Nutrition and Wellness go hand in hand. Food provides people with the necessary energy and nutrients to be healthy and for their bodies to perform optimally. By eating a variety of colorful foods, including good quality vegetables, fruits, whole-grain products and lean meats, the body can replenish itself with the essential macronutrient (proteins, carbohydrates, fats) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) to function effectively. Healthy eating does not have to be hard. The key is to eat a variety of foods, which include vegetables, fruits, and whole-grains. Eat lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, and low-fat dairy products and drink about half your body weight in ounces of water. Limit salt, sugar, alcohol, saturated fat, and trans fat. Saturated fats usually come from animals. Look for trans fat on the labels of processed foods, margarines, and shortenings. Dr. Alex Jimenez and his health coach offer nutritional examples as well as describe the importance of a balanced nutrition throughout this series of articles, emphasizing how a proper diet combined with physical activity can help individuals reach and maintain a healthy weight, reduce their risk of developing chronic diseases like heart disease, and ultimately promote overall health and wellness.
Insulin resistance is linked to major health conditions such as: obesity, prediabetes, diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), artery disease, cancer, arthritis, and neurodegenerative diseases. To reduce your chances of insulin resistance, take the steps to make positive changes in your lifestyle. Some simple steps include reducing your intake of sugary drinks and only drinking water, exercising regularly, and cutting out sugar, carbs, and foods with a high glycemic index.
Stress & Inflammation are responsible for the majority of chronic health conditions. When stress becomes too frequent, the communication between the signals in the body misfire. This leads to an increase in hormone production and a decrease in body functions (example: the Krebs cycle). We evaluate the stressors occurring in your life, pair them with top of the line diagnostic testing, and create a personalized plan for you to ensure your body receives the healing it needs.
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PODCAST: Ryan Welage and Alexander Jimenez, both medical students at the National University of Health Sciences, discuss the several new approaches that they developed in…
The food we eat and our lifestyle as a whole has drastically changed over the past 100 years. Inflammation and chronic diseases are on the rise and nutrition is heavily responsible. The Wahls Protocol is a diet designed to improve health and reduce inflammation. The Wahls Protocol includes 3 cups of leafy greens, 3 cups of colored fruits and vegetables, and 3 cups of sulfur-rich vegetables per day along with cutting out foods containing gluten, white flour, sugar, dairy, and removing toxins. Remember, we are what we eat!
Cancer survivors have a lot on their minds, one being a recurrence. Studies have shown that natural supplements, diet, and exercise can help decrease risk of recurrence. A Mediterranean diet is based on a large diversity of plant-based foods and can help your body receive optimal nutrients post-treatment. Additionally, supplements like curcumin, green tea, vitamin D, and fish oils coupled with 150 minutes of exercise per week help reduce your risk.
11% of the population is on some type of antidepressant. Many on antidepressants are on them for years or life. However, as a functional health care provider, we know that 95% of the body’s serotonin is housed in the gut, not the brain. So if depression is a lack of serotonin, the first place you should look is the gut! Fixing the balance within the gut and decreasing inflammation have shown positive results in regards to depression.
Cancer is when a group of cells begin to grow out of hand. Cellular apoptosis or cell death does not occur as frequently as needed. Some natural steps you can take to reduce your risk of cancer is to 1) control inflammation by following an anti-inflammatory diet 2) get rid of all excess toxins. Check your cleaning products and detergents for toxins that may be adding unnecessary chemicals to your body 3) continue with regular check-ups to your physician and getting blood work done when needed 4) Maintain a healthy diet and exercise routine.
Food sensitivities are becoming more common as the food we eat is being produced differently. Many of us have food sensitivities that we are unaware of! These food sensitivities can have delayed symptoms, showing up after 72 hours after being ingested. Food sensitivities cause inflammation and could be the underlying cause of many other health conditions you feel. We work with Cyrex laboratories to test patients for food sensitivities and create a personalized diet plan to help you avoid these inflammatory responses.
