Myintegrativehealth Blog – Adrenal Fatigue – Natural Hormone Therapy – Thyroid Dysfunction – Pain Relief – Digestive Health

Mention the phrase “food allergies” and most of us imagine those poor kiddos who get near a peanut butter sandwich only to have massive swelling around the eyes and throat, followed by difficulty breathing and hives.  The constellation of these symptoms make up what’s known as an anaphylactic reaction which, unfortunately, has become more and more frequent in the general population over recent years.  In fact, some newer studies suggest that approximately 3-8% of Americans run the risk of anaphylaxis when exposed to any number of foods, although tree nuts, milk and shellfish are at the top of the anaphylactic list.

Even more, we are seeing a less severe variation of these dangerous food allergies, called “allergy sensitivities” that don’t typically cause life-threatening symptoms, but can still be quite uncomfortable nonetheless.  If you have symptoms like indigestion, gastritis, eczema, asthma, celiac disease, arthritis, and even depression, anxiety, and chronic fatigue, it could be a result of a “food sensitivity.”  Additional reports suggest that at least 60% of Americans suffer from symptoms due to adverse food reactions as a result of food sensitivities.

Food allergies/sensitivities may be a reaction to a protein, a starch, a contaminant found in the food (e.g., pesticide residues) or a food additive (e.g., colorings, preservatives, flavor enhancers, etc).  Once the body decides it’s uneasy with a food, a complex cascade of events takes place that can result in either a life-threatening situation (anaphylaxis) or simply the aforementioned unpleasant symptoms.

Driving this reaction is the immune system’s production of multiple types of antibodies.  For example, during an anaphylaxis response, IgE antibodies are produced within two hours of exposure.  These antibodies then bind to specific cells called mast cells and basophils which release their inner contents–histamine.  This is why an anti-histamine, like Benadryl or Quercetin, is often prescribed for allergies.

Yet, it’s the more delayed allergic response found in food sensitivities, one that can take up to 72-hours after exposure, that causes the aforementioned “uncomfortable” symptoms.  This response is usually driven by IgG antibodies and although it can stimulate the release of some histamine, it usually recruits many more players of the immune system, further complicating the reaction in the body.

Studies suggest that dairy, wheat and eggs are the three biggest sources of food sensitivities in people.  How is this determined?  In the past, the skin prick test was used where small amounts of foods were injected into the skin either on the back or forearm.  Now a simple blood test does away with this antiquated test.  These blood tests can measure for both IgG and IgE antibodies and help guide you and your provider in a direction for food avoidance, which is the mainstay of treatment.

So if you suffer from indigestion, asthma, eczema, etc., simply avoiding problematic foods could be your ticket to feeling well.  In addition to elimination, I recommend rotation of food families (e.g., veggies, fruits, meats, etc.) along with assisting the body with its normal digestive processes through the use of pancreatic and stomach enzymes.  Probiotics can be quite helpful as well.

Living in fear of foods because of their potential to make us sick is unnecessary when you recognize there are easy ways to identify possible sources of food allergies/sensitivities.  Combined with practical and realistic interventions you can take to calm the reaction and subsequent symptoms, you can alleviate a multitude of health conditions.

There is a scary new disease identified as ‘Orthorexia Nervosa’.  It is a somewhat tongue-in-cheek attack on the elaborate web of food rules we find ourselves trapped in.  ‘Ortho’ refers to right or correct.  The ‘rexia’ is of course taken from anorexia, meaning suppressed appetite.  Interestingly the origin of anorexia is the same origin as the term rack, meaning to straighten.  We straighten our arms when we reach, therefore reaching became tied to appetite as in reaching for food.

Over the years I’ve heard so many versions of what to avoid.  If I avoided every food that I’ve ever been told to I would literally have nothing left except perhaps a few types of lettuce.  Oh, wait, the Chinese medical texts do recommend against raw vegetables.  OK, so cooked romaine.  That would get old fast.   We have to eat something.

Many current researchers and public health experts are realizing that telling someone not to eat something bad may be less productive than encouraging them to eat something good.  The best things to go out of our way to eat are the foods that give us the greatest benefits (number of important nutrients) for the least harm (calories).

Several authors have embraced the term ‘superfoods’ to describe certain foods that are especially high in nutrients and low in calories.  Although there is no formal list, some of the superfoods are tastier and more readily available than others.

Variety is certainly important in the diet, but with modern foods the idea of variety is misleading.  Rotating your morning Pop Tarts between cinnamon and cherry does not count as variety.  If you are talking about foods as great as the superfoods, don’t be afraid to find a few favorites and eat them everyday!

So why don’t we eat well?  The biggest concern I hear is that people don’t have time.  Between my family, practicing medicine, training and writing, believe me, I understand about time constraints.

