Naturopathic Medicine in Mesa AZ

Diabetes is on the rise in the United States. In June 2008, the total number of Americans living with diabetes increased to nearly 24 million. This is a jump of more than 3 million people in two years, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

In addition to the number of people diagnosed with diabetes, there are approximately 57 million people in the United States with pre-diabetes. This condition causes an increased risk for developing diabetes, and often these people do not even know about their risk. Pre-diabetes involves difficulty regulating blood sugar, with mild glucose elevations beyond the normal levels, but not at diabetic ranges. For people with pre-diabetes, the hormones that control blood sugar will often be out of balance. Insulin is one of these hormones; it helps to bring glucose out of the blood and into the cells to be used for energy. In people with pre-diabetes, insulin often has difficulty bringing blood sugar into the cells, a condition called insulin resistance. This will then lead to elevations of blood glucose, which can develop into diabetes.

Warning signs of diabetes include fatigue, increased thirst, increased hunger, tingling or numbness of hands or feet, and blurred vision. People with type I diabetes have insufficient insulin production; this type of diabetes usually begins in childhood, and will typically cause weight loss. Type II diabetics will have weight gain due to increased fat conversion from sugar, and decreased fat breakdown as a result of elevated insulin.

Because of the increase in diabetes prevalence, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) has recently released new recommendations for the prevention of diabetes. The ADA now advises that all overweight people over the age of 45 should be screened for diabetes. People with two or more risk factors for diabetes should be tested for this disease, regardless of whether the person has symptoms of diabetes. The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends that people with high cholesterol and high blood pressure are screened for type 2 diabetes as well.

Diabetes risk factors include obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, a sedentary lifestyle, and a family history of diabetes. Obesity centralized around the abdomen is associated with elevated risk of diabetes. Women who have had gestational diabetes have about a 40% chance of developing diabetes after the pregnancy. There also is a genetic association with diabetes for people of Native American, Hispanic, or African American decent. People also have greater risk as they age, with increased occurrence of diabetes after the age of 60.

A few basic lifestyle changes can significantly impact your diabetes risk. In a study by the National Institutes of Health, 3,234 people with pre-diabetes were given either metformin, or specific dietary and exercise recommendations. The people in the diet and exercise group lost an average of 15 pounds, and reduced their risk of diabetes by 58%. The metformin group had a reduced risk of 31%. So a specific diet and exercise protocol alone can reduce your risk by almost twice as much as medications!

You can reduce your risk of diabetes by following these guidelines: 

• Limit dietary consumption of refined sugar, white flour, pasta, and processed foods. 
• Exercise regularly, optimally for at least 30 minutes per day. 
• Eat a high fiber breakfast with at least 20 grams of protein, to boost your metabolism and stabilize your blood sugar throughout the day (example: a hard boiled egg, and a protein shake with ground flax seed). 
• Include 30-40 grams of fiber in your daily diet, preferably from leafy green vegetables and whole grains; supplement with flax seed, oat bran, or acacia fiber. 
• Get a diabetes screen from your doctor including cholesterol testing and a blood pressure check; if you are overweight but have not had high blood sugar on previous tests, ask for a pre-diabetes screen of insulin resistance and glucose tolerance.

If these recommendations for reducing your risk of diabetes seem overwhelming, start with one change at a time and commit to that change until it becomes a normal part of your lifestyle. Work with your doctor to determine the most effective way to reduce your risk and improve your overall health. Your doctor can be an advocate and a coach in helping you to achieve your health goals.

References:
ADA Updates Diabetes Care Standards: Recommendations Reflect 'Aggressive Approach,' Says FP Expert. Bittner, Barbara. AAFP News Now. 12 Feb 2008.
Am I at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes? Taking Steps to Lower Your Risk of Getting Diabetes. NIH Publication No. 07–4805. Dec 2006.
Number of People with Diabetes Increases to 24 Million. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services. 24 June 2008.

Most of us know that high cholesterol can be dangerous, but we need cholesterol. If your cholesterol is too low, that can increase your risk of developing certain diseases as well.

