What is Nutritional and Environmental Medicine?
Evolution has imprinted in the human body a living and dynamic relationship with its environment, born out in biochemical pathways that involve our genes, hormones, organs and cells in turn. This makes sense; after all, we are a natural organism.
A Nutritional and Environmental approach to health aims to explore and optimise the many factors which can impact our health including: sleep hygiene, the quality of our relationships, our diet and lifestyle, the home and work environment and the quality of our air, water, food and hygiene products.
‘Clean air, water and food, sunlight, sleep, exercise and positive relationships; The key to good health is a good environment. If you are in a toxic environment, your body is the filter!’
Anti-Ageing, Functional, Integrative, Environmental and Nutritional Medicine all refer to a kind of medical practice that aims to slow down ageing or cell stress and restore or preserve the body’s optimum function. It involves themes of nutrition, sleep, wellness, environment and detox as well as cellular aging and modification technologies.
This medicine is not just for older people, but for the prevention of disease and achievement of function in all patients. It includes a focus on nutrition and natural healing as well as cosmetic procedures to restore and enhance body tissues.
What is ageing?
Ageing is the progressive decline of cell function and numbers due to complex interaction of environmental, nutritional and genetic factors. This may manifest as loss of tissue such as collagen in skin, or bone, just as much as declining hormones and metabolic changes. The more toxic or adverse your environment is, the quicker you age.
When does ageing start?
Ageing begins in the late 20s. After the age of 30, testosterone, thyroid and growth hormone (and many more) start to decline. In the 40s, collagen diminishes, the sex hormones fall further and there are changes in hair and skin. Bone resorption and thinning skin are responsible for some of the cosmetic changes in aging, typically sagging. When replenishment of cell lines fail, bones thin, skin will thin and age spots such as photodamage are more common.
Metabolic diseases such as fatty liver, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and diabetes are linked with dysfunction in cell lines and the associated distress of the cells.
What causes ageing?
The science of ageing is still poorly understood. Poor lifestyle, disease, malnutrition and toxicity place a role.
Critical processes have been identified in the mechanism of aging. One is the concept of telomeres, which are pieces of non-coding DNA at the end of chromosomes which get progressively smaller with each cell reproduction. When telomeres are too short, the cell stops reproducing and aging occurs. This is accelerated by oxidative damage and environmental toxicity.
Another concept of ageing involves the function of the mitochondria. The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell and also helps clean up cell debris. When the mitochondria are not working well, the telomeres shorten.
Either way, multiple lifestyle, environmental, diet and other factors play a role.
Does diet matter?
Food & Diet
The human body evolved to function most effectively in a pre-industrial environment with clean, natural organic foods from the earth.
Food products that our body can break down are better than those it can’t.
This means that processed foods, heavily modified foods are not as well used by our body compared with a broad range of naturally growing or existing foods which are not modified.
Minimally processed diets: Paleo, organic or just ‘good eating’.
Elimination diets: Cutting out (or reducing) gluten, casein (cow milk products), alcohol, sugar etc.
Avoiding things in a packet; visit the market instead for whole produce.
Clean food: be wary of food from polluted sources like large fish or contaminated soil.
Organic farming styles: lean meat from animals that run around is healthier than fat animals stuck in cages, force fed antibiotics and hormones.
Fasting
Our body is meant to fast from time to time.
The human body did not evolve to constantly graze or snack; a solid gap between meals and relatively longer period in between eating (such as overnight) helps our cells clean up damage, last longer and lowers the chance of many diseases related to aging.
Mitochondria respond well to fasting; ‘sirtuins’ are pro-longevity enzymes that are activated and help cells clean up. This is associated with cells lasting longer through life. This is one reason why people often feel better after fasting
Insulin is a hormone released after we eat; fasting is associated with a lower chance of insulin resistance; which is a precursor to diabetes and all the trouble it brings
Our body has to expend energy digesting food and moving it about: fasting is associated with many body functions having a ‘clear run’
The gut has 100 trillion bacteria; constant snacking is associated with higher rates of gut problems. Often, the bad bacteria take advantage of fuel sources and multiply and this can lead to bloating, malabsorption and other issues.
Plants
Plants are full of useful nutrients that our body actually needs.
Plants are rich in trace minerals, little metals that our body needs, as well as vitamins and fibre. The body needs these.
