The Lakeland Blog | News, Updates, Knowledge | Lakeland

17Feb, 2016

Candida Overgrowth Symptoms Yeast Infection Test Cure How to Get Rid of It Homeopathic Remedy Natural Medicine Center Lakeland Central Florida

Candida Overgrowth – 25 Signs You May Have It

Candida Overgrowth can go undetected for a long time. Most people infected with candida are unaware of the yeast infection and they look very healthy on the outside. However when Candida population increases, it is able to penetrate the bloodstream through the walls of the intestines and cause a condition known as leaky gut syndrome.

Candida Overgrowth Symptoms Can Include:

Abdominal pain
Allergies
Anxiety
Autoimmune diseases like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis and multiple sclerosis
Bloating and belching
Cognitive disorders like poor memory, concentration problems and brain fog
Constipation
Craving sugar and refined carbohydrates
Depression
Candida Overgrowth Yeast Infection
Diarrhea
Endometriosis
Fatigue
Flatulence or intestinal gas
Halitosis or bad breath
Impotence
Infertility
Insomnia
Irritability
Joint pains and swelling
Low libido
Muscle aches, weakness and paralysis
Mood swings
Rectal itching
Skin conditions like athlete’s foot, fungal nail infections, eczema, psoriasis, scleroderma and systemic lupus
Vaginal itching, burning and discharge

These symptoms are also associated with numerous other conditions which make diagnosing Candida infection quite challenging.

Factors which lead to an increase in the candida population include:

Eating a diet rich in processed foods
Drinking a lot of alcohol
Taking antibiotics that kill the good bacteria in the intestines

Once the candida penetrates into the bloodstream, it triggers a cascade of infectious symptoms. It enters the blood stream by penetrating the protective mucosa lining within the intestines and throughout our bodies.

What is Candida?

Candida is a type of yeast which normally lives in the intestines in small amounts and aids the digestive process.

Julia Koehler, a Harvard University estimated that candida was responsible for around 60% of the fungal infections acquired in hospitals and it resulted in the deaths of every 1 out 3 infected persons. She reported that the fungus was dangerous because of its ability to change from a minor infection into a severe infection when the person developed low immunity.

Studies by Rice University reveal that around 70% of all people are affected by Candida. Research published in the Journal of the German Society of Dermatology found that Candida albicans was the species responsible for between 50 to 90% of all the candida infections (1).

Tests for Candida Overgrowth Yeast Infection

Candida infection can be tested by a blood test. This test checks for levels of antibodies to candida known as IgA, IgG and IgM. A Comprehensive Stool Test can also show positive Candida even when blood testing is negitive since the blood only checks for antibodies and not the actual yeast. Further, a Urine Test that looks for the yeast waste product that is called D-arabinitol can determine the presence of Candida overgrowth if elevated results is positive.

Treatment of Candida Overgrowth Yeast Infection

Once the candida infection is confirmed and its severity assessed, the treatment of candida often includes a comprehensive plan that can include the following:

Eliminating simple sugars like candy, deserts, chocolates, alcohol and flour from the diet since this fungi feeds on them.
Reducing the intake of complex carbohydrates like whole grains, beans, fruit, pasta and potatoes to further reduce the population of candida in the intestines.
Taking caprylic acid supplements which are obtained from coconut oil as it helps kill the yeast cells.
Taking probiotics to increase the concentration of the good bacteria in the gut and keep the candida in check.

You may read some herbalist recommending Oregano Oil. We do no recommend this as it kills all yeast, even the good ones you need.

Be proactive in your health. Heal your gut. Eat whole raw vegetables to your heart’s desire. Introduce foods known to fight Candia. Alkaline your diet.

References:

1. J Dtsch Dermatol Ges. 2013 May;11(5):381-93; quiz 394. doi: 10.1111/ddg.12097.

8Feb, 2016

Beat Your Stress Hormone Nine Ways Natural Medicine Center Lakeland Central Florida

Beat Your Stress Hormone – 9 Natural Ways

To beat your stress hormone you first have to understand it. The stress hormone Cortisol is meant to help us. It is produced by the Adrenal gland. When we are overloaded with the many forms of stress from our modern world we can sometimes enter into the state of Cortisol Flooding which is a symptom of Adrenal Fatigue.

