Covid has been an interesting experiment on many levels to happen to human health. I wanted to give you my perspective on how I feel like it has validated many of my own understandings on how our immune system functions.
Read moreBeyond Bone Health: The Role of Vitamin D in the Treatment of Chronic Pain
When you think of vitamin D, there's a good chance that you think of the effects it has on bone strength. Maybe you also think of the effects it has on energy levels. But did you know that vitamin D supplementation plays an important role in the treatment of chronic pain?
Many of my patients have chronic pain and vitamin D deficiency, and I've seen firsthand how much treating their low vitamin D levels has helped with pain. So this blog is going to go over the ins and outs of vitamin D and how it helps with the treatment of chronic, painful conditions.
6 Natural Ways To Prevent Fatty Liver Disease: Part 3 of Liver Health
Fatty liver disease is a condition that happens when too much fat is stored in the liver. Over time, these fat stores build up in the liver and replace healthy liver cells. This can cause liver damage and even lead to cirrhosis.
When it comes to the treatment of fatty liver disease, there's currently no FDA-approved medications that specifically treat it.³ But there are many different vitamins, supplements, and other medications that have been found to improve and even prevent fatty liver disease.
And like any other disease, prevention is key.
Read more9 Surprising Things That Can Lead To Fatty Liver Disease: Part 2 of Liver Health
In recent years, I’ve observed that the environment we live in has gotten sicker and sicker. And when our environment is sick, those who live in that environment get sick as well. Many toxins and chemicals are used to make many of the foods we consume and products we use on a daily basis. And unfortunately, the harmfulness and long-lasting effects of these toxins are just now starting to be realized.
One of the main things in the human body that’s affected by all of these toxins is the liver. The primary function of the liver is to filter out harmful toxins from the body. But when our bodies are being exposed to so many toxins, it can be hard for the liver to keep up.
The amount of toxins that we’re exposed to on a daily basis is large and probably hard to believe. We don’t have to work directly with chemicals in a factory to be exposed to chemicals and pollutants. In fact, most of them can be found at our local grocery stores.
Read moreAn Overview of Fatty Liver Disease: Part 1 of Liver Health
In the human body, each organ that we have has a role to play to keep us balanced and healthy. One of the organs we have is the liver, and its functions range from filtering out harmful toxins to making compounds that breakdown the food we eat. Without the liver, we cannot survive.
Like other organs in the body, the liver can become diseased and not work properly. The most common type of liver disease is called fatty liver disease, which results from excess amounts of fat being stored in the liver. And while fatty liver disease is typically treatable and reversible, it can sometimes progress to conditions that cause permanent scarring, damage, and even cancer of the liver.
For this reason, it’s important to me that patients understand what fatty liver disease is, what causes it, how it’s diagnosed, and how to treat it while it’s still reversible.
Read moreTestosterone and Heart Health in Men: How Testosterone Replacement Can Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease
Similar to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in women, HRT in men has had a controversial past regarding its risks and safety when it comes to something called cardiovascular disease (CVD). The most common types of CVD include heart attacks and strokes, but it includes any type of disease that affects the heart and blood vessels in the body.
A lot of research has been done to study the relationship between testosterone replacement and CVD. While the majority of research has shown that replacing testosterone in men can decrease the risk of CVD and death, a small amount of studies between 2010 and 2013 suggested otherwise.
This past summer, this research was published, and the results have changed everything.
Unwinding the Knot: A Brief History of The Safety of Female Hormone Replacement Therapy and its Cardiovascular Benefits
During menopause, the hormones progesterone and estrogen drop, and this causes symptoms like hot flashes and mood changes. The severity of these symptoms range from woman to woman, but they can sometimes be severe enough to require treatment.
Over the last 25 years, HRT has been proven time and time again to be safe and beneficial for menopausal women. For this reason, I prescribe HRT for many of my patients, and many have had improvements not only in their health but their overall quality of life.
Read moreHow High Homocysteine Levels Can Affect Your Heart and Blood Vessels
Cardiovascular disease is a group of diseases that affect the heart and blood vessels in the body, and it’s the number one cause of death and disability in the world.¹
Two of the most common types of cardiovascular disease are heart attacks and strokes.
The majority of my patients are looking to improve their overall health and decrease their risk of having heart attacks, strokes, and other types of cardiovascular disease. So while my initial appointments with them include reviewing the above risk factors, there is something else that I always add to their initial blood work: homocysteine levels.
