LDN is an off label use of naltrexone, a medication that is FDA approved for opioid dependence or alcohol dependence, as it is a strong opioid antagonist. For its approved FDA use, Naltrexone is dosed 50 to 300mg/day. Low dose naltrexone uses 0.5 to 4.5mg typically. The use of LDN for such diseases as cancer was first proposed by Ian Zagon, PhD, and LDN’s broader clinical effects in humans were proposed by Bernard Bihari, MD in the 80’s while treating HIV …
Overcoming a chronic illness requires a multi-faceted approach. One of the foundations to healing is to support an optimum functioning immune system and to limit harmful inflammation throughout the body. Your diet and nutritional status are central players in achieving these objectives. A diet that supports the immune system includes foods that provide the necessary raw ingredients from the three main food groups of proteins, carbohydrates and fats/oils. You want these to be …
Ticks are common in all areas of NC although they are less prevalent in the NC mountains compared to the piedmont and costal areas. The more time you spend outdoors the more likely you are to get a tick bite. NC has tick species active and capable of biting year round with April thru August/September as the most likely times to be bit by a tick in NC. Ticks in NC can transmit not only Lyme but Ehrlichiosis, Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness, Rocky Mounted Spotted Fever, and other …
Sometimes in medicine tough problems have simple solutions. Those of us who practice integrative medicine have a profound respect for the wisdom of these bodies we inhabit. We see over and over that despite all the things that can go wrong in these wondrously intricate bodies, more often than not things go right. We see that our bodies have an innate drive to heal, to be right and balanced. We find that if we can re-supply a key ingredient that is missing, or take away an ingredient that is …
Every cell and organ in your body depends upon thyroid hormones for proper functioning. It is the thyroid gland, a butterfly shaped gland at the base of the throat, that produces the hormones which regulate the basic metabolic rate of each cell—i.e., the conversion of oxygen and calories into energy. Even a slight deficiency of thyroid hormone can have a significant impact on your health. Signs of thyroid deficiency, or hypothyroidism, include the following: Fatigue Feeling …
After decades of banishment, coconut oil is again being recognized as a healthy dietary oil. Coconuts and their extracted oil have been a valued food source for many cultures, spanning many centuries. The common misconception that coconut oil, a medium chain saturated fat, is “bad” stems from a successful propaganda campaign by the food industry to promote margarine and other refined polyunsaturated oils over the previously-used saturated and tropical oils. Health-conscious …
Sore or scratchy throat, runny or stuffy nose, cough, sneezing, and all-over blahs and achiness? Have you had a winter cold yet? Each year in the United States children will get an average of 6 to 8 colds, and adults 2 to 4. The common cold, caused by two hundred different virus strains, is the most frequent acute illness in the world. Colds are not a serious medical problem, but occasionally they are complicated by bacterial superinfection – such as sinusitis or …
New Life Journal, June/July 2004 Since the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) results came out two years ago millions of women have been scared off their hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Millions who have stayed on feel insecure about it, and millions of women in their menopausal and peri-menopausal years are suffering by going without replacement hormones–mostly for fear of getting breast cancer. This doesn’t have to be. The WHI study looked at the health effects of 27,000 women …
A commonly overlooked cause for tiredness and low energy is low adrenal function. Adrenals are crescent-shaped glands sitting atop each kidney that secrete hormones critical to maintaining the balance of many body functions. Some of the hormones produced by the adrenals include adrenaline, cortisone, DHEA, and even small amounts of testosterone and estrogen. Your adrenal glands act as a major defensive shield in dealing with stress, whether the stress is acute or chronic, …
Whether a woman is in her thirties or in her seventies, whether she is a mother or she is childless, partnered or single, working inside the home or out, one of the most frequent concerns a woman will bring up with her health care practitioner is that she is lacking in energy. For some women their fatigue is a debilitating central feature of their life, whereas for the majority of women, fatigue is more a fact-of-life they have learned to contend with. Just as there can be widely varying …