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Tag: holistic health

health benefits of apple cider vinegar | weight loss los angeles
5Feb

Does drinking apple cider vinegar or taking supplements that contain it help with weight loss? 

Do you know someone who swears by apple cider vinegar (ACV), for suppressing their appetite when they’re on a diet? What about you? Have you ever given it a try? 

If you have tried it as a diet aid, you would certainly not be alone. The popularity of using ACV for weight loss rises and falls but never seems to go away. This is true, whether talking about its traditional liquid form or one of the newer supplements, like the gummies that are currently being advertised on TV. 

What Exactly Is Apple Cider Vinegar?

 

apple cider vinegar weight loss los angeles

Apple cider vinegar is apple juice that has been fermented by adding yeast. It then converts the sugar in the fruit into alcohol. Bacteria then interact with the alcohol to form acetic acid. This is where we get the unique sourness and pungent odor associated with vinegar. 

The U.S. does not specify what constitutes ACV, so, depending upon the process and the manufacturer. Thus, it can be difficult to know the exact makeup and amounts of components contained in commercial products. That said, most from reputable sources will contain some amount of pectin, which is fiber from the apples, and may have various vitamins and minerals added.

What Are the Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar?

Other than having the power to spice up a salad dressing, what is ACV used for? It would seem that there are quite a few ways that people make use of it and have been for a very long time.

For thousands of years, many different cultures have believed that apple cider vinegar possessed a variety of healing properties. Therefore, it has been used as an antibiotic, detoxifier, strength enhancer and to treat scurvy. The ancient Greeks thought it beneficial for aiding in the treatment of wounds. Lastly, even Hippocrates, known as “the father of modern medicine”, was said to have used it, as well as honey, to treat a wide range of ailments. 

Today, the list of applications for ACV is long. From topical uses for sunburn, mosquito bites, acne and dandruff to serious conditions like osteoarthritis, diabetes and even cancer. There are those who believe that it is an effective treatment. It should be noted, especially with serious issues like diabetes and cancer, almost all evidence is anecdotal: very little science-based research has been done. 

Apple Cider Vinegar and Weight Loss

apple cider vinegar weight loss los angeles

The one area where you most hear about apple cider vinegar is weight loss. Once again, the research on this is negligible. That said, from the research that has been done it is believed that there is a possibility that it may help stabilize blood sugar levels. This would be significant because it’s those fluctuations that so often lead to sugary snack cravings. 

There are also those who feel that ACV may cause you to want to eat less. What isn’t understood, however, is whether this is due to any intrinsic appetite suppressing quality. Conversely, is this just because the taste of the vinegar turns you against wanting any sort of food for the rest of the day? The latter would likely not be a viable long-term solution for weight control.

Conclusion

So, what’s the verdict on apple cider vinegar? Lack of research does not mean that it doesn’t have potential, and, for the most part, as long as used properly and in moderation, it is likely to do no harm. As for whether it is some sort of miracle cure or if it will actually help you lose weight, the verdict is still out. 

For now, the best way to take care of your health, including finding a weight loss program that works for you, is to find an experienced healthcare professional that you trust. 

The Southern California Center for Anti-Aging in Torrance, CA focuses on the practice of advanced, preventive and regenerative medicine. Serving all of Los Angeles county, we strongly believe correcting imbalances and deficiencies in nutrition. Further more, we believe that along with improving fitness and balancing and restoring hormones with Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy, can help with creating the foundation for a healthier and happier life. To learn more about our holistic approach or if you have questions about any of our services, take advantage of our Free Consultation by clicking here to use our convenient online form.  

health benefits of apple cider vinegar

Benefits of Vitamin B12 Shots Los Angeles
21Feb

What Are The Benefits of Vitamin B12 Shots?

Do we get enough vitamin B12 in our diet or is it necessary to take supplements? We all know that it is important to take in the right amounts of vitamins and minerals in order to stay healthy, right? And, you would have to live in a cave not to be constantly assaulted with news reports about the lack of nutrients in today’s diet. Genetic modification, pesticides, pollutants in the air and water and who-knows-what added to the food consumed by cows, pigs and chickens make it extremely difficult to have faith that what ends up on our plates is actually good for us. 

