1. Stop eating foods that I can't digest.  Test your food intolerances and avoid them!
2. Eating while stressed makes it difficult for me to digest food well.  I cannot do my job well when the nervous system is on overdrive. 
3. Please avoid things that relax the stomach/esophageal sphincter and leave it open (chocolate, coffee, tea, colas, peppermint, alcohol, tobacco)
4. Please do not overeat.  When too full, I cannot digest well.
5. Please drink more water and add trace minerals.  1/2 your body weight in ounces per day is a minimum amount of water needed.  If you drink filtered water, trace minerals need to be added back in.  Dehydration and lack of minerals cause LOW stomach acid which causes the upper sphincter to open and hence causes you to feel heartburn symptoms.

When weaning off any medication should be done under the supervision of a physician.

Here are some tools to help heal your esophageal lining, and protect it.  The first 4 can be taken in capsule or powder form.

1. Slippery Elm
2. Licorice in the form of deglycyrrhized licorice or DGL
   
3. L-glutamine
4. Aloe vera leaf
5. Apple Cider Vinegar - 1-2tsp in warm water before meals

Anti-oxidants keep cells healthier, longer by squelching damaging free radicals.  They are a key component of health.  When we focus our diet choices on anti-oxidant content, we live longer, and live a higher quality of life.

#1 Top anti-oxidant rich foods are berries, broccoli, tomato, red grapes, garlic, green tea, carrots, red peppers, soy and whole grains.  We should eat 2-3 servings of these EVERY DAY.  Please buy organic whenever possible.

Other foods that are rich in anti-oxidants..

Beta-carotene is an important anti-oxidant and it is found in foods that are orange in color such as carrots, squash, cantaloupe, pumpkin, sweet potatoes and also in kale and spinach. 

Lutein which is good for healthy eyes is found most prevalent in spinach and kale. 

Lycopene is found in tomatoes. 

Selenium is found in high quantity in brazil nuts. 

Vitamin A is found in carrots and sweet potatoes.

Vitamin C is found in many fruits and vegetables.

Vitamin E is found in wheat germ, nuts, mangoes and broccoli.

Vitamin D is found in salmon, sardines and shrimp.  Many, many people have low levels and need supplementation here. 

Organic is always best. 

Remember, our food is not as high quality as it used to be and a good multivitamin is always recommended. 

Supplementing with Vitamin C, D and E are vital to keeping the body at its best.  A study with 19,000 participants showed that people who had the lowest levels of vitamin C were twice as likely to die when compared those with high levels of vitamin C in their bodies.  Supplemental vitamin D reduces risk of colon cancer by 50%. 

To find out your nutrient levels , including anti-oxidants, testing and nutrition counseling is available through my office.

Depression plaques our country.  Major depressive disorder is the number one cause of disability in people ages 15-44.  By the year 2020, depression will be the 2nd most common health problem in the U.S.  From a naturopathic prospective, depression is a brain chemistry imbalanced that can be corrected.  Testing is available to find out if you have brain imbalance.  One major player in the imbalance is low levels of serotonin, the "happy" hormone.  In natural medicine, we can supplement with natural amino acids, vitamins and minerals that help the brain and body make more serotonin.  Here are some helpful hints!

Can you increase serotonin naturally?  YES!!  Really is that possible without drugs??  YES!

Exercise is vital here, moving your body naturally increases serotonin levels.

Stress relief using techniques such as yoga, meditation, deep breathing can also help tremendously. .

Eating less sugar.  Sugar just gives the body a false sense of energy for a short period of time, then depletes our energy in the long run. 

Focus diet choices on whole foods, especially ones high in B6.  Options are spinach, turnip greens, mustard greens, celery, cauliflower, salmon, turkey and lean beef.

Multivitamin is important.  B1, B2, B6, calcium and magnesium are all needed to make serotonin. 

To find out exactly how much serotonin you have or don't have, you can test your levels by doing a urine test available at my office.

1. Live longer - Foreign chemicals like pesticides can generate free radicals in the body.  These cause damage to cells, proteins and DNA which allow normal cells to function improperly and die prematurely.  When we maintain a clean internal and external environment, including reducing stress, and exercising, we feel better.  The World Health Organization has found that vegetables produced today have 5-40% less minerals than those produced 50 years ago.  Organic farms are typically smaller and more conscious of soil repletion; therefore the food is higher quality.

2. Stronger immune system - Xenobiotics are known to decrease our immune system.  Those who have higher levels in their body tend to exhibit symptoms of allergies, chronic infections, auto-immunity, and cancers.  Often missed, the first sign of being highly toxic is allergy symptoms, or an infection that lasts longer than usual. 

3. Reduce your cancer risk - Pesticides and synthetic fertilizers are known to cause cancer in laboratory animals.  These chemicals taken into our bodies in small amounts each day accumulate in our tissues.  They cause free radical damage and decrease our anti-oxidant stores leaving our cells vulnerable. 

