Just like your car needs oil to run well, your body needs vitamins to aide in necessary biochemical reactions. Vitamin deficiencies that exist for a prolonged time can lead to diseases that are quite serious. Vitamin deficiencies present as a variety of symptoms that can be easily overlooked until they turn into a more serious problem later on.

Vitamin D is an important vitamin for the human body. Healthy bones require optimal hormone levels (Testosterone, Progesterone, and Estrogen) plus optimal Vitamin D levels, trace minerals, and weight bearing exercises. Deficient Vitamin D can lead to osteoporosis (thinning bone). Low Vitamin D can also cause you to have a lowered immune system (increased susceptibility to illnesses), a depressed mood, and increased muscle aches. An increased risk for colon, breast, and prostate cancer has also been linked to Vitamin D deficiencies.

Optimal Vitamin D blood levels (measured as Vitamin D 25 OH) are between 50 and 100 ug/L. Check your levels and detect deficiencies before they cause health problems. You can get Vitamin D by consuming fatty fish, eggs, butter, and vegetable oil. Sun exposure also gives your skin what it needs to make Vitamin D. A daily exposure to sun at half the time it takes you to burn should be adequate (no sunscreen). If you need to take a supplement, Vitamin D3 is the best form to take. Always take the supplement with fat containing food as it requires fat to be properly absorbed.

We all know that a healthy diet and exercise is important for achieving a healthy weight. Here are some other reasons you may not be losing weight:

1. Your thyroid is not functioning at an optimal level.
2. You may not be getting adequate sleep.
3. Your Testosterone, Progesterone, Estrogen levels may be out of balance.
4. You may have a candida overgrowth.
5. You may have too much cortisol.
6. Your body may be storing toxins within your fat cells and losing fat may cause toxicity if these toxins are not dealt with.
7. Your subconscious mind may have a “program” that is keeping your body from getting rid of unwanted fat.
8. You may be on medications that make it hard to lose weight.
9. You may be lacking certain nutrients that your body requires to “burn fat”.

If you are having trouble achieving a healthy weight, it is important to look at all aspects that can affect this process. Be patient and focus on your long term health.

There is a lot of confusion and an overload of information and misinformation about hormones. Most people frankly just don’t know what to do or even what hormones really are and what they do. People are overwhelmed with misinformation. Every one of you requires hormones in order to digest properly, sleep well, feel mentally balanced, have your metabolism work properly, and overall have energy and vitality. Hormones are like the conductor telling the cell’s of your body what to do. Your cells require a healthy hormone balance in order to function properly.

There are a lot of different hormones in your body but when we talk about hormone balancing we are typically talking about thyroid, estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, cortisol,and growth hormone Do you need hormone balancing? YES!!!

We live in a toxic world that disrupts the hormonal balance. Stress and the multitude of chemicals that we are exposed to on a daily basis cause a hormonal imbalance. You are exposed to hormone disruptors from the time that you are conceived and then enter this world. Each generation is being exposed to an increased number of these disruptors. As a result, Hormonal imbalances can start as early as your teens in today’s toxic world. You are never too young or too old to have your hormones evaluated. The hormonal decline can occur gradually and people may feel that they are normal. Many symptoms have become normal in our society but we are not meant to have them. As a result of a hormonal imbalance, people complain of fatigue, an inability to burn fat, brain fog, dry skin or hair, a lack of focus, decreased ability to remember, an increase in aches and pains, an inability to gain muscle, depressed mood, irritability, anxiety, poor sleep, etc. The list goes on and on. Essentially the person does not feel like he or she used to. Hormonal imbalances make it extremely difficult to burn fat or have a healthy body composition.

In our office, we order blood work and review the results with you and go over an extensive questionnaire that you fill out before your consultation. We can then decide at your consultation which hormones need rebalancing and create a customized treatment plan. We replace deficient hormones with bio identical hormones—hormones that are biologically identical to what your body naturally makes. Treating with bio identical hormones has been shown to have no effect on increasing your risk of cancer and has been shown to reduce the risk of osteoporosis, dementia, and heart disease among other things. Hormone rebalancing with bio identical hormones will help you to regain a healthy metabolism and mind set. When your hormones are balanced you have the energy and motivation to do the other things required for you to have a healthy body.

During the month of December there is an increase in the number of social events we are invited to, as well as an increase in things that we feel have to get done. As a result, stress increases and increased stress can disrupt your hormones and make you feel tired and irritable.You may need your Progesterone and Testosterone doses adjusted during this time period. There are also some things that you can do to help.

