SLEEP is Good
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{ ALETRIS }.
Posted in: Blog Posts in General Medicine
We all know how important sleep is for energy and mood, however a recent study conducted in Japan connects sleep deprivation with an increase in heart disease. These researchers monitored the sleep of 1,255 individuals with hypertension and tracked them for an average of 50 months. Researchers noted patients' sleep duration, daytime and nightti...
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Eat FISH for SMART Kids
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{ ALETRIS }.
Posted in: Blog Posts in General Medicine
A recent article in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that women who consume more fish during pregnancy had children with significantly higher developmental scores. This study included pregnant women enrolled from 1997 to 2002 and used information to gauge the scores of the 25,446 children born to them. The highest developmental ...
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FAT Gene + EXERCISE
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{ ALETRIS }.
Posted in: Blog Posts in General Medicine
At ALETRIS Center of Integrative Medicine, we believe there are many factors involved in obesity other than laziness. We see patients with hormone imbalance; past use of corticosteroids, fentramine, and other medications; low functioning thyroid; and toxicity as individuals that may have trouble losing weight. Simply put, however, the only way t...
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B12 and Brain Health
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{ ALETRIS }.
Posted in: Blog Posts in General Medicine
A recent article published in Neurology has linked brain size to B12 status. Researchers used MRI methods to determine brain weight in patients and tracked it over the course several years. Those with the lowest B12 levels had the largest brain shrinkage. Decreased brain mass is linked to cognitive impairment, and researchers speculate that it m...
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KIDNEY STONES from GLOBAL WARMING?
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{ ALETRIS }.
Posted in: Questions & Answers in Kidney Failure
A recent study conducted by Margaret Pearle, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and reported online in theProceedings of the National Academy of Sciencespredicts an increase in the incidence of kidney stones as global temperatures continue to rise.Kidney stones result from minerals that precipitate out of urine. ...
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estrogen + dioxin = ENDOMETRIOSIS?
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{ ALETRIS }.
Posted in: Questions & Answers in Women's Health
Recent study by Chinese researchers atShanghaiMedicalCollegeinvestigated the link between estrogen and dioxin and endometriosis. Endometriosis is a painful pelvic condition in women characterized by the growth of endometrial (uterine) tissue outside of the uterus. Often, endometrial tissue can be found lodged on the ovaries and in the pelvic cav...
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Focusing on Blood Pressure
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{ ALETRIS }.
Posted in: Blog Posts in General Medicine
The incidence of high blood pressure among American women is on the rise. The following excerpt is borrowed from an article on Medline Plus. The persistent incidence of hypertension is "principally a failure of our health-care delivery system," said Dr. Dan Jones, president of the American Heart Association. "Certainly physicians have some fau...
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Hypertension and Cognitive Decline
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{ ALETRIS }.
Posted in: Blog Posts in General Medicine
A new study finds an association between high blood pressure and declining cognitive function in adults over the age of 60. Researchers found that adults between the ages of 60-69 with normal blood pressure (less than 120/80) had the best cognitive function, while people aged 75-79 with “pre-hypertension” (up to 140/90) and people 80 or older w...
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Chronic Sinusitis
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{ ALETRIS }.
Posted in: Blog Posts in General Medicine
Chronic sinusitis, one of the most common recurring illnesses in the U.S., develops predominantly in those with allergies and asthma. The mucous membranes in the sinuses and nasal passages become inflamed, causing irritation, pain, swelling and redness in the area. Conventional medicine treats chronic sinusitis with antibiotics and corticost...
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ESSENTIAL H20
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{ ALETRIS }.
Posted in: Blog Posts in Healthy Eating
Water is critical to our health, wellness and survival. Our blood is 83% water, which allows the blood to circulate throughout the body and guide essential vitamins and minerals into tissue cells. Adequate water intake is also necessary to eliminate waste from the body, nourish joints and ligaments and to brighten skin. Signs of dehydration ca...
