Decreasing Carbon Footprint

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carbon footprint, carpooling, Dr. Tijana DC, environment, farmers markets, healthy.BEing family wellness, local produce, recycling

It goes without saying that our planet is suffering the consequence of our way of living and it has come a time where everyone can contribute to reducing the impact that our daily activities have on the environmental and climate changes across the globe. The goal is to raise awareness, contribute to making a change by actively participating, and getting others involved as well.

Here are some realistic suggestions on joining the movement to reduce our carbon footprint, even with the smallest mark:

Change your mode of transportation, especially in the summer. Start walking or biking to places, which will save you money on fuel and serve as a form of exercise. Riding a motorcycle, an eco-conscious or even a smaller vehicle can help decrease the amount of gas consumption and the amount of exhaust in the air, while saving money on gas.

 Support your local economy, from groceries to clothes and everything else. Farmer’s markets are popping us in a many communities across the country. They offer locally, many times organically, grown seasonable vegetables and fruit that has not been shipped a million miles before it gets on your table. Also, you can support local small business owners from farmers, boutiques, artists, and many more, while building a sense of community. LocalHarvest.org helps you find where you can find local farms and farmer’s market in your area.

Pay attention to packaging. Keep packaging to a minimum when shopping. Reusable bags are a must, especially the cloth ones, so on your next outing don’t forget yours. That is certainly a wonderful fashion statement!

Turn it ALL off. Your lights could certainly use a break, especially when they are not in use; dimmers for high traffic areas, or lamps instead of overhead lights; timers for outdoor lights. Switching to energy efficient lighting can certainly be money- and eco-conscious! Unplug all electrical appliances when not in use from the coffee pot and toaster to hairdryer, printers, DVD players, computers and mobile phones, because these utilize energy, even when not in use!

Save the water. Not keeping the water running all the time can save gallons each month, so turn it off while brushing teeth, washing face, or rinsing dishes. Using cold water to wash the clothes reduces energy that is wasted on heating the water, while preserving the colors in your bright loads of laundry. Water outside plants and/or garden early or late in the day, which will keep the moisture in the ground and not be evaporated by the sun.

Plant something to offset carbon. Native species will grow better in a familiar environment. Also, use organic soil when planting — it’s made using more eco-friendly methods and less resources. You can easily plant even small herb garden on your balcony, which can grown year-round in many cases and can be used in cooking dishes.

Reduce use of plastic, which can leach hormone-like chemicals; this includes plastics marked BPA-free. Stop buying bottled water — they’re bad for the environment, expensive, and bad for your health; using in-home filtration system is a great way to combat both. Swap out plastic for glassware. Start by replacing the items you use regularly like drinking glasses and food storage. Also, don’t put hot or acidic food in plastic and NEVER microwave them.

Gather for environment’s sake. Social gatherings are a great way to entertain and cooking for a large group is more efficient and less expensive, per person. So organize a potluck with your family and friends and reduce the carbon footprint together. You can even combine errands. Bundle your errands in one trip to reduce the distance traveled as opposed to doing little trips in between other commitments. You can also make a social and fun trip by carpooling with a friend.  

Most of all: Remember to REDUCE, REUSE & RECYCLE. Try buying less, and reusing and fixing things when you can instead of buying new. Recycling is as easy as rolling the trash bin to the curb.

Doing these little steps can make a significant difference for everyone involved. I urge you to participate and teach others to do as well; your children, family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and even strangers! Let’s keep this planet as green for as long as we can!

Feel free to contact me here with any questions, at drtijana.dc@gmail.com, Facebook, or Twitter!

Be healthy & happy, Dr. Tijana

SCHEDULE THE FIRST APPOINTMENT FOR YOU & YOUR FAMILY for a comprehensive health assessment TODAY at 706.254.4579!

Nutrition + Environment = Epigenetic Changes

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cancer, diet, dna methylation, Dr. Tijana DC, environment, epigenetics, gene expressioin, heavy metals, HPA axis, nutrition, optimum health

Dis-ease is a combinational process of genetic alterations and epigenetic changes in the gene expression, all while under direct and indirect influence of environmental factors. While conventional genetics has spent a significant amount of time dissecting the hereditary factors that affect carcinogenesis, the reversible epigenetic mechanisms are focusing on discovering how to maintain and control the appropriate expression of the DNA formation in a wide variety of phenotypic alterations in abnormal cells. DNA methylation is one of the primary epigenetic modifications that directly influences differentiation, genomic imprinting, DNA mutation, and DNA repair, without altering the DNA coding sequence.

When assessing environmental influences, nutrition, lifestyle, and exposure to toxins are in the forefront of the discussion. The epigenetic changes are initiated during the prenatal critical time period through maternal nutrition that will ultimately effect the development of the fetus into adulthood, as evident in the Agouti gene study demonstrations.

As the body works in synchronicity of numerous biological processes, a balanced symphony of appropriate nutrient levels is essential for chemical reactions leading to DNA methylation. These nutrients (folate, betaine, choline, zinc, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12) function as cofactors or intermediates, so an imbalance, either excessive or deficient, will consequently result in inappropriate gene expression. Alcohol, arsenic, lead, mercury, chromium, cadmium, coumestrol, equol, genistein, nickel, and many others will additionally influence DNA methylation and cancer susceptibility. These toxic elements have become stimulating epigenetic factors in the general environment, from the dietary sources to the direct and indirect environmental pollutants.

The toxic exposure to non-organic elements that cause grave epigenetic alterations in gene expression result in significant endocrine disruption of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The disintegration of the HPA axis marks a hormonal derangement that can be transferred over generations, regardless if the insult occurred in-vitro or in adulthood. The HPA axis is also sensitive to dietary factors and environmental toxins. For example, bisphenol A (BPA) is a known endocrine disruptor, is carcinogenic on its own as it increases cancer susceptibility through developmental reprogramming as a result of epigenetic changes following exposure in utero.

Unfortunately, the interactions between toxic food and environmental toxins may exponentially increase the harmful effects on gene expression. The result is a combined burden of severe environmental toxicity on children and adults, whose body systems are unable to appropriately address the reversible epigenetic changes with nutrient deficiencies and disrupted endocrine function.

This discussion certainly is quite intricate. A substantial amount of research is still being conducted. I encourage you to ask questions and explore more!

Feel free to contact me here, at drtijana.dc@gmail.com, Facebook, or Twitter!

Yours in health, Dr. Tijana