The high prevalence of chronic conditions such as hyperlipidemia, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and obesity have a close link to our society’s poor lifestyle habits.…
It was first isolated from the Bovine Pineal gland in 1958. Nevertheless, in humans, it is the main hormone secreted by the pineal gland. Melatonin…
Inflammation Fighting Smoothie
Dark leafy greens as well as certain fruits are a great way to help the body naturally fight off inflammation. We’ve put together a simple smoothie that can be consumed every morning to fuel your body and help reduce inflammation.
¾ cup orange juice
½ cup ice
½ spinach
1 cup strawberries, sliced
½ cup blueberries
2 tbsp flax seed
Additionally, it is great to add powder pre and probiotics to smoothies. This ensures we are feeding the microbiome the healthy bacteria it needs to flourish.
For additional protein, add in 1 scoop protein powder or 5oz of greek yogurt
The overweight and obesity epidemic has taken over the world, promoting the prevalence of chronic diseases. The common denominator of this problem is our sedentary…
Metals in the body are essential for proper cellular function. That being said, in order to ensure the metals you are ingesting are good for you and what the body needs, you need to know whole sources to obtain them from and what each metal does. On the other hand, there are toxic metals as well. Toxic metals are an issue that can mimic many other serious health conditions. We are able to assess metal levels in the body and create a treatment plan that safely detoxes individuals from these toxic metals.Â
Healthy Metals
CalciumÂ
There are different types of calcium. Dietary calcium and Erythrocyte calcium. In the human body, there are around 179 biological functions of calcium. Each and every cell in the body needs ionic calcium. This is what you find in teeth and bones as well as what we need to move our muscles. Additionally, it is needed for the rhythmic action of the heart and intestines. However, Erythrocyte calcium is associated with heart disease and stroke. Studies show that erythrocyte calcium is elevated in hypertension patients.Â
ChromiumÂ
Chromium accumulates in the spleen and in heart tissue. On top of this, there have been many studies done that show chromium impacts sugar metabolism through its role in uptaking insulin.Â
CopperÂ
Copper is very important as it is a co-factor in lipid metabolism, detoxification in the liver, and neurological control. In the body, copper is found in the liver, brain, hair, and other tissues. To get whole sources of copper in the diet, it is best to eat nuts, seeds, whole grains, beans, and shellfish. Copper binds to superoxide dismutase and protects our cells from oxidative damage. If there is not enough copper obtained through the diet we begin to see the reduced function of enzymes.Â
MagnesiumÂ
Magnesium is a cofactor to about 300 enzyme systems in the body. If an individual does not have proper magnesium levels, we see hypertension and diabetes. Studies done have also shown magnesium to be used in heart failure treatment. The symptoms we most often see in patients who have magnesium deficiencies are neuromuscular tremors, fasciculations, and muscle spasms. The relationship between magnesium and the nervous tissue is close. Due to this, one of the earliest ways to catch a magnesium deficiency is if the patient has nausea, loss of appetite, hair loss, and tremors. For whole magnesium sources, including nuts, beans, and dark green leafy vegetables into the diet.Â
ManganeseÂ
Manganese is involved with a number of enzymes that control metabolism, connective tissue maintenance, and the Krebs cycle. If deficient, we see glucose intolerance. Some of the best foods to keep manganese at a healthy level in the body are fruits, whole grains, leafy green vegetables, pecans, peanuts, pineapples, avocado, and hazelnuts.Â
PotassiumÂ
The nervous and muscle system strongly rely on potassium. Without proper potassium levels, the body will suffer from hypertension, heart arrhythmias, and muscle weakness. To increase potassium levels in the body, vegetable juice, citrus juice, and bananas will help.Â
SeleniumÂ
One of the main reasons we need selenium is to activate glutathione peroxidase. Mainly, we need this to activate the enzymes that protect our cells from oxidative damage.Â
