Grow Healthy
With Dr. Sally's
"Vital Signs" Blog
The gradual loss of our sex hormones as we go through “the change” can be disorienting. There goes our sleep, libido, energy, temperature regulation, moods and more. What’s a body to do? Estrogen, progesterone and testosterone have defined our lives from puberty until ~ age 50, when their insidious decline signals menopause and andropause (male menopause).
Are you struggling with brain fog? Stuck with that “tired and toxic” feeling? Does your tummy bother you? If so, you’re not alone! Over this last century, we crafty little humans have developed and released well over 80,000 chemicals into our environment. Now they’re present in our food, water and air, as well as our personal and home care products.
Every bite of food we eat passes through the 20+ feet of our digestive tract, which is lined by our delicate “inner skin”. Just one cell thick, the thin lining of our intestinal tract comes into intimate contact with everything we swallow. Everything, from the bread we eat, the mold on the bread, the glyphosate herbicide sprayed onto the wheat and the allergens in the wheat itself.
That seemingly innocent white crystal sitting in the sugar bowl on our kitchen counter really is an addictive substance that promotes inflammation, diabetes and eventually heart disease, cancer and dementia…when eaten in excess. And of course, that’s how we Americans do it! When we eat sugar (and other refined and processed carbs), our pancreas secretes insulin to carry the sugar from the bloodstream into the cells to help create energy.
More than 60 percent of Americans have one chronic disease and 40 percent have two or more chronic diseases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention claims that most of these diseases are preventable and reversible in the early stages by making simple lifestyle changes. Interview Duration: 25 minutes
We awaken with a jolt, having slept poorly from too much stress, too much screen time and late night snacking; then we guzzle a mug of sweetened coffee with a pastry and hit the road to sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic to the office. The caffeine kicks our sympathetic nervous system into the fight or flight response about the time the sugar buzz hits. Now we’re wired and tired and ready for the workday. 🤯
Congratulations! As a human living in a body, you’re in charge of one of the most sophisticated organisms on the planet! Your body comes fully equipped with: an integrated set of organs that are in constant communication and designed to maintain optimal balance, a physical structure to move us away from harm, towards food and love, a powerful life force…
So why start a revolution? …Because a revolution is what it’s going to take for us to wake up, reclaim our health and prevent this epidemic of chronic disease that is claiming countless lives and bankrupting our country. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control reports that 90% of healthcare dollars are spent treating a cluster of chronic (but preventable) conditions: heart disease and stroke, diabetes, dementia and cancer.
We’ve got Super Man and Super Girl, so why not be a Super Ager? It’s a term that was coined by UCSF researcher, Joel Kramer, PsyD, who has studied a set of seniors that defy the odds on aging. He’s been assessing the personality traits of those who thrive into their 80’s and beyond, and has found a consistent theme: a healthy aging mindset is a distinguishing factor. The subjects with sharp cognition and vitality stay engaged in projects, they volunteer and have close family ties.
We all know our health care system is broken. You can’t turn on the news without catching a debate on best how to fix it. The challenge is that we don’t really have a “health care” system: we have a “disease management system”. The U.S. spends more money per capita than any country, yet our disease burden is higher than in comparable countries.
Hope your holiday is off to a great start! I know we’re all ready to get out into Nature this long weekend, so I’ve prepped one of my fast and favorite summer recipes for you! This rub blends the herbs from Simon and Garfunkel’s classic song, “Scarborough Fair”, to create a savory rub that is positively mouthwatering. It only takes a few minutes to prepare and is the perfect rub for chicken.
It’s been a super-busy spring in the clinic, where I’ve had a run on patients who are seriously worried about this whole AGING thing and they’re ready to do something about it! How about you? It’s during our 40’s and 50’s that some subtle (and not so subtle) shifts occur: our skin starts to show signs of aging, our energy fluctuates and the pounds creep on.
If you haven’t tried fennel yet, you’re missing out on its powerful benefits to support healthy-aging! Fennel is that unusual veggie that looks like a cross between a white onion and celery, with stalks forming a crown of green feathery fronds. Its mild anise, or licorice flavor has made it a favorite in both Italian and French cooking, where it is featured in the classic fisherman’s soup of France, bouillabaisse.
Welcome to 2019! It’s so exciting to see that many of the practices I was trained in decades ago as a naturopathic physician are now not only becoming popular, but are also being validated. From elimination diets to intermittent fasting, this is the year to explore the science of fasting and eating clean and alcohol-free for a month.
By now you’ve probably heard that we’re living in a toxic soup. Over the last century, more than 80,000 chemicals have been developed, used and dumped into our environment…for us eat, drink and breath. Unfortunately we humans are now the guinea pigs in our own grand experiment and the data suggests a toxic problem.
