How to have Healthy Hair

How to have Healthy Hair

More people than I would think come to me for help with their hair.  Many women feel like they are losing hair at an extreme rate.  They are worried it won't grow back and that they eventually will go bald.  A lot of women come to me showing me spots on their scalp where their hair is thinning or where they are already completely bald.  There is a lot of natural things one can do for healthier hair to help hair regrow (even men) or prevent hair from falling out.

Number one thing I ask patients when they complain about their hair is what their stress level is. Stress is the number one thing that causes hair to thin.  Stress affects hormones and hormone levels affect hair growth.  Besides stress management here are other things that can help.

Supplementation

Some of the best supplements for one's hair to become thick and healthy include Saw Palmetto, Black Current Seed Oil, Vitamin E, etc.  Yet I never found that one supplement that could do it all so I developed my own, called Hair Rejuvenation.  It includes wild harvested Black Current Seed, Saw Palmetto, Dandelion, Rosemary, Pomegranate, Raspberry Leaf, Liposomal Vitamin C and Vitamin E. With this combination of ingredients I have found great results in hair regrowth and strengthening weak hair.  

Vitamin C, vitamin E and pomegranate are used for their antioxidants which helps the body have less stress on it from toxins.  Pomegranate also contains punicic acid which stimulates the hair follicles for better hair growth. This will strengthen the hair follicles and stimulates strong and fast hair growth. Also to help detox is dandelion which supports the liver.  Dandelion is also rich with vitamins A, C, B-complex and E. It also contains biotin, iron, sulfur, magnesium and calcium. These all enrich the hair by stimulating and strengthening the hair.   Rosemary has been tested in clinical trials and shown hair growth just as good as Rogaine on men after 6 months of use.   Raspberry leaf supports the hormones while black current seed and saw palmetto are direct hair support.  Hormone support is important because too much testosterone can cause hair to fall out.  Black Currant Seed contains omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids, which help provide moisture for your hair and encourage hair growth and strength. Specifically, the gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) in black currant seed oil is an omega-6 acid that can help prevent hair thinning, splitting and dryness.

By taking the oxidative stress off the body, while also supporting the hormones and liver as well as the hair I have seen the best results with my patients’ regrowth of hair.  Unfortunately it takes time and it’s usually only in the 4th month that patients start noticing a difference.  

Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse

Simply mix 1 part apple cider vinegar with 2 parts warm water. Rinse through your hair after washing at least 2-3 times per week. You can let it sit for 1-2 minutes, and then rinse out your hair completely.
What does apple cider vinegar do for your hair?
This apple cider vinegar rinse closes up your hair follicle to prevent damage by keeping your hair’s pH levels balanced. This gives you smoother, shinier, stronger hair.

Feed Your Hair the Right Nutrition

One of my most important natural hair growth tips is: nutrition.
Hair only grows if you feed it the right nutrients.  
Here’s how to keep your hair healthy by adding some key nutrients to your daily diet:

• Collagen powder (I use Organixx)
• Food-based B-vitamins
• Healthy fats (think coconut oil, olive oil, wild salmon and omega-3s, etc.)
• Antioxidants 

DIY Abundant Hair Growth Serum

This serum is what I use every day to promote strong hair:

• 10 drops rosemary essential oil
• 10 drops cedarwood essential oil
• 10 drops lavender essential oil
• 2 drops peppermint essential oil
• 2 drops cypress essential oil

Add these oils to 4 ounces of grapeseed oil OR aloe vera gel in a glass bottle. (Use the oil if you tend to have dry hair, aloe if it tends to be oily).
Apply a small amount to your fingertips after washing your hair and massage into your scalp daily.
You can also use the oil to do a deep moisture treatment by massaging a generous amount into your scalp and hair (especially the ends). Leave it in for about 30-60 minutes and then wash as usual. Do this especially if you use heat tools on your hair often.