What do we do? Most of us periodically prowl the aisles of health food stores or the section with vitamins in our local supermarket. Good intentions soon turn to frustration. There are long shelves lined with displaying the alphabet. Which ones do we need? What is a healthy dose versus one that may cause more harm than good? 

Too often, we end up being overwhelmed and head for the ice cream aisle! Not to knock the benefits of an occasional frozen treat but there is a better way. That Klondike bar may make you feel better for a moment, but consistently supplying your body with the nutrients it needs will do far more. Your choices are to either spend some time educating yourself on the subject of vitamins or consulting with a healthcare professional who can get you on the right track. 

What is The Importance of Vitamin B12?

Benefits of Vitamin B12 Shots Los Angeles

This investment in your health will pay off in every area of your life. There may be no better example than the importance of making sure you maintain the optimum level of vitamin B12. There are a whole series of B vitamins, but B12 is one of the most important. It is essential in producing DNA and red blood cells, as well as for the proper functioning of the nervous system and other processes throughout the body. 

The human body is an amazing biomechanical organism, but it cannot do everything all by itself. It requires B12, but, like most vitamins, the body must get them from an outside source. Because of the above-mentioned issues with our modern diet or through poor eating habits or other issues, many people do not take in the necessary amount of B12. Vegans are particularly vulnerable, as are older people, those with gastrointestinal absorption issues and anyone who has had weight-loss surgery. 

Symptoms of Vitamin B12 Deficiency

los angeles vitamin b12 deficiency

It can be difficult to detect B12 deficiency because the signs and symptoms are all over the map and are often mistaken for something else. Plus, the onset can be gradual, with the level of intensity increasing slowly over time, or they can come on all of a sudden. Some of the symptoms associated with a deficiency of B12 include:

  • fatigue or general tiredness
  • anemia
  • depression, paranoia or even hallucinations
  • weakness
  • numbness in hands and feet
  • tingling or burning sensation in hands and feet
  • coordination and balance issues when walking
  • difficulty focusing or having memory loss
  • sleep issues
  • hair loss
  • constipation
  • loss of appetite
  • swollen tongue

What determines the need for supplements?

taking vitamin b12 los angeles

In a perfect world, we would all have an abundant supply of organic, farm-to-table food that is loaded with every possible vitamin and mineral. Since most of us do not currently live in that world, the next best option is supplementation. If your healthcare professional has determined that you need additional B12, you can choose oral supplements or B12 injections. Both are effective, but oral supplements are slower and not all of the nutrient is absorbed by the body. 

If your B12 deficiency is at all significant, your physician may recommend a series of B12 injections to return this important nutrient to its proper levels as soon as possible. Otherwise, you may be at increased risk of a compromised immune system and susceptible to a wide range of diseases and medical issues. 

The Southern California Center for Anti-Aging focuses on the practice of advanced, preventive and regenerative medicine. We strongly believe correcting imbalances and deficiencies in nutrition, along with improving fitness and balancing and restoring hormones with Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy, can help with creating the foundation for a healthier and happier life. To learn more about our holistic approach or if you have questions about any of our services, take advantage of our Free Consultation by clicking here to use our convenient online form. 

Holistic Health Services in Los Angeles With Dr. Judi Goldstone

Food Sensitivities and Food Testing Los Angeles
7Sep

Food sensitivities or intolerance is a chronic immune reaction that occurs when the immune system attacks food particles.  The symptoms (which are listed below) can be linked to many body systems including metabolic, dermatologic, respiratory, neurologic, and gastrointestinal.
Food sensitivities are often confused with food allergies, and they are different. A food sensitivity involves a reaction with the digestive system (a chronic immune reaction) and a food allergy involves an immediate immune reaction. Food sensitivities also differ from allergies in the fact that most people can eat a small amount of the food they have a sensitivity to without issue, where those with an allergy typically can’t be exposed to the food at all.
Food intolerance may develop because a person eats the same foods over and over and develops antibodies, has a leaky gut, poor body detoxification or ingests excess toxins from food or the lacks the proper enzymes that are needed to breakdown certain types of foods. The exact mechanism that causes the symptoms in a food sensitivity is not known.  The symptoms seen with a food sensitivity can be delayed for a few days after ingesting the trigger food. Some people can go a lifetime without knowing they have a food sensitivity because of the delay in reaction, as well as the vague symptoms that mirror common ailments.

