BJJ In My Eyes April 2010: Treat Yourself like a racehorse!
(Vitamins and Minerals, Sleep and Pillow alignment, Inflammation and Magnesium, Serrapeptaste and Curcumin, Stress, Chiropractics and Massage)

Professor William Vandry (3rd degree BB) and Master Carlos Machado (8th degree RBB)

Happy April, going after the Easter holidays to all!  I want to discuss a different area that pertains to our Jiu-jitsu lifestyle and function.  In life, I enjoy learning and experience, but most of all wisdom.  I enjoy learning new technologies, strategies, and theories in our BJJ world, yet this has always pertained to my personal life.  Since I was a child, I always problem solved certain situations, and of course the more experienced we are in life, the better we develop and grow those strategies.

In life, I have been an athlete, investor, business owner, Christian, landlord, mentor, instructor, politician (no, not that kind), sponsor, non-profit owner for homeless and needy, real estate owner and a husband.  I suppose I can add three million more things, but I wanted to add that there is one other label that I really have enjoyed being since childhood.  Research.  In Webster’s dictionary, research is defined as:

research definition
re·search
noun
careful, systematic, patient study and investigation in some field of knowledge, undertaken to discover or establish facts or principles

Research in diverse areas is a passion of mine, and always has been.  I enjoy learning and teaching.  I had a discussion after a day class with one of my Brown and Black belts.  I told them about this new hypothesis I had explored regarding side mount escape.  The idea when I showed them was how to escape side and start getting control over the opponent even if they are crushing you in the side mount.  Obviously I have already explored this side escape with some very tough students first.  Anyway, the point is exploring areas develops ideas, and develops a system to help you whether it be mathematics, BJJ, school, relationships, health or nutrition.

Hmmm…did I just say health and nutrition?  I certainly did.  These are areas that at times even athletes can lag or get a little emotionally lazy at.  For instance, we have so many problems with health in our society, that at times disease and injuries become a chronic staple that we feel we never need to actually remove, just put a band aid on.

Ok, before we delve into some information, first of all I am not a physician. The information presented on this site is not intended for diagnostic or treatment purposes. Please consult your own physician for medical advice or services. The information provided on this website is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be considered a replacement for the expert advice of a qualified health practitioner.
www.austinbjj.com makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis.
Research is not reading the National Enquirer and claiming it as a fact.  Research is delving into a subject, then cross-referencing subjects with other research informational data.  For instance, if I need to review how a vitamin or nutrient works with the body, there are so many ways to search, but pubmed, a medical website with data on scientific studies can brief me and educate me faster than simply looking for a subject on google.

I listen to many online radio stations with information that pertains to health, fitness, etc. in our lives.
In Jiu-jitsu, all of us are athletes.  (Yes, you new students too!)  You may or may not compete, but you are still an athlete when you endeavor in physical training and a type of education.  Usually different athletes require different sources of energy, recovery and physical development.
Some athletes can recover faster than others.  Some have a better immunity system, or better genetics and are built to be more athletic. 

Vitamins and Minerals
Lets get a quick breakdown (well, maybe not so quick) for all of my students across Texas, and their particular students in schools.  Starting with basically, an quick review on Vitamins (A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, B12, Vitamin C).
http://www.healthalternatives2000.com/minerals-nutrition-chart.html
 

Editors Note : The links below contains charts with vital information about vitamins, minerals, and their sources that could not be displayed on this page - Please check them out, as they are a key tool and aspect of this article!

http://www.healthalternatives2000.com/vitamins-nutrition-chart.html

http://www.healthalternatives2000.com/minerals-nutrition-chart.html

Ok, so this is just a quick FYI for vitamins and minerals.  Remember, as a racehorse in the martial arts, and specifically, our students that train grappling and striking, there are information points to understand regarding your body.  When you sweat, it does a great number of things.  It detoxifies your body of toxins and overload of some minerals that need lesser amounts than others. 

First of all, if you have not thoroughly researched nutrition, or at least a reference point, you should start with one.  And you should research yourself, itemize a food chart for what you eat, drink, and sleep each week.  People memorize fad names for diets rather than diets these days.  You should understand your caloric intake, and what type of metabolism you have.  Is it fast, is it slow, moderate?  This can give you an initial understanding of why you have some symptoms or conditions.  Research with nutrition is for anyone, but information should be from credible resources.  There is nothing I can ever discuss without first having a resource of information, which is why I usually add links to them.

