Get In Touch

Here at Abundant Life Health Care, we value the privacy of all our patients. This form is secured to protect your personal information.

Main
Entries 1-10 of 11
1 2 | Next
May 15

Table Salt versus Sea Salt

Table Salt versus Sea Salt

 

Is there a difference?  Is one better than the other?


Window size: x
Viewport size: x
Save
Apr 17

Happy Birthday!

It's our 11th birthday!


Window size: x
Viewport size: x
Save
Mar 30

Genetic Cancer Screening

Are you a candidate for Genetic Cancer Testing?


Window size: x
Viewport size: x
Save
Mar 15

Testosterone Replacement and Heart Disease in Men

There's a new study out to add to the debate about testosterone replacement therapy in men and heart disease.  Does it increase or decrease the risk of heart disease?


Window size: x
Viewport size: x
Save
Feb 27

"Just a Little Heart Attack"

February is Heart Health Month.  Do you know the symptoms of a heart attack in women are often different than the syptoms in men?


Window size: x
Viewport size: x
Save
Feb 16

Window size: x
Viewport size: x
Save
Feb 02

Magnesium deficiency

Are you Magnesium deficient?


Window size: x
Viewport size: x
Save
Jan 06

Temptation and Diet

Dieting.

It’s a four-letter word with -ing attached. Ugh.  But it’s January and so many people are thinking about it.  Since I started working with healthy lifestyle and weight loss programs a few years ago, I’ve done a lot of thinking and researching about what makes one person be a successful dieter.  

Of all the things I have read, I have narrowed it down to the one thing that makes someone be a successful dieter: controlling temptation.  That’s right—controlling temptation.  I don’t think willpower really truly exists.  It boils down to the number of temptations each person experiences.

Let me explain.  Let’s say that every person who is dieting cheats on their diet after 20 temptations.  If you face 20 temptations before lunch, your diet is over.  However, if you face 20 temptations after 2 weeks before you cheat on your diet, that is 2 weeks where you’ve made really good progress!

Successful dieters arrange their lives so they are not faced with frequent temptations.  How do you do this?  If your temptation is cookies, don’t have them in the house.  If your temptation is picking up fast food on your way home from work, make sure you plan a menu and have easy, quick, and healthy meals planned.  You can’t control when a co-worker (or a patient) brings lovely treats to the office, but you don’t have to stare at it all day.  Take your bite or two and put the rest away.  

And that reminds me, I have chocolate stashed in my desk drawer that I forgot about… Out of sight, out of mind.  But that chocolate is going to stay there.  At least for today.

What are other ways for you to avoid temptation?


Window size: x
Viewport size: x
Save
Dec 01

8 Healthy Cooking Oils

What oil should I use for cooking?  What fat should I not cook with?  What about vegetable oil?  Soybean oil is in every store-bought salad dressing and that’s a vegetable so it’s okay, right?  There is so much information/misinformation “out there” about dietary fat, that even I get confused!  I read a bunch of articles from authors I trust and here’s the synopsis of my research…

If these are in your pantry, stop what you’re doing and throw them away:

  • Shortening
  • Vegetable oil (soybean, sunflower, safflower, canola oils)

These are highly processed and are found everywhere in the Standard American Diet.  They are unstable, pro-inflammatory, and are linked the increase of inflammatory diseases such as heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, arthritis, asthma, cancer, and auto-immune diseases.

For high heat cooking (stovetop cooking medium-high or above, baking above 400 degrees Fahrenheit):

  • Ghee
  • Grass-fed butter
  • Avocado oil

For low heat cooking (stovetop cooking on low to medium temperature, baking at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or below):

  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • Coconut oil

Room temperature (do not heat):

  • Above oils
  • Macadamia oil
  • Walnut oil

These are great as salad dressings, drizzled on cooked vegetables, etc., and not for cooking.

Tips:

  • Store oils in dark (not clear) bottles
  • Do not store on the kitchen counter near the stove
  • Buy only the amount of oil you will use in 2 months
  • Organic designation prohibits GMOs as well as hexane use for oil extraction
  • Purchase unrefined, cold-pressed or expeller-pressed oils

Since I wrote this post, I’ve printed it and keep it on my fridge, so it’s a convenient reference when I’m cooking.  I hope you find it useful, too!


Window size: x
Viewport size: x
Save
Nov 30

Hormone Headlines May Be Confusing!

