Integrative Health Blog

Help for Concussions with Manual Regulation Therapy

Posted by on Wed, Mar 08, 2023

The movie “Concussion” and various past/present NFL stars suffering from repeated collisions have helped raise greater public awareness regarding the serious impact of repetitive sports injuries leading to potential traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).

Impact sports such as football, hockey, and soccer where players may repeatedly experience full impact to the head can lead to concussion, or sub-concussions. The long-term effects of playing football or other high impact contact sports is not fully known, but the evidence suggests that this type of repetitive head injury may lead to subsequent brain disorders.

Some parents are questioning their son’s participation in football, or wondering about the long-term effects of playing football and other contact sports.

Linking the Evidence

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Tags: brain health

12 Risk Factors That Affect Brain Function

Posted by on Mon, Jun 22, 2020

June is Brain Awareness Month, which is a wonderful opportunity to discuss or have a national conversation about our brain health, the part of us which makes us distinctly human.

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Tags: functional medicine, integrative medicine, brain health

Authentic Healing- What it Means for Our Brain and Others

Posted by on Wed, Jan 29, 2020

If I suggested that you invest in the stock market, and no matter how hard you worked and applied your creative abilities, that you would always fail- how interested would you be in investing? 

The business of healing can be like that, because everyone eventually gets old, gets sick and dies.  In fact, my Buddhist friends call old age, infirmity and death the Three Heavenly Messengers!  I googled this term and got over 2 million hits, suggesting that it is a very popular term in certain circles.

As a “healer,” a functional medicine physician,  I know how easy it is to get my ego wrapped up with my powers to end infirmity (for a while), extend life (for a while) and put death off (for a while).  Inevitably though, no matter how good I am at this trade, I too will always fail.  Therefore, I am constantly questioning my motives and asking my colleagues to engage in a little introspection and ask questions like, “Why am I in this business of healing, when the Three Heavenly Messengers, old age, infirmity and death, will always prevail?” 

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Tags: brain health, spiritual health

Brain Health: The Dirty Dozen for the Brain

Posted by on Thu, Jun 20, 2019

The human brain, our beautifully designed master control center, is under attack from many modern environmental issues. 

Alarmingly, we're seeing increased cognitive impairment from young to old - Autism to Alzheimer's, anxiety, depression, neuro-degenerative diseases (Parkinson's, ALS) brain fog, stroke, memory and neurological issues.  Although some of the increase is due to an aging population, we're seeing brain impairment at all age levels and the incidences are getting worse.  Losing one's cognitive function is an ultimate fear and exploring the issue of prevention is the subject of this article.

Unlike our ancestors, we now must contend with the daily assault of Wi-Fi, chemicals and what I like to call the "Dirty Dozen for the Brain."  Modern technology has improved our lives in a myriad of ways, and we can't live in a bubble. But, to start, let's look at what may be affecting us daily and what we can do to avoid or at least minimize the Dirty Dozen- and keep our brains healthy.

The Dirty Dozen for the Brain

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Tags: functional medicine, brain health

Opioid and Painkiller Abuse: Replace What is Needed in the Brain

Posted by on Wed, Aug 02, 2017

“Men occasionally stumble over the truth but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened.”

Winston Churchill.

It’s all over the news. Deaths due to opioids and painkillers are rising dramatically and are now exceeding the mortality rates of auto accidents and gunshot wounds combined. The new healthcare budget may pump 45 billion dollars into opioid abuse treatment, intended to treat opioid abuse with the latest, more expensive, and perhaps equally addictive  prescribed opioids. This is tantamount to trying to extinguish a kerosene fire with gasoline. Morbidity and mortality rates will continue to worsen for opioid addiction, because certain basic, scientific truths about restoring the brain’s natural opioids are being ignored in society and even in mainstream healthcare.

