Diet and Supplements

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Introduction

The body has a system that makes sure that each organ is functioning properly by secreting out hormones through the bloodstream. That system is known as the endocrine system and its function is to make sure that the hormone levels in the body are functioning normally and that each of the other systems is doing its job correctly. When there are unwanted pathogens that are attacking and entering the body, it can disrupt hormone signals to overproduce or underproduce over time causing health issues to develop in the body. However, that is not always the case since hormones naturally do decline with age, and for both the female and male bodies, taking vitamins and supplements that are optimized for hormonal health can help alleviate symptoms like andropause, menopause, and thyroid health issues that are affected by low hormone levels.  In this 3 part series, we will be taking a look at menopause, its symptoms, and supplements that can dampen the effects of menopause. Part 1 discussed andropause and its symptoms as well as supplements that can help andropause. Part 3 will be taking a look at the thyroid, its functions to the body when dealing with stress, and how different supplements can support the thyroid.

By referring patients to qualified and skilled providers who specialized in hormone wellness services. To that end, and when appropriate, we advise our patients to refer to our associated medical providers based on their examination. We find that education is the key to asking valuable questions to our providers. Dr. Jimenez DC provides this information as an educational service only. Disclaimer

Can my insurance cover it? Yes, in case you are uncertain here is the link to all the insurance providers we cover. If you have any questions, please call Dr. Jimenez at 915-850-0900.

What Is Menopause?

As women get older, their bodies go through a natural biological process known as menopause. Studies show that menopause occurs in all females due to estrogen deficiency and can last at least 12 months. When this happens, the inhibitors from estrogen levels will decline and disrupt the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis causing irregular menstrual cycles and causing ovarian follicles to diminish. There are treatments like hormonal therapy and non-hormonal therapy that can help regulate the lost estrogen hormone levels in the female body and even replenish them as well. With hormone therapy, the body can function normally and give a bit of boosted energy for the individual who is suffering from low hormone levels.

 General Disclaimer *

The information herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional, licensed physician, and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make your own health care decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified health care professional. Our information scope is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, sensitive health issues, functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from a wide array of disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and support, directly or indirectly, our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request.

We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN*

email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com

Licensed in: Texas & New Mexico*

Supplements 101

Supplements can become overwhelming with everything that's out there. This will touch on key categories of supplements and the best way on how to use them.

Supplements are divided into categories:

Nutrients

(Nutraceuticals or Orthomolecular Medicine)

Botanicals

(Herbal Medicine or Phytotherapy) 

Hormones

Hormone Replacement Therapy or Restorative Medicine

Each category is meant to support underlying excesses or deficiencies, with the ultimate goal of bringing the body back into balance.

Where it becomes complicated is understanding the different uses and dosing of specific:

• Extracts
• Chelates (a chemical compound that dissolves more easily and is easily absorbed compared to other types of molecules and compounds)
• Prepared Compounds

Hormones

Integrative medicine and hormone therapy usually involve synthetic versions of plant extracts, that mimick the chemical structure of endogenous hormones.

What are Hormones?

• Hormones are chemical messengers that are produced by the endocrine glands.
• These messengers have an effect on most tissues and major bodily functions.
• Establishing and resolving the causes of hormonal imbalance is one of the core therapeutic systems not only in integrative medicine but in conventional medicine.

 How do Hormones Work?

• Hormones flow through the body’s circulation in abundance. In order for hormones to perform a function, the cells being used require specific receptors.
• When hormones bind to these receptors, it causes a biological response inside the cell, which is why a single hormone can have such an effect.
• The entire endocrine system is based on positive and negative feedback loops. This informs the endocrine glands to produce more or fewer hormones.
• Balance of endogenous hormone production is maintained through diet and lifestyle. However, when this unique balance is disrupted is when disease can occur.
• Despite their broad and potent effect on the body's systems, hormones therapy must be done with caution and skill.
• There can be long-term negative side effects with hormone therapy and should be limited to highly-trained practitioners.

 Examples of Hormone Ingredients

Exogenous hormones are available in different forms.

Examples include:

• Pregnenolone - this is the mother of steroidogenic hormones
• Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) - elevates estrogen and testosterone
• Vitamin D - regulates bone density, and balances parathyroid hormone secretion

There is evidence that shows beneficial therapeutic uses for exogenous hormones.

Similar to botanical medicine, hormone therapy should be used exclusively and with caution by certified clinicians.

Fasting Mimicking Diet Basics

Some people today might eat a slightly higher amount of calories the first day as they ease into the fasting-mimicking diet. They might then decrease their total caloric intake. You also want to make sure you eat smaller amounts of foods which are easy to digest.

ProLon® offers a pre-packaged box which contains all five days’ worth of meals for you to do the diet. The meals are all plant-based. One day, by way of instance, offers tea and a nut bar for breakfast, a small portion of vegetable soup and a few kale crackers for lunch, several olives in the afternoon, and finally another small portion of vegetable soup for dinner.

You can also do the fasting-mimicking diet without the need for a pre-packaged box-like ProLon®. Simply follow the right proportions and plan out how you will space them out every day. Macros for the fast mimicking diet are 34 percent carbohydrates, 10 percent protein, and 56 percent fat for the very first day and 47 percent carbohydrates, 9 percent protein, and 44 percent fat to the rest days.

A cup of black tea and coffee every day are generally allowed. Just make sure they don’t contain any added sugars or oils. Remember that people with health issues should consult a healthcare professional prior to doing the fast mimicking diet in your own home.

 Foods

Dr. Anthony Gusting followed a four-day ketogenic fasting-mimicking diet. Every day, he consumed different amounts of bone broth, coconut milk, coconut oil, BCAAs, and exogenous ketones. Avocados and grass-fed butter can also be included in the fast mimicking diet. This is a great way to combine the ketogenic diet with the fasting-mimicking diet to benefit from the two regimens.

 Supplements

Taking nutritional supplements can also make the fasting-mimicking diet easier by providing enough nutrition. These may include:

• Electrolytes like magnesium and salt to replenish any lost during water loss
• Grass-fed liver tablets to provide micronutrient support
• Branch chain amino acids, or BCAAs, to help prevent loss of lean tissue
• Greens powder to provide micronutrients
• Algal oil or cod liver oil for omega-3s

You may also take exogenous ketones to achieve ketosis through the keto diet. The fast mimicking diet can also help you achieve ketosis before following a ketogenic diet. Below, we will discuss how the fast mimicking diet promotes ketosis.

 Ketosis and the Fast Mimicking Diet

The fast mimicking diet is an excellent way to prepare you for the ketogenic diet. This is because it allows you to get into ketosis. Additionally, eating keto foods makes it possible to remain in ketosis throughout the regimen.

To follow a ketogenic fasting-mimicking diet you must maintain your macros over the suitable range of 5 to 10 percent of carbohydrates, 20 to 25percent of proteins, and 70 to 80 percent of fats. If you’re unsure about whether you’re properly maintaining your macros, always choose something with more fat.

If you or a loved one need additional dietary guidance, give us a call. Our Doctor of Chiropractic is here to help!

Correct Bad Posture with Custom *FOOT ORTHOTICS* | El Paso, TX (2019)

The spine helps support the weight of the head and stabilizes the human body when standing upright. However, bad posture can strain the spine, causing a variety of health issues. Custom orthotics can help support good posture and promote pain relief. Dr. Alex Jimenez can help patients improve their overall health and wellness through custom orthotics. Patients recommend Dr. Alex Jimenez as the non-surgical choice for posture. 

Posture

Poor posture takes a serious toll on health. Here are a few negative results:

• Muscle soreness
• Subluxations
• Blood vessel constriction
• Nerve constriction

As time passes, body/health problems also arise, which result in pain, restricted motion, and make the body more susceptible to injury and disease. Posture can even affect your emotional well-being, including self-confidence!