4. Balance your hormones -Xenobiotics are well known for affecting the endocrine system.  They can have an increasing estrogen effect, which can cause more PMS, painful periods, cause fibroids, cancer.  Some cause a decreasing testosterone effect, which can alter our mood, energy level and sex drive. They also disturb the thyroid hormones which can cause weight changes, appetite changes, disturb sleep, affect hair growth.  Reproductive health is also affected. 

5.  Healthier nervous system -Living in our stressful go-go-go world, drinking loads of caffeine, sugary soda’s and alcohol, our nervous system is constantly under attack.  According to the National Academy of Science, “neurologic and behavioral effects may result from low-level exposure to pesticides.” Numerous studies show that pesticides can adversely affect the nervous system, increase the risk of cancer, and decrease fertility.  Pesticides, insecticides and synthetic fertilizers are known to affect the nervous system.  They can cause “brain fog” or toxic encephalopathy.  This is a condition which is characterized by lack of mental clarity, difficulty making decisions, getting things done, and forgetfulness.  Xenobiotics can also cause damage to the myelin coating on our nerves, changes to our coordination, numbness and tingling of our hands and feet.
   

6. Get more nutrition per bite -Why waste our time eating foods that don’t nourish us? The World Health Organization has found that vegetables produced today have 5-40% less minerals than those produced 50 years ago.  Organic farms are typically smaller and more conscious of soil repletion; therefore the food is higher quality. Now research is showing us how organic food is more nutritious.  When soil is fed organic matter rather than ammonia and other synthetic fertilizers, the food actually contains higher levels of vitamins and minerals, according to the 2005 study by Organic Center State of Science Review.  More recently, University of California, Davis researchers found that organic tomatoes had higher levels of phytochemicals and vitamin C than conventional tomatoes.

7. Help the environment downstream - Over 400 pesticides and herbicides are currently licensed for use on food crops, every year over 2.5 billion pounds are dumped on crop lands, forests, lawns, and fields.  Farming with synthetic fertilizers, and pesticides poisons more than just those farmers that work with them.  The downstream effect causes dead zones in our oceans, algae overgrowth in our streams, rivers and bays.  According to Science magazine, August, 2002, the Gulf of Mexico has a dead zone of over 22,000 square kilometers. This hence affects the entire ecosystem. 
8.  Be kind to your children….and their children -Unfortunately, these chemicals in the soil, and on our food are cumulative in our bodies.  Most are stored in our fat tissue.  The more we come in contact with them, the higher our body levels or “body burden.”  In addition, this level of toxicity is then passed on to our children through the woman’s womb.  Studies show that infants are exposed in utero to many agricultural and industrial chemicals. They found them in mothers blood serum, umbilical cord, amniotic fluid and placenta.  One study of Seattle preschoolers looked at urine samples and found the residues of organophosphorus, from insecticides, in 99% of children tested.  The one child that had no pesticides had only been fed organic foods.  This prompted a further study which determined that children that ate conventional foods had 9 times higher levels than those who ate 75% of their diet organic. 

9. Eat food that tastes better -Let the feasting commence!  It makes sense that as beings of nature, pure natural organic foods in our mouth taste better.  Washington State University researchers proved that organic berries were consistently judged as sweeter.  The latest research verifies that organic foods are lower in nitrates and these foods are then higher in antioxidants.  Many gourmet chefs across the nation use organic foods because they believe they taste superior to conventionally grown foods.  

10. Eat Consciously -Supporting local organic farms does more than keep revenue in your city or town.  It keeps your environment cleaner, less toxic.  Local farm workers stay healthier. Organic farming also uses 30% less energy.  Enjoy your local organic farmers fruits and vegetables and know that your money is helping not only you but also all those who touched the food and live on or near the land on which it was grown. 

Acne rosacea is connected to several imbalances in the body.  I find one or more of the following issues in my rosacea patients.  I see a history of poor diet and multiple courses of anti-biotics and or steroids in patients history.  All of which cause imbalance in the gastrointestinal tract.  Our skin is really connected to our gut.  Both interact with the outside world and protect us from foreign substances.  So when we heal the inside, we heal the outside as well. 

I see the following presentation:

Poor gastrointestinal health including imbalance in flora, low good bacteria, high bad bacteria.

Low hydrochloric acid production in the stomach.  

Deficiency in B vitamins, especially B2, riboflavin.

So I give Probiotics, Digestive enzymes with HCL (hydrochloric acid) and a high dose B vitamin complex.  This resolves 95% of the cases.  Occasionally I will have the patient send a stool sample to the lab to determine exactly what imbalances are happening in the gastrointestinal tract.   For more information, contact me directly.  I would be happy to explain in detail how this works.