Why not ensure 100% absorption of your vitamins and minerals?

Did you know that for many people, over 50% of the vitamins and minerals taken by mouth are poorly absorbed?  This can be due to digestive problems like gut inflammation from food sensitivities, dysbiosis (imbalances in digestive microflora), or yeast overgrowth (candida).  Stress and aging can also influence nutrient absorption - most people over the age of 40 are not  optimally digesting and absorbing nutrients.  Even in young, healthy people, the gut is only able to absorb a limited amount of certain nutrients.

In a nutritional IV, vitamins, minerals and amino acids are infused directly into the bloodstream.  We are able to deliver much higher doses of the nutrients since we bypass the limitations of the digestive system, and this allows much better correction of intracellular nutrient deficiencies.  

A good example of this is Vitamin C.  The antiviral effects of Vitamin C are seen when blood levels are approximately 10-15mg/dL.  Oral intake of Vit C typically raises blood levels only up to 1.2-4mg/dL,  so trying to overcome a cold with oral Vit C is unlikely to be very effective. We can deliver a higher dose with IV therapy,  and are able to raise levels up to 50-90mg/dL.

Besides boosting immune system function, another benefit of improved intracellular nutrition is increased energy production.  Mitochondria are the energy producing batteries in each cell. The influx of vitamins and minerals in a nutritional IV fuel the mitochondria and help to “kick start” the energy production in the cells.  This is especially valuable in treating patients with fatigue.

Already fairly healthy?  IV Therapy is great for boosting health and preventing illness.  

Planning an elective surgery?  Nutritional IVs before and after surgery can help to promote a reduced risk of complications from surgery and anesthesia, and promote faster recovery time with less swelling and bruising.  

Having your silver fillings removed?  Nutritional IVs can be very important to help reduce the effects of mercury exposure.  

High stress circumstances coming up, like a wedding, running a marathon, travel, final exams, or a sports competition?  Nutritional IVs can help keep you feeling on top of your game and reduce the risk of a weakened immune system due to stress.

Feel like you are coming down with a cold or flu?  A nutritional IV can resolve symptoms quickly.  This works best if the IV is administered within 24 hours of the start of symptoms.

For patients with medical problems exacerbated by intracellular nutritional deficiencies, IV Therapy can be an important tool in helping to restore wellness.  Conditions that may be helped with nutritional IVs include:

hormone imbalance

poor detoxification

poor memory and concentration

chronic stress

candida 

weakened immune system

fibromyalgia

chronic fatigue syndrome

muscle twitches and spasms

hypertension

athletic performance recovery and endurance

diabetes

migraines

depression

anxiety

arthritis

asthma

allergies

sinusitis

eczema and other skin conditions

chronic pain

cardiovascular disease

poor circulation

post-gastric bypass

Epstein Barr

heavy metal toxicity

influenza

Crohn's disease/ulcerative colitis

cancer

and even the common cold!

What is a Myers’ Cocktail?

During the 1960s, Dr. John Myers’, an internist from Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, proposed that a mixture of key nutritional supplements might be given in a single intravenous 

infusion– literally flooding the body with nutrients– to help improve cell performance. Each of the vitamins and minerals Dr. Myers’ selected had actually been available in intravenous form for years, but no one had ever considered combining them into an intravenous “cocktail.”

The basic Myers’ formula consists of a mixture of Vit C, B Vitamins, magnesium, and calcium.   All of these nutrients have known benefits and low potential for serious side effects. 

What is IV Glutathione?  

Glutathione is the most important anti-oxidant in the body.  It is produced in the body, especially the liver and is very important for detoxification of carcinogens, toxins, drugs, alcohol, and heavy metals like lead and mercury.  It activates the immune system and plays an important role in DNA synthesis and repair.  It activates nitric oxide to dilate arteries.  When given intravenously it helps with liver and brain function, and can be helpful for fatigue, brain fog, memory, parkinson’s and other neurologic conditions. 

Interested in learning more about how nutritional IVs can help you?  Give us a call!  704-752-9346  Or email us at questions@signaturewellness.org.

New Year Detox for Optimal Health

The New Year is a wonderful time of year to consider a detox program.  Seasonal cleansing can help reduce symptoms of disease as well as prevent illness from developing in the first place.  Many of us have seen the packaged detox products in retail stores.  But do they work or are there more effective ways of cleansing and when is it appropriate? 

