Medicinal Mushrooms
One food source that has been thoroughly researched in its role in immune stimulation and cancer are Medicinal Mushrooms. This amazing food has the ability to complement chemotherapy and radiation therapy by countering several of the side effects of these modalities, including nausea, bone marrow suppression, anemia, and lowered resistance. The following mushrooms have shown powerful immune-boosting and anticancer activity—including blocking the formation of tumors. These mushrooms contain polysaccharides, substances that increase immune defense by enhancing the function of macrophages and natural killer (NK) cells.
Turkey Tail
A seven-year clinical study funded by the National Institutes of Health and jointly conducted by the University of Minnesota and Bastyr University in Seattle found that freeze-dried turkey tail mushroom had a dramatic impact in boosting immune function for women with stages I, II, and III breast cancer and also contributed to tumor shrinkage."
Maitake
This mushroom, also 'known as hen of the wood' has been found to inhibit tumor growth in human clinical trials. It has also been found to increase the production of interleukins, neutrophils, T cells, and macrophages while decreasing side effects of chemotherapy.
Shiitake
A 2015 University of Florida study showed increased immunity in people who ate a cooked shiitake mushroom every day for four weeks." By comparing blood tests obtained both before and after the experiment, researchers saw better functioning immune cells and reductions in inflammatory proteins.
Reisshi  ("Mushroom of Immortality")
Reisshi  mushrooms contain beta glucans, a type of polysaccharide that has demonstrated antitumor and immunostimulating activity. Recent findings indicate that reishi mushrooms may increase NK cell cytotoxicity against cancer cell lines. They may also protect against radiation damage.
Lion's Mane
Lion's mane mushrooms have been demonstrated to stimulate NK and macrophage activity and also to inhibit angiogenesis (the development of new blood vessels), contributing to reduction of tumor size. It was also discovered that when the mushroom was combined with the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin, an otherwise drug-resistant human liver cancer became treatable.
Cordyceps
Evidence shows that cordyceps is an immune modulator with potentiating and suppressive effects on both innate and adaptive immunity. It enhances the activity of NK cells and has been found to initiate T cell responses against microbial pathogens and tumors."
Conclusion: As you can see from the above, Medicinal Mushrooms should be included in everyone's diet to enhance immune function and has promise in the management of cancer.


References:

​By: Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., D.A.C.B.N., M.S.
Winters Nasha, Kelley Jess, The Metabolic Approach to Cancer, Chelsea Green Publishing, 2017
Seema Patel, Arun Goyal, Recent developments in mushrooms as anti-cancer therapeutics: a review, 3 Biotech. 2012 Mar; 2(1): 1–15.
Torkelson CJ, Sweet E, Martzen MR, Sasagawa M, Wenner CA, Gay J, Putiri A, Standish LJ., Phase 1 Clinical Trial of Trametes versicolor in Women with Breast Cancer.
Alena G. Guggenheim, Kirsten M. Wright, and Heather L. Zwickey, "Immune Modulation from Five Major Mushrooms: Application to Integrative Oncology" Integrative Medicine 13, no. 1 (February 2014): 32-44
Xiaoshuang Dai, Joy M. Stanilka, Cheryl A. Rowe, Elizabethe A. Esteves, Carmelo Nieves, Samuel J. Spaiser, Mary C. Christman, Bobbi Langlcamp-Henken, and Susan S. Percival, "Consuming Lentinula edodes (Shiitake) Mushrooms Daily Improves Human Immunity: A Randomized Dietary Intervention in Healthy Young Adults," Journal of the American College of Nutrition 34, no. 6 (2015): 478-87,
Patel and Goyal, "Recent Developments in Mushrooms as Anti-Cancer Therapeutics: A Review."
Bao-qin Lin and Shao-ping Li, "Cordyceps as an Herbal Drug," chap. 5 in Benzie and Wachtel-Galor, eds., Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects.
To find a healthcare professional certified in functional medicine, go to www.FunctionalMedicineDoctors.com. These are clinicians who have been trained at Functional Medicine University (www.FunctionalMedicineUniversity.com)


The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Grisanti and his functional medicine community. Dr. Grisanti encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. Visit www.FunctionalMedicineUniversity.com for more information on our training in functional medicine. ​

