SpaceWorks, a NASA contractor, has proposed Mars transports and studies of induced torpor for their passengers.

Someday astronauts packed inside rocketing tin cans bound for Mars or worlds even more distant may be protected from radiation and space sickness by being placed in a state of torpor, an ultra-low metabolic rate induced by nitrogen gas, icy saline, or some as-yet-undiscovered animal proteins. While their cellular activity is kept at a fraction of its normal rate, theyll hibernate in spinning pods like bears as they hurdle through space for months at a time. They may lie in white hibernation pods like the cryo-preserved astronauts in futuristic fantasies like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien, and Avatar.

More likely, though, astronauts and space colonists will learn a few tricks from dehydrated snails, which survive for a year or more ingesting nothing; giant pandas subsisting on low-calorie bamboo; leeches that survive a liquid nitrogen bath; children who have been submerged in frozen ponds yet can still be resuscitated; or skiers buried in an avalanche and brought back to life ever so slowly, reborn from a super-cooled, dreamless state.

Scientists call this phenomenon torpor-induced hibernation. Once considered outlandish, torpor inductionthe old term was suspended animationis under serious study for long-duration spaceflight.

This is due in part to advances in low-temperature surgery, but also to an increased understanding of cases like one documented in 1995 in the journal Prehospital and Disaster Medicine. A four-year-old boy fell through the ice of a frozen lake in Hanover, Germany. A rescue team pulled him out but could not resuscitate him in the field. His pupils were fixed and dilated, and he remained in cardiac arrest a full 88 minutes. Upon admission to the hospital, his core body temperature was 67.6 degrees Fahrenheit, a sign of severe hypothermia.

Twenty minutes later, as doctors worked to warm the boys chest cavity, the ventricles of his heart started contracting. Ten minutes after that, his heart resumed normal sinus rhythm. The boy made a full recovery and was discharged two weeks later. His doctors believed the icy lake had rapidly cooled his body to a state of protective metabolic torpor, preserving all vital organs and tissues while reducing the need for blood oxygenin effect, saving the boys life. Cases like this are exactly why we think that very deep hypothermia can allow our patients to survive, writes Samuel Tisherman, director of the Center for Critical Care and Trauma Education at the University of Maryland Medical Center, in an email. The key is cooling the brain either before blood flow stops or as soon as possible after blood flow stops. The colder [it gets], the longer the brain can tolerate not having blood flow.

Therapeutic hypothermia has become a part of surgical practice. Experimental procedures with cooling started as early as the 1960s, mostly in cardiac and neonatal cases. Babies were placed in cooling blankets or packed in ice and even snow banks to slow circulation and reduce oxygen requirements before heart surgery.

Today, physicians use moderate hypothermia (roughly 89 degrees) as a staple of care for some newborns in medical distress, such as those born premature or suffering from fetal oxygen deprivation (hypoxia). The babies are treated with cooling caps for 72 hours, which lower their metabolism just enough to reduce tissue oxygen requirements and allow the brain and other vital organs to recover.

By the same token, surgeons apply cooling and metabolic suppression to patients whove suffered various physical traumas: heart attack, stroke, gunshot wounds, profuse bleeding, or head injuries resulting in brain swelling. In emergency situations, anesthetists can insert a slim tube into the nose that feeds cooling nitrogen gas directly to the base of the brain. In one experimental therapy, surgeons insert a cardiopulmonary bypass cannula through the chest and into the aorta, or through the groin and into the femoral artery. Through these tubes, they infuse cold saline to reduce core body temperature and replace lost blood. Once the trauma surgeon has control of bleeding, a heart-lung machine restarts blood flow and the patient is given a blood transfusion.

If you get cold fast enough before the heart stops, the vital organs, particularly the brain, can tolerate cold without blood flow for a time, Tisherman explains. He is performing a clinical trial of this cold saline replacement technique in critically injured trauma victims in Baltimore, and he expects the study will last at least until the fall of 2018 and possibly later. The ensuing hypothermia rapidly decreases or stops blood flow for an hour or so, cutting oxygen requirements and giving surgeons time to repair critical wounds and, ideally, warm the patient back to life.

Today, the aerospace community is looking to medically induced hypothermia and the resulting metabolic stasis in transport habitats as a way to save space and mass, along with freight, fuel, food, and frustration on the months-long flights to Mars or more distant planets. The studies are just beginning. One challenge is medical: Whats the best method for putting healthy astronauts into torpor? Even though therapeutic hypothermia is well understood in operating rooms, keeping people in deep space chilled and sedated for weeks, months, or years on end is an entirely unknown area of inquiry. Some scientists studying hibernation in animals suggest that other means of suppressing metabolism would be better: Specialized diet, low-frequency radiation, even the use of proteins that trigger hibernation in animals like bears and Arctic ground squirrels have been shown to regulate metabolic rates safely and, in most cases, reversibly.

Another obvious hurdle is funding. How much will NASA prioritize research into metabolic stasis, both animal and human, when exploratory budgets are being reduced? Pete Worden, former director at NASAs Ames Research Center in California and now the executive director of Breakthrough Starshot, says that with NASAs emphasis on synthetic biology and the ability of organisms to survive and function in exotic environments like Mars, its probably inevitable that the hibernation area is going to get funded.

That optimism is hardly universal. People are frustrated, says Yuri Griko, a Moscow-trained NASA radiobiologist and lead senior scientist in Ames space biosciences division. When Sputnik was put up in space in 1957, our generation was so excited, so inspired, and we believed that wed be on Mars in the millennium. But now its 2016 and were still not on Mars. Its personal for people like me because we expected to be much more progressed than we are right now.

Griko acknowledges that metabolic suppression research is in a kind of limbo itself. He began at NASA in 2005 after spending five years at the biotech outfit Clearant, Inc., using ionizing radiation to inactivate pathogens in therapeutic blood products, transplant organs, and commercial biopharmaceuticals. NASA then invited Griko to research ways to protect astronauts from deep-space radiation. It turns out that metabolic suppression is one of the most effective mechanism nature provides.

When animals go into hibernation their bodies survive radiation without significant damage to their cells. Girko believes this is because metabolic suppression mitigates radiation-induced damage by reduction of biochemical processes and excessive oxidative stress. Hypoxiareduced oxygen consumptionis one of possible explanation for the radioprotective effect: In hypoxia, production of oxygen free radicals and hydroxyl radicals is reduced. Since most ionizing radiation-induced cellular damage is caused by radiation induced free radicals, suppression of metabolism (and as a result of oxygen consumption) significantly inhibits ionizing irradiation-induced cells apoptosis and increases cellular viability. And this protective effect is even more dramatic at lower temperatures. XXX

Griko speculates that hibernation may also protect animals from the muscle atrophy and bone loss people typically experience in microgravity. Humans who eat a balanced diet while confined to bed rest for 90 days lose a little more than half of their muscle strength, Griko says. But bears who consume nothing and are confined to their dens for the same length of time or slightly longer lose only 25 percent of muscle strength and exhibit no signs of bone loss. He notes that animals capable of hibernationtortoises and pocket micehavent been flown in space in decades.

NASA declined his request for flight experiments involving hibernating animals. His current research is limited to surveys of existing hibernation studies worldwide, along with his own laboratory discoveries on stasis in mice, leeches, and snails. Griko proposed a 2015 international conference on torpor that would have brought together the worlds hibernation experts to discuss deep-space applications. NASA declined to fund it, though Griko still hopes to raise the money.

There are significant barriers to torpor research if were serious about going farther in space, says Leroy Chiao, a former NASA astronaut and International Space Station commander who spent 193 days in orbit between October 2004 and April 2005. Animal research is a particularly sticky problem. Even research on simple primates starts getting people up in arms, he says.

Jason Derleth, a program executive with NASA Innovative and Advanced Concepts in Washington, D.C., sees reason to hope. Under his watch, NIAC has awarded two innovation grants in the last three years supporting one companys detailed plans for torpor-enabled Mars transfer habitats. The project leader, SpaceWorks Enterprises, Inc., of Dunwoody, Georgia, about 20 miles north of Atlanta, is an aerospace design contractor for NASA and the Department of Defense and has done work in the development of tiny CubeSat satellite constellations. But its torpor thats captured the imagination of SpaceWorks president and chief operating officer John Bradford.

Ive asked myself for 15 years how to engineer materials, structures, and propulsion systems to enable a mission to Mars and its moons, he says. Bradford is a Ph.D. aerospace engineer who has led several NASA, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and Air Force Research Laboratory projects designing military spaceplanes. He was also a consultant on the 2016 science fiction film Passengers, wherein Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt played interplanetary settlers who wake from hibernation early. Were not in the vein of an Apollo mission anymoreno more flags and footprints, he says. We need to become a two-planet species.

Bradfords engineering and medical team used the first of those NIAC grants, issued in 2013, to design a compact zero-gravity, rigid-structure habitat based on the International Space Station crew module designs. The habitat featured closed-loop oxygen and water production systems, direct access to the Mars ascent and descent vehicles, and support for a crew of six, all of whom would be kept in torpor for the entire six- to nine-month Mars journey.

The proposed medical treatment relies on using techniques similar to the ones surgeons perfected to induce hypothermia. For example, cooling nitrogen gas could be fed to astronauts via nasal cannula, or tubes, lowering brain and body temperatures to between 89 and 96 degreesclose enough to normal to maintain torpor without overcooling the heart or increasing the risk of other complications. Cooling tends to decrease the bodys ability to clot, Tisherman says. He has noted that patients who are cooled to mild levels of hypothermia93 degreesfor 48 hours or more have more infections.

In the SpaceWorks habitat, robotic arms in the module would be programmed to carry out routine chores, manipulate astronaut limbs, and check body sensors, urine evacuation lines, and chemical feeds. Robots would administer electrical stimuli to astronauts muscles to maintain tone, along with sedation to prevent a natural shivering response. The astronauts would also receive complete nutritionelectrolytes, dextrose, lipids, vitamins, etc.via liquid (known as total parenteral nutrition) through a catheter inserted in the chest or the thigh. SpaceWorks outfitted TPN supplies in the experimental module to last 180 days; should the habitat be required for a prolonged Martian stay, the module would have another 500 days worth of nutrition.

In all, the SpaceWorks Mars Transfer Habitat reduced total habitat mass, including consumables, to 19.9 tons (low-Earth-orbit weight). By comparison, NASAs TransHab habitat, with consumables specified in the agencys Mars Design Reference Architecture 5.0, weighs 41.9 tons. Thats a 52 percent decrease in mass. Compared with the NASA DRA model, SpaceWorks was able to shrink total habitat consumables by 70 percent.

NIAC officials, naturally, were intrigued. SpaceWorks made an interesting proposal, Derleth says. People have been studying torpor for medical applications. But no one as far as we could find is actually doing an engineering study of what cryo-sleep or torpor would actually do to the architecture of a mission.

In 2013 NIAC awarded SpaceWorks a Phase 1 grant of $100,000 to develop a rough torpor-enabled architecture for exploration-class missionsthose with four to eight crew members heading to Mars or its moons. But the agency balked at the idea of putting all crew members in torpor for the entire journey. What about medical or spacecraft complications? How long could astronauts stay under without psychological or physical damage? What if some complication required their premature awakening? What about the slow waking and warming times to get the astronauts out of hibernation?

These questions sent the SpaceWorks team back to the drawing board. They designed a crew habitat for torpor that would keep at least a few astronauts awake on a rotating basis for piloting and interventions (as in the 1968 movie 2001, in which two crew members of the Jupiter-bound spacecraft Discovery remain awake while the others sleep).

Then Bradfords team moved further. Designing three interconnected habitat modules for a 100-passenger settlement class Mars missioncolonists, in other wordsthe team produced a spacecraft and habitat that departed completely from anything in NASAs plans. The SpaceWorks settlement-class craft includes two compact, rotating habitat modules, each accommodating 48 passengers in torpor. Rotation at varying speeds would produce artificial gravity to mitigate astronauts bone loss.

But in the bolder sentry mode proposal, a separate habitat module would accommodate four care-taking astronauts on duty throughout the mission, although one or more could be rotated with others in torpor to keep crews fresh.

You get 80 percent of the benefits by cycling through the hibernating crew and waking some up, rather than turning out the lights on everybody for six months, Bradford says. Spacecraft accommodating settlers in torpor would be lighter, which would enable much greater velocities, shorter voyages, and, possibly, more efficient radiation shielding because of the radio-protective effect of metabolic stasis. Further, Bradford says, hibernating astronauts wouldnt experience motion sickness, a common problem on the International Space Station.

But what would torpor in space feel like? Not like being frozen dead in cryogenics, then being revived after decades or hundreds of years, according to Doug Talk, an obstetrician who has used therapeutic hypothermia to treat oxygen-deprived babies. [Cryogenics] has had zero success with that, Talk says. The human body isnt meant to be frozen; its mostly water, and when water expands [as it does when it freezes], it produces cellular damage.

More likely, astronaut torpor will be like coma, a state hovering between dreamless sleep and semi-conscious awareness. Coma patients display cycles of brain activity that alternate between seeming wakefulness and non-REM sleep, Talk explains. Even though coma patients are unable to move, their brains remain active and even responsive to outside stimuli, including verbal commands.

Bears experience hibernation in similar ways; their core temperature drops only a few degrees (similar to the mild-hypothermia temperature range in humans), while their metabolism drops 75 percent. Bears in northern climates can remain in torpor for seven to eight months without eating or drinking, and pregnant female bears will bear their young and nurse them even in hibernation.

Someone in torpor will act like the bear does, Talk theorizes. Theyll cycle through non-REM sleep and being awake. And like bears when they finally wake up, theyll be sleep deprived.

In May 2016, NIAC approved a second phase of the SpaceWorks project, this time releasing $250,000 to extend first-phase engineering, operational, and medical research plans. Phase 1 projects have proven that what theyre talking about is real, Derleth says. Were very happy to see Dr. Bradfords progress.

In addition to habitat engineering refinements, the SpaceWorks team initially proposed a two- to three-week hibernation test with a small number of healthy pigs. Pigs, like humans, are natural non-hibernators, and are closer in size and physiological responses to torpor induction than many other primates than mice or snails, obviously. Derleth says agency regulations prevented NASA from funding the pig study.

So SpaceWorks submitted an alternate proposal: research existing metabolic suppression experiments comprehensively to come up with a near-term road map for technology development, including more-methodical animal research leading to human trials. This summer, NIAC will conduct a mid-term review of SpaceWorks progress and determine whether to award them an additional $250,000.

We continue to believe that live-subject research will be necessary to advance this torpor technology toward longer durations, Olds wrote in a follow-up email. That step may require private sponsors.

Regardless of who pays for it, testing with animals continues to raise ethical questions. I think NASA is right: Slow is the way to go, says Arthur Caplan, director of the division of medical ethics at New York University Langone Medical Center. While theres enthusiasm for suspended animation for long durations in space, NASA doesnt need any more troubles from animal rights activists. Pigs are somewhat physiologically similar to humans, so pigs are a reasonable animal model for testing. Though its fair to say to critics: The number of pigs involved in this kind of study wouldnt amount to ones weeks breakfast for the average American.

Sci-fi movies and novels have romanticized torpor, Caplan says, suggesting humans could move in and out of that coma-like state without difficulty. That might not be the case. Eventually, torpor will be tested in humans, and those humans will be unusual peoplemost likely test pilots, Caplan predicts. These people take risks every day; they understand the physiological risks because they test jets and know many colleagues who have died. Ive had astronauts tell me theyll enroll in any experiment just to get into space. Our job is to rein them in.

Human trials, if they happen, would be an unprecedented step. No one has ever tried to use hypothermia to suppress the metabolism of a person who wasnt severely sick or injured, much less super-healthy astronauts. In fact, weve had lots of healthy people who have volunteered for long-term torpor experiments, Talk says. Theres a pent-up demand for people who want to punch out of life for six months. Im sure the FDA wouldnt approve of that.

Meanwhile, Talk has invited two experts on therapeutic hypothermiaAlejandro Rabinstein, the medical director of the neuroscience intensive care unit at the Mayo Clinic, and Kelly Drew, a University of Alaska neuroscientist investigating animal hibernationto join SpaceWorks research team. Drew and other scientists at the University of Alaskas Institute of Arctic Biology are studying the hibernation patterns of endothermic animals like hedgehogs, Arctic ground squirrels, and bears. The hope is to find the key to a healthy hibernation state (and the signaling cascade in the brain that induces it) that could be adapted to human astronauts without side effects. The Arctic ground squirrel, for example, cools itself to 32 degrees in winter. No scientist understands exactly what triggers its hibernation, although a particular brain and muscle receptorthe A1 adenosine receptorappears to make the squirrel grow cold and sleepy, only to emerge with minimal bone and muscle loss eight months later.

Adenosine is a neuromodulator that plays a role in sleep and brain excitability, Drew says. Its ubiquitous in animal brains. She has been able to induce hibernation in hamsters and mice by using a drug to stimulate their A1 adenosine receptors. Drew can actually reverse hibernation by using another drug to block the same receptor, which wakes the animals up. But the signaling cascade and genetic makeup of humans are far more complex and may take years or decades to decipher. And not all hibernators hibernate in the same way: The only primate known to do it, Madagascars fat-tail dwarf lemur, spends seven months a year in torpor, mostly in hot weather; it survives by consuming the fat stored in its tail. Scientists have found that low metabolic rates in animals are not dependent on low body temperatures, suggesting that astronauts can be put into torpor without the complications that could arise with prolonged low-temperature hibernation.

Meanwhile, Rabinstein, who plans to help SpaceWorks evaluate mild hypothermia to induce torpor, says the techniques that work in an ICU might not be so reliable in space.

The fact that little children have drowned and survived in ice ponds and lakes is remarkable and has given us hope, he says. But can we transform this [understanding of deep hypothermia] into a more mild degree of hypothermia and allow people to tolerate it for a longer period of time and get away with it, without psychological or physiological stress? We have to see, but we think there is a a chance.

