“As we become more educated about safer alternatives and become more aware of the social, economical, and environmental influences which prolong harmful health habits, we will be able to understand more clearly the distinction between the politics and the evidence.” ~Raquel Martin – THE ESTROGEN ALTERNATIVE
When it comes to your health, a properly functioning endocrine system and hormonal balance is absolutely essential. For over six decades now, while dealing with endocrine issues, the standard of care for both conventional and integrative physicians has been Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). Whether it be a teenager with painful periods put on the Birth Control Pill, a thirty year old woman with anxiety and acne prescribed Progesterone Cream, a menopausal woman experiencing hot flashes and weight gain given Estrogen Patches, or even an adult male with low libido handed supplemental Testosterone, this “replacement therapy” or “topping off” approach is far from the solution to most hormonal woes.
HRT AND BIOIDENTICAL HORMONES
While there were many studies published in the 70s and 80s, it wasn’t until 2002 when a lot of public interest in HRT was sparked. The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) released a massive study with data collected for over 50 years on women using conventional HRT. The pharmaceutical hormones being used in this study were FDA approved Premarin and Provera, synthetic estrogen and progesterone conjugated from pregnant equine urine. The study was halted when the research showed dramatic increased incidence of heart attack, stroke, breast and endometrial cancers in patients taking these hormones. After the NIH came out with a public statement declaring the harmful risks of HRT, millions of women were left looking for a safer, more natural option for their hormonal symptoms. Enter Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT).
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Enhancing Fertility with Nutrition
/in Fertility, Functional Medicine, Nutrition, Women's HealthWhole Food Based // Nutrient Dense // Anti-Inflammatory // Antioxidant Rich // Hormone Regulating // Blood Sugar Stabilizing
When it comes to fertility, pre-conception preparation and regulating your hormones, what you eat is absolutely the most important factor to prioritize. A majority of fertility challenges can be overcome both safely and naturally. Nutrition is the foundation of a healthy pregnancy. Getting the proper nutrients needed, keeping your blood sugar stable, and reducing your toxic load can all be managed with proper nutrition. It is also important to remember that ultimate goal is not just becoming pregnant, but having having a healthy baby and healthy mama as well. Using food and specific nutrients before becoming pregnant will reduce the risk of birth defects and lead the way for a healthy pregnancy. I always encourage both partners to get on board with this fertility nutrition plan. It takes two to tango!
Fertility nutrition includes nutrient dense foods that are required for hormone production and communication, follicle growth, sperm health, healthy endometrial lining, fetal development, and much more. It lays the foundation and provides the building blocks to provide life to a healthy child. Read more
Art of Acupuncture: Ancient System finding its way in Modern Medicine
/in Acupuncture, Chinese MedicineCover Feature in Healthy Beginnings Magazine, August 2017 Edition
An ancient medical system has found its place in modern healthcare. Although acupuncture in the United States is still viewed as a relatively new, “alternative” form of medicine, it has repeatedly proven successful in treating a myriad of both acute and chronic conditions, earning its place in today’s medical community. Acupuncturists now work side by side with physicians in hospitals, cancer centers and addiction recovery facilities across the country. Many people are turning to this ancient practice to fill the gaps left by the conventional pharmaceutical model. While acupuncture and Chinese Medicine are becoming more widely accepted and utilized, there is still much mystery and lack of understanding of the medicine. Even those who receive acupuncture regularly often question its theories and how the medicine actually work. The confusion lies in cultural differences between the Western and Eastern mind, varying vocabulary to describe physiological phenomenon, and a different comprehension of the human body and how it interacts with the world around us. Read more
Replenishing Emotional Resilience
/in Chinese MedicineThe ability to have the depths of the world’s oceans with the flexibility of bamboo are two images that rushed to mind when I was recently asked about how to support and cultivate emotional resilience. In a world where we are constantly surrounded in mental stimulation, how does one keep their cool? How do we maintain enough emotional capacity to not only stay calm and collected for ourselves but for others in our life especially when they are in a time of need?
The four fundamental aspects that first come to mind not only support emotional resilience but are also key factors in maintaining optimal health and vitality. These four fundamentals have been talked about for thousands of years within ancient medical systems and with each new year comes more research from modern science that sheds light and gives insight into why they are so important. Chinese Medicine teaches that maintaining a healthy life balance through nourishing the different elements of the body through these four fundamentals will help to maintain mental and emotional stability and resilience. Cultivating these four fundamentals pieces is simple, but not easy!! Read more
Spring into Wood – Living with the Seasons
/in Chinese Medicine, Detoxification, Liver DetoxificationLiving with the Seasons
The shift from darkness to light, yang bursting from yin is officially upon us. Spring brings a dramatic shift in seasons with longer days, warmer weather, budding blossoms, fresh earthly scents, and a rebirth of plants breaking through the soil. Spring’s time of renewal, expansion, and growth offers many lessons to be learned from observing nature’s cyclical transitions. Chinese Medicine is strongly based on the natural rhythms, expressions, and phases of nature. Together with the philosophy of Yin-Yang, the theory of the Five Elements (Wu Xing) sets the foundation for Chinese medical theory. Each season is viewed as possessing and expressing its own unique energy which directly influences all aspects of life, health, and balanced well being. Read more
Essential Nutrients for Thyroid Health
/in Nutrition, ThyroidFor better or worse, the food we put into our bodies can be our greatest friend or our worst enemy. Food has the ability to completely strengthen your physiology, enhance your vitality, raise your mental and emotional capacity, and ultimately upgrade your whole being. Underestimating the power of food has, in my opinion, been one of the greatest flaws in conventional medicine. With Thyroid conditions on the rise, over 21 million prescriptions of thyroid medication is now written yearly, making Synthroid our country’s most prescribed drug. It is not uncommon to be prescribed thyroid medication based on symptoms alone or just one lab marker and never once have a discussion about how to meet the nutritional needs of this complex endocrine gland.
