Every cell in your body, except your red blood cells, contain mitochondria. Science has always described mitochondria as the powerhouse of your cell – since they generate energy. New information is that they also act like small antennae that help your body sense the environment and respond appropriately. The science gets complicated but for the purposes of this newsletter let me just say – signals from nature tend to reinforce your health and signals from artificial indoor environments tend to disrupt your health.
THE PROBLEM:
In the Winter we spend the majority of our days inside which dysregulates health.
HEALTH YOURSELF SOLUTIONS:
When the days are long and the temperature is mild you have to drag me inside at the end of the day. I feel so good being outside in nature. Darker, colder days are hard for me. I have always said I am solar powered! Living in the Midwest, I have found ways to cope such as winter vacations to tropical destinations and using my infrared sauna which provides the beneficial infrared heat and red light found in nature (my brand is Saunaspace, but there are many good brands available). This year I am making a commitment to delve into the actual health benefits of winter and embrace it instead of just enduring it. We know that adapting to seasonal changes can be beneficial. However, in the modern world it’s possible to create an artificial indoor environment with plenty of heat and light and ignore the seasonal changes. So what are some of the benefits of following nature’s cues and adjusting your health habits during the winter?
COLD TEMPERATURES – WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
Well if you know anything about the bio-hacker and anti-aging communities you know they love cold therapy for its health benefits. No one initially thinks exposure to cold temperatures or cold water is a great idea but after they do it they swear by it. Think of the NFL players who subject themselves to ice baths to reap the benefits and maintain their high performance. Cold therapy decreases inflammation, it increases endorphins that help you feel good and reduce pain, it activates antioxidants and cold shock proteins which help cells repair and regenerate, it helps tone the immune system and it increases metabolism. Cold essentially is what is known as a hormetic stressor – the cold creates stress but the adaptations your body makes to deal with that stress leaves you stronger. Exercise is another example of a hormetic stressor.
Having said all that, let me add that most bio-hackers and all NFL players are men and most of the research on cold therapy has been on men. Women are not little men! Our physiology is different. Women are built to more keenly sense changes and conditions in our environment (so we do not reproduce under stressful conditions). So it turns out women are more sensitive to cold stressors. I recommend that women factor this in and don’t push themselves to extremes with cold therapy. So if you want the benefits of cold therapy I recommend starting by just exposing yourself more to the cold temperatures in the winter by getting outside. I am trying to honor my circadian rhythm ( for the many health benefits) by going outside to see the sunrise and sunset each day. In years past I have omitted this during the winter. This year I plan on continuing to do it even on the coldest days (you don’t have to actually see the sun for the benefits – so even cloudy days are effective in setting your circadian rhythm and initiating important hormone and neurotransmitter secretion).
If you’re even more committed you can try cold plunging whether it’s a cold shower/bath, ice bath or plunge into a lake/ocean. I do not recommend this if you have heart disease and caution all women to check with their doctor before cold plunging. What I personally plan to try this winter is a much milder version of plunging called face plunging (you can laugh at the image of my wimpy self doing this). You get a bowl large enough to be able to stick your face in, add some water and ice cubes, take a deep breath and plunge your face into the bowl until you need your next breath. This can be repeated several times. It is not as shocking to the body as a full body plunge but still gives you cold therapy benefits. If you tolerate this well, desire to do more and your doctor says it’s ok you can move up to a full body plunge.
HEALTH YOURSELF ACTION – EMBRACE COLD THERAPY
LONGER DARKER DAYS – WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS
Well here is a novel thought – what if you allowed yourself more rest and time to regenerate and repair. Your biology is set up to do just that if you allow it in the winter (mammals in nature hibernate or at least slow down). Women in general are always doing too much – packing each day to the brim with activities/responsibilities. I am definitely guilty of this. This year I am going to use the environmental clue of dark shorter days to slow down. To follow the winter circadian rhythm of more darkness it means you need to avoid artificial light after sunset. All of the LED lights and screens emit too much blue light which tells your body its midday. Blue light stimulates the hormone cortisol. That’s one reason you can get a 2nd wind at night that interferes with your sleep. Blue light can also elevate your blood sugar contributing to metabolic dysfunction and weight gain. In the winter the advantage of more darkness is that it helps you produce more of the hormone of darkness – melatonin. Melatonin is now known not just to be produced in the pineal gland to make you sleepy but it is also produced in cells throughout the body. It turns out that melatonin is the most powerful antioxidant produced in your body. Melatonin helps cells to regenerate and repair = anti-aging. I have a long history of using blue light blocking glasses at night if I am looking at a screen (my brand is Spectra479). They have many styles including ones that fit over prescription or reading glasses. Twilight glasses used in the evening need to have orange or red lenses to more closely simulate natural light after dusk. If needed they also have glasses that fit over prescription or reading glasses instead of paying for custom lenses. This year my goal is to avoid screens after sunset since they emit excessive blue light. If I do have to use a screen I will put a filter on it and use my blue blocking glasses. To be even more conscientious of my light at night I plan to read an actual book with an amber/red book light as my light source (my booklight is the Hooga brand) or I will listen to a podcast.
