Integrative Health Blog

Chinese Medicine and the "Spring Tune-Up"

Posted by on Wed, Apr 25, 2012

Nicholas Buscemi MSOM, LAc

Read More

Tags: chinese medicine, integrative health, allergies, liver

Parasites, a Common Problem

Posted by on Mon, Apr 16, 2012

A very common yet under-diagnosed or misdiagnosed problem that we find in patients is parasites.

They can live in the body for many years without causing symptoms and when they do, the symptoms are often subtle or vague.

Parasites  can generally be divided into two groups:

  • Helminthes which are multicellular parasites or worms and are most commonly found in the intestines, liver and pancreas and do not reproduce in the body. An adult worm (see photo credit CDC.gov/parasites) can range from 15-35 cm., or almost 14 inches!

  • Protozoa which are single celled parasites that can infest the entire body causing serious infections. They rapidly multiply in the body. The most common in the U.S. are giardia and cryptosporidium.

Helminthes are contracted through exposure to feces, water or soil and tend to be more common in children, while protozoa can be found in food, water, insect and animal bites and contact surfaces. 

Parasites are ubiquitous and difficult to diagnose without the right testing as their symptoms are vague or mimic other illnesses.

 

 

Parasite Symptoms may include:

Read More

Tags: fatigue, parasites, integrative health, digestive health

Are You Suffering from Sugar Addiction?

Posted by on Thu, Apr 12, 2012

Eve Colantoni CHC

If you’ve tried to kick the sugar habit and failed, you could be facing a larger problem than you may have realized; you may be facing an actual addiction.  Sadly, sugar addiction is greatly misunderstood by most people; parents, teachers, even doctors and the medical community at large. In this article, you’ll learn why sugar is so addictive, how to tell if you’ve become addicted, and what steps you can take to break away from the grips of sugar addiction.

“Sugar and spice and everything nice!” The old saying takes us back to happy memories from childhood, but not all that we remember nostalgically is necessarily good for us.  In fact, one of the problems with sugar is that since it’s always been a part of our lives, from birthday parties, to holidays like Valentine’s day or Halloween, we think consuming it is all very normal.  A little in moderation never hurt anyone, right?  Well, when you see the history of sugar, and how it’s become woven into the fabric of our lives, and what it’s actually doing to your body, you may think differently.

Long before you or I were ever born, the first sugar refinery in the United Sates was constructed in 1689.  Many historians have now documented that much of the slave trade was initiated to find free labor to grow and harvest the plants from which sugar is derived; sugar cane or sugar beets.  In my opinion, it makes the scar that slavery left on humanity even deeper knowing that much of the atrocity was committed in the name of producing a drug that would further enslave us--sugar.

Read More

Tags: addiction, holistic nutrition, integrative health, candida/yeast, sugar

Remedy for the Weekend Warrior

Posted by on Sat, Apr 07, 2012

Anita Capizzi RN, CHC

Read More

Tags: integrative health, pain, muscle pain

Is Your Brain Addicted to Sugar?

Posted by on Wed, Apr 04, 2012

Eve Colantoni CHC

Read More

Tags: addiction, holistic nutrition, integrative health, integrative nutrition, sugar, integrated health

How Probiotics Work in the Gut

Posted by on Tue, Apr 03, 2012

Good Bugs Eat Bad Bugs

The human body is an amazing biological machine.  Food is digested, converted into energy and the unusable becomes - waste.  This conversion is dependent on many factors and processes but the bacteria that create the ‘enzymes’  that help digestion take place as well as immune system protection are the most important. 

Each organ has its own unique flora or bacteria that live in the digestive organs like your stomach and intestines that contribute to its good health.  A good blend of good bacteria helps with various gastrointestinal conditions like Irritable Bowel Syndrome to antibiotic-induced diarrhea too.  Good bacteria, or ‘probiotics’ keep the house in order by eating the bad bacteria and increasing the good bug population which in turn increases enzyme activity, further helping digestion. 

Probiotics May Help Strengthen the Immune System

Read More

Tags: digestive health, probiotics

Massage and the Mind-Body Connection

Posted by on Mon, Apr 02, 2012

Touch is a Basic Human Need

Why does massage feel so good?

When most people consider touch they think of skin and its soft, (or not so soft) supple texture, but touch reaches far deeper than the surface of our skin.  Since touch affects us physically, emotionally, mentally, and even spiritually, our sense of touch reaches into the corners of our memory banks, and can change us.

In the modern day fast-paced culture we live in, balancing our lives so that healthy touch is part of our lives can be difficult. Incorporating massage is a powerful answer to this dilemma.  

Massage and the Body-Mind Connection

How does massage address this basic human need for gentle touch?

Read More

Tags: mind-body, massage