Finding a New Primary Care Doctor

A Big Thanks To Leslie at Wellparents.com for this great advice Thanks to Leslie at Read more

The Rollercoaster of Life

Grandma: "I always wanted to go again. You know, it was just so interesting that a ride could make me so frightened, so scared, so sick, so excited, and so thrilled all together! Some didn't like Read more

Sheltering at Home/Covid 19

Never in the last two decades of my career as a physician would I have imagined that we would be using the same mask to see patients all day and then sterilizing/recycling them at the end of the day. Read more

Turmeric Health Benefits

Have you ever wondered what the paste is applied to the bride and groom's faces and arms in Indian weddings?  It's actually the spice turmeric.  Turmeric is the ingredient in curry that gives it a vibrant yellow color.  Actually, Read more

COVID 19 Precautions

With the scare of COVID here in the USA now, I wanted to post a little info about boosting immunity to prevent contracting the virus. Here are some important facts about Covid-19 It is spread by contact with Read more

Natural Tips for Avoiding Colds

This cold and flu season is still upon us and unfortunately, many patients are still being plagued by these nasty viral symptoms.  Here are a few tips to try if you feel like you are coming down with something. Of Read more

Sherry's Story

Sherry has a great story.  She has been diabetic for years and she has made some massive changes!   "I have been on a lifestyle change. It has been a year following a ketogenic food plan.  When I started this journey Read more

Pharmacy to Farmacy

Many of you may know Erin-- the fabulous Pharm D that worked in our office a few years back.  Erin is a phenomenal gal and we embarked on the journey  into natural medicine around the same time.  As we both Read more

Body

Turmeric Health Benefits

Have you ever wondered what the paste is applied to the bride and groom’s faces and arms in Indian weddings?  It’s actually the spice turmeric.  Turmeric is the ingredient in curry that gives it a vibrant yellow color.  Actually, Indian traditional beauty secrets are handed down by ancestors to young women for skin radiance and hair removal using turmeric paste.  Interestingly, turmeric has multiple health benefits and is a real power spice. Turmeric’s health benefits lie in the active ingredient curcumin.  Curcumin has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, stomach soothing, and heart/liver protective qualities.  It is thought to reduce histamine levels and stimulate the adrenal gland to decrease inflammation.  It is often used to ease joint pain associated with arthritis.  It is rich with antioxidants which are disease fighting substances that bind up free radicals (oh yes, cousin Joe that wacky guy) which are responsible for premature aging and cancer as well as destroying your marriage (see previous post on free radicals).  Some animal studies even show that turmeric may benefit liver health and protect the liver from damaging toxins like alcohol (which cousin Joe definitely needs with his strong affection for Sun King).  It may even harbor anti platelet activity which reduces the body’s ability to form blood clots and ultimately improve circulation.  As always, you need to do your research if you are interested in taking a turmeric supplement and should check with your doctor first.  However, I do have patients that have begun cooking more with turmeric and have seen some decrease in their arthritis symptoms.

Please be careful using turmeric since its deep color can stain.

Here are a few suggestions for cooking with turmeric–

1.  Add it to egg salad

2.  Mix brown rice, raisins, and cashews with turmeric, cumin, and coriander

3.  Add it to steamed cauliflower or green beans

4.  Add it to lentils

Turmeric 2 tsp:

15.58 calories

0.24mg of manganese

1.82mg of iron

0.08mg of vitamin B6

0.93g of fiber

111 mg of potassium

******One interesting tidbit is that if you add a spoonful of turmeric to the water in water-cooled radiators, it will stop leaks!

Many patients are currently taking 500mg of turmeric twice a day and claiming that it is really helping with joint pain!

I have linked an excellent article on the benefits of Turmeric HERE

Feel Free to check out Lyfebotanicals.com to learn more info on the benefits of botanicals!

You can also find excellent brands of supplements at FULLSCRIPT

Posted on by Angela in Body, cancer, Diet, disease, Exercise, Nutrition, Supplements, Weight Loss, Whole Food Leave a comment

Natural Tips for Avoiding Colds

This cold and flu season is still upon us and unfortunately, many patients are still being plagued by these nasty viral symptoms.  Here are a few tips to try if you feel like you are coming down with something.

Of course–the old standby of chicken soup is helpful!  You can make some fabulous Homemade Bone Broth which will help boost your immune system!  You can also order some from THE BROTHERY.  I keep some of Chef Lance’s bone broth in the freezer just for this type of occasion.  When you feel crappy –it’s not always exciting to make your own so this hits the spot.

