Reverse Early Memory Loss with a Functional Medicine Approach

Although genetics play a big role in who experiences memory loss with age, you don’t have to be a victim to the ravages of brain degeneration. By taking action at the early signs of memory loss, you can reverse your risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s before it’s too late. 

One study showed that nine out of ten patients were able to reverse their memory loss when early intervention occurred. The same study subjects also showed significant long-term improvement in memory function. So what was the magic bullet? There was no magic. Just the solid implementation of functional neurology basics. Here’s what was done.

Study subjects underwent a dietary and lifestyle overhaul that included changes in what they ate, regular exercise, supplementation, better sleep, and exercising their brain.  The improvements were so profound that some of the subjects were able to work again, having quit due to...

Must-Know Labs: Your Homocysteine Levels

Once upon a time, Homocysteine was a lab value that was used to assess your risk of heart attack and stroke. It is not standard protocol to measure this anymore. As a matter a fact, nearly every patient or client I have worked with who has tried to get their primary care physician to run this number has been denied.  

However, I couldn’t disagree more. Homocysteine is an important marker! Let’s explore some of the reasons why, as well as a few clinical observations I have made in regard to this value.

What is Homocysteine?

Homocysteine is an amino acid found in every cell of our body. Although the normal lab range for homocysteine is less than 10.4 umol/L, when placed on the finer-tuned ‘functional medicine scale,’ we prefer it to be nearer to 6-7 umol/L. That level is where it is both indicating optimal function and contributing to optimal function.

Homocysteine, when everything in the body is working as it...

You are the product of your genetics — if only it was so simple.

Every aspect of who you are, from the inside out and top to bottom, depends on your body’s ability to efficiently and correctly express your particular genetic makeup in the face of external factors. In many cases, even if you have genetic variations that lend a predisposition to illness, your choices may help limit, possibly reverse, negative genetic expressions through optimizing your diet and lifestyle.

We live in a fast-paced world filled with all kinds of products that, while they may help make our lives more efficient or pleasurable, may actually harm us in the long run. When you multiply certain genetic factors with lifestyle exposures, both acute and chronic illnesses may occur. Even those with optimal health and genetic expression may face health challenges due to external factors or poor personal choices. For example, genetically modified food, toxic chemicals, a leaky intestinal barrier...

As you likely know, your body requires vitamins A, D, E, and K (potassium) among many other nutrients for optimum health. While these nutrients are easy to get naturally, they aren’t easily absorbed without being paired with fat. However, that doesn’t mean you should go out and pop your vitamins with a burger and fries.

When pairing nutrients with fat, it is important to opt for the healthiest forms of fats available. In addition to helping your body absorb these important vitamins, healthy fats also promote brain function, muscle building, and cellular repair. In fact, some studies even suggest that some good fats may help reduce symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. That is exciting news, indeed!

The good fat and bad fat

Good fats help your body and overall health and bad fats do the opposite. The best sources of good fats are foods in their most natural state possible or from which oils have been extracted with minimal processing.

The good fats

Good fats help you to...

Name one of the most misunderstood nutrients in the American diet. Here’s a hint — it’s in the title of this post. 

Fat has a reputation for being one of the worst things you could possibly eat. It’s been accused of causing obesity, elevated cholesterol and heart disease. However, we now know that fat can be good for you and is an important nutrient that should be part of your daily diet to maintain a healthy weight or manage chronic illness.

Fat, the misunderstood nutrient

Fat is just as important as protein, vitamins and minerals. For millennia, humans have consumed healthy fats in the form of natural plant oils from coconut, avocados, and olives and as natural components of wild game, wild-caught fish and grass-fed cows. Early people eating such traditional, natural diets typically had far fewer chronic health conditions and live longer when compared to peers eating processed foods, farmed fish, or feed-lot beef.

With the rise of mass manufacturing...

Who wants to age well, and live a disease-free life?

Well, don’t raise your hands all at once! In a perfect world, everyone would age well and rid themselves of the ailments that chronic disease brings with it. Of course that scenario seems a little too ideal to be possible, but guess what? It IS attainable with proper knowledge and choices.

If you want to age well and wave goodbye to chronic disease, then you need to focus on two words--inflammation and oxidation.

Inflammation: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

You might ask, what exactly is inflammation? In basic terms, inflammation is your body’s way of defending itself against anything it deems harmful, protecting itself from further insult or injury, and cleaning up debris left behind after an injury. Signs of normal, healthy inflammation include, but are not limited to; pain, swelling, redness and warmth.

Healthy and normal inflammation occurs around an injury and goes away when...

All About Your Amazing Brain

I think one of the most attractive and interesting body parts might our brains, not just in terms of intelligence but the physical brain itself. How can something so wrinkly and grey be so amazing? While many of us tend to focus on other parts of the body when it comes to caring for our health, our brain is at the center of everything.

Fun Facts – Your Brain

Complexity: Your brain is a compact little package of complexity with amazing pathways throughout that control everything about your entire body, including your physical being, your emotions, intelligence and psychological function.

Size: The average brain weighs about three pounds and in a healthy human adult makes up about 2% of total body weight. If you have a cat, your little kitty’s brain weighs a lot less—a mere 0.067 pounds!

Neurons and Nerves: Your brain has about 10 BILLION neurons (a specialized nerve cell) transmitting signals that allow your body and brain to function....

This Is Your Brain on Meditation

We’ve all seen commercials about exercising and strengthening our brains with “brain games” and puzzles. What if it was easier than that? What if all that was necessary was 15 minutes of daily meditation? For centuries, yogis and spiritual leaders have known that the brain (and the entire body) responds to meditation.

Medical researchers at Harvard University have proven that meditation changes your brain. A recent study has shown that a simple but regular meditation practice may be enough to encourage not only a sense of general physical and mental relaxation, but improved mental and psychological function.

In a recent study led by Harvard neuroscientists and medical researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, participants spent eight weeks practicing a regular, daily meditation routine. Duration varied, but they averaged 27 minutes per day and ranged from those with no experience to meditation experts. The participants were...