Environmental Factors That Influence Your DNA (Biohacking Series 8 of 25)


Did you know that there are things you can change in your environment that will help your body to heal faster?  What are the “things”?  Where do I start.  I guess I could go room by room.  Yes, maybe I will start there.  

 
The bathroom: toilet paper.  Toilet paper? (TP) Do you use scented or unscented?  Partially recycled materials or no?  Whoever thought to read the label on a toilet paper roll?  I didn’t.  Until I had female problems, I learned that if I used pure wipes with a gentle essential oil for awhile my body would be able to balance things out more quickly.
 
Makeup, bath and body products:  Look at the ingredients, are you feeding your hair, skin and nails parabens (wax), SLS, lead, talc, formaldehyde or other questionable chemicals? Did you know your skin absorbs around 50% of what you put on it? What are you feeding your skin and thus putting into the circulation or depositing into the very cellular network of your body?
 
The forehead is the most absorbent skin on your body, other than your mucous membranes. Do you know you have sinus cavities on your forehead?  Mucous membranes are up to 300 times more absorbent, thus the previous paragraph on TP.  Shaving cream? Perfume or Cologne? Nasal Sprays? Moisturizers? Zit cream? Shampoo and Conditioner?  I could go on but you get the idea, the bathroom is full of products containing chemicals along with other chemicals that have not been studied together and are causing your body to work even harder to achieve homeostasis, not to mention possibly clogging the pores and passageways.

 Further than that though, if every cell contains precious DNA that is coding what it wants the cell to do, then why confuse it with chemicals that do not belong and it does not understand? Or worse yet, chemicals that impersonate another messenger.  Have you heard of phytoestrogens?  No, wait I meant to say xenoestrogens.  Fake estrogens.  Yup.  Up regulation of estrogen in the body can have many devastating effects besides the fact that higher estrogen levels are known to feed certain cancers.  
 
O.k. back to the rooms, the other two key rooms I would say are the laundry room and the kitchen.  Please, if you haven’t already, ditch the dryer sheets!  And consider a plant based laundry detergent.  If your clothing has melted plasticized beads on it from the dryer sheets or the fabric softener then you are feeding your skin plastic 24/7.  If you enjoy the fragrance of your laundry detergent then chances are so do your private parts, or do they?  300 times more absorbent.  I’ll just leave that there.  
 
The kitchen?  What residues are being left on your cooking utensils or the utensils you put in your  mouth?  Can you smell the chlorine from your dishwasher detergent down the hall? Then so can your lungs.  Once again, I just think of the DNA throughout your body getting messengers of the wrong kind from multiple chemicals that it wasn’t supposed to encounter, however due to man wanting to preserve the shelf life of products, you might be surprised at what you are allowing into your home and thus into your body.
 
Be the gatekeeper of your home and thus your DNA.  That’s the short story.  


CBD for Combatting Inflammation (Biohacking Series 7 of 25)

 
CBD aka cannabis aka cannabidiol, what is it exactly?  We know it is from a plant and some people mistakenly think that it can get you high.  Well, to be fair, it can but it won’t.
 
“Huh?”  You ask.
 
I’m glad you asked!  What I meant to say was that if a company is producing it in a manner that is legal for most states then it will have been necessary for them to fully extract the component that people know marijuana for, THC.  
 
So, in summary, CBD comes from a plant and the hallucinogenic portion must be extracted in order to be legal, at least here in the great state of Texas.  Marijuana is legal in some states, so in that case CBD with THC might also be legal.  Check the label and your local laws when you go to purchase.  


But I am here not to tell you about buying CBD but about how it impacts the body.  The properties of a plant in its’ entirety will always be more complex than a pharmaceutical, which takes a plant and copies a component of it. 
 
Studies have shown CBD to activate vitamin receptor sites as well as cannabidiol sites.  Did you know we had a cannabidiol system in our bodies? 
 
What does that mean?  
 
It means that the body already has a system in place ready to receive this plant.  It is a potent antioxidant, is anti-fibrotic and anti-inflammatory.  It also acts as the key that turns the lock for vitamin receptor sites, mostly A, E and C.  
 
CBD is a food for your body, a plant food if you will.  You can ingest it in food, drops under the tongue and some choose to vape it.  I would not recommend vaping as the impact on the throat and lungs is questionable. Why do I say that?  I know a few people who vape and the impact can be heard in the tone of their voice.  That was enough for me to “just say no”.  I chose drops under the tongue for my son.
 