HEALTH YOURSELF ACTION – PRODUCE MORE MELATONIN AND LESS CORTISOL BY BLOCKING BLUE LIGHT AT NIGHT
SEASONAL EATING – WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS
Mammals including you evolved with genes that allow your body to burn fat when food is naturally scarce such as in the winter. The problem in the modern world is that food is never scarce and we love “comfort” food in the winter. This year I am going to honor my environmental clues in winter (food naturally would be scarce) to reduce my carbohydrate consumption and I will do CIRCADIAN intermittent fasting. As a woman in midlife, I always do some form of time restricted eating but in the winter I need to shift my calories to an earlier window – when the sun is out and stop eating after sunset. This seasonal rhythm of eating will help me avoid my typical winter weight gain. Leptin is a master hormone that wasn’t even discovered until 1994 (the discovery led to all the new weight loss drugs). It controls many functions but a big one is to control your energy balance by telling your brain how much food to consume and your metabolism to speed up or slow down. If you have enough fat stored ( I certainly do!) more leptin is secreted from fat cells, sending the message that you can eat less and burn fat. If you don’t have enough fat stored leptin secretion decreases sending the message to eat more and burn less fat. The problem with modern life is you have the ability to eat no matter what message your leptin is sending. Overriding leptin’s message eventually leads to leptin resistance (metabolic confusion) and stubborn weight that wants to remain stored. The winter seasonal eating I have outlined allows you to regain proper leptin function which is very important for maintaining an optimal metabolism and weight.
HEALTH YOURSELF ACTION – IN THE WINTER EAT MORE PROTEIN AND FAT WITH FEWER CARBOHYDRATES. FOLLOW A WINTER CIRCADIAN RHYTHM OF MAKING YOUR EATING WINDOW ONLY DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS.
IMPORTANT SUPPLEMENTS IN WINTER
I adapt my winter supplement routine to fit the needs of the season. In the winter I tend to suffer from seasonal depression so I want to make sure I support my mood. In the winter I also want to support my immune system, avoid dry skin and since the darker days will help support repair and regeneration I also want to make sure I have enough antioxidants.
I yearly test and optimize my vitamin D level in the winter since vitamin D can help with mood and immune function. I am especially keen on making sure I am taking my vitamin D and keeping my level at 60-80 ng/ml. Hopefully you can have your doctor check your level but you can also self order a 25-hydroxyvitamin D level at questhealth.com
I always take an Omega 3 since I’m a Midwesterner who doesn’t like fish but again in the winter I make sure I am consistent with it since it helps my mood, immune system balance and helps my skin stay moist. I use WholeScripts – Xymogen’s Omega Pure 900 TG one daily and Dr Mercola’s Krill oil one daily – both at WholeScripts (if you register under my account Xymogen products are 7-9% cheaper than other sites and the product comes directly from the manufacturer’s warehouse which is important to maintain quality).
Since winter is a time to repair and regenerate, I occasionally use WholeScripts – Xymogen’s NAC one daily or QuickSilver Scientific Liposomal Glutathione 1-2 pumps on an empty stomach to help with repair/detoxification – both at WholeScripts. I think with both of these it’s best to use them occasionally and not daily since you don’t want to override your body’s own production of these nutrients.
In the winter fresh fruits and vegetables are not grown LOCALLY in most climates. Seasonally, if this is true for you and you are trying to reduce carbohydrates I do think it’s ok to keep many fruits and vegetables low in the winter. Having said that, I do know fruits and vegetables contain many beneficial nutrients so I occasionally supplement with a powder – Xymogen’s Organix Phytofood available at WholeScripts to get the benefits of nutrients found in fruits and vegetables that I may be missing in the winter.
HEALTH YOURSELF ACTION – RE-EVALUATE YOUR SUPPLEMENTS TO COMPLIMENT THE SEASON
Your Women’s Health Expert and Advocate,
Dr Brenda Smith M.D.
Dr. Brenda Smith, M.D. newsletter provides general health information for educational purposes only. The information in this newsletter is not to be used as a substitute for medical advice, can not diagnose or treat any health condition, and does not substitute for care from your own in person physician. Any questions regarding your own health should be addressed to your own primary care physician or other healthcare provider .