We live in a sea of toxins.  Millions of tons of chemicals are released into the North American environment each year, exposing us on a daily basis.  Manufacturing and mining are sources of contamination for our air and water, pesticides lace our foods, and cleaning products and cosmetics are just a few of the chemical substances we encounter in our homes.

Our bodies have detoxification pathways via the skin, lungs, bowels, kidneys, lymph system and especially the liver.  Over time, these systems can become impaired due to excessive exposure, poor nutrition, drugs, or ill health.  Symptoms can occur such as fatigue, headaches, skin eruptions, pain, allergies, muscle weakness and foggy thinking.  Over time, repeated cell damage can lead to more serious diseases.  Cleansing can help address the source of these ailments and promote overall health.

There are various detox programs available to the public ranging from gentle to more aggressive.  Gentle approaches may be as simple as improving your diet and starting yoga.  More aggressive methods may include the detox kits sold at health food stores. While some of these kits are produced by reputable companies, they can have detrimental side effects.  Many are based on cathartic, laxative herbs that can cause frequent trip to the bathroom.  They may not contain appropriate amounts of beneficial vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and amino acids such as cysteine and glutamine that aid the cleansing process and help reduce the possibility of detox symptoms (such as fatigue, headaches, and gastrointestinal distress).  Intense cleansing protocols performed improperly can actually harm your health.   

Yearly or bi-yearly cleansing is appropriate for most people, but may not be safe for young children, the chronically ill, pregnant or nursing mothers, and those suffering from a serious disease.  Anyone who falls into these categories should seek the advice of a qualified healthcare practitioner when considering a detox program.

Some of the most effective cleansing protocols take a comprehensive approach and involve a whole foods hypoallergenic diet, rest and relaxation techniques, and ideal amounts of nutrients, antioxidants and herbs.  In addition, learning where exposures to toxins occur in our environment and what we can do to reduce or prevent them can immensely benefit our overall body burden of chemicals.

Signature Wellness is offering an effective 6 day detoxification program to jump start the New Year and cleanse our bodies from holiday revelry.  For more information, please call 704-752-9346.

Should you take aspirin to reduce your risk of heart disease?

We know that aspirin is anti-inflammatory and reduces blood clotting.  Inflammation and blood clots are important factors in causing a heart attack.  So it makes sense that taking an aspirin could help reduce the risk.

The problem is that studies have been mixed - some showed a benefit, and some showed not much, if any, benefit.  And there are risks.  Aspirin can cause gastrointestinal bleeding.  And the scary thing is, life threatening bleeds can happen out of the blue without any warning.  So you can actually die from taking an aspirin!  Of course the risk is very small, but there is much ongoing debate over whether the benefits outweigh the risks.

If you are at high risk for a heart attack (for example you have already had a heart attack and are trying to avoid another one), then the benefits clearly outweigh the risks. and you have likely been advised to take an aspirin by your doctor.

But what about people who don't have heart disease and are trying to avoid it in the first place?  The answer is not so clear.

There are many risk factors for heart disease.  Most people are familiar with the common ones: smoking, being obese, being sedentary, having diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure.  But there are many, many more risk factors that should be considered as well.

Here are some other factors:

-level of inflammation in your body
-hormonal imbalances (in men and women)
-subclinical hypothyroidism
-chronic low grade infections
-environmental pollutants
-stress
-anxiety and depression
-lack of sleep
-lack of antioxidants
-Vit D level

Of course genes play a role as well.

If you have a heart attack when you are very young, say in your 30's, then genes are likely playing a large role.  As you get older, genes account for approximately 20% of your risk - environmental factors account for the rest!

There is no one "gene" for heart disease.  Your personal pattern of genes, and how they interact with your environment, determines your risk.

So back to the question of aspirin.....

We can now measure genes that tell us about your personal genetic blueprint.

A certain gene (called COMT) is important for regulating the amount of adrenaline and similar compounds in your body.  Too much adrenaline is associated with high blood pressure and rapid heart rate, which can increase your risk for heart disease.

If you have a certain version of this gene (which we can test for) then you are at risk for higher levels of adrenaline and therefore are at increased risk of heart disease.  In this case, taking an aspirin can decrease your risk.

But if you have another version of the gene, you likely have normal levels of adrenaline and no increased risk. Taking an aspirin with this gene type can actually INCREASE your risk of a heart attack! Taking Vitamin E could also increase your risk with this gene type.

While most women are scared of breast cancer, the fact remains that 1 out of 2 people is going to die of heart disease.  And most heart attacks are preventable.  It is important to understand YOUR personal genetic blueprint, optimize the lifestyle factors that are in your control, normalize hormone levels and reduce inflammation.

