inflammation

what functional medicine means for you

If I am “fine” why do I feel so lousy!? Does this question ring true for you?

Answer me a couple more questions:

Do you have nagging symptoms that you can’t ever get past?
Do you remember the last time you slept through the night?
Do you have simple, easy bowel movements 1-3x each day?
Is weight a constant battle?
Are you finding more and more hair on your brush or shower floor?
Are you always cold? Or dealing with hot flashes?
Do you have ringing in your ears?
Are you too tired to get through the day without coffee or sugar?
In too much pain to exercise, move or even leave the couch?

This is where functional medicine steps in. We see every person as unique. But we also understand every system in the body is interconnected. Imbalance, blockage or impairment is a natural function of the body that precedes disease; in other words – the body is trying to protect you (itself) and it’s sending you signals as to what is happening on the inside. Our goal is to dig into those experiences (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual), to asses your genetics, predispositions and your lifestyle priorities to get at your custom healing ability.

I’m not replacing your doctor, or your chiropractor or your massage therapist; rather I’m working in tandem with them. YES, you are worth a team. After all, you only get one body.

My purpose is to help you find your happy. Because I’ve been there and had a million little things wrong and very few people to help me along the way. So hello, my name is Monique. I’ve been studying functional medicine to help you get to the ROOT CAUSE of why you feel less than fabulous.

Because putting a band aide on won’t ever solve the underlying problem. That band aide could be taking a prescription drug, spending money and time searching for the right doctor, remedy, the perfect pill, cream or powder, undertaking detoxes the body isn’t ready for, going on diets or following crazy work outs that aren’t in alignment with your body’s needs, or self medicating with drugs or alcohol … these won’t ever fix the real problem. It’s really just adding more fuel to the fire.

Virtually I create a path to educate, empower and inspire others in their health journey. I specialize in the reduction and reversal of pain, constipation, brain fog, acid reflux, fatigue, thyroid struggles, sleepless nights and other mystery symptoms that have been lingering for so long you’ve nearly given up.

When you’re ready.

When you’re really sick and tired of being sick and tired.

I’m here for you.

The consequences of ‘over the counter’ drugs

NSAID. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. They are most often used for headaches, tight muscles, joint pain, arthritis, recovery from injury and even for cardiovascular protection, and include such things as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, Midol) and naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn) among many others.

NSAIDs work by suppression of the the body’s natural inflammatory response, or suppressing swelling and pain. The body can usually handle occasional use of these drugs; the real risk lies in using NSAIDs for extended periods of time – daily, multi-daily, weekly, months or years.

You’ve likely heard that aspirin can induce ulcers or bleeding? It’s been proven this family of drugs has a direct effect on the mucosal lining of the stomach, but did you know they also injure the small intestines, they can increase blood pressure which can increase cardiovascular risk, and promote intestinal permeability. This can lead to immune system imbalance, allergies, asthma, gastrointestinal issues and even
autoimmune disease.

It’s often a misconception that the body turns on us. It doesn’t try to actually attack itself but rather it’s fighting what it thinks is attacking it. Inflammation and pain are two of the many ways the body alerts you that something is wrong. So when we suppress those signals rather than listen to them, we likely are standing in the way of our own healing abilities.

Instead of looking at pain as something bad, seeing pain as an opportunity to heal could allow for a modified mindset and remedy.

We shouldn’t have to live in constant pain with or without NSAIDs. There are natural anti-inflammatory agents for pain which include curcumin, boswellia and bromelain. As with anything, finding the right version, amount and brand is key ALONG WITH an anti-inflammatory diet.

Stopping Inflammation means a future of getting back to basics

Have you noticed the word inflammation is everywhere right now? Headlines, articles and even on bus ads and in recipes? Inflammation has been named a factor in everything from arthritis to cardiovascular disease, to dementia and alzheimer’s, diabetes, autoimmune disorder and even asthma. Is it really as bad as it sounds? If, so what can you do about it?

It’s the current health ‘buzzword’ and for good reason.

Imagine you sprain your ankle. Your ankle will get red and puffy; it gets ‘inflamed’. Inflammation, marked by local heat, redness, swelling, and pain, occurs in response to injury and/or germ attack. It’s the body’s way of getting more nourishment and more immune activity to an injured area in need of them, at which time the inflammation will subside. This is acute inflammation and it resolves with the healing of the underlying cause.