Scalp Massage

One common reason for hair loss is lack of circulation. Due to lack of circulation the hair roots aren't getting enough blood to them. Without enough nutrients the hair prematurely falls out. What I suggest doing is spending a full minute in the morning and another full minute at night massaging your scalp to increase blood flow to the hair roots. You may find that as you massage in small circular motions using your fingertips, tender spots and it is those spots in particular you want to concentrate on for they are tender due to lack of circulation. You will notice as you massage the tender spots they will become less tender. Continue to do every day, twice a day, for at least 2 weeks in order to see a change.

Natural Flavors are NOT Natural

Natural Flavors are NOT Natural

“Made with natural flavor” is slapped on countless cereal boxes, bottled beverages and even candy wrappers. Jelly Belly jelly beans: made with natural flavors. La Croix sparkling water: made with natural flavors. Even Girl Scout Cookies make the vague claim. But for all its ubiquitousness, what exactly is natural flavor?
Although the term is meant to imply health and nutrition, the inclusion of natural flavor doesn’t in any way mean that a product is actually good for you. Products that boast natural flavor on their packaging can still be chock full of artificial sweeteners, trans fats, and genetically-modified proteins. Natural flavor is another name for a chemical as long as it was originally found in a naturally occurring source.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines natural flavor as:

“…The essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.”

If that definition sounds like it covers anything and everything you are not alone. Food manufacturers take full advantage of the generous FDA natural flavor guidelines at every conceivable opportunity when it comes to marketing products.  

Many of the "chemicals" that make up natural flavors fall under a category called “generally recognized as safe,” or GRAS. An estimated 3,000 chemical food additives are in this category, yet this does not mean that these chemicals have been widely studied and approved by the FDA. Food companies do not need to disclose the ingredients of a natural flavor if all of the ingredients, which can be up to 100 in one flavor, fall into the GRAS category. Can you imagine up to 100 chemicals in one flavor? Read food labels and you will see 'natural flavors' (it’s actually the fourth most common ingredient found in all food) is conveniently nestled at the very end of the list so people think it's harmless but you now know 'natural flavors' is another name for 'up to 100 chemicals' so do your best to avoid it.  

Healing is About Loving Yourself

Healing is About Loving Yourself

We make hundreds of choices a day.  To what time we wake up, to what we wear, to what we eat etc.  Every time you put something in your mouth is a choice.  So choose love.  The loving choice for food would be something nutritious that would give the body the fuel it needed to get through to the next meal.  Respecting the body is love.  Love is not indulging in your second cup of coffee knowing that it will give you heart burn.  

When people know what the healthy choice is and they aren’t making it it’s because there is a lack of self-love.  It takes love to make the ‘right’ choice.  But what is right for you may be wrong for someone else.  You know your choice is right for you when it comes from love.  When you are at peace with your choice and you can stand in your own power about it without any self-judgement.  Right is only a perspective and don’t let anyone change your perspective if you truly know what is right for you.  

We help patients make the right choice for them.  The first step is to identify what the healthy choice is for them by muscle testing their body.  With this biofeedback from the body we know what their body sees as toxins and help the patient avoid them as much as possible while they heal.  A healthy body would not hold onto toxins.  A healthy body can detox and eliminate toxins easily.  The goal is to support your body with the right nutrition so that it can do that.  

We are aware that to even make an appointment and commit to a nutrition program in our office takes a good amount of self-love.  To follow the program in any capacity one has to confront old habits and want to change them and that takes a lot of will power and we applaud our patients for it and support them in many ways to help them on their journey.  But it is their journey.  Our goal is to meet them where they are and help them be able to confront their choices to make better ones as their body heals.  Helping patients create more self-love is our recipe for success in the office.  This allows them to take their health into their own hands and create a healthy lifestyle for life.  This is what we want for each and every one of you.  

How Toxic is Your Food?

How Toxic is Your Food?