The problem is that many have an idea of shopping daily and making every dish from scratch.  Mind you it’s a blast to spend a few hours puttering around in the kitchen, but that is not realistic for our workdays.  Bear in mind that anything you eat from wherever you get it will take some time.  If all of your meals are drive throughs, heaven forbid, you’ll still be spending at least 15 minutes per day just waiting in line.

Below are my top 20 easy to find superfoods.  Stay with me and I’ll show you how you can get most of these in a day with under 15 minutes of work, I promise!

1. Spinach
2. Broccoli
3. Blueberries
4. Carrots
5. Edamame
6. Black beans
7. Tomatoes
8. Turmeric
9. Grass-fed beef
10. Salmon
11. Mushrooms
12. Celery
13. Walnuts
14. Almonds
15. Greek yogurt
16. Avocado
17. Green tea
18. Pomegranate
19. Steel cut oats
20. Brown rice

When you wake up, make a 5 a day drink.  If you haven’t tried it yet, here’s the

videoon how to do it.    So far we’ve invested 3 minutes.

For breakfast, warm some pre-cooked steel cut oats from Sprouts or Whole Foods, just 1/4 cup if you’re watching your weight, add a dollop of non-fat plain Greek yogurt, some blueberries and a few almonds.  Now is also a good time for a cup of green or white tea.

So, 2 minutes to warm oatmeal and assemble, our tally is at 5 minutes.

Before you leave for work, pour together a nice salad.  Shop right and you’ll have zero prep work to do.

Mix into a large bowl:

• Washed spinach leaves
• 2-3 ounces smoked salmon
• Sliced mushrooms
• Prepped pomegranate seeds (you can now buy these already cleaned and separated!)
• Broccoli florets
• Black beans, canned – rinsed
• Walnuts, small handful
• 1 – 2 tbsp natural guacamole

The guacamole also works as a ‘dressing’ and flavoring for the salad.  This whole process should not take more than 2 minutes so we’re at 7 minutes.

For dinner, sauté some lean grass fed ground beef, add in Thai curry paste (Turmeric and lots of great flavor).  Stir in your favorite frozen mixed vegetable blend and serve over pre-cooked brown rice.  Have 1/4 cup of rice only if you’re watching your weight.  Allow 5 minutes for this and we’re at 12 minutes of cooking for the whole day and we ate every single superfood!  How awesome is that!

Over the last two weeks I’ve witnessed, and been a part of, a group of the first 100 people in our office who have experienced our cryosauna.  We’ve discussed this revolutionary new piece of equipment in our office during past newsletters and explained the profound effect it can have on improving your metabolism, burning calories, heal sore joints and calm down inflammation.  During this short period of time I have seen patients have less pain, improved mood and better athletic performance.  Personally, this past weekend I rode my bike up Mount Lemmon in Tuscon and have found the cryosauna to significantly improve my recovery time.  Bottom line, the therapeutic effects are impressive.

Let’s start with a small example.  I’m willing to bet you can’t look at this picture of my new 11-week-old daughter, Julia, and not smile.  Universally people are happier at the sight of babies, but the effect isn’t one way.  You might have noticed that babies smile quite a bit themselves.  In fact there have been multiple 3-D ultrasound studies that show smiling babies while still in the womb.  Their smiling, however, continues almost involuntarily during the first few months of life while they are sleeping.  Even more profound is the study of blind babies who smile upon hearing their mother’s voice.  It seems like a simple act, but smiling has powerful effects that can be appreciated even at the very start of life.

It’s smiling’s long-term effects that are even more surprising. Two studies found smiling to improve overall success in life and even lifespan.  The first study, done at the University of California Berkley in the 1950s, was a 30-year longitudinal examination of a group of students’ photos in the school’s yearbook.  By studying the “amount” of smiling in one yearbook picture and after following students for 30 years, researchers were able to predict with amazing accuracy how fulfilling and long-lasting their marriage would be and how inspiring they would be towards others–a strong leadership trait. The other study, done in 2010, looked at pre-1950 baseball cards and found that those with the widest smile “span” also had the longest lifespan (72 years vs. 80 years).

The trouble, unfortunately, is that only about 1/3 of people smile more than 20 times a day, meaning the vast majority of people smile much less, except for one group of people.  Younger people, that is.  Children can smile up to 400 times a day!  This exaggerated amount of smiling, you might not be surprised to know, reduces stress-inducing hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, can increase endorphins and reduce blood pressure. In fact, a 2008 British study showed that one smile can generate the same amount of brain stimulation as eating 2,000 bars of chocolate.

Saying smiling is good for you is a little like saying exercise, good food and clean water will improve your health.  It seems obvious.  But numerous studies suggest that faking a smile actually does more harm than good.  The positive thoughts behind that smile are just as important as the act of smiling itself.

