Need More Healthy Energy?

One of the number one reasons people visit their medical doctors is because they are tired or fatigued. When is being tired a risk to your health? When your fatigue makes it too difficult to carry on safely with the daily tasks of living or it causes too much of a strain on your organs or glands so that they are unable to function adequately. So, being tired can have consequences that go beyond falling asleep at your desk.

Fatigue can cause driving and operating machinery to be dangerous. An Australian study showed that going just eighteen hours without sleep caused a similar impairment to alcohol. Shift workers, parents of young children and young males are most at risk. http://drowsydriving.org/about/facts-and-stats/

Relationships can suffer because a tired person is not a patient, understanding person. When a person is sleep deprived, there are mood changes and memory impairment. Anxiety is more likely. These all put a burden on relationships with family and friends, and can even put jobs at risk. http://hr.uiowa.edu/uieap/10-reasons-well-rested

The physical stress puts more of a burden on the organs, especially adrenal glands, which compromises your immune system and may be a factor in the healthy function of your heart. Weight gain and difficulty losing weight is a common issue, and there is a higher cancer risk, as well.

There are many reasons why someone may be tired and unable to get sufficient restful sleep. If you are a high achiever, or in a demanding job situation, you may simply not be spending enough time in bed to get enough sleep. Emotional stress and worry may impact ability to fall sleep and/or stay asleep. Congested organs from toxins and processed foods, or a weakness in the hormonal system, can make it difficult for the body to relax enough to sleep. Eating a high sugar, high carbohydrate diet can play havoc with blood sugar, causing the body to wake up hungry when blood sugar drops too low after a sugar spike. Iron deficiency can cause tiredness and listlessness, because the red blood cells need the mineral iron.

Vitamin deficiencies may be a factor when fatigue becomes debilitating, as in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. As a syndrome, and not an actual disease that can be measured or viewed under a microscope, Chronic Fatigue may have different causes or be a combination of factors.

The best course of action is to identify the factors that are involved in any type of fatigue. Often people crave a diagnosis, particularly when they are suffering and having a difficult time with their symptoms. But so many diseases today are lifestyle issues, and they need to be sorted out by someone who can evaluate diet and other factors, rather than simply diagnose a disease, and give it a label. The important factor is to find a way to help the body get well, and that takes more than medication.  Lab work may only offer part of the answer, or none at all.

Don’t ignore fatigue, especially if it lasts for more than a few weeks. You can push yourself, but push when your body is rested, if you do not want to make the problem worse.

B vitamins deficiencies, Adrenal-hypothalamus-pituitary function, liver congestion and blood sugar imbalances can all wreak havoc on sleep, mood and general health. If you know someone who is tired, urge them to get an evaluation and find help. There is no reason to go through life too tired to enjoy the special moments.

With Spring around the corner, it is a perfect time to do a Cleanse/Purification program, or a Blood Sugar Balance program, or a Liver Detox Program. Any of these will help sleep, as well as energy and weight loss. The programs can be tailored for your specific needs. Call us and find out how to Stop Being Tired, no matter the underlying cause. Coffee won’t fix it. Natural and Nutritional Medicine will.

Matters of the Heart

The human heart is magnificent in many ways. It is no wonder that the heart has always been associated with human emotion.

Panic and fear often manifests as a wildly beating heart. Grief and sadness feels like a burden on the chest. Joy feels like the heart is soaring. Excitement causes the heart to beat faster. Seeing a loved one can feel like the heart is fluttering or experiencing a leap. We sometimes feel that we store special knowledge in our hearts.

Physically, your heart works very hard. It pumps approximately 2000 gallons (7571 liters) of blood every day.  That’s about 1 Million barrels of blood during the average lifetime. To achieve this, the heart beats more than 100,000 times a day.

The heart is really an electrical pump and can continue to beat when separated from the body, if there is a supply of oxygen. The thump-thump sound of the heartbeat is caused by the four valves of the four chambers closing.

The heart has the job of pumping blood to all 75 trillion cells of the body. Only the corneas of the eyes do not receive blood. A woman’s heart beats faster than a man’s, typically. (Is that any surprise?)

Blood travels in a matter of seconds; six seconds to the lungs and back, eight seconds to the brain and back, and sixteen seconds to the toes and back. http://www.mercola.com/infographics/human-heart-facts.htm

Studies show there is a correlation between education and lowered risk of heart disease. Happiness and emotional vitality also correlate to lowered risk.

The Blue Whale has the largest heart, weighing in at 1,500 pounds. The invention of the stethoscope was invented in 1816 by Rene Laennec, a young French doctor who was embarrassed to put his ear to the chest of a female patient to listen to her heart.  http://health.clevelandclinic.org/2015/07/21-amazing-facts-about-your-heart-infographic/

Because the heart is a muscle, as well as an electrical instrument, it needs to be nurtured with certain nutrients. There are specific B vitamins that are not commonly available in standard B complex that nourish the muscle of the heart. The electrical conductivity is also supported by whole food B vitamins, as well as nerve- supporting nutrients.

So, when I treat heart issues, I look for very different things than your cardiologist, because I am looking for healthy function, rather than disease. Hearts respond beautifully to the correct nutrients, even after the heart has been damaged or functions poorly.

