Live Well Clinic

“I know there is something wrong with me but my doctor said everything is normal. I just feel off.”   This is a common theme for people suffering from a variety of symptoms, such as chronic fatigue, undiagnosed mood disorders, chronic allergies, and digestive disorders like IBS. More and more research on chronic disease is now pointing to a mutation of the MTHFR gene. MTHFR polymorphisms, or gene mutations, have been linked to infertility, certain cancers, migraines, birth defects, heart disease, hypertention, rheumatoid arthritis, anxiety, depression, ADHD, fibromyalgia, multiple schlerosis, alzheimer’s, chronic fatigue syndrome; and that’s the short list.   When our body’s methylation reactions are impaired, our body is unable to function optimally and protect our DNA from damage, reduce our histamine/ allergic reactions, and create strong cell membranes, protecting us from toxins and inflammation.   No, MTHFR is not a new kind of texting swear word.   MTH...

How does cancer spread? All of our cells have a controlled, normal life cycle; a beginning and an end. Inflammation from toxins, viruses and bacteria, or just plain old stress, can cause mutations in normal cell DNA, which can disrupt the cell’s programmed cell death (apoptosis). Without this programmed end, the cell can continue to grow, i.e. forming cancer.   It doesn’t stop there. Once the cancer uses up the local resources, it can move and take over other areas. This spreading is called metastasis. One of the ways that cancer spreads is through inflammatory cell signaling.   Galectin-3 found in small amounts in normal cells.   If you have an infection, galectin-3 can cause an inflammatory reaction which calls more white blood cells into the area to help fight the infection. However, over-expression of galectin-3, especially on cancer cells, allows them to stick together, invade healthy tissue, and grow by making new blood vessels to take in more nutrients. ...

Do you suffer from fatigue, mood changes, weight gain, and low libido? Millions of women suffer from hormonal imbalance and are often misdiagnosed as anxiety or depression. Interestingly, low libido is one of the most common complaints in women of all ages. Yes, young women in their 30’s can suffer from low libido too. Low libido affects about 40% of women, according to the American Medical Association; however, there is no FDA approved treatment for low libido in women (but not men). But not to worry, help is available! Although doctors have known that women produce testosterone, most mainstream physicians have believed that hormones like testosterone are not important for women. Only levels of the “female” hormones, progesterone and estrogen, were thought to have any significant bearing on a woman’s health and well being. Over the last decade, however, more and more evidence has been brought forth suggesting that testosterone is a very important hormone for women, especially in...

“What do I do to keep the cancer from coming back?” “What do I eat?” “What do I not eat?” “How do I live a cancer free life/lifestyle?”  These questions are ones that I hear from my patients every day.  Hippocrates said it best, “let your food be your medicine, and your medicine, your food.” Let’s start with establishing some basic food guidelines for cancer and chronic disease prevention. Reduce your risk factors through diet. Don’t get bogged down on all the different kinds of diets that you find online. Variety is the spice of life.   There is no “one diet” for everyone, however, there is a diet that everyone can certainly avoid; the “SAD” or “Standard American/Western Diet”.   It is estimated that dietary factors are related to 30% of all cancer development, and the SAD diet captures them all. When eaten over time, foods high in poor quality protein, refined sugars/carbohydrates, and bad fats (breads, processed foods, pastries, fried foods, fast foods) can...

On September 10, 2013, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a resolution (Sen. Res. 221) designating October 7 - October 13 as Naturopathic Medicine Week.   The resolution recognizes the value of naturopathic medicine in providing "safe, effective, and affordable health care..." and encourages Americans to learn about the role of naturopathic doctors in preventing chronic and debilitating conditions. According to Jud Richland, CEO of American Association of Naturopathic Physicians, "Passage of this resolution is an historic achievement for naturopathic medicine. The Congress has now officially recognized the important role naturopathic medicine plays in effectively addressing the nation's health care needs as well as in addressing the increasingly severe shortage of primary care physicians." Licensed Naturopathic doctors (ND) graduate from a 4 year, fully accredited, medical program.   The curriculum includes studies on physiology, pathology, and biochemi...

