Rick Gold - Circadian Optimization via Sunlight, Sleep & Lifestyle Choices - Part 2

HealthCast Now - The Intersection of Health, Wellness & Circadian Optimization

Rick Gold joins host Kevin Cottrell today to discuss circadian based health & wellness. Rick is a Functional Wellness practitioner from South Florida with a passion for helping educate, treat and heal patients.

Rick is a certified FDN & Functional Wellness Practitioner and is well-versed in the concepts of functional medicine. Working with clients locally in South Florida and around the world, Rick helps his clients identify and eliminate many of the underlying causes of their symptoms, with a specialization in gut health and circadian rhythms.

Prior to his career in health & wellness, Rick worked for Wall Street firms as a financial adviser, institutional trader, and hedge fund recruiter. So, how did someone working for Wall Street end up as a Functional Wellness Practitioner?

For most of his adult life, Rick suffered from 24/7/365 allergies, frequent colds and sinus infections, indigestion, heartburn, GERD, stomach and joint pain. He was able to find temporary relief using conventional medicine doctors, but the conventional medicine route never identified or fixed the underlying causes of his health issues.

Rick used functional lab testing and lifestyle changes to vastly improve his health. Dietary and other lifestyle modifications essentially reversed most of his health challenges which are now a distant memory.

Additional research, references, and recommended reading from Rick Gold

Here are some more (in addition to what I’ve linked to in the text throughout this building block) circadian rhythm, blue light/ALAN studies, sunlight, and nnEMF research articles, and videos for you to learn more (mind you this is just a SMALL sampling of the THOUSANDS of studies out there on these topics. The research is so definitive it makes one wonder why it isn’t more mainstream!):

1. Blue light, ALAN, Sunlight, and Melatonin
2. 1. (Study) Evening use of light-emitting eReaders negatively affects sleep, circadian timing, and next-morning alertness – “These results demonstrate that evening exposure to an LE-eBook phase-delays the circadian clock, acutely suppresses melatonin, and has important implications for understanding the impact of such technologies on sleep, performance, health, and safety.”
   2. (Article) How light affects human melatonin levels – Florida Atlantic University. “Researchers are finding that exposure to bright nocturnal light decreases the human body's production of melatonin. A decrease in melatonin production has been linked to higher rates of certain cancers, such as breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men.”
   3. (Video) The end of night: potential impact on cancer incidence – Russel J. Reiter, PhD
   4. (Study) Light at night and breast cancer risk: results from a population-based case–control study in Connecticut, USA “The results from this study suggest a potential increased risk of breast cancer associated with domestic exposure to LAN (Light at Night).”
   5. (Video) – The impact of screens on sleep – Dr. Daniel Siegel
   6. (Study) Nocturnal light pollution and underexposure to daytime sunlight - Complementary mechanisms of circadian disruption and related diseases – “Nighttime use of personal computers, mobile phones, electronic tablets, televisions, and the like--now epidemic in adolescents and adults and highly prevalent in pre-school and school-aged children--is a new source of ALAN. However, ALAN exposure occurs concomitantly with almost complete absence of daytime sunlight, whose blue-violet (446-484 nm ?) spectrum synchronizes the CTS and whose UV-B (290-315 nm ?) spectrum stimulates vitamin D synthesis. ““The observed elevated incidence of medical conditions the two are alleged to influence through many complementary bioprocesses of cells, tissues, and organs led us to examine effects of the totality of the artificial light environment in which humans reside today. Never have chronobiologic or epidemiologic investigations comprehensively researched the potentially deleterious consequences of the combination of suppressed vitamin D plus melatonin synthesis due to life in today's man-made artificial light environment, which in our opinion is long overdue.”
   7. (Study) Avoidance of sun exposure is a risk factor for all-cause mortality – “The results of this study provide observational evidence that avoiding sun exposure is a risk factor for all-cause mortality. Following sun exposure advice that is very restrictive in countries with low solar intensity might in fact be harmful to women's health.”
   8. (Study) Blue light hazard – “Blue light can induce formation of toxic reactive oxygen species that cause photochemical damage, leading to the death by apoptosis first of critical retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells and then photoreceptors. This slow process, in which damage accumulates over a lifetime, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of retinal degenerative diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD).”
   9. (Study) Blue Light Induces Mitochondrial DNA Damage and Free Radical Production in Epithelial Cells – “We conclude that visible light can cause cell dysfunction through the action of reactive oxygen species on DNA and that this may contribute to cellular aging, age-related pathologies, and tumorigenesis.”
   10. (Study) Bright light exposure reduces TH-positive dopamine neurons- Implications of light pollution in Parkinson's disease epidemiology – “Remarkably, in preliminary analysis that accounted for population density, the age and race adjusted Parkinson's disease prevalence significantly correlated with average satellite-observed sky light pollution.”
   11. (Study) Daily, seasonal, and latitudinal variations in solar ultraviolet A and B radiation in relation to vitamin D production and risk for skin cancer – “The best way to obtain a given dose of vitamin D with minimal carcinogenic risk is through a non-burning exposure in the middle of the day, rather than in the afternoon or morning.”
   12. (Study) Environmental Light Exposure Is Associated with Increased Body Mass in Children – “The findings identify that light exposure may be a contributor to the obesogenic environment during early childhood.”
   13. (Article) Study of fruit fly 'brain in a jar' reveals mechanics of jet lag – “He explained that a single light pulse cues the biological clock of the fruit fly brain to shift two hours ahead of its original schedule through a process the researchers call "phase retuning."

