Be Well Blog

Integrative Medicine Explained

By Dr. C. Evers Whyte

What is “Integrated Medicine?”  Ask ten different doctors this question and you might get 10 different answers.  It’s an exciting topic in that new findings are being published every day about how the success of medical outcomes are  improving through integrating different therapies, protocols and even medical paradigms.

My answer is this: Integrated Medicine is a model through which a physician or therapist first looks at a person who is coming for help, asks themselves, “What does this person need to become whole again?” and then uses any and every tool and resource available to facilitate that healing process.  It is more than the combined use of various “conventional” and “alternative” therapies, but aims to access deeper levels of our consciousness.  For example, a hug could be clinically described as, “two persons wrapping their arms around each other and squeezing,” but we all know this explanation lacks the true essence of what a hug is all about!

To begin to understand and appreciate the “process” of Integrated Medicine we first have to appreciate that while our bodies are made of interconnected physical systems–cardiovascular, skeletal, endocrine, nervous, etc, we are more than the sum of these parts.  We are in actual fact, beings composed of integrated and interpenetrating Intelligences: body, mind, soul, and spirit.

To be healthy, we need all these aspects of our beings to be “aligned” and working harmoniously.  If there is dis-harmony, there is dis-ease.  As an Integrated Medical physician, I seek to align and integrate all effective medicinal modalities to heal all the integrated elements, or Intelligences, of your being.

The patient that comes into our office with fatigue and brain-fog may be suffering from iron-deficiency, anemia, or adrenal exhaustion, perhaps hypoglycemia, decreased melatonin production, or the reluctance to go through the natural process of grief at a loved-one’s death after a long illness.  As I work with the patient to find the root of her ailments, we may discover that a number of these diagnoses are correct, perhaps even all of them.  This patient doesn’t have a Prozac deficiency.  She may need a change in

What's For Breakfast?

 

Breakfast is key to starting your day feeling healthy and energetic. Whether you are focused on balancing your blood sugar, lowering cholesterol, losing weight, avoiding gluten and dairy, fighting off yeast or improving your mood and focus...the breakfast recommendations are basically the same!

1. Make sure to include protein. 
2. Minimize carbohydrates.
3. Include healthy fat and fiber if possible.

Ok, with those three points in mind, let's build a breakfast for you. I would like to encourage you to think outside the breakfast box! Forget about cereals, pancakes, waffles and the like. They are simply too high in carbohydrates, have a high glycemic index and, furthermore, tend to contain gluten (an all too common grain that many people can't eat).

Set aside American breakfast concepts, and those advertised on TV and start thinking of breakfast in a whole new way. How about wild salmon for breakfast? (that is one of my favorites) Or left over chicken and roasted vegetables. 

Here are my favorite breakfast choices:

1. Protein shake (Metagenics Sustain or Thorne Mediclear Plus) with flax seed oil, ground flax seeds and ProBerry

2. Turkey Bacon (hormone and antibiotic free)

3. Frozen turkey sausage (hormone and antibiotic free)

4. Wild Salmon, sauteed with onions

5. Turkey Bologna (hormone and antibiotic free)

6. Whole, Organic egg (if you are not intolerant to eggs) poached or sauteed with arugula and goat cheese

How much you ask?

  My recommendation is to eat half. Eat half as much as you think you need or half as much as you usually have. What is the worst possibility? You might feel hungry in an hour or two? Great, then eat a second breakfast. 

It is better to spread out the calories and eat every 3 to 4 hours throughout the day, so for those of you like me, who love breakfast, I don't think it will take much convincing to switch to breakfast twice! That is right, eat half, and eat the other half (or something else) in a couple hours. 

 

To drink? 

Stay away from juices. They are basically sugar, adding to your carbohydrate load and making a tasty breakfast for yeast, encouraging them to stay instead of go away. A much healthier option is green tea. It helps regulate blood sugar and metabolism, and prevents cancer at the same time. 

Otherwise water, filtered of course, is a great place to start your day, especially if you consume caffeine, which is a diuretic. Minimize the caffeine, but at the same time I think you will find that the longer you stick to these breakfast items, you won't be needing that caffeine to boost your energy so much anymore.

  

Do you have a favorite, healthy breakfast plan or recipe?  Share it with us.  Click on "Post A Comment" below.

 

 

Natural Allergy Relief With No Side Effects

Natural D-Hist goes head to head with Claritin with better results and fewer side effects.

