Mindful Medicine

Improve your health to ward off and recover from cancer and other chronic illnesses.It’s important to empower cancer patients with ways to improve their own health. In fact, nutritional techniques can be applied to any chronic illness. Diet and lifestyle can impact resilience and recovery. Your Terrain Your body must have some damage that made it susceptible to cancer or chronic illness. Looking at the terrain of your life can help find areas to heal. Epigenetics determine your genetic qualities before you are born. It is the blueprint for the “tree” you become in life. You can manipulate parts of your blueprint. The microbiome is like the soil for your tree. It helps your tree grow so you need to feed it well. The mental and emotional aspects compose your trunk.  The trunk connects you to the soil. Traumas and adverse childhood events can impact your health in adulthood. Branches are comprised of blood sugar, metabolism, hormones, circulation, toxic exposure, circadian rhythm, stress response and overall immune function. Ketogenic Diet The ketogenic diet is high in fat and low in carbohydrates. Our bodies switch from burning glucose for fuel to producing and burning ketones. Cancer cells don’t have the same metabolic flexibility to run off ketones. Healthy fats like nuts, fish and avocados are staples of the ketogenic diet. Cancer treatments like chemotherapy seem to be more successful when one follows the ketogenic diet. Listen as Dr. Nasha Winters and Jess Kelly, MNT, join Dr. Holly Lucille to discuss how you can improve your health to ward off and recover from cancer and other chronic illnesses.

What would it take for a national healthcare system to work?American healthcare is mired in controversy. Finding affordable healthcare for pre-existing conditions is a great concern for the population.  Mandatory healthcare costs don’t necessarily appeal to the healthy uninsured. Young, healthy individuals aren’t all inclined to subsidize healthcare costs for folks who are ailing. Those enrolled in the government option are often plagued with illness or aren’t old enough for Medicare coverage. A system that empowers and incentivizes everyone to take charge of their own healthcare might make a government-mandated healthcare system more effective. Listen as Dr. John Newport joins Dr. Holly Lucille to discuss how healthcare reform might actually work. **To access a full article by Dr. Newport on this topic, find his post HERE.

Are the toxins in your home contributing to your health issues?Chronic health issues are on the rise, despite technological and scientific advances. Environmental toxins can contribute to these chronic health disorders. Low level exposure over time leads to build-up within the body. Home should be a comfortably place, a retreat from the stressors of the world. You must take action to keep it healthy by reducing environmental toxins. Common Home Pollutants PM 2.5 (fine particulate matter). This is a key outdoor pollutant that is also generated indoors. It's stored in soft goods like bedding, curtains and furniture. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). The concentration is 20 times greater indoors than outdoors. Formaldehyde is a VOC and is present in pressed wood products. Nitrogen Dioxide. Gas stoves emit nitrogen dioxide when used. If you do not have and use a vented stove fan, your home may have elevated nitrogen dioxide levels. Reducing Your Exposure Indoor Air Plus label looks at home characteristics in new construction. Indoor Air Quality is developing a scoring technique to determine how clean your home can be through current ventilation systems. Low-cost monitors for pollutant levels inside your home. Expect to pay a few hundred dollars. Increase ventilation. Frequently launder soft goods in your home. Vacuum regularly. Listen as environmental toxin expert Nate Bellino joins Dr. Holly Lucille to share how to reduce your home's toxins.

Learn some tips for detoxification and how it can improve your health.If your health throws you a curve ball, maybe it's time to eat clean. Eating "clean" means eating whole foods. It doesn’t mean you have to prepare multi-step gourmet meals. It can be very simple. Meals with few ingredients can fuel your body and help you heal. But, you have to start reading labels and advocate for your own health. Tips for Detoxifying Your Body: Eat organic. Cut out caffeine. Eliminate added sugars. Eat to support the liver. Use an infrared sauna. Ease your nervous system. Breathe deeply and relax. Retrain your body to enjoy natural flavors. Citrus zest and fresh herbs and spices can help you create tasty foods. Banana, avocado and coconut milk can add creaminess without dairy or soy. Seek out an amazing sea salt and delicious freshly-ground pepper to season your food. Listen as Amie Valpone shares her own health struggles (and achievements) with Dr. Holly Lucille and provides tips for eating clean.

How does advertising influence your prescription drug choices? Does it also impact your physician's recommendations?Marketing of the medical industry can be confusing and seductive.  Many marketers and agencies use a consumer branding model when promoting healthcare brands. Consumer goods are marketed as a celebration of the buying process. “The world must know about this new thing I bought!” This is how fancy beverages, smartphones and cars are marketed. Healthcare products are intended as a protection of self. You don’t want to get sick or deal with unpleasant and embarrassing side effects. Some healthcare products are promoted as a celebration of freedom from the mucus monster or a love of a laxative. That doesn’t really match the treatment patients want. People want relief that’s discreet, responsible and professional. Curiously, brands don’t always trust customers to follow medical advice for diet and exercise to help treat a condition. Sometimes, the active agent in the drug is so high, that the patient can lie about giving up cheeseburgers and working out three times a week but still have apparent improvement. The dosage may be too high for a patient who actually does more than just take the drug to improve the condition. Most information physicians get about drugs is from manufacturers. They get clinical studies and marketing pieces to inform them about new products. The doctors don’t personally use the brands unless they have those conditions. Marketing appeals to how the doctors can promote their own personal brand of care to patients. Some drugs are marketed to fit into the progressive practice. Others appeal to the practice that is trusted and dependable. Patients should seek a reputable third-party source for information on drugs of interest. Web MD and Mayo Clinic give comparisons and drug facts. Associations who treat specific conditions may also have information in their online communities. Listen as healthcare branding expert Vince Parry joins Dr. Holly Lucille to explain how marketing influences your drug choices.

