Basics of Healing

Structure and FunctionA treatment can help you to feel better now… but education to learn how to help your body heal and stay healthy lasts you for the rest of your life. Following is some of the most important information you could know to help you heal faster and stay healthy longer.

Structure and Function

“Daddy, how does my body heal when I get sick?”
Imagine having to try to answer that question in depth! Very few people can. And not knowing the answer can cause you a lot of trouble:

  1. You won’t really know if what your doctor is telling you is valid or not.
  2. You can’t take effective action that you know will help your body to heal; you have to rely on the opinions of “experts” who don’t have all the specifics of your condition.
  3. You won’t know if your diet and lifestyle are helping or hurting your health.

What people most need to understand about their bodies are the basics of healing. You could call this “Understanding my Body 101.”

Here is my first installment of this series, “Understanding Structure and Function”

Your body exists on two different planes:
Structure: The physical part of your body, made up from cells and the material in between the cells. This is the part of your body that you can see.

Function: The intelligence and information that operates the body’s structure. You could think of this as the function of the nervous system and hormone system, since these control the tissue of your body by following the commands coming from your body’s intelligence.

An example of Function and Structure: If you use a business as an analogy, the STRUCTURE would be the business’s building, the desks, pencils and any equipment. The business’s FUNCTION would be the strategic planning, information on how to create the products, training the staff had about their jobs, etc.

  • If you burned down the building and destroyed the structure, then the function (the founder, executives, staff and the business information) could recreate the structure and the business could resume operation.
  • On the other hand, if you eliminated all the function (fired all the staff and executives, shredded all the files and sent the founder of the business on a permanent trip to Tahiti), you’d be left with a building containing a bunch of used furniture and equipment… but the business would be gone.

You can see from this example that FUNCTION monitors and controls STRUCTURE, not the other way around.

This is critical information in healthcare, because medicine operates by using drugs and surgery to change STRUCTURE with the hope of fixing FUNCTIONAL problems. This works in short-term emergency situations where the function is largely undisturbed and the damage is mainly structural (trauma, for example). It does not work for chronic (long-term) illness and conditions where the problem is mainly functional and structural damage is DUE TO FUNCTIONAL FAILURES.

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Boost Your Immune System

Boost Your Immune System

I wanted to write to you and address some effective strategies that we all can take to improve the immune systems of our families and ourselves.  There are many effective and surprising ways to boost your immune system against viruses and other immune system threats. It is understandable to be concerned about keeping your immune system strong in the face of the coming season of colds and flu and the news stories of the Ebola epidemic in Africa facing us every day.  What I have found to be true is that there are sources that exist in our environments that feed our fears.  Mindfully choose to avoid these sources and use your own common sense despite what is being said and beamed out to us continually by countless media outlets.  Flu season is upon us and in addition we now have the Ebola epidemic not only “a world away” but in our own borders.  The way I see it is that we have a couple choices.  We can panic and cease to use our reasoning capabilities or we can look at the true risks and make decisions based on facts, not innuendo or hearsay.  There are basic public health and hygienic principles to follow that would serve us all well if we would do them ourselves and get others to do them too. We hear the reports daily and all the information and disinformation can be very confusing and sometimes disturbing.   I wanted to find some positive and fun ways to keep that immune system strong and your spirits high.  I also have some amazing products to introduce that will support your body and help to keep your immune system strong.  The following list has been shown, by study in many cases, to improve your immune system.  I challenge you to find several of them and introduce them into your daily life.

Keep a Positive Attitude

  1. Laughter is the best medicine! Laughter can strengthen your immune system and boost your energy.  The best part is that laughter is fun and FREE!  Laughter relaxes you and can decrease stress hormones, which will increase your infection fighting abilities and therefore your resistance to disease.   Turn off the news!  Watch a funny movie, play with your pet or your child and do something fun or silly and laugh!
  2. Have sex!  According to Yvonne K. Fulbright PhD a sexual health expert, people who have sex have higher levels of those defenses that protect your body against viruses and other invaders.  Of course use a condom if you don’t know the STD status of your partner but take that time for you and that someone you love and just let go for a little bit.  Reducing stress allows your body’s immune system to function better and more reliably. Studies show that regular sex lowers blood pressure, and keeps hormone levels in balance.  A good sex life can be good for your heart.  In one study, men who had sex at least twice weekly were half as likely to die of heart disease as men who had sex rarely.  Sex, it does a body and an immune system good.
  3. Keep a positive attitude.  Sometimes it is easy to worry.  Benjamin Franklin said, “Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen.  Keep in the sunlight.”  We only feed the dark side of life when we worry.  Savor the things that bring you joy.  Seek them out and revel in them. That joy, that laughter, that positive outlook keep those stress hormones low and our protective mechanisms high.  Look for the positive in life and work to not dwell on the negative.  There is more than enough of that to go around.  It really is true that your cup can be either half-empty or half full.  It is all in how you choose to look at it.

