CHOLESTEROL MYTH: THE LOWER THE BETTER FOR CHOLESTEROL LEVELS Fact: Cholesterol is a necessary fat for producing hormones (serotonin, testosterone, steroid hormones, etc.), vitamin D, and bile.Cholesterol in its nature is not bad, it is the oxidized cholesterol (damaged by free radicals) that causes our body harm. When we are over-medicated through high-dose statins we…
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CHOLESTEROL MYTH: DIETARY CHOLESTEROL SHOULD BE AVOIDED IN THOSE THAT HAVE HIGH CHOLESTEROL Fact: Dietary cholesterol used to be the main culprit with saturated fats following close behind. In current research, we are seeing a trend of elevated cholesterol levels with a low-fat/low-cholesterol diet that is high in refined carbohydrates! So what do we do?…
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CHOLESTEROL MYTH: BEST LINE OF TREATMENT IS WITH A STATIN DRUG Fact: Statins are still the most common line of treatment for elevated cholesterol levels; however, heart disease is a lifestyle disease. Stress, diet, exercise, body weight, blood pressure, inflammation, and cholesterol can all play a role in your risk! In fact it is only…
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CHOLESTEROL MYTH: A STANDARD LIPID PROFILE IS THE BEST WAY TO DETERMINE CARDIAC RISK FACT: Recent medical concerns with cholesterol have moved from a focus on total cholesterol and HDL ratio to lipoprotein particle size. We are more concerned with small dense LDL particles vs. large buoyant LDL particles as the small ones are more…
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BAKED SWEET POTATOES WITH CITRUS AND MASCARPONE FOOD AS MEDICINE: Cooking sweet potatoes this time of year often involves topping them with marshmallows or folding them in a pie but there are several other delicious more nutritionally sound options. Roasting and steaming are two easy cooking techniques that retain water-soluble vitamins that could be lost…
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INFLAMMATION: THE ROOT OF CHRONIC ILLNESS Inflammation has been coined the term, the silent killer although it is a normal and essential bodily response. The natural immune response occurs in reaction to a body injury by a virus, bacteria fungi, superficial injury like a cut, or internal irritants from food sensitivities. There are five cardinal…
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FOODS TO FIGHT BREAST CANCER October marks Breast Cancer Awareness month, a time to come together for the cure and to create awareness for the tools already available to us! As a functional medicine provider, I focus on the root causes of a condition. This can be seen as addressing the why or origin of…
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FOOD AS MEDICINE: OKRA OKRA IS TREATMENT FOR: High Cholesterol Inflammation Joint pain Colitis IBS Weight loss Okra is a nutrient-dense addition to any meal that provides significant health benefits. Okra is a vegetable with mucilaginous compounds that can work to balance blood sugar levels, lower cholesterol, and improve digestion. This mucilage or mucus-like soluble…
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IDENTIFYING FOOD ALLERGIES AND SENSITIVITIES WHAT IS A FOOD ALLERGY OR SENSITIVITY? When our immune system is triggered by a food particle, it responds with inflammation, the body can also have autoimmune reactions or can attack itself when attempting to attack this “foreign invader”. The type of attack depends on the immune response. We can…
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