ELDERBERRY —is available as a supplement and research shows that it accelerates cytokine production to help regulate the immune response.  It is rich in antioxidants and vitamin C.

GARLIC— is rich in vitamin C and zinc which both support immune response.

PROBIOTICS— these gut friendly bacteria make for a robust immune system.  You can buy these as a supplement (check out my faves in the FULLSCRIPT link) Even better, try eating some fermented foods like kefir, sauerkraut or kimchi.  I’ve heard of people taking a dose of probiotic every hour when they first start feeling ill.abb30214f90e578ef00ebef0b4841291

Zinc — this essential mineral is the most common mineral (after iron) found in the body and zinc depletion causes immune dysfunction.  So load up on that

Vitamin C/D/E— These support the production of anti-stress hormones and interferon which is an immune system protein that stimulates the production of infection fighting white blood cells.

Posted on by Angela in disease, Nutrition Leave a comment

Magnesium-the unloved mineral

Do you remember watching Wild Kingdom as a kid?  Did you happen to notice that the animals attacking their prey would immediately eat the organ meats.  I never really thought about why until I listened to Morley Robbins explain the importance of magnesium.  Magnesium is the Rodney Dangerfield of the mineral world.  It gets “No Respect”  I have been so remiss in not learning the importance of this underutilized mineral.  Magnesium is a mineral found in oysters, must, seeds, almonds, cashews, pumpkin, pistachios, kelp and organ meats.  You can also get it from wheat grass.  The strange thing about magnesium is that nobody really talks about its importance.  We speak ad nauseam about calcium and vitamin D–but magnesium is the missing component in this triad.  It turns out that we may be enduring an epidemic of magnesium deficiency.

First a little history, our ancestors lived in a very magnesium rich environment.  It was in the water, food, root vegetables and organ meats that we consumed.  Around 100 years ago, the environment flipped.  It became a calcium rich, magnesium poor environment.  It became much more acidic with toxins.   We started refining salt from its natural form (sea salt) which contained a natural balance of magnesium and sodium. Sugar cane started being refined which removes all the magnesium.  So now, living in a calcium rich environment we have developed problems lack of the stabilizing magnesium particle.  Calcium that isn’t regulated by magnesium causes massive inflammation.  Hence (spoiler alert) the inflammation forms free radicals and oxidative stress which progresses to chronic disease states –with heart disease being very significant due to calcium deposits on the arteries.

 

Uses of magnesium:

Stabilization of bones–magnesium gives bones resilience

Regulates calcium in the body

Vital for support for muscles in body (remember the heart is a muscle)

 

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Here is a link to a great tutorial on how to make magnesium lotion—check it out!

http://creativechristianmama.com/how-to-make-magnesium-oil-lotion/

 

 

Posted on by Angela in disease, Mind, Uncategorized 5 Comments

The Sauerkraut Challenge

As many of you may know — my 9-year-old daughter has been extremely ill for the last 4 weeks.  It is so painful to watch your child suffer from illness and not be able to do anything to fix it.  All the mamas out there know that when our kids hurt– we hurt too and just want to make things better.

I have to express the gratitude that I have that my kids aren’t sick often and that they (Praise God) don’t have any debilitating or chronic diseases.  It took one viral syndrome that lingered to get me thinking about how unfathomable it would be to keep strength having a chronically ill child.  I have so much respect and admiration for those parents that endure this journey in life.  I can’t imagine—

Although Stanley steamer made quite a profit this past two weeks, (Emma’s room looked like a crime scene after an unfortunate projectile incident involving red Gatorade) — The rest of us have tried to stay healthy and avoid this nasty bug.

I have been eating sauerkraut for the healthy probiotic benefits daily ( about 6 forkfuls daily ) along with my Garden of Life probiotic.  I even added some Young Living Oil of Oregano that I put in gelatin capsules and take daily.  So far so good.

Another major tip is activated charcoal –you can buy that over the counter — (I get mine at Fresh Thyme)– it absorbs toxins in your body before they can harm you.  They actually use it for food poisoning and alcohol overdose in the Emergency Room.  Ancient Egyptians used it on wounds and Hindus used it to purify water.  It is said that it was used in the past to treat anthrax and epilepsy.  Common dosing says to take 2 capsules every few hours– but keep in mind that it will absorb some of the good nutrients in your body — so don’t take it at the same time as some of your other supplements .

