New Berberine Research

Just read through this paper by Chinese researchers.  Along with another paper on berberine's mechanism of action in diabetes.  

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) results from a combination of metabolic factors such as Insulin Resistance (IR), Oxidative Stress (OS), Mitochondrial Dysfunction (MD), and lipid peroxidation.  NAFLD is proposed to occur because of a "two hit" hypothesis (like many people belief cancer occurs).  First, insulin resistance and fat accumulation occur.  Second invading macrophages secrete inflammatory signals like interleukin-6 and Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha which makes the issue worse.  

Diet, exercise, drugs, and herbs can all effect the health of a hepatocyte (liver cell).  In the first paper, researchers assessed the effects of Baicalin, Berberine and Puerarin.  Berberine and baicalin were found to potent anti-inflammatories and puerarin was associated with reductions in lipids.  

Where can you find berberine?  Well if you live in the Pacific Northwest, just look outside and you'll probably find some.  

Berberine helps regulate blood sugar metabolism by it's ability to activate adenosine monophosphate activated protein kinase.  Think of diabetic cells being in a excess or full state.  BUT, if we have agents that help bring them into less full states, they can take up blood sugar and work better.  

Here's the crazy thing though.  Berberine doesn't just help with blood sugar.  It helps with infections of bacterial and viral origins too!  I use berberine quite a bit in clinical practice, especially for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO). 

Have you used Chinese Skullcap or a berberine containing plant?  What for and what did you experience?  Please share your experience and wisdom. 

 

 

 

 

Fighting Fatigue - Part 1

Fatigue is extremely common and is the number 1 reason why people come into the Doctor's office.  When we are fatigued we are in a state of energy depletion.  The energy currency of our cells is ATP (Adenosine Tri-phosphate).  Your mitochondria are like energy producing power plants for your body.  Now there are a ton of herbs, supplements, dietary patterns, and lifestyle choices that can improve mitochondrial function, or make the power plants you have running, run better.  But there is not an herb, there is not a food, or a pill, or a meditation out there that will actually increase the number of power plants that you have.  The only medicine that can do that is exercise.  Exercise increases mitochondria per area of tissue and it might seem paradoxical, but if you are fatigued, exercise may indeed be one of the prescriptions that is needed.  Exercise is medicine, and like any other medicine there is a dose that is in-effective, effective, and harmful.  If you need help selecting an appropriate dose or idea on how to overcome your fatigue with exercise then call our office and set up an appointment or phone consultation with me.  

 

Please re-tweet this video and share on facebook with the #exerciseismedicine and Follow me on Twitter @DrWoodallND

Building a Holistic Treatment Plan

Building Holistic Treatment Plans.

If you have 5 nails in your foot, and remove 1 nail, you still have 4 nails in your foot and you are still in pain.  You might not be able to perceive the 20% improvement that was made and therefore believe a treatment doesn't work when if fact it does.  Therefore in my chronic/Sustained disease patients, I will often work to remove all 5 nails at once (if possible)  and remove parts of the treatment plan AFTER we have built a strong, RESILIENT HEALTH system. 

I am a Naturopathic Doctor.  What that means is if you schedule a visit with me at Cascade Integrative Medicine your treatment plan will mostly likely include some of the following elements.  Some people need less treatment in the beginning, others need more support.

Food- Specific to your needs, CHO tolerance, Immune tolerance, etc.

Sleep- Ideas to help improve THE MOST Essential healing state of the body

Mind-Body Medicine- Specific to your Stress family (IE how you experience stress)  Meditation is not for everyone

Exercise- NOT Typical lose weight and Exercise more approach in my office-

Supplements- Dosed appropriately and for either maintenance, repletion, or orthomolecular medicine.

Herbal Medicine- Dispensed in a variety of teas, tinctures, capsules, salves, and creams

Rx or Compounded Rx- Specific to your needs

Physical Medicine- Through use of VM,  etc.  AND MORE.

 

REMEMBER, it is the Philosophy of Naturopathic Medicine that sets it apart from other medical systems.  We can train other health practitioners to do what a Naturopath does, but it is more difficult to shift the way a person thinks about health and dis-ease. 

