Clinic updates and the affects of chronic unrelenting stress on the mind and body. Food is very important it is not neutral. We counsel patient’s on the effects of diet, exercise and lifestyle to help promote wellness, anti-aging and holistic medical care.

This leads to the next topic: when we take back more authority over our care, we also take on a new level of responsibility for our own health.

That responsibility involves the choices we make every day—our diet, sleep, movement, stress management, relationships, and all the other things that contribute to our overall well-being. No matter what age you are, good self-care practices can be some of the most important actions we take to influence our long-term health and potentially reduce our dependence on an increasingly expensive healthcare system.

And of all these things, perhaps one of the most important—because it can be harder to do many of the others well without it—is eating healthy, living, whole foods. Food truly can be medicine, but food can also contribute to poor health. Every food choice we make—or don’t make—has the potential to move us in a positive or negative direction.

Ultimately, taking responsibility for our health isn’t about being perfect. It’s about becoming more aware, making thoughtful choices, and recognizing that the small decisions we make every day can have a profound impact on how we feel and how we age. 

And so for this fall, especially if you are in your 40s or 50s, make a plan to invest in your health. It might be time to schedule an appointment to speak with a wellness provider, not because their is something ‘wrong’, but to create a viable plan to promote healthy life patterns that can help keep you feeling energetic, strong and vibrant as you age.

Functional Primary Care is a healthcare model that focuses on disease prevention and treating the ‘root causes’ before chronic illness begins. Functional medicine does not just offer a pill for a symptom, it views the body as an interconnected system, combining detailed patient history, genetics, environment, and lifestyle to build custom care plans. The practice of 'upstream' medicine, essentially, assisting the body to repair itself through the 5 pillars of health, enables us to stay vital and active as we age. Therapies that replace and replenish the substances our cells need to function optimally is the foundation of everything that we do. Sometimes called ‘longevity medicine’, this is a proactive approach to not only extending lifespan, but increasing the quality of life experience as we age.

Bioidentical vs. Synthetic Progesterone Therapy:

When used in therapy, bioidentical or micronized progesterone is often preferred. Because it is molecularly identical to the hormone the body produces, it causes fewer side effects than synthetic progestins

Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy for perimenopause and postmenopause. 

If you have been experiencing the emotional and physiological changes of the menopausal transition, you might have heard about, or considering hormone replacement therapy. Or you might be experiencing symptoms that you haven’t even related to perimenopause, like shoulder pain, irritable bowel syndrome, recurrent urinary tract infections, brain fog, anxiety, insomnia, weight gain in different areas of your body or lack of libido. Maybe you’ve read about the benefits or are considering it because you have heard the anti-aging potential and you want to feel and look your best as you get older. Whatever led you here, trust it, there are so many advances in medicine that can help you.

There is so much new science related to bio-identical hormone replacement therapies and hormone optimization. As we know, cellular health and mitochondrial support is the foundation to healthy aging—because hormones are the great communicators in our bodies, and help each cell to function optimally and full-fill its functions.

LDN is a competitive opioid receptor antagonist. At higher doses, (generally used for addiction), naltrexone blocks the effects of both the endogenous (bodies own) opioids, and pharmaceutical opioids. At lower doses, (a 10th or less of the standard dose), LDN causes microglial cells in the nervous system to ‘up-regulate’ (meaning to boost up) opioid receptors, and there are a wide range of cells in the body that have opiod receptors. In addition, LDN helps to regulate immune system functioning by decreasing and regulating inflammatory mediators that cause muscle and soft tissue pain. 

If you are interested in exploring options for this, send us your information and we can get you scheduled.

Estrogen is a critical participant in in metabolic regulation. Clinical trials and animal studies have shown that reductions in  circulating estrogen causes swift changes in metabolism, fat distribution, and insulin function. The metabolic effects of estrogen are caused primarily by estrogen receptor-a on the distinct body systems’ cell. Research suggests that estrogen receptor-α elicits the metabolic effects of estrogen through mitochondrial mechanisms that regulate insulin signaling, and energetics.

Waiting for months to see a provider, having a 10 minute appointment, concerns being minimized, outrageous costs that go straight to the top. This is the current status of corporate healthcare. We have to go back to small, independent, caring, integrative healthcare providers that are invested in the success of their patients.

October Wellness in Aurora: Supporting You and Your Family Through Life’s Transitions