Our environment is loaded with endocrine disrupting chemicals. I’ve listed several things we can do to decrease our exposure.
1. Use cast-iron and stainless steel cookware. Nonstick cookware contains PFA (perfluoroalkyl) which has been shown to decrease metabolic rate and increase weight gain especially in women. Link 2. Grow your own or purchase organic fresh produce. We all already know that organophosphate pesticides likely cause cancer, they also have been shown to increase cognitive impairment in children. But did you know they disrupt thyroid function? Link 3. Avoid using canned foods. Not much of that left on the shelves these days! Cans contain bisphenol. Even BPA free (a specific bisphenol) can be misleading because there are a multitude of bisphenol chemicals to replace BPA. Bisohenol increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, causes weight gain and is estrogenic. Link Another Link 4. Don’t heat plastics or put them in the dishwasher. Plastics contain phylates and when heated break down and get into food. Another hormone disruptor that affect metabolism. Link 5. Air out your house and mop the old fashioned way. Pollutants from electronics and flame retardants can be found in dust and contain which impairs thyroid function. Link
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3/30/2020 0 Comments Immune in Tune!During these trying times we are experiencing increased emotions of anxiety, stress and fear. We are ordered to shelter in place where we eat comfort foods, eat out of boredom and forfeit exercise patterns. All of these things impair our immune function.
What can we do to keep our immune system tuned up and ready? Well, turn off the negative news, keep sugar free, load on antioxidant rich foods and get exercise daily. Even 30 minutes a day of yoga will help improve our mood. Hormone optimization improves immune function along with the nutraceutical regime I recommend. Be sure to take your ADK for those that I recommend it to. Vitamin D modulates the immune system. Also, be very kind to your gut microbiome! 80% of our immune function comes from the gut! Nitrous oxide may benefit the immune system as well. Eliminate sugar entirely as it wreaks havoc on your gut microbiome and causes inflammation. I am now offering peptide therapy. Peptide therapy improves immune system function. We can schedule you via telemedicine and the medication can be sent directly to you from our compounding pharmacy. The peptide Thymosin Alpha-1 is for both men and women. It is not recommended for pregnant or nursing women or for children. What is Thymosin Alpha-1? Thymosin Alpha-1 is a major component of Thymosin Fraction 5 and is responsible for restoring and modulating immune function, particularly cell-mediated immune function. The thymus is responsible for regulation of the immune system. Thymosin Alpha-1 is prescribed to optimize the performance of your immune health and improve general wellness by preventing infections such as the common cold or flu. It acts to augment T-cell function. T-cells are a part of the adaptive immune system which fights infection. What can Thymosin Alpha-1 help with? Thymosin Alpha-1 was approved as an orphan drug to help treat viral conditions like Hepatitis B and C through it's ability to stimulate the immune system. It also has FDA approval for certain types of cancer treatment because it can help the immune system find and kill cancerous cells. Based on the literature, many providers also use it's immune-boosting benefits to help fight viral infections such as Influenza and Coronaviruses. It has also been used for helping correct autoimmune conditions and to help many patients by helping prevent them from getting sick in the first place. Are there any side effects? Since 1979, Thymosin Alpha-1 has been evaluated in more than 30,000 patients in over 70 clinical studies. The administration has been in daily doses ranging from 0.6 to 9.6 mg/m² and 1 mg to 16 mg, primarily administered subcutaneously on a bi-weekly schedule for treatment. Ranging from one day to 18 months. No serious adverse experiences have been observed. Thymosin Alpha-1 has been shown to be well tolerated even in patients with poor performance status, including those with decompensated liver disease, renal disease requiring hemodialysis, primary immunodeficiency individuals, and elderly patient as old is 101 years. 8/28/2019 0 Comments Opioid CrisisAs most of you know I have been on the front lines of addiction for several years. Approximately 7 years ago while I was on the Cardiac Surgery team, I watched a young man slowly die from multi-organ failure, he was 23. He had had 3 heart valves replaced and 2 years prior he had 2 valves replaced. His valves were destroyed from infection from injecting heroin. I will never forget his mother staring out the window contemplating the soon to come grave loss she would endure. On one hand I was angry that in excess of a million dollars of taxpayer money was being spent on him, on the other I was profoundly saddened by impending pain his mother would experience and by the loss of this young life that had potential.
When I was on an orthopedic service I was the one called to go to the ER and evaluate patients. One too many times I admitted soft tissue infections (abscesses) as well as infected joints all related to injecting heroin (muscling heroin). Many a late night we went to the operating room to wash out joints and drain and wash out huge abscesses from heroin use. The end result is 6 weeks as an inpatient with a pic line and IV antibiotics and sometimes multiple trips the the operating room. The expense is astronomical! I did the training required for a DEA waiver to prescribe Suboxone in November of 2017 with the push of my girlfriend who is an internist and was experienced in prescribing Suboxone. We were going to do it together. Life paths changed and I went to work part time for a Suboxone clinic. I learned a lot from that experience. I learned how people alter their urine, I learned about the "whizinator" (look it up), I learned words like mexi's (fentanyl) and diversion (selling medication). From the experience I have decided to pursue providing the injectable form called Sublocade as well as Vivitrol. I have been told it is an absolute pain as far as getting the insurance company to pay for the medication. Alas, pain upfront or pain later, meaning constant monitoring, drug tests and pill counts or one injection every 28 days. Is Suboxone a cure? No, it is a bandaid on the problem. I don't have answers as to how to beat addiction, but I do know if we can stabilize people on medication we can decrease the impact of addiction on families and our healthcare dollars. If you have a loved one or friend of a friend please try to get them help and be sure to watch Dr. Montes The Neurobiology of Addiction on Youtube. 8/28/2019 0 Comments Fast Mimicking DietMy last fast was about 2 months ago. I did it cold turkey which consisted of 5 days of nothing but water. Today is day three of the Fast Mimicking Diet (FMD) developed by Valter Longo MD. It is actually quite tasty! I just wish there was more of it.... At least I'm not dreaming of cheeseburgers like I was on the water only plan. The L-bars are sold separately, I wish the kale crackers were sold separately too. It's that good!
I believe in the science behind fasting for healing and regeneration, but it is not easy at least for me hence I'm going to go the Prolon route this time. It's certainly more expensive than the water only route but it's not as hard so far and I still feel okay. Day 3 is approximately when one would experience acidosis and the FMD helps deter that phase of fasting. So far day 3 is fine. |
AuthorJolene Culver ARNP, mother, grandmother, daughter and definitely menopausal. I love my pellets! As a matter of fact that is what inspired me to do hormone therapy. I'm NOT going down without a fight. My goal for myself and all of my family of patients is for optimal health and to feel the best that we can and look the best that we can. Defy gravity with Botox, fillers and PRP! Archives
April 2020
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