International Blog Spotlight: Greece

August 21, 2017

BRAIN FITNESS DIET

Dr. Maria Psoma, medical Biopathologist

Can we reverse “brain aging” with nutrition and healthy lifestyle?

I was reading some studies from UCLA, which motivated me to further explore the question. It is a clinically proven fact that as we age, we experience cognitive decline: for some, the deterioration can continue until the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. When people reach the age of 85, statistics indicate that there is a 45% chance of this.

I was primarily reading research that focused on supplements, including high quality omega 3 fatty acids , Q10, B12, melatonin, and D3: combined with changes in nutrition and exercise.

Results were impressive; no medicine or pharmaceutical drug demonstrated the same success as nutrition and lifestyle changes. Clinical results showed improvement even among people in their 80s.

Another research conducted at Rush University, which included 900 participants between the ages of 58-98, followed the subjects for 4.5 years.

Three different nutrition interventions were implemented: the Mediterranean diet, DASH diet, and a combination called ”Brain Diet”.

The researchers investigated the influence of the diets in terms of prevention for Alzheimer’s, in addition to an evaluation of factors including age, sex, education, cardiological factors, and levels of physical activity.

The best results were from the ‘brain diet,’ with prevention percentages as high as 52%. The Mediterranean and DASH Diet had results between 35-405.

The basic ingredients of a healthy ‘brain diet:’

  1. Green leafy vegetables
  2. Raw nuts
  3. Berries (polyphenols)
  4. Beans
  5. Unprocessed cereals
  6. Fish
  7. Free range poultry
  8. Olive oil
  9. Red wine (resveratrol)

Foods that harm brain function:

  1. Sugar
  2. Red meat
  3. Saturated fat
  4. Fried foods

General Instructions of healthy lifestyle and nutrition practices:

—Limit simple carbohydrates (white flour, pasta) and any processed foods
—Consume unlimited fresh, colorful vegetables that are rich in antioxidants, in addition to fruits and fish
—Find time for yourself at least twice a day (yoga & breathing exercises can be beneficial)
—Sleep 7-8 hours per night, or at least 5 hours of quality, non-interrupted sleep
—Take the proper supplements after medical history & specific laboratory exams
—Care for your oral hygiene
—Engage in regular physical activity for at least 30 minutes, 3-4 times per week

Dr. Maria Psoma is a biopathologist with a PhD from the University of Athens. She is a Fellow and Board Certified in Anti-Aging Medicine, and a member of both the American Obesity Society & the International Society of Nutrigenomics.

Facebook: psomamaria
Twitter: PSOMAMARIA
Instagram: psomamaria
Youtube: drmariapsoma
Email: [email protected]

Physician of the Month: Angela Aslami, MD

August 7, 2017

A4M valued member Angela Aslami, MD shares insight from her professional experience in this Physician of the Month feature.

Dr. Aslami grew up in Massachusetts and earned a degree in Political Science from The American University in Washington, D.C., and a degree in Chemistry from North Carolina State University. She graduated from Wake Forest University Medical School in 1999, and completed her training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Dr. Aslami has been practicing Obstetrics and Gynecology since 2003. She opened her own medical practice (Horizons Health and Wellness) in 2016 and continues to practice Obstetrics and Gynecology, with additional focus on Nutritional Medicine and Medical Weight Loss. Dr. Aslami is married with five children between the ages 6-12, and she enjoys biking, skiing, and spending time with her family.

Q: Before joining A4M, what was your medical background?

My formal medical training is in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Q: What anti-aging techniques have you incorporated into your practice? How did you so?

I have incorporated bioidentical hormone replacement, medical weight loss, nutritional medicine, sexual dysfunction treatment, gynecologic laser therapy, facial wrinkle reduction, and skincare into my Obstetrics and Gynecology practice. I first attended a weekend bioidentical hormone replacement symposium in Boston in 2012, which is where I first learned about a4m. I was immediately cautiously optimistic that this type of hormone therapy could help many of my patients, but I wanted to learn more before implementing it. Over the next 5 years, I attended many courses through a4m regarding sexual dysfunction, hormone balancing, metabolism, nutrition and weight management, inflammation, and toxicology. During this time, I gradually added bioidentical hormone replacement, nutritional medicine, sexual dysfunction treatment, group health classes, and weight loss strategies to my practice. It soon became clear that many patients needed significant help and formal structured weight loss programs to attain their health goals, so in 2017, we launched a formal weight loss program grounded in educating patients on healthy eating habits and coaching them through lifestyle changes. We also partnered with Beauty Counter to offer toxin free skincare products to our clients. We are proud to be one of the few healthcare providers in the country offering the MonaLisa Touch Gynecologic Laser therapy for the treatment of vaginal atrophy due to natural aging or breast cancer treatments, and vulvar lichen sclerosus (a common, painful, gynecologic autoimmune condition).