Check out: Adrenal Fatigue – Chronic Stress Response

Cortisol helps regulate blood pressure and the immune system during a sudden crisis, whether a physical attack or an emotional setback. This helps you to tap into your energy reserves and increases your ability to fight off infection.

The trouble arises when relentless stress can keep this survival mechanism churning in high gear, ruining the hormone’s good intentions.

Constant high cortisol levels can cause:

sleep problems
a depressed immune response
blood sugar abnormalities
abdominal weight gain

“When cortisol spikes, it tells the brain to eat something with a lot of calories—a great survival tactic if you need energy to run away from a lion. But not so great if you are stressed over a mother-in-law, paying bills, highway traffic or other modern issues.

To gain control over the Cortisol stress hormone our mind and body has a natural balance.

Relaxation.

Beat your stress hormone with these 9 easy and natural ways

Cut Cortisol 66% – Music soothes and heals

Music can have a calming effect on the brain, especially while you’re facing down a major stressor. When doctors at Japan’s Osaka Medical Center played tunes for a group of patients undergoing colonoscopies, the patients’ cortisol levels rose less than those of others who underwent the same procedure in a quiet room. Even if an invasive gastrointestinal exam isn’t in your immediate future, you can forestall cortisol spikes in other stressful situations—when hosting dinner for your in-laws, for instance—by queueing up background music. And to wind down faster at bedtime, listen to something soothing instead of watching TV.

Check out this 30 minute YouTube stress busting gentle music. Dawn your headphones, close your eyes and for 30 minutes just breath slowly and deeply, focusing on your breath and feel warm energy flow in as your inhale and dark stress leave as you exhale. You can even listen to this over your lunch break relaxing in your car. Or laying in the grass at a nearby park.

Cut Cortisol Naturally with Sleep Reduce Stress Hormone Natural Medicine Center Lakeland Central Florida

Take a nap if needed. Get at least 8 hours of sleep but some people need more to deal with stressful periods to cut cortisol.

Cut Cortisol 50% – Sleep

What’s the difference between getting six hours of sleep instead of the suggested eight? “Fifty percent more cortisol in the bloodstream,” Talbott says. When a group of pilots slept six hours or less for seven nights while on duty, their cortisol levels increased significantly and stayed elevated for two days, found a study at Germany’s Institute for Aerospace Medicine. The recommended 8 hours of nightly shut-eye allows your body enough time to recover from the day’s stresses, Talbott says. When you fall short of the mark, take a nap the next day—Pennsylvania State University researchers found that a midday snooze cut cortisol levels in subjects who’d lost sleep the previous night.

Cut Cortisol 47% – Drink black tea

The “cup that cheers” has deep associations with comfort and calm—just think of how the English revere their late-afternoon teatime. As it turns out, science confirms the connection. When volunteers at University College London were given a stressful task, the cortisol levels of those who were regular black-tea drinkers fell by 47% within an hour of completing the assignment, while others who drank fake tea experienced only a 27% drop. Study author Andrew Steptoe, PhD, suspects that naturally occurring chemicals such as polyphenols and flavonoids may be responsible for tea’s calming effects.

Cut Cortisol 39% – Laugh

The pal who keeps you in stitches can do more than distract you from your problems—her very presence may help temper your hormonal stress response. Simply anticipating laughter is enough to reduce cortisol levels by nearly half, according to researchers at Loma Linda University.

Cut Cortisol 31% – Schedule a Massage

A little pampering can rub your stress levels the right way. After several weeks of massage therapy, subjects’ cortisol levels decreased by nearly one-third, on average, according to studies at the University of Miami School of Medicine and elsewhere. In addition to keeping cortisol under control, massage sessions reduce stress by promoting production of dopamine and serotonin, the same “feel good” hormones released when we socialize with pals or do something fun.

Book Your Massage Appointment Now

Cut Cortisol – With Acupuncture

As reported Journal of Endocrinology, researchers led by Ladan Eshkevari, assistant program director of the nurse anesthesia program at Georgetown University School of Nursing and Health Studies found that stimulated the body via acupuncture has significant results in lowering the stress hormone. Read about it in the New York Times online here.