When inflammation turns chronic it leads to tissue damage and disease. Acute inflammation lasts hours or maybe days while chronic inflammation has been building for weeks, months and years. Inflammation is the body’s way to help us through injury, to fight off bacteria, viruses and parasites. It does what it is supposed to do and then the process ends. It’s when it doesn’t end, for any number of reasons like poor diet, stress, food intolerance, genetic predisposition, toxins or a sedentary lifestyle, that the problem starts.

The body will fight what it doesn’t recognize (toxin, food, etc). This activates the immune system and begins the inflammation process. But if we keep adding in (ingesting) that foreign object over and over again, white refined sugar for instance, the process never stops. It’s like going into a room filled with smoke, you look for the source of the smoke. You don’t just give up and walk away, you keep searching and searching. The body reacts similar, it keeps reacting and fighting with every input of the refined sugar so the inflammation creation never ends.

The best defense to inflammation may sound almost too basic- eat a healthy diet, exercise, manage stress and floss your teeth – but offers the best defense. Diet and lifestyle changes are at the root of fighting chronic inflammation.

The foods we choose to eat, or not eat, can affect inflammation. Incorporating an anti-inflammatory diet offers the opportunity to reduce, or at least minimize, dietary components that trigger inflammation while also increasing the intake of nutrients.

While stress, lack of exercise, genetics and toxins can all increase chronic inflammation, the average American diet, which is overloaded with trans fats and refined sugars, has become a major culprit. Heavily processed foods are difficult for the body to break down effectively taxing the immune system. Refined carbs raise blood sugar so quickly that the body can become immune to insulin, which also increases inflammation. Foods to avoid, or at least reduce, include gluten, dairy, sugar, additives and processed and fast food.

An anti-inflammatory diet promotes health, defends against inflammation and gets us back to the basic whole foods. Load up on vegetables, good fats like avocados, nuts and seeds, omega-3 fatty acids, wild caught fish, hormone free meats, green tea, ginger and turmeric.

There is no ‘overnight fix’ for reducing inflammation. It’s not about an extreme, short lived diet. It’s about sustaining life-long changes. Strive to make one small change at a time. Start with this delicious Inflammation-fighting Ginger Tea:

Inflammation Fighting Ginger Tea

2 cups water
1” fresh ginger root, sliced thin
1” fresh turmeric root, sliced thin
Pinch of cinnamon and black pepper
1 tbls maple syrup or honey
1 slices of fresh lemon

Combine all ingredients, except lemon, together over medium heat, simmer for 10 minutes. Strain and enjoy with a slice of lemon.

*I make a big batch of this and store it in the fridge for up to a week.

What’s worse: Stress or a Bad Diet?

Which of these is worse: stress or a bad diet? And what does your sex have to do with it?

Any guesses?

We know a bad diet wrecks havoc on bodies, including skin, hair, mental mode, sleep, hormones, our microbiome and everything in-between. Over time, a bad diet results in much higher risks of developing serious conditions like heart disease and diabetes.

But did you know that long-term, chronic stress actually has similar effects on our bodies as well? Think about it this way- have you ever been so stressed out that you developed a headache. Or you couldn’t sleep? Or eat? (or perhaps over-ate?)Or your stomach hurt? Sound familiar?

Negative impact of stress on our digestive system is really not a new concept. But a study (on mice) suggests how dramatically different male and female mice responded. Gut microbes of male mice that were exposed to stress only (with no diet change) did not change. However, female mice handled the in the same manner (exposed to stress only with no diet change) saw dramatic shifts in their gut microbes, changing as if there were actually eating a high-fat, junk food diet. Whoa!

Let’s be careful to not think that this means men aren’t ever affected by stress and can eat whatever they want. And for us women- this is not the time to throw in the towel and give up.

Our bodies were designed to deal with stress, think flight or fight. We run across a tiger, every system in the body that isn’t needed at that moment (like digestion) gives up its energy to help the body either fight, or run away from, the tiger. Once we get away from the tiger, our body calms down and eventually returns to a normal state.

In modern society, we don’t necessarily run across tigers but we do have traffic, bad bosses, bills, kids, relationships, news, politics, alarms, deadlines, noise, toxic environments, pesticides … something is always there to cause us stress. So we are always in this flight or fight state (ie, chronically stressing the body functions).

The biggest problems arise when we live in this chronic state of stress. Chronic stress increases [silent] inflammation in the body, which is at the heart of every chronic disease known to man.

The best way to respond to this study, and studies like it, is through lifestyle changes. Reduce stress or learn to manage it. Here are a few of my favorite ways: