To grain or not to grain?

September 4, 2024

That seems to be the main question on most people’s mind these days. Personally I always recommend taking advice on matters from professionals who are educated in the field you seek advice in, i.e. seek nutrition advice from professionals who are educated and hold a degree in nutrition science and seek medical advice and diagnostics from professionals who have a medical training. If we did that, and if we as professionals respected different educational backgrounds and trainings, instead of thinking “we know it all”, it would lead to a lot less confusion and malpractice in the health arena.

Anyway, today I want to share this video on the subject of grains with two very different takes on the matter - Dr. Perlmutter, a Medical Doctor and author of “Grain Brain” and Dr. John Douillard, DC, CAP a globally recognized leader in the fields of natural health, Ayurveda, and sports medicine. I find it incredibly nice that these two personalities in their own right are able to discuss their different takes on this almost religious matter in such a civil manner.

NEW INTERVIEW: Cancer nutrition with Dr. Kurt Woeller D.O. →

July 25, 2024

Dr. Kurt Woeller D. O. is one of the pioneers in understanding biochemical abnormalities related to autism and neurological issues. I highly recommend working with him if you or anyone you know struggles with autism - his knowledge is unsurpassed.

His detailed biochemical understanding of health and disease is truly unique and I’ve followed his work for the last decade along with - unbeknownst to him - I happened to take a training course in organic acid testing led by Dr. Woeller approx a decade ago.

Today I had the pleasure of being on his newly released podcast “Doc Talks”. He is truly one of a select handfuld of incredibly knowledgable practitioners, I have been lucky enough to either be mentored by or work directly with - i.e. Dr. Eric Braverman MD, Dr. Deepak Chopra MD, Dr. Rau MD, Dr. Greg Melvin (who I also collaborate currently with on analysing my clients’ thermography scans) and Dr. Woeller D.O.

Listen to our talk about nutrition and cancer

Natural vitamins may be superior to synthetic ones

June 19, 2024

“There appears to be a tendency to label those who profess that natural vitamins are better than synthetic ones as quacks. This broad brush label may be stifling legitimate nutrition research. This paper describes physiochemical differences between certain natural and synthetic vitamins, proven clinical advantages of natural vitamins, and some of the effects this labeling may lead to. It concludes that lessons of history as well as modern science support the view that natural vitamins are nutritionally superior to synthetic ones.”

Read the full study here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11090291/

NEW TALK: 5 Keys To Thrive Effortlessly

June 5, 2024

Want to BOOST YOUR EMPLOYEES’ ENERGY, MOOD + BRAIN POWER?

Then you want to book this talk! Simple evidence-based steps to make big changes to how we thrive mentally and physically.

(I just did this talk for VEO technologies in Copenhagen)

Food fears often based on bad science

May 22, 2024

Food has so many properties that we often draw false conclusions, when we only focus on one aspect: e.g. you can easily be misled into thinking bananas and whole grain products are "unhealthy" when you only look at it from its impact on blood sugar coming from a keto diet point of view. Or you can be misled into thinking that plants should be avoided because they contain small amounts of toxins, and therefore you should follow a carnivore diet (meat-based). The fact is, however, that it is about quantity. Anything can be toxic if the dosage is high enough. And just as exercise and resistance train our muscles - but must not be overdone, because then it breaks us down, likewise fibers and many of these antinutrients actually train our digestion, so that it becomes resilient and results in a diverse and healthy gut microbiome. Now if you are already sick you may of course need a targeted elimination diet temporarily in relation to symptom management short-term - but this will never cure the underlying problem. Eg. mold is linked to IBS, which in turn is linked to SIBO/SIFO, so if you focus on the intermediate or end product, you never get to the bottom of what is causing the inflammation in the intestinal system and the overgrowth of bacteria and fungi in the small intestine and the resulting " food intolerances". Bottom-line: if you struggle with a lot of food intolerances and digestive issues a restrictive diet will not cure it, but may manage the symptoms short-term, yet longterm may make the problem even worse. Restrictive diets are NOT healthy longterm. And if a practitioner is recommending such, it is a RED FLAG.

