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5 Common Conditions Frequently Improved with Functional Medicine

Functional medicine focuses on identifying the root causes of common conditions rather than only suppressing symptoms. Underlying root causes may include gut issues, inflammation, toxins, hormone imbalance, nutrient status, or deficiencies. Many chronic health...
Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome: A Misdiagnosed and Under-diagnosed Disease

Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome: A Misdiagnosed and Under-diagnosed Disease

Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, or CIRS, was originally described as Water Damaged Building Illness. CIRS is an illness which exhibits multiple systems and occurs when one is exposed to unhealthy indoor air. More research revealed that CIRS is a genetic predilection to a myriad of abnormal systemic inflammatory responses that  results when an individual does not have the immune response genes to eliminate neurotoxins produced by their exposure to mold, bacteria, or viruses as well as fungal infection. CIRS affects multiple systems in the body, causing patients to exhibit numerous symptoms which are very difficult to pinpoint and the patient in most cases goes undiagnosed for a long time.

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A Chiropractor Shares the Easiest Tip for Your Health

A Chiropractor Shares the Easiest Tip for Your Health

Human beings tend to overcomplicate a lot of things. Many of us are guilty of thinking that anything worth achieving requires a lot of time and effort.   For example, if we want to lose weight, we must go on a complicated diet program designed by some famous doctor or health guru on the best sellers list.  Or, if we want to gain muscle, we have to work out every day for hours.  On the other hand, we think if it’s easy it’s probably too good to be true or it won’t help, yet many of us want “easy” in this complicated, busy world.  The bottom line is, whether easy or hard, the basics of a healthy life need to be adhered to.  What are the basics?

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BPH Keeping You Up at Night? Natural Treatments That Help

BPH Keeping You Up at Night? Natural Treatments That Help

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia or BPH is one of the most common ailments faced by men as they age. In fact, 50% of all men between 50-60 years of age, 75% of men in their seventh decade of life, and 90% of men over 80 will be affected to some extent by changes in their prostate.  While not a malignant progress (not cancer), BPH is characterized by increased growth of the prostate gland due to proliferation of the cells of this organ. As the prostate enlarges it compresses the urethra impeding the flow of urine out of the bladder during urination. This leads to the common lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) that bring men with BPH to the doctor. 

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Why Holistic Primary Care?

Why Holistic Primary Care?

How do you choose your primary care doctor?  Referral by friends or picked off an insurance list.  Some young adults may not really care who they see – as long as they get their “annual exam” and have someone write for an antibiotic when they get sick. Others with chronic health conditions visit their doctor to refill their multiple medications which help control their disease symptoms.

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The Age of Genetics

The Age of Genetics

Ever since I was a bright-eyed and bushy tailed medical student, roaming the hallowed halls of the University of Virginia Medical School over 40 years ago, the mantra of modern medicine was drilled into my head, that all disease is caused by two factors – genetic...

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Mindfulness-Based Treatments for Chronic Illness and Cancer

Mindfulness-Based Treatments for Chronic Illness and Cancer

What is Mindfulness? Jon Kabat-Zinn[1] defines mindfulness as… “awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.”   Several decades ago I had noticed the benefits of mindfulness-based interventions that I taught to cancer patients and to others suffering from serious chronic disorders, and I was happy to see formal publications appear in […]

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Causes of Itchy Skin

Causes of Itchy Skin

Itchy skin, also known as pruritus, is a common concern among dermatology patients.The causes of itchy skin can be due to many factors. There are few things more aggravating than being itchy.  In fact, one of the reasons we scratch when we itch is that the pain that...

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Stroke in Young Adults: Symptoms and Prevention

Stroke in Young Adults: Symptoms and Prevention

Luke Perry’s death was shocking even for people who did not know him, but for death to occur at the age of 52 from stroke is tragic. Those over age 65 are at most risk for stroke, but surprisingly, 10% of all strokes occur in people under the age of 45. It is important for people of all ages to get annual check ups with a knowledgeable integrative or functional medicine physician, so that a good prevention plan can be implemented.

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Melatonin and Cancer

Melatonin and Cancer

Melatonin’s benefits for a wide array of medical conditions are well substantiated:  treatment of insomnia, support of circadian rhythm, hormone balancing, reproductive health, cognition, mood, blood sugar regulation, bone metabolism, antioxidant protection and...

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Genetic Testing – A New Way to Influence How Kids Turn Out?

Genetic Testing – A New Way to Influence How Kids Turn Out?

A famous best-seller, The Nurture Assumption: Why Children Turn Out the Way They Do, by psychologist Judith Rich Harris, has been circulating for 20 years.  Based on amassed studies, parental influences on children matter a lot less than peer group influences, and they both matter less than genetic factors.  Parents are advised to not blame themselves if their children don’t become Rhodes scholars, because controlling peer group influences is difficult and controlling genetic expression is impossible.  Until the last few years, parents were expected to do the best they can to control the friends that their children hang out with, and hope that their children’s genes will line up well enough to someday produce a productive, happy member of society.

