Got Stress?
Stress is generally something we all try to avoid, but are rarely successful
at doing. From a medical perspective I see it contributing to my patients’
symptoms from high blood pressure and irritable bowel syndrome to
inability to lose weight.
When we are ‘stressed’, the levels of cortisol in our systems is elevated over a long period of time. This can cause someone to have blood sugar dysregulation, that can affect mood, metabolism and energy.
Follow this link to an article for some tips to decrease your stress levels through the day.
About the Writer
As a naturopathic family practitioner, Dr. Monawar Fahoum’s interests and specialties include homeopathy, diet and nutrition, botanical medicine and physical medicine (bodywork, adjustments, etc). She views healing as a dynamic process, unique to each person, with different treatments appropriate for different patients.
Fatty Liver Disease – What is it?
The number of people suffering from obesity is rising each year at what feels like an exponential rate! One of the risk factors for adult onset Diabetes Mellitus is Fatty Liver Disease.
Dr. Donovan, voted one of Seattle’s Top Docs wrote an excellent article on Fatty Liver. Not only is it entirely preventable, but it is usually treatable if caught soon enough. Read more in his article here.
It is never too late to step back onto the road to healthier living. If you have questions about how to prevent Fatty Liver, or Type II Diabetes, schedule an appointment with one of the providers here at the clinic.
Be Seen. Be Heard. Be Well.
Jana Hagen, ND
About the Writer
Dr. Jana Hagen brings more than a decade of knowledge and experience in Naturopathic Medicine and Clinical Laboratory Medicine to her family medicine practice. In addition to naturopathic primary and preventive care, she can help you with Relapse Prevention and balance your neurotransmitters for better mental health. Dr. Hagen is also experienced in bio-identical hormones and sustainable weight-loss methods.
Copyright notice. The contents of this article may be reused, but must be reused in full (and full credit given to its authors). If you have specific questions, please contact us.
Orange-Red and Not Dead: Health Benefits of Carotenoids
What Are Carotenoids?
Carotenoids are a group of phytochemicals (plant-chemicals) that are responsible for many of the oranges, reds, and yellows that color our plant foods and nature. There are many different kinds of carotenoids such as beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein and others. Two of the general categories of carotenoids are carotenes and xanthophylls, with carotenes being present in the yellow, orange and red vegetables we eat while xanthophylls are found in the green vegetables.
Beta-carotene is an essential carotenoid the human body converts to vitamin A, is present in carrots, sweet potatoes and squash. Another type of carotonoid is lutein. Lutein, particularly important for healthy eyes and preventing degeneration of the retina (macular degeneration), is present in dark green kale, broccoli, yellow egg yolk and bell peppers. Red tomatoes, grapefruit, watermelon and papaya all contain another type of carotenoid called lycopene, extremely important in preventing prostate and breast cancers.
Are Carotenoids Safe?
Carotenoids and Vitamin A are necessary for proper immune function, eye and skin health and the prevention of various cancers. Carotenoids are safe and not toxic as Vitamin A can be when taken at higher levels than the body needs. Your body controls the conversion of beta-carotene to Vitamin A and does not allow the generation of toxic levels of Vitamin A. Carotenoids, therefore, are a safer, healthier way to achieve healthy Vitamin A levels in the body.
Using only the natural forms of beta-carotene and other carotenes are strongly recommended as opposed to synthetic forms. The synthetic forms may be more damaging to the body as they are used to quench various oxidizing chemicals in the tissues, especially those chemicals from cigarette smoke and the environment. The synthetic forms, when oxidized, may cause lung cancer in smokers.
Dr. Patrick Donovan
About the writer
Dr. Donovan is a Naturopathic Physician, author, educator, and a professor of clinical medicine at Bastyr University’s Natural Health Clinic. In 2010 he was voted by his professional peers as one of Seattle’s Top Doctors in the Seattle Metropolitan Magazine. Dr. Donovan writes and lectures on the transformational process of healing and believes a person’s healing journey is ultimately a quest for his/her identity, purpose and meaning. He has more than 35 years of patient care experience as a Registered Nurse (RN) and a Naturopathic Physician (ND), representing a wide range of clinical settings from hospital-based surgical and intensive care as a registered nurse to outpatient primary care as a physician.
What’s in Your Knowledge Wallet?
Nutrition Quiz
I found this quiz put together by a local (and fabulous) nutritionist, Jennifer Adler. Follow the link below and see how much you know. If you’re not as “in the know” as you’d like to be, schedule an appointment with us today!!
About the Writer
As a naturopathic family practitioner, Dr. Monawar Fahoum’s interests and specialties include homeopathy, diet and nutrition, botanical medicine and physical medicine (bodywork, adjustments, etc). She views healing as a dynamic process, unique to each person, with different treatments appropriate for different patients.
