Collagen
Collagen, found in our tendons, muscles, bones, our skin and even our digestive system, it is the most abundant protein in our bodies. It is necessary to give skin strength, and elasticity and it is instrumental in the process of replacing dead skin cells. Switch to our joints and tendons, and collagen becomes the glue that helps hold our body together. So what happens to our collagen supply as we age and is there anything we can do to keep collagen around longer? Read more
Clean teeth are healthy teeth.
“Ever since the first dental school was founded in the United States in 1840, dentistry and medicine have been taught as — and viewed as — two separate professions. That artificial division is bad for the public’s health. It’s time to bring the mouth back into the body.” This wisdom from Bruce Donoff, D.M.D. and M.D, and dean of Harvard School of Dental Medicine, is becoming more commonplace as doctors and dentists are realizing the connections between oral health and physical health.
Periodontal disease, commonly called gum disease, has long-lasting effects on the body. It has been linked to diabetes, cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure. For pregnant women, gum disease can cause pre-eclampsia, causing complications and often resulting in low birth weight of babies. In order for dentists and doctors to increase their learning on how all health is related, many dental schools have started to incorporate medical training for their dental students. Working from this perspective of shared knowledge can only benefit patients. Read more
Can water reduce inflammation?
This month we are, again, focusing on ways to reduce inflammation. (See last month’s article here). This time, we are looking at how drinking water, particularly Electrolyzed Reduced Water, can help reduce inflammation. Properly hydrating your body is an excellent way to remove toxins and waste from your system. Drinking alkaline water (8.0 or higher) goes beyond simple hydration since it efficiently works at a molecular level. Read on to find out how. Read more
Inflammation
Inflammation sounds bad, right? Why on earth would our bodies do this to us? Inflammation has a healthy reason. It’s how our immune systems spots and stops foreign invaders. A sore throat or a drippy nose shows that our immune system is working to expel the foreign invader from our body, before it does long term damage. But if inflammation is chronic, even after the foreign particle is gone it may allow a disease like cancer, Alzheimer’s or heart disease to take root in our body. Read more
Beauty at what price?
That new lotion you just bought smells so delicious, it couldn’t be hiding toxins in there, could it? Unfortunately, many of the lotions and potions we use every day contain chemicals that are allowed in the United States, but it doesn’t mean they are good for you. Many chemicals that are legal here, are illegal in European countries. Conversely, chemicals that are not allowed in the US are found in European countries. How do we know what is a toxin and what is safe? Read more
Wellness Retreats
The term “Wellness” is sometimes bandied about by marketers seeking to make a quick buck. How do you sort through the hype about wellness retreats to find what you are looking for? Read on to find out. Read more
Holiday Choices
Kicking off the holiday season is that wonderful Thanksgiving feast, where, according to the Caloric Control Council, the average American eats more than 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat. That would be more than twice the number of calories most people should eat in an entire day. The fat content is actually enough fat for three days. What can you do to make reasonably healthy food choices this holiday? Read on. Read more
winter exercise
Looking ahead to the gloomy winter months and thinking about skipping exercise, and hibernating in your stretchy pants and roomy sweaters? Think again. Winter is a great time to try a new routine and stay fit.
The University of Maastricht in the Netherlands studied exercise in colder months and found that as your body learns to adjust to working out in the cold, it burns more stores of fat. This extra fat is burned because your body, in addition to burning energy to jog or ski, is also burning energy to keep you warm. Exercising in cold weather is particularly good for reducing fat. Read more
Ketogenic Diet
A Ketogenic diet is very-low-carbohydrate diet, developed the 1920’s. It was shown to reduce or even remove the need for medication in epilepsy patients. In the 1960’s this diet was successfully tested as a way to treat obese patients. It is also proven to be effective at treating diabetes, acne, cancer, polycystic ovary syndrome, and improving respiratory and cardiovascular disease risk factors. A Ketogenic diet contains high-fat foods, adequate protein and low-carbohydrate foods. The diet causes the body to burn stored fats in the body, instead of using carbohydrates (sugar). Read more
Vitamin D
Getting the right amount of vitamins is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Ideally, getting vitamins through the food we eat is the best way for our bodies to receive nutrition. When that fails, supplements can be a good source of nutrition. Unfortunately, many people tend to treat supplements less seriously than medicine and often take larger doses than necessary. Vitamin D is easy to over-ingest. Often, Vitamin D is found in daily supplements AND in calcium supplements, and many people, especially women, can take too much. Conversely, with decreasing outdoor activity and increased sunscreen usage, many people are diagnosed with Vitamin D deficiency. Read more
