Not all probiotics are created equal!  These are live bacteria, so the culture, shipping, storing and testing processes are very important.  I highly recommend buying your probiotics from a local practitioner who knows they have been shipped on ice, assayed by a third-party company and kept stored in the refrigerator.  Otherwise, you may be buying dead organisms that will do very little.  Yogurt and other cultured foods have some probiotics, but typically not enough to be therapeutic.

Reason 1: You are going to take antibiotics.   I have found the best probiotic to use while taking an antibiotic is actually the yeast Saccharomyces boulardii.  This yeast helps protect your own bacteria from being damaged.  After the antibiotics are done you should switch to a high quality L. acidophilus, Bifidobacterium combo for 1-2 months.

Reason 2: You or your children are in school.  The Journal of Pediatrics conducted a study showing a significant decrease in cold/flu symptom occurrence and duration with regular probiotic use.  This is because probiotics are part of your immune defenses.

Reason 3: You have diarrhea, gas, bloating and/or IBS.  Probiotics line the entire intestinal tract especially the colon, so bolstering their numbers promotes more effective digestion.

Reason 4: You or your child has Excema.  I have seen many skin conditions, including eczema, improve with probiotics as part of the treatment plan.  This is especially true for those that have had recent or chronic antibiotic use.

Reason 5: You have a current and/or recurrent vaginal yeast infections.  This is true for yeast infections caused by antibiotic use, hormonal imbalance, and pH imbalance.

If you are interest in obtaining high quality probiotics for any of these reasons, don’t hesitate to contact my office.

Azure Karli

541-389-9750

Bend Naturopathic Clinic

Bioidentical hormones are useful for helping with symptoms of menopause, PMS, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Endometriosis, Andropause (low hormones in males), Hypothyroidism, and Adrenal dsyfunction to name the most common.

An important concept to keep in mind is there are many other non-hormonal therapies that can help all of these symptoms.  Sometimes these just aren’t enough to optimize quality of life and that is when bioidentical hormones can be most useful.

Menopausal women are the most common recipients of bioidentical hormones to manage sleeplessness, mood swings, hot flashes, night sweats, memory deficiency, fatigue and weight gain.  Bioidentical hormones can sometimes help with bone protection and cardiovascular support, but typically this is not sufficient reason alone for bioidentical hormone use.

More men are using bioidentical hormone replacement when discovering testosterone and DHEA levels at low levels.  Low levels of these hormones can cause fatigue, weight gain, mood swings and muscle mass reduction.

Any women who have a strong family history of breast cancer or have a personal history of breast cancer should think very hard about using any hormone therapy.  This risk varies depending on the type of cancer, who had it, at what age it was discovered and the kind of health care maintained.  Hormone use, natural or not will increase the risk of incidence and recurrance. The question is how much risk is increased?   Now there are some instances where the need for quality of life trumps the risk involved.  This needs to be discussed very thoughtfully with your Naturopath or other provider.

A very high percentage of people that are seeing me for the first time have elevated cholesterol.  Cholesterol levels get a main-stage focus of the medical community due to the large number of Americans who die of heart disease every year.  The foods we eat, the activity we partake in and the pace at which we go through life all play a part in this balance of healthy cholesterol levels.

One of my favorite food based ways of helping lower cholesterol is utilizing 2 ground teaspoons of organic flax seed in your foods daily.  This is done easily in smoothies, on salads, with hot cereal or even just with a bit of applesauce or rice milk if you are in a hurry.  I have yet to see anyone who was faithful with this regimen for at least 3 months not drop their LDL (bad) cholesterol.  Flax is also high in omega-3 oils which help raise HDL (good) cholesterol.

Flax will work even better if you are sure to get ample water (1/2 your body weight in ounces) every day.  The fiber of the flax mixed with the water helps the GI tract make healthier stools and eliminate some dietary cholesterol and fats by binding to it on the way out.

Fish oils are also a great source of omega-3 and have been shown to raise HDL (good) cholesterol as well as lower triglycerides.  Even better add more fish to your diet on at least a weekly basis (especially wild caught salmon!).

Moving the body continuously for 30 minutes 4x/week will help keep cholesterol from rising.  If you can increase this to a minimum of 45 minutes 4x/week, over time weight loss will slowly ensue and cholesterol levels will drop even more (and more permanently).

There are supplements to help lower cholesterol and sometimes these are neccessary.  Not all supplements work the same and you should be aware that a few of these can rarely have similar side effects as some more conventional drugs.  However, water, flax, fish, and exercise daily are going to be your best bet to lowering cholesterol healthily and keeping it there!

Azure Karli, ND

Bend Naturopathic Clinic

Bioidentical hormones are medicines that are chemically identical to what your body makes naturally.  The names of these hormones are estradiol, estriol, estrone, progesterone, DHEA, testosterone, and cortisol.  The starting substance to make these hormones is Wild Yam.  The wild yam is altered in a laboratory in various ways to create all of these hormones. Thyroid hormones can also be bioidentical but are extracted from the thryoid gland of cow or pig.

Bioidentical hormones can come pre-made in designated doses and found in your local pharmacy or local Naturoapth’s office.  These are usually in the form of tablets, capsules and creams.  The bioidentical hormones from your local pharmacy are limited to estradiol and progesterone in limited concentrations.  The bioidentical hormones from your local Naturopath’s office can include all of the hormones except for testosterone in a greater variation of concentrations and combinations.

Bioidentical hormones can also come from a compounding pharmacy in every combination, concentration and delivery system possible.  These also need to be prescribed from your Naturopathic or conventional doctor.  Depending on symptoms, this is usually the most precise way to use bioidentical hormones.

Bioidentical hormones are theorized to be safer due to the fact that they are recognized by the body as something it has already been making since birth.  However, there are no good studies done on bioidentical hormones that prove this theory.  It is important to remember that no hormone therapy, natural or not, is completely risk free. 

Be sure to check back over the next month to know who can use, how you use, and when you should or shouldn’t use bioidentical hormone therapy.

I will summarize the foods first and if you are interested in the how’s and why’s, read on.

Salmon, Swiss chard,seaweed, flax seeds, lettuce/spinach, almonds,eggs, avocado, beans(especially black-eyed peas and garbanzo), molasses,broccoli, quinoa/brown rice, and  lean and clean meats.

Omega-3 fats, specifically EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), are an integral part of the nervous system and brain.  Each cell in the brain requires EPA to form its outer membrane.  Omega 3 fats also help create the sheath around all nerves.   A correlation has been seen in studies between omega-3 deficiency and depression, bipolar disorder and post-partum depression.  Foods such as fish (especially salmon), seafood, flax seeds, beans and walnuts are good sources of Omega-3 fats.

All proteins are made up of amino acids.  These smaller components of proteins are necessary for the creation of hormones and neurotransmitters.  Hormone imbalance is a known cause of emotional distress, so making sure we are able create what we need is important.  Neurotransmitters are brain chemicals that affect the way we feel emotionally.  Some common neurotransmitters are serotonin, dopamine, and GABA.  Since amino acids are precursors for all of these and more, so the ingestion of amino acids is absolutely essential for emotional health.  Good sources of amino acids are fish, clean meats, beans, eggs, avocados and protein powders.

B vitamins, especially B12 and folate are helpful cofactors for the synthesis of energy in the body.  B12 is difficult to absorb in the GI tract so sublingual tablets or injections of B12 can be useful if a true deficiency is present. Lean meats, eggs, seaweed, beans and nutritional yeast are good sources of B vitamins.

Iron carries oxygen in our blood cells.  Iron deficiency is obviously linked to chronic fatigue and low motivation.  Good sources of iron are lean meats, molasses, Swiss chard and beans.

Magnesium is a great mineral to help relax the mind and the body.  It helps promote restful sleep and helps stave of anxiety. Good sources of magnesium are black-eyed peasand other beans, Swiss chard, almonds, brown rice and cashews.

As mentioned in the article, sleep hygiene is ESSENTIAL.  This is the practice of a regular routine of at least 30 minutes and ideally 60 minutes every night before bed.  This should not include ANY screen time such as computers, tablets, phones or TV. This routine should start at approximately the same time every night. 

Often times there is a mental/emotional component to sleep disturbance that can be a huge obstacle to success.  There are several approaches to helping this including counseling and other cognitive behavior therapies, but one of my favorite and most successful approaches is the balancing and supporting of neurotransmitters in the brain.  What are these?  These are chemicals that modify and affect all of your mental/emotional states.  Some examples of these are seratonin, GABA, dopamine, and epinephrine.  They play a crucial role in moods, sleep, and keeping that “busy mind” in control.  There is testing available to look at these levels and very targeted, individualized amino acid therapies to use based on results.  This is done through my office daily.

Of course hormone (reproductive, thyroid, and adrenal) imbalances can also affect sleep and should be considered as a possible contributor.

If you or a loved one feel the need for sleep aids or are struggling with regular, restorative sleep, please give us a call. 

Azure Karli, ND

Bend Naturopathic Clinic   541-389-9750

Azure Karli, N.D.

Bend Naturopathic Clinic

There is not much you can do to avoid your environment unless you choose to move away for the season.  So, what you need to focus on are the things you can change.

First, have a food antibody test done.  Avoiding foods during allergy season to which your body’s immune system responds will lower the threshold of symptom occurrence.

Second, start natural allergy treatments in the next couple of weeks through late June.  The earlier you start, the less you will need anti-histamines, steroid inhalers and nasal sprays.

Third, stay hydrated.  Every cell that releases histamine will be less likely to do so if it is well hydrated.  Also, your mucus membranes will be better supported which reduces mucus production.

Fourth, cut back on mucus producing foods like processed sugars and flours, dairy products and bananas.

Fifth, as late March approaches be sure to rinse your nose nightly, keep carpets vacuumed and floors mopped regularly, change your pillow cases and sheets often and always rinse in the shower (including your hair) before going to bed.

Lastly, wash or at least rinse your pet more frequently.  It’s best if you eliminate or limit your pet’s time in your bedroom from late February to early June.

For more information on the best nasal rinsing supplies and natural allergy-fighting supplements for you, be sure to call the office at 541-389-9750.  All allergy related supplements will be 15% off until June 1, 2012.