Negative ions are odorless, tasteless, and invisible molecules that we inhale in abundance in certain environments, such as mountains, waterfalls, and beaches. Once they reach our bloodstream, negative ions are believed to produce biochemical reactions that increase levels of the mood chemical serotonin, helping to alleviate depression, relieve stress, and boost our daytime energy.

And these are a few of the reasons we see negative ion products being sold in stores and all over the Internet.

Ions 101
Ions are molecules that have gained or lost an electrical charge. They are created in nature as air molecules break apart due to sunlight, radiation, and moving air and water. You may have experienced the power of negative ions when you walk on the beach or stood underneath a waterfall. While part of the euphoria is being around these wondrous settings, the air circulating in the mountains and the beach is said to contain tens of thousands of negative ions — Much more than the average home or office building.

“The action of the pounding surf creates negative air ions and we also see it immediately after spring thunderstorms when people report lightened moods,” says ion researcher Michael Terman, PhD, of Columbia University in New York.
Columbia University studies of people with winter and chronic depression show that negative ion generators relieve depression as much as antidepressants. “The best part is that there are relatively no side effects, but we still need to figure out appropriate doses and which people it works best on,” he says.

Vitamins of the Air?
Negative ions increase the flow of oxygen to the brain; resulting in higher alertness, decreased drowsiness, and more mental energy,” says Pierce J. Howard, PhD, author of The Owners Manual for the Brain: Everyday Applications from Mind Brain Research and director of research at the Center for Applied Cognitive Sciences in Charlotte, N.C.

“They also may protect against germs in the air, resulting in decreased irritation due to inhaling various particles that make you sneeze, cough, or have a throat irritation.”

And for a whopping one in three of us who are sensitive to their effects, negative ions can make us feel like we are walking on air. You are one of them if you feel instantly refreshed the moment you open a window and breathe in fresh, humid air.

“You may be one of them if you feel sleepy when you are around an air-conditioner, but feel immediately refreshed and invigorated when you step outside or roll down the car window,” Howard says. “Air conditioning depletes the atmosphere of negative ions, but an ion generator re-releases the ions that air conditioners remove.”

Ions On The Move
Now with the emergence of negative ion products such as sports bands, fashionable bracelets, shoe inserts, and more, you can have the effects of negative ions wherever you go – by wearing them.

You can purchase negative ion sports bands and bracelets at either of our offices.

Ginseng, Fish, Berries, or Caffeine?

Listen to the buzz about foods and dietary supplements and you’ll believe they can do everything from sharpen focus and concentration, to enhance memory, attention span, and brain function.

But do they really work? There’s no denying that as we age chronologically, our body ages right along with us. The good news is that you can increase your chances of maintaining a healthy brain — if you add “smart” foods and beverages to your diet.

Caffeine Can Make You More Alert

There’s no magic bullet to boost IQ or make you smarter — but certain substances, like caffeine, can energize and help you focus and concentrate. Found in coffee, chocolate, energy drinks, and some medications, caffeine gives you that unmistakable wake-up buzz — though the effects are short term. And more is often less: Overdo it on caffeine and it can make you jittery and uncomfortable.

Sugar Can Enhance Alertness

Sugar is your brain’s preferred fuel source — not table sugar, but glucose, which your body metabolizes from the sugars and carbohydrates you eat. That’s why a glass of something sweet to drink can offer a short-term boost to memory, thinking processes, and mental ability.

Consume too much, however, and memory can be impaired — along with the rest of you. Go easy on the sugar so it can enhance memory, without packing on the pounds.

Eat Breakfast to Fuel Your Brain

Tempted to skip breakfast? Studies have found that eating breakfast may improve short-term memory and attention. Students who eat breakfast tend to perform significantly better than those who don’t. Foods at the top of researchers’ brain fuel list include high-fiber whole grains, dairy, and fruits. Just don’t overeat; researchers also found high-calorie breakfasts appear to hinder concentration.

Fish Really is Brain Food

A protein source associated with a great brain boost is fish — rich in omega 3 fatty acids, essential for brain function and development. These healthy fats have amazing brain power: higher dietary omega 3 fatty acids are linked to lower dementia and stroke risks; slower mental decline; and may play a vital role in enhancing memory, especially as we get older.

For brain and heart health, eat two servings of fish weekly.