So should YOU take aspirin?

It isn't such a simple question, and the answer is certainly not going to come from large population studies where the statistics are analyzed.  Learning about your genes is an exciting new leap forward in medical science.

At Signature Wellness, we are pleased to be able to offer genomic testing, to be able to personalize your recommendations.

If you would like to have a closer look at your personal genetic risks for heart disease (so that we can modify them!) please contact the office for further information.    704-752-9346
www.signaturewellness.org  

Yours in Health

DrM

A hidden cause of weight gain that starts in your gut

Did you know that you have something called a microbiome?  You may not have heard about it, but it is a very important part of you.  In our digestive tract, we have trillions of microbes - in fact we have more bacterial DNA in our bodies than human DNA!  These microbes are called your "microbiome" and they play a very important role in your health, and in your weight.

A healthy microbiome has lots of different types of micro-organisms  - lots of diversity.   Overweight people tend to have different bacteria in their guts than lean people.

Things that can affect the types of organisms in a negative way include:

- antibiotic use
- birth control pills
- stress
- pain medications
- steroid pills like prednisone
- pesticide residues in our food

Poor quality foods (fried foods, trans fats, sugar, processed food and artificial sweeteners) tend to feed and promote the less desirable type of microbes in your gut.  These organisms affect the lining of your digestive tract, causing inflammation and promoting weight gain.

Some bacteria affect our digestive tract to increase the number of calories we extract from food. Evolutionarily this may have helped us survive in times of food scarcity, but in our modern times of readily available, high caloric foods it helps to promote weight gain.

The gut microbes can also cause food cravings.  Having excess amounts of yeast, in particular, causes sugar cravings, because yeast thrive on sugar and they literally highjack your brain so you feed it to them.  Weight gain is not just dependent on what you are eating, but what your gut bugs are eating!

We know that certain probiotics (the healthy kind of bacteria) and prebiotics (natural fiber that feeds the probiotics) can reduce inflammation and improve the makeup of the gut microbes.  For example, a bacteria called Akkermansia helps with weight loss and improves metabolic function. Oligofructose (a prebiotic) increases Akkermansia by 100 fold.   Oligofructose is found in foods like onion, artichoke, leek, and garlic.

A nutrition program that helps to balance gut microbes is an important part of a healthy weight loss program (and weight loss maintenance).    Once again we can demonstrate that "calories in and calories out" is only part of the overall equation for weight loss!

If you are looking for help with your weight, please let us know!  Our medical weight loss programs address the microbiome, as well as the other underlying causes of weight gain including hormone imbalance, hidden food sensitivities, inflammation, environmental toxins.  and blood sugar metabolism.

Yours in health,

DrM

Do you want to lose belly fat? 10 reasons you are not losing weight

For many years we have been told that weight loss is straight forward - eat less and exercise more.  Unfortunately it is just not that easy!  For some people, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is hard in our modern world.  Many of our patients are already eating a reasonably healthy diet, exercising somewhat regularly and yet STILL continue to struggle with their weight.  Clearly there are other factors at play.  Here are some factors that can interfere with weight loss success:

HORMONAL FACTORS:

As you may expect, there are quite a few hormones that affect your weight.

1.  Sex hormone imbalances.  Problems with estrogen, progesterone or testosterone may result in weight gain.  

2.  Stress hormones imbalances.  Cortisol and DHEA are made in our adrenal glands (along with adrenaline) and they regulate weight, especially around the waist.  

3.  Low thyroid function  Thyroid hormone regulates our metabolic rate, how many calories we burn and whether or not we are burning fat for fuel.  Low thyroid makes weight loss very unlikely.  An overactive thyroid gland is the only thyroid problem that can result in weight loss, but it also causes anxiety, heart palpitations, jitteriness and other problems.

4.  Insulin problems.  Insulin is the hormone that regulates blood sugar.  If insulin is not working properly it takes more and more insulin to maintain blood sugar in the normal range.  The problem is that insulin is a fat storing hormone.  The more insulin, the more belly fat.  

5.  Leptin problems.  Leptin is a hormone that controls appetite signals.  If Leptin is not working properly, your brain will always think that you are starving and will cause more hunger.  