Posted on by Angela in Body, disease, Nutrition Leave a comment

Dealing with High Triglycerides

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I’ve discovered that elevated triglycerides and fasting blood sugars have become epidemic in my practice. It’s not surprising considering all the food misinformation we have been given in the standard American diet (SAD).  I remember questioning my girl’s pediatrician about feeding them honey nut Cheerios for breakfast because they were so picky. Her answer was “have you looked at the nutrition information on the side of the Box— Cheerios are fortified with most vitamins and minerals that they need.”  WOW is all I can say–WOW.  You would think I would have known better at that point after years of medical education.  But NO –I took her word for it because that is what I was taught in med school about nutrition too.  I didn’t have any concept about the importance of vegetables and REAL FOOD on health at that point.  I’ll bet you have been in the same boat as well. We simply haven’t been taught the correct information.

 

Why are triglycerides important?  I thought LDL was the BAD cholesterol–

Triglycerides block insulin– that can elevate the blood sugar and lead to weight gain

High triglycerides can cause pancreatitis and be toxic to the pancreatic cells that make insulin–this can add up over time–

Here is where the LDL is affected— more triglycerides will interact with lipoproteins and cause the LDL to be smaller particles which are more likely to cause heart attacks —

So overall –the higher your triglycerides are –you are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease.

What do I want my triglyceride levels to be?

The labs say that 150mg/dl is the cutoff for high triglycerides—however the levels really need to be below 60mg/dl to help decrease the size of the LDL particles.

How do I lower my triglycerides?

  1.  Supplement with omega 3 fatty acids— I recommend 3000mg of fish oil daily.  The EPA and DHA of the fish oil help remove the (chylomicrons and VLDL) triglycerides after a meal.  I personally love the brand BLUE ICE–fermented cod liver oil.  It sounds gross but it really isn’t a large pill and doesn’t cause fish burps (you can put it in the freezer if you get the dreaded burps).
  2. Have a healthy gut flora—yup– those probiotic foods play a role here too.  You need good healthy fiber to feed those good gut microorganisms because they help reduce lipid and insulin levels.
  3. Eliminate GRAIN and SUGAR:  Yep— sorry but these elevate your sugars and cause insulin resistance — this includes alcohol/carbs —I’m sorry — I know it isn’t fun. 
  4. Intermittent fasting —this can help as well — try to go a full 12-15 hours without eating (yes- you can still drink water/coffee/tea etc–just don’t add sugar)
  5. Don’t cut back on Good Fats —these include avocado, nuts, seeds, coconut oil, and olive oil.

Posted on by Angela in disease, Nutrition Leave a comment

Check this out guys!!

emma-and-mom

So I was so excited to be offered the opportunity to do an interview on The Food Heals Podcast!  This is my new favorite podcast after Sean Croxton retired from Underground Wellness.  (By the way–check him out now on “The Sessions with Sean”).  My 45 plus minute commute to work is über long and the time passes quickly if I listen to a health podcast rather than the Smiley Morning Show.  (Don’t get me wrong –I love Smiley but I feel more productive learning about my passion of reversing disease).  I stumbled upon “The Food Heals Podcast” which has been called the “Sex & the City for Food” on iTunes.  These two gals are super fun and share all kinds of great information.  They even have a great documentary completely worth watching.  “Food Heals”-  is a film starring Joe Cross, John Salley, & Kerri Kasem who have used food over drugs to heal!  Remember Joe Cross from the documentary “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead“?  He’s the guy with the sexy Australian accent that was able to overcome chronic urticaria (AKA –REALLY BAD ITCHY HIVES ALL OVER THE BODY) by going on a juice fast.  Fortunately, the universe was in my favor when they asked me to share Susan’s empowering story.  She was able to overcome an autoimmune disease by changing her diet and removing processed foods (Red Dye #40)

Here are the links —

Link to the episode on iTunes:
http://bit.ly/AngelaMD

The Food Heals Nation Web site:
http://foodhealsnation.com

The link to the episode blog post:

75: Let Food Be Thy Medicine with Dr. Angela DeBord Henriksen

 

Posted on by Angela in disease, Humor, Nutrition, Whole Food Leave a comment

Microbiome Summit

apple_bgSo I know that I am a geek –but I am so excited to listen to these 33 talks about the microbiome (that funky little ecosystem we have going on in our guts!)

You can actually listen to all these talks as well!  This is all cutting edge information that is really diving into how these gut bugs help us and how they can actually cause disease if they get out of wack!  This is good stuff and it is free!