Q: What are the benefits of practicing anti-aging medicine (as a professional, and for your practice)? 

My passion for healing has been reawakened using anti-aging strategies like natural herbs, nutritional products, lasers, radio-frequency, bioidentical hormones, successful weight loss programs and lifestyle coaching. My practice is thriving, and the diversity of our offerings keeps our staff, clients, community and peers engaged.

Q: What are the changes you see in your patients?

My patients are feeling better, are taking charge of their own health, and are making positive lifestyle changes which are leading to fewer and fewer prescription medications and unwanted side effects.

Q: Why would you recommend Anti-Aging Medicine to your peers?

Anti-aging medicine offers many more tools to help people feel better and enjoy their lives, with significantly fewer side effects than prescription medication. The results speak for themselves, and the happy faces of people transforming their own lives provides joyful motivation to continue down this pathway.

Q: Where do you see the future of Anti-Aging medicine 20 years from now?

I think the field of genomic medicine will expand exponentially, and we will be able to pick best treatments options for patients on an individual basis by understanding each individual’s genetic makeup.

“Scientific Breakthrough:” Editing Genes in Human Embryos

August 3, 2017

Publications have been reporting on a recent breakthrough in modern medicine: modifying human DNA in human embryos, without introducing the critically serious disease-causing mutations that were problematic in previous attempts.

Published online Wednesday in the journal Nature, the research is targeted towards assisting families with genetic diseases. The new research experiment utilized a gene-editing technique to correct a genetic defect behind a heart disorder, that can cause “seemingly healthy young people” to die from sudden heart failure. Scientists at Oregon Health and Science University, in conjunction with colleagues in California, China, and South Korea, reported that dozens of embryos were repaired: if those embryos developed, not only would they be disease-free, but also would not transmit the disease to future generations.

This is the first time that scientists have successfully edited genes in human embryos to prevent dangerous disease mutations. Scientists collectively agree that while the research is a major milestone and achievement, the prospect of human genetic engineering has already raised ethical concerns. Mary Darnovsky, director of the Center for Genetics and Society—a watchdog group based in Berkeley—says that it is “a flagrant disregard of calls for a broad societal consensus in decisions about a really momentous technology that could be used for good, but in this case is being used in preparation for an extraordinarily risky application.”

Yet the researchers emphasize that the work is focused on preventing debilitating diseases and disorders, not the creation of genetically enhanced babies. Richard Hynes, a cancer researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who co-led the committee, says that their report sought to eliminate the technical hurdles, but there will inevitably be “societal issues that have to be considered and discussions that are going to have to happen.”

While the overwhelming consensus is that much more research is required before the method could be tested through clinical trials—which is currently not permissible under federal law—the technique could potentially apply to over 10,000 conditions caused by specific inherited mutations. This includes diseases like Tay-Sachs, Huntington’s, sickle cell anemia, cystic fibrosis, and many others.

Nevertheless, any scientists hoping to continue the work in the U.S. are presented with a host of regulatory obstacles. The research was specifically funded by Oregon Health and Science University, the Institute for Basic Science in South Korea, and a number of foundations, as the National Institutes of Health does not fund any work involving human embryos. Moreover, Congress has prohibited the Food and Drug Administration to consider any research or experiments that involve genetically modified human embryos.

Scientists in Britain have received approval to use CRISPR—the gene editing technology—to edit the DNA in healthy human embryos, in order to further research surrounding normal human development; a team in Sweden has also started similar experiments. Fredrik Lanner, a geneticist at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm—conductor of the experiments—says that this needs to be highly regulated. “This is very exciting. But it also could be a double-edged sword. So I think we really have to be extra cautious with this technology.”