posted Oct 25, 2010 11:17 AM by Brady Hurst
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updated Oct 25, 2010 11:23 AM
]
Most of us have health concerns. Whether you have questions about disease prevention or healthier options for current health issues, getting useful information can be difficult. Why? It’s because most doctors do not TAKE the time to educate you. We have a current healthcare model that geared towards symptom suppression and not health promotion. Therefore, we have millions of people who fall into this pill-popping model even if they don’t want to.
I am doing my part to help change this. For 45 minutes once/twice a week, I hit the internet video airwaves to help guide and educate you with
your specific health concerns in focus. Our new program, “The Doctor’s In LIVE” is a place for you to come ask me your pressing health questions live via video chat. Since our model is a Functional Medicine model and not a pharmaceutical/symptom suppression approach, my clinical opinions will be geared towards helping you dig deeper into the cause of your health concerns.
The Doctor’s In LIVE is free for everyone so make sure you send the sign up form to your friends and family.
How It Works
The date and time of the next Q&A will be sent out via email only (sign up now). Make sure you mark it in your calendar. You can also sign up for text message reminders (we never give out your number).
When Dr. Brady’s status becomes “live”, click the “chat” button within the video window. Type in your first name (press enter) then yourquestion (press enter).
He will answer questions on a first come, first served basis.
If you still have questions and would like to speak with Dr. Brady, you may schedule a FREE 5 minute consultation with him.
If you can not attend the scheduled Q&A session follow these steps:
Return to “The Doctor’s In LIVE” page on your own time.
Click “More” within the video box and review the Q&A session you missed.
Again, the goal of the Q&A session is to help you better understand the root causes of your health concerns and give you tips on how to address them. “The Doctor’s In LIVE” has already been a huge success with over 800 attendees in just a few short months. Bring you family, friends, and your questions to our next session. I hope to see you there.
If you fatten up everyone else around you, then you look thinner.
A recent study has determined that increased intakes of both calcium and vitamin D were associated with greater weight loss in those test subjects participating in a clinically controlled weight loss program.
Since one can overdose on vitamin D, it is important to have your vitamin D levels tested (along with calcium) once a season until optimal (around 50 ng/ml)
Read more about this interesting topic in the article Dairy calcium intake, serum vitamin D, and successful weight loss.
Learn more about this important topic in the article Intake of fatty acids and antioxidants and pancreatic cancer in a large population-based case-control study in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Fact #3
Green goodness.
Spirulina, the highly nutritious, microscopic blue-green algae, has been associated with many properties including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and blood lipid modulating properties and has been recently demonstrated metal chelating and hepato-protective properties when used with whey protein in a recent study.
An elderly man concerned about his fading memory said to his doctor, “I'm never sure I can remember where I put the car, or whether I answered a letter, or where I'm going, or what it is I'm going to do once I get there -- if I get there. So, I really need your help. What can I do?"
The doctor mused for a moment, then answered in his kindest tones, "Pay me in advance."
A combination of nutrients that included alpha-lipoic acid, acetyl-L-carnitine and glycerophosphocholine, were shown to decrease the rate of cognitive decline in animal models of Alzheimer’s disease.
"I got a new fishing rod and reel for my wife ...best trade I ever made."
Scientists have uncovered a major mechanism behind how fish oils display their anti-inflammatory properties. The researchers identified a key cell receptor on macrophages. Macrophages are immune cells that are involved in the inflammatory pathway. When the cell receptor is activated by fish oil, the inflammatory effect of the macrophage is turned off.
Inflammation is a serious problem in disease processes that can lead to cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This is why we have included inflammatory marker in or Health Check Plus with CardioMax blood test.
Learn more in the related article GPR120 Is an Omega-3 Fatty Acid Receptor Mediating Potent Anti-inflammatory and Insulin-Sensitizing Effects.
In Chinese numerology, the number eight is associated with prosperity.
Researchers have discovered that feeding a mixture of tocotrienols to mice genetically engineered to develop prostate cancer was shown to decrease and suppress tumor formation.
Vitamin E is made up of two families of compounds, the tocopherols and tocotrienols. Each of these families is then made up of four different forms making vitamin E a complex of eight fractions.
Healthy female subjects supplemented with astaxanthin, the red pigment found in salmon and the crustacean krill, found an increase in the activity of their immune response and a decrease in specific markers of inflammation including plasma C-reactive protein.
