Healthy Woman Wellness Challenge 2012
Need inspiration? Information? Accountability? Join some of North Louisiana’s top physicians, nutritionists and personal trainers for the 2012 Healthy Woman Wellness Challenge. Each FREE session offers you the opportunity to accomplish your nutrition and fitness goals for the new year. The reward? A healthier you, goodies, door prizes, and much more! This year we have added a 30 minutes workout to the end of each session. So bring your water bottles and let’s get going!
Healthy Woman Wellness Challenge Session #1
The first session of the 2012 Healthy Woman Wellness Challenge will be held on Tuesday, January 10th from 5:30pm – 6:30 pm at the Lincoln Parish Library Community Room. We will be conducting optional weigh-ins and measurements at the end of each session so please come prepared to exercise and dress comfortably.
Our first session will include:
- Meal plans
- Strength workouts
- Recipes
- Time Management | Making time for yourself
- Prepping for our 5k run with Maryanne Smith
- Optional weigh-in and measurements (5 – 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 – 7 p.m.)
To register, you must first join our Healthy Woman program and then click the link to RSVP. Please note: you must RSVP for each session after you have joined.
Healthy Woman Wellness Challenge Session #2
Join us for the second session of the 2012 Healthy Woman Wellness Challenge on Tuesday January 24, 2012 from 5:30 PM to 6:30 at the Lincoln Parish Library Community Room. Don’t forget we will be exercising and doing weigh-ins at the end of this session. So, come prepared to workout and dress comfortably. You can still attend this event even if you are not participating in the Healthy Woman Wellness Challenge.
The focus for this session will be:
- “Knees, Knees, Knees!” | Orthopaedic Surgeon, Major Blair, M.D., will discuss ways to avoid injury while exercising.
- “Getting down to the basics: Nutrition” | Registered Dietician, Jessica Hood, RD, LDN, will give nutrition advice and tips on staying on track with your diet.
You must be a member of the Healthy Woman program to participate in this event. If you have not joined already, click here. Membership is free, and the benefits last a lifetime. You must RSVP for each session of the Healthy Woman Wellness Challenge that you would like to attend.
Healthy Woman Wellness Challenge Session #3
Our 3rd session of the 2012 Healthy Woman Wellness Challenge will take place on Tuesday February 7, 2012 from 5:30 PM to 6:30 at the Lincoln Parish Library Community Room. Don’t forget, we will be working out and breaking a sweat for the last 30 minutes of the session. We will also be doing weigh-ins and measurements. So, dress comfortable!
The focus for this session will be:
- “Hello, dont forget about your heart!” | Interventional Cardiologist, Michael Langiulli, M.D.
- Heart Health Recipe Fun
To join Healthy Woman or RSVP to this event, click here. Membership is free, and the benefits last a lifetime.
Healthy Woman Wellness Challenge Session #4
Session #4 will be our final session of the Healthy Woman Wellness Challenge. This session will take place on Tuesday February 21, 2012 from 5:30 PM to 6:30 at the Lincoln Parish Library Community Room.
Our focus for this session will be:
- Staying on track… You CAN do it!
- Accountability = Stability
To RSVP for this session or to Join Healthy Woman, click here.
For more information about the sponsors of the 2012 Healthy Woman Wellness Challenge, please visit their websites.
- Northern Louisiana Medical Center
- Body Back by Maryanne Smith or on Facebook
- Seasons Wellness Clinic and Seasons – The Spa or on Facebook and Twitter
- Sharon Jackson’s Personal Training Services or on Facebook
Click here to see out photos from a previous Healthy Woman Wellness Challenge 5K!
The Truth About Low T: Customized Testosterone Therapy
Dr. Nathan Goodyear
Testosterone is on the decline in American men making low testosterone a growing epidemic. As we mentioned in an earlier post, The Truth About Low T: Men, Middle-Age, and More, low testosterone has many causes and results from a combination of issues. From 1987 to 2004, Americans saw a 15% decline in serum testosterone. We can expect to see even lower tissue levels, as determined by salivary testing. So, the problem is likely much worse.
Two recent articles confirm the metabolic and health benefits of testosterone therapy in men with low testosterone.