As one of the world’s most common herbicides, glyphosate (the main chemical in “Roundup”) is present in a lot of different foods and is now labeled as a possible carcinogenic since 2015 by the World Health Organization.  I would say it is carcinogenic, for even last month a man was awarded $289 million from Monsanto after Roundup was found liable for causing his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.  He used Roundup as part of his job as a pest control manager for a California county school system.  There are over 5,000 more similar lawsuits filed against Monsanto in the United States.  Yet there are 800 scientific studies and reviews that support the fact that glyphosate does not cause cancer so I guess the verdict is still out.  Yet I don't think it should be.  There is so much research showing that glyphosate has two primary damaging effects. 1) An endocrine disruptor and toxin that accumulates in the liver and bone marrow, lowering immune system and healthy cell replication. 2) It is a potent anti-biotic that kills or damages gut bacteria.

Last December Ministers of Environment or Agriculture of France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Malta and Greece told the European Commission that a new study on the carcinogenic potential of glyphosate and also a study to identify alternatives to the world’s most used herbicide were needed.  Finding an alternative is needed because the European Parliament has expressed its support for the adoption of necessary measures to phase out the active substance glyphosate in the European Union by 15 December 2022 at the latest. 

I'm grateful Europe is making headway and who knows when the U.S. will get on board. Until the U.S. does we have to do our best as consumers and learn what not to buy while making sure we detox the pesticides and herbicides that we do consume.  There are lots of reasons to not eat the following foods but I listed them so you could see how it is present in just about everything.  

BREAKFAST CEREALS & SNACK FOODS AS TESTED BY DETOXPROJECT (2016):

• Kellog’s Raisin Bran
• Kellog’s Corn Flakes
• Kashi Organic Promise
• Kellog’s Special K
• Kellog’s Frosted Flakes
• Original Cheerios
• Honey Nut Cheerios
• Wheaties
• Trix
• Annie’s Gluten Free Bunny Cookies Cocoa & Vanilla
• Cheez-It Original
• Cheez-It Whole Grain
• Kashi Soft Bake Cookies, Oatmeal, Dark Chocolate
• Ritz Crackers
• Triscuit Crackers
• Oreo Original
• Oreo Double Stuf Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
• Oreo Double Stuf Golden Sandwich Cookies
• Stacy’s Simply Naked Pita Chips (Frito-Lay)
• Lay’s: Kettle Cooked Original
• Doritos: Cool Ranch
• Fritos (Original) (100% Whole Grain)
• Goldfish crackers original (Pepperidge Farm)
• Goldfish crackers colors
• Goldfish crackers Whole Grain
• Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies
• Lucy's Oatmeal Cookies Gluten Free
• 365 Organic Golden Round Crackers
• Back to Nature Crispy Cheddar Crackers

The Detox Project is a great website of research to help understand more about the probable harm being caused by glyphosate-based herbicides worldwide.

The top 3 things you can do to avoid ingesting glyphosate is:

1. Avoid the primary GMO foods: all soy, corn, canola and the animals that eat it too including the resulting meats, poultry, dairy and eggs
2. Avoid all non-organic cereals and grains, which are harvested with glyphosate, including wheat, barley, buckwheat, millet, rice, oats, rye, sorghum, wild rice, popcorn, and teff.
3. Avoid additives such as corn syrup, maltodextrin, fructose, baking powder, natural flavors, and cornstarch.
4. Eating non-GMO is not enough.  All your food should be as organic as possible.  

Now that the public is demanding non-GMO, a new generation of toxic foods has arrived in grocery shelves and flying under the radar. Marketed as healthy, these non-GMO products are sprayed with plenty of herbicides and pesticides. Don’t buy them. Let food manufacturers know we want CLEAN FOOD. The Non-GMO Project is busy certifying all kinds of nutritionally empty and toxic products from big food companies. Their stamp of approval may indicate there are no GMO’s, but it’s no indication of healthy food.



The food industry’s rapid response to public interest in non-GMO foods shows that they’re really listening to the marketplace. If you’re seriously interested in clean food, then vote with your money. Let the industry know we want CLEAN FOOD, and we want it NOW. We want non-GMO food that’s raised in a sustainable manner, in harmony with the planet, without harmful chemicals. We want no Glyphosate, Atrazine,  Chlorpyrifos, Metolachlor, or any of the thousands of other harmful chemicals that kill bees, humans, and damage the environment. 

