Elana's Pantry -An Indispensible Resource for Grain Free and Paleo Recipes By Jessica Yoches, CNTP, MNTAt At The Healing Center Denver, we focus care on the principles of functional medicine and see patients with autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto’s, as well as leaky gut, food allergies, adrenal fatigue and much more. Each patient ultimately follows a diet specific to their own needs, but most are anti-inflammatory in nature, eliminating gluten, dairy, grains, or other potential allergenic foods. Recipes are crucial during the healing process and after; finding new, easy, and exciting recipes helps facilitate sticking to a healthy and delicious diet and lifestyle. Luckily, we have access to Elana’s Pantry, an online resource of recipes organized by diet type.These diet types include: Candida Diet Gluten-free Egg-free Dairy-free Ketogenic Grain-free Low-carb Nut-free Paleo Specific Carb Vegan Vegetarian Whole30 Multiple Sclerosis Elana Amsterdam is based out of Boulder, CO and has written numerous paleo and gluten-free cookbooks. Her website is: www.elanaspantry.com One yummy recipe she features is gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free, chocolate chip cookies: Primal Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients: 2 cups blanched almond flour (not almond meal) ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt ½ teaspoon baking soda ¼ cup palm shortening 2 tablespoons honey 1 tablespoon vanilla extract ½ cup chocolate chips Instructions Combine almond flour, salt, and baking soda in a food processor Pulse in shortening, honey, and vanilla until dough forms Remove blade from processor and stir in chocolate chunks by hand Scoop dough one level tablespoon at a time onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet Press balls of dough down gently Bake at 350° for 6-8 minutes Cool for 15 minutes (do not handle prior or cookies will break)...
Fat is Our Friend Hi, I’m Dr. Marie Starling At The Healing Center Denver, we help people like you reach their full potential. Being your Denver, CO, Functional Medicine specialist, we specialize in adjunctive care for internal disorders, autoimmune conditions, IBS, thyroid symptoms, diabetes, and other complex health issues. In the world of functional medicine, why does fat matter? Curbs overeating and calms leptin, the hormone that controls hunger Gives structure to our cell membranes Makes our steroid hormones, including testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, and pregnenolone Burns body fat in the absence of carbohydrates Stabilizes blood sugar Forms neurotransmitters vital for cognitive and memory function Decreases inflammation The best way to burn fat is to eat fat, but only in the absence of carbohydrates. When sugar is not available to burn, the body burns fat. Minimizing our dependence on glucose for fuel will optimize our brain function. Spikes in blood sugar increase insulin, leptin, inflammatory cytokines, and cortisol and deplete our neurotransmitters and nutrients. The brain is made up over 50% fat, and prefers ketones, sourced from healthy fats, for its main source of fuel. Ketones are a sustainable, reliable source of energy and prevent the mental, emotional, and physical symptoms associated with low blood sugar. Omega-3 fatty acids help with electrical and cardiovascular function, joint health, immune system, gastrointestinal system, and health of the brain and nervous system. Deficiencies in Omega 3s are often found in people with depression, obesity, bipolar disorder, cardiovascular disease and ADD/ADHD. Omega 3 fatty acids contain DHA, which support neurotransmitters and are vital for brain function. The use of vegetable oils can interfere with the absorption of omega 3s. These harmful oils, such...
Arsenic in Rice Hi, I’m Dr. Marie Starling At The Healing Center Denver, wthehealingcen.wpenginepowered.com/e help people like you reach their full potential. We specialize in functional medicine and in adjunctive care for internal disorders, autoimmune conditions, IBS, thyroid symptoms, diabetes, and other complex health issues. Arsenic in Rice – What you Need to Know By Jessica Yoches, CNTP, MNT and Dr. Starling, DC, DCCN Do you eat rice regularly or eat products containing rice, such as rice pasta or rice crackers? In the world of functional medicine we often substitute less allergenic foods when people get sensitized to foods like wheat. Those with Celiac disease, Lupus, Hashimoto’s thyroid, and other autoimmune conditions avoid gluten because of positive antibody response or just high incidence of cross reactivity between the gluten and gliadin proteins and antibodies to their own tissues. Some people just avoid gluten because it’s a highly inflammatory and allergenic food; whatever the reason, if you are eating rice instead, here are a few things to know: Many processed foods and gluten-free foods use rice flour as a substitute or use brown rice syrup as a sweetener. Of all grains tested, rice continually has the highest levels of arsenic. For those with detoxification issues, this may mean eliminating rice altogether. However, full elimination of rice is not necessary if you eat rice occasionally, stick to small amounts, select the least toxic choices, and soak or rinse your rice. But why is arsenic in rice? Arsenic, both in its organic and inorganic form, is found naturally in the Earth’s crusts. Arsenic-containing pesticides and fertilizers used for modern agriculture have leached into the soil and water supply. Inorganic arsenic is more toxic than the organic chemical form....
