New research shows that your body does best when your gut microflora exhibits more bacteria AND a high degree of biodiversity or richness. A lack of gut bacteria and diversity is a cause for concern. This makes sense since the bacteria living in you produce vitamins, mature and strengthen the immune system, and communicate with your nerve and hormone-producing cells, among many other functions.
Guest Blog: 37 Things I’m Happy I Learned By Age 37
This guest blog is brought to you by Emily Pereira of BeTheBeginner.com. I first saw Emily speak at the Fertlity Planit event in Los Angeles in 2014. Emily was incredibly authentic, and shared her journey from 'happy only on outside' to how she become truly content on the inside.
She recently shared her inspirational wisdom, on her 37th birthday, and I wanted to share her 37 discoveries with you. Enjoy!
Women and Autoimmune Disease, part 1 of 3
The Blood Sugar Balancing Act
Before we hit a state of blood sugar pathology (diabetes, metabolic syndrome, or latent autoimmune diabetes of adulthood for examples), we most likely spend some time, perhaps decades, in a state of functional blood sugar imbalance.
These functional imbalances probably begin due to diet and lifestyle, and the good news is that they can usually be corrected with diet, lifestyle, and natural supplementation, under the care of a trained functional medicine practitioner.
Do You Have a Cranky Bladder?
The bladder is a hollow, muscular organ with an inner layer called a urinary epithelium. Two ureters carry urine from the kidney to the bladder. At the lowest point is a urethra, a narrow tube from which urine empties when it’s sphincter muscle releases.
Stones, or calculi, can develop in the bladder when minerals that should be in solution in the urine congeal. The condition is more common in men, and is more commonly found in low-protein diets.
Infection of the bladder (cystitis) is more common in women, with the suspected reason of our shorter urethra providing less of a barrier against bacteria.
PCOS, Ammenorhea and More on the Podcast this month
There have been some HOT topics on the podcast this month! I love the powerful, brillant ladies I've been honored to meet. I'll recap below:
1. First we had Nicole Jardim, women's health coach, talking about the reasons and solutions behind ammenorhea (no period for 3 months or more.)
Ammenorhea can be caused by post-birth control use, overtraining, under-eating, extreme diets and stress. There is a good chance you'll experience a bout of ammenorhea in your lifetime.
How to Make Healthy Bone Broth
I'm happy to share with you today a great video on an important topic, making bone broth. Bone broth is easy to make once you get the hang of it, and it's super nutritious. It can heal a leaky gut, regenerate your joints, help you sleep, and help your hormonal system tick along nicely. Just click on the image above to view. It's about 10 minutes long, and well worth it!..
High Blood Pressure- Natural Treatment
Got high blood pressure? Monitor your blood pressure with your primary care physician, and know there are also solutions with a functional medicine practitioner like myself to get this condition under control.
Here are some things to consider:
Check your blood sugar (fasting glucose and HA1C) as insulin resistance increases blood pressure.
GMO Foods: The Effect on Your Body
Here in Oregon we've got a vote coming up on labeling GMO foods. I think most people don't have a grasp on which foods these are and how they may effect our health. So I spent some time today digging deep into the topic.
I was also curious about the battle over GMO labeling. This initiative already lost in California, and I was shocked to hear it. Now that the vote is approaching in Oregon, I can see why. There is a lot of money being invested into this legislation not passing by companies with deep pockets like Monsanto and Pepsico.
Get a Second Opinion on Your Digestion through Functional Medicine
I'm pretty darn excited about the upcoming Digestion Sessions, part 2 of the Second Opinion Series hosted by Underground Wellness.
All the event videos are shot in person with beautiful, high-quality production. It's so cool to see our 'alternative' health leaders looking like true media leaders on the big screen!
Healthy Decision Making: part 2
In Part 1 of this two part article, we talked about how to make decisions from your heart.
Great! So you've made a bold decision. You want to lose 40 pounds so you can have more energy for your kids and yourself. Or you want to start dating again. Or you want to cook healthy meals.
Perhaps you've made this goal before, and have gotten all excited for about one week. But then you got frustrated or scared. Or you felt too busy. Or you didn't believe in yourself.
How can you avoid getting back into this quagmire?
Learn About Colostrum
One of the wonderful things about my job is that I get to continually learn more. Two supplements I've recently studied I wanted to share with you.
They are IGG Colostrum powder and its cousin, Immunolox, by Nutrasumma.
Colostrum is the 'first milking' of mammals, but it's not exactly milk. It's a fatty,
Healthy Decision Making: part 1
If you are stuck in elevator, between floors, it's a great time to use your wits to figure out how to get the heck out of there. And, thankfully, in our culture today, we are encouraged to follow our hearts when choosing a mate.
But what about all the decisions in between these two extremes, when we are deciding what to eat, or when to exercise? How about deciding our career, or what we are going to say next?
PCOS, Thyroid and Hashimoto's: Free Resources this Week
The Hashimoto's Institute free online educational event begins. Sign Up Here.
This very cool event is organized by Andrea Nakayama, Dr. Izabella Wentz, and Dr. Alan Christianson. It features a step by step approach to Hashimoto's over 8 days. Check it out
Anti-Inflammation Cooking Video
To be healthy, you need to know how to cook! I aim to help you get more comfortable in the kitchen with fresh, healthy dishes that taste great while healing and nourishing your body.
Watch this 4 minute video to learn three potent ingredients to combat the ever-persistent presence of inflammation.
Please share this video with the share button on lower left if it was helpful for you.
Anti-Inflammatory Solutions for Fertility: Part 1
Ah, inflammation. It does such a good job of gumming up the works of just about everything in the body. Today we'll start a series learning more about inflammation, what it does to our fertility, and what to do about it.
Why should you care about reducing inflammation? Because it can disrupt your hormonal system as well as cause blockages in your fallopian tubes and uterus, thus preventing pregnancy.
Are You Getting Enough VARIETY in Your Veggie Choices?
When you visit the produce section, do you tend to grab your usual stand-bys? Maybe a lettuce, a broccoli and a bag of carrots? How often do you venture out of the box, and try a fresh herb or vegetable you've never cooked with before?
In today's article, we'll explore why it's important to find variety in your veggie selection, and how to do it.
Why Fiber is Fabulous for Women's Health
Fiber is a filament substance found in plants that the human body cannot break down. The two types of fiber are soluble fiber and insoluble fiber.
Soluble fiber can dissolve in water and is found mainly in oats, beans, tubers and fruit. Soluble fiber helps to control blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
Soluble fiber can be broken down by bacteria in your gut. For healthy flora in the large
Vitex and Maca: Pros and Cons
Summer Reading: Best Women's Health Books
My Five Favorite Women's Health Books
If you are a health geek like me, you love a great health book.
Here are some of my favorites:
Women's Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine
written by local naturopath, Tori Hudson
This book details the origins and best natural treatments of twenty of the most common women's health issues from cervical dysplasia to menstrual cramps.