As you can see, proper hormone balance is critical to losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight.  Lifestyle factors are also very important - quality of sleep, stress levels, physical activity, nutrient intake, healthy social connections.  Hormone imbalances can make it harder to maintain good lifestyle habits due to fatigue, insomnia, mood symptoms, poor stress tolerance, food cravings as well as directly affecting metabolism and whether you are burning or storing fat.

OTHER IMPORTANT UNDERLYING FACTORS:

These factors are often root causes of the hormone problems above.

6.  Food sensitivities.   It is very common to develop sensitivities to common foods.  A sensitivity causes low grade inflammation which promotes weight gain.  Changing nutrition to avoid the foods you are sensitive to can help with mood, energy, memory, joint pains, digestive symptoms, menstrual problems as well as weight gain.

7.  Toxins.  There are tens of thousands of chemicals that we are exposed to on a regular basis.  Many of these are “hormone disrupters” - meaning that they interfere with metabolic processes and hormonal  balance.  We know that people with higher levels of toxins tend to be more overweight and more likely to have diabetes, as well as many other hormonally related problems.  Avoidance of toxins and learning how to help optimize your natural detoxification pathways can be a very important step in weight loss.

8.  Dysbiosis.  This is a word that means there is an imbalance in your “micro biome” - the trillions of micro-organisms that live in your digestive tract.  If you have too many of the wrong bacteria and not enough of the good health-promoting bacteria (the probiotics) this is associated with weight gain.  In some cases the bacteria literally cause us to extract more calories from the same amount of food.

9. Candida.  Overgrowth of digestive yeast (candida) is another common problem that we see that promotes weight gain.  Candida causes sugar cravings that can be quite severe, making it much more difficult to avoid the sugary junk.  Candida also causes bloating, brain fog, fatigue, and hormonal imbalances

10.  Inflammation.  If there are too many inflammatory chemicals circulating in the blood stream, these directly cause problems with insulin and cortisol, resulting in weight gain.  Insulin and cortisol can contribute to more inflammation - so a cycle is created where all things being equal, your body wants to store more fat.  

Solutions are available!

As you can see, the "calories in vs calories out" equation is not the whole story.  A medical weight loss program that addresses ALL of these issues is much more likely to result in successful longterm weight loss.  If you have been struggling with your weight, please know that there are good options and that we can help!  Please click here for more information on our Optimal Wellness Program

Why is hormone pellet therapy so popular?

Hormone loss is associated with many problems including heart disease, osteoporosis, memory loss, loss of muscle mass, lack of sex drive, mood changes, weight gain and aging skin. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy has been show to have benefits such as improving mood, energy, sleep, memory, sexual function, muscle strength and body composition.

When I started my practice in 2007, I prescribed mainly topical bio-identical hormone creams. This approach allowed me to prescribe the appropriate mixture of hormones based on a patient's individual needs, and worked well in many people - but not all patients had optimal results. Currently, my most preferred way to replace hormones has become bio-identical hormone pellet therapy.  

Hormone pellets are smaller than a grain of rice and contain a natural plant source of estrogen and/or testosterone (based on a patient's needs). They are inserted under the skin of the buttock in a simple, painless office procedure. The pellets are gradually dissolved by the body, and a small, physiologic dose of hormone is released at a steady rate into the bloodstream.  

The pellets allow rapid resolution of hormone deficiency symptoms - sometimes within 48 hours!  The convenience is very popular - the pellets are inserted approximately once every 3-4 months and result in very consistent hormone levels and relief of symptoms.

Hormone pellet implants have consistently been shown to improve many common symptoms in men and women including:

- insomnia
- fatigue
- lack of libido
- hot flashes
- palpitations
- headaches (especially premenstrual or hormonal migraines)
- irritability
- depression
- anxiety
- memory loss
- incontinence
- aches and pains
- vaginal dryness

This treatment seems "new" but in fact hormone replacement by pellet implantation has been used with great success in the United States, Europe and Australia since 1938! Pellets deliver consistent, physiologic levels of hormones and avoid the fluctuations of hormone levels seen with other methods of delivery, like the topical creams.

Hormones delivered by pellet therapy bypass the liver, do not affect clotting factors and do not increase the risk of blood clots which is a risk with estrogen pills and synthetic progestin pills.

Pellet therapy has been shown to be superior to oral and topical hormone therapy with respect to relief of menopausal symptoms. This is why they have become the most popular method of bio-identical hormone replacement in my practice - women are finding better results! 

Hormone replacement with estrogen and testosterone pellets have been shown to be better than oral and topical hormones for bone health. The pellets not only prevent bone loss but have been shown in many studies to actually increase bone density.

