It seems like every single day we have more advancements in the research done on the human microbiome. Word has spread about the gut microbiome, and the genitalia microbiome. But new development is coming out in areas of the body we least expect it.Such as the Ocular Microbiome, better known as the bacteria of the eye.Researchers have discovered an ecosystem of the microbiome within the eye. In these early stages of research, the eye is showing to have a much smaller population of bacteria than other areas of the body, such as the gut. This does not mean that the ocular microbiome isn't important. In fact, it could tell us more about how to protect the eye and how to prevent eye disease.
Over the past few summers, a new pattern has risen over on the West Coast: an increase in wildfires. Naturally, there will always be the threat of wildfire when the landscape becomes dry, but lately there have been more fires, which leads to more exposure to wildfire smoke.When the air becomes so thick with smoke, the obvious question is how does wildfire smoke effect your health. As we become more exposed to smoke in the air, we should learn the best ways to protect your health from the wildfire smoke.
As we start to age, there are different nutritional and movement needs that we need to add into our daily lives. When it comes to the older population, it is extremely important to focus on a couple specifics:Protein
Water and hydration
Mineral depletion
Coordination
Balance
For the elderly, these start to become extremely necessary to feel great and safe each and every day.
Over the past couple of decades, we have seen a big increase in neurotransmitter dysfunction ranging from anxiety and depression, to Alzheimer's and even Schizophrenia. The 4 main neurotransmitters that we pay attention to are:Serotonin
GABA
Catecholamines
Endorphins
There has been a lot of information coming out about the power of the Ketogenic Diet for optimal brain function, but that relates mostly to the brain cells using ketones as the primary fuel source compared to glucose. What we don't hear about often enough is the types of amino acids needed to produce neurotransmitters.
It has been estimated that over 45 million Americans participate in diets each year, and less than 5% continue to maintain the diet after a couple of months. This means there is a big disconnect between diets, and how to make it a lifestyle change. Katie Garces says that what we are missing in most diets is teaching about intuitive eating.As we well know, we have lost most of our connection with the food that we eat because food has become very convenient, and we don't have to work hard to get it. Because of the convenience, we start to lose our ability to understand what our body needs in terms of nutrients and foods.
If you are 40 or older, then it is expected that you will gain weight and become increasingly more tired.This is a common thought for women who are getting older. Weight gain, insomnia, and decreased energy is just a byproduct of aging, and there is nothing you can do about it...Or so we thought. These issues are actually a sign of dysregulation in the endocrine system, and it shows that your body is struggling to regulate hormones effectively. There actually is hope in getting back your energy, and to regulate hormones properly!
If you have ever go in for your yearly checkup with your doctor, there is no doubt that at some point you have gone through some diagnostic tools, such as blood tests, to see your nutrient and hormone levels. Many times this is a Comprehensive Wellness Panel, and will tell you information such as your red and white blood counts, lipid profile, and some minerals.
When you start to have some health symptoms, your doctor may order some other tests for further information. The idea to dig deeper is great, but many times these tests aren't looking in the right areas, or the doctors aren't using them to figure out the root causes.For instance, if you show signs of a thyroid issue, the doctor will typically run a TSH test, and if you are lucky, they may even check for T4 and T3. However, these are only a small part of the puzzle as there are other hormones associated with the thyroid, and this still isn't incorporating the results into the big picture of the body!
Have you ever been so stressed out that you end up eating an entire bag of chips or something else crunchy? What about being so sad that you down a whole thing of ice cream? If so, you aren't alone, and our emotional eating has a lot to do with different types of textures.Different types of textures are associated with different emotions we are experiencing because of how our body perceives these textures. For instance, a creamy texture can be really soothing, which is why we turn to the ice cream when we are sad. Once we understand how these textures integrate with our emotional eating, we can then take this information and understand what it is our body is trying to tell us!
If you have ever been backpacking for a couple of days, one thing you may have noticed is how much weight and room food can take up in your pack. This variable is dependent upon the length of your trip (or how comfortable you want to be on your trip). For those who are keto backpacking, they notice a huge difference in their pack weight and how they feel.Food is the literal energy you have in order to complete your trip. If you are lacking the energy to get to your destination, or you are just exhausted after every single trip you do, then you might want to take a look at your food.
When was the last time you thought about how your mineral levels are doing? Likely your answer is 'never', or at the most you say that you get calcium from your milk. So if we don't think about minerals, why would heavy metal toxicity become something we are interested in?As Wendy Myers said in our podcast, the minerals are the spark plugs for the body. When minerals are out of balance, then a lot of dysfunction can start to occur. Heavy metals are known to place themselves where normal minerals are supposed to be in the body, however instead of improving our function, it creates heavy metal toxicity.
As a Schedule 1 substance, CBD and hemp has been debated for a long time about whether this is a dangerous plant for humans to use. However, with the rise in states legalizing marijuana, and people being open to try new options, we have seen a lot of benefits to using CBD Oil.In fact, some of the most common reports of CBD Oil usage is for seizures, anxiety, and even chronic pain. And you know what we don't ever hear about? The psychoactive properties of CBD Oil......because there are none.