He LOVES the taste of the CBD oil that is mixed with a citrus essential oil.  I don’t do the mixing, it comes from a company that makes ingestible oils and the great thing, as I mentioned in my last article on MSM, is that essential oils make supplements more bio-available or easier to absorb. And yes, in case you were wondering, CBD is a supplement!
 
The other great effect that has been well studied is the impact on emotions.  Not only does it improve one’s sense of well-being, it has been known to decrease anxiety AND the state of our emotions in turn influences our mind which impacts our health.  
 
Please be sure to let your health team know if you are using CBD as part of your health regimen. The anti-inflammatory effects of CBD cannot be over emphasized.  


MSM, How's It Good For Cystic Fibrosis? (Biohacking Series 6 of 25)

When looking for research on MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) for Cystic Fibrosis it was hard to find.  In fact, I cannot say for sure that there is any.  But this brings up a good point that I would like to make anyhow.  It is important to know that just because something has not been studied in particular for CF does not mean that it should not be considered. 

The body works as it should in most respects when the CF genes are present.  The body is still responsive to many of the same supplements that people without CF genes can benefit from.  The obvious ones that we consider might be vitamin C or Vitamin D.  Stop, wait, I know you are wondering about the absorption issues.
 
That is where maintaining a clean intestinal system is key.  And this is where the problem comes in with many pharmaceuticals.  Phalates.  If you are taking a pharmaceutical you are most likely to also be ingesting phalates.  What are phalates?  Plastic.  Basically.  Phalates are a binder for pills and can also be found in everyday items such as Tupperware and toys.  Why is this material used for making capsules and tablets when it basically clogs up the intestines and causes all sorts of havoc?  
 
I honestly don’t know.  There are other ways of accomplishing the same thing.  Maybe it has to do with shelf life?  Or ability to withstand higher temperatures?  Stability of the product? Or is there a benefit to a manufacturer to give you something that then causes another issue that then requires another medication.  Nah.  I’ll save that for another time.
 
Back to MSM, boy that was a long rabbit trail on phalates.  Or was it?  The facts are, intestinal health must be working in order to get the best or most benefit from the supplements that you ingest.  The other consideration is the quality of the vitamin, supplement or what have you.  Whatever it is that you are trying to take and absorb needs to be in a highly or should I say readily absorbable state.  

That is the beauty of having a molecule like MSM combined with essential oils which help make a supplement more easily absorbed or more bio-available.  Some herbs can also help with this bioavailability.  
 
So in case you were wondering, there are plant foods that contain MSM but it is often degraded with cooking.  MSM is a form of sulfur and is the third most abundant mineral in the body and is commonly found with amino-acids which are building blocks of proteins, so it is a very important mineral!
Anyhow, once again, back to the point of MSM.  MSM is an awesome anti-inflammatory.  I have taken it for years and when I go off of it, I know it.  Now think of how much inflammation is caused by the excess mucus cycle in CF.  Excess inflammation is a constant problem, so once again, I recommend looking at a high quality MSM if you carry the genes for Cystic Fibrosis .  

I also recommend considering our modern world that is full of processed foods and sugar, I know they can be hard to resist.  Ugh.   As always I recommend dietary changes as the foundation to reduce inflammation and then adding in supplements, essential oils and certain tinctures to further help the body to function more normally.  

For years, MSM has been studied for diseases like arthritis and even lupus.  Think how you can benefit from the anti-inflammatory effects of MSM and you will not want to be without this supplement for long.  

https://www.nutraceuticalsworld.com/contents/view_breaking-news/2017-04-25/decades-of-discovery-summarized-in-new-msm-review/; 
 


Zinc; What’s it to you? (Biohacking Series 5 of 25)

When thinking about zinc supplementation I did a little research.  Afterall, since the C-o-v-i-d virus has been around, the awareness about zinc has skyrocketed.  At least in the circles I run in, which made me curious, what could it do for someone with CF lungs?  After all, what we do know is "Children with Cystic Fibrosis have been reported to suffer from micronutrient deficiencies.  The are more prone to illnesses caused by zinc deficiencies, such as acrodermatitis, which improve with supplementation.  Deficiencies of micronutrients, including zinc, is associated with an increased risk of infection."✼

Studies show an improvement in FEV1, weight for height and energy levels, as well as less infections.  The question that appeared to come up in one study that failed to see a difference was how much is enough?  And maybe their sample size was too small.  This paper went on to cite other studies that did indeed show a positive difference with use of this supplement.