Book Your Acupuncture Appointment Now

Cut Cortisol 25% – Do Something Spiritual

Religious ritual fortifies many people against everyday pressures, and it can also lower cortisol secretion, report University of Mississippi researchers. Churchgoing study subjects had lower levels of the stress hormone, on average, than those who did not attend services at all. If organized religion isn’t of interest to you, try developing your spiritual side by taking a walk in nature’s “cathedral”—in the woods or along a beach—or volunteering for a charity.

Cut Cortisol 20% – Meditate

People who practiced Buddhist meditation significantly decreased both cortisol and blood pressure in a 6-week Thai study. Similarly, participants who meditated daily for four months decreased the hormone by an average of 20% in a study at Maharishi University, while levels in the nonmeditating control group actually went up slightly.

Here’s a sample guided meditation. It instructs to lie down, yet you can do any meditation in a comfortable chair. It can even be done over your lunch hour in your car with the seat tilted back comfortably.

Cut Cortisol 12-16% – Chew a Piece of Gum

Next time you feel frazzled, try popping a stick of gum into your mouth to instantly defuse tension, suggest new findings from Northumbria University in the United Kingdom. While under moderate stress, gum chewers had salivary cortisol levels that were 12% lower than nonchewers and also reported greater alertness than their gum-deprived counterparts. One possible mechanism: In past experiments, chewing gum increased blood flow and neural activity in select brain regions.

1Feb, 2016

Adrenal Fatigue Chronic Acute Stress Response Blood Pressure Heart Rate Traffic Jam Work Related Stressors Natural Medicine Center Lakeland

Adrenal Fatigue – Chronic Stress Response

Elite Strategies

Alternative Approach, Alternative Medicine, Emotional Stress, Family Stress, Holistic Medicine, Hormones, Loo, Natural Health, Natural Medicine, Stress, Work Life Balance, Work Stress Health Basics, Hormone Health

Adrenal fatigue is a collection of symptoms which develop when the adrenal glands are unable to function at their optimum level. Though it usually develops after periods of prolonged stress, adrenal fatigue can occur after severe infections.

Why does Adrenal Fatigue occur?

Everyone has stress in their life. As humans we developed the natural Fight or Flight reaction to our environment long ago. It’s base function is to kept us safe. Although most people don’t encounter predators such as tigers and alligators – unless you are on a reality TV show, this Fight or Flight was the brain’s trigger to get out of harms way.

In today’s modern world stressors can come in many forms such as:

Getting the kids fed, dressed and off to school in time
The roadway traffic jams on our way to work
Balancing work and family life – shuffling kids to sports practice and the many other activities to keep our kids growing and engaged
Interpersonal relationship struggles be it marriage issues, extended family or at the office
Health concerns – Dealing with personal or family ill health, disease / cancer. Losing a loved one (human or pet)
Financial concerns – loosing a job, taxes, buying a new car, having an accident, getting a traffic / speeding ticket, buy / selling / losing a home
Major life events such as getting married, getting divorced, buying / selling a home, new job or losing a job

Check out: Beat Your Stress Hormone – 9 Natural Ways

Adrenal Fatigue Phases

The body’s stress response is characterized by the following three phases:

Phase 1 – Alarm Phase

This first phase of the body’s response to stress which is also known as the acute stress response, develops when the person encounters something that they perceive as a threat. The adrenal glands release stress hormones like adrenaline which prepares the person to fight or flee from the source of stress.

As a result of the secretion of adrenaline, the blood pressure, heart rate and breathing rate increase and the blood is shunted from the digestive system and taken to the muscles in the hands and legs.

This type of stress can be caused by everyday occurrences like arguments and traffic jams. After the person deals with the stressful situation the body recovers and the hormones that were elevated return to their normal levels within 30 minutes to 60 minutes.

Do You Want to Feel Better?

Book Appointment Now

Phase 2 – Resistance Phase

This second phase develops when the person is exposed to continued stress–which forces the body to respond before it recovers completely from the first stressful event. The adrenal glands also respond by secreting stress hormones like cortisol.

The release of cortisol also results in elevated blood pressure and heart rate as well as craving carbohydrates to provide the body with a source of energy.

Other symptoms that may be experienced by patients in this phase include irritability, malaise, anxiety, depression, low libido, difficulty sleeping and concentrating.

