My First NHA Conference Did Not Disappoint!
In June 2023, The National Health Association (NHA) held their 75th Anniversary Conference in Ohio and I'm so glad I attended! Four days of education, cooking demos, buffets filled with compliant food, hiking, and getting to meet several on-line friends in person!
The line-up of doctors was amazing, including Drs. T. Colin Campbell, Frank Sabatino, Stephan Esser, Kim Williams, Joel Fuhrman, and Allan Goldhammer; each delivered excellent presentations. Cooking Demos were also provided by Brittany Jaroudi, Tami and Tom Kramer, and the folks at Vitamix.
Today I'll share a few take-aways from Dr. Stephan Esser's talk regarding health at a cellular level, and how our cellular function impacts the seven INPUTS of health: sleep, emotional poise, water, food, exercise, sunlight, and toxins.
40 Trillions Cells
Dr. Esser talked a lot about cellular regeneration, which is the body's natural process of replacing or restoring damaged cells and tissues. Our bodies contain 40 TRILLION cells, and each cell goes through a cycle of life (spring, summer, winter, and fall). Four million cells turn over every second! Many die while others come to the front.
Each day, 1% of your body regenerates. Imagine that! Which, according to Dr. Esser, means there's no such thing as a cheat day. You either feed your tissues with things that will restore and regenerate, or you feed your tissues with things that compromise and inflame them.
Many of us get caught up in thinking that something formulated in a laboratory or available in a bottle is what leads to regeneration of cells. But the REAL heart of regeneration is occurring every microsecond in our bodies. Remember, 4 million cells turn over every single second.
The Seven Inputs of Health
SLEEP - is required for survival and optimal function. Impaired sleep can lead to a 500% increase in cell death, while sleep loss contributes to cell damage and increases the risk of depression, anxiety, and inflammatory diseases. Get 6-10 hours each night, and optimize your environment (mattress, lighting, temperature).
Develop pre-sleep patterns about an hour before bed - no blue lights, take a shower, plan out your steps. Eat smaller quantities at night, you don't want your body to just 'digest' - but to heal and regenerate cells.
WATER - Did you know that 60% of your body is water? Nutrients, blood cells, and stem cells travel in channels of water in the blood stream. Water aids digestion and alkalizes your body. However, there is no good data to suggest that alkaline water is helpful.
FOOD - greatly influences cellular regeneration. We should stop thinking about food as "calories in / calories out" and instead consider that food is "information at the cellular level." Food alters your cellular activity, and can stimulate cell regeneration which facilitates the healing process. Look at your food and ask "is this facilitating my health?"
Eat big salads before going to less nutrient dense, calorie rich foods. Maximize fruits, and make sure there's enough COLOR on your plate. Eat a variety of foods, because the more you diversify your pallette, the more you optimize your gut microbiome. Every 30-90 days, try some new fruits or veggies you haven't tried. And use spices on a daily basis, which are powerful. Also make sure you're consuming your caloric needs.
Every sip, bite, and swallow has the ability to alter your cell function, cell replication, longevity, and performance. So what will you choose to consume? Fasting is another activity that promotes cell regeneration and slows cellular aging.
EXERCISE - reverses cellular aging, reverses age-related muscle loss, prevents stem cell aging, improves lean muscle mass, accelerates healing and improves blood flow, slows cognitive impairment, and more. Are you exercising the way you need to? Compared to drugs, we know that exercise is "as or more" powerful than most of the common medications used to treat common diseases. Shoot for 150 minutes of cardio each week, plus resistance exercise 3x/week, and flexibility/balance 3x/week.
SUNLIGHT - Reduces depression and anxiety, reduces blood pressure and the risk for cardiovascular disease and autoimmune disease. Sunlight enhances melatonin production, improves sleep, and of course increases our vitamin D production and activation. Get 15-40 minutes each day on the arms, legs, chest, and back, when the sun is greater than 45 degrees above the horizon. Avoid prolonged exposure which could injure your skin.
EMOTIONAL POISE - The state of worry and mental tensions that we experience, whether real or perceived, alters our cellular activity, recovery, and performance. On a scale of 1-10, where is your stress level? Is food or your escape? Netflix? Your computer? Develop 5 healthy coping strategies (exercise, prayer, hobbies, music, nature, baths, etc.) - and according to Dr. Esser, it cannot be Nutella.
TOXINS - Avoid them, remove them! Buy organic produce as much as possible; cook at lower heat and don't char your veggies; beware of toxins in your water, soaps, shampoos, deodorants (especially those with aluminum), laundry soaps, makeup, sunscreen.
Avoid all of those toxins, including ALCOHOL. Even one glass a day increases the likelihood of volume loss of your brain over time. It also leads to an increased risk of dementia, a 15-20% increase risk of breast cancer, and increases the risk of esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, colon cancer, and more.
Dr. Esser's Reminder to Us All
Do not overlook the basic elements of health. Don't look past the capacity of your body to facilitate regeneration at the cellular level when we give it the appropriate input. What we do matters! The choices you make throughout the day will be the biggest predictors of your health for the days and years to come.
Thank you, Dr. Esser, for the informative presentation and these great reminders! It once again shows that we have more control over our health than we may have every imagined! That's great news!