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

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.

a64e2bd37dad10a09745eb1e1c3d93d6

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

d12e87a3b3caed24fbc9637398109886

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

Homemade Yogurt –get those probiotics!

beakers

 

ADDITIVES-YUCK  

Why are they even in the healthy stuff like yogurt???

A big shout out to one of my dear patients that recently shared her recipe with me for homemade yogurt!  She is taking her gut bacteria seriously and is in fabulous health!!  I love it!  I was hesitant to try it and intimidated by the instructions in my probiotic handouts.  It just seemed a little overwhelming and too domesticated for me.  But it actually wasn’t bad at all!!

 

  1.  Sterilize a glass bottle in boiling water —I use mason jars (the small jelly kind are my favorites–you can get them pretty cheap at Meijer or even find them really cheap at Goodwill)
  2. Take 8 cups (approx 2L) of organic milk (I love Trader’s Point Creamery) and bring it almost to a boil on the stove.  You can use goat milk but the texture is much more runny.
  3. Add sugar to taste (about 3-4 tbsp/2L of milk)
  4. Let it cool down to 37 degrees C —ie warm to touch but not burning
  5. Gradually add the starter 1:7 -1:10 and mix well-you can purchase a starter or buy a high quality plain yogurt with live active cultures from the store— add a little milk to the starter to give it a little fluid
  6. Pour into clean bottles
  7. Put them  in the oven with a 40 watt bulb for 6-8 hours (use paper to block direct light onto the milk)
  8. After 6 hours— the milk will solidify and be ready to stick in the fridge or eat.  (It will keep 1-2 weeks)

AND WOWZA–you just made cheap high quality yogurt without all of the artificial sweeteners, dyes, and hefty price!!  Watch out Martha Stewart!

Posted on by Angela in Diet, Nutrition 2 Comments

Diets Don’t Work

First, I don’t ever advocate dieting . Diets don’t work and the only way to “lose weight” is to get healthy and make a lifestyle change. I agree that our society is ridiculous with such social emphasis on thin, unhealthy weights and starvation based lifestyles. Kids see role models that are bone thin and completely malnourished! That puts a ton of pressure on adolescents. It’s not realistic and obviously not working as we see obesity and diabetes rates rising at astronomical rates.

I really try to focus on emphasizing the importance of nourishing the body with vitamins, mineral, and essential nutrients to ensure good health.  I don’t really believe in the PALEO diet because it is a fad diet and in all actuality – it isn’t an authentic diet. There no way that we could actually eat as our paleolithic ancestors did.  We simply don’t have the same habitat/environment. Todays’s berries, vegetables and seeds are nothing like the ones bought in grocery stores today. It is simply just a different environment and time period.

That being said, the PALEO diet does focus on No processed foods!!!!—- which is a huge improvement from what most Americans are eating today. A diet rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and organic, grass-fed lean meats is amazing for the body. It can only be sustainable though if it is implemented in small steps. I usually try to get patients to first adopt the idea that what they eat significantly impacts their health. I try to get them off of soda, packaged foods ,and sugars first. Then we start to implement changes that compatible with their lifestyle, work schedules, and individual tastes.

I will have patients first watch some of the newer documentaries like “Hungry For Change” and “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead” which are entertaining films that really hit home regarding the idea that “you are what you eat”. In Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, Joe Cross literally cures himself of the disease “chronic urticaria” by changing his diet.

Of course —everyone should consult with their doctor before making any changes. Certain diet changes really should be tailored to specific disease states, medicines and lifestyles. I believe your doctor should be your partner and should work with you in tailoring lifestyle changes.  I have seen amazing results in patients that have been willing to make some changes.  They get off of medications, feel better, lose weight, and enjoy life more!

Personally, my life is busy and it is really hard to sustain a healthy eating pattern. I work full-time and have daughters that keep me running. We like to spend Sundays juicing fruits and veggies and making meals for the week. It is the only way we can stay on track and it is good bonding time (YES-I do give them allowance for helping #BRIBE). We still eat junk sometimes and my kids certainly don’t always eat like me. But, I can hope that they are at least becoming more aware of their food choices. We do like to get outdoors and hike on weekends and sit down and watch movies together. Yes we even occasionally eat popcorn and sno-caps which are both UBER unhealthy!!! It’s all relative!!!

I love my practice because I love to see people change!!  I relish in seeing their lives improve and taking control of their own health.  It is the most rewarding profession that I can imagine myself doing.  If one person is helped by what I have to offer–it is worth it!IMG_0238

Posted on by Angela in Body, Diet, Nutrition, Weight Loss 10 Comments

Natural tips to lower cholesterol

Like some of you —I have an icky family history of high cholesterol and I’m not a huge fan of taking any medication if you can do natural / dietary changes to remedy the problem.  So when checked my cholesterol for my IU HEALTHY RESULTS test last week —I realized that I have slipped up some in the past few months.  I’m going to get back to the basics and practice what I preach.  Here are a few tips that might help you out.

