Integrative Health Blog

Digestive enzymes are necessary to break down the food we eat. If we are not breaking down food properly, we do not gain the nutrients needed for the body to absorb and turn into energy for good digestive health. 

Both kinds of digestive enzymes, animal-derived and vegetarian, are involved in many biological functions, including digestion of proteins and fats and cell signaling. Amylases digest starch, carbohydrates and sugar, Proteases digest protein and Lipases digest fats, the three principle components of food.

The Building Blocks of Life

Proteins are the “building blocks” of life, and the proteins we consume had been assembled, according to the DNA instructions in plants and animals, which we then break down into its amino acids with our digestive enzymes when we eat them, and then use our DNA to reassemble them into new proteins in our body. After we die, they will be broken down again, especially by fungus, so that our amino acids can be recycled and reassembled into another life form. The amino acids and fatty acid that make up our bodies have a long history of being components of many previous life forms, perhaps all the way back to ancient bacteria and dinosaurs.

Digestive enzymes may be the most important nutrients I prescribe for my patients, because when good digestion occurs, a lot of very important healthful benefits will happen as well.

What is LDL and Why is it Called the "Bad" Cholesterol?

LDL, “bad” cholesterol, or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) gets a bad rap as a risk factor for atherosclerosis and increasing the risks of heart attacks and stroke, which together are the number one cause of death. LDL may serve some useful functions and it should be understood physiologically instead of indicting it as “bad” and blindly taking potentially harmful medications to lower it.[1] LDL is simply oxidized fat, like rancid olive oil or butter left out of the refrigerator too long. LDL and rancid fat acquire oxygen molecules and become less dense when the fluffy gas molecules (oxygen) attaches itself to the fat molecules, much as dense wood becomes less dense, left-over, dusty ashes in a fireplace after wood is burned or oxidized. When oxidized fat proceeds to flow through our blood vessels, burning and oxidizing its way, too much of it may proceed to light little fires, like taking tiny blow torches to the inside of our arteries. The damage caused by this “oxidative stress,” is sealed over by plaque in a repair process, which is usually composed of a hodgepodge of clot, fat and calcium. If a lot of repair plaque builds up, one may be diagnosed with atherosclerosis, arteriosclerosis or coronary heart disease. No wonder doctors prescribe medications to lower LDL.

The Dangers of Plaque Build-up 

March Is Colon Cancer Awareness Month. Get Tested.

An article about colon cancer testing may seem irrelevant at a time when everyone is discussing coronavirus, but let’s not forget that there are equally important health risks lurking in the shadows. 

Assessing patients for colon cancer is part of my functional medicine comprehensive gastrointestinal evaluation that all of my patients over 45 years old receive, especially those with a strong family history of colon cancer and those who have endured long-term severe symptoms of gastrointestinal/ GI dysfunction, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn’s Disease and chronic constipation.  To do this I use the Cologuard Stool Test. Once in a while the Cologuard test comes back positive, and it is very gratifying to pick up colon cancer at an early stage when it has the greatest chance to be treated.  Of course, I also proceed to investigate my patient’s biochemistry to find the underlying causes of colon cancer so that it does not recur, which usually includes a search for genetic vulnerabilities and an in-depth stool test to find abnormalities in my patient’s microbiome.

Cologuard:  At-home Colon Cancer Screening Test

I recently read that NASA is providing Mindfulness Meditation.

Well, if NASA provides this for astronauts, why not for everyone? After all, we are all occasionally exposed to events and unconscious people who “push our buttons,” so why should we not also be prepared for all manner of threats and emergencies just like our astronauts. That is precisely what mindfulness training does. Besides lowering sympathetic fight/flight stress, mindfulness training prepares us for life’s unexpected challenges which might normally push the buttons of unprepared minds and cause us to react unconsciously.

Coping Skills for Space Flight or ANY Life Stressors

The terms electromagnetic smog, electrosmog, EMF, radiation sickness, or dirty electricity refer to all artificially generated electromagnetic fields (EMFs) emitted by all the computers, mobile phones, microwave ovens, etc. in the environment and which results in exposure of people, animals, and the environment to them.