Testing biomarkers can help practitioners determine and create a more efficient personalized plan. The LRA test by ELISA/ACT was created to test 4 separate types of immune trigger markers. These include Actue Antibodies (IgE), Humoral Antibodies (IgA, IgM, IgG), Immune Complexes, and T-Cell Regulation. These factors are all extremely important when it comes to reversing symptoms related to thyroid issues, joint pain, lupus, diabetes, IBS, and more. Accurate testing leads to accurate results!
What exactly is a virus? A virus is actually so small it can not be seen by a microscope! But it can stay dormant in the body for years, waiting for the right time to attack. When the immune system is compromised, this allows for the virus to bind to live tissue and quickly invade a host cell. Once inside, the virus takes control and begins to multiply itself, quickly spreading throughout the body. Foods like heavy creams and coconut oil contain Monolaurin and help in dissolving the protective membrane of a virus, leaving it with no main defense mechanisms and unable to attach to a host cell.
The immune system is one of the hardest working systems in the body. It is constantly working in the background, searching the body for bacterias and any potentially harmful pathogens. The first attacker in the line of defense is secretory IGA (SIgA). SIgA is the predominant immunoglobulin that is produced in the lining of the gut. Some functions of SIgA include trapping mucus, neutralizing enzymes and other toxins, inhibiting the adherence of pathogens, having interaction with antimicrobial factors like lactoferrin, all while being tolerant of the friendly flora. Any type of infection will lower SIgA. It is important to note that other factors that reduce SIgA include stress, a poor diet containing low levels of nutrients, genetics, the integrity of your gut lining, and age.Â
Autoimmune diseases are a much larger problem than they were 10 years ago. Now, autoimmune diseases are reaching an epidemically high level with over 50 million people diagnosed. All autoimmune diseases are linked to one common condition, inflammation. An autoimmune disease is when the immune system is under constant inflammation from frequently recurring triggers. Those diagnosed with an autoimmune disease have one or more of these stressors overly present in their life:
-Chronic Emotional and Cognitive Stress
-Unhealthy Coping PatternsÂ
-Poor NutritionÂ
-Gastrointestinal Stress
-Adrenal Stress
-Hormonal StressÂ
-Inflammatory and Infectious Stress
-Toxic Stress
Food allergies and sensitivities are more prevalent and are a problem that clinicians are beginning to look into more seriously. Nearly 20% of individuals have food reactions, 4% of those being an immune-mediated response. These food sensitivities can cause symptoms immediately or days after ingestion. There are 4 types of immunologic reactions and multiple ways to test for them. Some of these tests include: a prick test, the intradermal test, a RAST test, or food sensitivity tests executed by a blood draw.
The majority of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer continue to use dietary supplements throughout their treatments and for the continuum of their care. Working with your doctor and adding in natural supplements could help decrease your chance of recurrence. Some studied natural supplements include multivitamins, green tea, melatonin, and curcumin. Additionally, adding in 2.5 hours of exercise a week helps improve your chance of fighting off cancers. That’s only 30 minutes a day, 5 times a week!
Reflux of gastric contents back into the esophagus is normal in human physiology. However, when this reflux begins to present itself with symptoms, mucosal injury, or both, GERD is diagnosed. One way to reduce GERD is to “cut the C.R.A.Pâ€.
C- coffee, cigarettes, and chocolate
R- for refined carbohydrates, also known as sugars
A- acidic foods, alcohol, and allergic foods
P- pop, peppermint, and progesterone
SIBO or Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth is an issue in many individuals. With SIBO, many patients experience IBS as well. Over â…” of SIBO cases are chronic and long-term treatment is needed. For the most symptom relief, patients find a diet to be an essential factor. These four diets are great options for a place to start:
Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD)
Low FODMAP Diet (LFD)
Cedars-Sinai Low Fermentation Diet (C-SLFD)
SIBO Specific Food Guide (SSFG)