Medical research supports both brain exercise and body exercise for our health. Given the quest for deeper understanding researchers next wondered if the brain or the body led the way in staying healthy. Boris Cheval et al published their attempt to determine the race between brain and body in Health Psychology. By monitoring cognitive function…
We all prefer good news over bad news, but if functional medicine hopes to remain true to science and reality, we have to acknowledge some failures. At Sanctuary, some of our female patients not only want to overcome their chronic health issues but want to bear children. In helping them, we look to detox, fighting…
Proverbs 5:7-14 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+4&version=ESV The Sour Fruits of Foolishness The father continues to plead with his sons to listen and to keep listening. He repeats his warning from previous verses to stay away from the adulterous woman, the one who entices his sons to betrayal. Do not even go near betrayal or the one who entices it. The…
We can all agree stress affects our health. Whether the source of stress begins with an annoying boss or an overseas virus, we feel, think, and act differently under stress. A measure of the distress comes from feeling out of control over our situation. For babies during their mother’s pregnancy or in early life after…
As the epidemic of Alzheimer’s grows, scientists search for whatever therapy options arise out of the ongoing investigations into root causes. Scientists search for the complex and sophisticated, but sometimes simple possibilities poke their heads up and surprise. Researchers recognized alterations in the metabolic activity of early Alzheimer’s and asked themselves if this could contribute…
While some mainstream media outlets and part of society continues to disparage breastfeeding, science continues to support the benefits of breastfeeding for infants. As a functional medicine pediatrician seeking to counsel parents on the best ways to prepare their children for the world, breastfeeding will always be in the top 5 to 10 practices. Without…
Insomnia plagues the lives of many, robbing their daytime of energy and focus, robbing nights of peace. In functional medicine we offer many therapies to improve sleep such as supplements, lifestyle changes, and neurofeedback. This research may lead to another option as scientists further unravel the connections between prebiotics and sleep. Coming in various forms…
Curcumin, the multi-tool of functional medicine just got nano-scaled. As the article notes, curcumin has frustrated scientists for years. It clearly affects multiple bodily processes like inhibiting NF-kB, TNF alpha, and IL-6. Each of these substances play a role in inflammation. However, our body’s limited ability to absorb curcumin and the swiftness of its metabolism…
I only know one person whose favorite color is orange, but they may be on to something with weight loss. Western University researchers identified a substance called nobiletin from oranges and tangerines which modify how animal metabolism handles lipids (fats). In a study of rats fed a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet, those rats fed nobiletin ended…
Proverbs 5:1-6 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+4&version=ESV Warning Against Betrayal Again the writer of Proverbs calls his son to attend to a warning. The message is simple. While the words of the adulterous woman sound sweet as honey in the beginning, they lead to great bitterness and are sharp like a sword. They lead to death. While both the newlywed and the…