The first study, published online from the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, reviewed 820 studies and found that “low endogenous testosterone levels are associated with increased risk of all-cause and CVD death.” The results of this study substantiates previously documented publications.
The second study, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, was reported in the Newmax article Low Testosterone Does Not Shorten Life. However, when you actually read the article, there is very little evidence to support the headline. The study states that “low testosterone is linked to diabetes via a bi-directional relationship with visceral fat, muscle, and possibly bone. There is consistent evidence from randomized trials that testosterone therapy alters body composition.”
The conclusion that diabetes in men should be treated with dietary management and exercise as the foundation, is correct. However, testosterone support in men identified to have low testosterone is also appropriate. Testosterone therapy in diabetics is just one piece of the puzzle. Low testosterone is found to be common in type II diabetes and obesity. A one-size-fits-all approach is never appropriate in medicine.
Testosterone support in men with documented low T does provide many metabolic and health benefits. Unfortunately, it is not as simple as it appears in the “Is It Low T?” commercial with the man dancing with his shadow. Customized testing will determine your exact hormone levels and from these results, we can create an individualized therapy plan for you. Our individual pathways to health and wellness are unique and should be treated that way.
Now that you know the truth about the metabolic and health benefits of customized testosterone therapy, what will you do about it? If you have symptoms and need answers or more information, call our office at 318-255-3223.
We have provided links to these studies and more on the Seasons Diigo bookmarking service.
Is The Flu Shot As Good As Gold?
Ah, fall! The crisp, cool mornings, the return of football, and the sweeping changes of color found throughout the landscape. Fall is a welcome change after the long, hot Louisiana summer. With all of the wonderful changes that fall brings, there are a few unwelcome visitors. Just as we move past the summer heat, fall ushers in the cold and flu season.
Recently, I overhead a good friend of mine say that the flu vaccine is “as good as gold” and that as far as results, “the proof is in the pudding.” Not long after that, I saw an ad campaign for the flu vaccine with the tagline: “the value of wellness.”
So, I have to pose this question. With the upcoming cold and flu season, what is the best way to protect my family? How should I treat or even prevent the flu? Is the flu vaccine “as good as gold” and is the “proof” really “in the pudding?”
Today is the era of evidence-based medicine. So, to answer these questions let’s see what the evidence shows.
Is the flu vaccine “as good as gold?”
The answer is no. While not surprising to me, I’m sure this comes as a surprise to you! Let me show you the evidence.
A Cochrane analysis, “Vaccines for preventing influenza in healthy adults,” published in 2010 looked at over 70,000 adults ages 16-65 from 1966 to 2010. The objective was defined as: “identify, retrieve and assess all studies evaluating the effects of vaccines against influenza in healthy adults.”
The results may surprise you.
- Flu vaccine was found to be a very poor match (1%). Each year, the 3-strain flu vaccine is created in attempt to match the up coming viral strains.
- Flu vaccine only had a modest effect on reducing flu symptoms and days missed.
- No evidence was found that the flu vaccine affects complications. Complications were defined as pneumonia, hospitalization, and TRANSMISSION.
In my opinion, if you are a healthy adult, the flu vaccine is a waste of your time. But don’t worry; there are many scientifically proven preventive and therapeutic treatments available. The problem is most are labeled “natural” or “alternative” so you may not have heard of their benefits.
Vitamin D
Hippocrates said, “Whoever wishes to investigate medicine properly should proceed thus: in the first place to consider the seasons of the year.” Vitamin D levels show an inverse relationship to the cold/flu incidence.
Cannell JJ et al., in “Epidemic influenza and vitamin D,” showed that vitamin D levels reach their lowest levels during the winter months, often dropping by 24%. Below in “Epidemic influenza and vitamin D”, 2,000 IU daily versus 800 IU and placebo was shown to significantly reduce the incident of the cold/flu.
In addition to being preventative, vitamin D is active against ongoing infection. A recent study in the Journal of Virology, revealed that vitamin D has anti-viral properties. Because of its function in the innate immune system, vitamin D, a proven anti-viral, was suggested to be a primary method of treatment.
