The leaves and temperature are dropping - don't you drop too! Keep your immune system strong with these preventative recommendations from Dr. Patricia Ryan and the staff of Alternatives. Please note these are general recommendations, and intended for educational use only. For recommendations specific to your individual health, schedule a consultation with Dr. Ryan.
Prevention:
1. Stay off sugars (Why? Sugars suppress the immune system for up to 5 hours after ingestion by reducing the ability of white blood cells to kill germs) more info
2. Eat Healthy
3. Sleep
4. Increase Fluids - Drink at least half of your weight in ounces of water per day (more if you are sweating or exercising)
5. Cook with Coconut Oil (for it's Anti-inflammatory/Anti-Viral properties)
Supplements to take when you have the Flu:
1. Oscillococcinum Homeopathic medicine (most effective if taken immediately when symptoms manifest)
2. Vitamin D3 - take 50,000u/day for up to 3 days (no more)
3. A Mushroom Complex like Immunity Take Care by New Chapter
4. Olive Leaf Extract
5. Pick one of these anti-viral supplements:
· Sambucus (Black Elderberry Extract)
· Colloidal Silver
· Viraclear
Supplements that will boost the immune system:
1. Take 1000mg Vitamin C every one to two hours stopping if bowel becomes upset. Recommended amount is 4-6000mg divided throughout the day
2. 100mg Zinc per day for 1 week while you are ill
3. Thymates - A multi-vitamin that boosts immune system and helps with fatigue - take 12 per day while sick in place of your regular multi-vitamin.
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Thursday, October 28, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
Alternatives Movie Night begins with Food Inc
The first Alternatives movie night is planned for Wednesday, October 20th at 6:30pm. Alternatives will be showing Food, Inc., a movie about the dangers of toxins and growth hormones in the food supply. The movie shows the unnatural conditions where farm animals have been found to live, Bratberg explained.
“People need to know where food comes from and they can’t begin to make changes until they are educated.” Alternatives encourages clients to bring their families, as the topics these movies address will help motivate everyone in the household to adopt healthy new habits. After the movie, there will be an open discussion about what we can do to make positive changes based on the information presented.
The movie nights will be held quarterly, and will be announced in Alternatives seasonal newsletter. Delicious organic popcorn fresh popped in healthy organic coconut oil dusted in pink sea salt will be provided. Seating is limited, so reserve your seat early! We will be calling a couple of days in advance to confirm attendance and ensure we have a seat for everyone. Contact Alternatives: A Center for Conscious Health at 827-9450.
Brain Mapping Holds Key to Many Conditions
Many medical experts agree that the most difficult aspect of treating an illness, condition or injury is getting to the root of the problem. Am I depressed or just anxious? Why can’t I get help for my son’s ADHD problems? What’s wrong with my bright daughter who is struggling so with math? These are questions that have perplexed even the most astute medical minds for years. Diagnosing such conditions becomes even more difficult when symptoms overlap.
A diagnostic tool now available at Alternatives: A Center for Conscious Health, has taken much of the guesswork from pinpointing the cause of serious issues. Brain mapping, otherwise known as qEEG (quantitative electroencephalogram), is a procedure that collects and processes a detailed analysis of the brain, which is used to develop targeted protocols that can dramatically improve problems such as depression, anxiety and ADHD.
Brain mapping is the first step in a type of neurotherapy that has been available at Alternatives for more than two years and is working wonders for so many patients of all ages, according to Jamie Moore, RN, Neurotherapy Clinician at Alternatives. The system incorporates elaborate video games, learning activities, and a variety of tools implemented by the practitioner in a reward-based system.
A simple, quick and painless process, brain mapping helps detect where in the brain the problem originates and allows Moore to design a plan to retrain the brain. Nineteen electrodes are attached to the head of a patient. qEEG data is then collected with the eyes closed and with the eyes open. The patient may also read or work math problems so that the brain can be evaluated while working on a difficult task. The brain waves that result on the computer screen help Moore detect where the problem is located and identify what it is.
“Brain mapping allows me to see what the brain is doing in both relaxed and active states. If children have a problem with math, we ask them to do math equations while hooked up to the system and see what areas of the brain respond or don’t. Sometimes we will ask them to read or recall stressful situations during the brain mapping to help pinpoint the areas of activity and imbalance. The difference between anxiety and depression can be difficult to diagnose, but brain mapping can detect that, which is very important. A person could be taking anti-depressants and not be depressed at all but anxious.”
