Fall is Mold season and this article is by a certified mold professional to discuss the importance of indoor air quality as it relates to our health. Ed Williamson is an expert in home and environmental mold assessment and mold remediation. I would like to just talk...
Conditions That May Indicate Allergies Did you know that better allergy treatment can alleviate conditions that are aggravated by allergies such as Migraine headaches, Sinus headaches, Recurrent sinusitis as well as Allergic Rhinitis that are triggered by...
In a recent study published online in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, it was found that low levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), the major omega-3 fatty acid concentrated in the brain, may increase suicide risk. A retrospective case-control study of 1600 United...
The Importance of Detoxification In an ever increasing world of man made chemicals and depleted nutrition, detoxification has become essential to wellness. We are forced to eat more processed foods as our time is more consumed with working, raising children and...
Updated April, 2024 Incorporating fish oils or Krill oil as a supplement into your detoxification strategies is important. Membrane rehabilitation with essential fatty acids is an essential part of a good detoxification. Omega 3's are necessary for many organs of the...
Chiropractic care can help your health tremendously! People are using chiropractic for medical conditions like back and neck pain, but they are also using it to treat a variety of other health issues like headaches, carpal tunnel, plantar fasciitis and temporal mandibular dysfunction (TMD).
How Do You Start Your Day? As crazy as it might sound, your breakfast choices could not only be making you fat, but they could also be affecting your behavior on a minute-by-minute basis... making you seems "crazy" with erratic mood swings and behavior. If you...
Detoxification, or the process of removing the unneeded “bad stuff” from the body, is a key component to health and longevity. Living in the modern world, we are exposed daily to a variety of chemicals and substances that are not beneficial to the body, and may be harmful. Pesticides, chemicals and radiation can be found in air, water, food, personal care products, cleaning products and more. Home and work environments are air-tight and filled with wireless tvs, computers, cell phones, routers and smart meters. Technology changes so rapidly that we are not able to assess the long term effects of all this exposure to the human body.
Updated June 12, 2025 Functional Medicine Defined Functional medicine searches for the underlying imbalance, or root cause, which can contribute to illness or chronic disease. Special lab diagnostic testing, called functional testing, help identify and correct...
Updated April 15, 2024 Estrogen Dominance and PMS: Symptoms of Premenstrual Syndrome For some of us PMS, or premenstrual syndrome, might be the day before the period starts and for others the whole preceding week. And we know the symptoms… Most women know when their period is coming because things change; breasts get tender, the […]
The practice of intestinal cleansing is not a new one, not by a long shot. Flushing away excess waste through enemas has been around since ancient times in Egypt. The practice of administering enemas was recorded in the medical document "Eber Papyrus" in 1500 B.C....
Calcium Supplements May Increase Heart Risk I have never been comfortable prescribing calcium supplements, so over the last 35 years of practicing integrative and functional medicine I have not generally recommended them. If my patients want to supplement with...
Lyme disease is a common tick borne disease caused by the spirochete borellia burgdorferi (Bb) and transmitted by the deer tick. In Virginia, the incidence of Lyme disease has exploded to the point where in 2011 the governor of Virginia named a Lyme Disease Task Force...
Fatigue is Not Normal So many things can contribute to being exhausted, or chronically fatigued. “By the time I get up in the morning, shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, and am finally ready to leave for work, I feel like I need to go back to bed again...” Having...
For some, the need for sugar morphs into an unwavering compulsion and could be considered an actually biological addiction. Before you continue to read any further, check and see if this sounds like you: • Have tried over and over again to cut out sugar from your diet?
Hurrah! Spring is here and with spring comes the advent of airborne allergy season. Spring is a beautiful time of year! For some... but others suffer runny noses, sneezing, sinus headaches, breathing problems, asthma-like symptoms, coughing, rashes, hives and even...
Chlorella as a Superfood Chlorella is called a detoxification superfood because it is a good natural chelator, meaning it is able to bind to and then carry away toxins out of the body. It is also a very important food supplying many vital nutrients required for...
If you’re like me, you always root for the underdog or cheer for the little guy who stands up to the big bully. Or find inspiration in stories like David and Goliath. Well, recently I witnessed a big victory against the billion-dollar ‘diet’ industry. Weight Watchers, one of the biggest names in the weight loss industry, renounced it famous ‘points’ system and has instead switched to giving the advice of consuming more natural, unprocessed foods.
Mindfulness-based approaches to psychotherapy in the last decade are revolutionizing psychology. Studies on the psychological benefits of mindfulness are exponentially doubling every few years. Mindfulness is a clinical entity, and should not be confused with...
The Big Question—Should I Eat Meat, or Not? Answer: Maybe. Ambiguous, Yes. But true. The question of whether or not meat and animal products are right for you is an individual answer. When I am working with an individual, I look at many factors such as nutritional...