Evidence is amassing that electrosmog is capable of causing a wide range of health issues and chronic degenerative diseases. Some these are:

• Sleep disturbances, including insomnia

• Headache

• Depression and mood disorders

• Tiredness and fatigue

Doctors prescribe micronutrients such as B vitamins, vitamin C, medications, and various healing techniques (e.g., acupuncture, physical therapy) – to name a few I prescribe frequently – but we don’t generally prescribe MACROnutrients. Sure, we prescribe carbohydrate restriction to kill yeast infections, and organic foods especially if your genetic profile shows that you cannot break down insecticides, and we restrict allergic foods that are discovered on food allergy testing e.g., gluten, milk, and eggs. But generally speaking, we/I have done an extremely poor job of prescribing non-toxic and highly nutritious foods mostly because we have never had the opportunity – until now!

Regenerative Agriculture

“Regenerative Agriculture” is a farming practice that, among other benefits, reverse climate change by rebuilding soil organic matter and restoring degraded soil biodiversity – resulting in both carbon drawdown and improving the water cycle. Woody Harrelson narrates the documentary on REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE entitled www.KisstheGroundMovie.com. It’s a full-length, professionally produced, Hollywood production that is becoming very popular with many millions of viewers. You and your friends and family will enjoy it, as you will be filled with inspiration and hope. I was crying tears of joy at the end.

Back to Nature

The terms electromagnetic smog, electrosmog, EMF, or dirty electricity refer to all artificially generated electromagnetic fields (EMFs) emitted by all the computers, mobile phones, microwave ovens, etc. in the environment and which results in exposure of people, animals, and the environment to them.

Risks of EMF Exposure

Evidence is amassing that electrosmog is capable of causing a wide range of chronic degenerative diseases, especially causing nervous system injury and cancer. Sleep disorders can be caused by electrosmog. Many people who engage in various mindfulness-based healing methods find that electrosmog makes a mindfulness meditation practice exceedingly difficult, since it creates stress that keeps our minds locked into perpetual fight/flight agitation. Children and older folks are more vulnerable, and electrosmog may be a causal factor of such conditions as autism, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, ALS,[1] and mental disorders. Listed here are some simple measures you can take to lessen electrosmog injury in your environment.

How to Reduce EMF Exposure

I would like to start off this article with a reference from Psychology Today by cardiologist and “Food Shaman” Michael S. Fenster MD,[1] who writes about his dog Freya. The title of his article is The Mindfulness of a Dog: An Attitude of Gratitude, and it is so well-written that it is hard to improve on. Enjoy this reference and how it brings out what you already know about our furry friends.

As if it is not enough to bask in the light and love of Freya, allow me to clarify dog consciousness a little more without wrecking the spirit Dr. Fenster’s lovely article. To get you oriented to the map of your brain – which defines what it is to be human – check out my recent book,[2] Awaken Your Godly Brain. In this book, I clarify the purpose of our four brains, and if I may be so forward to suggest, if you don’t know what your four brains are, you will never know who or what you are. Without the help of our furry pets, many of us might not discover what we are either. The four brains are:

1) The Reptilian Brain

The reptilian and oldest, which drives at least 27 behavioral compulsions, basically everything we do to survive in the world.

2) The Limbic Brain

~ The 11^th Step in AA

The holidays are stressful and a time when many will over-use and abuse alcohol and other psychotropic chemicals. These times may present challenges for those of us who are committed to sobriety and they can be a risk for relapse. Understanding and applying the unique faculty of consciousness, mindfulness, may be extremely helpful during these celebratory times.

Mindfulness is Another Tool for Addiction Recovery

Mindfulness is not a cognitive faculty (thinking), nor is it emotional, sensory, or behavioral. Mindfulness is separate faculty of consciousness that is largely conferred by our prefrontal cortex or 1/6^th of our brain, the part of our anatomy which mostly distinguishes us from animals. Kabat-Zinn has defined mindfulness meditation as “the awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally. By focusing on the breath, the idea is to cultivate attention on the body and mind as it is moment to moment, and so help with pain, both physical and emotional.” In this series of articles on mindfulness, research is presented on many kinds of physical and psychological ailments and how mindfulness practice relieves them. I teach mindfulness to augment positive outcomes in my medical practice and have found it to be an extremely powerful intervention.