A program can then be developed to literally re-train specific areas of the brain by encouraging the brain to learn new patterns or break old ones to improve a patient’s problems.
At Alternatives, the diagnostic tool has been particularly effective in diagnosing such conditions as depression, anxiety, ADHD and learning disabilities. But the uses of brain mapping are widespread. Even those with sports injuries can be helped. “We did a brain mapping on an eighth-grader who was functionally illiterate in math and in the 10 percentile in the U.S,” Moore said. “After following a series of treatments, he now ranks in the 50th percentile. That same student recently suffered a concussion in football, which resulted in changes in the brain. Because he had a baseline qEEG from one year ago, we were able to compare the old qEEG with the new brain mapping post concussion. That analysis revealed that he had suffered a mild traumatic brain injury. It was recommended that he not play full contact football for one season so that his brain could heal. Without a baseline brain mapping, we would have never known the extent of the damage that had occurred. He might have also continued playing football, resulting in further damage. He is now back at Alternatives for further treatment.”
For Moore, the work is gratifying because the results are so positive. One study of qEEG revealed that in five cases of patients suffering from brain injuries or conditions, memory improvements ranged from 68 percent to 181 percent (http://chp-neurotherapy.com/pdfs/JHTR15-6-07001-013.pdf).
Moore has seen those same positive results. “We’ve seen improvement in nearly everyone who has tried this program.”
A diagnostic tool now available at Alternatives: A Center for Conscious Health, has taken much of the guesswork from pinpointing the cause of serious issues. Brain mapping, otherwise known as qEEG (quantitative electroencephalogram), is a procedure that collects and processes a detailed analysis of the brain, which is used to develop targeted protocols that can dramatically improve problems such as depression, anxiety and ADHD.
Brain mapping is the first step in a type of neurotherapy that has been available at Alternatives for more than two years and is working wonders for so many patients of all ages, according to Jamie Moore, RN, Neurotherapy Clinician at Alternatives. The system incorporates elaborate video games, learning activities, and a variety of tools implemented by the practitioner in a reward-based system.
A simple, quick and painless process, brain mapping helps detect where in the brain the problem originates and allows Moore to design a plan to retrain the brain. Nineteen electrodes are attached to the head of a patient. qEEG data is then collected with the eyes closed and with the eyes open. The patient may also read or work math problems so that the brain can be evaluated while working on a difficult task. The brain waves that result on the computer screen help Moore detect where the problem is located and identify what it is.
“Brain mapping allows me to see what the brain is doing in both relaxed and active states. If children have a problem with math, we ask them to do math equations while hooked up to the system and see what areas of the brain respond or don’t. Sometimes we will ask them to read or recall stressful situations during the brain mapping to help pinpoint the areas of activity and imbalance. The difference between anxiety and depression can be difficult to diagnose, but brain mapping can detect that, which is very important. A person could be taking anti-depressants and not be depressed at all but anxious.”
A program can then be developed to literally re-train specific areas of the brain by encouraging the brain to learn new patterns or break old ones to improve a patient’s problems.
At Alternatives, the diagnostic tool has been particularly effective in diagnosing such conditions as depression, anxiety, ADHD and learning disabilities. But the uses of brain mapping are widespread. Even those with sports injuries can be helped. “We did a brain mapping on an eighth-grader who was functionally illiterate in math and in the 10 percentile in the U.S,” Moore said. “After following a series of treatments, he now ranks in the 50th percentile. That same student recently suffered a concussion in football, which resulted in changes in the brain. Because he had a baseline qEEG from one year ago, we were able to compare the old qEEG with the new brain mapping post concussion. That analysis revealed that he had suffered a mild traumatic brain injury. It was recommended that he not play full contact football for one season so that his brain could heal. Without a baseline brain mapping, we would have never known the extent of the damage that had occurred. He might have also continued playing football, resulting in further damage. He is now back at Alternatives for further treatment.”
For Moore, the work is gratifying because the results are so positive. One study of qEEG revealed that in five cases of patients suffering from brain injuries or conditions, memory improvements ranged from 68 percent to 181 percent (http://chp-neurotherapy.com/pdfs/JHTR15-6-07001-013.pdf).
Moore has seen those same positive results. “We’ve seen improvement in nearly everyone who has tried this program.”