Read moreBook Review: Heart: A History by Sandeep Jauhar, MD
In his most recent memoir, Heart: A History, Jauhar walks us through his path of sacrifice, discovery, and, ultimately, clarity.¹ He explains that since the middle ages, there has been an understanding of the importance of the heart. Only over the last several hundred years has there been an advancement in knowledge and treatment methods of the heart.
These advancements in cardiology were made alongside a great deal of time, effort, and sacrifice. Jauhar discusses the great lengths that brilliant minds went to in order to develop many of the treatments and devices that we so heavily rely on today.
Read moreHow Hormones Can Disrupt Your Sleep (And How To Fix It): Part Four of the Science of Sleep
As we know, there are many different factors that can influence your quality of sleep. From simple things like your sleeping environment to certain signals and messengers in your body, there are many ways that sleep quality can be affected.
In addition to these messengers, or neurotransmitters, there are certain hormones that regulate sleep. And because of their importance in the body, detection of these hormonal imbalances, usually on blood work, is crucial. Especially in those that struggle with their sleep.
In my last blog, we reviewed the different neurotransmitters in the body that regulate sleep, and we discussed some ways to treat abnormal levels of these neurotransmitters. There are many more treatment options for high levels of neurotransmitters that also offer additional benefits.
So if you’ve tried what seems like endless therapies and lifestyle changes to improve your sleep without any luck, don’t worry. Many difficulties with sleep involve many different parts of the brain and body. So your treatment may involve targeting more than one pathway, neurotransmitter, or hormone at a time. Or maybe even treating an underlying medical condition.
But first, let’s review two of the most important hormones involved with sleep: cortisol and progesterone.
Read moreNatural Sleep Aids and Medications To Help Improve Your Sleep: Part Three of the Science of Sleep
From the timing and amount of light we are exposed to, when we use electronic devices, and the temperature of our environment, there are so many factors that can influence the quality of sleep we get.
However, despite their best efforts and lifestyle modifications, many of my patients continue to have trouble falling asleep, have trouble staying asleep, or suffer from daytime fatigue due to poor sleep quality. This may be because of certain medical conditions or because of imbalances of certain hormones and neurotransmitters within the body.
Changes You Can Make To Get Better Quality Sleep - Part Two of the Science of Sleep
As we know, sleep is vital to maintaining health, wellness, and balance within the body. Without adequate amounts of sleep, not only is it difficult to function, but we put ourselves at risk of many life-threatening health conditions.¹
Even though many of my patients understand the importance of sleep, many of them still struggle to get enough good, quality sleep. Despite their efforts, many people still:
Lay in bed for hours before falling asleep.
Toss and turn all night.
Wake up feeling groggy.
Our ability to fall asleep, stay asleep, and get sound sleep isn’t just determined by what we do in the few minutes before we go to bed; it’s based on decisions we make throughout the day.
As soon as we wake up each morning, our body starts an internal “timer” that basically counts down to when we’re going to get tired and fall asleep again. This is also known as the circadian rhythm. And as much as our body tries to maintain a consistent schedule, our circadian rhythm can be influenced by certain things we consume, expose ourselves to, or do throughout the day.
Exposure to light, the use of electric devices, the time we exercise, and even the way we breath are all ways that our circadian rhythm and overall quality of sleep can be affected. By making small adjustments to the timing and amounts of things we do on a daily basis, we can optimize our circadian rhythm and reap the benefits of good, quality sleep.
Read moreThe Science of Sleep and Why Your Body Needs It: Part One
Just like our bodies need oxygen, food, and water, sleep is necessary for our health, well being, and frankly, our survival. But despite all of the science around the importance of sleep, many adults still don’t get the required amount. In fact, one in three adults in America don’t get enough sleep.¹
This can be blamed on a number of things. From always being on the go, to excessive cell phone and electronic use, humans today live in a world that’s much different than that of our ancestors.
And just like our ancestors, sleep is simply something our bodies cannot go without. It’s the part of our lives that our bodies rely on to reset and restore important systems within the body. We need sleep to maintain the balance within our bodies.² This is also referred to as homeostasis.
Without this reset and restoration, things in the body start to go wrong quickly. And when we don’t get enough sleep on a regular basis, we put ourselves at an increased risk of developing several dangerous health conditions, many of which can have lasting effects on the mind and body.
If you find that you don’t get enough sleep on a regular basis, there are several proven ways that you can improve your sleep. And by doing this, you can improve your overall health. But first, there needs to be an understanding of why sleep is important, how much sleep is needed, and the risks of sleep deprivation.
