The weather has continued to bring us a mix of rain and snow in Oregon. We had 5″ of snow this weekend! However, the weekend before we did have one lovely Saturday, and I thought, “Yes, spring is coming, and we can spend more time outdoors!” I do look forward to being able to get outside, sit on the porch, …
What about your microbiome?
You’ve heard of viruses. You’ve heard of bacteria. You’ve heard of fungi. But have you ever considered how there is the good, the bad, and the ugly of these microorganisms — and they affect your health. This excerpt from Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health describes how this collection of microbes, called a microbiome, helps govern the health of …
What You Should Know About Pesticides and Parkinson’s disease
Why do I talk about buying organic all the time? I grew up on a farm. I can remember running and playing in the fields. I also remember the planes flying through the sky, spraying the fields. Today, I know pesticides are connected to Parkinson’s disease later in life. I also know this fact through firsthand experience because my dad …
The Unsung Hero: Your Liver
When was the last time you thought about your liver? Well, for most of us, we ignore it. In a recent Detroit Free Press article, 20-something Allison Grainger shares how her liver affected her whole life. “The lethargy was so intense, the 26-year-old quit her job working as a spa concierge. Her primary care doctor sent her to a specialist, …
Can You Reverse Heart Disease?
You know that silly saying, “You are what you eat.” What might have started as a parental push to urge children to eat their veggies has more legitimacy than we may think. As I’ve been reviewing heart health information over the last few months, I’ve been reading about Dean Ornish, MD. Dr. Ornish’s premise is that we can not only …
Looking at the Whole Heart
We’ve been talking about metabolic syndrome recently and it’s a perfectly timed segue into February, often celebrated for love and everything related to hearts. (Check out the recent blogs to see the connection between heart health and metabolic syndrome.) Let’s build on this idea of heart health, but with an added perspective. In addition to the expected advice … like …
Does Metabolic Syndrome Explain Your Health?
The medical world can’t quite agree on what to call the metabolic dysfunction that affects more than 35 percent of the US population. You’ll hear metabolic disorder, metabolic syndrome, and metabolic disease, but these three names address the same health concern. Quoting from Healthline’s More than One-Third of Americans Have Dangerous Metabolic Syndrome, Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of as …
Clean Out Your Assumptions
We all make assumptions, but there is a fine line between intuiting (based on known factors) and assuming (based on supposed factors). Like author and habit expert James Clear writes, assumptions are “how we fool ourselves without realizing it” and fooling ourselves removes opportunities to learn. One of my many strategies as a functional medicine health coach is to guide …