Symptoms of Food Sensitivity

Symptoms of Food Sensitivity Los Angeles

There are a few symptoms that have been associated with food intolerance and sensitivity, these include:

  • Bloating
  • Difficulty losing weight
  • Migraines
  • Headaches
  • Cough
  • Runny nose
  • Feeling under the weather
  • Stomach aches
  • Irritable bowel
  • Hives

Potential Food Sensitivities

Los Angeles Food Sensitivities Sugar in Milk

Some common foods that are found to cause food intolerances are:

  • The sugar in milk
  • Wheat
  • Gluten
  • Caffeine
  • Histamine (in mushrooms, pickles, and cured foods)
  • Additives (like artificial sweeteners, coloring, or other flavorings)

How to Diagnose an Intolerance

How to Diagnose an Intolerance Los Angeles

The best way to identify food sensitivities is through formal testing.   There are labs that can determine sensitivities to foods, food additives, chemicals and molds through blood testing. In addition, keeping a food journal and a record of what foods are eaten and what symptoms appear and when they occur can also help. This information can then be evaluated by Dr. Judi Goldstone at the Southern California Center for Anti-Aging who will identify which foods are be causing a reaction and develop an eating plan for you.
Some people can elect to avoid certain foods. In these cases, it is recommended that a person removes the suspected food from their diet for a set period, anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 months.  During this time, if the symptoms resolve it is more likely that the food was causing the issue. Another step in this process would reintroduce the food and see if the symptoms return.
Diagnostic testing is available for determining if you have a sensitivity to foods, herbs, coloring, additives, pharmaceuticals, and environmental chemicals.
To get the help you need to diagnose and treat food sensitivities, contact us make your appointment at the Southern California Center for Anti-Aging where many patients have been successfully diagnosed and treated for food sensitivities.

Caffeine and Metabolism Los Angeles
22Mar

Does caffeine speed up the metabolism and help with weight loss?

There are few topics that get more attention, with wildly varying opinions, than the benefits of weight loss and the detrimental effects of caffeine. Obviously, there is no argument about the importance of reaching and maintaining a healthy body weight, but is it possible that caffeine is not as bad as we have been led to believe?
It has been suggested by some studies that caffeine boosts energy and is depleted during physical exertion, possibly the reason for increased calorie burning by those who have consumed caffeine. With the addition of catchins, a type of phenolic compound that is found in green tea, the process of fat oxidation is significantly increased.

This all sounds promising, but, as is often the case, there is a flip side to caffeine, which is currently our most popular drug here in the U.S., as well as the least regulated one. Caffeine is a natural component of 60 different species of plants, the most familiar being coffee, tea and cocoa. While caffeine has been added to soft drinks for a very long time, first the natural kind and now the synthetic, it has only been a little over 20 years since energy drinks and supplements, loaded with high levels of caffeine started flooding the market.

Caffeine has been credited with an increased sense of well-being, energy, happiness and alertness. It can enhance feelings of sociability. We rely on it to help us stay awake when driving at night. It wakes us up in the morning and helps us face the challenges of our work day. There are those who believe caffeine may reduce the risk of developing conditions like gall stones and even Parkinson’s disease. The military has explored the benefits of using caffeine as a supplement for service members in locations and situations where they may not get sufficient sleep but still need to be as alert as possible.

