Blog posts about Healthy Aging
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 n …
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 …
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 med …
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 …
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 t …
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 we …
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 veget …
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 co …
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 …
Let’s Talk Hormones: A Diatribe (But a Useful One)
Okay, I’m confessing right up front: I have a few axes to grind. If you bear with me, I promise to share some solid information in a more balanced tone as well! I’m inspired to write by articles like the recent one in American Family Physician, titled …
Brain Pearl #4: Brains Love Estrogen
Brains Love Estrogen (Yes, Even Male Brains) Here’s a fun fact: your brain—regardless of gender—loves estrogen. Brains of all kinds have estrogen receptors, and while there’s some genetic variation, our brains are well-fed by estrogen throughout our li …
The Metabolic Impact of Hormone Health
Why Estrogen (and Its Hormonal Sisters) Matter More Than You Think As women transition through perimenopause and into menopause, there’s more at stake than just hot flashes or irregular periods. The decline of hormones—especially estrogen, progesterone …
Optimizing Women’s Health Through the Menstrual Stages
Health is not just the absence of disease—it’s energy, vitality, focus, resilience, and joy. While biomarkers like cholesterol or glucose provide important insights, our experience of health is deeply personal and evolves throughout life—especially for …
Apollo Brain Pearl #3: Sleep Apnea
Sleep is so important for the health of our brains, it’s hard to know where to start: what function of sleep is the most important? Let’s take a look at the top four: Cleansing the brain of toxins and waste Storing experience as memories you can access …
APOLLO Brain Pearls #2: Understanding Dementia
In January’s article, I skimmed over the five basic steps you can take to prevent and even help treat Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. For March, I’m offering two pearls. Brain Pearl #1 – Expanding on January’s First Pearl If you’re reading t …
Bone Health Thoughts
I have recently re-remembered one of my favorite bone-building tips… one kind of non-obvious bone-building food, a simple exercise, and a comment about lab tests. Bone-Building Foods Building bones starts with protein and—if you tolerate dairy—calcium- …
APOLLO Brain Pearls #1: Alzheimer’s Risk & Genes
As many of you know, I have been working with Dr. Dale Bredesen for several years, both directly and through his information-rich website Apollo Health. I highly recommend it as an adjunct to care in our office or, if you’re not seeing us as a patient, …
HIGH PROTEIN & NUTRIENT DENSE WAYS TO START YOUR DAY
If you follow the suggestions of DrDeborahMD, you know that she often recommends prioritizing a high protein diet. Her general recommendation is to have 1 gram of protein for every kilogram of your body weight daily. Many of our patients use resources …
Breast Cancer Prevention
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and it has been a few years since we have devoted a newsletter to the topic. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death in US women, and by far the most common form of cancer other than skin cancers. …
Wise Sleep Solutions
As I mentioned in Sleep Comes First, wise sleep solutions are the first step to solving any health problem related to inflammation or hormonal imbalance, and the first step is a good assessment. Are you sleeping 8-9 hours nightly, including at least 60 …
COLOSTRUM for newborns and … adults?
Imagine a newborn baby, suddenly exposed to the outside world after a completely protected life growing in their mother’s womb. Not entirely on their own, new babies are strengthened to interact with the world by a special food in early breast milk: Co …
CreatinG Health with CreatinE
Creatine is probably the most overlooked—yet absolutely essential—supplement to include in any plan focused on getting or staying healthy, especially if you are a vegetarian*. Spoiler alert: you should only read on if you want to be smarter, have bette …
Precision Nutrition and Your Multivitamin
When I was first applying my thoughts about nutrition and human physiology to my practice of medicine, it was called “Integrative Medicine”…but I just think it should be called “Medicine!” We did learn physiology in med school, though—must admit—not m …
No Gym, No Problem
Not having access to a conventional gym needn’t be a barrier to experience the benefits of resistance/strength training. In fact, there are many downsides to most facilities and many upsides to training at home, in a park and so on. One only needs a …
Bone Health
We don’t often think about them, but we can’t do anything without them. Our bones pretty much take care of themselves up to the age of “peak bone.” Throughout our lives, our bones are constantly “remodeling” – clearing out the old parts and replacing …
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) & Alzheimer’s Disease
In response to your great suggestions, we’ve decided to address the most frequently mentioned common thread: Hormone Replacement Therapy and Alzheimer’s, Both At and After Menopause. This is a huge topic, we’ll piece apart a few threads, pertinent to s …
Move Your Bones
An exercise list for bone health “Structure determines function” is a cliché most of us have heard since as far back as we can remember. As such, we (the scientific community notwithstanding) often accept this as a truism even as it pertains to the hum …
Blog Categories
Lifestyle Changes, Memory ApoE, Insulin Aging, Protein Fasting, Insulin, pre-diabetic Brain loves ketones, Fine Tuning Brain Health Anti-inflammatory, Brain Food, Brain Recovery Brain Food, Fish Oil, Lifestyle Changes Brain Diet, Brain Food, Brain Recovery
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 …