Phase 3 – Exhaustion Phase

This third phase is also known as adrenal fatigue. Here, essentially, burnout develops because the person has been exposed to stress for a long time. The body loses its ability to cope with the stressful event since the adrenal glands cannot keep up with the signals sent by the nervous system to release hormones.

Symptoms associated with this stage include extreme fatigue and difficulties completing everyday activities. During this stage other body organs begin to suffer the effects of continued stress on the body. This results in the development or aggravation of stress related illnesses like high blood pressure, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases.

Add to cart

Alpha Lipoic Acid 200mg
$32.30
Add to cart

Ashwagandha (120 capsules)
$35.00
Add to cart

Best-Rest Herbal Formula (120 capsules)
$22.00
Add to cart

Blood Pressure Balance
$16.00
Add to cart

Natural Stress Relief – Xiao Yao Wan
$19.50
Add to cart

Saw Palmetto (320)
$73.00

29Dec, 2015

Coffee Blue Berries Avocado Body Regeneration Holistic Nutrition Natural Healing Medicine Lakeland Central Florida

Body Regeneration with Nutritional Whole Foods

It may come as a surprise to some, especially those with conventional medical training, but humans are in a default state of ceaseless body regeneration. Without this flame-like process of continual cell turnover within the body – life and death ceaselessly intertwined – the miracle of the human body would not exist.

Cultivating diets, lifestyles and attitudes which promote body regeneration can interrupt the circuit of disease and help us to attain a healthy freedom that liberates the human mind, body, soul and spirit.

In times of illness, however, body’s regenerative processes are overcome by degenerative ones. This is where medicine may perform its most noble feat, nudging the body back into balance with foods, herbs, nutrients, healing energies, i.e. healing intention. Today, however, isolationist pharmaceutical drug-based medicine invariably uses chemicals that have not one iota of body regenerative potential. To the contrary, they almost always interfere with body’s self-renewal in order to suppress the symptoms – masking verses healing.

Body Regeneration Eating Whole Fruit and Vegetables Vitamins Minerals Fiber Health Restoration Weight Loss Natural Medicine Center Lakeland Central Florida

Great fresh produce found at reasonable prices at the Lakeland Downtown Saturday Curb Market and the Auburndale Flea Market Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Western Medicine that is at best a few hundred years old and was founded on natural medicine yet have lost its way due to corporate need to isolate compounds, synthesize and patent fragmented aspects nature. This model completely ignores the body as a whole and nature as a whole. A simple example is we all know vitamin C is good for us. We could take an isolated vitamin C pill and we would benefit from it. However, within fruits and vegetables that are rich in vitamin C such as citrus fruit (oranges, lemons, limes, tangerines, clementines, grapefruit), chili peppers, red and green bell peppers, kale, broccoli, papaya, strawberries, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, pine apple and kiwi, mango. Eating these fruits and vegitables whole provide not only the vitamin C but also complementary beneficial vitamins, minerals, flavonoids, fiber and so much more. Not to mention the pleasure of eating wonderful tasting fresh deliciousness.

Beta-Cell Regeneration – Unfortunately, the medical community has yet to harness the diabetes-reversing potential of natural compounds. Whereas expensive stem cell therapies, islet cell transplants, and an array of synthetic drugs in the developmental pipeline are the focus of billions of dollars of research, annually, our kitchen cupboards and backyards may already contain the long sought-after cure for type 1 diabetes. The following compounds have been demonstrated experimentally to regenerate the insulin-producing beta cells, which are destroyed in insulin dependent diabetes, and which once restored, may (at least in theory) restore the health of the patient to the point where they no longer require insulin replacement.

Gymenna Sylvestre (“the sugar destroyer”)
Nigella Sativa (“black cumin”)
Vitamin D – critical in a huge amount of human hormones. Naturally it comes from exposure to the sun.
Curcumin (from the spice Turmeric)
Arginine
Avocado
Berberine (found in bitter herbs such as Goldenseal and Barberry)
Bitter Melon
Chard (yes, the green leafy vegetables)
Corn Silk
Stevia
Sulforaphane (especially concentrated in broccoli sprouts)

Body Regenerative Health Regeneration Foods Turmeric Curcumin Holistic Natural Medicine Center Lakeland Central Florida

Turmeric is a mild flavored spice that’s easy to incorporate into recipes – spaghetti sauces and so much more – that is responsible for the Curcumin Pain Relieving supplements.