On that flip side, however, caffeine may be an FDA approved pharmacological substance, but it is also a highly addictive drug. Anyone who uses it regularly is familiar with the withdrawal effects; severe headache, extreme fatigue, mental fuzziness and drowsiness. What most people are not aware of, though, is that it only takes about a week of daily consumption of caffeine to be at this level of addiction. It may help some stay awake when needed, but for many others it actually interferes with a normal, healthy sleep cycle. Caffeine can also contribute to the worsening of urinary incontinence.

Caffeine and Metabolism: Effective Partners or Not?

caffeine metabolism and weight loss los angeles

As with many things, the verdict on caffeine is not a unanimous one. Used in moderation and with a little common sense, it probably isn’t as harmful as many like to say. The fact that it is so easily addictive does make the moderation part problematic. There is some evidence of the weight loss benefits of appetite suppression and the increased calorie-burning potential of thermogenesis, which is the process your body uses to extract heat and energy from food digestion. That said, while caffeine may supply a slight boost to weight loss, there is presently no evidence that it is more than temporary.

The Southern California Center for Anti-Aging focuses on the practice of advanced, preventive and regenerative medicine. We strongly believe correcting imbalances and deficiencies in nutrition, along with improving fitness and balancing and restoring hormones with Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy, can help with creating the foundation for a healthier and happier life. We use a wide range of advanced testing and analysis, including food allergy testing, to ensure the best results for our clients.

To learn more about our weight loss programs or if you have questions about any of our services, take advantage of our Free Consultation by clicking here to use our convenient online form.

Holistic Health Services in Los Angeles With Dr. Judi Goldstone

Los Angeles Inflammatory Bowel Disease
21Jan

Inflammatory bowel disease, IBD, is not the same as irritable bowel syndrome, IBS. Because it affects more than 40 million people, irritable bowel syndrome has become a more familiar condition, but it is not caused by inflammation in the digestive tract nor does it damage tissue in bowel, as is common with IBD. Irritable bowel syndrome requires long-term management, but the symptoms are rarely severe.

In the past, inflammatory bowel disease was believed to be an autoimmune disease, but current research is suggesting that it may be related to the immune system but in a less traditional way. Instead of the body launching an attack on itself, as with most other autoimmune diseases, with IBD the attack is kicked off by something the immune system would normally ignore. This might be food somewhere in the intestines or a harmless bacteria or virus. The result is chronic inflammation in the digestive tract and damage to the bowel.  

 

What Are The Types of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases?

There are two types of inflammatory bowel disease: ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.

Ulcerative Colitis

The long-lasting inflammation associated with ulcerative colitis affects the inner lining of the large intestine and rectum, as well as causing ulcers along the digestive tract.

Crohn’s disease

This condition causes inflammation in the digestive tract. It cannot be cured and may even lead to complications that are potentially life-threatening.
Symptoms common to both ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease include:

  • Fever
  • Ongoing and severe diarrhea
  • Fatigue
  • Loss of appetite
  • Pain or cramping in the abdomen
  • Bloody stool
  • Unexpected weight loss

Potential Complications Associated with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

malnutrition person los angeles

The complications that are possible with either type of IBD can be serious. Some of the more common ones are:

  • Malabsorption
  • Malnutrition
  • Perforation or rupturing in the bowel
  • Dangerously heavy bleeding resulting from ulcers in the intestines
  • Narrowing and obstruction of the bowel (this is with Crohn’s disease)
  • Fistulae, which are abnormal connection or passages that are formed between body parts, like between two loops of intestine or from the intestine to the bladder. When they involve the anus, it is called perianal disease. Fistulae can occur with both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis but are most often found with Crohn’s.
  • Toxic megacolon, generally associated with ulcerative colitis, is where the colon becomes dilated to a dangerous degree and can even be fatal.

Other Symptoms and Complications of Irritable Bowel Disease

In addition to those complications already listed, other organs in the body may be affected by IBD. Arthritis is probably seen the most often, as well as issues that involve the eyes, skin and joints. There may be bone loss, kidney or liver disorders and, with ulcerative colitis in particular, the risk of developing colon cancer increases.

How Is Inflammatory Bowel Disease Treated?