Holiday Recipes! Hi, I’m Dr. Marie Starling AT The Healing Center Denver, we help people like you reach their full potential. Being your Denver, CO, Functional Medicine specialists we specialize in adjunctive care for internal disorders, autoimmune conditions, Celiac, thyroid symptoms, diabetes, adrenal fatigue and other complex health issues. Written by Lisa Biederman, CNTP The holidays come with lots of joy, family, friends, and of course, FOOD! We would like to help you enjoy all the festivities that come with the holidays without compromising your health. Even those with food sensitivities or those following a Paleo or an autoimmune protocol will be able to indulge in these healthy and delicious holiday recipes! Below you’ll find some of our favorites… When it comes to making special dishes, I often refer to one of my favorite chefs, Ina Garten. She never disappoints! I modified Ina’s Skillet-Roasted Lemon Chicken to the tastes of my family but the original recipe can be found at: https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/skillet-roasted-lemon-chicken. After you have devoured the chicken, be sure to use the chicken carcass to make a healing bone broth! Ina’s Skillet-Roasted Lemon Chicken 2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped 2 tsp sea salt 1 tsp black pepper 1/3 organic extra-virgin olive oil 1 lemon, halved and sliced ¼ inch thick 1 yellow onion, halved and sliced ¼ inch thick 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1 (4-pound)organic chicken, backbone removed and butterflied ½ cup dry white wine Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Pour the olive oil into a small glass measuring cup, and stir in the rosemary, sea salt, and pepper. Distribute the lemon slices in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet and distribute the onion and garlic on top. Place the...
Chiropractic For Your Nervous System Hi, I’m Dr. Marie Starling At The Healing Center Denver, we help people like you reach their full potential. By being your Denver, CO Functional Medicine specialists we offer adjunctive care for internal disorders, autoimmune conditions, Celiac & Leaky Gut issues, thyroid symptoms, diabetes, and other complex health issues. By: Dr. Caitlin Landerholm, DC Chiropractic and functional medicine complement each other perfectly because they both focus on finding the cause and mechanism of dysfunction in the human body. Consider “what is the cause of your weight gain, migraines, fatigue, pain, asthma, allergies, insomnia, constipation, etc.?” Did you know? Chiropractors are nervous system doctors The Nervous System manages all functions of our body Prolonged stress impacts the function of our nervous system Chiropractic restores nervous system function Some misconceptions about chiropractic: Chiropractic is not: Alternative health care Muscle or bone doctors Massage For back pain For neck pain For symptom relief (although neck and back pain relieve when the cause is addressed) What is Chiropractic and how does it work? Chiropractic is a unique and distinctive healing art that identifies and corrects vertebral subluxations restoring normal form and function. A subluxation is a mechanical dysfunction of a bone that blocks the normal function of the nervous system Subluxations can reduce nerve impulses by 60% Chiropractic works directly with the nervous system by correcting subluxations using a variety of techniques Chiropractic techniques activate specific nuclei and receptors which reactivates the tone of the muscle responsible for moving the bone, and normalizes the proprioceptive firing and sensory input into the brain A chiropractic adjustment can stimulate a sympathetic or parasympathetic response depending on which segment...
