Patient Advocates

Your HealthCare Safety Net

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Confused about the latest controversy with vitamins? All is not as the headlines say.

Mark Hyman, MD, a leading clinician of Functional Medicine and renowned educator, cautions us that “The recent media hype around vitamins is a classic case of drawing the wrong conclusions from good science. “ He explains several flaws with the recent study: • Hormone replacement was not taken into consideration. Women in the study who also took hormone replacement therapy were more at risk already for increased rates of cancer and heart disease and strokes (remember the Women’s Health Initiative...

Osteoporosis

Myths About Osteoporosis! Is it a normal aging process? No! What? Let’s look more closely:

Susan Brown, PhD, a bone health nutritionist and educator, explains myths surrounding osteoporosis.  We’ll look at the most common ones here and you can read further to protect yourself. Myth #1: Osteoporosis is a function of aging “Most individuals do lose bone mass as they age. But simply losing bone does not equal osteoporosis. The remaining bone of a healthy aging woman is strong and capable of constant self-repair. This bone, though lower in mass, should be able to withstand...

salt

Iodine is back in the news! What is in your salt shaker is not enough! So why do most people need more? Breast, prostate and thyroid health to begin…

Reverse fibrocystic breast disease?  Many research studies have demonstrated that proper levels of iodine can effectively reverse this condition. Iodine is critical to human health. It forms the basis of thyroid hormones and plays many other roles in your body: in the salivary glands, brain, cerebrospinal fluid, gastric mucosa, breasts, ovaries and a part of the eye also concentrate iodine. In the brain, iodine is found where cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is produced, and in the area associated with Parkinson’s disease....

Skeleton doing hand stand

Let’s talk about bones. . . about types of calcium to build bones. . . about medications used in osteoporosis.

Bones are constantly breaking down bone cells and building new ones (called remodeling).  How does calcium fit in here?  Which medications might be helpful (or harmful)? Americans take more calcium supplements than any other group on the planet – and we have one of the highest rates of osteoporosis.  Why?   Calcium is only one of many different components necessary to help build and maintain strong bones.  The calcium in your bones accounts for approximately 20% of the entire makeup...

Key to your heart health? The lining of your arteries!

This lining, called the endothelium, “is the single-celled layer lining the arteries of the body. In fact, it’s the most extensive organ system in the human body. It’s also a recipient of the abuse our bodies receive, a fragile organ that injury transforms into a plaque-lined landmine” explains Dr. J. Cooke of Stanford. “A healthy endothelium is like Teflon, a nonstick surface that enhances the flow of blood. By contrast, an unhealthy endothelium is like Velcro, with white blood cells...