1. Circadian Rhythms
2. 1. (Video) The clock in our genes and in every cell of your body | Joseph Takahashi | TEDxSMU 2013 – Great Ted Talk that teaches you about circadian biology.
   2. (Article) Circadian rhythm and human health – Joan E. Roberts, Fordham University “Humans evolved being exposed to different spectra of light in the morning, the late afternoon and evening. So it should not be surprising that human physiology is profoundly affected by the daily and seasonal changes in the visible light spectrum. Exposure to the appropriate spectrum of light during the day and evening enhances human health and wellbeing, immune response and productivity. However, exposure to light sources that do not match the natural solar spectrum to the time of day or evening, is hazardous to human health. The reason visible light has such a powerful effect on human health is that light exposure through the eye modifies circadian rhythm.”
   3. (Article) Around the Clock – “The circadian clock influences far more than daily habits, according to a few decades of research. Obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, cancer, and depression have all been linked to malfunctions of the internal timekeeping scheme. Almost every cell in a living organism, it turns out, sees daily fluctuations in levels of genes and proteins, and when these fluctuations are dampened or stopped, things can go awry.”
   4. (Study) Circadian stage-dependent inhibition of human breast cancer metabolism and growth by the nocturnal melatonin signal: consequences of its disruption by light at night in rats and women. “This biological mechanism (ALAN) may partially explain the higher risk of breast and other cancers in women working rotating night shifts and possibly others who also experience prolonged exposure to light at night.”
   5. (Article) From Fertility To Mood, Sunlight Found To Affect Human Biology – NYT article from 1981! “Dr. Richard J. Wurtman - 'we are all unwitting subjects of a long-term experiment on the effects of artificial lighting on health. Until much more is known, we should design indoor lighting to resemble as closely as possible what the sun provides.''
   6. (Study) A functional circadian clock is required for proper insulin secretion by human pancreatic islet cells – (Think diabetes!)
   7. (Study) Adverse metabolic consequences in humans of prolonged sleep restriction combined with circadian disruption. – “Thus, in humans, prolonged sleep restriction with concurrent circadian disruption alters metabolism and could increase the risk of obesity and diabetes.”
   8. (Study) Circadian Clock Control of Liver Metabolic Functions – “A wide variety of processes throughout the entire gastrointestinal tract and notably the liver appear to be under circadian control. These include various metabolic functions such as nutrient uptake, processing, and detoxification, which align organ function to cycle with nutrient supply and demand. Remarkably, genetic or environmental disruption of the circadian clock can cause metabolic diseases or exacerbate pathological states.”
   9. (Audio) BBC talk on circadian rhythms and their importance.
   10. (Study) Circadian clocks, obesity and cardiometabolic function – “Disrupting this process through mutations in the core clock genes or by interfering with the environmental zeitgebers that entrain the clock appear to modulate the function of cells and tissues, leading to an increased risk for cardiometabolic disease.”
   11. (Study) Circadian rhythm-related genes - implication in autoimmunity and type 1 diabetes – “The hypothesis that circadian genes are involved in type 1 diabetes is reinforced by findings that the immune system undergoes circadian variation and that several autoimmune diseases are associated with circadian genes. Recent findings in the non-obese diabetic mouse model pinpoint to specific mechanisms controlling type 1 diabetes by the clock-related gene Arntl2 in the immune system.”
   12. (Study) Endogenous circadian system and circadian misalignment impact glucose tolerance via separate mechanisms in humans – “We demonstrate that the circadian system importantly contributes to the reduced glucose tolerance observed in the evening compared with the morning. Separately, circadian misalignment reduces glucose tolerance, providing a mechanism to help explain the increased diabetes risk in shift workers”
   13. (Study) Gut Clock - Implication Of Circadian Rhythms In The Gastrointestinal Tract – “Motor and secretory activity, as well as the rhythm of cell proliferation in the GIT (Gastrointestinal Tract) and liver, are subject to many circadian rhythms, mediated by autonomic cells and some enterohormones (gastrin, ghrelin and somatostatin). Disruption of circadian physiology, due to sleep disturbance or shift work, may result in various gastrointestinal diseases, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or peptic ulcer disease. In addition, circadian disruption accelerates aging, and promotes tumorigenesis in the liver and GIT.”
   14. (Study) Keeping circadian time with hormones – “Circadian deregulation of hormonal rhythms may participate in internal desynchronization and associated increase in metabolic risks.”
   15. (Study) Thyroid hormone and seasonal regulation of reproduction – “In mammals, the eyes are the only photoreceptor involved in photoperiodic time perception and nocturnal melatonin secretion provides an endocrine signal of photoperiod to the PT to regulate TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone).”
   16. (Study) Exposure to Room Light before Bedtime Suppresses Melatonin Onset and Shortens Melatonin Duration in Humans – “These findings indicate that room light exerts a profound suppressive effect on melatonin levels and shortens the body's internal representation of night duration. Hence, chronically exposing oneself to electrical lighting in the late evening disrupts melatonin signaling and could therefore potentially impact sleep, thermoregulation, blood pressure, and glucose homeostasis.”
   17. (Article) UCI study finds jet lag-like sleep disruptions spur Alzheimer’s memory, learning loss – “Chemical changes in brain cells caused by disturbances in the body’s day-night cycle may be a key underlying cause of the learning and memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s disease, according to a University of California, Irvine study.”

