Integrative Health Blog

Flu season is upon us again.

Many believe that this season has become more worrisome because of the H1N1 swine flu that we have heard so much about. In June 2009 the World Health Organization declared a pandemic. However, a pandemic does not mean that the virus is more deadly. It simply means that it has spread further throughout the world. The response to this pandemic resulted in the rapid development of the swine flu vaccine.

We at NIHA share these concerns and want to provide our community with effective prevention measures to stay healthy, including potent strategies of regaining your health rapidly should you fall sick.

Educate yourself and implement these effective and powerful health tactics into your life. Check out the recommended product list below and make sure you are ready for flu and cold season.

The Art of Staying Healthy When Others Get Sick

People come to us at NIHA when they have concerns about their health of body or mind. Working with the natural laws of health is the goal of the integrative medicine practitioners at NIHA and we are proud to announce the formation of the Integrative Physical Health Initiative. The insights of our various practitioners are adding to the IPH menu of choices available for individual health care programs by recognizing that every physical concern is affected by the person’s conscious participation in improving their health.

Chas Gant MD, PhD

"The whole is more than the sum of its parts" -Aristotle

Think of your body as a grand orchestra assembled to play an elaborate symphony together...each system is a different instrument. While we recognize many individual "players" in the body, they all function as a whole.

If any of YOUR "players" are out of tune or marching to a different beat, YOU may be suffering.

Have you been working on your health for a long time and still feel that something is still missing?

We invite you to take a look at your own internal orchestra with Dr. Chas Gant's Functional Medicine and Fuctional Testing program. Functional medicine is patient-centered medicine that examines how the systems of the body are functioning, or working properly. Functional medicine searches for the underlying imbalance which can contribute to illness or chronic disease. If one of the musicians is out of tune, it will affect the whole orchestra. Similarly, if YOU have an imbalance, it can affect your whole body in ways that you may not even know.

It's time to get your body balanced. Here's how:

by Cathlene Scoblionko NP

Many people who suffer from headaches search for a way to prevent them, as well as, treat them in a way that involves less down time, less medication, and less expense. There is no doubt that there are some great medications out there for treating the different kinds of headaches.  Muscle tension headaches respond well to NSAIDS and muscle relaxants, migraines respond well to the triptan medications.  However, most medications do just that- treat the headache once it is there.  There are some medications that are preventative but require daily dosing which can be expensive and increase the possibility of side effects.  What types of complementary or alternative methods might there be to prevent headaches?  We cannot answer that question until we know what causes headache pain. 

What are some of the common muscle tension or stress headache triggers?

• Lack of sleep, poor sleep, poor sleep conditions
• Head or neck injury
• Repetitive stress such as sitting at the computer all day
• Emotional stress
• Tension or strain of neck, scalp, face, jaw
• Eye strain

How can headaches be prevented?

"How can an integrative practitioner help me to...?"

Chas Gant MD, PhD

Chas  Gant MD

by Cathy Scoblionko, NP
By now many of you have heard about the controversy around Bisphenol A, or  BPA, an estrogen-like plastic used in products we are exposed to every day in products from pesticides, flooring, and flame retardants to baby bottles, water bottles and eating utensils. It has been used increasingly since the late 1800's and its estrogen -like qualities have been suspected and researched since the 1930's.
Recently, the FDA has questioned the safety of the compound in humans. Bisphenol A strongly attaches to estrogen receptor sites in the body. One of the concerns is hormonal disruption and increased estrogenic effects on males of many species, not just humans. Also of concern are the possible links to insulin interference, changes in brain chemistry and the immune system and the list goes on.
The compound is pervasive in the environment and is likely to remain so for many years. We can expect agencies and people on both sides of the issue to continue to publish conflicting data. The biggest challenge that I see is avoiding exposure. Regardless of how safe or unsafe plastics turn out to be, they have no place in the human body. They are not nutrients or beneficial to our metabolism so there is no reason for them to be there. Since it seems incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to completely avoid exposure, what should one do to prevent absorbing too much into the body?
Here are some tips:
• Use as much glass for food storage as possible.
• Avoid disposable flatware.
• When using disposable dishes, use paper rather than Styrofoam.
• Ask for paper or cardboard take-away containers from restaurants.
• When buying products in plastic containers or wrap is unavoidable, transfer to glass before storage.
• Buy and eat organic food.
• Drink filtered water.
• Eat fresh or frozen foods avoiding canned foods.
• Wash hands after handling plastics- be alert as this includes CD's.
• Use only glass in the microwave (if you must use the microwave at all).
• If you can taste or smell chemical compounds from the food container, take it back.

by Cathy Scoblionko MSN, ANP-BC

Are you taking allergy medication and still suffering from sneezing, runny nose and itchy eyes?