Cholesterol is a waxy molecule that is made by your liver, and is found in animal products such as meat, butter, and eggs. Because cholesterol is not water-soluble, it needs to be transported in the blood by carrier molecules in order to be used by your cells. It combines with carrier molecules to form complexes that travel to your cells to be utilized for various functions.

Low cholesterol has been associated with serious diseases (see references below) such as:
 - Alzheimer’s disease or memory loss
 - Depression and suicidal thoughts
 - Aggressive, violent mood disorders

We need cholesterol for production of hormones such as estrogen and testosterone. We also use cholesterol for the formation of bile, which breaks down fats in your small intestine. Cholesterol is essential for creation of healthy cell membranes in all the cells of the body. We also use cholesterol to make vitamin D, which is very important for bone health, heart health, cancer prevention, and more.

So, clearly we need a healthy amount of cholesterol in order to prevent diseases and make sure our cells are functioning properly. If we do not get enough cholesterol in our diet, our liver has the ability to produce all the cholesterol we need, so even strict vegetarians can have adequate amounts of serum cholesterol.

How can cholesterol hurt you? Excess cholesterol from foods can cause a fatty build up, called plaque, in your arteries. The most dangerous type of fat that we can consume is called trans fat, or partially hydrogenated oil. Cholesterol deposits harden, a condition called atherosclerosis, leading to high blood pressure and increased risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

When people talk about low cholesterol or high cholesterol, that typically means elevated total cholesterol levels. This is just the tip of the iceberg when measuring cholesterol. There are ways of measuring not only your total cholesterol levels, but also your “good” and “bad” cholesterol as well.

What makes cholesterol “good” or “bad” are the transporters, or carrier molecules, that bring the cholesterol around in your bloodstream. When you eat food that contains fats, your intestines absorb the fat molecules and transport them to the liver to be processed. The liver then packages the cholesterol with the carrier molecule into complexes that can travel through the blood.

LDL is called “bad cholesterol” because it transports cholesterol from your liver to your tissues. If you eat too much cholesterol, LDL will deposit it in your arteries, heart, and around your organs. This is potentially very harmful, and leads to heart disease, high blood pressure, and increased risk of diabetes, as well as many other diseases. As a naturopathic physician, I want most of my patients’ LDL cholesterol to be lower than 100 mg/dL.

HDL is called “good cholesterol” because it picks up extra cholesterol in the blood and brings it back to liver to be processed. You can think of HDL as the clean up crew of the cholesterol team. I like to see my patients’ HDL measured at 60 mg/dL or higher. As far as I am concerned, the higher your HDL is, the better.

Triglycerides are another element of cholesterol testing. They are a type of fat that is made by your liver after a meal that is high in sugar or carbohydrates. Trans fats also raise triglycerides. Triglycerides should be below 150 mg/dL, and if they are too high, it is likely that you are eating too much refined sugar or carbohydrates, or that your blood sugar levels are too high. People with diabetes often have elevated triglycerides, and balancing blood sugar will help to bring these numbers down.

There are many ways that I can help my patients to balance their cholesterol naturally, and also provide my patients with specialty cholesterol testing that goes beyond the standard measurements. These specialty tests measure the specific types of LDL and HDL cholesterol you have, which gives us a much clearer idea of your real risk of having a heart attack, stroke, or developing other types of diseases.

For more information, please visit my website, www.DrTaraPeyman.com, or call us in Mesa, AZ at 480.985.0000, or in Tempe, AZ at 480.456.0402.

References:
[1] Relation between cholesterol levels and neuropsychiatric disorders. Rev Neurol. 2009 Mar 1-15;48(5):261-4.
[2] Low serum cholesterol and external-cause mortality: potential implications for research and surveillance. J Psychiatr Res. 2009 Jun;43(9):848-54.
[3] Low serum cholesterol may be associated with suicide attempt history. J Clin Psychiatry. 2008 Dec;69(12):1920-7.

You may be allergic to one or more foods and not even know it. We can develop an inflammatory allergic response to the foods we eat. Even healthy foods may be causing symptoms for you. This inflammatory response can lead to headaches, fatigue, digestive problems, skin rashes, mood disorders, autoimmune conditions, and other symptoms.