Add a Daily Dose of Nuts and Chocolate

Nuts and seeds are good sources of the antioxidant vitamin E, which is associated with less cognitive decline as you age. Dark chocolate also has other powerful antioxidant properties. And it contains natural stimulants like caffeine, which can enhance focus and concentration.

Enjoy up to an ounce a day of nuts and dark chocolate to provide all the benefits you need without excess calories, fat, or sugar.

Add Avocados and Whole Grains

Every organ in the body depends on blood flow, especially the heart and brain. Eating a diet high in whole grains and fruits like avocados can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and lower bad cholesterol. This reduces your risk of plaque buildup and enhances blood flow, offering a simple, tasty way to fire up brain cells.

Whole grains, like popcorn and whole wheat, also contribute dietary fiber and vitamin E. Though avocados have fat, it’s the good-for-you, monounsaturated fat that contributes to healthy blood flow.

Blueberries Are Super Nutritious

Research in animals shows that blueberries may help protect the brain from the damage caused by free radicals and may reduce the effects of age-related conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. Studies also show that diets rich in blueberries significantly improved both the learning and muscle function of aging rats, making them mentally equivalent to much younger rats.

Benefits of a Healthy Diet

It may sound trite but it’s true: If your diet lacks essential nutrients, it can decrease your ability to concentrate. Eating too much or too little can also interfere with your ability to focus. A heavy meal may make you feel lethargic, while too few calories can result in distracting hunger pangs.

Benefit your brain: Strive for a well-balanced diet full of a wide variety of healthy, wholesome foods.

Vitamins, Minerals, and Supplements?

Store shelves groan with supplements claiming to boost health. Although many of the reports on the brain-boosting power of supplements like vitamins B, C, E, beta-carotene, and magnesium are promising, a supplement is only useful to people whose diets are lacking in that specific nutrient.

Researchers are cautiously optimistic about ginseng, ginkgo, and vitamin, mineral, and herb combinations and their impact on the brain.

Check with your doctor.

Get Ready for a Big Day

Want to power up your ability to concentrate? Start with a meal of 100% fruit juice, a whole grain bagel with salmon, and a cup of coffee. In addition to eating a well-balanced meal, experts also advise:

» Get a good night’s sleep.
» Stay hydrated.
» Exercise to help sharpen thinking.
» Meditate to clear thinking and relax.

» Low sex drive and infertility
» Development of “moobs” or male breasts, sometimes with painful swelling
» Shrunken testicles
» Erectile dysfunction
» Hot flashes
» Osteopenia\osis
» Anemia
» Depression\anger\foggy thinking

By the way, balding is NOT one of the symptoms of a low testosterone level – more often than not, you can chalk that male pesky problem up to genetics though the loss of hair on other parts of the body can be a sign of low testosterone.

Treatment: Injections, pellets, pills, creams, and patches are typical treatment options for those who have been diagnosed with low testosterone, but surprisingly most men who suffer from andropause don’t know they have it or think about seeking medical advice because they attribute their symptoms to the aging process. There are some potential concerns about testosterone replacement surgery, especially for men who have a history of breast or prostate cancer.

Diet and lifestyle tips:

Diet can affect testosterone levels to a certain extent, but most men who meet the criteria of low testosterone will most likely require more reliable medical treatment. Still, these tips could prove helpful:

1. Don’t drink too much! Alcohol helps in the conversion of testosterone to estrogen so it’s best to heed the American Heart Association recommendations of no more than two alcoholic beverages a day — unless you want to sport male breasts.

2. Watch the belly fat. Men with type II diabetes and those diagnosed with metabolic syndrome (a combination of risk factors such as larger waists, elevated blood glucose, high blood pressure, and high triglycerides) are much more likely to have low testosterone levels. It’s a vicious cycle – low testosterone increases belly fat and belly fat drives down testosterone production.

3. Lean on protein: Include adequate quantities of high-quality protein from dairy and lean meat, which can also help increase testosterone. Ranges of 1.0-1.2 grams per kilogram of body weight may be more appropriate.

4. Go “mono y mono”: Include more monounsaturated fat sources like avocado, canola and olive oil, and almonds, which have been shown to boost resting levels of testosterone.

5. Eat Zinc and copper-rich foods. Zinc and copper boost testosterone levels and also help in increasing the quality and quantity of sperm. Foods like oysters, beef, crab, pork, turkey, mushrooms, and chocolate are great sources of zinc and copper.