Thermography Detecting Breast Cancer in the Earliest Stages
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a great time to make sure that you are doing everything possible to prevent one of the deadliest cancers that affect women. For three years now, Alternatives has been offering breast thermography, a technology that employs a digital infrared camera and computer systems to measure heat from the surface of the breasts. The test produces an image, which can be evaluated for abnormalities in the breast.
“Thermography is not a test that replaces mammography, but it does provide different information,” noted Dr. Patricia Ryan, Alternatives’ founder. “Mammography looks at structural changes in the breast and identifies cancer after it already has formed. Thermography measures increased blood flow to areas of the breast where tumors may be forming. Thermography can be used in concert with mammography to help identify breast cancer and protect women from the advancement of the disease.”
Research conducted at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Cornell and reported in 2008 revealed that Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging (DITI) or breast thermography identified 58 of 60 malignancies, with 97 percent sensitivity, 44 percent specificity and 82 percent negative predictive value depending on the mode used.1
“DITI is a valuable adjunct to mammography and ultrasound, especially in women with dense breast parenchyma,” the study concluded.
In fact, cancer was recently detected in an Alternatives patient who was reported to have a normal mammogram, Dr. Ryan noted. For more information contact Alternatives today at 827-9450.
“Thermography is not a test that replaces mammography, but it does provide different information,” noted Dr. Patricia Ryan, Alternatives’ founder. “Mammography looks at structural changes in the breast and identifies cancer after it already has formed. Thermography measures increased blood flow to areas of the breast where tumors may be forming. Thermography can be used in concert with mammography to help identify breast cancer and protect women from the advancement of the disease.”
Research conducted at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Cornell and reported in 2008 revealed that Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging (DITI) or breast thermography identified 58 of 60 malignancies, with 97 percent sensitivity, 44 percent specificity and 82 percent negative predictive value depending on the mode used.1
“DITI is a valuable adjunct to mammography and ultrasound, especially in women with dense breast parenchyma,” the study concluded.
In fact, cancer was recently detected in an Alternatives patient who was reported to have a normal mammogram, Dr. Ryan noted. For more information contact Alternatives today at 827-9450.
- Am J Surg. 2008 Oct ;196 (4):523-6. Effectiveness of a noninvasive digital infrared thermal imaging system in the detection of breast cancer. Arora N, Martins D, Ruggerio D, Tousimis E, Swistel AJ, Osborne MP, Simmons RM. Department of Surgery; http://www.breastthermography.com/articles/AmJSurg-EffectivenessIR-detectingBCA2008.pdf
Important Nutrition Advice for Expectant Moms
It used to be that a new mom could expect a healthy baby with very little effort. After all, a woman’s body supplies all of the God-given nutrients to grow a well-developed new life, right? Sadly, such is not the case anymore.
“A placenta used to be considered adequate protection for a baby, but one study found an average of 200 industrial chemicals and pollutants in the umbilical cord blood of newborn infants,” said Kathi Bratberg, RN, MS Holistic Nutrition at Alternatives http://www.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden2/execsumm.php.
“Many newborns are at a detriment at birth with compromised liver and immune systems. Some are even born with allergies,” she explained. The explosion of ADHD, autism and learning disabilities also are believed to have a genetic link, according to some experts. “What’s worse, if the mother had a bad diet, smoked and drank alcohol, those conditions will factor into her newborn as well,” Bratberg said.
The ways in which industrial pollution begins in the womb are chronicled in the compelling YouTube video “10 Americans” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5n4HhQr25Q, produced by the Environmental Working Group http://www.ewg.org/.
That’s why Alternatives is helping expectant moms shore up their first lines of defense by identifying potential nutrition problems and designing nutritious food plans for the health of the mother and baby. Micronutrient testing – a blood test – is now available at Alternatives. SpectraCell’s micronutrient test measures more than 32 vitamins, minerals and antioxidants in the body and evaluates how they are absorbed and utilized.
“Expectant moms can prepare ahead of time,” Bratberg said, “by eating clean foods, healthy fats and proper proteins. If a new mom is healthy, then she’ll be passing on healthy attributes to her new baby. In fact, if a woman is even thinking of getting pregnant, she should begin to prepare her body through proper nutrition and supplements.” Alternatives offers many resources and expertise into proper eating plans for expectant moms and children.