Vitamin D is essential to health! It a substance that we cannot function well without. It is common knowledge that the body makes its own Vitamin D when the skin is exposed to sunlight. It is that form that we use most efficiently. While Vitamin D supplements are...
Symptoms of Parasites May be Hard to Detect Parasites evade detection and diagnosis better than most human pathogens, explaining why some healthcare professionals deny their existence or clinical relevancy. Since diagnostic tests are often falsely negative or...
Functional Medicine, which is neither Conventional nor Alternative Medicine I have practiced functional medicine since it was invented over 30 years ago and during these decades I have reluctantly tolerated and overlooked being mislabeled as an “alternative medicine[1]” doctor. Healthcare consumers and practitioners alike often fail to recognize that functional medicine has virtually nothing […]
A daily mindfulness practice can reduce stress and calm your brain and racing thoughts. Mindfulness is a separate faculty of consciousness totally distinct from cognition (thinking), emotion (feelings), intuition or sensory awareness (the 5 senses). Mindfulness is not...
I have often been asked, "How can a tooth that has a root canal cause so many varied and distinct problems in the body?" After all, it’s only one tooth, or one extraction site that according to any dentist may only be a little bit infected. Root Canal and Jaw Bone...
Recently, two popular supplements in the autism community have come under scrutiny. The first is Oxidative Stress Relief (OSR) and the other is the “speak” supplement. Whether or not these products are good, bad or indifferent is debatable. The real issue at hand is the vulnerability of the autism community in general.
Updated March 2024 Why am I constipated? Like everything else related to your body, your constipation is a very individual thing. In general, you become constipated because your diet does not provide enough fiber since you are not eating enough fresh green, leafy...
Biological dentists, sometimes called holistic dentists, have advanced skills and knowledge in intervening to regain and maintain a patient’s oral health, knowing that good oral health affects overall health. The whole – person dentist must wear multiple hats – first he/she is conventionally trained, incorporating the best developing dental technologies and aesthetics that modern dentistry offers but there is much more to a holistic dental approach.
Updated April, 2024 Flu and virus season is upon us again Many believe that this season has become more worrisome because of the swine flu that we have heard so much about. In June 2009 the World Health Organization declared a pandemic. However, a pandemic does not...
State-of-the-art three-dimensional technology with Invisalign clear retainers can treat malaligned or crooked teeth. Advanced 3D computer imaging technology depicts the complete treatment plan from the initial position of the teeth to the final desired position incrementally using a number of esthetic and removable aligners.
What can a Nurse Practitioner do in Washington, D.C.? This is the Scope of Practice for a Nurse Practitioner in DC: No MD involvement required, Explicit authority to diagnose, Explicit authority to refer, Authority to prescribe without MD involvement, Authority to prescribe controlled substances, National Board Certification required
Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic and debilitating musculoskeletal pain disorder of unknown origin characterized by chronic widespread pain and muscle tenderness and the presence of tender points on examination.
"The whole is more than the sum of its parts" -Aristotle Think of your body as a grand orchestra assembled to play an elaborate symphony together...each system is a different instrument. While we recognize many individual "players" in the body, they all function as a...
One of the most popular "energy medicine" therapies, craniosacral therapy is a very gentle touch which enhances deep relaxation to boost self healing. Research has shown that the head bones rhythmically move in coordination with the sacrum. There is movement of the...
Oftentimes, when I have clients that are looking for strategies to stop sugar cravings, I realize that they’re looking for some “magic tip or trick”. They want to hear that some fascinating new berry was discovered deep in the Amazon rain forest that promises to stop...
What is a colonic or colon hydrotherapy? Colon hydrotherapy is a safe, effective natural way of cleansing the colon, also known as the large intestine, without the use of drugs. Colon hydrotherapy gently introduces filtered, temperature regulated water into the...
Updated April 20, 2024 Many people who suffer from headaches search for a way to prevent them, as well as, treat them in a way that involves less down time, less medication, and less expense. There is no doubt that there are some great medications out there for...
Dry mouth, or xerostomia, is a condition usually associated with reduced salivary gland flow. It affects at least one in 10 adults. In adults older than 65 the prevalence is about 25%, while in institutionalized elders it can be as high as 50%. Many oral and systemic...
NIHA’s integrative practitioners have navigated their own pathway of training, knowledge and skills that may give you more options for healing. Some of our doctors are pioneers in the field of integrative and functional medicine. Others have been trained in both Western and Eastern medicine and incorporate those healing philosophies into their practice.
The integrative medicine approach to depression, anxiety or mood disorders focuses on getting to the root cause by addressing all the types of chronic stress to bring the mind/body back to health. Stress is defined as any mental or bodily tension resulting from...