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Sleeping Their Way to Mars - Air & Space Magazine

If you're one of the 60 million Americans with a digestive disorder, you may be used to approaching each meal with a sense of dread.

Simply snacking on a piece of fruit can leave you gassy, bloated or in pain. In my case, a couple of pieces of cauliflower can puff up my stomach like a balloon.

I have endometriosis, an inflammatory condition in which uterine cells grow outside of the womb, sparking symptoms like abdominal cramping and bloating. Ditching dairy and meat relieved many of my worst digestive woes. But as I entered my 30s, it seemed as if every bite of food became a gamble.

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Some doctors suggested I take probiotic supplements loaded with healthy bacteria, but each pill gave me gas pain. One diet I tried suggested smoothies made of vegetables like kale, peas and garlic. After one souplike shake, I thought my stomach was going to explode.

Then another doctor suggested something I'd never heard of: the low-FODMAP diet.

FODMAP is an acronym for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols certain carbohydrates prevalent in a variety of fruits and vegetables as well as milk and wheat, among other things. These carbs are poorly absorbed in the small intestine and rapidly fermented by bacteria in the colon, causing a wide range of abdominal woes, especially in people with sensitive guts, like those with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

"What's going on when you're eating a high-FODMAP diet is you're getting this osmotic effect in the bowel," said Bethany Doerfler, a research dietitian at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. "That means that you're eating all of these sugars and fibers that are feeding gut bacteria, and they're causing water to get pulled into the intestine."

The result can be cramping, diarrhea, bloating and those stomach noises even your co-worker three desks down can hear.

Researchers at Australia's Monash University created the low-FODMAP diet in 2005 to alleviate symptoms in patients with IBS, but it's recently been gaining traction with others (like me) who are digestively challenged. Companies such as Nestle have even introduced low-FODMAP products like ProNourish, a nutrition drink.

"I think this is probably the first diet that we've had that has excellent data behind it to say manipulating carbohydrates actually helps change your symptoms," Doerfler said. "Before that, it was a little anecdotal."

Those wanting to try a low-FODMAP eating plan should talk to their doctor and consult a dietitian familiar with the diet; it's important to make sure you're getting enough nutrients since you'll be cutting out or reducing important food groups.

Low-FODMAP followers start by eliminating high-FODMAP foods from their diet, often for a few weeks, before gradually reintroducing them. The idea is to keep a close eye on symptoms to figure out which foods you can tolerate. You might only have a problem with one category, and lower portions of some foods could be fine.

If you eat something problematic, it may take a couple of hours or a day for your gut to get back to normal.

"I remind people that if they have a symptom flare, they're not in danger they just feel crummy," Doerfler said.

What foods should low-FODMAP followers avoid?

Forgo dairy products with large amounts of lactose, a disaccharide. This means no ice cream, milk or yogurt. Humans can't digest lactose without the help of lactase, an enzyme many people stop producing as they age. Products with low-lactose levels butter and feta and cheddar cheeses tend to be well-tolerated. Almond-based milks and desserts are dairy-free alternatives.

Watch out for wheat. If you get gassy after eating bread or drinking beer, you could be reacting to the fructans an oligosaccharide not the gluten protein. Don't just switch to artificially gluten-free products, which can still be hard on the gut. Try sourdough bread. The fermenting process breaks down some of the fibers for you.

Raw onions and garlic are also high in fructans. If you're sensitive to garlic, you can still use garlic-infused oil. For onions, substitute the green parts of scallions or leeks.

Most beans need to be avoided, but you can try a quarter cup of canned chickpeas or a half cup of canned lentils. The canning process leaches out some of gas-producing elements.

Fructose is another red flag. These are the single sugars, or monosaccharides, found in fruit. It becomes a problem when the amount of fructose is higher than the amount of glucose. Opt for fruits like bananas and blueberries instead of apples and cherries.

Limit your intake of sugar alcohols, or polyols. They occur naturally in foods like mushrooms, watermelon and cauliflower and are used to make artificial sweeteners. If you need to add a little sweetness, try table sugar or stevia instead. Avoid any sugar ending in "ol."

In my case, I realized I'd been eating high-FODMAP foods throughout the day. I put artificial sweetener in my coffee, had whole-wheat toast for breakfast and black beans for lunch. My usual afternoon snack a nutrition bar was chock-full of things on the high list.

I now have steel-cut oats with natural peanut butter and a banana in the morning. Lunch is sourdough bread, tofu and carrots. For dinner, I make sure to cook all my food.

"Heat is a great natural digestive enzyme," Doerfler said. "I think that for some of these vegetables that might be too difficult to do raw, it's a wonderful option to have them cooked."

After the first week, I lost 2 pounds and my post-meal balloon belly had all but disappeared. After three months, I have an even stronger grasp on my problem foods. I still have bloating issues if I dine out, but at least I know my triggers.

FODMAPTools

For an updated list of high-and-low FODMAP foods, download Monash University's app. It's $7.99 at the Apple App Store and $9 on Google Play.

Other helpful resources can be found at MyGiNutrition.com (which receives funding from Nestle Health Science) and KateScarlata.com, a site run by a Boston-based dietitian by the same name.

If you're looking for a guidebook with recipes, check out "Healthy Gut, Flat Stomach: The Fast and Easy Low-FODMAP Diet Plan" by Danielle Capalino ($17.95, Countryman Press).

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Excerpt from:
How the low-FODMAP diet helped me beat my bloat - Chicago Tribune - Chicago Tribune

Food can be potent medicine. Just ask Tia Mowry: In her new book, Whole New You ($20, amazon.com), the actress reveals how a healthy eating philosophy helped her ease the debilitating symptoms of endometriosis.

Food is powerful and has a significant impact, Mowry writes. No matter what you put in your mouththe good, the bad, or the Cheetoits doing something.

The 38-year-old, who hosts her own show on the Cooking Channel, learned this firsthand. Whether she was snacking on junk food on the set of Sister, Sister, or cutting out all processed foods in her 30s, Mowry has experienced both the negative and positive effects that diet can have on the body.

