats, but also that it has anti-obesity effects. Yes, the, the College of Osteopathic Medicine at Ohio University, not to be confused with the Ohio State University, but at Ohio University, back in 2007, they actually did a study where they looked at the banaba extract not only for its impact on helping to support healthier blood glucose levels, but the fact that it could have this anti-adipogenesis effect. So what does that mean? It was stopping the creation of new fat cells from forming. So this is why I always like to highlight these different formulations because I think it’s important to understand or walk away with the fact that we know that these different things that come from nature, such as the banaba extract, like, wow, that’s some really, really powerful, powerful stuff.† [00:05:01]
[00:05:01] Now the main active constituent in the banaba extract is corosolic acid, so the corosolic acid is the primary focus of the clinical research studies done on banaba and it is through that that they recognize that that corosolic acid actually helps to lower the blood glucose. There was a study that was done in the Diabetes Research Journal roughly about 15 years ago, where they were able to show that statistical difference when they did a double blind, placebo controlled trial, giving some people the corosolic acid derived from the Barnaba and others given the placebo. And they were able to see that that corosolic acid had a significant blood glucose lowering effect as compared to looking at the placebo group. Now the other interesting thing about this, because remember, I said I was talking the broad picture of kidney health as well. Well, they were able to, to determine through this study at the same time as not only was it helpful for bringing down the blood glucose, they actually found that the corosolic acid help to inhibit the proliferation of these mesangial cells, which help to protect against diabetic renal damage. So a lot of different ways in which these nutrients can help to really optimize the, the way that our bodies are reacting and responding to rises in glucose, advanced glycation end products, oxidative stress and hence this is why a formulation such as the Gluco MaintainⓇ is really just such a nice way to get that comprehensive effect that you may be looking for.†[00:06:59]
[00:07:00] So maybe you know that you have a tendency to have elevated glucose. Maybe you’ve been told that by your doctor. Maybe you test your blood sugar and you you know that after you eat, your blood sugar is way too high. So incorporating something such as the Gluco MaintainⓇ is a really nice way to optimize our pancreatic function in terms of what a normal response should be post-meal. But at the same time, we’re also yielding those multiple other benefits from having these nutrients that work on a multitude of different levels, including for the support of the kidneys.† [00:07:42]
[00:07:43] Now, I want to talk about the Renalaid* formulation. I can go into multiple details on the Gluco MaintainⓇ and all of the different nutrients that are contained within that, talk about the, you know, the gymnema and the bitter melon and all of those. But I am wanting to to cover the Renalaid* formulation because, in the big context of saying we want to make sure that we are supporting the the kidneys, the Renalaid* is a excellent way to do this. Now, it’s not just for the support of kidneys. We are also thinking about bladder support. Remember, we have the urinary tract, which includes the urinary bladder along with the kidneys. Now this formulation once again is a Dr. Pressman formula. Very comprehensive. It has D-mannose in this. Mannose, that’s the carb that is actually derived from cranberries, and this is what I always described as, it creates that slippery slope, so it makes it very difficult for any type of unfriendly bacteria to adhere with in the urinary bladder or even working its way up towards the kidney itself. But this also has olive leaf extract in it. It has fructooligosaccharides. It has this really powerful probiotic blend, so remember, we think about the microbiome. Well, we have to think about the microbiome throughout the entire body and understanding that the kidneys themselves need to have these healthy bacteria that help to stabilize once again, the attacks that occur because of reactive oxygen species, because of advanced glycation end products, and hence having the Renalaid* formulation, which provides you all of these powerful antioxidant properties along with that probiotic full spectrum, really is a nice way to optimize once again urinary tract function, which includes your kidneys. And this is an area once again oftentimes overlooked.† [00:09:49]
[00:09:51] Many times people don’t think about being proactive to their kidneys until something goes awry. Until, you know, maybe you have a UTI that works its way up and you then develop a kidney infection. So we have to always be friendly to the things that we need the most. And certainly when we think about our liver and our kidneys, those are our two primary detoxifying organs. So we want to make sure that we have nutrients on board that really are supportive to their daily functions. When you look at the Renalaid*, this is a really nice one that even if you’re not taking it on a daily basis, maybe a couple of times out of the week, is enough that really allows for the kidneys to be replenished and get that nourishment that they need, considering the taxing load that we put on them on a daily basis, especially in that setting of glycation.† [00:10:50]
PROMOTING HEALTHY DETOXIFICATION – INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 360. Listen Now>>
[00:10:51] So when we partner up all of these different nutrients and we look at that Gluco MaintainⓇ and we partner that with that Renalaid*, this is a multi-modal approach to really helping to create a more balanced way to target the AGEs, those advanced glycation end products, but also to really create more of this homeostasis for blood pressure, for blood sugar and for that comprehensive ability to fend off oxidative stress that can be going on throughout the entire body. So I definitely encourage you to go to our website and check out the Gluco MaintainⓇ formulation as well as the Renalaid*.† [00:11:35]
[00:11:37] So that is all that I have for you for today. I want to thank you so much for tuning in to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast. Remember, you can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting invitehealth.com/podcast. Now do make sure that you subscribe and that you leave us a review. You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @invitehealth and we will see you next time for another episode of the InViteⓇ Health Podcast.† [00:11:37]
*Exit music*