Natural Immune System Boosters

  1. And speaking of sunlight, go out in the sun.  It has been shown that just 20 minutes of summer sun without sunscreen can make 20,000 units of vitamin D for our bodies.  That’s 100 times the RDA of Vitamin D.  Vitamin D is ESSENTIAL for good immunity.  A German study found that vitamin D increases your immune function by a factor of 3-5 and it helps your body to produce over 200 antimicrobial peptides.  These peptides help fight all kinds of infections.  Vitamin D is also one of nature’s most effect cancer fighters.  Do you know your Vitamin D serum Level?  25(OH)D or 25-Hydroxyvitamin D is the better overall D status and the best marker for overall health.  To help a body that has cancer or heart disease the recommendation is to keep your vitamin D levels between 70-100ng/ml and optimal is 50-70ng/ml.  Your best defense against any intruding disease process is a healthy strong immune system.  Getting vitamin D from sun exposure is the best way to get your “sunshine vitamin.”  We can test you for vitamin D and help you supplement where necessary to optimize your immunity.  Getting your vitamin D levels into optimal range is one of the MOST IMPORTANT and easy things you can do to improve your immune system.  Call us (770-937-9200) or ask about it at your next appointment!
  2. Get some good and restful ZZZZZZZZs.  Yes, lack of sleep can and does affect immunity.  Studies show that people who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to get sick.  After exposure to a virus, like a cold virus or flu virus, lack of sleep can cause people to be more likely to contract the illness.  Sleep restriction and sleep deprivation can decrease white blood cells, which make us more open to infection.  Sleep loss can decrease our body’s antibodies, which are our natural defenses against infections and illnesses.  Long-term sleep deprivation can also leave you at an increased risk for obesity, diabetes and heart disease.  Most adults need 7-8 hours of sleep.  Teens may need 9-10 hours and younger children may need 10 or more hours of sleep.  Go to bed ideally between 10-11 and sleep 7-8 hours.  Get good restful sleep and keep that immune system in top form.
  3. Eat some delicious whole foods.  Enjoy a wide range of colorful fruits and vegetables.  Oranges, green peppers, broccoli, strawberries, carrots, squash, kale, melons.  The bounty of the garden can give you a very healthy dose of antioxidants.  These substances help to protect your cells from free radicals that can damage cell structure.  Just dropping the soft drinks and junk food in favor of a healthy salad or gently cooked veggies can be a treat to a stressed immune system.  What we eat determines our body’s ability to respond to the stresses around us.   Make sure you are getting the nutrients your immune system needs for optimal health.  Vitamins A, C, E, zinc, selenium and magnesium are essential for good health.  Whole fruits and vegetables are full of these nutrients.
  4. Take your “good bacteria”.  Probiotics can boost immune system health via your gut’s mucosal immune system.  Most people do not realize that 80% of your immunity is in your gut.  A strong immune system is the best prevention against ALL disease and infection.  Probiotics help the body produce antibodies to pathogens.  Without good digestive system bacteria your body does not absorb nutrients well.  Probiotics help your body produce both vitamin K and B and aid in the breakdown of foreign toxins.  Probiotics are an essential part of your body’s immunity.   Not all probiotics are created equal.  You want a probiotic that is acid safe and can survive the stomach acid and reach the small intestine.  Ideally, there would be no need for refrigeration.  Cultured and fermented foods like yogurt, some cheeses and sauerkraut can be good sources of good bacteria.   See the list below for a good preventative probiotic.  Ask at your next visit about probiotics or call us with any questions.