To avoid both GMO’s and Glyphosate, look for the USDA Organic label, when possible. Talk to your local farmers and find out which ones are using sustainable organic practices. They may not be certified organic, but they’ll know a lot about it, and will be able to guide you. Fresh, local unprocessed fruits and vegetables immediately after picking, are the most nutritious foods on the planet. 

8 Steps to Better Brain Health

Brain Health

Brain fog, lack of concentration, feeling tired, poor memory and headaches are all signs that your brain isn't getting the right nutritional support it needs.  Supporting the brain is not easy because of the blood-brain barrier that is a sheet of capillaries that carry blood to the brain and spinal cord that blocks the passage of certain substances.  This filtering system is important to keep toxins from reaching the brain and spinal cord but also doesn't allow many nutrients into the brain as well.

So what can we do to help the brain knowing that not all things can pass the blood-brain barrier?  Here is a list of my favorite things.  Everyone is different and may need different things for support so getting muscle tested is the key to figuring out exactly what you need.

1. Protein - A lack of protein in the diet can cause the brain to slow down.  If you are a vegetarian make sure you are eating enough protein and supplementing with vitamin B12.  The brain loves vitamin Bs and B12 can only be found in meat.  Another good supplement is a vegan supplement from Standard Process called RNA.  RNA is the building blocks of protein and this supplement can really help rebuild the brain at the cellular level.

2, Vetiver Essential Oil - The moment you smell something it goes into the brain because the olfactory nerve responsible for smell goes straight into the brain.  So any smell is fast acting and when you put vetiver oil in a diffuser or on your wrists it helps with boost energy levels when you’re exhausted. In addition, it’s used to cool the body during very high temperatures and soothe feelings of anxiety and nervousness.  Recent research credits vetiver oil for treating symptoms of ADHD and ADD maybe due to the relaxing component that it gives. It’s also known to increase libido and treat insomnia.

3. Bee pollen - It is a great brain booster, lifting brain fatigue, improving alertness and helping concentration levels over an extended period of time. Rich in the B vitamins; B1, B2 and B3 – these are essential for a healthy nervous system and powerful detoxifiers, especially to the brain. They are often referred to as “anti-stress” or “morale” vitamins - when the nervous system is working optimally anxiety and stress can be greatly lessened.  Bee pollen can be eaten raw or can be added to your favorite cereals, smoothies, yogurt or hot drink. I see most people test for 1-2 teaspoons a day as a daily dose.

4. Tuna omega-3 oil - The brain, being about 60% fat, is one reason why the body loves having the right fats in the diet.  Fish oil also has an incredible impact on the brain and I have seen it work wonders especially for mild memory loss and depression.  You do have to be careful to get a good brand, for tuna is known for mercury toxicity.  Standard Process and Nordic Naturals are both brands I trust for their fish oil.

5. Min Tran - It is a vegetarian product from Standard Process that contains iodine and other minerals to support emotional balance when you are stressed and the nervous system is too much in 'fight or flight' mode.  In this way it supports a healthy nervous system, eases stress, and calms us down.

6. Exercise it!  If you don't use it you lose it.  So play crossword puzzles, sudoko, trivia pursuit, read for fun, etc.  20 minutes a day or more.

7. Blueberries - When we follow a diet rich in plant-based foods, like blueberries it can help with dementia. In a recent study, researchers found healthy older adults (ages 65 to 77) who drank 30 milliliters of concentrated blueberry juice (the equivalent of 230 grams of berries), had a significant increase in brain activity, blood flow and even memory compared to the placebo group. Flavonoids, abundant in blueberries, are likely to be an important factor in what's causing these effects, which can lower dementia risk.

8. Drink water - One of the main reasons for a headache is dehydration.  So the moment you start feeling head pressure grab a tall glass of water and see that many times the pressure will dissipate.  On average you should be drinking 3 liters of water a day.  This can include herbal teas.

So start incorporating these 8 things in your daily life for better brain health.  

