Category Archives: malnutrition

Couple traveling and looking at a map together

Here’s Some Travel Essentials For Neuro-Health

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As the warmer weather and sunlight approaches the biggest travel season (next to Christmas) begins. Lots of older people and those struggling with neurological issues wonder, should I still travel?

You absolutely should!

Anyone who still has the ability to get out of a bed should do so as often as possible and enjoy this beautiful world. It might take a little extra planning, special accommodations for wheelchairs, elevators and pre-planning shorter duration activities, but quality of life depends on it!

#1. Get plenty of rest

Lack of quality sleep is tied to a long list of illnesses. In fact, it’s one of the early signs of diseases like Parkinson’s.

Our bodies naturally produce a hormone that helps provide a better nights rest. The problem is, people with a neurological disease usually don’t produce enough. Regularly getting extra Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is important as part of a healthy lifestyle.

That’s why it’s included in our AAKG+ Core Protocol

#2. Try to keep the same routine

After arrival at your planned destination, try to keep a similar morning, breakfast, lunch, dinner and bedtime as you do at home. Take your supplements, medications and foods around similar timeframes. 

It seems obvious, but it’s easy to slip out of routine and face lower energy levels, stress or constipation. Those contribute to making trips memorable for all the wrong reasons.

The dosing guide here helps if you’re using a supplement like AAKG.

Man getting sunlight while sitting on a park bench

#3. Get sunlight or up the Vitamin D

One big benefit of sunlight is that it makes people happier. The body naturally produces more dopamine and Vitamin D while in the sunlight. Vitamin D helps the immune system, strengthens bones and even relieves pain! It’s even known to help sleep quality.

Low Vitamin D is also common for those with neurological conditions, which is why 83% of your daily intake is included in our Optimax Multi-Vitamin.

No matter where you go, who you visit or what sights you see… try to enjoy them to the fullest! 

It’s those precious memories that make life worth living.

Quality Sleep Is Important

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One specific hormone makes a big difference.

Did you know an estimated 1 in 3 adults struggle with sleep? Studies show the average person is now getting two hours less than the previous generation did.

Lack of quality sleep is tied to a long list of illnesses. In fact, it’s one of the early signs of diseases like Parkinson’s.

While everyone’s different, there’s a few possible reasons why. 

It could be that a reduced dopamine level can significantly impact the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle. For others, it can be impacted by sleep apnea, restless legs or frequent nighttime urination. 

Our bodies naturally produce a hormone that helps calm the nervous system, relieve stress and help provide a better nights rest. The problem is, people diagnosed with a neurological disease usually don’t produce enough.

A lack of this hormone is also shown to be a contributing factor to headaches, heartburn, mood swings, digestive problems, high blood pressure and so much more.

That’s why it’s included in our AAKG+ Core Protocol

We feel regularly getting extra Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is important as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Normally, you’d be able to boost production of this hormone with fermented foods. The problem is, you’d have to eat a lot of it.

That’s why the Core Protocol is so convenient.

It’s just one scoop, three times a day.

See The Core Blend Here

Metabolic Support and ALS

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As children we grew up with our parents and teachers telling us how important eating well was to our health.  Our bodies are delicately balanced between nutrition and energy. When we are ill, our body often requires additional energy or that metabolic relationship may become damaged.  Some diseases or their symptoms can cause or contribute to the metabolic imbalance.  In ALS, as the disease progresses, this imbalance can lead to “malnutrition, common with progression of disease, muscle strength and breathing capacity due to weakening as well as increase the relative risk of death.”[1]

A recent study was released in June 2016 which examined the relationship between nutrition status and the progression of ALS.  The study was “Association between estimated total daily energy expenditure and stage of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in ALS patients” and it wanted to “investigate the relationship between total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) and progression of disease in ALS patients and sex differences in TDEE.”[2]   The highlights of the study were:

●Total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) decreased with progression of ALS.
●Energy intake of ALS patients was not sufficient as compared with TDEE.
●Nutrition support should be started before stage 3 of ALS.

370 ALS patients’ TDEE were evaluated and followed in regard to resting energy expenditure (REE) and physical activity.  The results were that the TDEE decreased as the ALS progressed.  The study suggests:

that TDEE decreases with progression of ALS, and patients consume insufficient energy compared with required intake at all stages, particularly at stage 3, suggesting that nutrition support should be started at least prior to stage 3. Additionally, among the five equations for TDEE, TDEE 2 could be the best for evaluating the nutritional status of ALS patients.[3]

Previous studies and articles have examined the relationship between energy intake (nutrition) and ALS before.  In 2014 the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition released the article “Estimating daily energy expenditure in individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.”  Patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) experience progressive limb weakness, muscle atrophy, and dysphagia, making them vulnerable to insufficient energy intake. [4]

As with any chronic illness, nutritional support is critical.  The challenge is that the physical symptoms of ALS make energy intake difficult. Proactive and ongoing nutritional support and metabolic balance is important in the overall progression and well-being of the patient.

The study published online “Hypercaloric enteral nutrition in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial” emphasizes the need for a dietary and/or nutritional intervention to offset the metabolic dysfunction PALS experience.

In summary, we believe that our study results provide preliminary evidence for a novel, simple, low-cost, low-risk treatment for this devastating disease. The results of this study also support growing interest in the use of dietary interventions to treat neurological diseases. Our results also support the concept that ALS is a multi-organ systemic disease, characterized by metabolic dysfunction.3   We believe that given the promising results of this pilot study and lack of treatment options for ALS, nutritional interventions should be studied in larger randomized controlled trials at earlier stages of the disease.[5]

Simplesa® offers the metabolic plan called the Deanna Protocol for PALS.  This protocol has been found by many ALS patients to help quality of life and slow progression of the disease.  Additionally, other nutritional supplements are available to offset the metabolic balance and gain or maintain weight in PALS or others with health concerns where adequate nutritional intake is compromised or inadequate.

[1] http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0004-282X2014000200157

[2] http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007(16)30096-X/fulltext

[3] http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007(16)30096-X/fulltext

[4]https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262046313_Estimating_daily_energy_expenditure_in_individuals_with_amyotrophic_lateral_sclerosis

[5] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4176708/