JANUARY 11, 2019 DIGESTIVE ISSUES
Have you tried to lose weight by counting calories or a point system? It is not about that ! It is about the quality of your food. The quality of food has changed in the last 4 decades. This is due to the fact that more Americans eat proceeded foods full of additives. These additives are sugar, dyes, chemicals and more much. These are the hidden ingredients that are not on the labels.
Did you ever wonder how a jar of tomato sauce can stay on a shelf or in your cupboard for months. These hidden ingredients or bad additives keep it from spoling on the shelf. These additives are killing you These are the gut disruptors. I learned this many years ago and have been educating my patients as well as you with blogs for the last 9 years.
There are doctors being trained in this area- It is called Functional Medicine. I am a forerunner in this field from the very beginning. I have been saying for years that , “ All your health problems begin in the gut .” If you have a healthy gut or a healthy microbiome, then you are going to be healthy. There are 5 pounds of bacteria is the gut that needs to be balanced. This is a good balance between friendly and non friendly bacteria.
Learn about your gut health
Until tomorrow…
JANUARY 10, 2019 FIBROMYALGIA
The diagnosis of fibromyalgia has been given to a number of my patients throughout the years. Is the cause viral? Is the cause bacterial? or Is the cause due to toxic metals? It has been postulated to be caused by the Epstein Barr virus ( EBV) as well as various metal and environmental toxicities. It has been associated with severe fatigue, aches and pains, and irritable bowel syndrome.
Fibromyalgia is classified as a chronic pain disorder affecting 2- 8 % of the general population More women than men are affected, Common symptoms include fatigue, sleep disturbance, gut issues, memory problems and depression. A number of conventional drugs as anti depressants, anti pain medication and even anti epileptic drugs Some of the common ones are Savella, cymnbalta and gabapentum.
I utilize supplements and herbs to repair and restore the gut. These involve glutamine, probiotics and our GUTSY tea. I want the patient to try an anti candida diet . I recommend a Bowen technique practitioner. The Bowen technique is a form of physical manipulation that involves gentle rolling along muscles, tendons and fascia. I perform toxic metal analysis and detoxify the body if appropriate. Acupuncture has been useful in some cases as well as gentle Qigong.
Until tomorrow…
JANUARY 9, 2019 SKIN HEALING HERBS
There are many herbs that have been used in skin products in the recent years. Some of these are alteratives and some are vulnerary herbs. Some of the common herbs used in skin products are calendula, green tea, plantain and yarrow. The most popular skin herb known for healing is arnica.
I utilize many of these herbs in lip balms, and herbal salves. One company does an excellent job with skin products. It is called Bath and Unwind. ( www.bathandunwind.com ) I have utilized their MOA : The Green Balm with yarrow and tea tree oil.
With a beautiful blend of essential oils including sweet almond, Somerset yarrow and tea tree, it effectively soothes dry, itchy skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis, treats chapped lips, soothes sore red skin, combats athletes foot, calms inflamed skin after shaving, helps to fade scarring and stretchmarks, softens cuticles and can even remove eye makeup.
The other product is Arnica Balm with calendula and eucalyptus. This is called Milk + Honey.
Until tomorrow…
JANUARY 8, 2019 ANTIDEPRESSANTS AND PREGNANCY
Many pregnant women in the 1990’s were told that antidepressants did not affect their unborn child. Some of these antidepressants were Prozac, Celexa and Lexapro. Since 2017, the British Medical Journal and other journals have published data to the contrary. The first study to look at the adverse effects of these drugs in the first trimester was done in 2017 with greater than 18,000 participants.
The study revealed that those women who took antidepressants in the first trimester have risk of having children with cardiac, musculoskeletal,, craniofacial and digestive problems, A uncommon syndrome craniosyntosis- where the skull does not properly form was found.
It has been recommended that if a women discovers she is pregnant and on an anti depressant, consult your physician immediately. Do not abruptly stop this class of medications.
There are natural ways to combat depression
Until tomorrow…
JANUARY 7, 2019 ENZYMES
Our body contains 3,000 different enzymes. These are involved in a number of metabolic processes and functions. Some of these actions include helping you digest food, repairing the digestive system and increasing the immune support of your body. These are many digestive enzymes on the market. As we age, digestive enzyme levels start to decrease.
If you do not want to take enzymes, you can some from food. These are present in raw or fermented foods . These enzymes are destroyed by cooking. Due to the American diet being very processed— most of the food we eat has no enzymes.
In some individuals I recommend raw unpasteurized milk from other States ( as it is illegal in NYS ) Raw milk has digestive enzymes which homogenized / pasteurized milk does not have . There are 3 main classes of digestive enzymes in the body: amylase, lipase and protease.
Ask your naturopathic or functional medicine physician if you need digestive enzymes
Until tomorrow…
JANUARY 5-6, 2019 CONNECTICUT INTEGRATIVE MEDICAL CENTER
Connecticut Integrative Medical Center located in Fairfield, CT offers integrative care from our diverse team of practitioners With combined care of medical doctor, licensed naturopathic physicians, nutritionists, and acupuncturists we will help you achieve your health goals.
I know each of these licensed naturopathic physicians very well. I was one of their professors at the UB College of naturopathic Medicine. Not only did I teach them various courses didactically, but had each of them on a clinic rotation with patients at the UB Clinic
We are unique to the State of Connecticut- we offer a variety of services as above, but also offer intravenous medically supervised drips for a variety of conditions. We specialize in Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes,Lyme, Cancer support, Autoimmune Disease, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Obesity, Thyroid Disease, Metal Detoxification, Male and Female Conditions and much more. I have been practicing for 25 years in the field of Integrative Medicine ( formerly known as holistic or complimentary medicine)
Our team:
Ryan Attar, ND MS Nutrition
Emma Cooke, ND MS Nutrition
Patrick Fratellone MD RH
Jenny Goto, ND , MS Acupuncture
Hannibal Miles, ND MS Nutrition
Katie Zinn, ND MS Acupuncture