You have to care for your internal health as much as you do your external health.Thanks to technology, we are all connected. Why, then, are we so stressed, overweight, and disconnected in our personal relationships? It’s time to examine how we’re living. Living Whole You can be fit yet unhealthy. There’s more to health than just eating well and working out. Burning the candle at both ends taxes the adrenal glands. You have to take care of yourself. You shouldn’t need all that coffee to start the day and all that wine to end the day. Ground yourself. Spend some time being mindful and getting focused. Set your intention each morning, and examine how it worked out in the evening. Validate a job well done. How can you create meaningful, personal communications, instead of misunderstanding each other with your texts and emails? We’re constantly on the prowl for connection and acceptance with social media shares, statuses and likes. Pick up the telephone or speak with people in-person to prevent miscommunication. Improve your relationship with yourself. Look at the attitudes you have toward yourself. Work on that connection. Stop being a stranger to yourself. Listen as Halley Bock joins Dr. Holly Lucille to share how you can live wholeheartedly.

Don't be discouraged from yoga because you don't feel you fit the yoga stereotype. Allow yourself the opportunity to enjoy its health and mental benefits.Going to yoga twice a week can be great fun. Fancy leggings, coconut water, and a healthy glow are some enjoyable benefits. However, the greater benefit is that the lessons you learn on the mat in yoga practice can follow you in daily life.  If you've never taken a yoga class or performed a certain type of yoga practice, it can seem intimidating. Don’t be discouraged from trying yoga by the fitness stereotype. Stop being afraid of other people. You don’t know the other people in the class, so there’s no need to size them up. You’re there to learn. No one should hate on you for wanting to learn, no matter what your insecurities tell you. Find a way to love yourself and allow yourself to reap the perks yoga provides. Everyone wants to feel good. Stretching your muscles, relaxing your body and standing taller can motivate your yoga pursuit. But, it’s also okay if you discover yoga is not for you. Be sure to align your motivation with your fitness pursuits. Listen as yoga instructor Jessamyn Stanley joins Dr. Holly Lucille to inspire you to earn for the benefits of yoga.

Realigning your posture may reduce chronic pain and improve your health.Posture is the interpretation of external sensory stimuli on the body’s musculature. Your body can misinterpret stimuli and create faulty motor skills. This generates bad posture and can cause chronic pain. Excessive stress and compression affects your joints, organ function and general health. Childhood Influence Not all women have pelvic bones that are well-aligned. This leads to difficulty in the delivery room, which can cause misalignment in babies. It’s best to let your child improve sensory input by allowing freedom of mobility. Avoid putting him in shoes (when possible) until the age of three. Recognizing Poor Posture If you’ve seen more than one professional for back, joint or neck pain, your posture needs improvement. Head tilting is another compensation for bad posture. Your shoes or pants may not wear out evenly, indicating you may have a postural disequilibrium. Fixing Your Posture Repetitive motion like walking is built on movement patterns. Your body is used to moving this way, and your brain needs to be retrained. Constant stimulation over a period of time can change faulty motor patterns. Exercises to create new motor habits can be done in just minutes a day. Listen as posture expert Annette Verpillot joins Dr. Holly Lucille to discuss how your posture (and overall health) can be improved.

Stem cell therapy may help heal pained areas of your body.Stem cell therapy involves taking your own material (fat or bone marrow) and injecting it back into your own pained areas. Stem cells have the potential to become a specific type of body cell, based on where in the body they're injected. For instance, they can recreate cartilage and ligaments. This burgeoning therapy is a potential alternative to surgical remedies in some cases. Regenerative therapy isn’t for everyone. There may be better options based on what you’re hoping to heal, so make sure to speak to your doctor before heading down this path. Listen as Dr. Harris Bram joins Dr. Holly Lucille to discuss how stem cell therapy works.

What kinds of stress are good for you? How can you improve your response to the stress that isn't good for you?Stress used to be a survival response to danger.  Our modern pressures have redefined the term. Stress now comes from demands on our resources. The demand versus personal capacity is the issue. We have to manage the proportions so we feel less pressure. Stress is a stimulus for change. Consider your stress at three levels: Tame stress comes from the nervous tension of doing something you can easily tackle. Maybe you get nervous before giving a speech, but you know exactly what you’re doing. You have the resources you need to deal with the stress. It could be reclassified as excitement. Tolerable stress is more uncomfortable, but you still have the resources to bounce back. It’s not the kind of pressure you want to experience, but you can deal with it. Tolerable stress can provide you with valuable life lessons. Toxic stress comes from being in the fight or flight response too often, or the body freezes because the stress hormones are overstimulated. Pressures need to be adjusted, because the immune system is suffering. Find out what is triggering the stressful feelings in you. Learn to appreciate the fact that you have resources. Look for the lesson in each stressful situation. The adjustment to deal with the pressure can be small. Seek what you can control in your life so your action can utilize your stress hormones for benefit. Listen as Dr. Heidi Hanna joins Dr. Holly Lucille to share how to improve your response to the stresses of life. Global Stress Summit – free online April 24 – May 1, 2017. Free Stress 360 Assessment is a great tool for you to better understand your unique relationship with stress.