Bone broth has been used throughout human history. Remember chicken help heals the cold (and the soul).

Amino acids are broken down from proteins in our diet by a properly functioning digestive system. Foods high in proteins are usually sufficient to give us our necessary amount of amino acids.

In Functional Medicine, we combine a functional approach to health using lifestyle and diet combined with appropriate herbal, vitamin, and mineral support. Compounding of medications goes back to the very beginnings of medicine. Advanced technology makes it possible for a qualified pharmaceutical laboratory to achieve the accuracy of pharmaceutical companies while treating each case individually for optimum results.

Part of an integrative approach to wellness is checking for nutritional deficiencies that can contribute to, or even cause, imbalances in blood sugar (glucose). Increased consumption of simple carbohydrates in your diet can increase blood insulin levels, which, in turn, can deplete a number of essential nutrients.

The culprit is gluten, a mixture of proteins including gliadins and glutenins, known for giving wheat dough its elastic texture. Gluten is also found in barley, oats, spelt, kamut and several other foods. A rise in gluten sensitivity and celiac disease, a serious autoimmune disease in which gluten damages the small intestine, has led folks to search out gluten-free options.

Almost immediately as immigrants arrive in the US and their diet changes, their gut bacteria changes. Microbial diversity decreases substantially and measurably. Those bacteria that most effectively metabolize complex carbohydrates reduce substantially.

The flora shifts from Prevotella dominance to Bacteroides dominance (and these changes propagate across generations).

Childhood obesity is increasing across the US. Childhood obesity is associated with lifetime obesity. Obesity is a primary predictor of development of diabetes type II, heart disease, cancer, arthritis, and sleep apnea. So it stands to reason that working to decrease childhood obesity is a valuable investment for the child’s future health.

As more people discover that their allergies, asthma, autoimmune diseases and neurodevelopmental disorders are exacerbated by food allergies and intolerances, these people learn that removing allergenic foods, such as gluten, from their diets makes them feel better.

Sprouts are easy to grow year-round in your kitchen. They are inexpensive and densely nutritious. If you grow sprouts, make sure they get proper air circulation and drainage to avoid mold.

Health isn’t found in a bottle – not a bottle of medications, not a bottle of botanicals, supplements, minerals, or vitamins. Very often, bottled natural products are difficult to digest. The pills are compressed and the components are synthetic. They often do not contain enough of any component for those with significant issues, and may be too much for those who are already nutritionally well-balanced.

If you happen to be one of the millions of Americans who experience gas and bloating, then read on.

Gas and bloating most often happen after eating. That’s the clue. It has to do with how the food you eat is being digested by the bacteria in your stomach.

The New Year and the Spring are prime ’detoxing’ times as folks try to reset their health. Often folks opt for the intense ‘quick’ fix. Beware: Not all detoxes are healthy.

Our medical providers may not tell us about the interactions between food and medicines.