Treatment for inflammatory bowel disease focuses on reducing the inflammation which is responsible for triggering the symptoms and causing the damage. This has traditionally been done with drug therapy or surgery. Currently, lifestyle changes are being recommended in hopes of providing more long term results. These include vitamin supplements, stress management and dietary changes, particularly those which are designed to reduce inflammation.

The Southern California Center for Anti-Aging focuses on the practice of advanced, preventive and regenerative medicine. We strongly believe correcting imbalances and deficiencies in nutrition, along with improving fitness and balancing and restoring hormones with Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy, can help with creating the foundation for a healthier and happier life. We use a wide range of advanced testing and analysis, including food allergy testing, to ensure the best results for our clients.

To learn more about our programs or if you have questions about any of our services, take advantage of our Free Consultation by filling out our convenient online form below.

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Functional Medicine Doctors

Understanding Food Allergies Los Angeles
20Dec

If a food usually gives you indigestion, does that mean you have a food allergy?

Food allergies seem to be getting more common all the time. Experts agree that this is true but are currently not clear on exactly why it is happening. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 4% of adults are affected by food allergies and even more children; as many as 6%. Possible reasons for the increase range from pollution, vitamin deficiency and gastrointestinal tract issues to changes in the weaning practices of babies. 

There is a difference in food intolerance and an actual food allergy. Lactose intolerance, a reaction to dairy, is a good example of food intolerance. It creates digestive issues, which can also be symptomatic of an allergic reaction, but a true food allergy affects the body’s immune system. Even a tiny amount of a particular food can be perceived as a threat by the immune system which immediately mobilizes to protect the body by creating antibodies specifically for that food. The next time it is eaten the resulting reaction can create a range of symptoms that can reach the level of life-threatening.

In the U.S., roughly 200,000 people end up in the emergency room every year due to food allergies, with the most common reaction being to peanuts. The other foods that top the list of common allergens are shellfish, cow’s milk, eggs, soy, wheat, fish and tree nuts.

Food Allergy Symptoms

Food Allergy Symptoms Dizziness Los Angeles

Symptoms can vary, depending upon the individual and type of food, but some of the more common symptoms include:

  • Dizziness or a feeling of being lightheaded
  • Swelling, typically in the lips, tongue and throat, but can be experienced in other areas of the body
  • Tingling in the mouth
  • Itching sensation in the mouth
  • Hives
  • Eczema
  • Difficulty breathing, sometimes experienced as wheezing
  • Nasal congestion
  • Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea

Types Of Food Allergy Reactions

The most serious and frightening result of a food allergy is anaphylaxis. Symptoms typically involve a closing of the airways, severely swollen tongue, rapid drop in blood pressure and the possibility of coma and even death if not treated in time. Anaphylaxis is more commonly seen with peanut and nut allergies. 

We have come a long way on our journey of discovering how the different parts of the human body work together. While there is no question that this is true, there is a real paradox in effect because it seems that the more we know the less we understand. Perhaps this isn’t true with medical professionals, but it sure feels that way for most everyone else. Headlines today are disputing, if not totally disproving, what were deemed to be the recommended practices of yesterday.

This confusion is true with general health topics and, perhaps, even more so when it comes to food issues, especially weight loss, which we at least now understand is far more complex than simply cutting calories and getting on the treadmill. Overwhelmed with conflicting health programs and diet books and discouraged from failed attempts to get body weight under control, many people are seeking professional guidance in understanding their metabolic profile. Discovering food allergies is a part of this process.  

The Southern California Center for Anti-Aging focuses on the practice of advanced, preventive and regenerative medicine. We strongly believe correcting imbalances and deficiencies in nutrition, along with improving fitness and balancing and restoring hormones with Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy, can help with creating the foundation for a healthier and happier life. We use a wide range of advanced testing and analysis, including food allergy testing, to ensure the best results for our clients. To learn more about our programs or if you have questions about any of our services, take advantage of our Free Consultation by filling out our convenient online form below.

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Holistic Health & Functional Medicine @ SoCalBHRT