A quarterly movie series will delve into the subject of chemical and toxic pollutants in our food chain and a discussion afterwards will cover the healthy alternatives that parents can consider for their children. “We will get parents the information they need to make healthy changes in their children’s diets,” Bratberg said. Cooking can be time-consuming, but it also should be a family affair, Bratberg noted. “Mom isn’t the only one who has to cook. Kids can get involved as well and they’re more willing to eat what they prepare,” she added.
“If you can get your kids started on good healthy foods and fats, and keep them away from toxins, sugars and artificial sweeteners, hopefully the genetic predisposition of poor nutrition.”
For additional information about healthy eating, go to the Westin A. Price Foundation at http://www.westonaprice.org/.
“A placenta used to be considered adequate protection for a baby, but one study found an average of 200 industrial chemicals and pollutants in the umbilical cord blood of newborn infants,” said Kathi Bratberg, RN, MS Holistic Nutrition at Alternatives http://www.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden2/execsumm.php.
“Many newborns are at a detriment at birth with compromised liver and immune systems. Some are even born with allergies,” she explained. The explosion of ADHD, autism and learning disabilities also are believed to have a genetic link, according to some experts. “What’s worse, if the mother had a bad diet, smoked and drank alcohol, those conditions will factor into her newborn as well,” Bratberg said.
The ways in which industrial pollution begins in the womb are chronicled in the compelling YouTube video “10 Americans” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5n4HhQr25Q, produced by the Environmental Working Group http://www.ewg.org/.
That’s why Alternatives is helping expectant moms shore up their first lines of defense by identifying potential nutrition problems and designing nutritious food plans for the health of the mother and baby. Micronutrient testing – a blood test – is now available at Alternatives. SpectraCell’s micronutrient test measures more than 32 vitamins, minerals and antioxidants in the body and evaluates how they are absorbed and utilized.
“Expectant moms can prepare ahead of time,” Bratberg said, “by eating clean foods, healthy fats and proper proteins. If a new mom is healthy, then she’ll be passing on healthy attributes to her new baby. In fact, if a woman is even thinking of getting pregnant, she should begin to prepare her body through proper nutrition and supplements.” Alternatives offers many resources and expertise into proper eating plans for expectant moms and children.
A quarterly movie series will delve into the subject of chemical and toxic pollutants in our food chain and a discussion afterwards will cover the healthy alternatives that parents can consider for their children. “We will get parents the information they need to make healthy changes in their children’s diets,” Bratberg said. Cooking can be time-consuming, but it also should be a family affair, Bratberg noted. “Mom isn’t the only one who has to cook. Kids can get involved as well and they’re more willing to eat what they prepare,” she added.
“If you can get your kids started on good healthy foods and fats, and keep them away from toxins, sugars and artificial sweeteners, hopefully the genetic predisposition of poor nutrition.”
For additional information about healthy eating, go to the Westin A. Price Foundation at http://www.westonaprice.org/.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Alternatives Proven Method of Hormone Replacement Offers Protection from Osteoporosis
Declining and imbalanced hormone levels have been wreaking havoc on the human body for decades. Hot flashes, sleepless nights, loss of libido and osteoporosis become the fate of many women who are approaching menopause and beyond. In fact, one in three women over 50 will experience osteoporotic fractures, as will 1 in 5 men, according to the International Osteoporosis Foundation http://www.iofbonehealth.org/facts-and-statistics.html.
But conventional medical methods of strengthening bones and replacing hormones often reap negative results, according to Dr. Patricia Ryan, founder of Alternatives: A Center for Conscious Health. For the past 17 years, Dr. Ryan has been researching and administering Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT). She practices what she believes is the best and safest hormone replacement therapy on the market today: the Wiley Protocol® http://www.thewileyprotocol.com/.
The Wiley Protocol is a patent pending hormone replacement therapy delivery system that consists of biomimetic estradiol and progesterone in a topical cream preparation, dosed to mimic the natural hormones produced by a young woman’s body.
The creams and their amounts are designed to vary throughout the 28-day cycle because a woman’s youthful hormone levels naturally fluctuate. The Wiley Protocol targets age 20 as a baseline because heart disease and stroke, Type II diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease are not usual concerns for a healthy young individual.
More and more local doctors are just beginning to use this proven method of hormone replacement therapy, and yet, Dr. Ryan has a 17-year track record in the study and practice of bioidentical hormones after years working in traditional medicine, making her one of this region’s leading authorities. “Dosing the hormones correctly is a very intricate science,” Dr. Ryan noted.