Most importantly schedule time for you on a regular basis. Schedule it in like you would a doctor’s appointment–you are more likely to do it. Schedule time to unplug and relax doing something that you enjoy doing–it can be anything as long as it is rejuvenating to you. In addition, stop for a minute throughout the day and take slow deep breaths. Do this whenever you can.

Pick a time that you turn off your phone every night and pick a day (or at least a half day) that you spend with the phone and computer off. You do not have to be accessible to everyone every minute. It is important for your mind to have time away from your phone and computer on a daily basis.

Step back and look at the sky every day. It only takes a minute or two but it puts your life in perspective. Focus on the things that you want to do and say no to the things that drain your energy.

Happy holidays!!

Tiredness, or fatigue, is a common complaint. There are many reasons for feeling this way. Of course, you want to be sure that your heart and lungs are ok and that you don’t have anemia or blood sugar problems, etc. Sleep apnea is also important to rule out. But if the traditional medical workup says you are fine then you may want to think about the following issues that could be causing you to feel tired.

Low thyroid is often missed. Normal lab values do not mean that you are optimal. Typically with low thyroid you may also see dry skin or hair, constipation, and a difficulty losing weight; plus fatigue. Typically you will have fatigue in the morning and again mid afternoon. Low thyroid is easy to fix with a prescription of a natural thyroid replacement.

Adrenal fatigue is also a common problem. Your adrenal glands deal with stress and get easily overloaded in today’s world. You may see low blood sugar, have salt cravings, and have a fatigue that never goes away.

Epsom salt baths are great for this; use 3 to 6 cups. For a real treat check out the float experience in Temecula!! Unplug from electronics and the outside world a day a week and at night. Avoid toxic people and situations when you can and avoid watching the news. Take a Hatha yoga class or meditate, and do deep breathing exercises daily. Getting your Estrogen, Progesterone, and Testosterone balanced also helps. Taking an adrenal support plus getting methyl B complex injections and myers cocktails (IV vitamin C) also support your adrenals–talk to us first about that to make sure it is right for you.

Low Testosterone can also cause fatigue in both men and women. You may also have depression, increased aches/pains, night sweats, poor recovery from workouts, brain fog, or an overall decrease in vitality. Replacing your Testosterone can be done safely and effectively with bio-identical hormones.

Nutrition definitely affects energy. Reduce your intake of sugar. Go a month (or at least a week) without procesed foods, gluten (wheat, rye, barley products), sugar, and dairy. Focus on organic vegetables and good protein sources (nuts, quinoa, free range chicken/turkey, wild caught fish, eggs from free range chickens, beans, etc). Eat an organic whole food diet and pay attention to how you feel. Food can heal you or it can make you sick–be aware of how different foods affect you.

Drink plenty of water. Dehydration can cause fatigue and tends to make you overeat. A good rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight (pounds) in ounces. For example, a 150 pound person would drink 75 ounces.

Have a purpose in life that drives you. Fatigue sometimes comes from not having something to drive you. Find things that you enjoy doing and go do them. Fill your life with a passion in what you are doing. If you are stuck in your head then consider hypnotherapy. We have had a lot of success stories from this.

I could keep going on but I will stop at this list. These are the most common things that I see that are often overlooked. Start with whatever seems right to you.

Your hormones act in your body much like the different instruments work together in a symphony. Each hormone has specific job duties and each hormone is interdependent on the other hormones. In addition, each hormone requires certain things to function optimally; such as specific vitamins, minerals, etc.

Hormone Balancing

Balancing your hormones is not going to happen overnight. It is a process that takes some time. It is important to be patient and to be willing to adjust your diet and lifestyle as needed. For example, gluten can be a contributor to estrogen dominance and eliminating gluten from your diet can improve the Estrogen: Progesterone :Testosterone ratio. Reducing stress improves your Progesterone levels and affects thyroid function.

Balancing your hormones is a personalized process. Each person is unique in what they require to achieve that balance. Finding the right treatment regimen for you takes sitting down and having a real conversation with your hormone specialist; after filling out an extensive questionnaire and getting some labwork done.

Once you start this journey, it is important that you give feedback to your physician so that she can adjust things–this will be done both remotely (phone, e mail) and during your follow up visits. Being patient and open to advice will lead to you feeling balanced and vital. Isn’t feeling great worth your time and money? ? What is more important??

Have you ever felt like you could do more for your health? That there was something that you needed to work on or optimize? I have found that many people have this thought and yet don’t do anything about it because they don’t know where to go or what to do, or they have sought medical help with a lack of results.

