Is Gluten the Culprit?  Or is the current societal attention on gluten a case of misdirection?  This is the question I have been investigating lately, and my answer is simply that Gluten sensitivity although real and profound, is in fact a dramatic case of misdirection.  Before all of those suffering with gluten issues become enraged, please follow me through this.

Gluten sensitivity has grown in diagnosis over the past 10 years, and with good reason, more and more people find that by avoiding gluten, they feel more energetic, their pain symptoms dramatically decrease and their body improves in numerous ways.  In addition, many who have taken steps to avoid this protein also find exposure to one tiny smidge of gluten sends them into physical despair.  All of this is common and very real, but how we got here and the way gluten issues then shape our understanding of what is healthy has been poorly investigated and understood at best.

Once someone goes...

Gratitude has a profound effect on our physical self, beyond it’s ability to create a warm fuzzy feeling, there are noticeable physical changes associated with an experience of gratitude. In fact, many studies have been done to document exactly what physical effects can be identified through gratitude practices, here are a few:

• In a study where participants spent time each day in an experience of appreciation and gratitude, there was a mean 23% reduction in cortisol and a 100% increase in DHEA/DHEAS in the subjects. Increased coherence in heart rate variability patterns were measured in 80% of the subjects during the use of the techniques."
• In another study, a group of Chinese researchers looked at the combined effects of gratitude and sleep quality on symptoms of anxiety and depression. They found that higher levels of gratitude were associated with better sleep, and with lower anxiety and depression.
• Studies on the impact of gratitude directly on DNA have found that...

I have been spending a lot of time reading about physics, particle physics in particular and its implications for our understanding of our body, its relationship to the world surrounding us, and its associations with how our physical body experiences life.  I should preface this with saying that I was never adept in physics, it confounded me in undergraduate school, in fact, I barely made it through.  However, as I delve deeper into how we heal, how we become ill, and why the body does certain things, it has become necessary to also look at physics. I will not delve into particle discussions here or try to illuminate complex studies for which I am only grasping the edges, the intent in mentioning this is to highlight one absolute fact prevalent and pervasive among much of particle physics, which is:

Everything, absolutely everything in the universe is connected, acting according to a complex interplay of energy, waves, and particles much of which is influenced by sound and...

I have a good friend who practices Ayurvedic medicine.  When asked about things I could do to maximize how my body functions, she told me to begin my day by doing a whole body self-massage with warm coconut oil followed by a warm bath.  This is apparently, a traditional Ayurvedic treatment to nourish the body and clear toxins and stagnation.  Although it initially meant I had to get up a bit earlier than usual, I have found that this simple routine has brought more energy and vitality to my day in a wonderful and powerful manner. The significant change I received from such a simple treatment reminded me of how often we eschew methods and processes that require a bit of work on our part for more seemingly expedient paths.

In reflecting on this, I have recalled how many times patients have told me that they could not possibly eat regular meals, or drink adequate water on a regular basis because their schedule could not accommodate it or they had a general distain for...

Fall Wellness Tips

Every fall, the onslaught of sinus drainage, congestion, cough, and blah begins to be felt in communities around the country.  Maybe it is the kids all being back in school, sharing their versions of the most current bug, maybe it is just the weather change prompting the emergence of this year’s viruses, whatever it is, there are concrete steps you can take to minimize the impact these conditions can have and to stimulate your body’s natural defenses.

Defense:

1. Wash your hands: this may sound crazy to put at the top of the list, but seriously, wash them after pumping gas, after going to the store, have your kids wash their hands after school, before eating anything, after their gymnastics, or martial arts class, and after being anywhere outside the home.  If you are out and unable to wash hands, carry thieves based hand lotion or tincture in your car and put that directly on your hands, especially if you will be eating anything while...

Does Blood Work Really Tell You All That Much?

Does your blood work really tell you everything that is wrong?  Can it identify and pinpoint complex nutritional and hormonal problems?  Well…..maybe but more often than not, the way the blood is being interpreted is marginal, leading to improper prescriptions of nutritional and pharmaceutical products that the body has no idea how to use. There are a lot of doctors that rely solely on blood to identify problems, including nutritional issues. Entire companies have been created just to run specialized labs designed to identify exactly what each individual is lacking and how to fix the problem. Yet, by my perspective, they have all fallen short because many fail to understand why values might vary and all the possible scenarios that can produce dramatic blood levels.

First, it is essential to understand how the body compartmentalizes and sequesters nutrients. Each nutrient has a preferred level in which it...

Pacific Seafood Is No Longer Safe To Consume

The tsunami of two years ago has continued to make its presence known via continued radiation leakage both into the air and into the ocean off the coast of Japan. This poses a significant threat to those who live in that country in particular, but the worldwide threat continues to grow and little is being said about it. One of the biggest exposure threats is from eating fish from the Pacific Ocean. Although major regulating agencies in the US have yet failed to adequately investigate the situation, reports continue to emerge from world scientists and news organizations about severe indications of radiation exposure and illness among fish and other ocean species throughout the pacific. The sad fact is, the fish from the Pacific can no longer be considered safe to eat. Below is a list of just a few of the news highlights and information that has been reported recently, all of which indicate that the problem is throughout the ocean,...

Common pH myths

1. Being too acidic is the real problem, if everyone were alkaline then everyone would be healthy.  So not true!  The reality is, we have cyclical variance in our body pH, and we are supposed to spend time each day in an alkaline and in an acidic environment.  Staying only alkaline will cause cellular disruption which can lead to chronic disease including cancer!
2. Fruits and veggies make the body alkaline, meat makes it acidic. Another false statement, the reality is, meat can make someone acidic, or it can make them alkaline, this really depends on their metabolic state.  In fact, in certain people, a diet of high fruit and veggies with low protein and low fat can also make the body more acidic.  The impact is dependant on body balance, including parasympathetic and sympathetic function.  Identifying the state of the body is key.
3. Urine pH indicates body pH.  This is partially true, but not entirely true.  Urine pH indicates the...

This Observer and Eccentric article about eating organic for health even on a budget has a great interview with Dr. Julie and Elizabeth, highlighting just how important and feasible it is to maximize your health and sustain nutritional food.  Check it out!

http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20130819/ENT/308190011/Local-mom-goes-organic-budget

Essential fatty acids are needed for many aspects of how our body works, however essential fatty acid supplements may not be.  They regulate membrane fluidity, which has an impact on nutrient absorption, and utilization, and they have impacts on prostaglandin production which affects pain and inflammation.  Yet, haphazard supplementation with these fats can come with difficulty.  Fish oils are prone to rancidity, and some evidence suggests that without proper process and cofactors, excessive and long term supplementation with fish oil may, in fact, cause issues with inflammation.  Seed oils too can be rancid causing damage to the cells.  So, what does one do to maintain cellular membranes and keep damage at bay?

Supplementing with essential fats may not be the key.  A body in homeostasis, which is regulating cellular and metabolic functions well, does not need supplementation of essential fats.  Fish consumption is not compulsory, evidenced by many...