Living & Practicing by Design™

Dangers of Vaping

Vaping, once marketed as a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes, has been unveiled as a dangerous habit with severe health consequences. Let's dispel the myths and uncover the truth about vaping.
Dangers of Vaping
Contrary to popular belief, vaping is not safe. E-cigarettes deliver nicotine, a highly addictive substance, along with other harmful chemicals. These toxins can damage your lungs, heart, and brain.
Short-Term Effects:
Coughing
Shortness of breath
Chest pain
Rapid heartbeat
Dizziness
Nausea
Long-Term Risks:
Addiction to nicotine
Lung disease, including popcorn lung
Heart disease
Brain damage
Increased risk of cancer
Targeting Our Youth
The vaping industry has aggressively targeted young people... Learn much more and contact us HERE:

Teaching Children Healthy Eating

Why Healthy Eating Matters
As parents, we want the best for our children, including a foundation of good health. Healthy eating plays a crucial role in their physical and mental development, influencing everything from energy levels and focus to mood and overall well-being. Let's explore practical ways to instill healthy eating habits in your child.  
Making Healthy Eating Fun
Involve Your Child: Let your child help with grocery shopping, meal planning, and cooking. This fosters a sense of ownership and excitement about food.  
Lead by Example: Children learn by watching their parents. Model healthy eating habits by making nutritious choices yourself.
Make it Colorful: Create fun and colorful meals with a variety of fruits and vegetables. Experiment with different flavors and textures.
Be Patient: It might take multiple exposures for a child to accept a new food. Keep offering different options without pressure.
Limit Processed Foods: Focus on whole, unprocessed foods as the foundation of your child's diet.
Make Healthy Snacks Accessible: Keep fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains readily available for quick and nutritious snacks.  
Education is Key
Teach About Nutrition: Explain the importance of different food groups and how they contribute to a healthy body.
Read Food Labels: Help your child understand food labels and make informed choices... Read much more about this and contact us HERE

Why School Physicals Are Essential for Your Child’s Success

As parents, we all want our children to have the best start possible when they head back to school. One key step that’s sometimes overlooked is making sure they have a thorough school physical. These check-ups are more than just a formality; they play a crucial role in ensuring your child’s overall health and readiness for the school year. Let’s dive into why school physicals are essential and how they can set your child up for success.
What Is a School Physical?
A school physical is a comprehensive health exam that assesses your child’s physical well-being. It typically includes:
 
Height and Weight Measurements: To track growth and development.
Vision and Hearing: To ensure your child can see the board and hear the teacher clearly.
Vital Signs Check: Monitoring blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration.
Overall, Health Assessment: Checking for any underlying health issues or concerns...Read much more & contact us HERE

Understanding the Connection Between Food and Mood: A Journey in Mental Health and Nutrition

Over eight hundred people have participated in the Food and Mood program, achieving excellent outcomes. When the program launched twelve years ago, many participants were considering or had undergone bariatric surgery and were experiencing weight regain. Today, many are using semaglutide for weight loss. While this medication is effective for weight loss, it often leaves a gap in treatment.
Participants frequently express concerns:
"If I am no longer using food to cope, what then? When I stop using this medication, I fear I will regain the weight if I do not understand my relationship with food."
The 6-week Food and Mood program addresses these concerns by exploring why we use UPFs for coping. The first two weeks focus on the relationship between food and mood, while the following four weeks are dedicated to developing positive coping skills to replace the use of UPFs. Learn Much More HERE: 

Nurturing Self-Love and Confidence

In today's appearance-focused world, nurturing self-love and confidence becomes crucial for a healthy body image and overall well-being. By shifting our focus inward and embracing our unique qualities, we can foster a deep sense of self-acceptance and appreciation. Here I explore practical strategies our practice advocates for nurturing self-love and building confidence from within.
1. Embracing Self-Acceptance: Embracing self-acceptance means acknowledging our worth beyond physical appearance. It involves challenging negative self-talk, reframing thoughts, and appreciating our bodies' uniqueness and perceived imperfections as opportunities for growth and self-compassion.
 
2. The Power of Mindfulness: Mindfulness practices, such as meditation and body awareness exercises, help us develop a deeper connection with our bodies. By engaging in these practices, we learn to appreciate our bodies' sensations, movements, and capabilities, fostering self-love and acceptance.
 
3. Nurturing Inner Beauty: Focusing on inner qualities, passions, and personal growth nurtures our inner beauty and boosts self-confidence. Recognizing our strengths, talents, and achievements beyond physical appearance reinforces a sense of self-worth that transcends societal beauty standards.
 
4. Media Literacy and Reducing Comparison: Developing media literacy skills allows us to discern unrealistic beauty standards portrayed in the media...
Learn much more and contact us if you'd like HERE

Microplastics Dangers & Disease Risks

More and more in my private practice and recently on radio I'm being asked more about microplastic dangers & disease risks and talking much more about toxins that we can experience more in the summer than any other season. There are however a couple big ones which I'm going to spend some time with in upcoming articles. The first is microplastics, and the number one most dangerous source of this is plastic bottles especially when they've been out in the sun as well as plastic lined cans. Its been known for many years how dangerous plastic can be to human health however it's now starting to get the attention it's going to take to make changes to food and beverage containers especially those consumed by huge segments of the population.
 