So guys, if any of those signs of low testosterone pop up in your life, be sure to have a talk with your doctor. In the meantime, include those manly foods I mentioned…yes, that’s right, chocolate is a man’s food, too!

By David Grotto, RD, LDN

It is important to remember that BMD cannot predict the certainty of developing a fracture. It can only predict risk. It is important to note that a bone density scan, or test, should not be confused with a bone scan, which is a nuclear medicine test that is used to detect tumors, cancer, fractures, and infections in the bone.

Premenopausal Osteoporosis
Did you know that eight out of every 10 cases of osteoporosis occur in women? While a woman’s risk of developing osteoporosis increases with age — and menopause is a key risk factor for osteoporosis — premenopausal osteoporosis or bone loss that happens before menopause is not uncommon and can result in painful, debilitating fractures.

The World Health Organization is the source of the commonly accepted definitions for osteoporosis (WHO Technical Report Series #843, Geneva 1994):

Normal: A value for BMD statistically within 1 standard deviation of the young adult peak bone mass. The report shows a T score between +1 and -1, signifying a BMD within the normal range.

Low bone mass (medically termed osteopenia): A value for BMD greater than 1 standard deviation but less than 2.5 standard deviations below that of an average young adult. The report shows a T score between -1 and -2.5, which signifies an increased fracture risk but does not meet the criteria for osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis: A value for BMD 2.5 or greater standard deviations below that of the average peak young adult bone mass. BMD in this range signifies an even higher fracture risk than osteopenia. The report shows a T score of -2.5 or lower.

The National Osteoporosis Foundation estimates that 10 million people in the U.S. have osteoporosis and nearly 34 million more have osteopenia, which puts them at greater risk for osteoporosis.

Call us at (904) 276-5700 to schedule a Bone Density Scan.

The value of the routine annual exam remains a cherished tradition among many doctors and patients. What can you expect from your annual physical exam?

Annual Physical Exam: The Basics
The physical exam is an essential part of any doctor’s visit. Surprisingly, though, there are no absolutes in a routine physical. A good doctor may be thorough or brief, according to his or her personal style and your individual circumstances.
Most people have experienced many aspects of the annual exam:

History. This is your chance to mention any complaints or concerns about your health. Your doctor will also likely quiz you about important behaviors, like smoking, excessive alcohol use, sexual health, diet, and exercise. The doctor will also check on your vaccination status and update your personal and family medical history.

Vital Signs. These are some vital signs checked by your doctor:
• Blood pressure: less than 120 over 80 is a normal blood pressure. Doctors define high blood pressure (hypertension) as 140 over 90 or higher.
• Heart rate: Values between 60 and 100 are considered normal. Many healthy people have heart rates slower than 60, however.
• Respiration rate: Around 16 is normal. Breathing more than 20 times per minute can suggest heart or lung problems.
• Temperature: 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit is the average, but healthy people can have resting temperatures slightly higher or lower.

General Appearance. Your doctor gathers a large amount of information about you and your health just by watching and talking to you. How is your memory and mental quickness? Does your skin appear healthy? Can you easily stand and walk?

Heart Exam. Listening to your heart with a stethoscope, a doctor might detect an irregular heartbeat, a heart murmur, or other clues to heart disease.

Lung Exam. Using a stethoscope, a doctor listens for crackles, wheezes, or decreased breath sounds. These and other sounds are clues to the presence of heart or lung disease.

Head and Neck Exam. Opening up and saying “ah” shows off your throat and tonsils. The quality of your teeth and gums also provides information about your overall health. Ears, nose, sinuses, eyes, lymph nodes, thyroid, and carotid arteries are also examined.

Abdominal Exam. Your doctor can use a range of examination techniques including tapping your abdomen to detect liver size and presence of abdominal fluid, listening for bowel sounds with a stethoscope, and palpating for tenderness.

Neurological Exam. Nerves, muscle strength, reflexes, balance, and mental state are assessed.

Dermatological Exam. Skin and nail findings could indicate a dermatological problem or disease somewhere else in the body.

Extremities Exam. Your doctor will look for physical and sensory changes. Pulses can be checked in your arms and legs. Examining joints can assess for abnormalities.

