Cortisol and You

CORTISOL AND YOU

Cortisol is a hormone (steroid) secreted from your adrenal gland that is located on top of your kidney.

It helps create glucose availability in times of stress

It helps if we are in fight/flight mode

If we cannot control our stress then we have a continuous fight/flight mode that results in poor sleep, storage of fat and increase visceral fat

Normal cortisol is high in morning around 7 am and low around 4 pm. It gets us ready for the day and fades as we get ready to go to bed.

If the 4 pm Cortisol is high you are stressed and will suffer multiple chronic disease secondary to this.

How do I lower my Cortisol? There is no pill.

You can do it if you learn to change your diet, loose weight if necessary, increase your activity/exercise, and develop SAHEMs to protect yourself.

SAHEMs are (Self Applied Health Enhancement Methods) such as exercise, meditation, yoga, hobbies, deep breathing and great sleep.

We are here to help you

Dr B.

Sixteen Rational thoughts

              Sixteen Rational Thoughts

1.     Mistakes happen and nothing terrible results

2.     There is no clear right and wrong way to do things

3.     I will accept criticism and benefit from it

4.     I will not demand approval from all

5.     I will not always demand of myself to be perfect

6.     I will not be fearful in the presence of authority

7.     I accept life in the workplace is not always fair and just

8.     I give myself permission to be out of control once in a while

9.     I can neither anticipate nor be certain of everything

10. I accept the facst that I will not always get what I want

11. I give others the right to be wrong and will note be hostile to them

12. If I do not receive full support, it is not the end

13. I accept I will not feel superb all the time

14. I will not judge myself by what I do in the workplace

15. I was not promised a corporate rose garden

16. It is not too late for me to change

Hormone Therapy and Weight Loss

Hormone Therapy and Weight Loss

Intimate loving relationships for male and female have been proven to extend life quality and reduce chronic illness accumulation. We are going to address wacky hormones for both sexes and NO (nitrous oxide) for men. Major culprits that limit hormone effectiveness and NO are alcohol, some prescription drugs, vascular disease and obesity.

For men testosterone levels decrease with aging and NO is not produced because of vascular disease. The endothelial cells or lining of blood vessels release NO, a short-lived gas floating in your blood.  With the onset of atherosclerosis (arterial plaques) and inflammation from a carbohydrate rich diet, the levels of NO plummet.  This results in decrease blood flow and decreased libido.

Testosterone decreases with age and is highest in the morning and lowest in the evening. Symptoms are decreased strength, decreased libido, increased moodiness, decreased endurance and slow beard growth. We can measure testosterone with a laboratory test and we need to determine protein bound testosterone and free testosterone. The latter is what is important.  Replacement is possible through multiple avenues but the easiest is a cream applied daily. Dose adjusted according to levels measured at intervals after therapy is started.

Testosterone decreases waning endurance, bad LDL cholesterol, can remedy libido, increases muscle mass, increases strength, and decreases the chance of suffering diabetes. An additional help can be achieved with DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) taken at 25 -50 mg per day orally.

Growth hormone that comes from the pea-sized pituitary in the brain has been used by athletes and some people to accomplish what we described above. Research has demonstrated that growth hormone in adults does NOT reduce body fat, build muscle, improve libido, improve sleep, and improve the brain. It does cause swollen joints, painful joints, carpal tunnel syndrome, breast growth in men and hastens diabetes onset. The price tag is $1000/month for injections.

Thyroid hormone is necessary for both sexes to avoid fatigue and weight gain. Thyroid hormone is like a carburetor in a car. It tells the body how to function, too little and all the hormones function poorly and too much causes high blood pressure and pulse problems. Your levels can be measured by laboratory tests of TSH, free T4 and free T3.

We obtain this on all our patients.

The best thing that both sexes can do for their hormones is to have a healthy heart muscle and increase their activity along the lines we support in NEAT, GUMA and FITT.

Polyphenols in Concord grape juice stimulate the endothelial cells in the blood vessels to make more NO for men. This makes healthier blood vessels for all activities. Viagra does not cure the male problem unless the underlying cause of onion rings, inactivity, some drugs and smoking are eliminated. In short a healthy diet and an appropriate weight are #1.

For women, the adjustment of estrogen, progesterone and some testosterone are important to relieve waning endurance, bad LDL cholesterol, decreased libido, decreased muscle mass and improve insulin sensitivity to decrease the risk of diabetes.

These hormones can be measured like testosterone and a cream can be created to apply daily to normalize the levels. For both men and women attention needs to be directed to the drugs taken such as anti-depressants, anti-anxiety drugs and beta blockers for high blood pressure.

At our facility we have questionnaires available for men and women that help us decide if you might be someone whose hormone levels are not in line.  If this turns out to be suggestive then we can measure the blood levels in the laboratory and prove the need for replacement. We have a relationship with a local pharmacy to compound a cream for daily replacement and we can optimize the levels by re-measuring the hormone levels and adjusting the doses.

Normalizing hormone levels utilizing bio-identical hormones is a way to put your body back in balance and assist your weight normalization.

Let us know if you are interested and we will work with you to assess the problem, assess the risk/benefit, complete an exam, obtain the appropriate laboratory tests and

select a solution unique to you!

Boomers and Longevity

STANFORD CENTER ON LONGEVITY’S SIGHTLINES PROJECT

(sightlinesproject.stanford.edu)

Director Laura L. Carstensen

Social engagement and loving relationships are essential for increased longevity and health.