Got Nettles? Make Tea
Nettle infusion (or tea)
One of the easiest and most refreshing ways to ingest nettle is through an infusion, or a tea, prepared in a way to preserve the most nutrients and flavor. A single cup of nettle infusion can contain up to 500 milligrams of calcium!
For your infusion, take an ounce (or handful) of dried nettle, or two cups of fresh cut nettle and pour a quart of boiling water over the herb. Then cover, and allow it to stand for at least 15 minutes (the longer the better, even up to an hour or more). Then strain the mineral-rich liquid and drink it: iced, heated, with honey, mixed with black tea, seasoned with mint, spiked with vodka, however you want it!
About the Writer
As a naturopathic family practitioner, Dr. Monawar Fahoum’s interests and specialties include homeopathy, diet and nutrition, botanical medicine and physical medicine (bodywork, adjustments, etc). She views healing as a dynamic process, unique to each person, with different treatments appropriate for different patients.
Forest Foraging for Your Health (and its fun too)
It’s springtime, and even in Washington we’ve already had some great sunny
days. This is the time of year, when our forests start offering up some great
bounty for the taking.
One of my favorites is picking nettles; now is the time of
the fresh, young new growths, ready for picking and enjoying. Oh— did you think
it was just a weed that leaves you red and itchy! So wrong!
Nettles is a power-food, and when carefully picked can be brewed into a powerful
tea or thrown into a hearty soup. Besides being beneficial to allergy sufferers,
it is also loaded with nutrients like chlorophyll, calcium, iron, and any number of
trace minerals and vitamins. It will boost your energy throughout the day and will
do wonders for your skin and nails.
So slip on a long sleeve shirt, pants and gloves, and go nettle picking! The
young, new leaves at the top of the plant are the best and most nutrient-packed.
Go commune with nature and get your vitamins from a delicious source!
About the Writer
As a naturopathic family practitioner, Dr. Monawar Fahoum’s interests and specialties include homeopathy, diet and nutrition, botanical medicine and physical medicine (bodywork, adjustments, etc). She views healing as a dynamic process, unique to each person, with different treatments appropriate for different patients.
Every Healing Requires a Death of Some Kind
Every healing requires a death of some kind… something must die so that something can be born a new. This is the fundamental truth of all transformative processes. Therefore, the “real” question behind all transformative change and hence all healing isn’t “What is it that you want?” It is:
“What are you willing to sacrifice
or let go of for your new level of order to manifest…
for your new way of living to manifest?”
We all want many things but are not willing to sacrifice that which keeps us in old familiar patterns of ego security whether those patterns work (promote soul growth) or not. The belly of the shadow beast of healing and transformation is and always has been an act of sacrifice and letting go, never of desire and visualization alone. There is always a price to be paid.
What are you willing to sacrifice for that which you desire?
Dr. Patrick Donovan
About the writer
Dr. Donovan is a Naturopathic Physician, author, educator, and a professor of clinical medicine at Bastyr University’s Natural Health Clinic. In 2010 he was voted by his professional peers as one of Seattle’s Top Doctors in the Seattle Metropolitan Magazine. Dr. Donovan writes and lectures on the transformational process of healing and believes a person’s healing journey is ultimately a quest for his/her identity, purpose and meaning. He has more than 35 years of patient care experience as a Registered Nurse (RN) and a Naturopathic Physician (ND), representing a wide range of clinical settings from hospital-based surgical and intensive care as a registered nurse to outpatient primary care as a physician.
Hemoglobin A1C and Diabetes; What’s YOUR Number?
1 of every 10 people over the age of 20 years in the United States has Diabetes. More than 30 percent of all people over the age of 65 have Diabetes. These numbers keep climbing! Adult onset diabetes is preventable.
If your fasting blood glucose (tested on your annual physical exam) is between 100 and 125, and you are not currently being treated to lower your blood glucose, now is the time to see your doctor and talk about preventing it from rising further and preventing a long term chronic illness. If you haven’t been tested within the past year or don’t know what your fasting blood glucose levels are, ask your doctor about getting either a fasting blood glucose, or a hemoglobin A1C test.
The Old Standard
Levels of glucose in your blood have been measured for many years as the gold standard to screen for the presence of diabetes. Fasting blood glucose testing is influenced by daily diet changes and can fluctuate quite a bit over time.
In With the New
In 2009, the Hemoglobin A1C test became the new gold standard for diabetes diagnosis. The hemoglobin A1C test doesn’t measure the amount of glucose floating loose in your blood, it measures glycosylated hemoglobin. As blood glucose levels rise and remain elevated, increasing levels of glycosylated hemoglobin appear. The added benefit to this test, unlike other methods, is that you don’t have to be fasting to get it tested.