Probiotics
That’s right, a healthy gut equals a healthy immune system. In children with recurrent otitis media, 24 weeks of probiotics versus placebo was shown to reduce recurrent respiratory infections. Another study, revealed reduced otitis media recurrence in children given probiotics. Still another study revealed a reduction in fever, rhinorrhea, cough, days of antibiotics, and missed school days in children given probiotics daily for 6 months versus placebo.
How? The current thought is that bacteria and viruses use a “biofilm” protective layer. This protects the virus or bacteria against the body’s immune attacks. This also appears to protect the offending virus/bacteria against administered therapies.
The importance of the gut to the immune system shouldn’t surprise us. It is estimated that 70% of the immune system is concentrated in the gastrointestinal system. In fact, we know that the route of delivery predicts the gut flora. Other events, including maternal steroids, antibiotics, and breast-feeding, can also alter the risk. Collectively, these early events can increase obesity risk.
Vitamin C
What do guinea pigs and people have in common? Their bodies don’t make vitamin C. That’s right, we humans, don’t make vitamin C. So, the only way our bodies get vitamin C is through our diet. Just like vitamin D, the majority of us don’t take in enough Vitamin C.
No therapies will have all positive studies, but therapy using vitamin C has a large body of evidence supporting its use against the common cold and flu. Vitamin C therapy came to prominence with Linus Pauling in the 1970’s. Linus Pauling was an advocate for Vitamin C therapy as an anti-viral therapy in the treatment of the common cold and flu. In his 1970 study, the incidence of colds were reduced by 45% and the duration of the colds were reduced by 63%. High dose IV vitamin C therapy has been shown to reduce the symptoms of the common cold and flu by 85% in a study of 715 people by Gorton and Jarvis. A study by Straten and Josling, showed that vitamin C reduced the incidence and the duration of cold symptoms. A large Cochrane review, showed a reduction of the severity and duration of cold symptoms with vitamin C therapy.
Furthermore, vitamin C has been shown to have many positive immunomodulatory effects. A study by Wintergerst, Magginini, and Hornig discussed many of the positive immune effects of vitamin C. And Harri Hemila in 2006, discussed the effects of vitamin C and the large body of evidence that show the positive effects it has on the immune system. The immune enhancement effects of vitamin C should be evident over the long-term. A study out of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2006 showed no change in severity or incidence of the common cold, BUT a 66% decrease in 3 or more colds over a 5-year period was seen; revealing just the long-term positive immune enhancing effect we were looking for. So the benefits are extensive, reaching beyond a therapy for the common cold and flu.
Homeopathy
Homeopathy goes back to the eighteenth century with Samuel Hahnemann, MD. In fact, it probably goes back even further. Hippocrates (400 BC) was quoted as saying, “through the like, disease is produced and through the application of the like, it is cured.” Homeopathy works by helping the body to heal itself first, before the powerful interventions of today’s therapies. These powerful interventions come with powerful side effects. The healing medical model of homeopathy fits the Hippocratic oath well, “First, do no harm.”
Homeopathy has been shown to be an effective addition in the treatment and prevention of the cold and flu. Homeopathy was shown to reduce the infection rate of cold and flu viruses by 20-40%. Long waits to see the doctor are very common in Europe and one study showed that homeopathy effectively reduces URI symptoms in children versus a waiting-list control. Finally, in a head-to-head study, homeopathy was shown to be more effective and had lower complication rates than antibiotics in children with recurrent acute rhinopharyngitis.
So how do we stay well?
One thing is certain, wellness doesn’t come from the flu vaccine. Working with your body and allowing what God created to work as it was intended provides true wellness. Your body wants to protect and heal you. Why not give it a chance, first? No one therapy can provide 100% protection against the common cold and flu. However, these four recommendations, vitamin D, probiotics, vitamin C and homeopathy, have been shown through scientific evidence, to be worthy preventive and therapeutic tools for the upcoming cold and flu season.
Pumpkins: More Than Just Fall Decorations
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Obagi Sun Shield Wins Self Magazine Healthy Beauty Award
In the May 2011 issue of Self Magazine, Obagi Nu Derm Sun Shield SPF 50 was named 'Best Sunscreen For The Face'.