VanadiumÂ
This metal is in the liver and bone. It is shown that this lowers cholesterol synthesis and may also lower triglycerides. A great way to include this metal in your diet is by eating parsley, black pepper, dill, and mushrooms.Â
Zinc
Zinc is incredibly important as it activates the cofactors for DNA/RNA polymerase. Additionally, it helps with healing cuts and skin disorders. Zinc is essential for normal immune function as well.Â
Toxic Metals
AluminumÂ
Aluminum can cause impaired memory, convulsions, and characteristics of EEG changes. Aluminum is found in many items consumers use daily. These products include antiperspirants, soda cans, baking soda, and toothpaste. There are many aluminum-free deodorants on the market that patients can switch to.Â
Arsenic
 Arsenic has been linked to vascular disease and certain cancers that appear in the skin, bladder, and lungs. Unfortunately, arsenic is found in contaminated water supplies, paint, wood preservatives like outdoor decks, and playground equipment.Â
CadmiumÂ
This metal competes with zinc down at the cellular level and impacts binding sites. This negatively affects the body as it causes a loss in enzyme activity. If an individual is exposed to cadmium for long-term exposure, we see damage to the kidneys. Common symptoms patients complain of are hypertension, femoral pain, and osteopenia. Individuals can be exposed if they are around engine exhaust emissions, canned evaporated milk, cigarette smoke, and paint pigments. A great way to combat exposure is to increase dietary fiber and eat items like beans, cooked vegetables, oatmeal.Â
LeadÂ
If an individual has lead toxicity they experience pain in extremities due to axonal degeneration. Lead affects the inhibiting factor on enzymes in the biosynthesis pathway. Patients also report having kidney damage and nausea. Additionally, lead toxicity commonly affects sensory, visual, and auditory functions. This is due to the fact that it negatively impacts the nervous system. One thing patients can do is increase dietary calcium to help lower the amount of lead absorbed through the intestines. Lead can be found in newsprint, tea, art supplies, bullets, soils, balance weights, and drinking water from lead plumbing.Â
MercuryÂ
Mercury has a tendency to form very stable bonds with amino acids. This makes it hard to detox from the body. One of the most important protective agents is dietary selenium. If someone has high mercury levels we typically see them have emotional disturbance and a lack of mental concentration.Â
As one can see, there are many metals that benefit the human body and are essential for proper cellular function. However, we can also see that there are metals that can cause many problems. We are able to offer toxic metal testing to see the levels of these metals in your system. From here, we can provide a one-on-one plan to help your body safely detox.Â
The nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat related (NLR) family, pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) is a multimeric protein that recognizes different PAMPs and DAMPs. Furthermore,…
Inflammation is a necessary response, and it can initiate host defense response and repair damaged tissue. However, an uncontrolled inflammatory signal can cause prolonged inflammatory…
Tight Junctions (TJ) comprise different proteins that bind to the actin cytoskeleton to provide barrier integrity to our gut lining. Indeed, TJs are key assistance…
Our main interaction with food, pathogens, and inflammatory signals is made through our intestinal barrier. Indeed, our gut epithelium is where the absorption, digestion, transportation…
Discussions: As part of our personalized medicine approach in our offices, we take our remote patient monitoring and virtual health software beyond the technology to…
2020 changed the way many medical professionals see and assess their patients. Similar to other offices, we adapted to make sure our patients still received the highest quality of care, but from the comfort of their homes. We have made adjustments to our practice and have onboarded new techniques to ensure our patients are well taken care of. Our office now has the ability to create truly personalized plans by using these new protocols.