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DAIRY is for Baby Cows
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{ ALETRIS }.
Posted in: Blog Posts in Healthy Eating
Many of our patients find it extremely difficult to live without dairy. When first asked if avoiding dairy will cause a problem, most patients shake their head no. It’s not until a few weeks later that they realize how difficult it is to avoid the many dairy-filled products in day to day life. Dairy is a very common allergen for many individu...
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Say Goodbye to Sugar
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{ ALETRIS }.
Posted in: Blog Posts in General Medicine
Finding your self coming down with frequent and persistent colds? Try limiting your sugar intake. This includes soda, cakes, cookies, fruits, breads and pastas. One teaspoon of sugar has been shown to inhibit the response of your immune system for up to 5 hours. Put simply, having fruit juice or a donut for breakfast, white pasta for lunch an...
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Hemochromatosis
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{ ALETRIS }.
Posted in: Blog Posts in General Medicine
Hemochromatosis is the most common of the iron storage diseases, and the hereditary form of hemochromatosis is the most common genetic disorder in the United States. Symptoms of this disease may include joint pain, fatigue, abdominal pain, heart and liver disease. Women are often not diagnosed until around the age of 50. This makes sense becau...
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GERD
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{ ALETRIS }.
Posted in: Blog Posts in Healthy Eating
Have you ever experienced pain in your chest, trouble swallowing and a sour taste in your mouth? If so, you may be suffering from GERD, also known as gastroesophageal reflux syndrome. This occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), the muscle connecting your esophagus to your stomach, weakens and allows stomach contents to reflux into t...
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Blood Test for BREAST CANCER
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{ ALETRIS }.
Posted in: Blog Posts in General Medicine
The statistics are astounding: Every year 240,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 women will die from breast cancer. Early detection is crucial because in its early stages, treatable breast cancers can have over a 5 year 95% survival rate. The Biomarker Translation Test, or “BT Test” is a new blood test that when ...
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MSG Under Cover
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{ ALETRIS }.
Posted in: Blog Posts in Healthy Cooking
For those of you who avidly check food labels in grocery stores, you probably try to avoid monosodium glutamate, more commonly known as MSG. When eaten in any amount, this flavor enhancer is implicated in headaches, sweating, sense of facial tightness, numbness and tingling around the mouth, heart palpitations, chest pain, shortness or breath, ...
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EXERCISE Intensity
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{ ALETRIS }.
Posted in: Blog Posts in Exercise
At ALETRIS, we often see women who want to lose weight and stay slim as they age. One obstacle we face as naturopathic physicians is changing women’s perceptions of how vigorous their exercise regimes need to be to truly see results. The 20 minute walk with the dogs or the laid-back weight lifting program twice a week is a nice start, but is nev...
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Heavy Metals & Childhood OBESTIY
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{ ALETRIS }.
Posted in: Blog Posts in Weight loss
Recent research by a University of Houston professor has discovered a link between lead exposure in the womb and increased obesity in male children later in adulthood. Donald Fox stumbled onto this conclusion after experimenting with lead’s effects on the retina. To confirm his observations, Fox undertook an 18 month study exposing pregnant mice...
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Why CASH PAY is a GOOD Thing
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{ ALETRIS }.
Posted in: Blog Posts in General Medicine
“I wish my insurance company covered naturopathic medicine” is a statement we frequently hear. The truth is, there are many reasons why ALETRIS would not take insurance even if the option was available. First, when a medical clinic decides to accept insurance, each physician signs a contract with that insurance agency. Elements of that contr...
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Type II DIABETES
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{ ALETRIS }.
Posted in: Blog Posts in General Medicine
In the United States, over 18 million people, representing 6% of the total population, have diabetes mellitus. Out of those with diabetes, 5 million remain undiagnosed and about 90% have type II diabetes.It is estimated that 85% of people diagnosed with type II diabetes are overweight. In addition, it is considered inevitable that individuals ...
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