 

food for thought

 

SUBJECT: Add these 33 microbiome experts to your medicine cabinet!

The Microbiome Medicine Summit starts next week, and tens of thousands will learn from the expert wisdom so important to leveraging your body’s amazing microbiome to optimize your health!

What about you?

What you could learn at The Microbiome Summit:

  • Strengthening your immune system
  • Reducing inflammation
  • Impacting genetic expression
  • Improving metabolism
  • Controlling caloric absorption
  • Guiding your brain
  • And more!

If you’re just hearing about it, there’s still time to gain access to all 33 expert talks!

  1. Register immediately to see this week’s free talks:

Register HERE

  1. Purchase all 33 expert talks (price GOES UP when the event STARTS):

PURCHASE HERE

Once you own the expert talks, you can listen to the audios on your computer or mobile device, read the complete transcripts and share this important information with family and friends.

If you learn even one fact from one expert that changes your life, it will be worth it!

The online access package for all 33 expert talks is $59
now through Monday morning at 10 A.M. U.S. eastern.

After that, it increases to $79.

Owning the talks also gives you access to eCourses, guides, eBooks and other advice from the expert speakers, at no additional charge!

Click here to learn more about owning this expert advice:

PURCHASE HERE

See you at the summit!

Posted on by Angela in Body, Diet, disease, Nutrition 4 Comments

We’re putting it in the wrong hole!

So this weekend I am painting my 8-year-old daughter’s room (bright teal for the DIVA EMMA) and I have been catching up on my new favorite podcast!  The Food Heals Podcast—  I just listened to the truly inspirational story of Evita Ramparte.   In the year 2000, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and began an enlightening journey of detoxification and emotional and physical healing thru changing her diet.   She was inspired by a lady on New Year’s Eve who gave her set instructions on how to heal.  She starts this whole process off  by fasting and doing a COFFEE ENEMA— yep you heard me   —-EEk !!!  The podcast hosts (Suzy and Allison) had me rolling on the floor laughing when they exclaimed “We’re putting it in the Wrong Hole!”  So far-I’m with them–I like to drink my coffee and maybe on a whim, put the coffee grounds in my garden.

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My initial thought was on the logistics of how to actually do the enema.  Do you use organic coffee?  Does it have to be warm?  How do you do that without your family finding out?  Do your farts start smelling like hazelnut?????

I may have been a little high on paint fumes after that second coat of primer because when I stumbled upon a great link on how to do a coffee enema while perusing Facebook, I felt like the Universe was luring me into this world of detox and poop!  My friend Dr Christopher Nagy (Yourpersonalwellness.com) is always sharing a wealth of holistic information and I figured if he thinks it’s post worthy –it’s worth checking out.

I haven’t tried it yet but after reading all the health benefits — I may actually do it —Don’t worry- I won’t post pictures!a3ef587aff52ed01b2a9b5a67f5e7892

Here is the LINK  that Dr Nagy shared on liver detoxification and coffee enemas –I found it quite informative     http://www.mygutsy.com/the-ultimate-liver-detox-coffee-enemas

There is great information in this post.  She explains the many functions of the liver and how to determine if you have symptoms of a toxic liver.  Oh yes– and step by step instructions on how do one at home.

Coffee enemas aren’t a new concept –They have been used for years and were popular in healing cancer at the famous The Gerson Institute.  For more information on Dr. Max Gerson and his cancer treatments –see this BLOGPOST

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If you aren’t “gutsy” enough to try the coffee enema –check these other LIVER DETOX options.

Share in the comments below if you or anyone you know has tips or any experience with them.  We don’t judge here and won’t share your name!  We are all in this together!!

Posted on by Angela in Body, cancer, Diet, disease 2 Comments

Liver Detoxification

Steps to Detoxify the Liver

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Step 1

  Remove toxic substances from the diet –this includes sugar, grains, processed foods, and especially conventional meat and dairy  (these are loaded with antibiotics and hormones that will completely disrupt your GI system)  These set up a perfect storm to create a leaky gut.

Step 2

Add detoxifying herbs to your diet

Milk Thistle 100mg twice a day

Turmeric 500mg twice a day

Step 3

The liver is said to hold toxic emotion according to Ancient Chinese medicine.  Specifically the liver holds, anger, resentment and frustration.  Many suggest writing down people in your life that you hold these emotions towards and work on forgiveness.  A counselor may be helpful with this.