RELATED: Does Period Sex Raise Your Risk of Endometriosis?

She was first diagnosed with endometriosis in 2006, after she began to experience severe abdominal pain. Endometriosis occurs when the lining of the uterus grows outside the womb. The conditionwhich is thought to affect more than 6.5 million women in the United Statescan cause pelvic pain, cramping, and heavy bleeding during periods, as well as painful sex and fertility problems.

Mowry underwent laparoscopic surgery. Then just two years later, she was doubling over in agony once again. She had a second surgery, and took birth control pills and pain pills to manage her symptoms. But Mowry felt frustrated that there wasn't a more permanent solution. She also knew she wanted to have a baby, and that her condition could make it difficult. She was desperate to find another way to treat her disease.

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When her doctor suggested cleaning up her diet, Mowry felt hopeful, she says in her book, even though it would mean giving up some of her favorite foods. (At the time, deep-fried cheese tortellini was her signature dish.) But Mowry was committed to making changes that might improve her health.

She eliminated dairy, processed meats, packaged snacks, and refined sugar. And began to fill her plate with plants (think leafy greens, fruits, nuts, and seeds), fermented foods, and high-quality protein (including beans, organic animal products, and organic, grass-fed meat). Mowry also added sea vegetables, like kelp and nori; and switched to what she calls "safer sweets," such as stevia, date sugar, and honey.

Her new diet drastically reduced her pain, Mowry says. (She also stopped getting migraines, and her eczema cleared up.) "I started to feel deeply, thrillingly alive," she writes. "For the first time in my life, I understood the concept of profound 'wellness.'"

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There's no question diet can play a role in endometriosis, says Kathy Huang, MD, director of the endometriosis program at NYUs Langone Medical Center. "[It's] a very inflammatory disease, so any food that contributes to inflammation can exacerbate the patients symptoms. That would include dairy and any processed food," she wrote in an email to Health. "If the patient can stick to a low-inflammatory diet, it will help their health in general, not just their endometriosis."

Ken Sinervo, MD, medical director of of the Center for Endometriosis Care in Atlanta, seconds that advice. "In general, I recommend an anti-inflammatory diet, which eliminates refined sugars and carbohydrates, and uses organically-grown fruits and vegetables, and organically-raised meats, such as free-range chickens and grass-fed beef," he explained via email.

RELATED: Halsey Opens Up About Her Endometriosis Struggle Following Painful Surgery

But both doctors pointed out that diet alone won't alleviate most symptoms of the chronic condition. Instead endometriosis treatment typically involves a combination of therapies. "We believe in a multidisciplinary approach with surgeons, [a] nutritionist, acupuncture, physical therapy, as well as [a] psychologist, and pain management physician," says Dr. Huang.

Mowry, who is now mom to a five-year-old son, knows that what worked for her may not work for others. Although Ive had my own powerful healing experience, that does not give me the expertise or credentials to offer specific healing advice to anyone with a serious condition, she writes.

Her goal is simpler: to erase the stigma on healthy foods. "Its not just because theyre packed with nutrients and are simply good for you. Im determined to push past that stigma because whole, natural foods, cooked with love, taste absolutely fantastic," she says. "You heard me: fantastic.

This article originally appeared on Health.com.

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The foods Tia Mowry cut from her diet to soothe her endometriosis ... - Fox News

Some people become vegetarians because they love animals. Some, as comedian A. Whitney Brown put it, because they hate plants.

But vegans are committed. Not only do they not eat food that harms or kills animals, some dont even want food that inconveniences animals.

Like honey. Hardcore vegans will not eat honey because, as Noah Lewis of vegetus.org puts it, the simple fact is that the bees are enslaved. Similarly, some vegans will not eat sugar because, while it comes entirely from a plant, some sugar is whitened by using bone char, which comes from animals.

Although the vegan diet lacks in meat, dairy and egg productsor because of itthe diet can be better for you than that which the standard American eats. In 2009, the American Dietetic Association took the position that vegetarian and vegan diets reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer and diabetes, and lead to lower cholesterol and blood pressure.

It can be healthy, but there are some things to watch out for when on a vegan diet: You have to make sure to get enough protein and vitamin B-12and calcium, iodine, vitamin D, iron, zinc and n-3 fatty acids.

Fortunately, a well-balanced vegan diet provides all of these essential nutrients, though you may want to take vitamin B-12 supplements, just in case.

Still, cooking a well-balanced vegan diet can be difficult, at least if you want to stick to what most Americans think of as normal ingredients. Many vegan recipes attempt to re-create meatless versions of familiar meat-based dishes, and to do so they rely on such potentially off-putting ingredients as vegan chicken, egg replacers and nondairy cheese.

Other recipes use soy products such as tofu and tempeh for their protein, and it is one of these that I tried first in cooking a vegan diet for a day.

Mee Goreng, which is a type of stir-fried noodles, is popular street fare in the Philippines. When I have had it before, it always had meat in it, usually chicken or shrimp or both. But then I came upon a vegan recipe for it using tofu, and tofu fans are sure to be instantly hooked.

If they like spicy food, that is. As with a lot of street food, Mee Goreng usually packs a kick. If you want it milder, simply trim down or eliminate the amount you use of sambal oelek, the all-purpose Indonesian and Malaysian ground chili paste.

Also as is the case with much street food, Mee Goreng tends to be a little oily. The recipe calls for 5 tablespoons of oil for four to six servings; I got by with four tablespoons, but that is still a quarter cup of oil.

Do you need it? Yes. The oil brings the dish together, from the spicy sambal to the faintly bitter bok choy to the sweet sauce made from equal parts of soy sauce, brown sugar and molasses.

The tofu, which has the amazing ability to soak up all the flavors in which it is cooked, serves as a protein-rich punctuation to the meal.

For my next dish, I dispensed with the tofu and received my protein in the form of garbanzo beans, which are also known as chickpeas.

Indian-Style Vegetable Curry With Potatoes and Cauliflower (that name seems a little over-descriptive to me) is another spicy dish. I like spices; sue me. If less fiery food is more your style, you can use a mild curry powder (but I wouldnt use much less) and leave out the serrano chile.