So don’t be surprised the next time you come in the office and see us all smiling–we’ve known for years that smiling is good for you and we love to spread that happiness.  I hope this article helped you think about your happiness but most importantly, I hope it helped you smile.

“I will never understand all the good that a simple smile can accomplish.”  Mother Teresa

As Naturopathic physicians, our medical heritage traces back to the spa/hospitals of Switzerland and Germany of the early 1800′s.  Patients were treated with fresh air, sunlight, simple food and brisk mountain water.  These spas documented cures from many conditions including diabetes, cancer, tuberculosis and influenza.

This medical modal was ‘Vitalistic’ meaning the doctors healed not by fighting disease but by raising the patients’ ‘Vital Force’. It was believed that living things possessed a tangible property separating them from the non-living.  This concept was shared by nearly all
cultures with developed medical systems.  This is exactly what the Chinese called ‘Chi’ and the Yogis called ‘Prana’.

The European spa tradition developed methods of giving the body a gentle, controlled ‘shock’ which caused the body to respond and increase it’s vitality.  Cold water was one of the preferred methods of inducing such a shock.  Imagine being on a long hike in a remote woodland wilderness.  Think about how invigorated you would be after splashing your face with alpine stream water.  No one likes to get chilled but when you are exposed to brief, controlled cold your body triggers numerous healing responses.

First your metabolism increases.  Did you hear about how Michael Phelps ate 10,000 calories per day during his training?  Guess what, he did not swim enough to burn that much.  But spending hours each day in an 80 degree pool caused his body to raise its metabolism to maintain body temperature.

Circulation is strongly stimulated by cold.  What is the first thing we do for acute pain? We put ice on it.  This increases the underlying blood supply while lowering the inflammatory process.  These changes reduce underlying cellulite and reverse the effects of aging.

Our immune systems are also strengthened by cold.  It has been shown that brief, controlled exposure can increase the activity of our natural  killer cells by 5 fold. This protects us against colds and flus and lowers our cancer risk.

How can we use cold to our advantage?  We’ll have more info on how to do so in a powerful way soon; in the meantime, here’s an easy way you can try tonight.

Get two pairs of socks: one thin cotton ankle high, and the other heavy full length wool.  When you’re ready for bed, wet the cotton socks in the sink with cool water and ring them out well.  Sit on your bed the put on the wet socks (trust me) then put the wool socks on over the top.

When your skin is exposed to water, your nerves respond by sending more  blood to the area and increasing your metabolism.  Remember wool warms even if it is damp.  The cotton socks are just there to hold some water.  Not only will you not chill, but your feet will feel toasty warm.  Since your circulation is in a closed system, anytime you increase blood flow in one area, you increase it everywhere else.

You’ll sleep much more deeply than normal and wake up feeling refreshed.  Any chronic
pains will be lower and your circulation will get stronger.  You’ll even burn a few hundred more calories without exercising.  This is a great trip if you feel like you’re coming down with a cold or feeling especially run down.

Promise me to try it at least once, I guarantee you’ll see some benefits and be hooked!

Holiday Detox and Rejuvenation Cleanse (2010 Holiday Season Only)

One simple step to a flatter stomach and better health.  Lose weight this holiday season and save your New Year’s resolution for something else!

Dr. Phil Wazny’s interview with HipMomsGoGreen.com on the topic of pediatric health. Follow the link here.

Dr. Phil Wazny was interviewed for an article in this month’s Phoenix Woman magazine. The article focuses on seasonal allergies. Click the link below for a look at the article:

Phoenix Woman with Dr. Wazny

Symptoms
There are two types of food allergies: immediate reactions that can lead to anaphylaxis, and delayed reactions. Food allergies that cause immediate reactions show up as hives, angioedema, swelling of the throat, and SOB. Most people can easily identify these food allergies from the direct cause and effect reaction.

Delayed reactions to food allergies are often harder to identify as they manifest 1-3 days after ingestion. Symptoms may include headaches, sinus congestion, skin rashes, chronic ear infections, fatigue, moodiness, depression, digestive issues such as constipation and gallstones.

Repeated exposure to food allergens stresses the immune system and can aggravate existing conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid disease, and other inflammatory conditions such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Crohn’s Disease. (more…)

When I moved from snowy Denver to sunny Phoenix in February 2002, I was so excited to have more opportunities to do all the outdoor activities I love. I could hike, bike and mountain climb nearly year around with all the plentiful sunshine that Arizona offers its lucky residents. What a great way to get your vitamin D, right? Well, you can imagine my surprise when I read a study claiming that the majority of Arizona residents are deficient in vitamin D!

There has been a lot of media attention on this lately, and I want to help shed light on the truths of this essential vitamin. Now that I am a new dad, I want to be sure that little Anna stays healthy in the intense Arizona sun too. All of the advice I give you is exactly what I’d give to my own family. (more…)