Many vegetables have the ability to bind toxins, including heavy metals and plastics.
Vegetables provide much needed food to our good bacteria, who create much of our vitamins, nutrients and regulate our body in very important ways.
Vegetables, as well as meat, are a rich source of the B vitamins; these are required for an absolutely vital cellular process called methylation. Methylation helps DNA switch on and off and is needed for cells to reproduce well and function.
Is exercise important?
Exercise is more than just the gym.
The human body evolved in a context of frequent movement, lifting and effort.
Movement matters
Evidence is very clear that movement matters. The human race has never been as sedentary as the present. Studies have shown that sedentary lifestyle, that is sitting for a while, is more important a risk factor than not exercising per se. The message here is variety; the human has many muscles and a short visit to the gym will not exercise all of them.
Intense bouts of exercise, such as classes, are good for you but not a replacement for getting up and moving around.
The body has more muscles than the gym has machines: a variety of activity whether walking, climbing or exercise will be more likely to activate all of our muscles.
Cardio workouts are good for your mood and metabolism; however muscles matter too. Strong muscles help strong bones and hormonal health.
Stretching is important. Almost no other animal has ever built a chair. Long periods in a fixed position give our muscles a mechanical disadvantage. Stretching helps.
Exercise is only good if you keep doing it.
People who are already fit will almost always find exercise easier. With repeated exercise, the body builds up its capacity to cope with physical exertion. Exercise is best when it is regular and appropriate in terms of form, technique and intensity.
Exercising in a group with a goal, such as a fitness class or sport, is easier than grunting it alone. Humans are social animals and respond well to support.
Choosing exercise you enjoy, with an appropriate intensity, is key to avoiding injuries or not turning up the next week. It is no good to get an injury day one by being too ambitious; work up to it carefully and with good form. Supervised exercise has advantages in this respect.
Variety matters: working different parts of your body will reduce the chance of overloading one area as well as recruit more muscles to work on. Furthermore, the variety will make it less boring.
Make sure your exercise is built in to an easy routine.
Muscles are not just for show; they are metabolic.
Many people will just do cardio for exercise. Hiking, walking, running and cycling are certainly beneficial for your heart; however that is not the same as growing muscle.
Muscles are metabolically active; that is, that they change the biochemistry of the body.
Muscles enhance testosterone.
Muscles help keep bones strong.
Muscles have lots of receptors for insulin to work.
Muscles keep eating calories even after you have stopped using them.
Growing and keeping strong muscles helps prevent diabetes, assist with hormones and prevent bone thinning.
What is detox?
Looking after your cells is how to age well and slowly.
Cells need adequate nutrients and minerals, time and resources to repair and reproduce, a method of dealing with toxins and the right internal conditions.
Your body needs to detoxify.
A toxin is any substance or force that works against the optimal function of a cell or cells. It may be something like radiation, plastics, heavy metals etc.
If a cell is too toxic, it will not be able to reproduce and may die.
Cells need time to clean up their own toxins. The mitochondria assists in this, as does fasting, by cleaning up cellular debris before reproduction.
If we support the mitochondria, cells are cleaner and last longer This helps with diseases of toxicity; such as fatty liver.
This helps with diseases of aging and cell failure; such as Alzheimer’s.
Your liver and gut are key in dealing with toxicity.
The liver, gut, skin and kidneys are some of the key pathways that the body can remove unwanted waste products and toxins.
The liver is particularly sensitive to a build up of toxins such as plastics, alcohol, heavy metals etc.
When the liver slows down, toxins do not clear as well and unwanted compounds, often estrogens and toxins from bad bacteria in the gut, build up.
This can cause problems like fatigue, acne, poor digestions, high cholestero.
Look after your mitochondria, look after your telomeres.
Mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell; but they also assist in cleaning up debris.
If mitochondria are not functioning well, cells cannot repair damage as well and the lifespan of the cell reduces.
Looking after your mitochondria by fasting, eating well, minimising radiation is important in living longer and healthier.
Telomeres are non coding regions of DNA at the end of the cell; by looking after your mitochondria and telomeres, cells can reproduce better and longer and thus slow down.
Fasting, good nutrition, good sleep, adequate hormones, metformin, NAD+ are some of the methods used to slow down aging.