Sunscreen isn’t just for the beach. “The sun really is the skin’s worst enemy. Long-term exposure to the sun will cause collagen to break down and elastin to deteriorate,” said Seasons Aesthetician Lisa Best. “The best protection for your skin is a broad-spectrum sunscreen like Obagi Nu Derm Sun Shield SPF 50. An SPF without both UVA and UVB protection, isn’t really doing your skin any favors.” Best continued. Obagi Nu-Derm Sun Shield SPF 50 combines UVB absorption and UVA blockage for a high level of sunscreen protection. Sun Shield SPF 50 is sheer, PABA free, and fragrance free for all skin types.
In the May 2011 issue of Self Magazine, a beauty expert who tested Sun Shield said the product “felt exactly like a really nice mosturizer, not a thick sunscreen.” Seasons client, Kelli Keyes, also loves Sun Shield SPF 50. “Not only is it great for all skin types, it is really light and doesn’t leave your skin with the ‘white SPF face’. It’s a skin care must-have!” said Keyes.
Our skin care specialists and clients aren’t the only ones who have noticed the benefits of Sun Shield’s protection. In the May 2011 issue of Self Magazine, Obagi Nu Derm Sun Shield SPF 50 was named ‘Best Sunscreen For The Face’. Being chosen for a ‘Healthy Beauty Award’ is a huge honor and testament to Obagi’s dedication to quality products. Seasons – The Spa is proud to carry the full line of Obagi products. Our skin care specialist have attended advanced courses in Obagi products and are happy to share their knowledge with you. Call Seasons – The Spa for your complimentary consultation 318.255.1155.
Medical Care is Third Leading Cause of Death in U.S.
“I asked Chris Kresser to guest post on our blog because he has an interesting view on health and wellness and the issues that surround it. I believe that an individual’s greatest obstacle to health and wellness could actually be the drugs that they take. This article clearly reveals that.” – Dr. Nathan Goodyear
Chris Kresser, L. Ac Photo courtesy of www.chriskresser.com
The popular perception that the U.S. has the highest quality of medical care in the world has been proven entirely false by several public heath studies and reports over the past few years.
The prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association published a study by Dr. Barbara Starfield, a medical doctor with a Master’s degree in Public Health, in 2000 which revealed the extremely poor performance of the United States health care system when compared to other industrialized countries (Japan, Sweden, Canada, France, Australia, Spain, Finland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Belgium and Germany).
In fact, the U.S. is ranked last or near last in several significant health care indicators:
- 13th (last) for low-birth-weight percentages
- 13th for neonatal mortality and infant mortality overall
- 11th for postneonatal mortality
- 13th for years of potential life lost (excluding external causes)
- 12th for life expectancy at 1 year for males, 11th for females
- 12th for life expectancy at 15 years for males, 10th for females
The most shocking revelation of her report is that iatrogentic damage (defined as a state of ill health or adverse effect resulting from medical treatment) is the third leading cause of death in the U.S., after heart disease and cancer.
Let me pause while you take that in.
This means that doctors and hospitals are responsible for more deaths each year than cerebrovascular disease, chronic respiratory diseases, accidents, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and pneumonia.
The combined effect of errors and adverse effects that occur because of iatrogenic damage includes:
- 12,000 deaths/year from unnecessary surgery
- 7,000 deaths/year from medication errors in hospitals
- 20,000 deaths/year from other errors in hospitals
- 80,000 deaths/year from nosocomial infections in hospitals
- 106,000 deaths a year from nonerror, adverse effects of medications
This amounts to a total of 225,000 deaths per year from iatrogenic causes. However, Starfield notes three important caveats in her study:
- Most of the data are derived from studies in hospitalized patients
- The estimates are for deaths only and do not include adverse effects associated with disability or discomfort
- The estimates of death due to error are lower than those in the Institute of Medicine Report (a previous report by the Institute of Medicine on the number of iatrogenic deaths in the U.S.)
If these caveats are considered, the deaths due to iatrogenic causes would range from 230,000 to 284,000.
