Cornucopia of Information

We are on the tail end of Thanksgiving and the cusp of the holiday season, bringing to mind the cornucopia and having one of them with the fake fruit on the kitchen table. As a kid, I always migrated to the rubber grapes because you could chew on them and create a vacuum so they would stick to the end of your tongue. It's crazy where your mind will take you when you think about childhood and the past.

Fall is the time of year when there are many conferences to attend. I went to Houston for one that focused on management, compounded medications, and information on dietary supplements. These topics always give the team additional tools to help you, our patients. I have gathered some of those tools and will share them with you in this article.  

A cornucopia definition is a curved, hollow goat's horn or similarly shaped receptacle that is overflowing, especially with fruit and vegetables, and used as a decorative motif emblematic of abundance. The diversity of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds is almost the same as a vegan diet. As a child, I loved the variety of the "horn of plenty, and thus will be the diversity of the information presented today.

Dr. Bob Rakowski spoke about chronic disease and illness and the Deadly Quartet. The CDC statistics show that 4 out of 10 people have a chronic disease, and 6 out of 10 have two or more. Those are staggering statistics, but the hope is, in many instances, that many diseases can be halted in their path and reversed.

The Deadly Quartet consists of obesity, high blood pressure, prediabetes or diabetes, and unhealthy cholesterol and triglycerides. Dr. Rakowski explained that their inflammation is the driving force of the quartet and that four things are often the root cause toxins, inactivity, malnutrition, and stress. Not addressing these four items will fan the fire of inflammation and lead us down the Deadly Quartet pathway.

Let's take a minute and pick on toxins. We currently have over 80,000 different chemicals in our environment today. Studies show that, on average, 700 chemicals appear in our bodies when tested. Newborns have 200 chemicals in their systems at the time of birth. The environment is sick, and that is making us sick. Our bodies are amazing detoxifiers, but we can all use some help in this area. Decreasing toxin exposure is first and foremost, and detoxing twice a year can help you get rid of toxins as they build up in your system.

He asked the question, "How does a hurricane start?" When the conditions are just right. The same question pertains to your health. If you are not doing the things necessary to allow your body to function optimally, you are setting yourself up for a hurricane of poor health. 

His solution for chronic systemic inflammation was to address toxins, get stress under control, start eating real food, and move. He also had multiple studies that showed the benefit of taking pro-resolving mediators to address chronic inflammation and help you make a 180-degree turn in your health. Pro-resolving mediators are a byproduct of omega-3 fish oil.

We also got to hear from Dr. Pamela Smith, author of "What You Must Know About Women's Hormones." The topic of her lecture was Hormones and Psychiatric Disorders. She discussed the influence estrogen and progesterone have on psychiatric disorders in women.  

When looking at depression, studies from various authors link hormone fluctuations to an increased risk of developing a major depressive episode. Researchers looked at three links to this theory:

1.  Vulnerability to depression in women significantly increases during puberty and declines after menopause.

2.  Postpartum, perimenopause, and the immediate period after a surgically induced menopause (hysterectomy) are associated with a significant increase in the risk of depression in women. The risk is independent of women with or without a history of depressive symptoms.

3.  Studies in clinical populations found associations between sex hormones, such as estradiol and testosterone, and depression. Sustained low estradiol levels have been observed in women with major depressive disorder.

That's a lot to unpack, but from the information and studies presented, it seems appropriate to test hormone levels in patients with depression. Balancing hormones may be a piece of the puzzle in helping patients with depression. Medications can, in many instances, help a patient with depression but don't necessarily treat the underlying cause of the disease.

She also spoke about how thyroid hormones and melatonin affect anxiety and depression. She dove into which thyroid tests are most important and how having low thyroid and melatonin can be factors in anxiety and depression.  

The last speaker was Dr. Sarah Zielsdorf. She spoke about thyroid and the use of low-dose naltrexone (LDN) to treat Hashimoto's thyroiditis, an autoimmune thyroid condition. She has been using LDN in her practice and has seen remarkable results. We also see some of those same positive results with patients in our practice. Studies show that LDN affects 13 different receptors in our bodies, yielding many positive effects for patients. If you have Hashimoto's and your labs show that you are normal but don't feel normal, there are options for you.  

I always come back from conferences with new excitement and tools to better help our patients. This conference was no different. The second thing I came away with is that my staff is assisting patients with many of the treatments discussed, which reinforces that we are on the right path in our recommendations. Education is power; in this instance, we are empowered to help our patients achieve optimal wellness.  

Lastly, as we talk about Thanksgiving, I have much to be thankful for, including my family, friends, the patients that come to our business, an incredible staff, a warm home, and food to eat. For many worldwide, these are luxuries but something most take for granted. We have only to look around and see that we are truly blessed. Happy Thanksgiving!!

If you struggle to find solutions to your unresolved healthcare issues and want help with testing and supplementation, call the pharmacy @ 701-483-4858 to schedule a consultation. Please visit my website at www.irsfeldpharmacy.com to find this and other archived articles in the blog section and a link to listen to my podcast. Until next time, be vigilant about your health!!