Read more4 Ways to Improve Interoception Within Your Body
Interoception is the bodily sense that allows us to be in touch with what our body is communicating to us. We’re all born with an awareness of what our body is saying to us, but if there’s physical, mental, or emotional trauma or if this awareness isn’t properly nurtured, then this ability can diminish.
When someone has poor interoception, there is a disconnect from the body. This increases the risk of developing different physical and mental health conditions. Signs of poor interoception may include:¹
Difficulty recognizing when you’re hungry or full
Constipation
Exaggerated and abnormal responses to pain, stress, or other emotions
Difficulty recognizing or explaining signs of illness like fatigue, fever, headache, nausea
If you have signs of poor interoception, fortunately, there are many ways to improve interoceptive awareness within your body.
Read moreThe Importance of Interoceptive Awareness in the Mind and Body
Many people know about the five senses: touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste. The importance of these five senses has been ingrained in us since childhood. But the human body isn’t that simple.
The human body is complex, and it’s this complexity that allows our bodies to protect us and carry us through life.
Our bodies have additional senses that allow us to connect with the outside world as well as to what’s happening within our bodies. Two of these additional senses are called interoception and exteroception.
Interoception is what allows us to be in touch with our bodies, both emotionally and physically. It’s the sense that gives us the ability to connect with our internal felt sense of self. Our bodies communicate with the outside world with a sense called exteroception.
The balance between interoception and exteroception is what allows our bodies to receive signals from the outside world, process them internally, and then understand them. Although our understanding of interoception and exteroception isn’t as much as that of the five senses, researchers uncover more and more everyday.
Read moreMast Cell Medications: A Potential Key to the Treatment of Chronic Pain
I have recently accepted medical students back into my practice to observe and learn with me. One student asked me if I ever made a mistake in diagnosis and prescribed a mast cell stabilizer medication to someone who did not have mast cell activation syndrome.
This really made me think, and I realized how much my world has changed since studying the impact that mast cells have on human health. I realized that I have jumped way beyond just mast cell activation syndrome. I like to think about how mast cells relate to all aspects of chronic illness where inflammation is involved, not just with patients who have mast cell activation syndrome.
Read moreThe Body’s Holistic Communication Network, the Fourth Phase of Water, and Piezoelectricity
When the fascial tissues allow for the flow of electricity, our body can function at a beautiful, optimal level. On the other hand, when fascia isn’t healthy, likely due to patterns of tightness or deformation, the human body will likely experience chronic symptoms or disease.
So, how can we enable and support healthy fascia and electrical flow? One huge aspect of this comes down to water. Our bodies are primarily made of water, and the holistic electrical communication within the body is largely dependent upon the structure of water molecules. To understand this, it’s important to dive deeper and explore the fourth phase of water and the piezoelectric phenomenon.
Read moreDosing Strategies for the Sensitive Patient
“What is there that is not poison? All things are poison and nothing is without poison. Solely, the dose determines that a thing is not a poison.”
- Paracelsus
I have learned that in order to really help my patients benefit I have to improvise and go with not what the medical literature always tells me about how to dose a certain medication, but with how my patients present, where their symptoms are, and how sensitive they may be to medication. The flaw in following a recipe book for medications is that it does not take into account much about the individual makeup of the patient.
Read moreHow Breathing Can Boost Your Immunity and Longevity
The average person takes about 20,000 breaths per day, yet not many people pay attention to how they’re breathing. The quality of your breathing can have a profound impact on your health, causing a wide range of physiological changes beyond the simple exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Many ancient cultures knew about the healing potential of breathing and developed entire traditions around this – such as yoga and qigong. You may have also heard of Wim Hof, the famous extreme athlete who uses breathing techniques to tolerate extreme temperatures.
Harnessing the power of the breath has some seemingly-miraculous benefits, even beyond tolerating a polar plunge. Optimizing your breath can be transformative to your immunity and overall health in ways that we’re just now beginning to understand. The best part is that your breath is free and accessible to you at all times, with no harmful side effects!
Read moreIt’s All Connected: The Incredible Roles of the Extracellular Matrix and Fascia
To me, the most fascinating components of the human body are ones that have been least researched and discussed. Mainstream medicine has historically focused on individual cells and organ systems but has largely ignored the incredibly complex Extracellular Matrix (ECM) and fascial tissues, which really are the basis of the holistic connectivity and communication present within the body.
Renowned herbalist, Matthew Wood, provides thoughtful insight into the ECM and fascia in his recent book Holistic Medicine and the Extracellular Matrix: The Science of Healing at the Cellular Level.¹ In understanding these structures, there’s no way to ignore the innate holistic intelligence of the human body and the necessity of integrative treatment.
Read more