1. nnEMF (Non-Native Electromagnetic Fields)
2. 1. (Article) Stress from Current And Radiation – This is a transcript of a lecture given by journalist Wolfgang Maes in Los Angeles, California in 1990. Wolfgang suffered from EHS and tells his story and how he fixed his surroundings and his health by lowering his night time exposure to nnEMF.
   2. (Video) Electromagnetic Fields and DNA Damage: Dr. Jerry Phillips – In this video, Dr. Phillips discusses how nnEMFs damage your DNA, but he also tackles the topic of conflicting research between the independent science and the industry-funded science. By the way this video is from 2012, before Dr. Martin Pall’s work in 2013 that actually FOUND the non-thermal mechanism by which nnEMF disrupts cellular function.
   3. (Article) Cell Phone Radiation Boosts Cancer Rates in Animals – “The cell phone cancer controversy will never be the same again. The U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP) is expected to issue a public announcement that cell phone radiation presents a cancer risk for humans. The move comes soon after its recently completed study showed statistically significant increases in cancer among rats that had been exposed to GSM or CDMA signals for two-years.”
   4. (Video) Dr. Martin Pall – How Wi-Fi & other EMFs Cause Biological Harm – Amazing talk by Dr. Pall where he goes in depth and breaks down the non-thermal biological effects of Wi-Fi.
   5. (Documentary) – Resonance Beings of Frequency – An eye-opening documentary that will teach you a tremendous amount about the dangers of nnEMF.
   6. (Study) – Genetic Analysis of Circadian Responses to Low Frequency Electromagnetic Fields in Drosophila melanogaster – “Our results are therefore not consistent with the classical Trp triad-mediated RPM and suggest that CRYs act as blue-light/EMF sensors depending on trans-acting factors that are present in particular cellular environments.” Translation – nnEMF is perceived as light by sensory proteins in your body and that can mess with your circadian biology.
   7. (Study) - Is it Blue Light or Increased Electromagnetic Fields which Affects the Circadian Rhythm in People who Use Smartphones at Night – “Furthermore, previous reports have indicated a significant association between exposure to RF-EMFs of mobile or cordless phones and sleep problems (2, 3). The 2nd shortcoming of this paper comes from ignoring this point that electromagnetic fields may affect the level of plasma melatonin (4, 5).”
   8. (Study) Critical time delay of the pineal melatonin rhythm in humans due to weak electromagnetic exposure. –“The results show that significant melatonin interruption and changes to the circadian rhythm occur due to the perturbation of chemical reaction rates, as also reported in previous studies. The results also show the influence of the mRNA degradation rate on the circadian rhythm's critical time delay or maturation time. The results support the hypothesis that exposure to weak EMFs via melatonin disruption can adversely affect human health.”
   9. (Study) Why are living things sensitive to weak magnetic fields? – “This implies that weak magnetic field interactions may have a chronodisruptive basis, homologous to the more familiar effects on the biological clock arising from sleep deprivation, phase-shift employment and light at night. It is conceivable that the widespread sensitivity of biological systems to weak ELF magnetic fields is vestigially derived from this diurnal geomagnetic effect.”
   10. (Article) - 'Radiogenetics' seeks to remotely control cells and genes – “The new system, dubbed radiogenetics, uses a signal, in this case low-frequency radio waves or a magnetic field, to heat or move ferritin particles. They, in turn, prompt the opening of TRPV1, which is situated in the membrane surrounding the cell. Calcium ions then travel through the channel, switching on a synthetic piece of DNA the scientists developed to turn on the production of a downstream gene, which in this study was the insulin gene.”Translation – Scientists are actively using nnEMFs NON-THERMAL effects on cells to develop therapies for diabetes. How can anyone read this and deny the non-thermal effects of nnEMF??
   11. (Documentary) – Searching for a Golden Cage – A short and informative film that documents the plight of people who suffer from EHS.