Male Physical Exam
An annual physical exam for men might also include:
• Testicular exam: A doctor can check each testicle for lumps, tenderness, or changes in size. Most men with testicular cancer notice a growth before seeing a doctor.
• Hernia exam: The famous “turn your head and cough” checks for a weakness in the abdominal wall between the intestines and scrotum.
• Penis exam: A doctor might notice evidence of sexually transmitted infections such as warts or ulcers on the penis.
• Prostate exam: Inserting a finger in the rectum lets a doctor feel the prostate for its size and any suspicious areas.

Female Physical Exam
A woman’s annual exam might include:
• Breast exam. Feeling for abnormal lumps may detect breast cancer or benign breast conditions. The doctor will also check the lymph nodes in the underarm area and look for visual abnormalities of the breasts.
• Pelvic exam: The pelvic exam allows examination of the vulva, vagina, and cervix. Routine checks for sexually transmitted infections are often done. A Pap test can screen for cervical cancer.

Laboratory Tests
There are no standard laboratory tests during an annual physical. However, some doctors will order certain tests routinely:
• Complete blood count
• Chemistry panel
• Urinalysis (UA)

A lipid panel (cholesterol test) is recommended every five years. Abnormal cholesterol levels increase the risk for heart attacks and strokes.

Physicals Should Emphasize Prevention
The annual physical exam is a great opportunity to refocus your attention on prevention and screening:
• At age 50, it’s time to begin regular screening for colorectal cancer. People with immediate family members with colorectal cancer may need to be screened before age 50.
• For most women, age 40 marks the time to begin annual mammogram screening for breast cancer.
• Everyone should have their cholesterol (lipids) checked every five years after age 20, according to the American Heart Association.

Healthy behaviors work far better than medicine at preventing illness, and don’t require a prescription:
• Do 30 minutes of brisk walking or other exercise, most days of the week. Your risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer will fall dramatically.
• Eat a mostly plant-based diet, low in animal fats.
• Above all, don’t smoke.

Excerpt taken from webmd.com

Being “Fat” can and most likely will cause:

1. Cardiovascular Disease
2. Diabetes
3. Affect the Knees, hips, etc.
4. Chronic Lower Back Pain
5. Hormonal Imbalances
6. Hypertension
7. Sleep Apnea
8. Certain Types of Cancer
9. Osteoarthritis
10. Stroke
11. Increased Cholesterol
12. The list is almost endless.

Also, by not getting yourself in to an acceptable weight range, you are cutting 10-15 years off your life span, reports countless studies on obesity. To make matters worse, childhood obesity is running rampant, and literally called an epidemic by many physicians, psychologists etc.

The most common way of estimating your body fatness is utilizing the Body Mass Index method. This is a mathematic calculation using height and weight to determine the BMI, and is NOT the most accurate way of determining how much body fat you have. It will give you an idea though, of how much fat cell you have. The BMI formula is easy. Take your weight in pounds, multiply that figure by 703, and then divide that by the ‘square’ of your height.

For example:
Step 1. Weight = 300 lbs. so 300 x 703 = 210,900
Step 2. Height = 65 Inches so 65 x 65 = 4,225
Step 3. 210,900 divided by 4225 = 49.9 which is the BMI.

This is the most common classification of BMI. See where you are!

The BMI calculation is just an estimate. It cannot differentiate from fat cell to muscle cell. An NFL running- back like Maurice Jones Drew who is less than 6ft. and weighs 240+ lbs would be OBESE according to the BMI, when he actually has about only 7% body fat. He is all muscle……and not obese. (Notice I said % of body fat. More later on this.)

That is the “KEY”; accumulation of fat cell, the location of these fat cell deposits, is what really determines obesity and the development of disease states.

I have really gotten off target here, but explanation of BMI and its inherent inaccuracies, needed to be explained. For those of us who are not “Gym Rats” it may be close, but for the regular exerciser it could be wrong.

Now why are Americans so fat? Simply we eat too much, and too much of the wrong foods. We do not exercise enough. We have computers, TV’s, we mentally stress ourselves at work so we are too tired and sleep too much.

The primary reason though is found in our metabolic rate. This term refers to the rate of calories our body burns during normal activities. The average metabolic rate has declined significantly over the years, and I bet you can guess why?

OUR LOSS OF THE CORRECT HORMONES!

