Digestive health issues, such as bloating, gas, and abdominal discomfort, are increasingly common. Many individuals suffer from these symptoms without understanding their causes or how to manage them effectively. One dietary approach that has gained significant attention in recent years is the low FODMAP diet, a structured eating plan designed to alleviate symptoms related to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and other gastrointestinal disorders. What is the FODMAP Diet? The FODMAP diet focuses on reducing the intake of foods that contain FODMAPs, a group of short-chain carbohydrates that can be poorly absorbed in the small intestine. The acronym FODMAP stands for: Fermentable: These carbohydrates are broken down (fermented) by gut bacteria in the colon. Oligosaccharides:  A type of carbohydrate found in foods like wheat, rye, onions, and legumes (beans,…

Carbohydrates are one of the three main macronutrients, alongside proteins and fats, that provide energy and are essential for the body’s proper function. While many people associate carbohydrates with weight gain and sugar-related health issues, they are actually a vital part of a balanced diet. Carbohydrates serve as the body’s primary and preferred source of energy. Understanding the different types of carbohydrates, their functions, sources, and how they affect the body can help you make better dietary choices. What Are Carbohydrates? Carbohydrates are organic compounds made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms. They occur naturally in many foods and are broken down into glucose (a form of sugar) by the digestive system. Glucose is used by the body for energy, especially for the brain, muscles, and other…

The goal of anti-aging is to slow, stop, or even reverse many of the changes associated with aging.  This means staying healthy, active, and vibrant of body and mind, while avoiding the common diseases and infirmities of aging.  One cornerstone of anti-aging strategy is to replace the hormones that naturally decline with aging, including the sex hormones estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, as well as a few adrenal hormones. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) The science of aging reveals we are designed for two things – to reproduce and to survive.  Once accomplished, by about middle age our genetic replication starts increasing in mistakes, enzymes slow in catalyzing chemical reactions, and hormones decline. Aging begins … HRT is really about preventing disease and maintaining quality of life. It’s about keeping…

Wellness is quite more than the absence of disease. Similarly, to be “well” does not automatically mean one is fit. Rather, there is a spectrum that improves from sickness, to wellness, to fitness. Fitness can be thought of as “super-wellness.” Fitness keeps us at the top of our game whether in sport or in health. But what does fitness mean? What traits make one fit? Many things can be correlated to determine fitness. For example, a body fat of 40 percent is unhealthy, while 20 percent is healthy, and 10 percent is fit. Blood pressure of 160/90 is unhealthy, 120/70 is healthy, and 110/60 found in the fit athlete. Similar comparisons can be made with many traits such as cholesterol, heart rate, and so on. When I speak…

Yoga, an ancient practice dating back thousands of years, has experienced a remarkable surge in popularity across the globe. While its roots lie in spiritual and philosophical traditions, modern research continues to validate yoga’s numerous benefits for physical, mental, and emotional well-being. At its core, yoga combines physical postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama), and meditation to create a comprehensive approach to health.  I highly recommend yoga to my patients, both as a wellness activity and to help with various medical conditions.  It can be done in a social setting via classes or in the privacy of home. Physical Benefits of Yoga One of yoga’s most significant physical benefits is its ability to improve flexibility and strength simultaneously. Unlike traditional exercises that may focus on one aspect of fitness,…

The frustration of not losing weight despite eating right and exercising is often related to hormone imbalances.  Last week I wrote about hormones that cause weight gain.  Now let’s consider several hormones that take off the pounds!  With weight loss, some of them increase metabolism, some build muscle, while others lower appetite and cravings plus stimulate the breakdown of fat. Hormones That Increase Metabolism Thyroid hormone is our main metabolic hormone, directly increasing the burning of calories.  It increases the body temperature and overall energy.  Thyroid helps our fuel (food) burn more efficiently and will improve cholesterol metabolism.  Thyroid sensitizes other hormone receptors so they operate better.  Optimizing thyroid is similar to turning up the furnace or tuning an engine – the body simply operates better. Glucagon, from…

In the struggle to maintain a healthy weight many of us find there seems to be some hidden roadblock to our progress. Despite eating well and exercising regularly, sometimes weight loss seems impossible.  Rest assured there are often underlying hormone issues that conspire to “pack on the pounds”.  Understanding these hormones is an essential step in helping with weight loss. The Hormone Weight Promoters Cortisol is the first troublemaker. As our main “stress” hormone cortisol is made by the adrenal gland and readies the body for battle, by increasing our blood pressure and blood sugar, and controlling inflammation. It helps the body react to our “fight or flight” hormone adrenaline. These are good things cortisol does to help us adapt to stressful situations. Chronic stress, however, allows cortisol…

A Food Combination Diet The basic idea of a food combination diet is that certain foods do not digest optimally if eaten together, while others mix well.  It’s true, some foods require a more acidic environment and take longer to digest, while others need less acid and digest quicker.  The thought is that mixing the two creates an inefficient breakdown process, leading to stress for the digestive system, poor metabolism or undigested food fermenting in the stomach.  By combining certain foods it may lead to better metabolism, weight loss and overall health.  Let’s take a closer look at this theory. The common food combination diet guidelines suggest eating fruit only on an empty stomach, avoiding combinations of proteins and starch, acidic foods and starch, and different types of…

Imagine being so tired that you can’t function.  I’m not talking about being pooped at the end of a long day at work or exhausted after a big hike.  I mean the kind of tired that prevents working a normal job or the kind of tired that only allows doing a few hours of chores before having to go back to bed from being so wiped out.  Normally exercise gives one a bit of energy but not this type of tired – if not careful exercise just makes it worse. Now consider having this type of fatigue all the time, for months to years on end without relief, and even rest won’t help.  To make matters worse insomnia is usually present as well, so although one may be…

