Integrative Health Blog

Prediabetes is a Slippery Slope

Posted by on Tue, Jan 28, 2014

I had a disturbing thought the other day while I was thinking about the slippery slope towards diabetes and it was this -- most people don’t even KNOW what their blood sugar is!

Can you be sure that you are not at risk for prediabetes without knowing your blood sugar level?

No, I don’t think you can.

Prediabetes May be the Start of Future Serious Health Problems

According to a recent article, nearly 80% of people with prediabetes thought that they were in great or very good health! That tells me that there is a lot of public education that needs to be done!! Prediabetes leads to full blown diabetes, which is associated with heart disease, heart attack, stroke, blindness and more. Click here to read the complete article - http://www.counselheal.com/articles/8420/20140125/people-with-prediabetes-think-they-are-healthy.htm

If you are overweight..... you need to know your blood sugar level.

If you don’t get much exercise.......you need to know your blood sugar level.

If you are on blood pressure medicine.......you need to know your blood sugar level.

If you have stubborn belly fat or metabolic syndrome…you need to know your blood sugar level.

If you are Native American, African American , Hispanic or Asian......you should know what your blood sugar level is.

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Tags: diabetes, pre-diabetes, blood sugar

What You Need to Know About a Root Canal and Your Health

Posted by on Mon, Jan 27, 2014

As a dentist in the Holistic Family Dental Practice of National Integrated Health Associates I meet several patients every day with root canal or potential root canal issues.  Most patients presenting with potential root canal issues have great misunderstandings of the issues surrounding root canals.

The Simple Truth About Root Canals

The nerve and blood vessels within all teeth are collectively referred to as the pulp and provides the vitality and immune resistance to the tooth in which they reside.  Most people and even some dentists may mistakenly believe that a toothache necessarily means that the tooth requires a root canal but that is not necessarily the case.

If a tooth is decayed, traumatized or exposed to microbes the nerve will first become inflamed.  This is called a pulpitis or inflammation of the pulp.    The first stage of pulpitis is termed acute pulpitis and if left untreated will become a chronic pulpitis. 

Both acute and chronic pulpitis can have symptoms (pain) or be asymptomatic (ie no pain).   What most dentists may not understand or do not have the tools to accomplish is to reverse acute and chronic pulpitis.   This reversal needs homeopathic anti-inflammatories plus healing lasers.

What You Need to Know Before Going to the Dentist

If a pulpitis is not treated it usually becomes a dead, necrotic tooth.  The necrotic tooth may or may not have symptoms.  Once a tooth becomes necrotic it will attract microbial infection.  The ways to stop this infection within a necrotic tooth is either extractions or to perform a root canal.

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Tags: biological dentistry, holistic dentistry, root canal

Herbal Teas for Respiratory Health

Posted by on Wed, Jan 22, 2014

Krista Merwede LMT

     It seems to be an especially brutal flu season this year.  Deep, bronchial coughs echo through the aisles of the grocery store, Snuffaluffagus is answering the phone at the bank and sneezes flutter over cubicle walls with hot zone wings.  If you or one of your beloveds is suffering from respiratory congestion it is a good time to start thinking of a steaming mug of medicinal tea, ideally full of honey and steeped with love.  While there are plenty of great teas on the market - Breathe Easy or Throat Coast by Traditional Medicinals are personal favorites - being ill is an opportunity to better get to know individual herbs and also take a small, comfortable step towards making your own natural home remedies.   Safety is always the number-one concern, so please research your herbs before use to make sure they do not conflict with any current medication or doctor's orders.

     In this blog we will discuss several herbs that you can purchase locally and infuse at home.  An infusion is a different word for steeping, or boiling water and letting a teabag sit in the water for ten minutes to allow the herbal chemicals to release out into the water. Another thing to consider is taste; do not hesitate if you need to add something for flavor such as chamomile or peppermint to make the brew more acceptable to your palate.

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Tags: natural remedies, herbals, holistic health, massage

Eating the Good Bugs for a Healthy Gut

Posted by on Tue, Jan 21, 2014

 

Digestive health is one of the most critical pieces to obtaining and maintaining good overall health. The health of any person is directly related to the health of the bowel, as about 70% of our immunity resides in the “gut”.  Therefore, it is important to eat foods that promote a "healthy gut" and supplement with concentrated foods and sometimes herbs that clean and maintain the digestive tract and bowel.

Probiotics, Bugs with Benefits 

Probiotics are products containing living beneficial bacteria, i.e. "good bugs", which ‘colonize’ the entire lining of our intestine. The potential benefits that the bacteria living in our intestine have on our well being are only just beginning to be understood by scientists and includes the following:

  • They enable the entire digestion and absorption functions of the intestine to operate efficiently
  • They protect us from challenge and infections by potential pathogens
  • They continuously prime and condition our immune system to function properly, from the day we are born throughout our entire life.
  • They can help protect us from allergy and intolerance and can reduce the symptoms in existing sufferers.

Probiotics are found in yogurt, kefirs, fermented foods and in supplements.  Probiotics can be added to your diet and most people will benefit from probiotic supplements.

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Tags: bowel health, immune system, digestive health, probiotics

Herbal Techniques for Promoting Dental Health

Posted by on Wed, Jan 15, 2014

 

As part of the holistic and biological dentistry approach to dental care, there are herbals which are useful as natural ways to promote good dental health.

Most of us have experienced the cleansing of a salt water rinse after a dental appointment or during times of mouth pain.  The gentle swishing of the water and the abrasiveness of the salt cleanse and promote healing. 

This being said, there are many wonderful herbs that you can add to your salt water-rinse to take it to another level and address the more individual challenge you may be having.  A good time for a salt water rinse is 3 to 5 minutes, but if you have a bit more time on your hands you may want to consider the technique of oil pulling.

Oil Pulling - A Natural Option for Dental Health

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Tags: herbals, biological dentistry, holistic health, dental health

The Cheapest Cure for Anxiety

Posted by on Wed, Jan 08, 2014

Autumn Frandsen N.D.

Almost daily a patient rattles off a list of complaints with anxiety being included 90 percent of the time. Often, it is dismissed by the patient and his or her former doctors as a personality trait, a problem that has been with the patient for so long they have adopted it as part of who they are. For some, anxiety is a new phenomenon that hits them suddenly like a Mack truck.

What Contributes to Anxiety

When I question the patient about when it began there is almost always a trigger, however insidious it may be. Some may have experienced it for the first time when a challenging milestone is reached, such as entering high school or college. For some it crept up on them after moving into a new home or the birth of their children. Although all of these have different precipitating factors, they may not be handled drastically differently. For the women who slowly started to feel worse after the birth of a child they may notice that can no longer find time to exercise, or they are not eating as well as they used to. With the stress of pregnancy and birthing a woman’s body, i.e. the adrenals, may not be able to cope with the consumption of allergenic foods like they once did. Whatever the exact cause one thing is certain, exercise and an anti-inflammatory/elimination diet will undoubtedly help.

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Tags: stress, allergies