Sometimes sleep difficulties are a sign that the heart needs nutrition, particularly if you feel your heart beating when you lie down at night.

Of course, you should seek immediate medical attention if you suspect a heart attack, because quick intervention saves lives. What it does mean is that you can have the health of your heart evaluated early to prevent heart disease from developing. The heart function is also dependent on the strength of the adrenals, so healthy adrenals are vital. This explains why stress is a risk factor for heart disease.

In addition to wholefood B vitamins, the heart loves magnesium and the herb Hawthorn. Important factors also include balanced blood sugar and normal weight, with waist smaller than hips, to keep the heart strong and healthy.

My heart leaps for joy when I can help someone have a healthy heart. You probably know in your heart if your lifestyle is the best for the health of your heart. Yes, broken-down hearts can be mended, but why let it get to that point? If you have any symptoms that concern you, or hinder your life, come in for a heart check and let natural medicine help your heart last a lifetime. Cross my heart.

How Safe Are Over-the-Counter Decongestants?

With the raging allergies we get in L.A., many people turn to decongestants to help them breathe better. These drugs will often cause drowsiness during the day, but that can seem like a desirable side effect at night. And many doctors will recommend the same decongestants for mild cases of insomnia.

The most common ingredient is Diphenhydramine, commonly known as Benadryl.  This is probably one of the standbys in many medicine cabinets, for any kind of congestion or allergic response, including sleep issues.

But is it safe? Past studies have raised concern, and described mild cognitive impairment and delirium as side effects. But a new study from the University of Washington determined that people who chronically take Benadryl-containing medications have an increased risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Over seven years, 23% of the subjects developed Alzheimer’s, although none had it at the beginning of the study. The risk was 77% higher in the subjects who took Benadryl-type medications, known as anticholinergic drugs. The findings were part of the ACT or Adult Changes in Thought study, which looked at cognitive changes over the long-term. http://holisticprimarycare.net/topics/topics-h-n/healthy-aging/1768-anticholinergic-meds-bad-news-for-aging-brains.html

This is a lesson that ALL medications have back doors, and may produce side effect with serious long-term consequences. We don’t always know all the risks for years after the drug has been on the market. Your safest policy is to always seek the natural treatments that support and safeguard your health, relieving symptoms because there is genuine improvement, and not a masking effect.

There are safer alternatives that do not put you at risk for Alzheimer’s or Dementia. Many of our patients have gotten relief taking Allerplex for decongestant purposes. It also seems to help other types of inflammation that lead to insomnia. 

Many people do not realize that their sleep problems are stemming from congestion. It is not always obvious that sinuses are blocked, if the condition is chronic and has built up over time. Taking Allerplex, Sinu Pro sinus probiotic, or Albizia herbal supplement, can relieve congestion and make for a more restful night.

Let us help you minimize your risks and maximize your health with the right natural medicine. Email me if you have questions or call the office to order. 818-562-1400.

The safest sleep is the most restful sleep, in the long run.

Saliva Hormone Testing-Mother's Day Special

Hormone Saliva Testing Vs. Blood Testing

Although blood testing can give some information about the status of your hormones, saliva testing may tell more.

When you test saliva, you are testing an “end product”, what hormones are left over after being active. Hormones that are circulating in the blood don’t tell us how well the cells are accepting hormonal influence. Each hormone in the body, including the female and male sex hormones, influence and lock on to individual cells all over the body.

How well those cells receive the hormones is an important part of the picture. Holistic doctors take this into consideration and know that the cells can be tweaked to be more responsive to hormones, without forcing the issue with drugs or synthetic hormones.

There are also vital nutrients needed for full function of the glands that produce the hormones. Iodine is a good example. I have seen iodine improve depression so dramatically that one patient told me she was thinking about suicide, but was afraid to tell anyone, until I put her on iodine supplementation.  Years later she told me that the iodine had saved her life.

Hormones are wrapped in protein envelopes so they can hitch a ride in the blood stream. The unbound proteins are more active, and this is what is measured in saliva.[i]

Saliva testing is easy, convenient, pain-less and less expensive. You do it yourself at home, first thing in the morning, and mail the saliva sample to the lab in a pre-paid envelope.  A basic test panel includes estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA and cortisol levels. Cortisol levels tell us much about weight, sleep and and stress issues.

Although I do use bio-identical hormone creams for some women, I always want to get the glands working optimally, even after menopause. Then any hormones added will only enhance a system that is already as balanced as possible.

The difference in mood, menopause symptoms, sleep, weight and general feeling of well-being can be quite dramatic. PMS, menopause and PCOS symptoms may be common, but they can be corrected.  The body was made to work correctly and women do not have to suffer.

I have also helped many couples achieve a healthy pregnancy, without resorting to costly and harsh drug and hormone treatments by balancing hormones.

Hormones rule the body. If you need help in understanding and balancing your hormones, we are happy to help. Take advantage of our Mother’s Day Special and come in for a full body analysis and Saliva Testing. The special price is $200, half off the usual price for Saliva testing and analysis/consultation. Call us if you have questions or would like to book. 818-562-1400.

[i] What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause, John R.Lee, M.D., Warner Books, 1966.