Ketogenic Diet

Eat Fat to Lose Fat

We are trained to think that in order to lose weight, we need to eat less…especially less fat. But what if I told you that the key to making the body a fat-burning machine was to eat fat? That's right! To lose fat you need to eat fat, and lots of it.

How does the ketogenic diet work?

This is the basis behind the ketogenic diet. The ketogenic diet is a diet high in fat, low in protein, and even lower in carbohydrates. Eating this way makes the body produce ketones in the liver from the digested fat, which is where the "ketogenic" diet gets its name. The ketones then take the place of glucose as fuel for the body, which is what our bodies typically use when we eat the average American diet of higher carbs and protein. With a high level of ketones and a low level of glucose in the blood, the body produces less insulin. In turn, it becomes a fat-burning machine, as less insulin being pumped out means that the body has a far easier time burning stored fat for energy.

What are the benefits of the ketogenic diet? 

• First and foremost, the ketogenic diet actually originated as a tool for treating neurological diseases, such as epilepsy.
• Studies have shown that low-carbohydrate diets can lead to weight loss.
• Additional research shows that a ketogenic diet can regulate blood sugar levels and blood pressure.
• Eating ketogenically can help treat Alzheimer's disease.
• Studies show that the ketogenic diet can slow tumor growth in cancer patients.
• Research shows that the ketogenic diet also help hormone levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.
• If you go on the ketogenic diet, you might notice it reduces acne and has other skin-clearing benefits.

How can you get into a ketogenic state?

So, what does the ketogenic diet look like? There are several variations on the ketogenic diet, broken down below:

• Standard ketogenic diet (SKD): This is a very low-carb, moderate-protein, and high-fat diet. It typically contains 75 precent fat, 20 percent protein, and only 5 percent carbs.
• Cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD): This diet involves periods of higher-carb refeeds, such as 5 ketogenic days followed by 2 high-carb days.
• Targeted ketogenic diet (TKD): This diet allows you to add carbs around workouts, consuming most carbs before a workout.
• High-protein ketogenic diet: This is similar to a standard ketogenic diet but includes more protein. The ratio is more like 60 percent fat, 35 percent protein, and 5 percent carbs.

Keep in mind that only the standard and high-protein ketogenic diets have been studied extensively. Cyclical or targeted ketogenic diets are more advanced methods and are primarily used by bodybuilders or athletes.

What should you eat on a ketogenic diet? 

The exact amount of fat and protein is a matter of individual body responses and activity levels, but almost everyone on a ketogenic diet will consume only 10 percent or less of calories from carbohydrates. This means that any food high in carbohydrates should be limited or avoided, including sugary foods like cakes, cookies; and candy, grains and starches including beans and root vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and beets; fruits (except for small portions of berries), tomatoes, low-fat/sugar-free products, and alcohol.
The good-foods list includes meat, fish (especially fatty fish like mackerel, salmon, tuna), eggs, butter, full-fat cream, cheese, nuts, seeds, healthy oils (I would stick to olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil), low-carb vegetables, avocados, herbs, and spices.
The good news is that you can also have coffee and tea on a ketogenic diet, as long as there is no added sweetener. However, I do recommend sticking to only one cup a day, as too much caffeine may down-regulate ketosis. Many people who adhere to the ketogenic diet also swear by bulletproof coffee, or butter coffee: coffee infused with butter, MCT oil, or both.

How do you know if you're in ketosis? 

So, you've changed your diet to include a much higher fat content in order to try to put the body into ketosis. Now, how do you know if it's working? Typically, the results will speak for themselves, but to find the perfect balance of fats, proteins, and carbs for your body you can buy a ketone meter, and with the prick of a finger you can find out your blood ketone levels. As another and cheaper option for checking your ketone levels you could purchase ketone urine strips, but I am not quick to recommend this method as there are many variables that may affect the outcome, including your level of hydration as well as the amount you are excreting versus what is actually the level inside your body. You might also be interested to know that you can actually tell if you are in ketosis if you sense that your breath, sweat, or urine smells sweet. This is the smell of acetone, which is a by-product of breaking down ketones, and some people refer to it as the ketogenic "fruity" smell.