​1. Practice PosturePosture is a developmental process, meaning that the more that you stay in a certain position, the more that you’re going to remain in that position. That means that good posture is something that you have to constantly practice. Posture largely affects the amount of strain that you’re putting on various parts of your body, so making sure that you’re sitting up straight while you’re at your desk can be the difference between a healthy back and unpleasant bi-weekly visits to the chiropractor.
2. Get the Exercise GoingStretching regularly and exercising is a great way to loosen up your body, making it more malleable to your good habits. You’re relieving stress centers that exist in your body, providing your posture with the relief that it needs to make you look and feel great. By exercising, you’re protecting your body from stress that can cause chiropractic problems. It’s not only good for your chiropractic health, though. Exercise is going to improve your overall health, improving every part of your life, including both your body and your mind.
3. Watch Yourself at WorkIf you want to stay on top of your chiropractic health, you need to make sure that you’re watching yourself during your workday. Ideally, you’re going to want to make sure that you’re never sitting for more than forty-five minutes at any given time. Make sure that you get up and walk around for a little bit, it’s going to keep you loose and make sure that you continue feeling great.
Unless you’re in a job that requires it, you should be cutting out as much heavy lifting from your lifestyle as possible. If you can’t, make sure that you’re utilizing the proper lifting techniques to prevent potential injuries from occurring. Lift with your legs, not with your back, and if you have to carry something heavy, don’t put all of the weight on just one shoulder, or you might get shoulder pain, which can result in even worse problems.
4. Avoid Bad Sleeping Habits One of the easiest ways to cause back problems is to sleep on it incorrectly. In order to get the spinal health you want, make sure that you never sleep on your belly, and on your back if you can. Your mattress should be more firm than soft, and you should have a contoured pillow that will fit your neck correctly while you rest. If you don’t do this, you might start experiencing the back pain that millions of Americans are already experiencing.
If you’re falling asleep on the couch at night, make sure that you’re not using the arm of the sofa as a pillow, as this can strain your neck substantially, causing you to need some serious chiropractic work. Try to sleep on your side with your knees bent and a pillow between them. Not only is this a very comfortable position, but it’s also the best position for your chiropractic health.
5. Wallet in the Front PocketThere are many seemingly harmless things that you can do to practically ruin your chiropractic health, but among them, having a wallet in your back pocket is probably the worst. Having something constantly digging into your posterior is not only uncomfortable, but it also throws off the entire alignment of your spine, making it almost impossible for you to retain the good chiropractic health habits that you want to have. Make sure that you don’t keep anything in that back pocket, it’s more for decoration on your pants anyway. You can be sure that your lower back is going to thank you for it.
Practice Chiropractic WellnessChiropractic wellness is a simple matter of practice. Catch yourself next time you’re at your desk and notice that you’re slouching. Discipline yourself to get out and exercise whenever you can. Cut out the lifting, and make sure that you avoid all of the bad sleeping habits. These are all tips that can prevent chronic pain from becoming a problem in your body. By practicing all of these, you substantially reduce your risk of experiencing pain, which can take several chiropractic appointments over a matter of weeks to fix.
If you want to stay flexible, reduce your stress, and prevent a myriad of disease, you need to stay on top of your chiropractic health. The only way to do that is to have regular appointments with a chiropractor who has a plan that’s based on your specific chiropractic needs. From physiotherapy, to spinal adjustments, your chiropractor has a plan for you. What do you do when you’re not with your chiropractor? How do you stay on top of that chiropractic health in the interim? Here are a few tips that you can use in your everyday life to improve your chiropractic health so you can stay on top of things between the appointments that you have with your chiropractor.

Provided by: Premier Chiropractic & Wellness

The brain is the most nutrient-dependent, energy-dependent and toxin- and stress-vulnerable organ in the body. The gut and the brain are very tightly linked. In the gut-brain axis, damage to one is often damage to the other.