As the number 1 leading cause of death in America, heart disease is a problem that we've had a hard time fixing. For most cardiologists, they spend their time throwing pills at patients, or opening them up to fix the issue.For years we have been told that saturated fat is evil, and that cholesterol will kill us all. While everyone has been eating low-fat, sugar intake has increased dramatically, and heart disease has also risen.So maybe the problem isn't the cholesterol-rich foods we used to eat, but instead are other issues with our food system and out stress levels.
We live in an age where 1 in 2 people will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their life. The sad part is, people don't really want to discuss this issue, and we never hear anything about the cancer support that is provided for these individuals.It is a very scary diagnosis to receive, but we can't keep quiet about the different options for treatment. Yes there is chemo and radiation as options, but these literally just kill the area around the cancer cells with the hopes it'll kill the cancer as well.
Roughly 1 in 4 women suffer from some form of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction (PFD). There could be quite a few areas within the pelvic floor that might not function properly, but the most common issue is incontinence. Nearly 1 in 5 women suffer from urinary incontinence, which makes up the majority of PFDs.For an issue that is so widely spread across our communities, many of the conversations aren't about ways to improve these issues. Most people assume that incontinence is just a byproduct of getting older.
It is no surprise that families have a hard time to create healthy routines for the entire family. With young kids running around (or even teenagers), parents who work full time, and having to actually "adult", it can be stressful to build a healthy family.It can be very easy to throw in the towel on workouts and healthy eating, and resort to grabbing whatever is convenient and easy. You may think it is easier to give your child that extra snack so they don't cry instead of standing your ground and making them eat their veggies.To give in to convenience and taking the easy route does not create a healthy family. Training kids to receive treats for doing "good" things ingrains a reward pathway in the brain where they incorporate happiness and pleasure with snacks. This doesn't mean kids shouldn't get treats from time to time, but we do want to make sure they enjoy real food instead of constantly falling for processed junk.
If you're looking for an easy meal with a spicy kick, look no further than our Instant Pot Mexican Chicken Soup! With Cinco de Mayo right around the corner, a lot of us have our heads in the clouds, eager for the excuse to eat extra Hispanic food and drink more tequila than normal this weekend.Just remember Cinco de Mayo is NOT a traditional Mexican holiday, so don't be surprised if your Hispanic friends roll their eyes a little at you.All of my friends know I'm addicted to Mexican food already and have a ton of respect for traditions and culture, so I just use the "holiday" as an excuse to indulge more freely and make fun recipes.
Let's face it, sometimes after a long day at work, you just want to kick back in your chair and have a drink. We've all been there, and there is no shame. Surprisingly though, many mixed drinks are packed full of unnecessary sugar. But for this low carb margarita, the amount of sugar will be much lower than most other margaritas.In fact, if the margarita you are drinking is made from a mix, there is a pretty high chance the mix alone contains around 30g of sugar. However, if your margarita is made from scratch, it will probably be closer to 10g or so. We can get even lower than that though by utilizing our low carb margarita.Looking at the nutritional profile of this tasty drink, you'll notice that it only has about 6g of net carbs, and only 2g of sugar. For an alcoholic beverage, I would say that is a win!
We see many commercials for topical creams that are supposed to "treat" eczema. However, over 35 million Americans still suffer from eczema on a daily basis. Could there be more to the puzzle than just what we see on the outside of the body?Eczema is where patches of the skin becomes rough and inflammed. These patches can become itchy which may also lead to bleeding. Typically they are found on the hands and knees.While many people use topical creams or lotions to dry and reduce inflammation and re-hydrate the skin, there is usually an underlying issue that is more internal which is causing the eczema. In this episode, we talk with Dr. Stephanie Davis to learn more about ways to treat eczema.
There is a good chance you have heard of MCT Oil, but what does "MCT" really mean? Well, it stands for Medium Chain Triglycerides, which is a form of saturated fatty acid that has quite a few health benefits, including improving the gut microbiome and providing an easy energy source. These are just a few of the MCT Oil benefits that we can expect to see.MCTs are naturally found in quite a few foods, such as coconut oil and butter. For many people on a standard Western Diet, not enough natural MCTs are found in the diet. This is mainly because of the anti-fat fad that started back in the 1950's. Now, research is showing that these saturated fats are needed in the diet to improve overall health.It is important that we get some saturated fats into our diet every single day. MCTs and other healthy fats that can be found in foods like grass-fed butter and coconuts are much easier to digest than long-chain fatty acids.
At times while on the Keto Diet, you may come across a meal or two that isn't fully "keto compliant". Meals that are higher in carbohydrates tend to kick the body out of ketosis and turns to burning off the excess sugar first.If you have been on the keto diet for awhile, then your body can pop right back into ketosis relatively quickly. But if you want a quick way to get those ketones flowing through your body, then utilizing low carb smoothies such as the Keto Chocolate Sea Salt Smoothie can be really effective.Using products containing Exogenous Ketones can be a great way to switch the body back into a fat-burning state. Adding them into low carb smoothies, which are blended and help with initial stages of digestion, is a great way to get these ketones into your body fast!