Especially in this valley, you don’t want to be caught in a state of dehydration. If you wait until you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Because of most people’s lack of water intake, the dehydration threshold is closer than you think. With the already dry valley air coupled with the oven-like heat, dehydration can sneak up on you quickly, especially when you are on the golf course, hiking, at the park, or even at the gym. It is much easier to prevent dehydration than to treat it. We should always be cognizant of our hydration status, especially in the summer months. If you have a dry, sticky mouth, are thirsty, have frequent headaches or constipation, you already are in mild to moderate dehydration.   A good gauge of hydration status is not how thirsty you are, but the color of your urine. If your urine is light to clear, you are adequately hydrated. If your urine is dark yellow to amber, you are dehydrated! Our bodies are 72% water. We need a lot of water intake ...

Athletes and entertainers know that their performance is as much of a mind game as it is the final result. Focus, concentration, and the determination to win, originate in the mind. The use of hypnosis in sports and entertainment is more widespread than most people realize. Sports hypnosis has been used by athletes for years.   In the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics, Greg Louganis hit his head on the board when doing a complex dive.   With his head gushing blood, he had the wound treated while listened to hypnosis tapes.   Greg went on to score a perfect dive and win the gold medal. Tiger Woods’ father hired a hypnotist for Tiger when he was just 13. Tiger uses Self Hypnosis to visualize his game and keep away distractions. Jack Nicklaus openly claims that hypnotherapy and visualization are the sole reason for his improved levels of concentration during play. The list of entertainers who used hypnosis is equally extensive.   Florence Henderson, of the Brady Bunch...

The annual number one resolution of all time is to lose weight and get healthy. After indulging in festivities from November to January and enjoying all those sugary food and drinks, those pesky extra pounds have probably found your waist line. Participating in a 21 day detox program allows your body to rest and recover from the every day stress and toxins we put in our bodies, especially after the holidays!  Making sure your body is properly detoxifying is crucial. Detox helps with weight loss, increased energy, eliminating inflammation, normalizing digestive function, improving sleep, and reducing joint pain, headaches, and other chronic disease symptoms. The body is amazing in what it does to keep us healthy and energized.  Our body has a complex detoxification system that constantly works to process and clear out the plethora of toxins that we intake every day. Think of a detox like an oil change. Your car won’t function optimally and efficiently when its oil is old ...

Why do some people say sunscreen actually leads to more cancer? Physiology answers this.   The pigment responsible for tanning, melanin, has other important roles: it absorbs the UV rays and neutralizes bad free-radicals when skin is invaded by bacteria, fungi, and viruses, and from exposure to light. When you use a sunscreen, the melanin producing cells are not stimulated, which actually interferes with the skin’s natural ability to protect against the harmful effects of ultraviolet light. Without melanin, the UVA’s are allowed to penetrate deeper into vessels, nerves, and tissues, which can lead to harmful mutations that can possibly lead to cancer. How does your body naturally protect itself from harmful affects of the sun? Your body uses endogenous antioxidants to protect your skin cells from the oxidative damage to your skin. Your body’s antioxidants mainly come from the vitamins and minerals from colorful fruits and vegetables containing Vitamin C, E, zinc, selen...

What’s so special about antioxidants?             Without antioxidants, we would die very young. Antioxidants stop and block free-radical damage to our body’s DNA, repairing our tissues and organs and to resist aging. Free radicals are normal byproducts of our body’s metabolism of environmental toxins and chemicals, radiation, some pharmaceutical drugs, and even inflammation from exercise. Oxidative damage from free radicals is like what rust does to an iron rod, except in your body. In response, your body circulates a variety of nutrients for their antioxidant properties and manufactures antioxidant enzymes in order to control oxidative damage/stress. For example, vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenes, and lipoic acid are well-known and well-researched antioxidant nutrients. Your body can manufacture some of these antioxidants, but not others, and your body's natural antioxidant production tends to decline with age. What ar...

1)     What causes heartburn? “Heartburn” or acid reflux, occurs when pressure from your stomach triggers the opening of the lower part of your esophagus (called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES)) and lets acidic stomach contents back up and cause burning of the esophagus. The pressure on the stomach can be caused by overeating, being overweight, having a hiatal hernia, or being pregnant. Many foods also trigger the opening of the LES, such as chocolate, caffeine, alcohol, spicy foods, gluten and wheat, fatty processed foods, and other inflammatory foods. 2)     Why are acid blockers used to treat heartburn? The majority of the time, heartburn is not caused by too much acid in the stomach. However, acid blocking medications are used to reduce the symptoms of acid reflux. If your stomach contents are not acidic, it will not burn the lining of your esophagus when you have reflux episodes. Therefore, the burning pain is resolved....