All parts of your body need to detox, including the brain.
The brain is a very active organ; it is susceptible to toxins.
The brain cleans up toxins and repairs best at night. during sleep Brain Derived Neurotrophic factor is key to this.
Brain detox helps with memory, depression, mood and concentration.
Is sleep important?
Sleep is probably the most overlooked health habit. The modern world has a pandemic of sleep deprivation. In any natural environment, animals rarely become sleep deprived. Goats do not routinely watch Netflix; our ape like ancestors did not stay awake reading emails or skyping with another time zone. Our bodies evolved to adapt to the rhythm of the sun; science is still only just understanding these interactions.
Good sleep is best when it follows the sun, in a cool room, and rise with the sun.
Our body produces small amounts of melatonin at night; this coincides with a decrease in a stress hormone called cortisol. Before waking up in the morning pre-dawn, melatonin declines and a burst of cortisol and testosterone occurs; this often wakes us up and prepares us for the day.
Our body is very in tune with the rising of the sun; early morning sunlight has a different effect on our hormones and energy compared with midday sun.
Sleep that occurs in the day or out of sync with the cycle, is lower quality sleep. Jetlag is an example.
Sleep is when our brain repairs damage and clears toxins.
The brain is one of the biggest consumers of energy in the body. Neurons do not come cheap.
Brain cells are very vulnerable to toxins. Toxins include the byproducts of natural cell processes which build up over time, as well as environmental toxins (E.g alcohol, carbon monoxide from cars).
Night time is when the brain is able to clean up its cells; this is due to many factors including relative rest, diverting energy away from digestion as well as enhanced Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF).
BDNF helps the brain grow neurons, form memories and is protective against depression. It is raised by factors such as voluntary exercise, caloric restriction, intellectual stimulation, and various treatments for depression such as antidepressants.
Poor quality sleep leads to disease.
Sleep medicine is now a distinct specialty; often attached to respiratory medicine. Obstructive sleep apnoea, where the tongue or neck impedes air flow during sleep, is a major cause of disease including obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and the cardiovascular events that follow this.
Snoring in a young person is not normal and should be investigated.
Poor quality sleep due to staying up at night, drinking alcohol or too much caffeine, sleeping in will predispose to these diseases.
Obstructive sleep apnoea can cause high blood pressure and heart disease.
Stress
Emotional stress is an incredible burden on the body. Our emotional impressions prime our hormone releases, how our nerves function, our digestive system and our sleep. They are not simply an unpleasant emotional experience. Stress from work, colleagues and the design of our lives has a negative impact on our health choices and habits overall. Sometimes, the biggest gain that can be made is to recognize the impact of a stressful life. Change involves hard decisions, but there is no price on your health and wellbeing.
Where do I start?
Anti-ageing medicine starts with recognizing how you feel. If you feel tired, stressed, sick, ‘stuck’ or unhappy, then you have taken the first step in being honest with yourself about your health.
Recognise that you live in an ecosystem. Start to think about your existence as a whole.
Nutritional and environmental medicine is tailored to the individual. For those looking to optimise their entire body, a systematic approach can help.
This website contains as much knowledge as I can as a starting point for understanding your health as a whole. There is not one answer, there are many answers and the search is ongoing.
this is by far my favourite article
the way it is broken down and written.
Thank you!
I wonder if we should put this paragraph at the opening of the article?
I nearly chose this as my 8th in the top 7
I also intend the future articles to be written in this style. Christ it’s easier too for me
this is by far my favourite article
the way it is broken down and written.
Thank you!
I wonder if we should put this paragraph at the opening of the article?
I nearly chose this as my 8th in the top 7
I also intend the future articles to be written in this style. Christ it’s easier too for me
References
Giese, M., Unternährer, E., Hüttig, H. et al. BDNF: an indicator of insomnia?. Mol Psychiatry 19, 151–152 (2014).
Molendijk, M., Bus, B., Spinhoven, P. et al. Serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in major depressive disorder: state–trait issues, clinical features and pharmacological treatment. Mol Psychiatry 16, 1088–1095 (2011).
Rahmani M, Rahmani F, Rezaei N. The Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor: Missing Link Between Sleep Deprivation, Insomnia, and Depression. Neurochem Res. 2020;45(2):221-231. doi:10.1007/s11064-019-02914-1