Concussion is a good example. When a blow to the head or severe jolt causes a concussion, the damage to the neurons has a parallel in damage to the gut lining. The tight junctions of the lining almost immediately open up and become permeable. This produces inflammatory cytokines that can penetrate the blood-brain barrier, leading to additional brain inflammation. In other words, when the gut is on fire, so is the brain.
If the sudden intestinal permeability caused by a concussion goes untreated, the concussion symptoms will be worse, due to the additional inflammation. The gut permeability may not resolve by itself, which could contribute to making the concussion symptoms linger on for weeks instead of days. Intestinal permeability may also play a role in those patients who go on to develop post-concussion syndrome by causing ongoing brain inflammation.
So, in addition to treating the concussion itself with nutrition, the intestinal permeability, particularly the release of occludin and zonulin, needs to be immediately addressed.
The intercellular permeability of the gut lining can be treated through repair and regeneration with xanthohumol. A natural phenol derivative of hops, xanthohumol has a very extensive (more than 250 publications in preclinical science) record of efficacy and safety. In the brain, xanthohumol acts as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory; it also helps with the biogenesis of mitochondria in damaged neurons. In the gut, the polyphenols are strongly anti-inflammatory. They modify the inflammatory kinases in favor of antioxidant pathways and, just as important, block the kinases in the cell-damaging inflammatory pathways for tumor necrosis factor, COX-2, and others.
On a chronic level, we know that neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, depression, and anxiety may not be exclusively triggered within the brain. When the intestinal barrier is breached, so is the blood-brain barrier. Inflammation from circulating gut-derived lipopolysaccharides (LPS) pass through the blood-brain barrier and have been linked to a number of neurodegenerative disorders. In particular, LPS stimulates the production of IgA, IgG, and IgM antibodies that can cross-react with tissues and induce autoimmune disease and neurodegeneration. 
Treating brain inflammation caused by gut inflammation starts with removing the cause through a modified elimination food plan and the removal of pathogens. Anti-inflammatory supplements, such as berberine, and digestive enzymes, such as lipase and amylase, help restore the gut lining. The next step is to reinoculate and regenerate the gut with a powdered nutritional supplement if needed, continuation of the modified elimination diet, and the addition of probiotics, vitamin D, alpha-lipoic acid, and specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs). Xanthohumol is also very helpful for regenerating intestinal mucosa.
Once the process is underway, retesting is important to see the gains and make any necessary adjustments to the treatment plan. As healing progresses, retaining the gains with a better diet and appropriate supplements becomes the focus of treatment.
Healing the intestinal barrier is only half the equation. The brain inflammation needs to be treated as well. Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is a valuable tool for improving neurological function. In concussion patients, it has been shown to help reduce inflammation, modulate oxidative stress and nitric oxide production, and down-regulate pro-inflammatory microglial cytokine expression.
LLLT is also valuable for reducing inflammation of the vagus nerve. The longest of the cranial nerves, the vagus is often called the great wanderer for the way is wanders through the visceral organs. A major function of the vagus nerve is preventing inflammation. In the gut, the vagus nerve endings sense the chemical signals of inflammation, such as cytokines and tumor necrosis factor, and send messages to the brain telling it to release anti-inflammatory neurotransmitters via the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway. When the brain-gut axis is disrupted, the vagus nerve is affected and the messages back and forth are garbled or don't get through at all. Decreased vagal nerve activity has some serious effects on the gut. Hydrochloric acid and pancreatic enzyme secretion is reduced, as is bile secretion. The parietal cells in the stomach, which are responsible for producing intrinsic factor, don't work as well, leading to reduced absorption of B vitamins. 
We know that post-injury vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) after a concussion can help prevent the breakdown of epithelial cells in the gut and keep the tight junctions from opening. This only works when administered within 90 minutes of the injury, however. Later on, stimulation of the vagus nerve with LLLT using 405 nm violet lightcan help to restore communications and reduce inflammation.
Treatment modalities such as those discussed here help repair the integrity of the gut lining and the blood-brain barrier. They're a hopeful new approach to restoring the functionality of the gut-brain axis and returning the body to harmony.  
About the Author:Dr. Silverman graduated magna cum laude from the University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic and has a Masters of Science in human nutrition. His extensive list of educational accomplishments includes designations as a certified nutrition specialist, certified clinical nutritionist, certified sports nutritionist. Dr. Silverman is a diplomate with the American Clinical Board of Nutrition and the Chiropractic Board of Clinical Nutrition. He is an internationally-known speaker and author with a full-time private practice in White Plains, NY, where he specializes in the treatment of joint pain with innovative, science-based, nonsurgical approaches and functional nutrition. Dr. Silverman is also on the advisory board for the Functional Medicine University. He is a health contributor to Fox News Radio and has appeared on Fox & Friends, Fox News, NBC News, CBS News, NewsMax TV, WPIX, and Wall Street Journal Live. He was awarded the prestigious 2015 Sports Chiropractor of the Year by the ACA Sports Council. In 2016 he published Inside/Out Health: A Revolutionary Approach to Your Body.

By: Robert G. Silverman, DC, DACBN, DCBCN, MS, CCN, CNS, CSCS, CIISN, CKTP, CES, HKC, SASTM

The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Grisanti and his functional medicine community. Dr. Grisanti encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. Visit www.FunctionalMedicineUniversity.com for more information on our training in functional medicine.