Starfield and her colleagues performed an analysis which took the caveats above into consideration and included adverse effects other than death. Their analysis concluded that between 4% and 18% of consecutive patients experience adverse effects in outpatient settings, with:
- 116 million extra physician visits
- 77 million extra prescriptions
- 17 million emergency department visits
- 8 million hospitalizations
- 3 million long-term admissions
- 199,000 additional deaths
- $77 billion in extra costs (equivalent to the aggregate cost of care of patients with diabetes
I want to make it clear that I am not condemning physicians in general. In fact, most of the doctors I’ve come into contact with in the course of my life have been competent and genuinely concerned about my welfare. In many ways physicians are just as victimized by the deficiencies of our health-care system as patients and consumers are. With increased patient loads and mandated time limits for patient visits set by HMOs, most doctors are doing the best they can to survive our broken and corrupt health-care system.
The Institute of Medicine’s report (“To Err is Human”) which Starfied and her colleagues analyzed isn’t the only study to expose the failures of the U.S. health-care system. The World Health Organization issued a report in 2000, using different indicators than the IOM report, that ranked the U.S. as 15th among 25 industrialized countries.
As Starfied points out, the “real explanation for relatively poor health in the United States is undoubtedly complex and multifactorial.” Two significant causes of our poor standing is over-reliance on technology and a poorly developed primary care infrastructure. The United States is second only to Japan in the availability of technological procedures such as MRIs and CAT scans. However, this has not translated into a higher standard of care, and in fact may be linked to the “cascade effect” where diagnostic procedures lead to more treatment (which as we have seen can lead to more deaths).
Of the seven countries in the top of the average health ranking, five have strong primary care infrastructures. Evidence indicates that the major benefit of health-care access accrues only when it facilitates receipt of primary care. (Starfield, 1998)
One might think that these sobering analyses of the U.S. health-care system would have lead to a public discussion and debate over how to address the shortcomings. Alas, both medical authorities and the general public alike are mostly unaware of this data, and we are no closer to a safe, accessible and effective health-care system today than we were eight years ago when these reports were published.
This guest post was provided by Chris Kresser. Chris lives in Berkeley, CA and is a licensed acupuncturist and practitioner of integrative medicine. Chris writes a health and wellness blog that includes information on hypothyroidism, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, depression, natural childbirth and more. He began writing because it is his “sincere hope that the information on this blog will lead to greater health and well-being for you and those you love” [chriskresser.com]. Visit his blog or follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisKresser for more information on health, wellness and nutrition.
5 Keys to Long-Term Weightloss: Gimmicks vs. Wellness
Dr. Nathan Goodyear, fellowship-trained Metabolic Specialist
Obesity is described as the #1 health problem today. But what exactly is a health problem? I’d like to define it this way: a health problem is an obstacle to good health.
As I have said many times, obesity is the doorway to disease. Sixty-seven percent of Americans are either overweight or obese today. And for the first time, obesity exceeds those that are overweight. Approximately 34% of Americans are obese. Just think about that for a minute. What a hopeless statistic.
And the numbers, unfortunately, are not improving. Look at our children. More children battle obesity than ever before. The statistics in children is alarming, with up to 17% of children and adolescents being obese. Worse yet, this is a three-fold increase in just one generation.
Metabolic syndrome is in many ways the result of obesity. Metabolic syndrome, once only an adult disease, is now frequently diagnosed in children. As obesity goes, so goes metabolic syndrome. As metabolic syndrome goes, so goes disease. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome is 39.7% in moderately obese children and 49.7% in severely obese children.
All this to say, we, as a nation, need to lose weight. But we need to lose weight the right way. The reality is this: helping people lose weight is not difficult, but helping people to lose weight and maintain the weightloss proves to be very difficult. If it was so easy, everybody would do it.
Just look around us. There are weight loss “gimmicks” all over the place. According to the free dictionary, a gimmick is defined as “a device employed to cheat, deceive, or trick.” Gimmicks come in all forms: prepackaged meals, shakes, prescription drugs (Adipex, Xenical), HCG and even weight loss surgeries. All these gimmicks have in one thing in common – failure. Yes, they will help you lose some weight, but they fail miserably in the maintenance department. The short-term success of weightloss through gimmicks results in long-term failure due to a train-wrecked metabolism, making your long-term weight loss that much more difficult.