There is a fascinating MD named Dr. Sherry Rogers.  Dr. Sherry Rogers MD, Leading National Toxicology Expert is a Fellow of the American College of Allergy and Immunology and a Diplomat of the American Academy of Environmental Medicine, and has been in private practice for over 26 years. 
She is a lecture of yearly original scientific material, as well as advanced courses for physicians. She was the keynote speaker for the international symposium Indoor Air Quality 86 in which she described the office method for testing chemical sensitivities.
She has published 17 scientific articles, 10 books, and was the environmental medicine editor for INTERNAL MEDICINE WORLD REPORT.
She has lectured throughout China, Sweden, England, Canada, and Europe, as well as the United States in indoor air symposia to physicians and the public. She has appeared on numerous television and radio programs and writes monthly articles for health magazines, plus her own and other newsletters covering all aspects of environmental illness.
For Dr. Rogers we are all under a huge MACC Attack (multinational agricultural and chemical corporations) from the disease-producing industry (pharmaceutical companies and genetic engineered food and pesticide producers). She teaches how to survive and thrive in this toxic world, what foods confer health, what strategies protect against pollution (“The solution to pollution is dilution” - read her books to find out how). That begins with cutting “out the CRAP” (cigarettes, coffee, refined sugars, alcohol, aspirin, processed foods). Central to health is the abandonment of SAD, the Standard American Diet with its nutrient-depleted and toxin-laden refined foods.
In a bodybuilding website interview on health, Dr. Rogers answered a question regarding improving health:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/charles5.htm
CP: If one is on a budget what are the 5 cheapest ways to detoxify the human body?
SR:

1. Eliminate all trans-fats. Trans-fats, hidden in the majority of factory foods, accelerate every disease and aspect of aging, thus making it impossible to completely heal any condition or reach maximum output until the body's chemistry has returned to normal. Eliminating those nasty fats cuts in half your risk for cardio-vascular disease!
2. Switch to a whole foods diet. Eat as organic as possible. That may seem obvious, but very few people adhere to this type of diet.
3. Improve the quality of your water. An inexpensive $100.00 filter will do wonders for your health. Take for example fluoride; it was found that instead of building strong healthy teeth, it damaged brain enzymes and lowered I,Q..s (Zhao, Foulkes).
4. Take the daily detox formula as explained in my book, "Detoxify or Die"
5. Take a high quality fish oil to help you regenerate your cell membranes. And for peak performance, have your fatty acids assayed and individually correct and prime your cell membranes (directions in "Detoxify or Die")

Sleep and Pillow alignment
http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/default.htm
Sleep problems, including snoring, sleep apnea, insomnia, sleep deprivation, and restless legs syndrome, are common among millions of Americans. It’s important to understand why sleep is necessary for optimal health, how the natural hormone melatonin affects sleep and wakefulness, and how the different states and stages of sleep impact sleep quality, quantity, and sleep dreams.
Many people have sleep impairment.  I used to have insomnia since I was a teenager.  I slept broken sleep, which is a major problem in the USA with children and adults.
Each night I take a melatonin (which some people can or cannot, although it is natural) , one L-tryptophan and one Valerian root.  These three work in combination with each other for me, but for people researching sleep, its best to research and get a professional opinion.

Pillow alignment is one of the biggest problems in sleep.  I myself used to fall off my bed in the morning with hips that were aching, and my neck was very tight.  I learned how to modify correct alignment for myself when sleeping.
For alignment in the bed, your spinal alighment, neck position .

Pillow is designed to keep the spine in natural alignment
http://www.spine-health.com/wellness/sleep/pillow-support-and-comfort

The human neck curves slightly forward (to sustain the weight of the head when upright), and it’s important to maintain this curve when in a resting position. If the height of the pillow is too high when sleeping sideways or on the back, the neck is bent abnormally forward or to the side, causing muscle strain on the back of the neck and shoulders. This type of position may also cause narrowing of the air pipe, resulting in obstructed breathing, and sometimes snoring, which can hinder sleep. Conversely, if the height of the pillow is too low, the neck muscles can also be strained.
Based on the body’s measurements and personal preference, the pillow should maintain a height of 4 to 6 inches, properly supporting the head and neck (and shoulders when lying on back).

Here is a link to Good health USA, a company that supplies supplements for sleep insomnia.
http://www.goodhealthusa.com/index.php?p=catalog&parent=21&pg=1&pt=3

Inflammation and Magnesium
Inflammation, Heart Disease and Stroke: The Role of C-reactive protein

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4648

How does inflammation relate to heart disease and stroke risk?
“Inflammation” is the process by which the body responds to injury or an infection. Laboratory evidence and findings from clinical and population studies suggest that inflammation is important in atherosclerosis (ath”er-o-skleh-RO’sis). This is the process in which fatty deposits build up in the inner lining of arteries.
C-reactive protein (CRP) is one of the acute phase proteins that increase during systemic inflammation. It’s been suggested that testing CRP levels in the blood may be an additional way to assess cardiovascular disease risk. A more sensitive CRP test, called a highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) assay, is available to determine heart disease risk. 
The American Heart Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a joint scientific statement in 2003 on the use of inflammatory markers in clinical and public health practice. This statement was developed after systematically reviewing the evidence of association between inflammatory markers (mainly CRP) and coronary heart disease and stroke.