Allergies can make us miserable any time of the year, but during the spring and summer they tend to be worse and keep us from enjoying the outdoors.  Unfortunately, most anti-allergy products are chemically designed to force the body to function in a way that is not natural, hence the many side effects.

Two of our Center’s most popular products are “Natural D-Hist,” for adults and “D-Hist Jr.,” for children.  Scientifically formulated for maximum effectiveness with carefully selected dosages of four natural components, and thoroughly researched, Natural D-Hist is a fast acting, non-drowsy, all natural remedy that can stop allergic reactions before they begin.  And best of all, there are no side effects and a even a money back guarantee.

To help convince you of its effectiveness, we’re offering free samples of Natural D-Hist for you to try.  To further convince you that it’s so much better for you than conventional allergy drugs, we’re providing a head to head comparison of the side effects caused by Natural D-Hist and Claritin.  All the listed information comes directly from the two products’ literature.

D-Hist Jr. & Natural D-Hist's side effects:  Their packaging information states that 

Natural D-Hist's extensive human trials have produced no side effects.  And just for good measure they go on to say that a person’s first time taking some herbal remedies may result in a mild upset stomach that usually disappears when the herb is taken closer to meal time.  And, even though none have been recorded with Natural D-Hist, they warn that if an individual happens to be allergic to any given herb, a mild rash or hives could result.

The listed side effects for Claritin tablets, Claritin Reditabs and Claritin syrup are:  Headache, somnolence, fatigue, dry mouth, nervousness, wheezing, hyperkinesias, abdominal pain, conjunctivitis, malaise, upper respiratory tract infection, diarrhea, epistaxis (nose bleed), pharyngitis, influenza-like symptoms, tooth disorder, stomatitis, earache, rash, altered lacrimation, altered salivation, flushing, hypoesthesia, impotence, increased sweating, thirst, angioneurotic  edema, asthenia, back pain, blurred vision, chest pain, eye pain, fever, leg cramps, rigors, tinnitus, weight gain, hypertension, hypotension, palpitations, superventricular tachyarrhythmias, syncope, tachycardia, blepharospasm, dizziness, dysphonia, hypertonia, migraine, paresthesia, tremor, vertigo, altered taste, anorexia, constipation, dyspepsia, flatulence, gastritis, hiccup, increased appetite, loose stools, nausea, vomiting, arthalgia, myalgia, agitation,  amnesia, anxiety, confusion , decreased libido, depression, impaired concentration, insomnia, irritability, paranoia, breast pain , dysmenorrhea, menorrhagia, vaginitis, bronchitis, bronchospasm, coughing, dyspnea, hemoptysis, laryngitis, nasal dryness, sinusitis, sneezing, dermatitis, dry hair, dry skin, photosensitivity reaction, pruritus, purpura urticaria, altered micturition, urinary discoloration , urinary incontinence, urinary retention, abnormal hepatic function, including jaundice, hepatitis and hepatic necrosis, alopecia, anaphylaxis, breast enlargement, erythema multiforme, peripheral edema, thrombocytopenia, and finally, seizures.

Many of the worse symptoms are contributed to Claritin Syrup, designed for children!

So, when are you coming in for your free samples?  Call us, we'll put some aside for you!

(203) 708-9299

 

Food Allergies & Cancer

Our workshop/group discussion led by Dr. Doni Wilson was a huge success.

There were many participants and lots of vital information shared about how to identify food allergies and reduce the risk of chronic ailments and cancer.  We'll be posting a summary article about this topic soon.  But in the mean time, I'd like to invite those of you who participated to share your comments about what you learned during the workshop and what it means to you personally using the "Post A Comment" area below.  (If you do not see this option, double click on this article's title then scroll down).  Also, I'd like to invite all our readers to join the discussion as well.  The more we share what we know the more we can improve the health and well being of our Center's community.
Thanks to you all and to Dr. Donni!
Michele Russell
Director Program Development

 

Dr. Donielle Wilson, ND

Naturopathic Family Practice

Why I Do What I Do

Today I met with a patient with an all too familiar story.   For 10 years she’s suffered persistent and worsening symptoms, visiting doctor after doctor, only to be told that everything is “normal.” 

You might ask, “How can it be that a medical professional would send someone home to continue suffering with no further concern, not to mention curiosity, as to what was at the root of her symptoms?”

I believe this occurs for two reasons.  One is that the body is really good at compensating and keeping things "normal" in the blood while the other parts of the body are ailing, which is why blood test results often come back "within the normal range" even when the patient feels terrible.  The second reason is that conventional medical training focuses on the extreme of medical conditions.  This means that for someone whose