Immune System Updates & FEAR’s Role | Episode 52

by Dr. Bart Precourt | Jun 1, 2021 | The Health Made Simple Show

Dr. Bart is a renowned functional medicine practitioner, who has treated patients from all over the globe. In his 25 year career, he’s seen thousands of people suffer from the same, chronic issues, usually involving muscle pain or gastrointestinal issues. Thanks to his extensive experience solving the root cause of these issues, Dr. Bart has identified three easy habits to feel like a superhuman and enjoy a better quality of life.

Watch the live show below:

Clinical insights for the day:

The magic of the human body reveals itself every day in the patients that come through the door. It’s important to consider the lessons we learn from observing each other.

The clinical insight for the week comes from an interaction with a 42 (M) patient that frequently complained of chronic back pain. Dr. Bart had previously recommended yoga as a comprehensive, full body stretch and stabilizer workout. This would strengthen his muscles, and alleviate his muscle pain. After the first few sessions the patient experienced discomfort, so he chose ot continue despite Dr. Bart’s advice.

Dr. Bart’s patient failed to remember an important detail. When you start a new health routine (whether it be diet and/ or exercise changes), it is a normal response for the body to “bite back” at first. Your body is breaking down new tissues and adjusting to the changes.

His experience serves as a reminder that it takes time and consistency to see results towards any new health goal. While your body may have a factory reset mode, it takes time to program new biology into our bodies.

The bottom line?

It’s important to focus on the big picture. In this case, the patient was too focused on getting rid of his pain and alleviating symptoms, not getting to the root cause. Keep the ultimate focus on functioning better.

Two new clients are filling out an intake form. A main question on the form is “how much water do you drink?” Both acknowledge they are not drinking enough. In addition to chronic dehydration, they are on blood pressure medication and regularly take other common over-the-counter drugs. Big Picture: Dehydration affects our entire body more severely than we realize.

The juicy stuff:

What common health issues are wrecking the MOST havoc in our society today?

Out of the thousands of patients Dr. Bart has treated over time, almost all of them have struggled with these three basic behaviors. As humans, our lives have become so distracted and disconnected from our bodies, our (common) unconscious bad habits are hurting us more than we realize.

Living a vital, fulfilling life is available to anyone willing to make the commitment to their physical health.

Getting healthier doesn’t have to mean massive change! If you aren’t doing these game-changing bio hacks, you are missing out on a better quality of life.

1. Breathing

The two most important elements on our earth for the human body are air and water. Breathing is an action so unconscious to humans, even the newest of newborn babies know how to do it.

But if it’s that simple, why do eight out of 10 patients that Dr. Bart sees, complain of harbored breathing?

Our nose is our filter. Your cardiovascular system and microbiome rely on your nose hairs to block unwanted toxins and bacteria from entering the body. As much of our breathing as possible should be done through the nose. It’s easier said than done however, as muscle tension, poor posture, and uncomfortable sleeping arrangements unconsciously fuel bad mouth breathing habits.

How can you improve the quality of your breath?

Simply focus on controlling each exhale out of your nose, and breathe with conscious intention. This will calm the sympathetic nervous system, and promotes the reduction of overall stress and inflammation. This results in better sleep, and lessened anxiety,

Tip: Inhale through the nose for at least one second, and then exhale through the nose for double the period of time.

2. Sleeping

People who sleep better are better human beings, but somewhere along the line we started thinking backwards. We’ve all heard the phrase “sleep when you’re dead.” Many even wear lack of sleep as a badge of honor, boasting superiority. But this mentality does not promote health or happiness, and will only result in dysfunction. In fact in a recent study, 79% of Americans reported getting less than eight hours of sleep per night.

Not getting enough sleep affects our lives in more ways than we know, with new information being discovered all the time. Two of the biggest detriments to getting poor quality sleep are:

Cognitive reductions. (Physical response times, ability to remember things, etc.). Lack of sleep “dumbs us down” and makes us more susceptible to developing cognitive problems.
Hormone imbalances. (Difficulties controlling weight, muscle mass loss, unhealthy changes to appetite, etc). When you are sleep deprived, your body releases Leptin (the appetite inhibitor), and decreases Ghrelin (the appetite initiator) hormones which disrupt eating patterns, and promotes overeating.

If you’re not getting eight hours per night, how can you start sleeping better?

Monitor your sleep over time. The Oura Ring is Dr. Bart’s top product recommendation for sleep monitoring devices. As the Oura Ring collects data regarding your sleep patterns, you can start to analyze the different phases of your sleep to start making improvements. The most important part of the sleep cycle is deep sleep. The optimal goal is to have 25% of your total sleep be in the deep phase, but should aim to have a minimum of one hour.
Avoid alcohol, period. Even if you “feel” like you are having a better sleep the night after consuming alcohol, your body is still in a stress-response state as it’s hard at work filtering out the toxin overnight.
Allocate the time. If you do not schedule the time for your body to get eight hours of sleep, then it won’t happen. Be aware of “sleep procrastination” and avoid it as much as possible. Respect your bedtime!
Take an herbal formula that supports deep sleep. Dr. Bart’s clinical team has developed the ultimate sleep tonic, which includes a mixture of Valerian Root (which supports melatonin production), 300mg of magnesium lactate (supports over 300 processes within the body and relaxes muscles to stay asleep), California Poppy Herb (relaxes the central nervous system and is a natural pain reliever), and Ashwaganda (regulates the hp access).
CBD oil before sleep to support relaxation of the mind and body.

3. Drink more water

Are you sick, or are you just thirsty? Water is the most underestimated pillar of human health. It is impossible to be a highly functional human being without being properly hydrated (and no – coffee doesn’t count). Water is required for hundreds of processes within the human body and without it, it’s just a matter of time before you’ll experience the dark side of dehydration. Your body will start to cascade a number of wrong signals. Your circulation will become restricted, and your adrenal glands trigger vasoconstriction. Definitely not the direction you want to be going in.

In general, you should aim to consume 80-90 oz of water per day. If not, you’re putting yourself at risk of experiencing unnecessary aches and pains.

Looking for good ways to stay hydrated?

Consume fresh fruits and vegetables regularly. While this alone is not an adequate H20 source, keeping plants within your diet promotes hydration and many other nutritional benefits.
Invest in a glass or metal water bottle. Avoid plastic water bottles at all costs, and never drink out of a plastic water bottle you have left in sunlight for any prolonged period of time. When too warm, microplastics from the bottle leak into the water, resulting in unnecessary toxin consumption. If you must drink from a plastic water bottle, look for Evian.
Never consume unfiltered tap water, as there are many harmful chemicals (like chlorine and fluoride) added to kill bacteria. Ideally, use a reverse osmosis water filtration system with dissolved calcium and magnesium. At minimum, only drink tap water from a water filter.

Final Action Item:

Stay committed.

No matter what your physical or health goal is, making changes requires commitment and discipline. Your improved end result will always be worth it, so trust the process and keep your eyes on your goal.