Let’s look at a few examples. Adipex is commonly prescribed drug that helps people lose weight. It is an amphetamine-like compound that speeds up the metabolism and suppresses the appetite. It works short-term, but without lifestyle change, rebound will occur. The rebound is worse as Adipex alters the body’s ability to lose weight through muscle loss and thyroid dysfunction. Oh, and did I forget to mention the addiction?
Let’s look at HCG. So if you take HCG, does that mean the cause of your obesity is a deficiency in HCG? Throw in the fact that the HCG diet consists of 500 calories daily. A diet of 500 calories daily will cause starvation and actually changes your thyroid metabolism, triggering a slowing of metabolism. So when you come off the HCG and the 500 calorie diet, rebound weight gain occurs. Who can maintain a 500 calorie diet anyway?
And the worst gimmick? Weight-loss surgeries. Let’s objectively think about this. What do the numbers say about weight loss surgery? A recent 10 year study of Lap Band, considered the safer weightloss surgery, revealed only a 42% weightloss maintained over 12 years with a quality-of-life scale unchanged. Let’s contrast that with the risks. Up to 50% of the patients required removal of their lap band with a repeat surgery risk at 60%, up to a third of the bands eroded, and over 40% encountered serious complications. Couple this with the bone loss seen in adults and children with weight loss surgery, and the question asked should be this: What are we doing to ourselves and our children?
Now that we’ve discussed the gimmicks, let me offer a solution: the Wellness Weight Loss program powered by Seasons.
Why “Wellness Weight Loss?” Our primary objective at Seasons is to provide solutions for you to be healthy and well! We don’t just want to help people lose weight. We want to help people lose weight and keep it off. That is the only path to long-term health and wellness.
The definition of a successful weightloss program is not whether weightloss occurs: it is whether the weight-loss is maintained. One of the greatest obstacles to wellness is inflammation. Fat itself produces systemic inflammation. Fat cells trigger inflammatory signals, called cytokines. Fat cells have been shown to release the cytokines: TNF-alpha, IL-1, and IL-6. To reduce inflammation, one must lose weight. Only through weight loss and long-term maintenance, can wellness be achieved.
Why powered by Seasons? At Seasons, we want to glorify our creator in all that we do. To do that, we must look to His creation to find the answers. His creation is our bodies. His signature is our biochemistry. That should be where we are looking, because that is where the causes are. And yes, there are always multiple causes. And no, a one size-fits-all approach doesn’t work. God created us to be unique and different. Our causes of weight gain will also be unique and different. And our solutions for weightloss need to be unique and different – customized for your particular metabolism and circumstances.
Wellness Weight Loss powered by Seasons follows the 5 Points of Wellness that we’ve established as our guidelines to achieving optimal health.
- Nutrition
- Exercise
- Hormone balance
- Inflammation
- Detoxification
These 5 Points of Wellness are the keys to proper metabolic functioning. They are God-created and they are the only means to long-term weightloss. Through the 5 Points of Wellness, a customized program is created to meet your exact metabolic dysfunctions.
Contrary to what you see today, healing can and does occur. But, healing only comes through our creator. To do that, we must look to His creation first, our bodies, for the means to achieve healing.
Why not glorify God in all that we do, including weightloss. Lose weight. Live well!
Gluten-Free Can Be Healthy and Tasty!
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The Chicken and the Egg or What is Functional Medicine?
Dr. Nathan Goodyear
I am always amazed at what people will say when they can remain anonymous. Recently we published a guest post on our website by Dr. Ron Grisanti entitled “What is Functional Medicine?” A well-written article, it resulted in three hateful comments (not published on our website) calling us names and comparing functional medicine to homeopathy.
I do practice Functional Medicine. And we do, on occasion, use homeopathy. But the two are very different. Functional medicine is not a symptom-based treatment paradigm. It is a solution-based treatment paradigm.
Sometimes, the best way to understand is via illustration. So, let’s discuss what functional medicine is by comparing the treatment strategies for a common complaint among patients, fatigue.
The protocol in traditional medicine routinely addresses fatigue as depression. But in looking at fatigue in that light, the chicken or the egg scenario quickly comes into play. Is fatigue depression or are depressive symptoms the result of stress and fatigue?