I was given an ultimatum 3 weeks ago. She said "it's me or your fishing." Gee I miss her.
Rats fed a modern Western diet consisting of 35% fat, predominately fat from omega-6 fatty acids (alpha linoleic) with little omega-3 fatty acids (alpha linolenic), expressed significant increases in body fat over subsequent generations. In other words a typical western diet, one which is made up of significantly more inflammation causing omega-6 fatty acids as opposed to the more beneficial and anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids, can over generations have negative impacts on body composition.
Traditionally, the fat content of diets consisted of much higher ratios of alpha linolenic to alpha linoleic (1:2 to 1:4) than today's modern diet which is as much as a 1:40 ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acid.
Good sources of omega-3 fatty acids can come from fish, krill and flax oils.
Lowering cholesterol and the subsequent use of statins has become a common and ubiquitous practice among many allopathic doctors, as it is now considered the standard of care in today's medical and clinical environment.
Researchers though, have determined that low levels of LDL cholesterol are being associated with a significantly increased risk of developing depression in men.
posted Aug 6, 2010 3:31 PM by Brady Hurst
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updated Aug 6, 2010 4:28 PM
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Have a health condition you're concerned about? We may be able to help. Call for yourfree phone consultation.
Fact #1
What do you get when you cross a soda and a frog? A croak-a-cola.
For the first time, researchers have found that fructose, a common sugar that has become ubiquitous in the modern western diet, can help fuel the proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells. Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly and aggressive cancers known.
A common source of fructose is high fructose corn syrup, a corn-based sweetener that accounts for more than 40 percent of the caloric sweeteners added to foods and beverages, and is the primary sweetener used in soft drinks.
View our Fructose Fact Sheet, where common misconceptions about fructose are discussed.
Fact #2
Safer testing options.
Researchers have found that for women under 40 using ultrasound is a less invasive, less expensive and possibly safer diagnostic tool in determining breast cancer than more invasive biopsies.
Both ultrasound and thermography may, in the future, prove to become a more popular diagnostic tool than using ionizing radiation (mammograms) or invasive procedures such as biopsies in this age group.
And remember kids, look both ways before crossing the street, don’t talk to strangers and always take vitamins D and K with your calcium.
Recently, the media has been referencing a study in which researchers have determined that calcium supplementation has now been associated with increased incidences of myocardial infarct. To those who understand the relationship between calcium, vitamin D and vitamin K, the researcher's conclusion makes sound physiological sense.
Unfortunately, what the media has neglected to mention is that this potential problem can easily be averted by always supplementing calcium with vitamin D and vitamin K. Vitamin D is necessary in order to help transport calcium into the blood stream. But once there, calcium can then find its way into soft tissues including blood vessels, thereby leading to calcification or hardening of the arteries which can then lead to cardiovascular disease.
Vitamin K plays a major role in calcium metabolism as it is responsible for activating a key protein that actively transports calcium away from soft tissues and into the bone where calcium can help strengthen bone and diminish the chances of developing osteoporosis.
Maybe this will be the year the heavy metal band Metallica comes out with their Christmas album.
Arsenic, a common heavy metal found in the environment which eventually makes its way into our air and water, can contribute to a host of side effects and health related issues when it reaches toxic levels in our bodies. These problems can include bladder, lung and skin cancer, and may cause kidney and liver cancer. Arsenic harms the central and peripheral nervous systems, as well as heart and blood vessels, and may cause birth defects and reproductive problems.
A recent study has discovered that supplementing with higher doses of a B vitamin complex can significantly increase the body's excretion of this toxic metal.
A woman accompanied her husband to the doctor's office. After his checkup, the doctor called the wife into his office alone. He said, "Your husband has a bad heart. If you don't do the following, your husband will surely die":
1. Each morning fix him a healthy breakfast. 2. Be pleasant and make sure he is in a good mood. 3. For lunch make him a nutritious meal. 4. For dinner prepare him an especially nice meal. 5. Don't burden him with chores as he probably had a hard day. On the way home, the husband asked his wife what the doctor said to her. "You're going to die!" she replied.
Dendritic cells are related to leukocytes and are therefore part of our immune system. Researchers have uncovered that up to 10% of the cells that make up atherosclerotic plaques are dendritic cells.
In a recent study quercetin, the flavonoid found primarily in apples and onions, was found to reduce dentritic cell adhesion, thereby suggesting that quercitin may be useful in fighting atherosclerosis, a major indicator of cardiovascular disease.