Magnesium and inflammation
http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/uncategorized/magnesium-and-inflammation/ 
Dr. Michael R. Eades MD:
The most recent issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition contains an article showing that as consumption of magnesium fell, the levels of C-reactive protein went up.
The paper points out that the majority of adults in the US (68%) don’t consume even the RDA of magnesium, which is, as far as I’m concerned, woefully low. Magnesium is an unbelievably important mineral for all sorts of body processes. Some 300+ enzymes use magnesium as a cofactor; magnesium helps regulate potassium status; magnesium acts as nature’s own calcium channel blocker, helping blood pressure stay down and blood vessels stay pliable; magnesium builds bones; magnesium is anti-inflammatory. The list of magnesium’s virtues goes on and on.
In fact, there exists an entire school of thought that posits that the entire Metabolic Syndrome is nothing but a manifestation of a magnesium deficiency. Which isn’t as crazy as it sounds since virtually all the components of the Metabolic Syndrome—diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and lipid disordersare associated with low magnesium.
Why are so many people deficient in magnesium? Because there are no single foods that contain huge amounts of magnesium, and because there is no single food containing large amounts, there is no magnesium lobby. Look at calcium. Thanks to the dairy industry, we are constantly told that we need to get enough calcium, and we’re told right where we can get it. Milk and cheese. Same with vitamin C. The orange juice people never let us forget. Not so with magnesium, so no one really thinks of it.

Nature’s calcium channel blocker is magnesium, which has no side effects. Relaxation of muscles—of which the heart is one—is a primary function of magnesium, hence its importance, which Dr. Rogers cannot stress enough.
“If you wanted to take the most important, the number one, mineral in the human body that is sorely neglected, and is at the root of just about every disease, and is a component of just about every symptom, it’s magnesium,” she says.
“It runs more enzymes than any other mineral in the body—over 400 enzymes. The average American diet, government studies show us, provides only 40%—less than half the magnesium that we all need in a day. So, almost everybody is low!”
http://www.best-magnesium-citrate.com/magnesium-heart-rogers.html
I have reviewed magnesium and its proven medical journal reports.  Magnesium is one of the most important, if not the most important mineral in the body.  As above cited from Dr. Rogers, magnesium deficiency is incredible for so many symptoms.  I myself take magnesium via pill and what is also the best form, magnesium gel.  The gel form is absorbed through the skin, and has a higher absorbability than pill form.  I purchase my gel from the website and all information regarding magnesium gel can be read.

“The gel helps in the relief of muscle spasms, sports pain and arthritis pain. The inclusion of certified organic aloe vera extract helps encourage healthy skin which in turn helps reduce scarring and the effects of aging. The gel also helps in healing various skin conditions including acne, psoriasis, eczema, and dermatitis, when applied on the skin.”
http://www.goodhealthusa.com/index.php?p=product&id=120&parent=2
Serrapeptaste and Curcumin

Serrapeptase or Serratiopeptidase, an enzyme isolated from a microorganism in silkworm, is widely used in clinical practice in Japan. Until more is known about the long-term benefit and side effects of serrapeptase.
Basically Serrapeptaste is a product made from plants that mimics the silkworm enzyme in chewing up scar tissue, and inflammation.
Taken from the website of Dr. Sahelian, M.D., there are some interesting results.
Ray Sahelian, M.D., obtained a Bachelors of Science degree in nutrition from Drexel University and completed his doctoral training at Thomas Jefferson Medical School, both in Philadelphia.

Dr. Sahelian’s website refers to serrapeptaste and the effects on inflammation regarding carpal tunnel syndrome:

A preliminary trial of serratiopeptidase in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome

J Assoc Physicians India. 1999 Dec;47(12):1170-2.