This dish benefits greatly from the mutually complementary flavors of potato, cauliflower, garbanzo beans and curry. A bit of tomato paste and a cup of coconut milk make it deeply satisfying, yet it is so healthful that youll practically pat yourself on the back for eating it.

It is the kind of dish that calls out for basmati rice; if you have it, use it.

Finally, I made a vegan version of one of the least vegan dishes I could think of, pancakes.

Pancakes pretty much need eggs, milk and butter. If you try to make them from just flour, water, sugar, salt, baking powder and a little oil, youll wind up with paste.

Or so I thought. But then a colleague passed me a recipe for Vegan Pancakes that she swore was excellent. And she was right.

I dont know how this works. I dont understand how they hold together without becoming slightly sweetened hardtack. Im guessing the oil has something to do with it, but we are only talking about a single tablespoon for 10 smallish pancakes.

These vegan pancakes are fine the way they are, but I incorporated a couple of additions suggested by my colleague: I added two tablespoons of soy milk (almond milk would also do) and a teaspoon of vanilla, just to make the pancakes even better.

They are a perfect foil for maple syrup. And maple syrup doesnt inconvenience any animal.

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The vegan diet meatless masterpieces - Fredericksburg.com

Monday is the deadline for the Justice Department to give the House Intelligence Committee any evidence it has that backs up President Donald Trumps claim that his campaign was the subject of a wiretap authorized by the previous administration. The deadline for the information falls a little more than a week after Trump accused former President Barack Obama in a series of tweets of wiretapping the phones at Trump Tower in Manhattan. Those tweets came at the same time questions were being raised about possible ties between some of Trumps close associates and a series of Russian officials. It was those ties that the FBI announced last week it would be investigating, along with an odd computer link to a server in Trump Towers. The House and Senate intelligence committees have announced similar investigations, with the House Intelligence Committee announcing it will hold an open hearing on March 20 to investigate allegations that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election. Which of the presidents associates and advisers are being looked at? Here are some of the key players in the Trump-Russia story. Paul Manafort Manafort was the chairman of Donald Trumps campaign, but resigned in August 2016 after revelations surfaced about his work on behalf of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Yanukovych was a supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to The Associated Press, Manafort helped a pro-Russian governing party in Ukraine secretly route at least $2.2 million in payments to two prominent Washington lobbying firms in 2012, and did so in a way that effectively obscured the foreign political party's efforts to influence U.S. policy. A U.S. lobbyists must declare publicly if they represent any foreign leaders or political parties. The New York Times reported that Manafort spoke to Russian intelligence officials last year via telephone calls that were monitored by U.S. intelligence agencies. Manafort has denied that he spoke with the Russians. Manafort has also been linked to handwritten ledgers that list cash payments of $12.7 million by Manaforts name. Michael Cohen Cohen is Donald Trumps personal attorney. According to a New York Times report, Cohen was involved with a peace plan for the Ukraine and Russia that involved the U.S. removing sanctions on Russia in return for Russia ending its support of pro-Russia separatists fighting the Ukrainian government in eastern Ukraine. In addition to having sanctions removed, the deal would allow Russia to cement its control over Crimea. Russian annexed Crimea in 2014. The Times story claims that Cohen delivered the peace plan to Michael Flynn, the national security adviser who was forced to resign last month. Cohen told The Washington Post that he did not deliver a plan to Flynn, but that he had met with businessman Felix Sater and Ukrainian lawmaker Andrii Artemenko in New York in January and talked about a peace plan for the Ukraine for about 15 minutes. Artemenko said that the plan was, indeed, delivered to the White House. Michael Flynn Flynn was Trumps national security adviser for three weeks. He was forced to resign when it became known that he misled Vice President Mike Pence on conversations Flynn had with the Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak. U.S. intelligence sources said that Flynn talked with Kislyak about sanctions placed on Russia by former president Barack Obama in late December. Flynn also worked for Russia Today, a state-owned TV show. He was paid for a visit he made to Russia to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Russia Today, and could be in trouble for that visit if it was not approved by the Defense Department and the State Department. Flynn was registered with the Justice Department as a foreign agent prior to Election Day. He was registered for $530,000 worth of lobbying work that may have aided the Turkish government. The AP reported that the Trump transition team was told that Flynn likely needed to register as a foreign agent before taking top national security role. Sergey Kislyak Kislyak is the Russian ambassador to the United States. He spoke with Michael Flynn, Trumps former national security adviser, in December about sanctions that had been brought against Russia for its alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election that, eventually, led to Flynn's resignation. Kislyak also met with then-Sen. Jeff Sessions (now attorney general) on at least two occasions. Sessions says he barely remembers what was said and that the meetings were brief. He did not disclose the meetings during his confirmation hearing in response to a question about what he would do if someone in Trumps campaign had had contacts with Russian officials. Sessions recused himself from any potential investigation into Russian meddling with the election and ties with Trumps campaign. CNN reports that Kislyak, in an October speech to the Detroit Economic Club, denied meeting with Donald Trump or campaign officials during the course of 2016 presidential election, but acknowledged that he met with members of Congress and others who approached him at events. Carter Page Page was a foreign policy adviser to Trump in the early days of his campaign. Page is the head of an investment company known as Global Energy Capital. He was publicly accused by then-Senate Minority leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) of being a link between Trump and the Russian government. Page has also been accused of being a go-between for the Trump campaign and high-level Russian officials. Page was in Moscow for three days in mid-July, and according to reporter Michael Isikoff, and intelligence sources claim he met with Igor Sechin, the head of the Russian state oil company. Sechin is said to have been working on a plan to have Western sanctions against the company lifted. Page has denied ;he met with any government officials while in Russia last July. He has criticized US sanctions on Russia as 'sanctimonious expressions of moral superiority. Andrii V. Artemenko Artemenko is a Ukrainian politician who opposes Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and claims to have evidence of Poroshenkos corruption. He has crafted a plan for peace in Ukraine with himself as president, and Politico has reported that Artemenko met with Trump attorney Michael Cohen and businessman Felix Sater, a business partner of Trumps, to discuss that plan. Felix Sater According to The New York Times, Sater, a real estate developer and adviser to the Trump Organization, met with Ukrainian politician Andrii Artemenko and Michael D. Cohen in New York in January to discuss sanctions against Russia. The story said that Sater was given the letter, which proposed the deal to lift sanctions by withdrawing Russian forces from eastern Ukraine, to Trump attorney Michael Cohen to be delivered to Michael Flynn, the then-national security adviser to the president. Igor Sechin Sechin is the head of Russias state oil company, Rosneft. According to reporting by Yahoos Michael Isikoff, a U.S. intelligence source said that Sechin was desperate to have Western sanctions against him and Rosneft lifted, so he arranged to meet with Carter Page, head of Global Energy Capital. Isikoff reported that Sechin offered Page the brokerage of a 19 percent stake in Rosneft in exchange for the lifting of US sanctions on Russia. Page has denied this report. Jeff Sessions Attorney General Sessions, a former senator from Alabama, was the first sitting senator to endorse Trump. He appeared with Trump at some campaign stops and was rumored to be under consideration for vice president. During 2016, Sessions met with Russias ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak, at least twice. Sessions said that the meetings were in line with his duties as a senator, and that nothing about Russias potential involvement with the 2016 presidential election was discussed. Sessions did not disclose those meetings during his confirmation hearings in response ;to an indirect question about Russias involvement in the election. Sessions recused himself from any potential investigation into Russian meddling with the election and ties with Trumps campaign. Roger Stone Stone is a longtime friend of Trumps and was an informal adviser to his campaign. According to several media reports, Stone is being investigated by the FBI about whether he had inappropriate contact with Russian officials. Stone told CBS News that he suspects he is being investigated, and said, Sure, theyll get my grocery lists, they may get the emails between my wife and I, but heres what they wont get -- any contact with the Russians. Despite saying in a speech that he had communicated with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, he claims did not know Wikileaks was going to publish emails stolen from Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. This week, The Smoking Gun reported that Stone was in contact with the Russian hacking group that U.S. intelligence officials have accused of illegally breaching the Democratic National Committees computer system and Podestas email account.