While there are several variables that need to be addressed when evaluating thyroid conditions (environmental toxic exposure, chronic infections, unmanaged stress, gut health, etc.), the overall nutrient status of the patient is often overlooked. It is important for all thyroid patients to emphasize key nutrients that might be lacking in their diet in order for their thyroid to have the building blocks it needs to function properly. Now when it comes to the thyroid, there is no on-size-fits-all treatment. But regardless of the severity or the side of the spectrum you fall on (hypo-hyper), everyone can benefit from building a strong nutritional foundation to keep your endocrine system stable. Read more
IBS and Acupuncture
/in Acupuncture, Chinese Medicine, DigestionMost understand that there is a difference between Chinese medicine and Western medicine, though how they differ is not always clear.
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) recognizes humans are a complex interplay of the mind, body, and emotions with the concept of yin and yang providing the theoretical
framework to effectively diagnose this interplay. Structure (yin) is maintained by function (yang) within all anatomy, physiology, and psycho-emotional expressions. The TCM practitioner (acupuncturist) understands that yin and yang work cooperatively to determine the health and vitality of a person. How is this vitality reflected in a person’s health? Read more
Ancient Remedy For Dry Cough
/in Chinese Medicine, Herbal Medicine, Home Remedies“Breathe Easy” – Ancient Remedy for Persistent Dry Cough
The cold and flu season this winter in Truckee/Tahoe has been a rough one for many. Symptoms of sinus congestion and dry cough that lingers on for weeks seems to be making its’ rounds around the community. I wanted to share a traditional recipe that I
was taught by a Chinese Herbalist. This simple three ingredient steamed pear remedy is often prepared to prevent or treat a persistent dry lingering cough after a cold or flu. In Chinese Medicine terms, it helps to strongly moisten and tonify the Lung Yin while dissolving phlegm.
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The Test Your Doctor Isn’t Ordering, But Should Be.
/in Functional MedicineORGANIC ACID TESTING (OAT)
This at-home urine analysis is one of the most clinically valuable laboratory diagnostics available today. This little known test tells you everything you need to know about your cellular metabolism and is what I consider “the most bang for your buck”. You can think of this test like an emissions test you run on your car. The exhaust is examined to see how efficiently the engine is burning fuel. Similarly, these “organic acids” in your urine reveal how efficiently several of your body systems are running. Organic acids are byproducts resulting from the metabolic pathways, or chemical reactions, your body uses to transform food into energy, during growth, maintenance, and repair of body tissue. This test looks at 46 organic acids to give a comprehensive snapshot of a patient’s overall health and how effectively metabolism is functioning. Our state of metabolism determines our state of health and is the result of an interplay of our genetics, diet, lifestyle, toxic exposure, stress response, thoughts/emotions, and other environmental factors. With this one sample we can gain insight into several different processes happening in the body and discover where any breakdowns may be occurring. Read more
Anti-Inflammatory Spicy Summer Smoothie
/in Herbal Medicine, Home Remedies, Nutrition, UncategorizedInflammation is a natural process that occurs in your body as a response to damaged cells, invading pathogens, irritating chemicals, and other negative factors. It is a normal part of your immune system’s reaction to these stimuli. However, when inflammation occurs chronically, that is for long periods of time, it can do significant damage to your body.
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Bioidentical Hormones Vs. the Functional Approach to Endocrine Health: Part I
/in Functional Medicine“As we become more educated about safer alternatives and become more aware of the social, economical, and environmental influences which prolong harmful health habits, we will be able to understand more clearly the distinction between the politics and the evidence.” ~Raquel Martin – THE ESTROGEN ALTERNATIVE
When it comes to your health, a properly functioning endocrine system and hormonal balance is absolutely essential. For over six decades now, while dealing with endocrine issues, the standard of care for both conventional and integrative physicians has been Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). Whether it be a teenager with painful periods put on the Birth Control Pill, a thirty year old woman with anxiety and acne prescribed Progesterone Cream, a menopausal woman experiencing hot flashes and weight gain given Estrogen Patches, or even an adult male with low libido handed supplemental Testosterone, this “replacement therapy” or “topping off” approach is far from the solution to most hormonal woes.
HRT AND BIOIDENTICAL HORMONES
While there were many studies published in the 70s and 80s, it wasn’t until 2002 when a lot of public interest in HRT was sparked. The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) released a massive study with data collected for over 50 years on women using conventional HRT. The pharmaceutical hormones being used in this study were FDA approved Premarin and Provera, synthetic estrogen and progesterone conjugated from pregnant equine urine. The study was halted when the research showed dramatic increased incidence of heart attack, stroke, breast and endometrial cancers in patients taking these hormones. After the NIH came out with a public statement declaring the harmful risks of HRT, millions of women were left looking for a safer, more natural option for their hormonal symptoms. Enter Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT).
Read more