"The primary outcome variable was a reduction in the average days o f systemic antibiotics in the zinc group as compared with placebo. The secondary outcomes were an improvement in FEV1 and a difference in the rate of colonization with Pseudomonas in the zinc and placebo groups." ✼
 
When considering getting a zinc supplement, you might consider a liquid form as they are absorbed better than a capsule.  But either way, just get it in! As far as dosage is concerned, you may want to do some research as it will be quite variable between individuals depending on how well you are absorbing vitamins in general.
  
The interesting thing about zinc was that there were higher levels of zinc found in CF sputum than controls.  What does that tell us?  It seems that there may be a transport issue of this ion in people with CF, similar to the concerns over the chloride and salt ions.  Therefore, correction of the zinc ion may play a valuable role, at least that is what I gathered from the studies I read.  
 
You can read them too- and please, comment in the thread below the post, it would be great to hear what your thoughts are and also do you already use this supplement?  If so, how much?  Does your clinic test for zinc levels?
 
Thank you as always for reading.

  Much love-                
   Paula


p.s. food images in my blogs typically pertain to foods high in the supplement written about. It is highly recommended by this author to get your nutrients from food as much as possible, however food today is not what it used to be, so supplementation and even hyper-supplementation may be required.

p.p.s. scientific articles: 
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18446019/

Disclaimer:  I am not a medical doctor and I do not prescribe supplements, only report what I have found and at times what I have done with my son to support the body to heal itself.


The Importance of Vitamin D in Depression and Bone Density (Biohacking Series 4 of 25)

When I was a girl, about 22 I would say I began to suffer with significant depression.  I actually don’t recall all the whys and wherefores but I wish I had known how a simple vitamin could help.  
 
What I do know is that I craved getting out into the sunshine and now I think I know why.  Vitamin D.
 
I believe it was the second year when I was on Facebook that another CF Mama posted about the importance of mega-dosing with vitamin D when our kiddos are ill.  Research does seem to support that Vitamin D plays a large role in aiding the lungs and the immune system somehow.  
 
What they don’t always say is how much is enough?  And my mind goes immediately to the thought of why not have adequate doses circulating in the system to aid with the issue of malabsorption and lack of sunlight that can occur if our children are in the home not feeling well or hooked up to a vibrating machine (or two)?  More on that later.
 
I will say now though that it makes me crazy all the time that is prescribed to be hooked up to devices when the time could possibly be better spent outdoors with our feet on the ground and the sunshine getting onto our skin.  Please, don’t shoot the messenger, I will support all that I write in later articles, including scientific studies. 
 
Anyhow, back to the vitamin D.  I can only share what I have done with my son and of course you will have to do your own research, but throughout my son’s life from the age of four, I began to hyper-supplement him with this vitamin.  
 
How much you ask?  5,000 I.U.s per day on average.  My son was sick and inside for many years due to recovering from black mold illness that nearly wiped us all out.  I remember not being able to even speak, we were so toxic at the end of being in our home before realizing we needed to flee.  More on that later as well. 
 
This was when I began getting extremely serious about my son’s gluten, dairy and mostly sugar free diet.  I could not believe how that diet along with good supplements including a tincture called Biocidin, could bring my son back to life.  We also used oral activated charcoal on the weekends to mop up all the bacteria we had killed off during the week with the tincture.
 
Not sure how I got off on that rabbit trail but, oh yeah, when I started to get serious about supplementation was after the black mold incident.  This was when I discovered the simple Vitamin D supplement.  
 
What I learned from a doctor that I was seeing was that Vitamin D was like a bank.  Put in multiple deposits and be sure to check the balance on a fairly regular basis.  Annually was fine for my son.  When I look back at his blood work, I definitely can tell the years when I was more focused on his supplements.  When he was getting the average 5,000 IU dosage/day his blood work showed he was in the mid 40’s ng/ml, when I slacked off it would drop back down into the 30’s which is too close to the lower end of the range for my taste.
 
I don’t understand why the recommended amounts of vitamin d would be so low, especially in a population known to have malabsorption issues as well as thinning of the bones and mood disorders.  


 
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