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8 Tips for Deciphering Diet Claims - KRMG

Lunch

Spinach salad topped with pecans, goat cheese, dried cranberries, light vinaigrette, 2-3 slices of avocado

Misty's Ballerina Body breaks down her nutrition philosophy into "Act 1" food (main ingredients and primary supplier of fats like animal protein and plant fats) and "Act 2" food (vegetables, fruits, starches, grains) you can mix and match. Her plan suggests always picking one of each for both lunch and dinner, making sure each plate has protein and carbs.

She calls this method "Meal Choreography" and explains, "Like ballet and our workout routine, which take a medley of steps and build from there in combination and complexity, you'll be able to mix and match a variety of foods to make sure you enjoy wheat you're eating and your taste buds don't get bored."

Grilled salmon, roasted onions, carrots, butternut squash seasoned with rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper. A glass of prosecco OR a peanut butter cookie.

For dinner, you should include one of each "Act 1" food and "Act 2" food, then add in a starch like brown rice or winter squashes. "Act 1" food, she writes, should be grilled, baked, poached, or broiled rather than fried. Because she's pescatarian, dinner usually revolves around fish. On giving up meat, Misty wrote, "I dove in headfirst, becoming a pescatarian overnight. I wouldn't necessarily recommend going cold turkey like I did. I had dreams of bacon and giant hamburgers for months! But I felt amazing. My energy level skyrocketed."

Misty loves Red Lobster. But, she stays mindful of what she's consuming, even when at a restaurant. "I like to go with options that don't have a ton of empty calories added to them. For instance, I'll order the crab legs and a garden salad. Go for cleana piece of fish that isn't breaded or fried, a salad or vegetable, and quinoa, lentils, or couscous instead of rice," she explains.

Another major "do" of hers is to "eat mindfully," that is, eat slower to aid digestion. It "Allows you to really relish the flavors you're tasting, and can help you realize when you're truly full."

"I like to take along packaged food that I can rely on to give my body what it needs, especially if I'm heading overseas. I usually carry packets of plain oatmeal, packaged tuna, whole wheat crackers, and nuts."

Lastly, sugar, processed food, junk food, fast food, white flour, artificial sweeteners, and soda are among the things Misty steers clear from. She also suggests easing off salt and reaching for garlic, onions, and herbs, instead. Another big tip: don't eat to the point of being overstuffed. "It's okay to leave food on the plate," Misty assures.

Get Ballerina Body here.

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Exactly What Misty Copeland Eats in a Day - ELLE.com

Out with the old, in with the nutritious. With winter weather behind us, now is the perfect time to do a bit of spring cleaning in your pantry. By purging junk food from your pantry, you take away much of the temptation to eat it. If its within reach, its easy to indulge and even small nibbles throughout the day can really add up.

Food to get rid of:

Salty, high calorie snack foods, which are all around bad for your waistline: theyre high in empty caloriesandbloat causing salt. (i.e. a 150 calorie serving of tortilla chips is only 9 chips!)

Swap salty chips for:

Foods high inaddedsugars. Regardless of the type, added sugars really dont do anything for your body: theyre just empty calories, and they can send your body for a ride on the blood sugar roller coaster.

Swap soda for:

Swap candy for

Foods withtransfat.Trans fats are the lab-created fats that are particularly bad for health. Theyre abundant in packaged foods like cookies, cakes, cracker and chips sometimes theyre even lurking in unexpected places, like tortillas.

Subtraction by addition

Think of nourishing foods toaddin, rather than just cutting things out. By adding in good stuff, you have less room in your pantry for less nutritious foods.

Suggestions:

Get inspired by healthy blogs, recipes, and social media influencers. Check out healthy recipes onharmonsgrocery.com

This story includes sponsored content.