In my concierge practice I have found that there are three main reasons why men and women come to my office: they want to optimize their health, they want to work on a specific health issue or they simply want a relationship with their doctor. A relationship where they feel listened to and cared for. This may bring to mind the feeling of having that friend in your life that brings you joy. You know the kind of person that is there for you no matter how much time has passed since you spoke. The person who supports you and guides you when you need it, with love and without judgment. That person talks to you in a way that you understand and shows you how to achieve what you desire.

A positive relationship gives you confidence and a safe place to communicate any challenges that you are having. Your brain and body get anti aging benefits from having positive relationships.
After all, life is about feeling good and being able to enjoy the things that like to do. Playing with your kids or grandkids, vacationing, doing hobbies, or whatever you love doing. Can you picture yourself doing something that you love doing? Aging well means living well by having those positive relationships in your life that allow you to do this.

It is so sad that I hear the same story from my new patients that were previously stuck in the traditional medical system. The patients were unable to get an appointment with their prior doctor in a timely manner, they were limited to one medical complaint per visit, they would wait an hour or more in the waiting room, the list goes on. The doctors are overloaded in a medical system that pays doctors what the insurance companies feel is fair and that fee is based on their patients issues not on the time spent or the care given.

The powers to be are attempting to fix the medical system but they are failing to get to the root of the problem. The best way to ensure that a patient reaches optimal health is to ensure that each patient has access to their physician and the physician is able to spend time with each patient. This can not be done in a system that relies on insurances to cover everything and dictate overall value of services provided.

Concierge medicine is the answer. The patient takes responsibility for their health by paying an annual fee and the doctor is able to limit her practice so that she can be available and really get to know each patient. The insurance companies take a back seat in this type of medical care which is how it should be.

Like the majority of doctors, I went to medical school in order to truly help patients. Since switching to a concierge practice I can finally do that. A concierge practice is for any patient who desires to get or stay healthy.

Many people suffer from food sensitivities as well as yeast syndrome. Traditional medicine does not recognize yeast syndrome in otherwise healthy people but it is well known in the integrative medicine world. Your body has some candida in your intestines normally but when your natural bacteria (probiotics) no longer keep the candida in check, then these yeast overgrow. This can happen to otherwise healthy people who have been taking oral contraceptives, antibiotics, antacids, or steroids. It can occur in smokers, diabetics, or in people who consume a high sugar diet. Food sensitivities or allergies can also disrupt your natural intestinal bacteria and result in a candida overgrowth.

This overgrowth creates inflammation and affects the lining of the intestines. Your body becomes hypersensitive to candida and pumps out a lot of antibodies to fight this yeast. It is believed that the antibodies intended to fight the candida end up attacking tissues in your body that are misinterpreted as yeast by the immune system. This is what results in yeast syndrome.

Yeast syndrome is characterized by abdominal bloating, headaches, mood disorders, fatigue, skin complaints, poor memory, poor concentration, and often a craving for sweets. You may have a few or all of the symptoms.

It can be difficult to diagnose and since these symptoms can be from more serious causes it is important to get an adequate work up. But if everything is “normal” then yeast syndrome along with food sensitivities (similar symptoms to yeast syndrome) are important to consider. When I suspect yeast syndrome I have the patient get a food allergy test along with a colonic to see if there is in fact a yeast overgrowth in order to determine the best course of therapy.

When yeast die off most people feel worse before they get better. This is a result of the yeast fighting back. Treating candida effectively requires following a diet with low sugar (including fruit) intake, taking potent probiotics, and taking natural or prescription anti-fungal medication along with periodic colonics to clear out the yeast and assess progress. This is typically a two month process.

If you feel that you may suffer from yeast syndrome then I advise that you set up an appointment at our office so that we may work with you on this matter.

People often feel tired and run down, and instead of fixing the problem they reach for caffeine. They end up in a yo yo of being artificially wired and then feeling fatigued again. They are so caught up in surviving each day that they don’t realize they can stop this mad cycling.

Naturally if you are in this cycle you want to fix the problem. A hormonal imbalance can be a cause of your fatigue. Cortisol, Thyroid, and Testosterone are hormones that are often overlooked. Cortisol is your “stress” hormone, Thyroid your “metabolism” hormone, and Testosterone is your “vitality” hormone. If any of these hormones are out of balance it can cause fatigue, among many other potential symptoms.

You may get your blood drawn but are told your labs are normal. It is important to look at your levels to see if they are in the optimal range. Optimal is better than normal. Optimal is living your life full of life and vitality. If you feel tired, this is not normal and a bio-identical specialist can work with you to figure out the cause and the appropriate treatment.