Conventional diagnosis of autoimmune diseases is commonly done through a blood test that looks for antibodies against healthy cells. After these antibodies are found, conventional medicine recommends taking immune suppressive drugs and/or hormone replacement therapy for life - with risks that greatly outweigh the benefits. Functional medicine (advanced natural medicine) has powerful and natural tools that dramatically improve the lives of those with autoimmune diseases without these risks.
The reason why conventional medicine has failed with autoimmunity is because their model is not designed to look for the individual cause (or promoters) of the immune dysfunction. Two different people with Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism will have very different immune dysfunctions therefore will need different protocols. The key is to get a clear picture of the individual’s unique immune system can only be achieve through functional laboratory testing.
The 3 Secrete Blood Tests
TH1 TH2 Cytokine Test- Your white blood cells communicates with each other through proteins called
cytokines. You immune system consists of mainly two systems: The first attackers (Th1 cells) and antibodies (Th2 cells). In a properly functioning immune system, the Th1 and Th2 cells should be in balance like a see- saw. When one of these systems becomes more powerful than the other, and autoimmunity can be triggered. The goal is to balance this system. Since many therapies used in natural medicine can influence this see-saw, it is critical to know which side is dominant in order to promote balance.
CD4 CD8 Ratio Profile (Immune System Analysis)- We have cells in our immune system called "helper cells" that help our white blood cells attack foreign innovators. Other cells help turn off the immune attack ("suppressor cells") when the fight is over. This important test it allows you and your doctor to know if a foreign innovator (bacteria, virus, food, environmental toxin, and/or heavy metals) are influencing the autoimmune attack or if the immune system is dysfunctional due to other causes like chronic stress or nutritional insufficiencies. Vitamin D Test (25 Hydroxy D)- Vitamin D is not actually a vitamin, it's a hormone. A hormone that plays an extremely important role in the modulation, or balancing, of the immune system. Not only do most people suffering with autoimmune diseases have low levels of vitamin D but they also have genetic changes that keeps vitamin D from being used in the body. This means they many need to take very high doses of vitamin D in order to function properly. Since vitamin D influenced blood calcium levels it is necessary to have you levels rechecked every 3 weeks until optimal levels are achieved. O
ur Health Check Plus with Vitamin D also includes the vitamin d test.
"Good Treatment Starts with Great Testing"
To help you make the right choice, you may schedule a free phone consultation with one of our highly trained doctors. We will listen to your symptoms and concerns, guide you through the process and help make this as easy as possible for you. Regardless of your diagnosis, the picture that these tests creates is extremely useful for anyone suffering with autoimmune diseases.
I saw a woman wearing a button the other day that said, "I'm still hot. It just comes in flashes now."
Women who are overweight appear to have more serious hot flashes during menses than those women who are not overweight.
According to a recent study overweight women who were put on an intensive behavioral weight reduction regiment demonstrated a significant improvement in their hot flashes during menses compared to a control group.
Read the interesting, related article entitled An Intensive Behavioral Weight Loss Intervention and Hot Flushes in Women.
Fact #2
The doctor comes in and tells his patient he has some good news and some bad news. The good news is that you don't have cancer. The bad news is that you have short-term memory loss.
Then the patient says, "But do I have cancer?"
A study performed in rats showed that a group of nutrients that included green tea extract, carnosine, blueberry extract and vitamin D, when used together,demonstrated improvements in cognition and memory and increased stem cell and neuron formation in models of aging brains.
Cinnamon was used on funeral pyres in Ancient Rome. In 65 AD, Nero burned a year's supply of cinnamon at his second wife Poppaea Sabina's funeral in order to show the depth of his grief.
Researchers at the USDA are investigating the insulin and blood glucose modulating properties of cinnamon.
Volunteers who took a cinnamon extract showed significant decreases in fasting blood glucose and small increases in lean muscle mass compared with the placebo group. Also, pre and post study analysis of the extract group revealed small but statistically significant decreases in body fat and blood pressure.
Learn more on this topic in the article entitled Diabetes: Nutrition Research Tackles Widespread Disease.
Fact #4
Why did the chicken cross the road?
DR. SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed, I've not been told!
KARL MARX: It was a historical inevitability.
BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with THAT chicken. What do you mean by chicken? Could you define chicken, please?