There are many possibilities out there and many scenarios can occur.  The best defense against any pathogen is a strong immune system.  In addition to the above suggestions, follow good hygiene and wash your hands frequently.  If you or another are sick, stay home if you are contagious.  Stay observant and keep your head and your wits about you.  Eat well, sleep well and surround yourself with people and activities that you love and that bring you joy.  Make your day count everyday and help someone else as part of it.  Do the important things and let the other things work themselves out.  Be well and live healthy!

Great News! We have “Immune System Booster Bags”!

Immune Systme Booster products from DesBio

We will have the following supplements available at the office in “immune system booster bags”.  You can purchase them for yourselves and for your families.   Please understand that these products in no way treat Ebola or any other virus.  They merely assist your body and immune system in being healthy.  Please follow all CDC guidelines for prevention and treatment of Ebola.

Healthy Immune System is Key


Note from DesBio: DesBio has not developed protocols or products for either Ebola or enterovirus, nor do we intend to do so. We recommend that our doctors and their patients follow CDC guidelines for prevention and treatment of Ebola and enterovirus. With any illness, keeping your immune system healthy is essential in supporting resilience against infection. Here is a list of supplements, homeopathics and herbals to help keep your immune system healthy:

  • Smart Silver Liquid
    • Provides preventative support
    • 2 tsp orally twice daily
  •  Smart Silver Gel
    • Use in high-contact areas to limit transmission
    • Apply frequently to hands and dab in nostrils
  • Vitamin C Liposomal
    • Adequate nutrition, especially Vitamin C, has been linked to improved ability to handle infection
    • 1/2 tsp daily
  • Immune Support
    • General homeopathic for immune support
    • 10 drops 3x daily
  • Virus Plus
    • A combination of virus nosodes to support the immune system when fighting a viral infection
    • 10 drops 3x daily
  • Flora Synergy
    • A nutritional supplement designed to support healthy intestinal and immune function
  • Liquid Vit D with Vitamin K
    • A unique, highly concentrated tasty liquid that provides vitamin D3, vitamin K2 plus vitamin E, beta glucan, turmeric, L-carnatine, calcium and magnesium. It includes liver and kidney support.
  • Echinacea Premium
    • Assists the body’s immune response in a number of ways. One of the most important is the nonspecific immune response; particularly white blood cells helping with phagocytosis. Phagocytosis is a process involving certain white blood cells that engulf and digest foreign particles or cells that might challenge the body. (The response is nonspecific because the body launches this broad attack against particles of all kinds. It is not specific to just one particle.) A practical effect is that top quality Echinacea root helps the immune response following stress or sudden changes in weather.

Patients who experience flu-like symptoms should consult their primary care physician or, if there is any chance that they may have been exposed to the Ebola virus go to the nearest hospital emergency room. Comments are welcome! If you have questions, please call the clinic at 770-937-9200. We are happy to talk to you.

 

Here’s to your good health,

 

Dr. Melodie Billiot

Alternative Health Atlanta

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Seduced By Salt, Sugar and Fat

Have You Been Seduced by Salt, Sugar and Fat?Assorted Junk Food

Learn how the food giants have hooked us.

Back in 1999, a group of men who controlled America’s largest food companies attended a meeting in the Minneapolis headquarters of Pillsbury. In attendance were C.E.O.’s and presidents from Nestle, Kraft and Nabisco, General Mills and Procter & Gamble, Coco-Cola and Mars.  The agenda: the emerging obesity epidemic and how to deal with it. These men were in constant battle with each other over what they called “stomach share” – the amount of consumers that any one company’s brand could take away from their competition.

Pillsbury’s chief technical officer ran the meeting. His intent was to get these men to agree that they had gone too far in creating and marketing products that posed the greatest health concerns–foods laden with sugar, salt and fat. He and others wanted these food giants to agree to be part of the solution, not the problem, by reformulating their foods to make them healthier. By looking at today’s obesity epidemic it is quite clear that the food giants didn’t agree.

In this article, The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food, Michael Moss an investigative reporter for The NY Times, tells the story of  that meeting back in 1999 and gives you insight into how companies use salt, sugar and fat to addict us. You’ll learn why companies spend millions of dollars to find the sensory-specific satiety point, the perfect “mouth feel”, vanishing caloric density, and how to get consumers to consume more.

