Do you feel more tired than usual? After lunch, are you reaching for coffee or something sweet as a pick-me-up to push you through the rest of your workday? To top it all off, no matter what you do, you can’t lose weight–especially in the belly area. These are common symptoms that occur when your insulin levels rise, putting you in “fat-storing mode.” This is also why nothing that used to work in the past to shed those extra pounds is working for you anymore. You probably feel frustrated and exhausted both emotionally and physically. Let me try to simplify this complex process for you. Every cell in your body requires glucose for energy production. However, sugar cannot go into your cells without its partner in crime, insulin. Insulin is one of the body’s most important hormones that can be described as the “key,” which attaches to, unlocks the cell, […]
In our previous post, Detox in Your Sleep with Proper Sleep Hygiene, we stress the importance of getting a good night’s sleep — not only so you feel rested the next day, but also to enable your brain to detoxify itself. The slow and steady brain and cardiopulmonary activity associated with deep, non-REM sleep are optimal for the function of the glymphatic system — the brain’s unique pathway for removing toxic waste. This nightly flushing of waste and toxic proteins from the brain is very likely to help protect against aging and irreversible and progressive brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. In that previous post, we highlight some of the underlying health issues that negatively impact sleep, such as pain, bladder conditions, poor blood sugar balance, and gastrointestinal issues. While we can certainly help you address these and other health conditions that may impair your ability to sleep deeply, you can
We hear a lot these days about the environment — most of it focuses on the long-term rise in the average temperature of the Earth’s climate system. Seemingly lost among the talk (and debate — over the causes of global warming) is one simple fact that’s hard to ignore. Unless you live in a bubble, you are being bombarded by toxins and infectious agents that could result in you contracting an environmentally acquired illness. Environmentally acquired illness (EAI) is characterized by any of a number of illnesses or syndromes (symptom clusters) caused by exposure to toxic molds and other biotoxins; toxic chemicals such as heavy metals and pesticides; and persistent infections, such as Lyme disease. Environmental toxins are in foods and beverages, furniture, carpets, clothing, cleaning products, cosmetics, personal hygiene products, medications, and the air around us. In addition, you can acquire serious and persistent infections from insect bites and
What do Rita Hayworth, Perry Como, Norman Rockwell, Rosa Parks, and Sandra Day O’Connor all have in common? Aside from being household names who made their mark on society, each suffered from a diagnosis of Dementia and/or Alzheimer’s Disease. Dementia is a syndrome (a symptom cluster) characterized by a decline in cognitive function (thinking and memory) beyond the degree associated with normal aging. Although it affects mostly older people — at least count, 50 million people worldwide — it is not a normal part of aging and is certainly not inevitable. Even better news for those experiencing cognitive decline and their family members and caregivers is that dementia can be prevented, and now, based on new research and clinical trials, it even reversed with proper interventions when started early enough. Symptoms of Dementia Symptoms of dementia are commonly broken down into the following three stages, as presented by the World Health
Welcome to another installment in our Meet the Staff series. This time around, we’d like to introduce Lori, the customer experience manager here at BioDesign Wellness Center. Lori is the point of contact for all of our patients and usually the first person most people see upon entering our Tampa functional medicine practice. Lori handles a lot of essential functions for us, including coordinating patient appointments, confirming those appointments, and then making sure nobody falls through the cracks when it comes to those appointments. She also greets new patients and takes them on a tour of our facilities. On top of that, Lori is responsible for keeping track of patients’ incoming lab results so our doctors have what they need when you arrive for your appointments. We asked Lori if she would sit for a quick Q&A about her work history, as well as a few personal asides that she might
Have you ever wondered why you felt terrible the next day when you slept poorly the night before? Or why do the same people who develop sleep issues as they age tend to be more susceptible to progressive brain disorders, such as dementia? Evidence is beginning to suggest a possible connection between poor sleep and brain health. When you’re unable to sleep soundly on a regular basis, your brain may be unable to detoxify itself fully. New research shows how the depth of your sleep can impact your brain’s ability to efficiently flush waste and toxic proteins. Because sleep often becomes increasingly lighter and more disrupted as we age, the study — co-authored by the co-director of the Center for Translational Neuromedicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center, along with Danish and Finnish researchers — reinforces and potentially explains the links between aging, sleep deprivation, and heightened risk for