In animal models of ovarian cancer, researchers found that chickens supplemented with flax seed demonstrated a significant reduction in tumor size and severity and enjoyed overall improvements in health and mortality than those that were not supplemented with flax.
Read more about this topic in the article, Decreased severity of ovarian cancer and increased survival in hens fed a flaxseed-enriched diet for 1 year.
Fact #5
What works even when it's fired? A neuron.
S-adenosylmethionine or (SAMe) is a naturally occurring compound made in the body and plays important roles in regulating neurotransmitters such as serotonin, melatonin, and dopamine and also participates in DNA synthesis and is crucial to joint health and integrity as well.
In a recent study, SAMe was shown to increase levels of glutathione, the primary endogenously produced antioxidant in the body, by decreasing high levels of homocystiene. High levels of homocysteine have been associated with oxidizing glutathione in the brain which can be particularly damaging to delicate tissues such as neurons. Therefore, according to the study, SAMe can be viewed as having neuroprotective properties.
posted Jun 18, 2010 12:52 PM by Brady Hurst
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updated Jun 18, 2010 12:53 PM
]
Fact #1
Two elderly ladies, friends for years, were sitting on a
bench when one turns to the other and says, "Please don’t be angry with
me, dear, but I am embarrassed, after all these years. What is your
name? I am trying to remember, but I just can't."
The older friend stares at her, looking very
distressed, says nothing for two full minutes, and finally with tearful
eyes, says, "How soon do you have to know?"
The trace mineral chromium
was shown to help boost memory and improve cognitive performance
according to a recent study. Chromium helps increase insulin
sensitivity and improves insulin resistance in those with diabetes.
Insulin resistance has also been associated as a possible risk factor in the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
According to a recent study, drinking four or more cups of green,
black or herbal tea a day has been found to decrease the risk of
developing ovarian cancer.
An unlikely but serious side effect for people taking bisphosphonates for osteoporosis
is the risk of developing osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ).
Bisphosphonates are a class of drugs that includes the medications
Fosamax and Boniva.
Osteonecrosis literally means bone death and the jaw is the typical place for this side effect to occur.
Read the related article entitled Osteoporosis, Medications and Oral Health.
Fact #4
If men were to become pregnant, fathers would demand that their SONS be home from dates by 10:00pm.
Choline, normally classified as a member of the vitamin B family,
when given as a supplement to pregnant and/or lactating female mice,
demonstrated an ability to impart lasting cognitive and emotional
benefits to pups genetically engineered to display symptoms of Down's
syndrome.
The improvements found in cognition and in certain measurements of
mental abilities were also extrapolated to imply that the
supplementation of choline may also be protective against neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.
I joined a gym recently. Either I'll get into shape, or I'll just resign myself to paying an $85 a month fat tax.
Patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia,
reported fewer symptoms of pain and physical limitations, when they
were directed in incorporating bursts of moderate duration exercise of
approximately 30 minutes per day.
posted May 28, 2010 11:50 AM by Brady Hurst
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updated May 28, 2010 11:56 AM
]
Fact #1
One lab mouse to another: I've trained that crazy human at last. How have you done that? I don't know how, but every time I run through that maze and ring the bell, he gives me a piece of cheese.
Older mice, mice that are known to have decreased immune function, were supplemented with vitamin E and demonstrated increased formation of T cells, a type of white blood cell called a lymphocyte which plays a major role in cell mediated immunity.
Long term Vitamin E use was also found to decrease the risk of contacting chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in both smokers and non-smokers, according to the latest research.
and even more in the article entitled Long-Term Use Of Vitamin E May Decrease COPD Risk.
Fact #2
The gene blues.
Certain women with a familial history of breast cancer that also have a specific mutation of the BRCA1 gene have demonstrated an increased risk in also developing ovarian cancer.
Learn more about this important topic in the related article.
There are currently over 500 journal publications, as well as documented epidemiological evidence, showing that diets rich in broccoli and broccoli sprouts are chemoprotective and may reduce the risk of many forms of cancer.
Fact #3
What does a tea bag do when it's tired? It seeps.
Catechins, a family of polyphenols found in green tea, may help protect the eyes against glaucoma and other eye related diseases, according to recent research. The green tea compounds can travel from the digestive system into the tissues of the eyes.
Researchers analyzed eye tissue from rats that drank green tea and found that the lens, retina and other tissues absorbed significant amounts of the catechins. Catechins act as powerful antioxidants that protect sensitive eye tissue from oxidative damage which can be caused by UV radiation and other sources.