There are different types of food allergies or intolerances:

1. IgE food allergies
2. IgG food allergies
3. Food intolerances

Immediate food allergies are also called IgE (immunoglobulin E) allergies. IgE allergies occur within seconds to minutes of eating the food to which you are allergic. Therefore, people with IgE food allergies are usually very aware of the foods they are allergic to, because of this quick response.

IgG (immunoglobulin G) food allergies are delayed in their effects. You can eat a food to which you have a food an IgG food allergy, and have a negative response up to 72 hours later! This makes it very difficult to determine which foods are causing your symptoms. For this type of allergy, testing is helpful to determine the foods to which you are reacting.

A food intolerance is the inability to digest a certain food because of a deficiency of the enzymes necessary to do so. Lactose intolerance is an example of this. Another example is gluten intolerance, a part of celiac disease. Celiac disease is a condition in which the person is incapable of breaking down gluten (found in wheat and several other grains). This is different from a gluten allergy, in which a person can break down gluten, but has an allergic response to the gluten proteins once it is digested.

Over 50% of our immune system is located in our digestive tract. Your immune cells can overreact to certain foods, causing an inflammatory response. Food allergies can begin as a result of stress or damage in the digestive tract, eating a certain food too often, or a food being introduced too early in infancy. Some food allergies or intolerances are passed on from our parents.

In a healthy digestive tract, the cells of the intestinal lining are linked closely together, allowing only small, digested food particles through into the bloodstream. Irritation to the intestinal lining can occur from alcohol, sugar, antibiotics, processed food, and emotional or physical stress. When the lining becomes irritated, the linkages between the cells of the intestinal wall can break, and larger food particles can leak through into the blood. Because only small food proteins are supposed to be allowed through, the immune system will target these larger food particles, as if they were a virus or other foreign body. When you eat that food again, your immune system will have developed antibodies against it, and it will attack the food particles that you digest, causing an inflammatory response.

Discovering your food allergies may be an important element of uncovering the reasons for your chronic symptoms. Food allergies can be tested in several ways. Keeping a diary of the foods you eat each meal, and noting the timing and intensity of your symptoms can be helpful. The gold standard for food allergy testing is an allergy elimination and challenge, in which you completely eliminate a specific set of foods from your diet, then reintroduce them one at a time, and watch for symptoms. We can also test your blood against multiple food allergens to check for IgG or IgE immune reactions. With the results of this test, we can avoid only the foods to which you react, and later reintroduce these foods into your diet after your symptoms have resolved.

With proper nutrition, natural supplements to heal the intestinal lining, and homeopathic medicine to correct the underlying immune imbalance, you can treat food allergies and improve your overall health, mood, and energy.

Do You Want Food Allergy Testing?

Anxiety is the number one mental health concern in the United States. Approximately 18% of American adults are affected by anxiety, and many of these individuals also experience depression.

If you or someone you know is affected by anxiety or depression, you know how much stress it can cause. These mood disorders can significantly interfere with a person’s daily activities, work, and relationships. 

Conventional medications may help reduce the symptoms of anxiety or depression, but these medications can cause unwanted side effects such as fatigue or insomnia – symptoms that people with anxiety or depression usually already have!

For people who are interested in treating the underlying cause of their mood disorder, one of the safest and most effective treatments is classical homeopathic medicine.

Homeopathy is a natural form of medicine which stimulates your body’s innate ability to heal. Rather than suppressing your symptoms like most conventional treatments, homeopathy helps you heal from the inside out, working towards a cure of your illness.

Your body has built-in mechanisms that allow you to heal. This is evident in cases of a cold or a small cut; your body mounts a reaction to the virus or the skin injury and initiates a healing response. Homeopathic medicine works with these innate mechanisms to restore health by speeding up the natural process of the healing. In the case of anxiety or depression, your body has the ability to correct underlying hormonal or chemical imbalances so that mood can be normalized; sometimes, however, we can forget how to heal. Homeopathic medicine reminds your body of how it can heal naturally by giving it a boost in the right direction to promote hormonal and chemical balance.