Once you’ve read this article, ask yourself … Just how far will corporations go to manipulate nutrition at the expense of our health to fatten their bottom line?

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Mammograms Do Not Prevent Cancer

Do You Believe Mammograms Prevent Cancer? It IS NOT True!

We have attended health fairs and business “lunch-n-learns”, hosted workshops and spoke to church groups about breast health and thermography.  We’ve met many women and encouraged them to get a thermography. Much to my dismay, many of them turned down the offer saying, “I just had my mammogram. I’m good for another year.” Or, “My mammogram will detect the cancer early enough so it will be easily treatable.”

It’s hard for me to believe that women think just waiting around to find the lump is going to prevent them from getting breast cancer.  It’s crazy. Yet, a recent survey found that over half the women believe that mammography prevents breast cancer (!).

If the mammogram detects a cancer tumor, how is it going to prevent you from getting breast cancer?  You already have it at that point.

What happens next is unimaginable for some of us, and unfortunately past and present experience for others. You may get surgery, exposed to radiation and pumped full of toxins to kill the cancer. This is devastating to your body as you struggle just to survive the treatments.

Unfortunately many women have this huge misunderstanding about what the cancer institutions are saying about early detection and prevention.  According to the American Cancer Society:

“The goal of screening exams for early breast cancer detection is to find cancers before they start to cause symptoms, because breast cancer found due to symptoms being present tends to be larger and more likely to have spread outside the breast. Early detection means getting breast cancer diagnosed earlier than otherwise might have occurred so that breast cancer can be treated successfully.”

This EARLY detection of the cancer may in turn help PREVENT you from dying from it. That’s what it’s all about.  The medical professionals are LOOKING for the CANCER so they can KILL IT before it KILLS YOU. They aren’t looking to PREVENT it from occurring. Mammograms will not prevent cancer. It is a tool to help find the cancer.

I don’t think there is anyone who wants to be in that situation where they have found the cancer. So how do we prevent that from occurring? Well, it all starts with knowing your risk. Take a look at the diagram below.

The red dots on the right are the sizes of tumors detected by various detection methods–breast exams, mammograms and MRIs. The green dot on the left represents metabolic changes that are occurring in your breast tissue that if left alone can develop into a cancerous tumor up to 8 years later when it can then be spotted on a mammogram.  These metabolic changes can be seen using an infrared camera– it’s called thermography.

Booble-Circles

Comparing Breast Cancer Detection Methods to Risk Assessment – Thermography.

So if you could find out what your risk is for getting a breast cancer tumor at least 8 years before it is spotted on a mammogram, wouldn’t you want to? Finding out that early gives you time to put together a Cancer Prevention Program that includes finding out why the breast tissue is stressed. That can include lifestyle choices, imbalanced hormones, insufficient vitamin and mineral levels and specific toxic stress on your body.

Breast cancer IS preventable, but you have to do something about it, not just wait and see if you have it.  Our Breast Cancer Prevention Program starts with knowing your risk. One very effective way of doing that is to get a thermography.

Want to learn more? Visit our website or call 770-937-9200 and ask to talk to Ronna, or thermographer. She’ll be happy to answer any questions and get you scheduled.

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What’s Making You So Crazed? Could it Be Your Blood Sugar?

How Your Spouse’s Blood Sugar can be Dangerous to YOUR Health

Do you avoid certain people if you know they haven’t eaten in a while? Or is someone avoiding you?

blood sugar problems

If your brain and nervous system are like a light bulb, the electric cord supplying power to the bulb is your blood sugar. Any reduction creates a nervous system and brain “brown-out” with severe consequences.

Your body’s ability to maintain the correct level of sugar in your bloodstream is a vital part of keeping your body healthy and functional.  I’m not talking about diabetes, which is a whole different blood sugar problem. This problem is mainly from adrenal issues, not the pancreas!