How many ketones are optimal for ketosis? 

If you choose to test your blood ketones, you should be looking for levels between 0.5 and 5.0 mM, which means that you are in therapeutic ketosis. In my opinion, the ideal range is 1.5 to 3.0 mM, and levels above 3.0 mM are not necessary in order to get results. In fact, when there are too many ketones, meaning over 20 mM, this can be detrimental to the body. It is called ketoacidosis and cannot occur on a ketogenic diet but when there is a disease in the body. Ketoacidosis can often be seen in the end stages of diabetes.

If you are having trouble reaching the ideal range of blood ketones even when you feel your carb intake is minimal, I would look to see if you are eating too much protein. Excess eggs and meat will turn into glucose in the body, compromising optimal ketosis. To counter this, eat more fat! For example, if you add more butter to your steak you might not feel like having a second portion of steak because you are more satisfied and satiated from the first one. Simply, more fat in your food will fill you up more. This will ensure you eat less protein and even fewer carbs, and as a result your insulin levels will drop and you'll be able to reach optimal ketosis. If you are a vegetarian who is interested in this diet please reach out to me and I can give you more specific guidelines. 

Most people can safely do a ketogenic diet, but I recommend running any major dietary changes by your doctor, especially if you are diabetic and on insulin, or on medication for high blood pressure. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, I wouldn't recommend the ketogenic diet unless ordered by your doctor.

got Milk? Drink This!

got milk?  Drink This!

When it comes to drinking milk, specifically cow milk, there is a lot of controversy.  Is it good for us?  Don't we need the calcium from it?  Is whole milk really the best with a higher concentration of fat?  What about raw milk?  The questions can go on and on.

So let's take it step by step.  Is cow milk healthy for us?  My answer, which is my answer for everything, is it depends on how you muscle test for it.  So to all my patients who do test well for milk this blog is for you!  The best cow milk to drink is A2 milk.  A2 milk is cow's milk that mostly lacks a form of β-casein proteins called A1 and instead has mostly the A2 form. Beta-casein makes up about 30 percent of the protein in cow's milk. A1 and A2 are two variants of beta-casein. Historically, cows produced milk that contained only the A2 form of beta-casein. So the genetic change that makes A1 protein is harder for us to digest.

The percentage of the A1 and A2 beta-casein protein varies between herds of cattle, and also between countries. While African and Asian cattle continue to produce only A2 beta-casein, the A1 version of the protein is common among cattle in the western world. Goat, sheep, water buffalo and human breast milks all contain only A2-like proteins, and thousands of years ago, cow’s milk also had only A2.

During the breakdown of A1 in the gut, a peptide fragment (a chain of amino acids) called BCM-7 is formed. This fragment can slow down digestion, trigger inflammation and cause symptoms such as bloating, gas, abdominal pain, diarrhea and constipation (http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/7/9/5339/htm). No such fragment is formed with A2 digestion. If those symptoms sound similar to those of lactose intolerance, it’s because they are. And many people may be misdiagnosing themselves when it is really A1 they need to avoid.

Milk that contains only A2 milk was brought to market by The a2 Milk Company from New Zealand in 2000 and is sold mostly in Australia, New Zealand, China, United States and the United Kingdom. I just recently found it at a local grocery store called Shop Rite.  A genetic test, developed by the a2 Milk Company, determines whether a cow produces A2 or A1 type protein in its milk. The test allows the company to certify milk producers as producing A2 milk.
Whole fat A2 milk is the best type to drink because the extra fat content is how Mother Nature made it so your body can digest it better.  Research even shows that among adult women, higher intake of high-fat dairy was actually linked to less weight gain than intake of low-fat dairy. And a recent study of children ages 1-6 years old found that those who drank whole milk had higher vitamin D levels and lower BMI (body mass index) than those who drank low-fat fat. 
For those of you who don't drink milk but have read this much and now are worried about not getting enough calcium in your diet here are other calcium sources.