Homeopathic remedies are made from naturally occurring substances such as plants and minerals. There are hundreds of well-known homeopathic remedies, each made from its own natural substance. During the preparation process, the original substance is made into a solution which is diluted multiple times. For commercial production, small sublingual pills are coated with these highly diluted solutions to give them medicinal value as homeopathic remedies.

Classical homeopathic medicine differs from most over-the-counter homeopathic formulas in that the over the counter preparations contain multiple homeopathic remedies, and classical homeopathic treatment uses a single remedy for a specific set of symptoms. The classical method is designed to treat each person as an individual, and typically yields better results.

There are no side effects from homeopathic remedies, so it is the ideal choice for anyone who is looking for alternatives to medications with unwanted adverse effects. This makes it very valuable for treating children or adolescents with behavioral or mood disorders, especially because of the increased risk of suicide associated with conventional antidepressant medications in adolescents. 

Homeopathy is also an excellent choice for women during pregnancy or lactation, and is often very effective for women with post-partum depression. Another advantage is that homeopathic medicine does not interact with conventional medications, so it is possible to begin homeopathic treatment while still taking other prescriptions.

Most people see positive results from homeopathic medicine within 2-4 weeks of treatment. Because homeopathy corrects the underlying cause rather than just treating the symptoms of anxiety or depression, you are likely to start feeling like yourself again without needing to be on medications for an extended period of time.

Dr. Tara Peyman, Naturopathic Physician

"Feel Like Yourself Again With Natural Medicine"

www.DrTaraPeyman.com

Acupuncture is the virtually painless insertion of ultra-thin sterile needles at specific points in the skin with the intention of balancing the body's energy and reducing pain. This method of treatment is based on a 3000 year old system of medicine from China, and by combining this ancient wisdom with modern techniques, acupuncture practitioners help patients to achieve an increased state of health.

Acupuncture can treat a variety of disorders, such as:

• Chronic pain (headaches, joint pain, back pain, etc.)
• Respiratory conditions (asthma, allergies, etc.)
• Cardiovascular conditions (high blood pressure, etc.)
• Gastrointestinal disorders (nausea, constipation, etc.)
• Reproductive disorders (PMS, infertility, menopausal symptoms, etc.)
• Skin conditions (eczema, hives, etc.)
• Psychiatric disorders (depression, anxiety, etc.)
• Addiction (smoking addiction, food addiction, etc.)
  

Your doctor will help you decide if acupuncture is right for your health concerns.

Most people feel a difference after a single treatment, but several treatments may be needed in order to reach optimal health.

People respond differently to acupuncture, but most people report a mild electric, aching, or tingling feeling around the needle insertion, which subsides after a few moments. Some people do not feel the needle insertion at all, because the needles are so thin.

It is important to find a licensed acupuncturist or licensed Naturopathic Doctor who is trained in acupuncture. Naturopathic doctors are trained in a variety of other natural and conventional therapies. A naturopathic doctor may combine acupuncture with several other treatment options in order to best serve your individual needs.

Tara Peyman is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor in the state of Arizona. Her expertise is treating depression and anxiety with natural medicine. She has also developed comprehensive, naturopathic programs for weight loss, diabetes and smoking cessation. She practices at East Valley Naturopathic Doctors in Mesa (480.985.0000) and in Tempe (480.456.0402). Visit her website for more information.

Did you know that after only 8 hours of quitting smoking, your blood pressure drops by 5 to 10 points? After one month, your immune system will have begun to recover from the effects of cigarette smoke, and your energy is likely to improve. After only one year of quitting smoking, your risk of dying as a result of a heart attack will be half that of someone who still smokes.