There are very significant concerns around microplastics, not just for humans but for any other living creature we share the planet with. Some of the earlier ones that appeared in the research literature raised concerns over the potential ability of micro plastics to accelerate oxidation or cellular damage in the human body. No small concern is that this alone can promote or accelerate diseases and shorten our life spans. There are also some significant concerns about the ability of microplastics
 
to significantly affect neurologic diseases as they may actually disrupt nerve signaling on some levels... Read much more HERE

Exercise During The Summer

Exercise during the summer has unique benefits and challenges, not the least of which is the ability to be outside a good part of the time. This is one of the takeaways of why we do so well as humans exercising in sunlight. This is one habit we recommend you find a way to integrate all year long. Today. let's take a comprehensive look at summer exercise and its benefits:
 
Benefits of Summer Exercise Include...
 
        Improved Mood and Mental Health:
 
Sunlight Exposure: Increases serotonin levels, which can enhance mood and reduce stress and anxiety. This is one of the reasons why so many mental health problems become much more problematic when the days become shorter once again. Remember, daily sunlight exposure year round is crucial to mental and physical health.
Vitamin D: Boosts your immune system and has been linked to improved mood. The benefits of Vitamin D are enormous including company mitigating infection and quite likely a multitude of other diseases.Enhanced Physical Fitness:
Diverse Activities: Opportunities for varied outdoor activities like swimming, hiking, cycling, and running. Pick what you like the most, mix it up, above all have some fun.
Weight Management... Learn much more & Contact Us HERE

Summer Health Kick-Off

Ah summer. Schools out, better weather, more time off, vacations, or just more downtime doing nothing. This is also the time of year where good health habits we adapted earlier in this year can just go out the window. But how about a summer health kickoff instead? Commonly our issues relate to travel, more time eating out, et cetera. Physical activity and exercise of course change this time of year as well.
 
But it doesn't have to be this way. Here's the Summer Health Kickoff we are doing in our practice this month to help you and your family the most. We're going to focus on the Big Three for all of us. Number one is healthy diet and adequate hydration. Next is exercise. We all have favorites. Some are better suited to warmer weather than others.
 
Finally mental health awareness. Summer is the perfect time to create a new vision, develop new plans, and not only set the stage for changes but start to work on them... Learn much more & contact us HERE

The Biggest Health Concerns for Women in the US

Some of the biggest health concerns for women in the US involve a wide range of physical and mental health issues. Today we'll discuss several of the most significant ones and then highlight some crucial and preventative aspects over the next few articles.
 
1. Heart Disease: The leading cause of death in women in the US is heart disease. Risk factors include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, and a family history of heart disease.
2. Cancers: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. Regular screenings and examinations are important for early detection. Lung Cancer: This is mainly caused by smoking, but is also a health risk for non-smokers due to secondhand smoke and environmental factors. Gynecological Cancers: This includes ovarian, cervical, and uterine cancers. Regular screenings like Pap smears help in early detection.
 
3. Reproductive Health: Issues such as endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), and complications during pregnancy can significantly affect women's health. In addition to proper care by OBGYN physicians, regular access to direct primary care has huge advantages.
4. Mental Health: Women are more likely to experience mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. There are multiple contributing factors including biologic...
Learn Much More & Contact Us Here

Animal Product Consumption and Prostate Cancer

The relationship between animal product consumption and prostate cancer has been a topic of extensive research and debate. This is not a casual topic but today I am highlighting some key points summarizing current understanding based on scientific studies. Sadly, a lot of this is not new information, you just won't see it in the mainstream media.
 
Red and Processed Meat
 
Increased Risk: Several studies suggest that high consumption of red and processed meats is associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer. This may be due to the presence of carcinogens formed during cooking at high temperatures, such as heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
Meta-analyses: Some meta-analyses have indicated a modestly increased risk of prostate cancer with high intake of red and processed meats, although results can vary depending on the study design and population.
 
Dairy Products
 
Calcium and IGF-1: High consumption of dairy products (cows milk, cheeses and related products has been linked to an increased risk of prostate cancer, possibly due to high calcium intake and its effect on reducing levels of vitamin D, which is thought to have protective effects against cancer. Additionally, dairy intake can increase levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), which may promote cancer cell growth. To learn much more about this, as well as how long this information has been known we strongly recommend you read book The China Study. We'll be highlighting some confirmatory studies during the next week.
Epidemiological Studies: Some large-scale epidemiological studies have found positive associations between dairy consumption and prostate cancer risk, while others have found no significant link.
 
Fish and Poultry
 
Fish: Some studies suggest that fish consumption might be associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer, potentially due to the anti-inflammatory effects of omega-3 fatty acids. There are however other risks with fish consumption... Read much more and contact us HERE