Historically, when educational, prevention and treatment efforts are initiated to address various diseases, the morbidity and mortality associated with the targeted diseases declines. When mosquitos were found to be the vector in the cause of malaria, reputed historically to have killed more human beings than all other diseases in the history of humanity combined, the incidence of malaria dropped dramatically. Tuberculosis may have killed as many as 1 billion people in the 1800s, and its incidence has fallen dramatically with the advent of antibiotics. You probably don’t know anyone who has suffered from polio, as this vaccine has all but eradicated this disease.

History of Opioid Treatment

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Tags: addiction, brain health, opioids, Dr. Gant

New Hope for Dementia

Posted by on Mon, May 02, 2016

Dementia is a broad category of brain diseases associated with long term, irreversible, gradual decrease in the ability to think and remember which is great enough to affect a person's daily functioning and which is worse than would be expected with normal aging.  

For decades, scientists have studied brain tissue samples of Alzheimer’s Disease victims, the largest dementia subcategory, (>50%), and have found distinctive pathological changes in the brain such as “plaque” and “neurofibrillary tangles” that are thought to somehow be causative of the disease.  The new sciences of Omics sheds new light on Dementia and is challenging long held views about its causes and treatments.

Omics, A Field of Study in Biology Read More

Tags: functional medicine, brain health, precision medicine, Dr. Gant

Seven Ways that Exercise Maintains a Healthy Brain

Posted by on Mon, Sep 22, 2014

Our children’s brains are under attack. 

Take a look at these startling statistics from a comprehensive surveillance report by the CDC that spanned 2005 - 2011 which shows that among children aged 3-17 years:

  • 6.8% have ADHD

  • 3.5% have behavioral or conduct problems

  • 3% have anxiety

  • 2.1% have depression

  • 1.1% have autism spectrum disorder 

Moreover, research by the National Alliance on Mental Illness has found that among children ages 9 to 17, 21% have a diagnosable mental or addictive disorder, and that suicide is the leading cause of death in youth ages 15 to 24.

These numbers show us why brain health is a major focus of research today.  The good news is that there are many things we already know about how to maintain a healthy brain.  Last week, we talked about the importance of “brain food.”  And here’s another habit that is critical to brain health -- exercise.  Your brain needs an abundant blood flow to sustain its high energy demands for function, and exercise is a great way to increase blood flow to the brain.


Here are 7 ways that exercise has been shown to benefit the brain:

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Tags: children's health, pediatrics, brain health

4 Great Nutritional Brain Health Boosters for Children

Posted by on Sat, Sep 13, 2014

Brain Food for Optimal Concentration, Creativity and Cognition

Now that our kids are back in school, they’ll need all the brain power they can get.  Our brain function is so vitally connected to what we eat that Dr. Scott Shannon, noted psychiatrist says this: 

“In order to ensure that your child’s brain is able to function well…you must first ensure that it is being properly nourished.…Poor diet is without a doubt one of the major reasons we’re seeing such an incredible spike in the number of kids diagnosed with and medicated for mental and emotional disorders.  Even drugs can’t help our kids when they are quite literally being starved of their mental and emotional health.” Scott Shannon from Please Don’t Label My Child

Indeed, more and more studies are showing just how powerful food is in the function and growth of the brain.  On the other hand, the wrong foods are absolutely detrimental to brain function. We as parents need to equip our children with the tools they need for better concentration, creativity and cognition. So here are four great nutritional brain boosters:

1. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables! 

Our children need at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day.  Parents of a picky eater have to be very creative about getting the fruits and veggies in, such as smoothies and milkshakes with hidden fruits and vegetables. 

How do fruits and vegetables boost brain power?

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Tags: children's health, pediatrics, brain health

Help for Depression with a Functional Medicine Approach

Posted by on Tue, Sep 09, 2014

Dr. Chas Gant, integrative and functional medicine physician,  at National Integrated Health Associates was recently interviewed on TakeBackYourHealth radio on the subject of Depression: What We Can Learn from Robin Williams.

What are the causes of depression and what can we do about it?

Listen to the interview

 

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Tags: depression, functional medicine, brain health