Pellets do not have the same risk of breast cancer as synthetic hormone replacement pills.  In fact, studies show there may be a reduction in the incidence of breast cancer with pellet therapy. In a study on breast cancer survivors, hormone pellet implantation did not increase the risk of cancer recurrence or death as does estrogen in combination with synthetic progestins.

There are many options for bio-identical hormone replacement therapy including topical creams and patches, pills, vaginal creams, sublingual lozenges and pellet therapy. A thorough discussion of the options is important for each woman. Please click here if you are interested in learning more about bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.

Yours in health

Deborah Matthew MD

References:

Beneficial effects of testosterone therapy in women measured by the validated Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) Glaser R, York AE, Dimitrakakis C. Maturitas. 20011;68:355-361

Testosterone, delivered by subcutaneous pellet implant has been shown to improve hot flashes, heart discomfort, sleep problems, depressive mood, irritability, anxiety, physical fatigue, memory loss, migraine headaches, sexual problems, bladder problems (incontinence), vaginal dryness, joint and muscular discomfort in both pre-menopausal and post-menopausal patients without adverse drug events 

Moderate dosage estrogen–androgen therapy improves continuation rates in postmenopausal women: impact of the WHI reports Gambrell and Natrajan CLIMACTERIC 2006;9:224–233

Long-term studies with up to 30 years follow up, confirm the safety of testosterone therapy and absence of adverse drug events with the pellet implant.   No increase of breast cancer even after 20 years of hormone pellet therapy

Skeletal effects of oral oestrogen compared with subcutaneous oestrogen and testosterone in postmenopausal women.  Savvas et al.  British Medical Journal 1988  Jul 30;297(6644): 331-333

Subcutaneous oestrogen is more effective than oral oestrogen in preventing osteoporosis, probably owing to the more physiological (premenopausal) serum oestradiol concentrations achieved.

Reduced breast cancer incidence in women treated with subcutaneous testosterone, or testosterone with anastrozole:  a prospective, observational study.  Glaser et al.  Maturitas 2013 Dec;76(4):342-9

Testosterone and/or testosterone+anastrozole, delivered subcutaneously as a pellet implant, reduced the incidence of breast cancer in pre and postmenopausal women.

The libido hormone - why women need testosterone too!

Ladies are you lacking motivation?  No energy?  Losing muscle mass?  Skin looking saggy?  Lost that lovin' feeling?

You could be deficient in testosterone!

We think of testosterone as the "male" hormone, but women have testosterone too and it is really important!  Testosterone acts like our "inner strength".  It gives us competitive drive, motivation, assertiveness, self esteem, decisiveness and confidence.  If testosterone levels decline, we notice a change in how we feel.

Testosterone also affects everything to do with sex including interest, lubrication, and ability to become aroused.

I see testosterone deficiency in women starting at age 35-40,  long before menopause.  Sometimes this is due to use of birth control pills, or high stress levels, and often it is just due to the aging process - by age 40 our testosterone levels may be reduced by half.

Restoring testosterone can help with quality of sleep, energy, mood, strength and endurance, skin tone, muscle tone and shape, and can have marked improvements on sexual function.

Other things that can improve with testosterone restoration are PMS symptoms, menstrual migraines, aches and pain, hot flashes, incontinence, vaginal dryness, palpitations and bone density. Testosterone is very important in improving bone strength to prevent fractures.

There are even some reports that suggest testosterone may help to reduce the risk of breast cancer.

Testosterone is available as a topical cream, a sublingual troche (dissoved under the tongue) or as a pellet (which is implanted under the skin).  The pellets are by far the most popular in my practice and have the best symptomatic benefit.  They have been used in the United States since 1938 and have a long track record of safety and effectiveness.

The risks of testosterone replacement are mainly nuisance symptoms like excess hair growth or some pimples, as opposed to serious risks, and these problems go away if the dose is reduced or testosterone is discontinued.  Women who already have these problems are the most likely to experience these side effects.

Testosterone replacement can have a very large impact on a women's life, her marriage, her work performance, and overall wellbeing.  It has been very satisfying to be able to help women get back to feeling like themselves again.

If you would like more info about testosterone replacement and whether it may be right for you, please click here.

Yours in health

Deborah Matthew MD

0. Reference:  Glaser R, York AE, Dimitrakakis C. Beneficial effects of testosterone therapy in women measured by the validated Menopause Rating Scale (MRS). Maturitas. 20011;68:355-361.