JULY 22, 2021 HORMONES CAN MAKE YOU FAT
We do know that certain hormones can add weight to your body. Harvard University studied this exact topic. These hormones usually stay balanced in our 20’s. But once you’re over 35… They become harder and harder for our bodies to regulate. I can relate to this as many of my patients can also
Your thyroid hormone regulates your metabolism. If your thyroid is slow also known as hypothyroidism —you can gain weight. Other signs and symptoms of a slow thyroid can be fatigue, cold hands and feet, hair loss, constipation and weight gain. You must see a doctor and have your thyroid hormones measured. I perform TSH free t3 , free t3, Thyroid peroxidase antibodies, thyroglobulin antibodies and reverse T3. I also measure selenium, zinc and copper as well as iodine. All of these can cause hypothyroidism.
I then measure cortisol which is the stress hormone from the adrenal glands. Cortisol responds to stressors in your life. I do practice Life on Life Terms but stress is stress. Once cortisol increases you start to feel the effects of living in a fright-fright mode and you start to notice increase weight in your abdominal area and hips. There are many adaptogenic herbs that help when your cortisol levels are high at the wrong times during the day. After a while our high cortisol causes adrenal burnout and you are tired in the morning but get a surge at the wrong times of the day. I measure cortisol and DHEA levels by saliva or by urine using the DUTCH test Ask your practitioner about these tests
Until tomorrow…
JULY 21, 2021 TEA BAGS OR NO TEA BAGS
This seems like an easy question to answer. Yet it is not. There are lots of discussion on whether you should use loose tea or tea in bags ( tea bags). As you can imagine loose tea with different types of strainers has been used for years. The very first tea bags had the full or broken tea leaves in it. As always with businesses a lower quality form of the tea can be used and substituted.
I am not saying this occurs with all companies that sell tea bags. I prefer some overt others as Bigelow Tea and another brand I buy in Whole Foods called Tea Pigs. I read about fanning> I didn’t know what “ Fanning” was. A fanning consists of small particles of tea that are left over from the production of tea. The tea on that bag is of low quality.
There is a problem with tea in general especially if you do not know where it is grown. There could be metal contamination. This would occur with tea in bags or in loose tea. You must know your source and the quality of the tea especially where it is grown. I also worry about tea bags as some are made with different materials, including plastic. Plastic can be harmful to your health
At Botanical Bounty we sell loose tea. We buy in bilk from organic fair trade companies. Each patch of tea has a certificate of where it was grown. This is especially important to me as a herbalist and physician. I make a perfect ( imperfectly perfect) cup of tea from Botanical Bounty’s loose tea of all types Call 646 723 1823
Until tomorrow…
JULY 20, 2021 HEALTHY SNACKS
WE all snack Let’s be honest here. However there are unhealthy and healthy snacks. Snacks, no matter how you like them – sweet or salty, crunchy or chewy – can be a nutritious, satisfying, and filling.
What do you snack on? Make a list on a piece of paper of your snacks. Stop reading the blog now.
After you make the list - now you can continue to read and see if you have any healthy snacks of your list
A Health Bar - these can be tricky as some of full of sugar Try to pick one with high protein and low in carbohydrates and sugar.
Hummus - this is a great snack but not always doable if on the go. This is a snack i have at home with vegetable or bean chips
Trail Mix - this is an easier to pack snack when on the go. You must be careful that no raisins, dried fruit or milk chocolate is in the trail mix. If it has dark chocolate it can be better , My favorite is the Trail Mix from Trader’s Joe. It has types of nuts- with NO raisins, cranberries, or chocolate
Celery and a nut Butter - I enjoy filled the celery stalk with almond butter. I then slice into pieces and enjoy this nutritious snack with low calories and low sugar. It ahs good protein and good fiber
Unsalted or Plain Rice Cakes- this is another snack that is easier at home or if you keep rice cakes in your desk drawer. I like to put pumpkin , sunflowers or almond butter if I cam eating at home
Greek Yogurt0 a definite at home snack. I like plain Greek yogurt at home as I can add blueberries and my own ray honey to it. I love this snack the best.
Whatever you snack is —keep in mind of the amount of sugar. For your information one teaspoon of sugar is equal to 4 grams.
How many of the above snacks were on your list ?
Until tomorrow…
JULY 19, 2021 BOTANICALS USED IN CANCER PATIENTS
There are many botanicals used to treat and support patients with cancer. When I taught Integrative Oncology at the Naturopathic School of Medicine at the University of Bridgeport I discussed 50 plants that have been used. These range from different Mushrooms to Carnivora to Paw Paw ( or Soursop) to Ukraine. I also discussed Vitamin B17 also known as Laetrile from Apricot pits. There are new studies discussing the herb tumeric ( Curcuma longa ) from the National Institute of Cancer ( NIC) as well as Artemisia annua.
With countless life-changing properties known for over a thousand years, Artemisia annua is one of the most powerful and natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory plant in the world that supports the body’s immune system.
The Zagazig University in Egypt in 2020 studied Artemisia. They found that this herb extract has a tumor suppressive effect in anthracene induced breast cancer .
Every patient with cancer should seek integrative approaches in dealing with the treatment of their cancer. I believe and advocate that physicians of any discipline should discuss other options with their patient.
Until tomorrow…
JULY 16-18, 2021 QUALITY SLEEP
Sleep is more vital than you might think. We all need quality sleep. Insomnia and sleep disorders are significant health concerns affecting individuals around the world which can result in fatigue, attention deficits, mood instability, anxiety, and depression. A reduction in the hippocampal volume, daytime cortical gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels, and recruitment of the caudate nucleus are all associated with insomnia. This causes overactivity of the arousal, emotion regulating, and cognitive systems which could lead to insomnia
There are many conventional medications used for sleep/ These include clonezepam, ambien, lunesta, trazadone and gabapentum. There are many herbal treatments for sleep as CBD, valerian, california poppy, skullcap, and much more. Recently an article was published by the American Botanical Council HerbalGram on Saffron (Crocus sativus, Iridaceae)
The study showed positive or beneficial results on sleep. “ The authors conclude that saffron extract supplementation led to an improvement in sleep quality after six weeks. Since the study only included individuals with mild to moderate chronic primary sleep disorder with a specific dosage of saffron, they state that it would be beneficial to perform more studies on different dosages of saffron to better understand its mechanism”
To review the whole article either use the information below. It is best to join the American Botanical Council. I believe every ND should join the ABC.
Pachikian BD, Copine S, Suchareau M, Deldicque L. Effects of saffron extract on sleep quality: A randomized double-blind controlled clinical trial. Nutrients. April 2021;13(5):1473. doi:10.3390/nu13051473