First—the inflammation in your arteries is what is causing your high cholesterol — this inflammation causes the liver to make cholesterol to patch that inflammation in those damaged vessels.  So really– high cholesterol is a symptom of an inflammatory diet.

We must remove the DANGER foods from our diet for any of these natural tips to help.  I would remove sugar (sorry:( ) along with conventional grains like cereal/flour and wheat products.  Also, this is a bad time to talk about this one but excess alcohol and caffeine are inflammatory also.

Take healthy / high quality supplements.  I have almost everyone add a quality fish oil to their diet to help bring triglycerides down—here is my fish oil supplement that I love (I have been out for over 6 weeks now and apparently my numbers have suffered)

—about 2000mg to 3000mg should work.  Remember that you can put them in the freezer to prevent the dreaded “fish burp”–but, don’t forget to take them if you put them in there.  Eating high quality wild caught fish like salmon, mackerel and tuna will give you tons of the good Omega 3’s.   I try to eat these at least 2-3 times a week.  Grass fed beef/venison can give you those as well.  Don’t forget about organic eggs.

Eat soluble fiber like chia seeds, berries and green leafy veggies— you can add all these to a morning smoothie

Eat healthy herbs —-in particular rosemary, basil, and turmeric (the yellow spice often used in curries and mustard) are excellent and cutting down chronic inflammation.

Use olive oil (extra virgin) which will naturally raise HDL (good cholesterol) —- 1-2 Tbs daily will help

Don’t forget to MOVE —20 min of exercise just 3 times a week will help.

I hope everyone enjoys this wonderful holiday season and let’s keep these tips in mind for setting our resolutions.ddae810b0e2969a9099c238d6aeac02a

Posted on by Angela in Diet, Nutrition 1 Comment

Happy Thanksgiving

Posted on by Angela in Uncategorized Leave a comment

My Bacon Woes

 

The idea that I might have to stop eating bacon seriously frightens me!

.imperfection

The World Health Organization recently classified processed meats as a group 1 carcinogen. This is the same category as tobacco. EEK!!! This terrifies me because (as you may ask my family) I’m a bacon whore on Sunday mornings.

Here is how the World Health Organization vacation system works.

The agency weighs the strength of scientific evidence of foods, drinks, pesticides, plants and anything that is a potential cancer causer.  It does not take into account how much of that substance you have to consume to increase your risk of getting cancer.  The products are broken into 4 groups:

Group 1 –carcinogenic (cancer-causing)

Group 2A- probably carcinogenic

Group 2 B possibly carcinogenic

Group 4- probably not carcinogenic

 

Red meat contains a chemical called heme that is broken down into carcinogenic compounds in the gut.   Also,  nitrates and nitrites are used to cure meats (or help preserve them) and these can turn into carcinogenic compounds. To take it one step further, cooking these preserved meats at high temperatures can create more cancer-causing compounds.

Does make sense that we should cut back on the amount of processed foods like hot dogs and pepperoni?  Of course!  I try to stick to a diet of mostly vegetables supplemented with some fruits, nuts, seeds and lean, organic meats.   We should also stick to rule of buying food in the most natural state and unprocessed form possible.  Remember #JERF–Just Eat Real Food

Our family uses Applegate products which do not contain nitrates or nitrites. We also like to buy products from local farmers. That way we know what the animals are fed, how they are treated and that they don’t contain artifical ingredients or preservatives.

Remember that Group 1 also contains alcohol and sunlight which many of us have no problem consuming regularly.

Remember there is bad meat which is processed and CAFO raised.  There are also good meats that contain no hormones or antibiotics and are grass-fed.

Here’s the scoop!

 

Smoking raises your risk of lung cancer by a factor of 20. It causes 1 million deaths worldwide every year. He raises your risk of colon cancer by 1.1-1.2 per daily serving of meat. Eating an extra 50 grams of processed meat daily increases the risk of colon cancer by 18%

Here are a few references that look into the subject a little closer if you look at the posts on this subject.

www.drdeborahmd.com

www.zoeharcombe.com

www.marksdailyapple.com

www.bloomberg.com

 

 

 

 

I’m going to continue to use common sense and make good choices —-Eat my veggies!!! and occasionally throw in some nitrate/nitrite free bacon!  After all, you have to enjoy life!

Posted on by Angela in Body, Diet, Nutrition 2 Comments