Category: Integrative Cancer Support

Dr. Sasha Fluss, ND at NatureMed Clinic in Boulder/Denver As we come out of the holiday season filled with indulging and rich foods many people are interested in a Detox as we move into spring and warmer weather. What is Detox? Detoxification is all about optimizing your “emunctory organs”. E-munc-tory-what’s? Your emunctory organs are your excretory organs, the areas of your body that are used to excrete waste products and toxins. These include: Gastrointestinal tract: toxins and wastes are removed through your GI tract. Having healthy, regular easy to pass bowel movements is essential to ensure good elimination. Once a day is great up to after every meal for optimal elimination. While there may be multiple reasons for your constipation, in general, ensuring adequate hydration and fiber intake (such as that found in fruits and veggies, legumes and whole grains) is key. Liver: The liver is our main detoxification organ. It utilizes a series of enzyme pathways known as Phase 1 and Phase 2 to break down toxins and then make them soluble so that they can be eliminated by the body. Medication, alcohol, hormones and all chemicals involved in metabolic pathways in your body. Kidneys: Your kidneys are also...

Dr Sasha Fluss, ND at NatureMed Boulder/Denver   Its January, the holiday buzz has faded, replaced with new years resolutions and those few extra pounds that seem to have appeared. Now that the dinners and parties are over many people are looking for a way to cleanse and lose weight after over indulging during the holidays. Diets and weightloss supplements are everywhere but by far the biggest buzz word in the last while has been the Paleo Craze. Even Whole Foods seems to have jumped on the band wagon (they now serve Paleo Coffee and a whole host of Paleo friendly foods in their hot bar). So What is this Paleo thing? And Should you be a Part of it? The Paleo diet essentially follows what our Paleolithic ancestors ate on the premise that our genes have changed very little since these times. Our digestive systems are not evolved to digest modern foods introduced during the advent of farming 10,000 years ago. The diet supports health with the premise that: refined and processed foods such as flours, sugars and unhealthy fats are at the root of chronic inflammatory diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer....

Exercise is a prevention strategy as well as a treatment. According to the Centers of Disease Control (CDC) statistics, more than 64 percent of the U.S. adult population is overweight, and roughly 31 percent of American adults are obese. That translates to approximately 59 million American adults that are obese. Incidence of adult obesity has increased sharply since the 1970s. In 2001, the CDC estimated that more than 300,000 deaths per year were associated with overweight and obesity. In adulthood, obesity becomes a serious health issue. Heart disease and cancer, the leading killers of Americans, often have a strong correlation with obesity. Adult obesity is caused by: unhealthy eating habits established in childhood, adolescence, and late teens that continue in adulthood. a sedentary lifestyle coupled with a decreased metabolic rate. lifestyle changes due to the proliferation of labor-saving technology, such as elevators, cars, dishwashers, televisions, power lawn mowers, and computers. a decrease in metabolic needs and energy expenditure coupled with the same or increased food intake. Diabetes, which is often associated with obesity, is also increasing sharply in the United States. Type 2 diabetes affects more than 16 million, or almost 8 percent, of American adults. An estimated 34 percent of this population...

I have seen many patients with excessive lead levels. Often they have strange symptoms that have baffled their doctors and specialists, especially neurologists. How do we get exposed? Lead-based paint and the resulting dust and soil contamination is a main source. Other sources of exposure include the use of lead solder in canned food containers and in leaded water pipes providing domestic drinking water. However, uncommon sources of exposure still exist, including unglazed low-temperature fired ceramic pottery, pewter drinking vessels, plumbing systems with lead-soldered joints, old paint removal, indoor firing ranges, and nearby mining and smelting operations. Increasing amounts of lead in the body can cause impaired neurobehavioral  development in children (low IQ), increased blood pressure, kidney injury, and anemia (CDC, 2002). According to a review in JAMA by Needleman lead affects IQ at all detectable levels.   Lead can also bind to hemoglobin displacing oxygen and causing fatigue. This is very bad for athletes. Neurophysiologic decrements can occur in adults as a result of workplace exposure to lead. At extremely high levels, lead will produce severe central nervous system injury and paralysis. The potential adverse effects of lead on reproduction are areas of ongoing research and may include miscarriage...

Testosterone protects against heart attacks and may even help reverse atherosclerosis in men (Zmuda, et al., 1997).  Low testosterone is associated with and contributes to metabolic syndrome, atherosclerosis, heart attack and stroke (Haffner, Karhapaa, Mykkanen, & Laakso, 1994; Khaw, et al., 2007; Oh, Barrett-Connor, Wedick, & Wingard, 2002; van den Beld, et al., 2003). Metabolic syndrome and diabetes are bad things to have if you're trying to avoid a heart attack. If “your gut is larger than your butt” you probably have metabolic syndrome. The benefits of healthy levels of testosterone in men include improved ejection fraction (a measure of the heart's ability to pump blood to the rest of the body), increased muscle mass, decreased fat mass, improved sex drive, improved mood and improved bone density. High naturally occurring levels of testosterone in men are associated with low mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer (Khaw, et al., 2007). Low testosterone is strongly associated with atherosclerosis but exactly how testosterone replacement therapy can slow down or reverse atherosclerosis is not completely understood yet. Lower levels of testosterone are associated with increased CIMT particularly in men with type II diabetes (De Pergola, et al., 2003). Remember that CIMT is...