Treatment

Chiropractic can help you maintain proper posture with alignment adjustments, and custom orthotics can benefit the treatment making it last longer.

The American Chiropractic Association maintains proper posture involves sitting, standing, and lying down properly. Here's an excerpt:

Sitting properly

• Keep your feet on the floor or footrest, for feet to be stabilized.
• Ankles should be in front of your knees.
• Keep a small space between the back of the knees and the front of the seat.
• Your knees should be at or below the level of your hips.

Standing properly

• Keep your weight on the balls of your feet.
• Keep your knees slightly bent.
• Keep your feet in line with your shoulders.
• Arms hang naturally down the sides of the body.

Sleeping properly

• Find the mattress that is right for you.
• A firm mattress is generally recommended but sometimes people do better with a
• Softer mattresses to reduce back pain.
• Remember comfort is important.
• Sleep with a pillow.
• Special pillows are available to help with posture problems that come from a poor sleeping position.
• Try not to sleep on your stomach.
• Read more on the ACA website.

Keeping hormones in balance can be a tough challenge. There are many individuals with hormonal imbalances and they don't even know it. Despite tests for abnormal thyroid function, they don't always acknowledge a thyroid that isn’t functioning properly. The same can be said for the adrenals. When they are overtaxed, the imbalance that follows can be quite challenging. There are top-quality natural remedies for hormonal imbalance.

How to tell

Under-producing glands will have some symptoms that are different from glands that are over-producing. But there are some symptoms that are shared across the board. If you notice that you experience several of these symptoms, it could point to a hormonal imbalance:

• Aches and pain in the muscles
• Anxiety
• Confusion and lack of mental clarity
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Memory loss
• Migraines
• Muscle weakness
• Sexual dysfunction
• Swelling
• Weight loss or gain without doing anything new/different

A chiropractor, naturopath, or specialist can help you determine if you have a hormonal imbalance. Medical doctors often prescribe medications, but in most cases, the imbalance can be corrected with a natural treatment. These treatments are highly beneficial in treating hormonal imbalances. They can be done separately or combined.

Herbs & Oils

There are several herbs and essential oils that work wonders when it comes to balancing hormones. Ashwagandha is at the top of the list for treating overactive or sluggish thyroid as well as overtaxed adrenals. It's available as a tablet, capsule, in powder form, or as a liquid. Mixing ¼ to ½ teaspoons of powder into some milk with honey and drinking it just before bed can help sleep, calm stress and balance the hormones. Various oils like clary sage, lavender, and sandalwood help reduce stress and promote wellbeing. Hormonal balance comes as a natural result. Put 3 to 5 drops in a diffuser and breathe in.

Nutritional Balance

Hormonal imbalance can often be the result of stress, whether emotional stress from everyday life or physical stress from poor habits like not getting the proper amount of sleep and not maintaining a proper diet. Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids are vital for heart health, vibrant skin and hormonal balance.

Other nutrients include vitamin D, B complex, and magnesium. If not getting enough in the foods you eat, then consider supplements. Give the body a great boost by taking probiotics and reaping the healing properties of bone broth. Bone broth is available in powder or liquid or you can make your own. There is intense nutrition in broth so incorporating it into your diet is a very wise decision.

Natural Balance

Chiropractic is a powerful treatment for hormonal imbalance. It focuses on the heart of factors that cause the body to go out of balance and treats the problem at the root. It can relieve stress in the body and reduce and eliminate pain, which can contribute to hormonal imbalances. It is considered one of the best natural treatments for hormonal imbalance because it brings the body back into balance.

The whole-body approach that chiropractic offers means that you get recommendations on:

• Healthy diet
• Exercise
• Lifestyle changes

All of these work together to balance your body and balance hormones for a healthier, happier you.

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