You may have noticed startling headlines recently stating “Hormone Therapy Not Recommended” and “Hormone Therapy Not for Prevention of Chronic Conditions.”  The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recently posted recommendations on the use of menopausal hormone therapy for the prevention of chronic conditions including cancer, cardiovascular disease, cognition and osteoporosis. Unfortunately, the succinct headlines and incomplete reporting methods surrounding the topic by media may easily be misconstrued by patients and practitioners alike --- feeding the confusion that already surrounds hormone therapy.  To clarify, this document by the USPSTF states two recommendations pertaining to postmenopausal women over the age of 50 who are considering the use of hormone therapy for the primary prevention of chronic medical conditions, not those who are considering hormone therapy for the management of menopausal symptoms.  To those practitioners well versed in hormone balancing, these recommendations are not new, as they are largely based on the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study from 10 years ago:

  1. The USPSTF recommends against the use of combined estrogen and progestin for the prevention of chronic conditions in postmenopausal women.
  2. The USPSTF recommends against the use of estrogen for the prevention of chronic conditions in postmenopausal women who have had a hysterectomy.

What these recommendations don’t address is the use of progesterone for prevention of chronic medical conditions. Unfortunately, people perusing the internet or viewing their nightly news programs will see only “Hormone Therapy Not Recommended; Gov’t task force warns against long-term treatment.”  As a provider specializing in hormone balancing, my role as teacher is a crucial one as I educate my patients on the benefits of hormone replacement.   Long term hormone therapy can certainly be effective in reducing the risk and incidence of chronic disease, however the type of hormone used, the dosage, the combination with other hormones and the route of administration all matter.  It's all about balance! Important points to consider are:

  • Progesterone is not the same as progestin
  • Progesterone has protective effects to the uterine lining
  • When used with estrogen, progesterone has not demonstrated an increased incidence of breast cancer (unlike combined estrogen and progestin [synthetic hormone] therapy)
  • Progesterone use by women has been associated with a decreased risk of:
  • Estrogen dependent cancers including breast cancer
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Osteoporosis
  • Alzheimer's disease
  • The WHI study used oral estrogens.  Topical administration of estrogen has been shown to have significantly reduced cardiovascular risks.
  • Over ½ of all postmenopausal women in the US report having used some form of hormone therapy.  

It is my job to serve as an essential resource for patients in what can be a confusing journey.  

References:

http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/draftrec.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/misc/hrt_booklet.PDF
Fournier A et al. Breast Cancer Risk in Relation to Different Types of Hormone Replacement Therapy in the E3N-EPIC Cohort. Int J Cancer (2005); 114(3):448-54.
Holtorf K. The bio-identical hormone debate: are bio-identical hormones (estradiol, estriol, progesterone) safer or more efficacious than commonly used synthetic versions in hormone replacement therapy? Postgraduate Medicine. 2009; 121(1): 1-13.
Fitzpatrick LA, Pace C, Witta B. Comparison of regimens containing oral micronized progesterone or medroxyprogesterone acetate on quality of life in postmenopausal women: a cross-sectional survey. J womens Health Gend Based Med. 2000;9(4):381-387.
Menon DV, Vongpatanasin W.  Effects of transdermal estrogen replacement therapy on cardiovascular risk factors. Treat Endocrinol. 2006;5(1):37-51.
Vongpatanasin W, Tuncel M, Wang Z, Arbique D, Mehrad B, Jialal I.  Differential effects of oral versus transdermal estrogen replacement therapy on C-reactive protein in postmenopausal women.  J Am Coll Cardiol. 2003 Apr 16;41(8):1358-63.
Abbas A, Fadel PJ, Wang Z, Arbique D, Jialal I, Vongpatanasin W.  Contrasting effects of oral versus transdermal estrogen on serum amyloid A (SAA) and high-density lipoprotein-SAA in postmenopausal women.  Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2004 Oct;24(10):e164-7.
Shifren JL, Rifai N, Desindes S, McIlwain M, Doros G, Mazer NA. A comparison of the short-term effects of oral conjugated equine estrogens versus transdermal estradiol on C-reactive protein, other serum markers of inflammation, and other hepatic proteins in naturally menopausal women.  J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2008 May;93(5):1702-10. Epub 2008 Feb 26.

 


Window size: x
Viewport size: x
Save
Entries 1-10 of 11
1 2 | Next

Health, Energy, & Wellness you can trust.