Exactly what is a “healthy” gut microbiome? Many would just say eat fiber. Others would throw a probiotic into that mix. As usual, the situation in our bodies is much more complicated than that. Researchers from the integrative medicine program at George Washington University along with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) reviewed…
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…
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…
Given the fact that we have been eating for as long as we have existed and modern society focuses so much on weight control, you would think we would have our “system” down on the meal issue. We do tend towards 3 meals a day even if we have different names for them and different…
Most know that the immune system serves our body as a defense system with alarms that warn of incoming danger. Did you know that our daily ritual of meals influences those alarm bells? As a functional MD always on the lookout for simple ways to help my patients live a healthier more abundant life, the…
In caring for those oppressed by mycotoxins, a functional MD like myself cannot ignore any body system. By definition, Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome presents as a multi-symptom, multi-system disease. Mycotoxins enter our patients’ lives in multiple ways, through air, skin, and food. To enter their lives and restore their health, we are constantly trying to…
Grand discoveries which explain long sought-after connections between different phenomena in our bodies come by taking keen observations and methodically teasing apart the threads that connect the web of our metabolism. Researchers knew that some connection between autoimmune disorders, anxiety symptoms, and gut bacteria existed. This article lays out how researchers at several institutions tried…
In any crime and in any disease, we should start with “who pulled the trigger”? Researchers have long known that not everyone with the HLA DQ2 and DQ8 genetics develop celiac disease, but without one of those genes, true celiac disease is rare. Why do some with the genes develop celiac and some don’t? Even…
We live in an age of epidemic metabolic disease without clear answers for why. Many point fingers at dietary factors like sugars and trans fats. Others point fingers at lifestyle factors like sedentary life without exercise. While functional MD’s like myself acknowledge these factors, we also look at toxic contributors to diabetes, heart disease, and…
The “Wanted dead or alive?” debate rages on in the world of probiotics and microbiome research. Functional medicine MD’s like myself already apply microbiome principles in the care of our patients. On the other hand, many detractors in conventional medicine claim that the probiotics we swallow in capsules either cross the threshold of our mouths…