Sunlight for weightloss works better than Ozempic

March 5, 2024

As humans we struggle with the concept of balance. Yet science shows that nature wants balance. And instead of completely staying out of the sun, we would benefit greatly from understanding how to reap the health benefits from daily sun exposure while protecting especially our face and décolleté from damage.

Sunlight has several health benefitting aspects - one being: it actually helps us stay lean!

When skin and the eye are exposed to UVR there is a release of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) which naturally lowers our appetite and increases our energy expenditure.

For those who want the chemical breakdown of exactly how this happens here goes:

In the central nervous system, α-MSH is cleaved from proopiomelanocortin and then released into different hypothalamic regions to act on melanocortin 3/4 receptor-expressing neurons, lowering food intake, and raising energy expenditure via appetite suppression and sympathetic nervous system.

Most of us know this intuitively, as we tend to lose weight without struggle, when we go on summer-vacation. And this is the reason for it.

In the study they found following:

“In our animal studies, ongoing exposure to low dose ultraviolet radiation (UVR, found in sunlight) reduced weight gain and the development of signs of cardiometabolic dysfunction in mice fed a high fat diet. These observations suggest that regular exposure to safe levels of sunlight could be an effective means of reducing the burden of obesity.”

Read the full study here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5086738/ And feel free to share.

Who should go vegan?

February 21, 2024

Yet another vegan “documentary” taking up space on Netflix these days: “You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment”. And it hasn’t even been more than a handful of years ago, there was the last wave of veganism driving through the country with the movie Game Changers on Netflix, swiping across the country with more peer pressure than your average influencer’s lip filler. Same arguments, same counter arguments. It gets boring for those of us who live long enough to see the circling trends in health care - same claims, same debunking and on and on it goes. Each generation has to learn from scratch all over again. Yes I sound like I’m a million years. But really, I don’t have patience for this utter nutritional nonsense trendy stuff proposed by self-claimed experts often with no relevant educational background when it comes to nutrition science.

I never really commented much on it, because we are missing the boat completely when it comes to changing our health by focusing so much on meat vs. plants, and the debate has so many emotional ties attached to it, that it rarely seems constructive to dive in.

Can you have too low homocysteine?

February 7, 2024

We mostly know homocysteine as something we have to worry about not getting too high. And that is absolutely true: too high homocysteine is directly related to higher mortality and risk of cardiovascular disease.

But can homocysteine also become too low?

It turns out that the answer is yes: low homocysteine levels are actually linked to increased disease risk. For example, low homocysteine has been shown to have a strong association with peripheral neuropathy.

Research shows that a surprising 41% of patients with idiopathic peripheral neuropathy have hypohomocysteinemia (too low homocysteine). And sulfur is absolutely essential for healthy homocysteine levels. There can be several reasons for imbalances with sulfur in the body - e.g. mold can affect sulfur and thereby homocystein levels. Unfortunately, it is not always as simple as just doing a mineral test for sulfur and thereafter concluding when levels are found low to simply eat foods higher in sulfur to provide the building blocks in order to normalize homocysteine levels (aka broccoli, cabbage, meat).

However, mineral, vitamin and heavy metal tests are always one of the first things I do on all clients who come in for a health check-up, because this is basic information we need to know before we can dig deeper

Vitamin, mineral and metal test incl. 30 minutes review can be booked as a separate service on the website and is also included in all health check-ups.

OZEMPIC AND WEGOVY LINKED TO INTESTINAL BLOCKAGE - A POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING CONDITION!

January 21, 2024

Last month I wrote a post about intestinal blockage and how serious a disorder it is - especially because it is high season for this disorder during the holidays. However, now entering January and relentless slimming season, this may also turn out to be high season for intestinal blockage due to the increase in prescriptions of certain popular weightloss medications.

Thinking of kick-starting January's weight loss with medical help?

Ozempic and Wegovy - both drugs where side effects include reducing intestinal peristalsis to such an extent that the FDA issued a letter in the autumn in which they made it clear that they will henceforth warn against acute intestinal blockage on the packaging. The risk of intestinal blockage is something most of us incl. health professionals and doctors have been unaware of with this apparent weight loss miracle drug.