“It’s not the same dose every day, which is how many other programs administer hormones. The body produces hormones in a definite pattern. When you use same dose every day, even though the levels look fine, a woman may be having hot flashes and night sweats. Without the proper training and experience, a doctor won’t know how to trouble-shoot a situation like that,” she said.
“I’m following 70 years’ data of normal estrogen and progesterone in women. I also know to look for the signs of liver problems, which must be figured into the equation. If your hormone levels are fluctuating a lot, for instance, it means the liver is not adequately clearing out chemicals and needs more support. It’s not a perfect science, but one that requires a trained medical professional and support staff, like our team at Alternatives, to monitor.”
Not only do the plant-based hormonal systems like the Wiley Protocol promote a safer and healthier aging process, they also provide protection for bones, Dr. Ryan said. “For the past seven years many doctors have been prescribing bisphosphonates, such as Fosamax, and consumer lawsuits are now starting to surface from those who have taken these medications for years,” Dr. Ryan noted.
“The problem is that these bisphosphonates are not natural substances. Seven years into these drugs we’re seeing strange fractures in bones. That’s because the drugs do not naturally put down bone. The only things that do build bone are your own hormones. You can’t just bombard the body with calcium, you have to have hormones, or you risk calcium deposits everywhere. If you want calcium to go where it needs to do its job, you must re-establish a normal hormonal pattern so the body will begin building bone correctly again.”
Other experts agree as well. Dr. Susan Ott of the University of Washington, Seattle, says: “Many people believe that these drugs (bisphosphonates) are bone builders, but the evidence shows they are actually bone hardeners.” 1
But conventional medical methods of strengthening bones and replacing hormones often reap negative results, according to Dr. Patricia Ryan, founder of Alternatives: A Center for Conscious Health. For the past 17 years, Dr. Ryan has been researching and administering Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT). She practices what she believes is the best and safest hormone replacement therapy on the market today: the Wiley Protocol® http://www.thewileyprotocol.com/.
The Wiley Protocol is a patent pending hormone replacement therapy delivery system that consists of biomimetic estradiol and progesterone in a topical cream preparation, dosed to mimic the natural hormones produced by a young woman’s body.
The creams and their amounts are designed to vary throughout the 28-day cycle because a woman’s youthful hormone levels naturally fluctuate. The Wiley Protocol targets age 20 as a baseline because heart disease and stroke, Type II diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease are not usual concerns for a healthy young individual.
More and more local doctors are just beginning to use this proven method of hormone replacement therapy, and yet, Dr. Ryan has a 17-year track record in the study and practice of bioidentical hormones after years working in traditional medicine, making her one of this region’s leading authorities. “Dosing the hormones correctly is a very intricate science,” Dr. Ryan noted.
“It’s not the same dose every day, which is how many other programs administer hormones. The body produces hormones in a definite pattern. When you use same dose every day, even though the levels look fine, a woman may be having hot flashes and night sweats. Without the proper training and experience, a doctor won’t know how to trouble-shoot a situation like that,” she said.
“I’m following 70 years’ data of normal estrogen and progesterone in women. I also know to look for the signs of liver problems, which must be figured into the equation. If your hormone levels are fluctuating a lot, for instance, it means the liver is not adequately clearing out chemicals and needs more support. It’s not a perfect science, but one that requires a trained medical professional and support staff, like our team at Alternatives, to monitor.”
Not only do the plant-based hormonal systems like the Wiley Protocol promote a safer and healthier aging process, they also provide protection for bones, Dr. Ryan said. “For the past seven years many doctors have been prescribing bisphosphonates, such as Fosamax, and consumer lawsuits are now starting to surface from those who have taken these medications for years,” Dr. Ryan noted.
“The problem is that these bisphosphonates are not natural substances. Seven years into these drugs we’re seeing strange fractures in bones. That’s because the drugs do not naturally put down bone. The only things that do build bone are your own hormones. You can’t just bombard the body with calcium, you have to have hormones, or you risk calcium deposits everywhere. If you want calcium to go where it needs to do its job, you must re-establish a normal hormonal pattern so the body will begin building bone correctly again.”
Other experts agree as well. Dr. Susan Ott of the University of Washington, Seattle, says: “Many people believe that these drugs (bisphosphonates) are bone builders, but the evidence shows they are actually bone hardeners.” 1
- Ott S. New treatment for brittle bones. Ann Intern Med. 2004; 141:406-407.
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