Optimize Your Health Blog
Rooted in science. Focused on you.
Optimizing brain, metabolic, hormonal, and whole-body health.
I have THAT gene?
It’s good to work with a health care practitioner who really understands genes, they’re complicated! Buckle up, let’s look at a few details. I’d like to talk about two different gene topics, BOTH demonstrating the importance of the golden rule: genes never work alone,...
Precision Medicine & IntellxxDNA
Have you ever wished your body came with an owner’s manual so you could finally understand what is going on? Let’s be honest: much of conventional medicine can feel like educated trial and error. Get some tests — which are likely “normal.” Try this medication. Add...
Connection & Longevity
In my office at Northwest Wellness Center, you will see a series of abstract art framed on my wall. I painted these several years ago, inspired by the joy and beauty of connection and how it is an essential part of our human experience. While I didn’t realize it at...
Precision Medicine Protocol Success in Early Alzheimer’s
January’s news included a preliminary presentation (awaiting peer review prior to publication) of results from a randomized, controlled trial of the protocol from the earlier trial in which I was privileged to be one of the researching clinicians. In the earlier...
What We Wish Every Patient Knew About “Behind-the-Scenes” Care
We often talk with patients about the parts of their care that happen behind the scenes—the work that continues outside your appointment time. This type of work is called “indirect care”—everything your care team does for you that you don’t necessarily see: managing...
Brain Pearl #5: Genes That Protect—or Challenge—Your Brain
If you are one of our cognitive patients, you probably already know this—but there are certain genes that can greatly increase or decrease how easily our brains function in a healthy way (and stay that way!). You’ve hopefully noticed articles on our website about...
Second Thoughts on Progesterone
Taking a step back, I have been an advocate for biological hormone replacement for menopausal women for more than 25 years—back when there were only a few compounding pharmacies and no conventional pharmacy preparations that were safe. There were no conventional...
Let’s Talk About Sex and Matters of the Heart
No, not that kind of sex (though we do love to talk about sexual health here at Northwest Wellness Center). Today, we’re talking about the other kind — biological sex — and how it affects your heart. Get ready, because what you’re about to learn might make your blood...
Wellness Beyond the Brain
Our practice focuses on health of all parts of our bodies, and in my patients, that largely means attending to brains, bones, and hearts. Or as Paul Simon said, “Hearts and Bones.” Because taking proper care of hearts and bones will cover much of brain health! (For...
Beyond Roughage: The Smarter Side of Fiber
Fiber! Yes, it’s “good” to eat fiber (while some people do very well on a no-fiber diet!), but I’d say the value is in what surrounds the fiber: the colors, antioxidants, micronutrients, and good flavors in well-selected, well-prepared fruits and vegetables—more than...
Type 2 Diabetes and the Brain
Did you know that researchers find an utterly clear and repeatedly confirmed connection between eating too much sugar (it’s less than one might think!), keeping too much of it in our blood (happens naturally as we age), and then cluttering up our brain …