   12. (Documentary) – Take Back Your Power – A must-watch documentary that illuminates the dangers of electric company-installed smart meters on homes and in apartment buildings.
   13. (Study) – Access to electricity is linked to reduced sleep – “New research comparing traditional hunter-gatherer living conditions to a more modern setting shows that access to artificial light and electricity has shortened the amount of sleep humans get each night.”
   14. (Study) Mitochondrial calcium overload is a key determinant in heart failure – This study in particular does not mention nnEMF as a cause of heart failure, but if you remember Dr. Martin Pall’s work that showed how nnEMF causes excess calcium in the cell, and you see how this study links excess calcium in the cell to heart failure, it’s easy to connect the dots! Heart attacks kill a staggering number of Americans every year. Might nnEMF be a hidden cause that no one is considering? Food for thought.
   15. (Study) Effects of the Effect of Ultra High Frequency Mobile Phone Radiation on Human Health – “The results of this study and International Commission of Non Ionization Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) reports showed the people who spend more than 50 minutes a day using a cell phone could have early dementia or other thermal damage due to the burning of glucose in the brain.”
   16. (Study) Cancer incidence vs. FM radio transmitter density – “The findings present strong support to the earlier presented hypothesis that body-resonant broadcasting radiation emitted by horizontally polarized main FM transmitters has an immune-disturbing effect. “
   17. (Article) Diabetes and Electro sensitivity – This article raises the possibility that diabetes is caused by nnEMF.
   18. (Article) Wireless technology – studies on health effects, lawsuits & court rulings. – This is a fantastic resource that links to a tremendous treasure trove of research and other evidence of the harm that nnEMF causes to human health.
   19. (Article) New research links cell phones to health issues in children – “For years, we’ve heard of a possible link between cell phone use and cancer. Now, this week, researchers in Baltimore say the evidence is clear, and children are more at risk.” This is crucial to watch and read if you have children.
   20. (Study) Schumann resonance is found in the earth and in the human brain – Think about that. Our brains resonate at the same frequency as the natural frequency emitted by the earth that gets charged by lightening. With no nnEMFs this is how we are supposed to resonate. nnEMFs disturb this natural resonance and we pay the price with our health.
   21. (Video) Magda Havas talks at NIEHS May 9, 2016 on electro smog and electro hypersensitivity – She shows what nnEMFs do to our blood under a microscope, and shows how reducing nnEMFs helped several MS patients.
   22. (Article) The pulsed microwave radar tower and the cell – the role of calcium – This one is definitely more for the science geeks, but it goes into great detail about how nnEMF affects the calcium in and around our cells.
   23. (Article) Mobile Phones are cooking men’s sperm – “Study finds sperm levels of men who kept their phones in their pocket during the day were quite seriously affected in 47 per cent of cases“
   24. (Article) Wireless devices & wildlife – This is a fascinating and well-referenced article that depicts the effects of Wi-Fi on animals and plants. It discusses key studies done on bees that show how Wi-Fi is causing colony collapse disorder.
   25. (Article) nnEMF research collection – And finally, a massive collection of research on nnEMF that includes a link to 2300 studies done by the US Navy showing the biological impacts of nnEMF!
   26. (Study) Prenatal Exposure to weak magnetic fields leads to childhood asthma – “Li's study is the first prospective epidemiological study ever carried out on any group exposed to any type of electromagnetic fields (EMFs). The mothers' magnetic field exposures were measured during the first or second trimester and the health of their children —a total of 626 boys and girls— was followed for the next 13 years. Li sees a clear dose-response: Every 1 mG increase in median magnetic field exposure during pregnancy led to a 15% increase in asthma in the offspring. The trend is highly significant.”

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