The Test of Time
Red blood cells remain in the blood for 120 days, or 4 months. The A1C test looks at levels over time, not just the snap shot of a single fasting test. Consequently, the hemoglobin A1C is much more effective as a diagnostic screening and treatment response assessment tool, because the the levels remain stable over a much longer period of time, eliminating the day-to-day variations seen in the fasting blood glucose test.
Important Numbers – If your Hemoglobin A1C is:
- higher than 6.5%, this is diagnostic for Diabetes
- Between 5.5 -6.5%, this is commonly referred to as pre-diabetes and the time to act is now.
- less than 5.5%, your body is processing glucose correctly; keep up the good work!
About the Writer
Dr. Jana Hagen brings more than a decade of knowledge and experience in Naturopathic Medicine and Clinical Laboratory Medicine to her family medicine practice. In addition to naturopathic primary and preventive care, she can help you with Relapse Prevention and balance your neurotransmitters for better mental health. Dr. Hagen is also experienced in bio-identical hormones and sustainable weight-loss methods.
Copyright notice. The contents of this article may be reused, but must be reused in full (and full credit given to its authors). If you have specific questions, please contact us.
Citalopram a Health Risk?
The FDA posted this alert on their website March 28th, 2012:
Last week, The FDA stated that Citalopram (Celexa) dosage needs to be no greater than 40mg daily in people over age 60 years. Dosages greater than 40mg in these people can cause potentially dangerous alterations the electrical activity of the heart. Specifically, the QT segment is prolonged. The maximum dose is much lower if you have liver dysfunction; you should take no more than 20mg daily.
How do you know if this affects you?
This applies to you if you are a poor metabolizer of a certain liver cytochrome. If you have concerns about this, see your doctor as soon as possible. Some people may need to be on Citalopram or Celexa; if this is you, please discuss options with your health care provider. There are many alternatives that may be helpful to you.
Help is Here
Christina Pike, ARNP is an outstanding Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner here at the University Health Clinic and can help you find the options you need for your health. Read her Bio here.
About the Writer
Dr. Jana Hagen brings more than a decade of knowledge and experience in Naturopathic Medicine and Clinical Laboratory Medicine to her family medicine practice. In addition to naturopathic primary and preventive care, she can help you with Relapse Prevention and balance your neurotransmitters for better mental health. Dr. Hagen is also experienced in bio-identical hormones and sustainable weight-loss methods.
Copyright notice. The contents of this article may be reused, but must be reused in full (and full credit given to its authors). If you have specific questions, please contact us.
Three Risk Factors for Adult Onset Diabetes
The numbers of people aged 20 and over who are diagnosed with Type II Diabetes is rising at a staggering rate. Nearly 1/3 of all americans over the age of 60 have Type II Diabetes (DM II). A recent article in the April issue of Diabetes Care, by Ki-Chul Sung MD, PhD, identified three independent risk factors for developing adult onset diabetes or DM II
- Insulin Resistance – your body requires increasing amounts of insulin to keep blood glucose levels from rising
- Being over-weight or obese
- Fatty Liver – also called Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatosis; the liver has increasing amounts of fatty cells. This impairs the liver’s ability to process glucose appropriately
Each of these will increase your risk of having DM II independent of the other risk factors. If you have all three of them, your risk is much greater.
Good News
Each of these risk factors is preventable. Furthermore, insulin resistance, obesity and fatty liver are all treatable. Unfortunately, none of these factors can easily resolve without treatment. Doing nothing isn’t really an option.
Can you test for it?
Blood tests such as fasting glucose, glucose tolerance tests, hemoglobin A1C, and liver function tests can shed some light on developing problems. Talk to your physician as soon as possible.
An Ounce of Prevention is… Priceless
It is far easier to prevent Type II Diabetes than it is to treat it once the pancreas loses its ability to secrete insulin. If you or members of your family are overweight, obese or have a history of Type II Diabetes, start today on the path to prevention and better health.
If You Have Type II Diabetes
There are a number of things we can do here at the University Health Clinic with nutrition, herbs and micronutrients to lower blood glucose levels and potentially eliminate the need for stronger interventions such as insulin or other prescription medications.
About the Writer
Dr. Jana Hagen brings more than a decade of knowledge and experience in Naturopathic Medicine and Clinical Laboratory Medicine to her family medicine practice. In addition to naturopathic primary and preventive care, she can help you with Relapse Prevention and balance your neurotransmitters for better mental health. Dr. Hagen is also experienced in bio-identical hormones and sustainable weight-loss methods.
Copyright notice. The contents of this article may be reused, but must be reused in full (and full credit given to its authors). If you have specific questions, please contact us.