Who was the greatest center in the history of the HCBA (the Hot Cereal Basketball Association)? Kareem O'Wheat.
Children with celiac disease have been found to have lower than normal levels of tryptophan and other associated amino acid precursors. These deficiencies can then lead to higher rates of depression and behavioral disorders. It was found in a recent study, that those children with celiac disease who complied with agluten free diet experienced a decrease in the severity and frequency of depression and associated psychiatric behaviors.
What did the fish do when his piano sounded odd? He called the piano tuna!
Women who consume a diet high in trans-fats have a significantly increased risk of developing endometriosis. This is in comparison to those women who consume a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, the type found in fish and flax seed. These women are found to have a significantly reduced risk of developing endometriosis.
What is endometriosis?
Endometriosis is a pelvic inflammatory condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus is formed elsewhere in the body. Endometriosis can cause scar tissue and adhesions that can then lead to debilitating pain.
Read the related article entitled A prospective study of dietary fat consumption and endometriosis risk.
posted May 18, 2010 6:47 AM by Brady Hurst
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updated May 18, 2010 6:57 AM
]
Low Vitamin D levels are very common in the United States because
of diminished nutrition in our food supply, the overuse of sunscreen,
and the overall lack of outdoor activity in the
Dangers of Low Vitamin D
summer and in winter.
AT LEAST 15 minutes (30 minutes for African Americans) of direct
sunlight or 30 minutes to 1 hour of shade time is required for adequate
Vitamin D production. We have not yet evolved enough to produce more
Vitamin D with less sunlight. Our prehistoric ancestors lived near the
equator receiving direct UV rays and therefore receiving adequate
amounts of Vitamin D…and sadly enough, their food supply was also more
nutritious than ours today.
Low Vitamin D levels substantially increase the risk of a variety
of diseases including several cancers, heart disease, high blood
pressure, diabetes, depression, infections (such as Candida), multiple
sclerosis, and is linked to an increase of death FROM ALL CAUSES.
Optimal levels of Vitamin D should read around 50-90 ng/ml. About
90% of my patients show less than 20 ng/ml which is considered an EXTREME DEFICIENCY.
Adults and children should be tested once each season. Our office can easily run this test.
The majority of us are Vitamin D deficient and should supplement.
Vitamin D should be taking in a cod or flax based formula. Vitamin D
works best when taken with its co-factors and synergist.
I STRESS THAT FULL PERSONAL BALANCE OF ALL VITAMINS,
MINERALS, FATTY ACIDS, ENZYMES AND CO-FACTORS ALONG WITH DECREASING THE
BURDEN OF HEAVY METALS, VIRAL/BACTERIAL LOADS, AND OXIDATION ARE KEY TO
TRULY REGAINING HEALTH.
Our goal here at True Health is to identify the spider web of
metabolic dysfunctions that occur in the chronically ill and those of
us who are healthy and want to prevent chronic illnesses. We find these
dysfunctions through objective laboratory tests. Your personalized plan
includes lifestyle, environmental, and dietary changes with an
individualized supplement plan.
We are now seeing patients from all over the country. See our TeleHealth System.
posted May 13, 2010 8:25 AM by Brady Hurst
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updated May 13, 2010 1:04 PM
]
New studies have shown that the spice, Curcumin, may be of great beneficial for
those with autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto's Disease (Thyroid), Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, Psoriasis, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, and Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Curcumin helps by balancing the immune / inflammatory response in the body. There is a concern, however. Because Curcumin is not well absorbed, higher therapeutic levels can not be reached. New
advancement in technology, however, has overcome this obstacle and we now have a new formulation of highly absorbent Curcumin (Meriva-SR). Now that we have access to higher dosages, it is important that you work with a qualified healthcare practitioner to insure correct usage (see TeleHealth).
These studies revealed that Curcumin helped lower inflammatory cytokines like Interleukin 1 beta,
Interleukin-6,
Interleukin-12, TNF-alpha, and IFN-gamma. These immune system communication proteins should be tested in ALL of those with autoimmune conditions. This is rarely the case since the most treatments involve aggressive immune suppression. Other tests can be used to understand the promoters of autoimmune inflammatory conditions.
This is why many people suffering from autoimmune conditions are turning to Functional Medicine doctors for natural treatments because they are effective, safe, and inexpensive.