There are many hormones that affect metabolism, the most common ones being the thyroid and the sex hormones, primarily testosterone. The other sex hormones also need to be in balance for optimal results. In addition to hormone loss, the contamination of our environment with so many chemical pollutants causes our metabolism to go awry as well. Add to that the loss of natural vitamins from our food sources such as B-12 and other vitamins also affect our metabolic rate.

Now are you ready for the real “Gotcha?” The food industry adds what are called O.A.’s. What is an O.A.? Are you Ready for this? OBESITY ADDITIVES !!!!!!!

Yes, it is true, and proven in many studies, that much of what we eat has ‘obesity additives’ in the food so we eat more, and therefore BUY more – increasing their profits. Obesity Additives make the signal (a hormone) to be under-produced telling our bodies that we are still hungry! This hormone is designed by our body to tell us to STOP eating, that we have had enough. If we don’t have it we keep eating.

So add all of these factors below and see what you get:

1. Sedentary lifestyle.
2. Overeating in quantity.
3. Loss of fat burning hormones.
4. Environmental pollutants.
5. Obesity Additives.
6. Stress which = increased cortisol hormone which = increased fat storage.
7. No exercise.
8. Eating a diet primarily of sugars and carbohydrates.

ANSWER = BMI OF 50 !

So what are you to do? Most of the diet schemes out there may work to lose some pounds, but most commonly the pounds come back when the diet effort wanes and you go back to eating a Big Mac. The root cause of slowed metabolism must be fixed for permanent weight loss to happen. We can fix that part by regulating your hormones, and giving you the essential vitamins and supplements.

Dr. Bernard and the entire staff at Pointe Medical Services/Live Well MD are committed to helping you lose weight permanently. Getting your body to an appropriate weight is one of the healthiest things you can do to improve your well being, longevity, disease avoidance, and enhance your self image which makes you feel good and happy. Dr. Bernard has developed several methods to HELP you lose weight. Notice the word HELP. If you follow these programs to a ‘T’ they will work.

We can show you the drinking fountain but we cannot make you drink as the saying goes. YOU have to be committed to follow our various programs for weight loss, stick with it and you will lose weight.

Well guys and girls, I have made this blog entry overweight! The BMI must be about 70! There will be more on obesity to come, but for starters, when you go to Longhorn Steakhouse for that steak dinner, order from the Kid’s Menu! Also drink water, not soda, sweet tea, (or forgive me) beer! And never, and I mean never have a bowl of ice cream before you get in bed, it will go straight to your belly and I do not mean your stomach…..

The one aspect that really gets to me is that most insurances do not cover what helps us significantly: Bioidentical Hormone Therapy. Get real folks, the government (Medicare) and most of all the other private insurances do not pay for substances that are exactly like what our body’s make. The Natural Hormones that we use are molecularly identical to what our own body produces, and they want us to purchase all the costs involved in using these natural substances?

Ask most people in the United States; “Who has the best healthcare in the world?”, and the majority would undoubtedly say America. Well that is true in some areas, but the reality is that the World Health Organization (WHO) has consistently ranked the U.S. around the 26th spot globally.

Bioidentical Hormone Replacement has been around for many years. Europe has utilized it for about 40-50 years. There are even some older physicians that have been using it in the U.S., unnoticed for the last 20 years or so. So what am I leading up to here? I am certainly not putting down our Healthcare system. We all know it is indeed very much in need of help. My motive is more along the lines of what you could or can do to try and lower the cost to you by urging insurance companies to cover hormone replacement as much as possible by writing, phoning, email, or whatever means you like asking for coverage of these hormones.

Possible reasons why hormones are not covered by most insurances:

1. Mainstream medicine does not consider andropause a serious enough syndrome to warrant treatment. If they do, they will only cover synthetic replacement as they are FDA approved. While symptomatic menopause has been recognized for some time, again treatment with synthetic meds has been the treatment of choice for many years despite the negative aspects of this type of treatment. The American Menopause Community now recommends using synthetic hormones “in as low a dose as possible for as little time as possible”! Do you want to take a medicine with that kind of warning?