Nerve Regeneration – There are actually a broad range of natural compounds with proven nerve-regenerative effects. A 2010 study published in the journal Rejuvenation Research, for instance, found a combination of blueberry, green tea and carnosine have neurogenic (i.e. promoting neuronal regeneration) and stem-cell regenerative effects in an animal model of neurodegenerative disease. [1] Other researched neurogenic substances include:

Curcumin (from the spice Turmeric)
1. Over 100 recipes with Turmeric at AllRecipes.com
2. Check out the “Fighting PMS with Turmeric” article
Lion’s Mane Mushroom
Apigenin (compound in vegetables like celery)
Blueberry
Ginseng – thinly slice some and add hot water for a refreshing tea that’s easy to drink all day. Add ice if you like and some lemon.
Huperzine
Natto
Red Sage (Danshen)
Resveratrol
Royal Jelly
Theanine (found in Green Tea)
Ashwaganda
Coffee (trigonelline)

There is another class of nerve-healing substances, known as remyelinating compounds, which stimulate the repair of the protective sheath around the axon of the neurons known as myelin, and which is often damaged in neurological injury and/or dysfunction, especially autoimmune and vaccine-induced demyelination disorders. It should also be noted that even music and falling in love have been studied for possibly stimulating neurogenesis, regeneration and/or repair of neurons, indicating that regenerative medicine does not necessary require the ingestion of anything; rather, a wide range of therapeutic actions may be employed to improve health and well-being, as well.

Liver Regeneration – Glycyrrhizin, a compound found within licorice, and which we recently featured as a powerful anti-SARS virus agent, has also been found to stimulate the regeneration of liver mass and function in the animal model of hepatectomy. Other liver regenerative substances include:

Carvacrol (a volatile compound in oregano)
Curcumin
Korean Ginseng
Rooibos
Vitamin E

Cardiac Cell Regeneration – Not too long ago, it was believed that cardiac tissue was uniquely incapable of being regenerated. A new, but rapidly growing body of experimental research now indicates that this is simply not true, and there is a class of heart-tissue regenerating compounds known as neocardiogenic substances. Neocardiogenic substances are able to stimulate the formation of cardiac progenitor cells which can differentiate into healthy heart tissue, and they include the following:

Resveratrol
Siberian Ginseng (Eleuthero)
Red Wine Extract
Geum Japonicum
N-acetyl-cysteine

Another remarkable example of cardiac cell regeneration is what is known as fetomaternal trafficking of stem cells through the placenta. There is an amazing process known as “fetal microchimerism” by which the fetus contributes stem cells to the mother which are capable of regenerating her damaged heart cells, and possibly a wide range of other cell types.

Hormone Regeneration – there are secretagogues, which increase the endocrine glands’ ability to secrete more hormone, and there are substances that truly regenerate hormones which have degraded (by emitting electrons) into potentially carcinogenic “transient hormone” metabolites. One of these substances is vitamin C. A powerful electron donor, this vitamin has the ability to contribute electrons to resurrect the form and function of estradiol (estrogen; E2), progesterone, testosterone, for instance. [2] In tandem with foods that are able to support the function of glands, such as the ovaries, vitamin C may represent an excellent complement or alternative to hormone replacement therapy.

Cartilage/Joint/Spine Regeneration – Curcumin and resveratrol have been shown to improve recovery from spinal cord injury. Ultimately, regenerative medicine threatens to undermine the very economic infrastructure that props up the modern, drug-based and quite candidly degenerative medical system. Symptom suppression is profitable because it guarantees both the perpetuation of the original underlying disease and the generation of an ever-expanding array of additional, treatment-induced symptoms.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

[1] NT-020, a natural therapeutic approach to optimize spatial memory performance and increase neural progenitor cell proliferation and decrease inflammation in the aged rat. Rejuvenation Res. 2010 Jun 29. Epub 2010 Jun 29. PMID: 20586644

[2] Photo-induced regeneration of hormones by electron transfer processes: Potential biological and medical consequences. Radiat Phys Chem Oxf Engl 1993. Updated 2011 Aug ;80(8):890-894. PMID: 21814301

1 … 3 4 5