Quitting smoking isn’t easy. There are 3 reasons you or someone you know may have trouble kicking the habit: 1) Nicotine is powerfully addictive. Withdrawal symptoms can be challenging to overcome, and physical nicotine cravings, although typically only 1-2 minutes in duration, can be quite strong. 2) Smoking cigarettes can become a habitual part of your life; you may smoke every time you have a cup of coffee, when you are driving to work, or while on the phone. If you are used to having a cigarette at certain times of day or during certain situations, it can be a challenge to change these habits. 3) People smoke for a reason. Whether it is the stress of a hard day at work, a difficult relationship, or small worries that add up to a stressful day, there is often an emotional aspect to a person’s smoking addiction. In order to quit smoking for good, this underlying emotional element must be addressed.

Despite these challenges, you can break your smoking habit, and you can do it naturally. The first step is to become more aware of the reasons you smoke. By identifying your smoking triggers, you can take control of your habits and turn them around. Quitting smoking is more than just giving up cigarettes; it is an opportunity to transform your life and the way that you react to situations. It is a chance for you to start thinking and living in a healthier way, for the benefit of not only yourself, but for everyone in your life.

There are several safe and natural therapies that can help you quit smoking. Acupuncture is one of these natural options for reducing nicotine cravings, promoting better mood and energy, and improving overall health. Acupuncture has been shown to be more effective than most conventional anti-smoking medications, and has twice the success rate of nicotine replacement medications for smoking cessation. There are botanical formulations that act by the same mechanism as the anti-smoking medication Chantix, without causing as many side effects. These herbal supplements can be used in combination with other therapies to increase your success rates of quitting smoking.

If you want to permanently end your dependence on cigarettes, your greatest chance of success is with a program that addresses all three elements of your smoking addiction. You may be able to do this on your own, depending on the extent of your addiction. Professional assistance ensures a greater likelihood of long term success.

Tara Peyman, Naturopathic Physician

"Feel Like Yourself Again With Natural Medicine"
www.DrTaraPeyman.com

Your adrenal glands are located above your kidneys, and are responsible for producing hormones to control stress, blood pressure, and reproduction.

If you are under significant stress for an extended period of time (more than a week), your adrenal glands can start to have difficulty producing enough of the hormones that control stress. This is called adrenal fatigue, which can lead to feelings of anxiety, depression, or fatigue. Over time, adrenal stress can also cause weight gain, blood sugar imbalances, and insomnia.

Your adrenal glands need to produce a certain amount of cortisol and DHEA in order to maintain good energy and healthy weight. We can test your adrenal function with either a blood sample, or a saliva test.

The saliva test is a kit that you bring home with you, and you take 4 saliva samples throughout the day. Then you drop the kit in the mail, and the results are sent back to our office for review. The saliva test gives us 4 different cortisol readings, plus DHEA, and your DHEA to cortisol ratio. This is helpful for determining the extent of adrenal stress, and gives us a clear idea of which adrenal support supplements are right for you.

The endocrine (hormone) system in your body is very interconnected. If your adrenal glands are not functioning properly, it can be very difficult to maintain healthy hormone balance in the rest of your body.

Adrenal stress can make it harder for your thyroid gland to work well, and can also put added stress on your reproductive glands. For women going through menopause, or men with low testosterone, adrenal testing can be very helpful.

As a woman transitions into menopause, her adrenal glands will take over for your ovaries in the production of estrogen and progesterone. Testosterone is also produced with the help of the adrenal glands. If your adrenal glands are not functioning at their best, symptoms can occur including low libido, poor energy, or menopausal symptoms in women. For people with poor thyroid function, supporting the adrenal glands can take a burden off of your thyroid, and promote better energy and weight loss.

As a naturopathic doctor, I recommend adrenal support supplements that are made from vitamins and herbs. These natural supplements are non-addictive, and you are likely to need less of them over time, as your adrenal function is restored.

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Tara Peyman is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor in the state of Arizona. She has an expertise in treating depression and anxiety with natural medicine. Dr. Peyman has also developed comprehensive, naturopathic programs for weight loss, diabetes and smoking cessation. She practices at East Valley Naturopathic Doctors in Mesa (480.985.0000) and in Tempe (480.456.0402). Visit www.DrTaraPeyman.com for more information.

Tara Peyman, ND

Naturopathic Physician

"Feel Like Yourself Again With Natural Medicine"

www.DrTaraPeyman.com