The benefits of maintaining muscle mass at any age cannot be underestimated. Here’s why: Muscle is involved in brain function in a big way. Muscle directly communicates with the brain through chemicals and messengers such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). These chemicals are released every time we exercise. So exercise not only makes your muscles bigger, it makes your brain bigger and improves cognitive performance, too.(1) The loss of muscle mass that occurs with

In a world full of stress and uncertainty, rest is one of the most important factors for creating wellness. Restorative activities can include mental, physical, and/or emotional activities that help to promote resilience. Particularly if you are under chronic stress, restful activities can break the cycle of stress and assist you on the path to health Get Unstuck Knowing that the brain is not static, but instead has plasticity, underlines one of the key reasons to practice r

There are well-tolerated vitamins and supplements with evidence showing benefit in neuropathy and neuropathic pain. Vitamins and herbs are not subject to rigorous federal regulatory oversight and can have potential interactions with pharmaceutical agents. Therefore, even though these supplements are available over-the-counter, treatment should be under the guidance of an experienced healthcare professional. Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is a naturally occurring fatty acid that can

Fill in the blank. What word would you use to describe this time of year? Wonderful, stressful, joyful? The 2019 Holiday Season is upon us. This means that it’s a wonderful time for some and a stressful time for others. What can you do to avoid getting caught up in the stress of the holiday season? Or even better, how do you go from feeling stressed out to actually enjoying it? Here are some suggestions from health coach Maria Zepeda at healthyheartcoaching.com. Recognize you

Some Idiopathic Neuropathies may be due to Gluten Sensitivity It is estimated that about 1% of the population has celiac disease, a gastrointestinal disorder caused by an autoimmune reaction to the wheat protein, gluten. (1) Celiac disease is definitively diagnosed by antibodies in the blood and intestinal biopsy, but most cases are thought to be undiagnosed. A growing number of individuals, about 8% of the population, avoid gluten and wheat because they feel that they are s

Concerns arise regarding the many possible side-effects of prednisone. People want to know how to avoid the weight gain, hypertension, high triglycerides, insulin resistance, diabetes and bone loss that can be associated with chronic prednisone use. In my experience, there are nutritional and lifestyle interventions that can definitely help to avoid these side-effects. Most of the immune system resides in the digestive tract. That means that what we eat has a direct impact

I’m an advocate for radical self-care. I define radical, in this scenario, as the departure from societal norms. Ancient people knew the importance of self-care, being aligned with life and taking time to rest and recover. Today, it seems to be a badge of honor to push ourselves until we drop. We are not accustomed to prioritizing ourselves and our self-care. The primary benefit of radical self-care is stress reduction. Cortisol, our body’s major stress hormone, elevates

The innate intelligence of herbs never ceases to amaze me. Many medicinal plants, or herbs, are revered by the ancient medical traditions due to their healing benefits, and about 40% of modern medicines are derived from plants. We have evolved side-by-side with herbal plants for millennia, and thus we have a much more natural and symbiotic relationship with them than we do with modern day drugs. Typically, a drug is made up of one chemical compound which is designed to tar

I don’t believe in avoiding gluten for everyone, I believe in avoiding your typical grocery store loaf of bread. Your bread should have four basic ingredients, ie. flour, salt, leavening and water. These ingredients have been used for centuries, and the beautiful simplicity, make superior loafs. The average grocery story bread has something like 16-24 ingredients. There are all kinds of chemicals used in baking of commercial bread-like products that are best to avoid and h

The traditional sourdough baking process have existed since antiquity, but has been cast aside for the quicker, higher yield and more profitable alternative, the quick rise yeast, which reduces the nutritional content of the bread along with making it harder to digest. The quick rise yeast has taken the place of the long fermentation process and this is one important reason for the rise in digestive symptoms from bread eating. The Sourdough baking process is making a return

“I believe we can move towards a healthier more natural relationship with bread again.” -Dr. Rowin Modern agriculture, modern food processing and modern baking practices have had detrimental effects on the health of our country in recent decades. The bread and cereal products made from modernized, conventionally grown wheat and rushed baking procedures are a major reason for the growing epidemic of obesity, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and gluten sensitivity in the U.S. As w

By Julie Rowin MD Acupuncture has been utilized in the East for centuries and thought to balance “Chi”, one name for our vital life force energy. In the West, acupuncture is growing in popularity for the treatment of a variety of issues, including but not limited to headaches, digestive issues, neck and back pain, fatigue, anxiety and hormonal imbalances. Research studies support the use of acupuncture for a variety of chronic pain syndromes including chronic pain from diab