 

 

 

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The Background of Anxiety Part 4

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Uploaded by Dr. Mark Woodall on 2015-09-23.

I hope you have enjoyed our series on Anxiety thus far.  We've been talking a lot about CO2, breathing, and there relationship to anxiety.  I'd like to dive deeper now into the breath.  On average we breathe 20k to 24k times.  The question to ask then is how are you breathing these breaths? 

Several lines of research aswell as my own clinical observation through working with real patients demonstrates to me that many people are breathing too quickly.  An optimal breath rate s generally between 4.5 and 7 BPM.  

Now this doesn't mean you need to be breathing 6 BPM when you're out running.  Just breathe the rate thats meets the demand of your activity.  

Want to dive deeper into your breath?  Schedule a first office call now.  

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The Background of Anxiety Part 3

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Uploaded by Dr. Mark Woodall on 2015-09-16.

Your CO2 Thermostat.  

Your thermostat maintains the temperature of your house around 68-70degrees, almost year round.  But what would you do if you invited 100 of your closest friends and colleagues for a summer party?  You would probably turn the AC thermostat either down to 60 or cooler or just totally off.  Then your friends leave, after having had a great party, AND you DON'T reset the thermostat.  You are now living in a house that is 60 instead of 70.  How would that affect your body?   

CO2 is no different than "temperature in our thermostat analogy.  A stressor occurs, either acutely or chronically, we react by changing our breath, (WE NEED TO SURVIVE REMEMBER), but when the stressor is over, we don't RESET our Co2, because you might not even have noticed it changed.  

Changing the breath changes the background of anxiety.  If your interested in integrative treatment for anxiety then schedule an appointment online or call CIM.  Please share, tweet,  and like the video.  

How do you want your healthcare?

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The Background of Anxiety Part 2

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Uploaded by Mark Woodall on 2015-08-30.

Is Anxiety a Carbon Dioxide deficiency?  

A few of the symptoms that occur from hypocapnia include

  1. anxiety
  2. Chest Pain
  3. Feeling tense
  4. Dizzy Spells
  5. Feeling Confused
  6. Faster or deeper breathing
  7. Shortness of  breath 
  8. Tingling fingers
  9. Unable to breeathe deeply
  10. Stiff fingers or arms
  11. Tight feelings round mouth
  12. Cold hands and feet 
  13. Palpitations
  14. Bloating in stomach
  15. Blurred vision

These are a few of the Medically Unexplained symptoms that can occur if your medical doctor can't find anything wrong.   

Carbon Dioxide is an extremely important gas in the body and is actually the main regulator of respiration in the brain.  To prove this point when you workout, your CO2 increases, which increases your respiration.  BUT if we are involved in acute or Chronic stress our CO2 levels can shift.  This can then cause a diminished amount of blood flow to the brain and prevent RBCs from Releasing oxygen.  

Both of which can contribute to and cause anxiety.  

Is there a medication you can take to fix your Co2? Unfortunately not, but Dr. Woodall can teach you to retrain your breath to tolerate MORE CO2.  It might feel a little awkward and anxiety provoking at first but it can greatly enhance your ability to stay more balanced.  

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Connect on Twitter #BackgroundofAnxiety

Disclaimer- This is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice.  You're an individual so you need to be INDIVIDUALLY evaluated by a Doctor. 

The Background of Anxiety Part 1

Conventional Medicine Tx for Anxiety-

  • Anti-depressants
  • Benzodiazepines
  • Psychotherapy

My perspective-  Anxiety is like a Portrait-  There is a foreground and a background

Focusing on Anxiety and just anxiety is addressing the foreground without addressing the background.  Which is JUST as important?  

 

What do I mean by the background?  I mean this:

How's your breathing? 

Are you holding your breath? 

How much tension is in your body?  

How many breaths per minute are you breathing? 

Your breath, HR, BP are autonomically controlled, meaning automatically controlled, but when you shift from something being unconsciously controlled to consciously controlled you switch the background, which CHANGES the FOREGROUND, and the WHOLE PICTURE

If you're interested in addressing the Background and foreground of Anxiety then set up an appointment with my office either by phone or online.  Thank you for listening and please share on twitter and facebook.  #AnxietyPortrait