This exciting study presents data that a Functional Medicine approach to memory decline can help improve that memory loss. The approach is highly individual. In general an evaluation for memory decline needs to include genetic factors, gut functional, toxin load and detoxification process, inflammation, bacteria/fungus/virus burden, metabolic and hormonal balance, stress, brain capacity, exercise, sleep, diet, deficiencies, among others.

Joie de vivre: a delight in being alive; keen, carefree enjoyment of living. OneMedicine Wellness Services seeks to help you rediscover (or find) joy within your life.

"It is important for us to live a 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 life. A life that is full of this capacity for us to live in the moment & make good decisions in the moment." -Dr. Roca

In this study, researchers identified that pre-existing collections of this molecule held within the immune system cells of the brain are released when we begin to eat or imagine eating.

Take a moment to do this mindfulness "Loving Kindness Meditation" exercise with Dr. Roca!

Over time many studies have tried to ascertain the drivers of later Alzheimer’s Disease. Usually they have found that cigarette smoking or low educational level have been primary predictors of later Alzheimer’s Disease. This study sheds new light on how we might support our brain health earlier in life.

Natural spring water has long been considered to be a mechanism for healing in areas of: Stress reduction, muscle relaxation, easing your mind, quality sleep & added clarity.

We have long known that specific exercise regimens can shift our physiology in particular ways – tai chi helps balance, high intensity training reduces weight and improves cardiovascular health, strength training increases testosterone and the strength of the muscles worked. This fascinating study demonstrates the correlation between different types of exercise and specific moods and memory skills.

During this season of Thanksgiving, we each have a lot to be grateful for. I encourage you to reflect on what you're thankful for by writing it down, sharing it with a friend, or leaving a comment below.

Recent breakthrough research has identified a gut bacteria that produces excessive amounts of histamine which correlates to gut pain. The researchers took gut bacteria from people suffering from IBS and implanted it in rats.

Dr. Roca's background in geology has inspired him to "see below the surface" in efforts to uncover the "why" behind health. Although the studies of geology & health may seem distant, Dr. Roca has used the two to merge the way medicine is viewed.

Depression and anxiety exists on a continuum from worry, fear, dread, shame, unworthiness to stress to super-stress to depressiveness with or without anxiousness to diagnoseable mood disorders. And we fluctuate at any given time along this trajectory.

The Social Safety Theory describes how our social environment influences our thoughts and feelings which then triggers physiologic processes through our sympathetic nervous system, our stress response, our vagal nerve responses, and our ability to conceive of our world. Social Safety is protective.

We’d love to be able to predict just who will get long COVID. We can’t yet say for sure who would get Long COVID but we are developing the capacity to understand it a bit better. This study is an elegant study of genomics and immune activation. If you are into detailed studies of genomes then you’ll love this study.

"Community is the cocoon within which we live, we grow, we become well." -Dr. Roca

Moving forward, we can expect COVID to affect us in waves as it continues to mutate. A significant question is how long COVID may lve within us, even if we aren’t able to infect others. This idea of long -term COVID infections could be related to the presence of Long COVID in some.

Where do your roots and values come from? At OneMedicine Wellness Services, Dr. Roca’s inspiration comes from his mothers’ work in nursing. What if your provider worked from a place of helping you get back to health on a journey WITH you, instead of simply telling you.

When we reach the end of the road, we are challenged with the question- with what limits us vs. what gives us wings? The end of the road is the beginning of our wings. Whether you are dealing with chronic illness or challenges in life, the question is, where do we go from here?

In the case of EBV, the data is growing that indicates EBV can cause Multiple Sclerosis which is a disease that breaks down the insulation around nerves and causes the nerves to lose functionality. It is a challenge to conclude that EBV can cause any particular disease because EBV infects almost 90% of the population, usually when we are young.

Reducing ultraprocessed foods while increasing minimally processed foods can reduce your dementia risk. Minimally processed foods are those that were/are alive, grown nearby, and look and taste like they would have when they were picked or culled.