Leader in Integrative Medicine to Restore Health and Prevent Disease Nov 2014

The Bugs We Like By. Dr. Natasha Klemm ND

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Dr. John Gannage MD CCFP

Medicine Professional Corporation

300 Main St. Markham N. Markham, ON L3P1Y8

905.294.2335 www.integrative-medicine.ca

It’s that time of year again…colds and flus become more common than a headline about George Clooney’s love life and docs alike are asked which supplements boost the immune system.

At the risk of playing favorites, I cannot write the Immune Issue and discuss specific therapies to stay healthy during winter, without devoting much of the print to probiotics, especially considering the still rampant and often needless rx of antibiotics.

Exposure to “bad bugs” occurs at all mucosal surfaces of the body—the respiratory, genitourinary and gastrointestinal tracts. For this reason, these mucosal surfaces also contain billions of good bacteria, an integral part of your immune system. At birth, the intestinal immune system and probiotic colonization are poorly developed; but by age 2, both are comparable to that of an adult and are considered mature.

Probiotics are gaining considerable popularity in the academic world because their benefits seem to be infinite—much like their

Calgary and Vancouver were a

huge success!

This September, Dr. John Gannage presented

Integrative Medicine for Children’s Mental Health

Neurodevelopmental disorders affect one in six children. As 70% of mental illness has its onset in childhood and adolescence, Dr. Gannage presented the current

evidence for the use of integrative medicine for children’s

mental health for a roomful of enthusiastic MDs and NDs. The professional seminar spoke as much about prevention as it did treatment, building on one of his earlier presentation” “Autism as a

Template for 21st-Centrury Illness”.

Thank you to all those that

participated and stay tuned for the next seminar!

Leader in Integrative Medicine to Restore Health and Prevent Disease

Oct 2014

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Also known as Reishi, ganoderma has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for over 4000 years. Known as the “elixir of immortality”, this mushroom is commonly used to maintain longevity and vitality. Having anti-anxiety and stress-lowering effects, Ganoderma is useful for those experiencing burnout.

Many patients with burnout experience pronounced declines in their immune system. This herb comes to the rescue possessing anti-bacterial, viral and retroviral effects, while enhancing immune cell production. Studies show benefit on reducing asthma severity and inflammation in autoimmune conditions such as lupus. Lastly, growth of certain tumors has been inhibited in lab studies with administration of Ganoderma.

Not your garden-variety mushroom, Ganoderma’s years of use in Eastern Medicine proves its value for today’s health concerns.

Ganoderma: Not Your Garden-Variety Vegetable By Natasha Klemm ND

concentration (roughly 100 000 billion). Depending on the strain and dose, different immune reactions are influenced.

Here is the short-list of probiotic benefits on the immune system:

• Directly influence the release of inflammatory compounds from intestine cells, reducing inflammation.

• Increase macrophage activity to recruit other immune cells to fight an infection.

• Stimulate Natural Killer (NK) cells to cause cell death in infected immune cells and certain tumor cells.

• In the elderly, who have a greater risk of infection complications, a greater response of macrophages and NK cells occurs with probiotic consumption.

• Stimulates IgA production locally and systemically—the antibody that acts as your first line of defense against pathogens.

• Pushes a Th1-dominant immune state, which is present in inflammatory/autoimmune conditions, like Crohn’s, colitis, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis, towards Th2, reducing inflammation.

• Pushes a Th2-dominant state, responsible for allergies and atopic dermatitis (eczema), towards a Th1 state, reducing atopy.

• Certain strains can physically breakdown casein, the protein in dairy which responsible for many food allergies and sensitivities.

As practitioners, we used to think that after taking a round of probiotics, the good bugs would colonize the gut and continue to replicate. Now we know that after 2 weeks of stopping a probiotic, your body can revert back to the probiotic population and concentration that existed before you started treatment. This winter season, don’t let the bad bugs win. Find a probiotic that is right for you!

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Facebook: /markhamintegrativemedicine Skype: gannage300

Dr. John Gannage MD, CCFP