InBody
The InBody 770 is a high-tech machine that takes our patients and evaluates their body composition. This is highly important as it gives us specific information regarding inflammation/edema, their lean muscle mass, basal metabolic rate, and phase angle. This information allows us to track the patient’s progress, assess visceral fat, and make adjustments to their program based on the accuracy of these results. One aspect we pay particular attention to is the total body water. Total body water is broken into two sections: Intracellular Water and Extracellular Water. Intracellular water is the amount of water that is help inside the body’s cells. Extracellular water is the water outside of the cells. The reason these numbers are important is due to the fact that if we see an increase in Extracellular water, but not Intracellular water, this indicates there could be internal swelling or inflammation. On top of this, we are able to track muscle mass gained. By looking at the Dry Lean Mass on a patient’s report, we can track if the number goes up, they have gained true muscle. Dry muscle mass does not account for body water, so it is accurate to muscle composition. We are able to communicate directly to our patients regarding their results via the InBody App, which allows for optimal results. More information can be seen below:
Dr. J TodayÂ
Dr. J Today is an app that specifically connects our patients to our clinic. With this app, we are able to connect with our patients at the convenience of their cell phones. The app includes weight loss, pain management, functional medicine coaching, physical medicine & chiropractic care Modules. Our custom-branded mobile app provides an easy to use yet elaborate Coaching Telemedicine dashboard. With this app you are able to:
Track and manage every aspect of lifestyle change (with activity trackers, dietary trackers, weight tracking, blood glucose levels, and blood pressure)Â
Access to high-end coaching with personalized, actionable insights from real-time dataÂ
Effectively treat both immediate lifestyle challenges and long-term behavior change
Stay connected with your healthcare team by using the app to communicate concerns or questions between clinic visitsÂ
Keep motivation high with online learning resourcesÂ
App Functionalities include:
Third-Party Integration with Apple Health (not including iPad)
HIPAA Compliant Messaging & Scheduling
Progress Tracking
Hydration & Supplement Tracking
Meal Logging
Digital Content
Sequence Messaging
Blood Pressure MonitoringÂ
Blood Glucose Tracking
You can download our app today to get started:Â
Android: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.coachcare.injurymedicalreactnativeÂ
iOs:apps.apple.com/us/app/dr-j-today/id1490440019Â
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Living MatrixÂ
Living Matrix is a website we have our patients utilize to get started. This is a very detailed history comprised of 5 forms. These forms include IFM 1,2,3, a sleep questionnaire, and a dietary assessment. Filling this out prior to your appointment with us allows maximizing the time patients spend with the doctor creating real treatment plans, rather than spending time to fill this information out. The Living Matrix is unique as it collects the data and creates a score. This score provides a general direction of where to begin your care. For example, if you have reported trouble with bloating and food sensitivities, the biotransformation and elimination process in your body may be having an issue or there is inflammation hiding somewhere in the body. An example of the “matrix” score can be found below:Â
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This history goes in-depth, typically asking the questions to help us get to the root cause of an issue, not typical medical history questions. These forms not only ask about current symptoms and discomforts but also if you were breastfed or formula as a child and your environmental factors along with stress levels. These are all things now that we know clearly impact the microbiome and inflammatory markers. To get started with our detailed history forms, please follow the link below:Â
dralexjimenez.livingmatrix.com/self_register_patients/newÂ
SO MANY PATIENTS COME TO US SAYING THAT THEY JUST WANT SOMEONE TO LISTEN AND THEY ARE SO RELIEVED THAT A HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL HAS FINALLY ASKED THE RIGHT QUESTIONS. WITH THESE TOOLS, WE ARE ABLE TO WRAP OUR PATIENTS AROUND IN HEALTHCARE AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE TAKEN CARE OF. -KENNA VAUGHN, SENIOR HEALTH COACH
Additional Online Links & Resources (Available 24/7)


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Online Appointments or Consultations:  https://bit.ly/Book-Online-Appointment


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Online Physical Injury / Accident Intake Form: bit.ly/Fill-Out-Your-Online-History


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Online Functional Medicine Assessment: bit.ly/functionmed
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Disclaimer
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The information herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional, licensed physician, and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make your own health care decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified health care professional. Our information scope is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, sensitive health issues, functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from a wide array of disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the musculoskeletal system’s injuries or disorders. Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate and support, directly or indirectly, our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request. We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.  Read More…
Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, CTG*
email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com
phone: 915-850-0900
Licensed in Texas & New Mexico
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