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Natural Options for Heart Health

Natural Options for Heart Health

Metabolic Cardiology  is a fairly new branch of Functional Medicine. Metabolic cardiology is a non-invasive, simple, integrative medical approach which addresses the prevention, management, treatment and monitoring of cardiovascular disease at the core basic level- which is the heart muscle cell. Functional medicine physicians are always concerned with addressing health issues at the root of the problem.

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Symptoms of PANDAS or PANS in Children

Symptoms of PANDAS or PANS in Children

As a holistic & integrative pediatrician, I see many children  with behavioral and psychological issues.  A significant part of my evaluation for these patients includes a work up to see if there is the presence of PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections) or PANS (Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome). PANDAS is a complex disorder that can occur suddenly and appears to be more common in boys. The symptoms can be behavioral and physical, and can be debilitating.

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What You Should Know About Periodontal (Gum) Disease

What You Should Know About Periodontal (Gum) Disease

Gum disease, or periodontal disease, is the major cause of tooth loss. The foundation of biological dentistry is to promote a healthy mouth. When the mouth is in a healthy state the gums are pink and attached to the roots.  The roots are strong and completely surrounded by bone.  There is no inflammation and rarely is there bleeding; imagine a sturdy new fence post that has just been placed in the ground.   If you are following a daily regimen that involves brushing and plaque removal from the area around and in between the teeth there is a good chance that your mouth is in a healthy state.

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Healthy Home: Is it Really Mold?

Healthy Home: Is it Really Mold?

Mold at home?  Mold assessment is a common call in my line of work. Flooding, leaks and moisture can often be found in the home or office. Water intrusion specialists handle water cleanup; mold inspectors perform mold investigation; and home inspectors consider the...

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Safe Removal of Mercury Amalgam Fillings

Safe Removal of Mercury Amalgam Fillings

Mercury in amalgam fillings can be a source of toxicity to the body. Safe mercury removal of old amalgams, or fillings, must be done by an experienced biological dentist to protect you, the dentist, and the environment.

Our health is under assault. Measured by any statistic – there is more cancer, diabetes, brain deterioration (Alzheimer’s etc.), autoimmune disease, chronic pain, joint disease, fatigue, Lyme Disease… than ever before.

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How Does Acupuncture Work?

How Does Acupuncture Work?

Regardless of what you want to label it, any time you apply an acupuncture needle, you are moving qi, or vital force energy in the body.  The intention of the acupuncturist does make a difference in the treatment strategy and results but the basic premise is the same: Acupuncture is a system of healing that uses the body’s energy pathways to clear blocked energy, tonify where qi is deficient, alleviate where qi is congested, mobilize when qi is stuck and balance the energy systems of the body.

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What to Consider Before Taking New Prescriptions

What to Consider Before Taking New Prescriptions

In my over 30 years of practice as a holistic doctor, I have seen both types of patients. Those who arrive to my office with bags full of prescribed medications, and those who arrive with a suitcase full of “natural supplements.” (I’ve even seen fellow doctors do this.) What is wrong with this picture? Sometimes well intentioned doctors prescribe their patients a medication without reviewing what she or he has already been prescribed by another doctor, or sometimes patients neglect to mention a medication or supplement. When that happens, the new prescribed medication may dangerously interact with another the patient has already taken. Hospitalizations due to untoward effects of correctly prescribed medications range from 1.5 to 2.7 million cases per year. The death rate from the consumption of prescribed medications in the USA is estimated to be five times that of the rate for opioid abuse.

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The Truth About Addiction: Drug and Alcohol Addiction is NOT Caused by Drugs and Alcohol

The Truth About Addiction: Drug and Alcohol Addiction is NOT Caused by Drugs and Alcohol

President Donald Trump[1] has just proclaimed September 2017 as the National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month.  One can’t fault any concerned American for bemoaning our #1 national epidemic that continues to escalate with no solution in sight.  In true Trumpesque form, the issue is being met head on and brazenly confronted, a welcomed call to action. Deaths from drug abuse kill more Americans by far than any other disorder, with tobacco alone killing nearly a half million Americans per year and underlying much of the death and disability of the classical #1 and #2 killers, heart disease and cancer.  Deaths from opioid abuse alone, heavily fueled by the prescription pad, now tally more than the deaths from auto accidents and gunshot wounds combined. 

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How to Find Out About Your Genetic Risks

How to Find Out About Your Genetic Risks

A human being’s genetic blueprint is housed in our 23 chromosomes which is where the name of the genetic test “23andMe” gets its name. Each of our 23 chromosomes has an average of about 1000 genes, and each gene has an average of about 100 quirky substitutions, which are sometimes referred to as mutations or polymorphisms. These millions of quirky substitutions partly explains why we are all so delightfully unique in the way we look, think, act and feel about life’s challenges. Most of these mutations or polymorphisms are not considered to be detrimental, but a handful could be important under certain circumstances and cause serious diseases and other health problems, which is why it is important to know about them.

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