Physicians who treat myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and “long haul” COVID-19 can’t help but notice the similarities between these two medical conditions. Both appear to have similar causes and symptoms, and both respond to many of the same treatments. With either condition, patients often experience unrelenting fatigue that lasts for months on end, along with brain fog, an inability to concentrate, impaired memory, and exercise intolerance. Whether the two conditions are connected remains a mystery, but their similarities help to guide the development of effective treatment protocols here at BioDesign Wellness Center, a Tampa, Fla., functional medicine clinic. What is Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a serious, long-term illness that affects many body systems, including the immune, nervous, and endocrine systems — all of which have far-reaching effects on the body’s physiological functions. Patients often find it difficult to perform their usual daily activities. […]
Women’s Health
If you’ve experienced severe allergy-like symptoms — such as hives, difficulty breathing, low blood pressure, and severe diarrhea — and your doctor diagnoses you with allergies — you may actually have mast cell activation syndrome. Mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) flares up when mast cells, which are located throughout the body, inappropriately release excessive amounts of chemical mediators, such as histamine, in response to a trigger, including one or more of the following: Alcohol An allergen Certain chemicals Certain food items (which vary among individuals) Certain fragrances (such as perfume or cologne) Certain medications Exposure to sunlight Heat or cold Heavy metals Infection (bacterial, viral, or fungal) Mold/fungus When mast cells function as they should, they help defend the body against threats, such as harmful viruses, bacteria, and fungi. However, when these cells become overly sensitive, they release chemical mediators in response to non-threatening triggers. Sometimes, they release too much.
Candida — Shedding Light on an Oft-Ignored Yeast Infection Are you one of the women with candida yeast overgrowth symptoms in Tampa, FL? In 1986, a book entitled The Yeast Syndrome by John Parks Trowbridge, MD, and Morton Walker, DPM, detailed the negative impacts of an opportunistic, pathogenic yeast named Candida albicans on human health. Candida yeast is nothing new. The medical community has been aware of it for more than 50 years, and doctors routinely diagnose and treat candida yeast infections — oral and esophageal (thrush); vaginal; and invasive, which is a serious infections that can affect the blood, heart, brain, eyes, bones, and other parts of the body. These are the obvious cases. They’re easy to diagnose and are usually treated with pharmaceutical-grade antifungal medications. The medical community has been much slower to recognize Candida infections that fly just below the radar. These infections typically trigger a chain reaction
Hormone Replacement Therapy for Fatigue, Depression, and Anxiety If you’re one of the women looking for hormone therapy for women in Tampa, FL, this article is right for you. Women often come to our Tampa Functional Medicine clinic experiencing a trifecta of symptoms — fatigue, depression, and anxiety. As women age, their hormone levels begin to fluctuate and then decline. Between the ages of 40 and 50, women can transition from perimenopause to full-blown menopause — the stage at which symptoms often begin or worsen. The simple solution would be to restore hormone levels to a more youthful status using hormone replacement therapy (HRT). For some women, the solution is that simple. A small dose of progesterone, estrogen, or testosterone can make a huge difference in a woman’s moods, libido, body composition, and energy. And as hormones rise safely to more youthful levels, cognitive function and memory improve. Unfortunately, the
What are the Side Effects & Risks of BHRT? In 1965, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) became available to women in the UK who were struggling with menopause and post-menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes, night sweats, sexual dysfunction, sleep disturbances, mood changes, urinary incontinence, cognitive disturbances (memory loss and impaired concentration), and weight gain. Are you one of the women with this symptom and considering having bioidentical hormone therapy? However, starting in the 1970s, several studies drew concern over the potential health risks of HRT, including increased risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, blood clots, heart disease, and stroke. One study, in particular, sounded the alarm over HRT — the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) Hormone Therapy Trials. Between 1993 and 1998, 27,347 U.S. women ages 50–79 enrolled in the study. Participants who had had their uterus removed received synthetic estrogen (Premarin), while those who still had their uterus received synthetic estrogen
Getting Yourself Back with Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy Need a bioidentical hormone therapy for women? At a certain stage of our lives, most of us realize that we just aren’t looking or feeling like ourselves anymore. For some of us, it’s the changes staring back at us in the mirror — thinning hair, tired eyes, excess belly fat. For others, these changes are internal — low mood, lack of energy, and poor sleep. Women may experience menstrual symptoms, such as abnormal bleeding or irregular or painful periods. Depending on your specific symptoms, causes can range from nutritional deficiencies and hidden infections to hormone imbalances and exposure to environmental toxins. Often, multiple underlying causes are at work. After all, the body is a complex organism consisting of a dozen interacting systems, including the digestive, respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrine, immune, and nervous systems — and that’s just half of them. It’s to be