Intestinal blockage is potentially life-threatening and if you already have a history of digestive disorders, you should stay far away from these medicines. Regardless of the fact that obesity is linked to a domino effect of biochemical problems in the body, the risk of intestinal blockage is simply too serious.

Last year, I admittedly also considered whether this remedy could be included as part of a broad-spectrum aid to kick-start weight loss in clients with a particularly addictive relationship with food - both to break the habit but also to change the brain's reward system. Unfortunately, it has become more apparent that the problems with muscle loss (leading to reduced metabolism - and increased tendency to gain more weight after treatment) as well as the side effects around digestion - and especially the risk of intestinal blockage - are not sustainable nor worth it.

No, lemon water is not a "health gimmick"

January 11, 2024

I’ve been drinking lemon or grapefruit juice diluted into water the first thing every morning for decades, literally. Yes decades, without going further into dating myself here.

While I too get real tired of wild claims about this or that diet, mainly because there is never good science behind, I do not tire of the potential of understanding foods therapeutic impact on the body. Having worked with nutrition for 20 years, I have seen so many diets come and go, it drives me nuts, that we have to make something so simple, so very complicated.

It is actually quite simple: stop eating extremes, stop eating restrictive, figure out why your health is not good and treat the underlying cause of that.

How to prevent death from bowel loops (increased risk with holiday overeating)!

December 24, 2023

Did you know that Christmas is high season for intestinal loops?An intestinal loop is a bowel obstruction which can be a serious condition. It can occur in the large or small bowel. A small bowel obstruction commonly occurs where loops of intestine can easily get blocked or twisted. Christmas is jam-packed with delicious food, and this is definitely not a raised finger that you should fast or replace roast pork with carrot sticks or other life-draining and unrealistic advice. But it's also high season for hospitalizations with intestinal loops, and there's nothing funny about it if it happens to you or yours.

Intestinal loop is a serious disorder, and the mortality rate is approx. 20% for those where operative intervention becomes necessary! Therefore, the best thing you can do - as with all other diseases - is prevention.

Intestinal loop is a condition where the intestine twists around itself, so that the intestine is pinched off. When this happens, you will very quickly experience massive pain in the stomach because the food accumulates and the intestines are distended. If not treated in time, bacteria from the intestines begin to penetrate the gut lining and cause serious inflammation and potentially deadly blood poisoning. What are the symptoms of intestinal loop?

Glyphosate found in high levels in almost everyone

November 22, 2023

Many of us turn to clean skin care products - it has almost become a gimmick at this point in time. Especially as many of the so-called clean beauty products do nothing good for the skin - they don’t contain actually skin benefitting ingredients, but can get a label touting “clean” simply by avoiding the main allergy-triggers.

Although it is a good idea to focus on the health-damaging chemicals around us, it is even more important that we understand how to prioritize our efforts to not get overwhelmed with insignificant details. I.e. it doesn’t matter if a little perfume has been added to a soap (unless we are hyper allergic), but it does matter how clean our drinking and bathing water is and whether we cook and store food in contact with plastic (heat/ acid effect primarily). It is most often from such boring everyday sources that the majority of the chemicals we get back on the lab tests done on clients are derived from. Chemicals related to increased disease risk incl. cancer.

Did you know that figs actually contain compounds that help the body detoxify from fake estrogens (xenoestrogens from chemicals and mold etc.) in the body?

If you struggle with hormone imbalance don't treat the hormones!

November 1, 2023

8 out of 10 people struggling with hormone imbalance is due to hormone disruptors present in the body - chemicals, mold and/ or certain heavy metals.

If you fail to test for the causes of the hormonal imbalance, you will be stuck taking often very high dosages of bioidentical hormones. Hormones - regardless of being bioidentical or not, are never without risk. While they can be an absolute game changer for treating issues related to menopause (female hormone decline) and andropause (male hormone decline), what I’ve found in 80% of cases is that you can get the body back to balance with either no hormone therapy or with the bare minimum IF you first treat hormone disruption issues.

This is because mold and various hormone disrupting chemicals often attach themselves to our hormone receptors, blocking bioidentical hormones from attaching.

So treating hormone imbalance with hormone therapy is the wrong way to go in 8 out of 10 cases.