Multidrug Resistance Multidrug Resistance (MDR) refers to the ability of cancer cells to resist multiple chemotherapy drugs. This resistance is often caused by mutations or overexpression of genes such as ABCB1 (P-glycoprotein, also called MDR1), ABCC1 (MRP1), and ABCG2 (BCRP). These genes encode transporter proteins that pump chemotherapy drugs out of cancer cells, reducing their effectiveness. Mutations in MDR-related genes can increase drug resistance by increasing the removal, or efllux, of drugs from within cancer cells.  They can also work to our benefit by causing cancer cells to be more sensitive to treatment. Natural Treatments for MDR Mutations in Cancer Some natural compounds have the ability to inhibit MDR genes or enhance chemotherapy effectiveness. These natural treatments work by blocking drug efflux pumps, sensitizing cancer cells to treatment,…

Nitric oxide (NO) is truly a miraculous compound that you need to know about since it plays a huge role in human health.  I routinely recommend a product that increases NO, called N1O1 for help with blood pressure, artery health, and healthy aging in general – read on to understand why. History of Nitric Oxide Nitric oxide was first identified as a gas by Joseph Priestly in 1772 and is a simple molecule consisting of just one atom of oxygen and one atom of nitrogen.  In 1977 Ferid Murad was investigating how nitroglycerin works and discovered that it can release nitric oxide which in turn was able to cause relaxation of smooth muscle cells.   In 1980 Robert Furchgott discovered that arteries would not relax without the presence of…

Methylene blue (MB) is a unique compound with a wide range of potential health benefits, particularly for energy production, brain function, and longevity. Originally used as a dye and medical treatment for conditions like methemoglobinemia, MB has gained interest for its role in mitochondrial support and cognitive enhancement. 1. Boosts Mitochondrial Function & Energy MB acts as an electron donor in the mitochondria, helping cells produce more ATP, the body’s main energy source. This makes it a powerful tool for combating fatigue, brain fog, and age-related decline. It also enhances oxygen utilization, which may improve endurance and physical performance. 2. Enhances Cognitive Function & Neuroprotection Research suggests MB improves memory, focus, and mental clarity by increasing oxygen delivery to the brain and reducing oxidative stress. It also protects…

Fenbendazole Dosing Oct.3, 2023 – FENBENDAZOLE and CANCER – at least 12 Anti-Cancer mechanisms of action. Not approved by FDA. Cheap. Safe. Kills aggressive cancers. Why no Clinical Trials? Nine research papers reviewed. Recent Studies (2024 Apr, Rodrigues et al) – Repurposing mebendazole against triple-negative breast cancer CNS metastasis (2024 Feb, Eid et al) – Investigating the Promising Anticancer Activity of Cetuximab and Fenbendazole Combination as Dual CBS and VEGFR-2 Inhibitors and Endowed with Apoptotic Potential (2024 Feb, Park et al) – The microtubule cytoskeleton: A validated target for the development of 2-Aryl-1H-benzo[d]imidazole derivatives as potential anticancer agents (2024 Jan, Matsuo et al) – Parbendazole as a promising drug for inducing differentiation of acute myeloid leukemia cells with various subtypes (2023, Dec, Iragavarapu-Charyulu et al) – A novel treatment to enhance survival for…

Ivermectin Dosing for Cancer Treatment June 10, 2024 – “15 minutes with Dr.Makis” – Episode 018: High Dose IVERMECTIN and CANCER 2024 – NEW STUDIES 2024 Baghli et al – Targeting the Mitochondrial-Stem Cell Connection in Cancer Treatment: A Hybrid Orthomolecular Protocol 2024 Fan et al – Ivermectin Inhibits Bladder Cancer Cell Growth and Induces Oxidative Stress and DNA Damage (2024 Man-Yuan Li et al) – Ivermectin induces non-protective autophagy by downregulating PAK1 and apoptosis in lung adenocarcinoma cells(2024 Kaur et al) – Ivermectin: A Multifaceted drug with a potential beyond anti-parasitic therapy (2024 Xing Hu et al) – Ivermectin as a potential therapeutic strategy for glioma (2024 Yang Song et al) – Gene signatures to therapeutics: Assessing the potential of ivermectin against t(4;14) multiple myeloma (2024 Goldfarb et al) –…

There are two worlds of medicine today, the conventional disease-centered model and the patient-centered model that treats each person as a unique entity with diverse systems of genetic, biologic, social and environmental inputs. As a board certified, teaching physician, I know the conventional system well, but as a “functional” medicine practitioner I feel like I am living in a medical parallel universe. For over one hundred years modern medicine has taught doctors to identify and treat disease. We learn the skills that lead us to a single diagnosis amongst all the different possibilities. The patient is then labeled as having this or that disease and for every disease there is an approved code, called the International Classification of Diseases or ICD. Version 9 has been replaced by version…

Skin is the largest organ in the body and has considerable influence on our well being both from a medical as well as psychological standpoint. The good news is that it is now well within reach of anyone to improve the health and appearance of their skin.  A comprehensive skin care program will address not just the outer look of the skin but inner health as well. Consider skin protection, products and procedures, laser and light therapies all as part of skin care, and skin care as part of your overall health routine. Treating the Inside One of the most successful things that will improve the health and look of the skin is to address internal factors such as hormones, inflammation, toxins, blood flow, lymph drainage, and cellular…