2. It is very difficult or almost impossible to get natural hormones approved by the FDA for 5 primary reasons.

a. They are custom made and coming from natural ingredients, or ‘compounded’ so the exact makeup may differ from one pharmacy to another. These differences are not ‘bad’; it is due to the customization per patient. At Pointe Med, each compound is tested for sterility and concentration by our pharmacy.

b. The hormones are made from natural substances and no synthetic materials are added. Drug companies have no interest in doing research for the FDA approval or producing it as there is no profit for them. Since they cannot market it as a drug, they cannot make a profit.

c. The FDA and drug companies are both facing this exact same scenario in treating andropause/menopause/perimenopause. This is complicated even more so since there has been so much controversy over utilization of synthetic hormones for women (which are covered by insurances as they are FDA approved). The synthetic variety has been found to be harmful and mostly ineffective. The Women’s Health Initiative Study and many other studies have proven that they are cancer causing, along with other untoward effects such as blood clots and cardiac issues, just for starters. The WHO has declared them as definitely carcinogenic, along with birth control pills.

d. Ignorance of the standard medical community not understanding how BHRT works, the safety and benefits it provides your body, and the proven good results time and again. Resistance to change and/or using something natural instead of synthetic.

e. There have been no U.S. backed formal scientific studies (usually funded by the pharmaceutical companies) using the traditional double blind placebo controlled method. Successful studies of this type would gain FDA approval. They have been done in other countries.

SO WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Have you ever heard that old expression “The squeaky wheel gets the grease?” That is what you can do……..be squeaky! Contact your insurance company, your local and/or national politician, congressman, senator, governor or even President Obama too! Tell them your stories. A strong emotional letter relaying the positive side of BHRT in quantity will be noticed. (By the way, one unofficial study/survey suggested that most senators and congressional women use BHRT!) This has to start as a grass roots effort, and it has already begun. BHRT is the fastest growing area of medicine currently. If you all can keep the ball rolling…….who knows, maybe the powers to be will become intelligent and get these valuable natural non-synthetic hormones approved entirely by the FDA. Then and only then, will insurances be required to cover them.

The sobering thought to all of this is, until that day comes, thousands of women will be prescribed an ineffective, cancer causing, synthetic medicine that has been proven to be a carcinogenic, like Premarin or Prempro. The prescribing MD and patient both believe that these medicines are fine. They are not, and many will contract breast cancer due to the composition of these medications, and most men will go untreated as well.

Be angry at our government! Let them know you do not want any of these synthetic medications on the market! They are unsafe, killers, and the government, FDA, and many physicians know this!

You may think the BHRT we supply is expensive. Well, compared to a $10.00 co-pay or even a $30.00 co-pay for brand drugs, our hormones are costly. Dr. Bernard and the Pharmacy have cut the costs of making (compounding) the hormones as much as can be allowed. There are significant costs in machinery, pharmacists, pharmacy staff, obtaining the raw material, etc. but a business can only price down so far. A profit has to be made or we would not be here to supply you with the care and treatment that you receive.

You can have an impact on health care! Compose a short letter and put one in the mail every week to whoever represents you. Just make copies and mail, or keep a draft and email out every other day. Quantity is the answer here. Once approval is granted, and it will be at some point, then YOU will have the $10.00 co-pay for which you are paying much more for as it is now. Take charge of your healthcare and also the health of all of us! Just as the cost may be a hardship for you, many people cannot afford it at all.

As Nike used to say………JUST DO IT! We would much rather keep costs down and enable all to get the remarkable results that Natural Hormone Replacement gives.

Your body makes cortisol to help it store fat reserves should you need energy later, primarily meant to act like that when we were cavemen, but cavemen we are not. It causes weight gain as the fat stores increase.
Our challenge today is STRESS ! Stress under constant pressure initially causes overproduction and increased weight, but after a while the constant stress we feel in everyday life, whatever the source, causes the adrenal glands to shutdown production of cortisol. Your cortisol level dips low, but unfortunately the built up fat stores remain. It is important to know that we have to have cortisol. Without it in your body’s hormonal system, it could cause death.

STRESS really does a number to our bodies, in many ways. In respect to adrenal fatigue the most common signs are:
• Tired for no reason?
• Having trouble getting up in the morning?
• Need coffee, colas, salty or sweet snacks to keep going?
• Feeling run down and stressed?
• Crave salty or sweet snacks?
• Struggling to keep up with life’s daily demands?
• Can’t bounce back from stress or illness?
• Not having fun anymore?
• Decreased sex drive?
• Feel depressed and do not know why?

Sounds a lot like most other things……doesn’t it? How do we tell the difference from all the other “fatigue” related syndromes? It’s all in the hormones and in the ability of the physician, and it can be a ‘part’ of your whole unbalanced hormonal system.