You can read more on how various toxins from mold cause dangerous high estrogen levels here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/nursing-and-health-professions/zearalenone

Magnesium is the no. 1 most commonly found deficiency today

September 6, 2023

It would be optimal if we could eat enough of all the vitamins and minerals, because food is more recognizable to the body and it is easier to absorb. The sources of magnesium in our food products include whole grains, nuts, sprouts, legumes, cocoa, meat and vegetables. However, what I see when I test, is that many lack it - in 9 out of 10 cases, we see a deficit of magnesium. Magnesium is, together with zinc and silica, among the minerals we commonly find is difficult to obtain an optimal level of through our food because the soil is so depleted and our demands for these minerals have increased due to various stressors in modern life.

Scientific American: "We have no reason to believe 5g is safe"

August 23, 2023

“Numerous recent scientific publications have shown that EMF affects living organisms at levels well below most international and national guidelines. Effects include increased cancer risk, cellular stress, increase in harmful free radicals, genetic damages, structural and functional changes of the reproductive system, learning and memory deficits, neurological disorders, and negative impacts on general well-being in humans. Damage goes well beyond the human race, as there is growing evidence of harmful effects to both plant and animal life.”

Read the rest of the article here: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/we-have-no-reason-to-believe-5g-is-safe/ Remember I am doing a live webinar on where the science stands on EMF (in Danish only) sign up here: https://christinasantini.com/events/2023/5/4/evidence-for-the-tinfoil-hat-why-we-have-to-deal-with-the-radiation-problem and feel free to share.

How safe is weightloss drug Ozempic?

August 8, 2023

Everyone in Hollywood seems to be on Ozempic these days, but should we be thinking twice before we take the short-cut to weightloss?

The HighWire recently discussed exactly this topic. Click below to watch the video

https://thehighwire.com/ark-videos/the-dangerous-side-of-ozempic/

Study confirms: limit cell phone exposure during pregnancy

June 7, 2023

"Many studies have shown that electromagnetic fields can have destructive effects on sex hormones, gonadal function, fetal development, and pregnancy. So people must be aware of the negative effects of EMFs. Although the impact of the waves varied at different frequencies, it is better to stay as far away as possible from their origin because of the risks associated with exposures to these waves. In addition, people can use natural antioxidants to help reduce the effects of these waves."

A review on Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and the reproductive system: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5014506/

In short: stop carrying your phone on your body especially during pregnancy or when wanting to become pregnant as it may affect both your own fertility as well as your offspring’s development (autism is a big worry right now that seems to be linked to excessive EMF exposure).

Keep your phone 3 meters away from your body to limit EMF exposure when not using it, and stop scrolling on it like it is your best friend, cos it is not. We are all wasting our lives scrolling non-stop on these smart phones and all these smart devices are under suspicion for wrecking our health big time.

ARTICLE: Recovering from mold illness

April 14, 2023

I’ve written an article based on my 10 years experience working with mold illness cases - part two of the series is out now (Danish only): Click here to read it on p 20. This article is written for the non-profit organization LNS for clients and therapists wishing to integrate conventional and holistic medicine and better transparency in health care. I recommend joining the benefits of this organization by becoming a member. You can read more about it here (Danish only): https://lns.dk/ and feel free to share.

Mold - when your home is making you sick! NEW TALK (Zoom webinar - Danish only) 13th of April

March 15, 2023

Christina Santini has been the first therapist in Europe to treat mold exposure since 2013. Did you know that 25% af astma is linked to mold exposure? How about we treated the cause instead of the symptom! It is important to get a handle on our basic needs for healthy air and clean water before we embark on more advanced dietary trends - especially since diet does not help much if our water and air are highly polluted. Gain insight into whether this is a problem for you and possibly related to your symptoms and get help to find out how it can be best managed.

To sign up for webinar click here: https://tidslerne.nemtilmeld.dk/295/

Please share.

Essential minerals in today’s world - NEW TALK (Zoom webinar - Danish only) 2nd of March

February 8, 2023

Minerals are one the single most important factors in overall health status. We will go over the most important minerals to support gut health, immune health, mental health, skin and bones. To sign up for webinar go here: https://tidslerne.nemtilmeld.dk/294/ Please share.