Symptoms of Blood Sugar Imbalance

Even though the cartoon makes light of this issue, this can become a serious situation if not handled. Perhaps you or someone you know is dealing with someone who…

  • “Flies off the handle” at almost anything—when they’re hungry?
  • Can’t wake up in the mornings… wanders around in a fog for half an hour?
  • Can’t get to sleep at night, or wakes and can’t get back to sleep?
  • Loses all their energy at 3:00 PM and struggles to stay alert or even awake until after dinner?
  • Gets anxious, lightheaded and shaky if they get hungry, or even randomly whether hungry or not?
  • Eats “like a horse” and is hungry right afterwards. These people will eat three snacks in a row from 9:00PM to bedtime?
  • Getting between this person and sugar could be hazardous to your health?
  • Can’t stop eating breads, pastas, cakes, cookies, chips and junk foods?
  • Has belly fat or a large abdomen?
  • Is just tired all the time?
  • Just generally “feels like crap” so much of the time that it has become the new normal?
  • Gets randomly dizzy?
  • Has periods of behavior that are just… well, psychotic?
  • Complains about their memory and is suffering with an inability to remember important and even simple things?

Each of the above problems can originate from a blood sugar problem.  Maintaining a controlled blood sugar level is imperative for your optimal health. Even if you have not been diagnosed with having diabetes, blood sugar levels that are consistently unbalanced can have detrimental effects on your body. For more details on the effects watch this video: Sugar In Your Diet–What it really does to your body

Imbalances in sugar can lead to loss in energy, changes in metabolism, weight gain and even diabetes. This is why it is important to be aware of signs that your blood sugar levels are not staying level.

Fixing the Blood Sugar Imbalance

What can you do to keep your blood sugar balanced? The answer depends entirely on what is causing the problem, how long it’s been happening and what other contributing issues may be happening at the same time.  SO: The first step to handle blood sugar would be to get tested to find the answer to these problems. Once we have the causes and areas of stress underlying the problem, a program (or just some simple diet and lifestyle actions) can be designed to support your body and help it heal.

To get tested and find out what’s causing your problem, call us at 770.937.9200 and make an appointment for an initial evaluation.

OR…

You can do our Blood Sugar Program for less than $250 complete, which includes the testing as a part of the program!

What Does the 10-Day Blood Sugar Program Entail?

  • Autonomic Response Evaluation of your body’s most stressed areas to determine the causes of your problems.
  • Professional consultation and interpretation of your test results and recommendations.
  • 10-Day supply of supplements and dietary guidelines.
    • SP Complete: Whole Food supplement shake that includes amino acids, essential fatty acids, vegetable concentrates, and powerful antioxidant protection to support the entire range of body systems.
    • SP Cleanse: Combines 20 unique whole food and botanical ingredients designed to support the body’s normal toxin removal process.
    • Diaplex: Encourages healthy blood sugar levels and supports healthy function of the pancreas when combined with a balanced diet.
    • Gymnema: An herbal product that helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels when combined with a balanced diet.
  • Professional guidance from caring practitioners.

So What Could Happen By Doing the Program?

  • Weight loss
  • Better sleep
  • Less cravings
  • More energy, less fatigue
  • More balanced cholesterol
  • Healthier blood sugar levels (if the person has diagnosed blood sugar problems)
  • And more!

What You Can Do Next

If you want to find out if this program is right for you or for a friend of yours, call the office and talk to Tamiko. 770-937-9200.

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Early Detection is the Key to Reducing Your Risk of Breast Cancer

I’m Declaring 2013 the Year of the Breasts

I just read some pretty startling news regarding breast cancer, and it’s not good. As a health professional and a woman, I am very concerned about the health issues facing us regarding breast health and breast cancer. I have been touched by this illness personally, as many of you have, too.

When I first opened my practice almost 20 years ago, breast cancer diagnosis was relatively rare. Now the American Cancer Society estimates that almost 233,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women and of those women, 40,000 will die. That is, 1 in 8 women will develop invasive breast cancer in her lifetime.  Here are some more statistics

  • 1 out of 8 of these invasive breast cancers will be found in women younger than 45 and about
  • 2 out of 3 invasive breast cancers are found in women age 55 or older.
  • The incidence of breast cancer in the U.S. rose 24% between 1973 and 1991.
  • Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, exceeded only by lung cancer.
  • A woman in 1940 had a 1 in 20 chance of contracting breast cancer. Now our risk is 1 in 8.

I don’t know about you but that is pretty scary information to me. Watch the video below to see how you can reduce your risk of ever getting breast cancer in the first place.

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