Another practice that may be helpful is practicing Gratitude by writing down things you are grateful for on a daily basis

Step 4

Consume Liver (Yep–I said liver)

Famous physicians Dr. Gerson and Weston A. Price studied this and found that consuming liver on a regular basis is excellent at detoxifying the body

You can buy local chicken livers at your farmer’s market and throw them in the crock pot with chicken breasts, celery, carrots, onions and vegetables

If you just can’t bring yourself to eat real liver, you can buy desiccated liver at your local health food store

Step 5 

Drink warm or room temperature water with fresh lemon as an early morning detox

Posted on by Angela in Diet, disease, Nutrition, Whole Food Leave a comment

The Digestion Sessions

 

Did you know that sixty-percent of the Unites States population alone is dealing with at least one symptom of digestive dysfunction?

You name it — gas, bloating, heartburn, abdominal pain, candida, constipation, diarrhea — the statistics say that YOU are more than likely experiencing one or more of them, right now at this very moment.

Living with digestive problems has become the new normal. Typically, they begin as minor complaints — a little indigestion here and there, the occasional tummy ache or bout of heartburn.

Sooner or later, what was once a minor annoyance becomes something that can literally take over your life. This usually happens for two reasons — embarrassment and ignorance.

Let me explain.

Let’s be honest, no one goes out of their way to talk about their digestive problems. What happens on the other side of the bathroom door has become the most taboo of topics, a private matter requiring the utmost discretion.

Unfortunately, there is no “bathroom therapist” office to sit in safety and speak freely about your bowel issues. Instead, you keep it to yourself and hope it will all go away with time.

It doesn’t.

And that’s when you find yourself in the doctor’s office, finally revealing every detail of what you’ve been going through for months, maybe years.

At some point during this cathartic act of courage you realize that you’ve used up all 12 minutes of your allotted appointment time and suddenly find yourself in the pharmacy with a prescription for a drug that comes with two pages of side effects.

No exam. No testing. No investigation whatsoever into what may be causing your symptoms.

Just ignorance in the form of a pill.

What now?

THAT is the very question hundreds of millions of people worldwide are asking about their digestive problems.

Today, I’ve come with the answer.

The truth is that “modern day” medicine has fallen as much as 17 years behind the latest research. In other words, almost two decades will pass before your doctor recommends what actually works.

Chances are, your doc is unaware of the growing number of research studies demonstrating these alarming findings:

– The toxicity of persistent constipation may cause common, everyday symptoms like fatigue, attention deficit, and brain fog.

– Autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis are almost always rooted in digestive dysfunction.

– The inflammation from gut dysfunction can spread throughout the body, causing inflammation in the brain, joints, and other important organs.

By the way, inflammation in the gut may also shut down your body’s ability to burn fat. Not good.

Most doctors are either unaware of this information or don’t care to know. Meanwhile, people like you are paying the price in unnecessary suffering and medical bills.

This has to stop. Now.

And that’s why our friend Sean Croxton of Underground Wellness — a real life health crusader — put together a FREE online event called The Digestion Sessions, featuring 25 on-camera expert interviews and gut-healing cooking classes on all things digestion — so you can get the answers you’ve been looking for. Without the 17-year wait.

Here’s a sneak peak…

* Dr. Daniel Kalish reveals the hidden stomach infection that causes heartburn and reflux — 50% of us have it but don’t know it!
* Christa Orecchio outlines a step-by-step program that kicks candida for good.

* Dr. Shawn Soszka discloses how digestive problems can cause depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders.

* Dr. Michael Ruscio details a stepwise approach to solving diarrhea.

* Drs. Jillian Teta and Tom O’Bryan show you how to use food to cut the inflammation and heal your gut.

* Sayer Ji breaks down what the research REALLY says about gluten sensitivity.

Plus, a whole lot more!

Click the link below to get the scoop on this FREE online event kicking off in November and to watch the incredible video trailer. It’ll give you chills!

REGISTER HERE

 

Don’t forget to save your seat and get INSTANT ACCESS to the free Digestion Sessions Quick Tips video series including:

* Dr. Teta’s 3 Best Tips for Beating Constipation with Dr. Jillian Teta

* 3 Critical Lab Tests Your Doctor (Probably) Isn’t Running with Christa Orecchio

* How to Save Your Gallbladder, And What to Do If It’s Been Removed! with Dr. Alan Christianson

REGISTER HERE

Don’t wait!

Angela

Posted on by Angela in Diet, disease, Nutrition, Whole Food Leave a comment
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