Our new office is now open!
At last we have our own new office in Tempe, Arizona. We are 11 miles from the Phoenix Airport by highway (about 15 minutes), one mile away from Route 60 and just over one mile from the Loop 101 highway. Our neighbor Whole Foods is about 2/3 of a mile away on Baseline Road. It is among the largest of several health food supermarkets throughout the Valley.
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Yet for its great central location, our office suite is in a serene setting overlooking a courtyard with a fountain. The office is accessible by stairway and elevator. There is ample parking, including for wheelchair access.
So what do we plan to do now that we're here?
At 48 years old, I know some things about anti-aging medicine, as you can see. Otherwise, just good, wholesome naturopathic medicine in all the modalities required by our patients' needs. If you've subscribed to our newsletter for a while, you know we tell it like it is - about the dangers of pesticides, synthetic chemicals, pharmaceuticals, processed foods, etc. But you know we also give you a feasible alternative - that is, some way that you can avoid the potential problems without rearranging your life significantly or driving yourself crazy. That's the way we practice medicine: feasible, do-able, non-toxic measures that we can take in order to greatly improve your health and your prospects for longevity. Let's face it: if you had seen a Naturopathic Physician 20 years ago, you would be a lot healthier right now. (Wouldn't we all?!) However . . .
However, a disease condition is not carved in stone. For most disease, even most chronic conditions, dramatic relief of symptoms even in many cases to the point of complete cure is usually achieved with naturopathic medicine.
Any time in your life you have the capacity to choose which way forward: disease management with drugs and surgery, or improved well-being through nutrition and other natural interventions that address the cause of your symptoms.
This fork in the road, the choice between disease management on the one side and the road to improved health on the other, may have found you on one side or another in the past. That does not matter now, because the same choice is always in front of you. You can decide to improve your health at any time.
A basic naturopathic strategy is to give your body what it needs and to "take out the garbage." The needs are basic nutrients, in which we are shockingly deficient, even in well-to-do societies. "Taking out the garbage" on the other hand means to eliminate toxins that linger in our body fat and bones, toxins such as mercury, aluminum, lead and solvents, which are responsible for many symptoms from brain fog to high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
A Naturopathic Medical Doctor (NMD or ND) is a graduate of a 4-year post baccalaureate academic and clinical medical training program at one of 4 naturopathic medical schools in the U.S. accredited by the U.S. Dept of Education.
The State of Arizona is one of fourteen states that license naturopathic medical doctors as primary care physicians.
Here in Arizona, we are licensed to practice conventional medicine such as prescription of pharmaceuticals and minor surgery in addition to natural medicine: oral and IV nutrition, botanical medicine, environmental medicine, acupuncture, homeopathy and physical medicine. We order the lab tests or imaging that you need, do the physical exams, diagnose and treat according to naturopathic principles of "First do no harm," "treat the cause" and making use of the healing power of nature.
Not all patients need or want all of these modalities, so the naturopathic physician is prepared to offer you the most appropriate treatments for the illnesses that you have and the condition that you are in, or simply for wellness maintenance.
Another reminder to drink your water in glass, not plastic
Plastic polycarbonate bottles such as Nalgene are still popular as drinking water bottles. However polycarbonate releases a chemical known as bisphenol A. Whereas plastic industry safety studies find no significant health effects from typical daily doses of bisphenol A, a full 90% of government studies found harmful health effects [1] especially to children and expecting moms, [2] but also for male sexuality and reproduction as well. [3]
The problem is that bisphenol A acts as a "xenoestrogen," which just means it's like the female hormone estrogen, except for two things: 1) it's foreign to the body, which is what "xeno" means, and 2) it is way more harmful than our natural estrogen for everyone, male and female. Breast cancers are much more of a risk in women who carry a high burden of xenoestrogens, and both sexes are subject to a huge range of other harmful health effects. The most far-reaching effects are birth defects and miscarriages. Another effect is a disruption of beta cell function in the pancreas, which creates a pre-diabetes type condition of high blood insulin and insulin resistance.
We have previously warned our readers never to leave a plastic water bottle on a hot car seat, because the phthalates used in the manufacture of plastics leach into the water that you then drink. Phthalates are another xenoestrogen. However, with the polycarbonate bottles it has been found that even at room temperature, bisphenol A leaches into the water, and more so with increased temperature. Also with repeated use of plastics, you may notice the fine line scratches that you see on an old plastic container. These increase the surface area exposed to the liquid inside and release more of the xenoestrogens into the water.
The glass bottle solution
Sure, glass can break. But if you're careful with it, that's not a problem. And considering all the problematic substances in plastics, the breakability of glass does not seem like such a tragedy. I send my 5 year-old son, a very active little boy, to school with a glass water bottle, and he doesn't break it. Okay, once he broke one. But the replacement cost was cheap: Only $1.69! I get our glass bottles from the health food store. Ice tea is usually sold in glass bottles. The Tazo brand of teas has a 13.8 oz. bottle that is fairly thick glass and short enough to refill conveniently, with a wide enough spout to allow in some small ice cubes or slice of lemon. Once you get used to carrying it, it is just as easy as Nalgene, and its small size fits better in a purse or briefcase.
Postpartum depression and natural treatments
This is actually quite an easy one for natural treatment: First, fish oil has been found to be quite effective for this condition, [4] as well as for major depression. [5] We already know from previous studies that a mom's use of fish oil regularly throughout her pregnancy is of enormous advantage to the rapidly developing brain of the fetus. Now it is also evident from the double-blind trial conducted by Freeman's team, listed below, that fish oil is helpful for mom to get her own brain back in order, as the immense shifts in hormones and neurotransmitters in the perinatal period cause significant upheaval in the maternal brain.
Also of great use during this time are the B vitamins, which are really key for the health of the nervous system. Talk to your naturopathic physician about dosing that is optimal for you and looking for good quality and bioavailability of your nutrients.
references
- Vom Saal F, Hughes C. An extensive new literature concerning low-dose effects of bisphenol A shows the need for a new risk assessment. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2003:111. pp. 926-933. See: http://www.ehponline.org/members/2005/7713/7713.html
- Hunt P, Koehler K et al. Bisphenol A cause meiotic aneuploidy in the female mouse. Current Biology. 13: pp. 546-553
- Akingbemi B, Sottas C, et al. Inhibition of testicular steroidogenesis by the xenoestrogen bisphenol A is associated with reduced pituitary luteinizing hormone secretion and decreased steroidogenic enzyme gene expression in rat Leydig cells. Endocrinology 145. pp. 592-603.
- Freeman M. Hibbeln J, et al. Randomized dose-ranging pilot trial of omega-3 fatty acids for post-partum depression. Acta Psychatr Scand. 2006: 113. pp.31-35.
- Su K, Huang S. Omega-3 fatty acids in major depressive disorder. A preliminary double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Eur. Neuropsychopharmacol. 2003:13. pp. 267-271.