Nutrition
Maintaining Healthy Testosterone
Testosterone is a vital piece of the body’s hormonal makeup and while it is often referred to as the “male hormone,” it is a critical to female wellness at lower levels. Testosterone is not only the hormone that regulates your sex drive as most people think, but according to the British Columbia Medical Journal, low levels of testosterone are linked to depression, fatigue, decreased muscle mass, weight gain, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Waning testosterone levels can happen early in life. A study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism showed that one in four men over the age of 30 have low testosterone level and surprisingly...
Read MoreHair loss….at my age!?
Greetings readers! I wanted to share with you a story of a 16 year old patient of mine. We’ll call her Chloe. Chloe came to see me because she was having hair loss, or spotty alopecia. She had been seeing a dermatologist for her hair loss and after trying many things the dermatologist had resulted to doing steroid injections into her scalp on the bald spots. While this therapy worked for the hair loss, it was leaving boggy spots on her scalp that felt funny. Both Chloe and her mother knew this was not a long term solution to the problem, but rather a Band-Aid approach. I recommended two types of testing. I had Chloe do our complete nutritional panel (also called...
Read MoreMicronutrient Testing – What Your Body is Trying to Tell You
Nutrition is at the core of integrative health and SpectraCell’s Micronutrient Testing is one of the most advanced diagnostic tool available. As previously mentioned, micronutrient testing looks inside a white blood cell to see what the your nutritional status is and measures vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, carbohydrate metabolism, oxidative stress levels, and can even assess immune function. While the genetic test can help you understand what diseases or deficiencies you might be prone to and the resulting supplements or lifestyle changes that could help, micronutrient testing pinpoints what your body is lacking. The testing looks at your nutrition status over...
Read MoreHow to Avoid GMO
Seventy percent of foods sold in the supermarket contain genetically modified ingredients. Over five million children in the United States are suffering from food allergies, a problem that correlates strongly to the development of GMO processed foods for infants and children. In spite of the complete flooding of the food market with unlabeled genetically modified food, they are avoidable by eliminating the following food from your family’s diet: Soy (tofu and soy sauce are not GMO, avoid soy lecithin) Corn (all corn products, especially cereal, high fructose corn syrup and corn oil) Popcorn is not GMO Canola oil and cottonseed oil (margarine, cooking oil and processed...
Read MoreIt’s More Than Genes
I often hear the argument, “Well, Grandma never took supplements and she lived to be 95.” This is based on the false hypothesis that your health depends entirely on your genetic make-up. So, if Grandma was healthy, you will be too. Yes, your genes matter, but the trigger points for chronic illness such as diabetes and heart disease are clearly directed by what you are feeding your body. And it is a fact that the food your Grandma fed her body is no longer widely available to you. Food has changed nutritionally, genetically, and chemically. Today the food system is compromised. The nutrition required by all of us for health and wellbeing is becoming harder and harder to...
Read MoreProtein Supplements – Which Should I Use?
The most common sources for protein powders are whey (a dairy or animal protein) and soy (a plant-based protein). Research on both soy and whey proteins reveal a number of related health concerns or side effects associated with their use: SOY – National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine, a division of the National Institutes of Health, and the Harvard School of Public Health recommend individuals limit their soy intake to approximately 2-4 servings a week (16-32oz of soy milk or ½ cup-1 cup of tofu a week). Consuming large amounts of soy protein can provoke allergies, increase cancer risks, contribute to weight gain, lead to enlarged thyroid, and...
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