This study was planned to assess the response of serratiopeptidase ( serrapeptase ) in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. Twenty patients with carpal tunnel syndrome were evaluated clinically. After baseline electrophysiological studies, these patients were given serrapeptase 10 mg twice daily with initial short course of nimesulide. Clinical and electrophysiological reassessment was done after 6 weeks. Sixty five percent of serrapeptase cases showed significant clinical improvement, which was supported, by improvement in electrophysiological parameters. Recurrence was reported in four cases. No significant side effect was observed. Serrapeptase therapy may proved to be a useful alternative mode of conservative treatment. Larger study may be further helpful to establish the role of serrapeptase in carpal tunnel syndrome. Serratiopeptidase therapy.
http://www.raysahelian.com/serrapeptase.html

Dr. Sahelian also covers Curcumin.  Curcumin extract is one of the major antioxidant extracts found in the spice turmeric. The roots of the turmeric plant are used as an herb in Asian cooking such as curries. Curcumin is a major component of turmeric herb and extensive scientific research has demonstrated their potent antioxidant properties. Through their antioxidant mechanisms, curcumin and turmeric support colon health, exert neuroprotective activity and help maintain a healthy cardiovascular system.

Curcumin Turmeric research studies

Curcumin therapy in inflammatory bowel disease: a pilot study.

Dig Dis Sci. 2005 Nov;50(11):2191-3. Holt PR, Katz S, Kirshoff R.

St. Luke's RooseveltHospitalCenter, ColumbiaUniversity and StrangCancerCenter Research Laboratory, New York, New York.

Curcumin, a natural compound used as a food additive, has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in cell culture and animal studies. A pure curcumin preparation was administered in an open label study to five patients with ulcerative proctitis and five with Crohn's disease. All proctitis patients improved, with reductions in concomitant medications in four, and four of five Crohn's disease patients had lowered CDAI ( crohn's disease activity index ) scores and sedimentation rates. This encouraging pilot study suggests the need for double-blind placebo-controlled follow-up studies.
http://www.raysahelian.com/curcumin.html

Stress, chiropractics and massage

Aha…my shameless plug for The BJJ Doctor, Dr. Jeff Snow, my chiropractor and a lead healer in the BJJ community.  Dr. Snow has treated me going over three years, and I must have had this discussion so many times on health.  Chiropractics for those of you that never had an adjustment, is very similar to BJJ schools.  There are many here and there, but you just don’t know quite sure whether some do it better than others.  I used to have chronic shoulder and hip pain due to sleeping habits that I later problem solved. (Sleep and Pillow alignment)  Dr. Snow has adjusted myself, over 100 of my own students in Austin, and even two of my instructors, Masters Rigan and Carlos Machado.  I will give  the good Doctor an A plus for effort and success.  To this day, he has an impressive record of `100% improvement in health due to his treatment.  Notice I did not say cure miraculously, I said improvement.  This, like diet, nutrition, rest and others are a daily struggle.  I have had some students with a chronic neck or back issues, that after one adjustment from Dr. Snow, they improved their health.   And here lies the curse.  They think they are cured.  Or they are ok, and will get adjusted when they feel bad enough to jump off a cliff.  Not bright.  Remember your overall health is prescribed not by doctors, but by you.  You are the one that ingests supplements, food, water or fluids or medicine.  Same thing with your Jiu-jitsu training, and rest.  You need to keep a steady timeline.  I myself get adjustments sometimes three times a week from Dr. Snow.  I have also used his massage staff  for deep tissue, which also detoxifies the body of toxins and loosens tight muscles.  Dr. Snow has an excellent staff of massage.  If time for massage is limited, you can always purchase a massage chair and get a home massage 15 minutes a day.  This helps alleviate tension, pressure and to keep tight muscles loose.
Stress is the big demon here.  I know many students that come by my classes at lunchtime to get away from the desk, relieve stress and sort of get a great break.  This therapy that BJJ does at our academy is vital for many of the hard working students.  Stress is an issue many people do not even consider or worry about.  The feeling of just take an aspirin, or Tylenol or whatever we think at times to putting a bandaid on the problem.
To contact Dr. Snow for an appointment, you can reach him on this website via his email at  http://kapsner.com/

Depression, Stress related to Heart Disease

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/prevention/stress/depressionandheart.aspx

Written with Leo Pozuelo, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Psychology

 Studies have shown that mental stress has a negative effect on a person’s heart health. In particular:

• Unmanaged stress can lead to high blood pressure, arterial damage, irregular heart rhythms and a weakened immune system.

Cardiovascular Consequences of  Chronic Stress
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/meetings/workshops/heart_stress.htm
Studies in people with preexisting coronary disease or essential hypertension consistently show a positive relationship between stress reactivity and subsequent clinical outcomes, including stroke.

Ok, in review we have a little more information regarding points on sleep, nutrition, stress and chiropractics.  Remember you as a Jiu-jitsu pracitioner have an obligation to take care of yourself.  A tan or diet pills doesn’t quite cut it.  If you cannot maintain good health and nutrition, you will be a very slow racehorse.

Absorb, and think.

Professor William Vandry
www.austinbjj.com

Vandry BJJ Academy: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), Muay Thai Boxing & Judo - Austin, Texas.