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How to Spring Clean Your Diet - Good4Utah

a walk in the woods for mushrooms Photo Credit: Chipmunk131/Shutterstock

The Paleolithic diet has taken the world by storm in recent years, and modern man has eagerly cashed in on the growing desire to eat primitively. The paleo industry is expected to rake in $300 million a year by the end of 2018. According to a trade group known as the Paleo Foundation, one big growth segment of the industry is paleo/vegan crossover products. It conjures an image of a flock of free range tofurkys, which surely must have been a favorite of our vegan ancestors who wanted to pretend to be eating meat. The range of Certified Paleo Products include paleo granola, paleo mushroom coffee and cold-brew wellness teas, paleo gluten-free pizza crust, paleo Filipino pili nuts with Himalayan sea salt...you get the pictograph.

In other words, this dietary fad, which sprang from provocative roots and may indeed have real-world health benefits, has also spun out of control into a certified paleo shitshow. And while its entirely appropriate to scoff at this absurdity, this profiteering alone isnt reason to dismiss the idea that our diet should, ideally, align with what humans ate when their bodies evolved into their current form. After all, if you had a car designed for diesel fuel, why would you put unleaded gasoline in the tank?

Since our ancestors were presumably spear-throwing hunters, it follows that the paleo diet should be heavy on meat, and devoid of modern day processed carbohydrates and dairy products.

The theory is tempting for numerous reasons. It doesnt hurt that us modern humanoids do enjoy our meat and fatat least many of us doand confirmation bias is human nature. In other words, we gravitate toward any theoretical support to justify how we want it to be. And, those who try a low-carb diet in hopes of losing weight tend to be pleased with the immediate results. They line up with the uptick, in recent years, in the available data suggesting that concerns about dietary fatto which we are also quite partialare overblown, if not completely backwards. There is a growing body of clinical evidence that cutting processed carbs and adding animal fats and protein is just fine, an idea that flies in the face of the dominant dietary paradigm of the the last few decades.

One recent study, published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, sought to verify the popular claim that a paleo-esque low-carb diet can help control diabetes. Two groups of diabetics were fed different diets: one was a paleo-esque low-carb diet, and the other a standard modern dietthe kind upon which many so-called diseases of civilization like obesity and diabetes are blamed. The results were significant after only 14 days, with the paleo group faring noticeably better in terms of diabetic markers like blood sugar and insulin resistance.

These results, while based on a relatively small sample size, nonetheless validate the paleo-digm. And they joined a growing list of studies that suggest physiological benefits when modern humans avoid modern foods. A subsequent meta-study that involved many more data points found evidence that a paleo-type diet improves risk factors for the constellation of chronic conditions known as metabolic syndrome, including heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and belly fat, as well as diabetes.

But even as the clinical evidence mounts in favor of diets that are low in processed carbohydrates and high in fat and protein, different lines of inquiry call into question the basic assumptions upon which the whole thing was originally built. Namely, that our ancient forefathers were all bloodthirsty fat-chewers.

A team of scientists that took on the glorious task of analyzing the microbial DNA found in the plaque recovered from the teeth of unearthed Neanderthals found something curious that, when you think about it, shouldnt be a surprise at all: Our ancestor were omninvores. Sure, they hunted, when possible. But more often they gathered. They were opportunivores who ate what they could, because they didnt have the freedom to hold out for only Certified Paleo skillet taco sauce.

Some of the teeth did indeed display the microbial fingerprints of a meaty dietwooly rhinos and wild sheep, specificallybut others showed no evidence of meat whatsoever. Instead, they showed a diverse diet of the likes of mushrooms, tree bark, pine nuts and moss. At least there were Twinkies to be found; the absence of processed carbs, in addition to being one of the most clinically sound elements of the diet, is also among the most likely things to be true about it.

We need to revamp the view of Neanderthals as these meat-eating, club-toting cavemen, Laura Weyrich, a member of the team told The Atlantic. They had a very good understanding of what foods were available to them. This understanding may have included knowledge of medicinal plants. Traces of poplar bark, for example, which contains aspirin, were found on the teeth of one individual who had a dental abscess.

Of course, these are Neanderthals we are talking about, not modern humans, so caveats apply. But the same basic conditions of scarcity, and geographic differences in available available foods, would have surely applied to ancient humans as well.

What is remarkable about human beings is the extraordinary variety of what we eat. We have been able to thrive in almost every ecosystem on the Earth, consuming diets ranging from almost all animal foods among populations of the Arctic to primarily tubers and cereal grains among populations in the high Andes, William Leonardof Northwestern University wrote in Scientific American in 2002.

Aside from what they ate, the more serious practitioners of one of the myriad paleo doctrines tend to understand that ancestral health, or alternatively, the primitive lifestyle, is also about things like movement and fresh air. A good club duel, providing you prevail, can do the body a lot of good, even before you sit down and eat your vanquished opponent's eyeballs.

One primal activity, foraging, would be much less frowned upon than mortal combat in todays more litigious than indigenous culture. As it involves food, air, exercise, and earthy smarts, and a healthy amount of discomfort, it ticks a lot of boxes that both certified nutritionists and paleo coaches would endorse. Foraging represents a full half of the hunter-gatherer clich that has been so endlessly romanticized. And this is perhaps one of the most important lessons we can extract from the original paleo lifestyle and apply to our own modern-day schedules.

The reasons to forage go beyond exercise to nutrition. It also helps you connect with your landscape, and get in harmony with the local natural cycles. It offers stress, like damp feet and scratched arms, which stimulates the immune system. And, especially this time of year, it offers the possibility of nutrients that your body might badly need.

With the winter snows finally receding across most of the country, the green shoots of springtime will soon emerge. The dandelions come first, at least in my neck of the woods. Then come the nettles, if you know where to find them (near running water). This kind of mission is a great excuse to pick up a local field guide to native, edible plants and bond with your home ground.

Throughout most of human history, including modern history, winter has been an especially difficult time to get your vitamins. And the young, often bitter sprouts that push up through the mud are often just what you need. So instead of buying a new diet book, buy a local plant book instead. Instead of trying to guess what your ancestors ate, lace up your shoes, take a walk, and find something to eat. And you might want to brush your teeth afterwards, if for no other reason than to confuse the dietary researchers of tomorrow.

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The Paleo Diet Fad Has Spun Totally Out of Controland It's Giving Neanderthals a Bad Rap - AlterNet