As the name suggests, its paramount symptom is fatigue that is not relieved by sleep but it is not a readily identifiable entity like measles or a broken finger. You may look and act relatively normal with adrenal fatigue and may not have any obvious signs of physical illness, yet you live with a general sense of unwellness, tiredness or “gray” feelings. People suffering from adrenal fatigue often have to use coffee, colas and other stimulants to get going in the morning and to prop themselves up during the day.

This syndrome has been known by many other names throughout the past century, such as non-Addison’s hypoadrenia, sub-clinical hypoadrenia, neurasthenia, adrenal neurasthenia, adrenal apathy and adrenal fatigue. Although it affects millions of people in the U.S. and around the world, conventional medicine does not yet recognize it as a distinct syndrome.

Adrenal fatigue can wreak havoc with your life. In the more serious cases, the activity of the adrenal glands is so diminished that you may have difficulty getting out of bed for more than a few hours per day. With each increment of reduction in adrenal function, every organ and system in your body is more profoundly affected. Changes occur in your carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism, fluid and electrolyte balance, heart and cardiovascular system, and even sex drive. Many other alterations take place at the biochemical and cellular levels in response to and to compensate for the decrease in adrenal hormones that occurs with adrenal fatigue. Your body does its best to make up for under-functioning adrenal glands, but it does so at a price.

How common is adrenal fatigue? Although there are no recent statistics available, Dr. John Tinterra, a medical doctor who specialized in low adrenal function, said in 1969 that he estimated that approximately 16% of the public could be classified as severe, but that if all indications of low cortisol were included, the percentage would be more like 66%. This was before the extreme stress of 21st century living, 9/11, and the severe economic recession we are experiencing.

Treatment is relatively simple. After identifying the culprit, restoration of a cortisol like hormone is taken, and levels monitored. There are also adrenal stimulators, proprietary blends of natural substances that work to stimulate adrenal production. They are often very successful. You can also be proactive and use techniques to de-stress your life, as one of many other methods.

Don’t worry! We always check your cortisol level on an initial screening. Also if we and you do not see the results we expect to, that is increasing your energy level, we would look at this much under-diagnosed culprit again.

I have had some time off out of necessity, with a brief bout of pneumonia! Yes, even we in the anti-aging, anti-oxidant, balance-your-hormones-for-good-health profession do get sick at times. Fact is health workers have one of the highest transient illness rates than any other profession. The studies say it’s because a lot of you folks carry in all these little critters that jump on us health workers and a week after curing your chest cold we get it! It’s a hazard of our profession, and not your fault at all!

But Hey, I feel great now. Do you feel great? I mean do you feel great most of time, say 80% of the time?

O.K., here is the real matter at hand now…….Let’s get right to it.

”Are you happy with your sex life?”

Be honest now, do you really get all the sex you want? Think about it. How was it when you first met your mate (or mates) and how is it now? You are not alone if the amount of your “encounters” has significantly dropped.

Studies have shown that women have a significant drop in their sex drive by about 86% when “the Change“ occurs. Man’s constant change of life also dulls his desire significantly. He just blames it on hard work and being tired. Yeah, headache time.

Intimacy is an extremely important part of a relationship, without it most couples will not stay together. In study after study, financial problems are always cited as the first cause of divorce, followed by sex, whether it be infidelity or most commonly the lack of intercourse due to the lack of energy, motivation, desire, or even ability.

The culprit? The key to unlock this door, and you might have guessed it, is the hormone testosterone. Testosterone, commonly referred to as “T”, is the necessary hormone here. Yes, emotionality is needed too, it is very important. In a long term union you have to have significant love and affection.

With the hormone testosterone though, men start losing it at a young age in today’s polluted world, and women, (yes women have testosterone also), lose the ability to produce naturally just like men (in much smaller amounts) and can also lose it by surgery, i.e. hysterectomy and/or ovarian surgery, etc. Men are not free of the surgical threat either. Men who have had a vasectomy produce the lowest testosterone levels we see in the lab reports.