What to do for Sinusitis or Sinus Infections QUESTION: My wife has been suffering from recurring sinus infections and it seems the cause is yeast. Can you suggest a remedy? The only thing we get from the doctors is another round of steroids and antibiotics...
When we were invited to be breakfast sponsors for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, I had no idea what would be involved other than getting up at 3 am to serve bagels to 3,000 (mostly) women. There were the details of arranging to collect the bagels and cream cheese...
I was originally interviewed in Jan. 2009 for WUSA9 on using breast thermography as an additional screening tool for breast cancer. Breast thermography is an imaging of the temperatures on the surface of the breast and can be used as an indicator of breast health. It does not replace a mammogram, but may be used […]
Most people know that a stuffy nose, cough, or headache can be caused by a cold. But did you know that a stuffy nose, sore throat, cough, headache and burning of the nose can be caused by allergy? Other Symptoms that May be Allergies Seasonal allergies and...
I can't tell you how excited I was to finally find pasta that I could enjoy, guilt-free. I come from a large, Italian family, and I definitely enjoy eating pasta, but the health drawbacks kept me from enjoying it as frequently as I'd like. Then I discovered a product...
Fetus Feeding- Good Bacteria are Part of a Healthy Pregnancy Fetus feeding, nurturing a good pregnancy, includes a good probiotic for a healthy pregnancy. Surely you know that women need a healthy diet and a multivitamin with additional folic acid when they are...
Holistic Health: Is Plastic Harmful? A holistic health approach considers plastics to be possibly quite harmful. By now many of you have heard about the controversy around Bisphenol A, or BPA, an estrogen-like plastic used in products we are exposed to every day in...
At a recent conference I learned that the Pituitary Gland of the people who have certain health challenges may be affected. Not only can the pituitary gland possibly be affected by an IED injury (military improvised explosive device), Lyme Disease, whiplash, but also repetitive sports injuries as well, such as those from soccer, football and […]
Disease Prevention is Better for Health After working as a nurse on the oncology unit in the hospital (many years ago) and then as a home care nurse, I realized that intervention at that point was too late and it made more sense to prevent problems and disease. The...
Sensitive Teeth is a Common Problem Teeth sensitivity or "dentinal hypersensitivity" is one of the most painful and chronic dental conditions. The prevalence of dental sensitivity is 4%-57% in the general populations and an even higher prevalence in periodontal...
The Dirty Dozen Fruit and Vegetable List by the Environmental Working Group comes out every year. Were you aware that non-organic fruits such as peaches, strawberries and imported grapes are some of the most contaminated produce you can buy? After analyzing over...
It is possible to quit smoking naturally if the underlying nutrient deficiencies in the body are rebalanced. Nicotine, the addictive substance in cigarettes, is one of the most powerful poisons on earth. It's so toxic that as few as two or three drops of pure nicotine...
Fatigue, headaches, sore throat... Have you had fatigue for over two months or on and off during the year? Do you have a rash, fatigue or sinus problems that suddenly occurred after moving into a new home? Do you have headaches that are unexplained? Do you have...
Many women are concerned about the recent recommendations to limit mammography to women over age 50. On November 16th, 2009, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), an independent panel of doctors and scientists that make recommendations to the U.S....
According to an epidemiological study done by the National Center for Health Statistics, NCHS, 75% of people in the United States need their teeth straightened. Strait teeth are not just for good photos and cosmetic reasons! Strait teeth contribute to good oral health, the ability to chew, speak, clean teeth properly, jaw alignment, the palate, and even sleep quality.
The roots of any plant are its anchor and foundation; they are the essential parts that support and nourish the plant. As a graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York, I had the opportunity to learn about Chinese Medicine dietary theories and...
I recently had the opportunity to attend The 4th Annual Public Conference on Vaccination, sponsored by the National Vaccine Information Center. It was both a deeply moving and highly informative event. Vaccination Stories I was touched by the stories of mothers whose...
Why You Need a Breast Thermogram What's the difference between preventive and corrective therapy? Preventive occurs before the problem while corrective occurs after the problem. Which approach do you prefer? If you said corrective, then this article is not for you....
Erchonia Cold Laser Erchonia laser is an infrared, cold laser that is F.D.A. approved for pain and range of motion. Lance Armstrong, the world class racing cyclist, has used the Erchonia Laser for peak performance during his seven year reign as a Tour de...
Updated April, 2024 Nature is your best source of nutrition. However, it is now scientifically and medically recognized that even high quality and balanced diets can benefit from targeted nutritional supplements. Augmenting a healthy diet with essential nutritional...
Biological dentistry is the integration of dentistry and medicine. Biological dentists, along with a growing number of eminent clinicians, believe that the mouth is an integral part of the entire body, and should be treated accordingly. Your oral and dental health...