Social isolation is a risk for early death

Boomers – born after 1946 til 1964

            Less engaged in relationships

            Decreased religious connections and communities

            Less likely to be married

            Most divorced generation in USA history

            Talk with neighbors less

            Interact meaningfully with spouses and partners less

            Less ties to family and friends

            Most educated

            Best financial security of any generation

Boomers need coaching and healthification to make their Health Profile = Wealth Profile = Education Profile

Our Advance Wellness Systems approach will effect change and increase health and longevity

Dr. B

Healthification Navigation

ADVANCED WELLNESS SYSTEMS (AWS) – A HEALTHIFICATION ORGANIZATION

AWS’s vision is to cultivate a personal patient/doctor/team relationship amidst a bustling urban community where impersonal professional relationships are the norm. We strive to provide quality wellness and illness strategies based on evidence based medicine, open communication, easy accessibility and a focus on customer service.

AWS selects a small population of patients and provides dedicated coaching to encourage, excite and educate patients to actively participate in their care strategy for wellness and illness. Our visits are not like Disneyland – a 3 hour wait for a twenty second ride. AWS provides the care strategy for wellness and illness to effectively navigate the complex health (illness) system.

The doctor of the future will no longer treat the human body with drugs only but rather will cure and prevent disease with nutrition. (Thomas Edison)  He who does not know nutrition does not know how to care for patients. (Hippocrates) Our Healthification Organization will be successful to the extent that it provides a service that contributes to happiness! (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi)

The qualities of a caring doctor and team are:

• Ability to listen
• Willingness to acknowledge a patient’s point of view
• Ability to explain
• Willingness to assess family and social support
• Ability to show empathy
• Willingness to offer encouragement, hope and reassurance

AWS has no over crowded office where people are sick .  We  do not provide the usual 6 minute face-to face time. Today the greatest single source of health is between the ears. (Brian Tracy).  If you do not change the direction you are going then you are likely to end up where you are heading. (John C. Maxwell) Our education program and coaching enables you to find something you love and pursue it! People who have good results feel good about themselves. (Ken Blanchard) AWS provides decreased hospitalizations, greater necessary drug compliance and successful doctor/team interactions. Remember there is no insurance code for cure.

AWS cares for patients because we care about patients. Our focus is:

1.     Honesty and financial integrity

2.     Good bedside/office manner

3.     Being there for our patients

4.     Actually liking our patients

5.     A team that can come along the journey with the patient

We live in a hyper-personalized society. Our economy is oriented to give us what we want but it often turns out it is not the best for delivering what we need.  Our goal is to slow the trajectory of aging. We try to not be taken in by the industrial/insurance/medical complexes group think. We do not want to be stuck in the rat race of health care.

We want every patient to claim their uniqueness, reject society’s limitations and simplify their life. The most important questions in health(illness) care is access, strategy, direction, and the falsehood of cure. Our health(illness) care system is expensive because of lack of personal responsibility, government regulations, insurance profitability, and value of questionable new drugs and devices.

Drug usage is an example of poor oversight and education. 47% of the population older than 65 take 5 or more prescription drugs.  Of 100 prescriptions, 20 are never filled, 20 are filled and not taken, 20 are filled and taken wrong, leaving only 40 taken correctly. No wonder those who really need drugs do not get well.

In fact adherence to proven breast cancer drugs are taken correctly only 66%  of the time.

Our Healthificatin Organization redesigns your world to accommodate a long vibrant life. We help recognize stress loads and strategize to keep your hearts and spirits young and lively. We seek to eliminate inflammation from your body by weight loss and then facilitate healthy eating. We can follow are success by your BMI, waist measurement, % fat, % visceral fat,  and laboratory values. Aging is inevitable but aging well and slowly is not. Keeping your brain robust is essential to health. We coach mindfulness in daily activities and eating. Research supports the fact that we live 20% in the present, 40% in the past and 40% in the future. What legacy are you going to leave to your children and grandchildren.

Die is by far the most powerful intervention to delay aging and age related diseases. Diet IS the way to live longer well. Nothing is going to keep you healthy longer than losing weight and keeping it off.

Why do we have so many problems eating too much, and moving too little. We need a culture that respects and loves longevity. To do this we must recognize that long  term planning is necessary. Long term planning does not come naturally to humans.

The future is too distant. We are not mindful that little habits over the years accumulate wear and tear on the body. Humans have difficulty imaging negative consequences of their daily actions.  What is your status today? We can measure it and help you develop your health profile. Our past culture and today’s supports a short life not a long one. Obesity is the number one modifiable chronic disease today. AWS can address this issue.

Support is what makes change possible. We now have smaller families, separated in space and age, less friendships and collaborations, and depend less on proximity but more on common interests and concerns. LOVE is very important and romantic relationships are most important  in support and living in the moment.

AWS with it’s Healthification Navigation concept stands ready to assist, educate and coach you to a healthy life.

Things that AWS provides are

1.     Wellness strategy for you

2.     Illness strategy for you

3.     Weight loss

4.     Weight maintenance

5.     Exercise strategy

6.     Specialist strategies and referral help

7.     Simplification of complex medical problems

8.     Easy access for quality appointments

9.     24X7 answering service

10. Seminars and newsletters

11. Coaching individual and group

12. Education classes

13. Video library on YouTube

14. Blog on our website

15.  Mental health services

16. Access to laboratory testing and xrays

17. 9-Point Health Assessment

18. Biological Hormone Replacement Therapy

19. Telemedicine for convenience

20. Walk With a Doctor Program