Again, I need to emphasize that ‘T’ is not what the media has made you believe. Testosterone is an essential hormone for good health, in the correct physician monitored amounts. People do abuse it, and they are the ones that have given the media and many of us a bad public impression of ‘T’. Testosterone not only enhances your libido, but has many other healthful effects our bodies need such as:

1. Increases metabolism to help lose weight.
2. Helps to prevent bone loss, or osteoporosis prevention.
3. Improves mental focus, ability to multitask.
4. Decreases cholesterol levels.
5. Lessens depression by increasing norepinephrine in the brain, much like an anti depressant medication.
6. Maintains and rebuilds muscle loss.
7. Improves your self-image & confidence.
8. Many studies suggest it is cardio protective.
9. Helps to maintain memory.
10. Many studies suggest increased longevity, diabetes prevention, a possible connection to the prevention of prostate cancer, and even a connection to the prevention of mental dementia such as Alzheimer’s.

Well I sort of got off track, but with a reason. Testosterone replenishment is not only given to improve your sex life, or give you the ability and desire, but primarily for many proactive health reasons. The restoration of your libido is an extremely good side effect. REMEMBER, it is a natural hormone we make and are robbed of earlier in life. Due to the extension of our life’s expectancy by continually improving medical treatment, makes it even more critical that we replace ‘T’ to enjoy our “Golden Years” in the bedroom as well!

One last thought. I cannot count the number of couples, married, divorced, who came to us for this particular problem, “SEX”. I am very happy to say that most couples have been reunited happily once all of their natural hormones have been replenished to the appropriate levels, especially testosterone.

“The ‘Love’ hormone in so many ways.”

The human body is an amazing work of art. It is composed of multiple parts, systems, organic and mineral substances, boundless energy, neurological synapses, electrical impulses, cellular metabolism, and on and on. If all of these functions happen in a gloriously systematic order a body will feel good, happy and healthy. If any one piece of this synchronism gets frayed, burnt, attacked or disrupted in any way, the body will pay for it. That you can count on.
You may not feel or recognize what has gone haywire; you may not even really feel a “symptom”. You do recognize that things are not the way they used to be. Most commonly, these sometimes subtle changes are just passed off as part of getting older. “That’s what is supposed to happen,” or “I passed 40 now, I’m supposed to get tired more easily, gain weight, thought and memory not as clear, libido, libido what is that?” or “That’s what life is, growing old.”

Oh Really?
It does not have to be that way.

Dr. Bernard has developed a “Program”, consisting of multiple aspects, all of which are designed, when followed, to promote a quality life and to eliminate as many of the hazards that lead to your body being out of ‘Sync”. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU DO YOUR PART AND FOLLOW THE SUGGESTIONS AND DIRECTIONS WE GIVE YOU TO MAKE IT HAPPEN:

1. Replenish your natural hormones to appropriate levels (and stay on them….every day) This is Number One.

2. As prevention minded medicine, all the routine screening tests should be done to assure there are no major parts that have gotten ‘downgraded’ already.
Mammograms, Colonoscopy, Chest X-Ray, etc. You may be asked to do a Cardiac Stress Test or a test for Sleep Apnea.

3. Weight. Get your weight under control. Most of this effort comes from you in diet control. We do have multiple methods to assist you, from HCG to Protein Shakes, to alternative or prescription diet aids, Diet Plans and metabolism boosters.

4. Quality Sleep. A good quality ‘Deep’ sleep is essential every night. Sleep Apnea is a real ‘sleeping’ giant out there that could be holding you back from total wellness. It may just be adjusting your schedule so you get 6-8 hours of quality sleep each night, or it could be sleep disordered breathing.

5. Exercise. As Nike used to say “JUST DO IT!” Most people don’t like to exercise, many do. You don’t have to overkill here, just walking 2 miles 3 times a week is sufficient. But naturally, the more you do the better.

6. Eating as Organic as your budget will allow. Also stay away from plastics, just don’t use them. Period.

7. Use supplements, Vitamins, Anti Oxidants, etc. They do help, and not in a small way. The processed foods and environmental pollutants we are exposed to every day in ways we do not see, take their toll, slowly but surely pushing the hands of time forward.

This post wasn’t intended to expose the trade secrets of Dr. Bernard’s ‘Program’, because as you can see, it is all things you know, or have heard, or know you should be doing. It is simple common sense. This is merely the basics of the program. There is a tremendous amount of research and coordination that goes on behind the scenes.

However, the original intent of this blog was to encourage everyone to stick with the program. If you do, success is virtually 100%. Watch that diet! Do that exercise! Take the supplements. Do that sleep study!

JUST DO IT!
Maybe I have accomplished that.