The answer, which seems painfully obvious to me, is the latter. In my earlier post “It’s Not Depression…It’s Stress,” the symptoms of depressions are the results of stress. It seems like semantics, but determining cause and effect is a critical part of practicing medicine. Treating symptoms with anti-depressants does not actually treat the cause. In contrast, they create dependence. Anti-depressants become a very costly band-aid which causes physiologic disruption as well.
The traditional medical approach is linear, reactionary, and a “one-size fits all” approach. Let’s contrast this with a functional medicine approach.
Functional medicine is about biochemistry. Functional medicine is about physiology. Functional medicine is not an opinion, nor is it a standard of care. Functional medicine is the standard of biochemistry and physiology. Like death and taxes, biochemistry and physiology are constant.
Fatigue is the lack of energy. Lack of energy is the lack of ATP generation. What is ATP? ATP is energy.
Molecular Structure of ATP
Above, is the molecular structure of ATP. ATP production is glycolysis, Kreb’s cycle, and the electron transport.
Biochemistry of Energy Production
What you see above is the biochemistry of energy production. It is the physiologic process that occurs within every cell of our body every second of every day.
Not only that, but this entire process of energy production can be evaluated through testing which we perform here at Seasons Wellness Clinic. Even better, individual treatments can be designed based on an individual’s specific biochemical dysfunction, true individualized therapy directed at the source of the problem.
So, when someone has symptoms of fatigue or poor energy production, doesn’t it make sense to look to the cell’s energy production mechanism? It seems like an obvious step. Yet, is rarely done. My fellowship training allows me to evaluate test results and see the energy-generation, or lack thereof, in your body’s biochemistry and to tailor a solution that will resolve your energy-production issues.
What concerns me is not that others have differing opinions. It is not the debate of ideas and research. I welcome that. My concern is when there is opposition to OPEN exchange and debate of ideas and research. There is a hostility that seems to be present everywhere in medicine. It is my opinion that when in debate, if you resort to name-calling, you have lost the intellectual high ground.
Conventional medicine is not the problem. Remember, I am a conventionally trained physician. But, as stated by Dana Ullman, MPH, the problem is the “conventional thought” in medicine today. Medicine should be about what is right, not about what everyone else is doing. Medicine, it seems to me, has become much more about preserving a way of life, rather than actually preserving life.
Functional medicine is not about a standard of care. It is not about an opinion. Functional medicine is about treating the individual, determining the biochemical dysfunction at its source.
For me, functional medicine is about giving credit and glory to our Creator. I look to evaluate and prescribe therapy based on the premise of returning proper function to His creation.
Want to read more about functional medicine? I’m currently enrolled at The University of South Florida’s Medical School, the third largest in the United States, in the Master’s Program for Metabolic and Nutritional Medicine. You can read more about that program here. I’ve also listed a few additional articles that might be of interest. Happy reading!
Related articles
- Innovative Master’s Degree Program Launched by The A4M Fellowship in Anti-Aging Medicine and University of South Florida (prweb.com)
- What Is Functional Medicine? (a4m.com)
Healthy Living Tips: A Recipe for All-Natural Bug Spray
Dr. Nathan Goodyear
Toxins are everywhere. I am always looking for ways to reduce my families exposure to toxic chemicals. There is nothing more dangerous than home fumigation for bugs, filling every corner of your home with toxins. These toxins are very dangerous, as they linger in the house and we are continually exposed to them.
I have found a recipe for an all-natural alternative to your everyday bug spray, a home bug spray using essential oils. Not just any essential oil will do here; they must be pure and unadulterated. For this reason, I use YoungLiving Essential Oils.
Here’s the recipe for an all-natural bug-spray solution.
- 20 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil
- 10 drops of Cypress Essential Oil
- 1 cup water
Mix well. Be sure to shake the mixture well before spraying.
You’ll enjoy a bug-free AND toxin-free environment. This solution is great for ants and cockroaches. I have found that it works with spiders as well. With this approach, you are one step closer to detoxing your home and your life! At Seasons, we carry many Young Living Essential Oils, including peppermint and cypress essential oils. For more information, contact Seasons at 318-255-3223.
Live Healthy. Live Well.