What is Functional Medicine? Hi, I’m Dr. Marie Starling At The Healing Center Denver, we help people like you reach their full potential by specializing in Functional Medicine. We specialize in adjunctive care for internal disorders, autoimmune conditions, IBS, thyroid symptoms, diabetes, and other complex health issues. By Dr. Marie Starling DC, DCCN and Jessica Yoches, CNTP, MNT Have you been from doctor to doctor in our day of modern medicine but still have no relief for what is causing you distress? Functional medicine may be what you have been searching for. Functional medicine is the practice of getting to the root of the issue by looking at the mechanisms of what’s not working in your body and then restoring that function. Functional Medicine is grounded in the following principles: Biochemical individuality describes the importance of individual variations in metabolic function that derive from genetic and environmental differences among individuals. Patient-centered medicine emphasizes “patient care” rather than “disease care.” Dynamic balance of internal and external factors. Interconnections of physiological factors – research now shows how the human body functions as an orchestrated network of interconnected systems, rather than individual systems functioning autonomously and without effect on each other. Health as a positive vitality- not merely the absence of disease. Promotion of organ reserve as the means to enhance health span. In functional medicine, there are only three things that can go wrong with your body: There’s something there that shouldn’t be there. (e.g. pathogens like parasites, fungi, viruses, infections (clinical or sub-clinical); and environmental toxicity such as mold and heavy metals.) There’s something not there that should be there. (e.g. deficiencies, gene SNP or a mutation in your...
CYREX ARRAY 5: Testing for Multiple Autoimmune Reactions Hi, I’m Dr. Marie Starling At The Healing Center Denver, we help people like you reach their full potential by being your Denver Functional Medicine specialist. We specialize in adjunctive care for internal disorders, autoimmune conditions, IBS, Celiac, thyroid symptoms, diabetes, and other complex health issues. By Jessica Yoches, CNTP, MNT / Caitlin Landerholm, DC What is autoimmunity? Autoimmunity is defined as an innate (non-specific) or adaptive (specific) immune response directed against a self-antigen. An autoimmunity that results in tissue and organ damage leading to a certain pathologic condition is referred to as an autoimmune disease. Autoimmune reactions are not limited to one area of the body, but can occur at various sites in the body simultaneously. One way to gauge the progress of autoimmune disease is measuring the level of autoantibodies. Autoantibodies are present when the human body reacts against its own tissue antigen. The Array 5 tests these levels of autoantibodies to see where the body attacks itself when an immune reaction occurs. Why is the Array 5 panel important? An estimated 1 in 4 Americans have some type of immune system dysfunction. A set of factors and stressors, unique to each individual, are what cause autoimmune disease. What are predisposing factors for developing Autoimmunity? Gender – Women are more susceptible to developing autoimmunity than men. Genetics – SNPs, or single nucleotide polymorphisms, and family history Environmental – Toxic chemicals, heavy metals, solvents, infections, antigenic food etc. Intestinal Dysbiosis -Intestinal permeability and inflammation increase chances of developing autoimmunity. The gut and immune system maintain oral tolerance. Compromised Oral Tolerance – Oral tolerance helps the body identify friend from foe....
Cyrex Array 4: Testing for Gluten-Associated Cross-Reactive Foods Hi, I’m Dr. Marie Starling As your Denver Functional Medicine specialist, we help people like you reach their full potential. We specialize in adjunctive care for internal disorders, autoimmune conditions, IBS, thyroid symptoms, diabetes, adrenal fatigue and other complex health issues. By Jessica Yoches, CNTP, MNT Even with the elimination of gluten from the diet for over six months, many patients that are gluten sensitive or that have Celiac Disease still experience gluten-like responses from foods they are consuming. If the patient is avoiding gluten, why is this reaction occurring? Many foods have dietary proteins or peptides that look similar to and cross react with gluten or gliadin. There is “antigenic similarity”, or “cross-reaction”, among many grains and other dietary proteins such as casein with gluten. The protein casein in dairy is a common culprit; about 50% of patients with Celiac Disease also have reactions to casein. These cross-reactive proteins are called antigens. The other grains that cross-react with gluten include: rice, corn, soy, millet, oats, rye, spelt, potatoes, yeast, tapioca, instant coffee, buckwheat, sesame, sorghum, teff, eggs, hemp, quinoa, and amaranth. Each patient has a unique set of foods and proteins to which they react. The introduction of new foods on a gluten free diet can cause reactions, or the overconsumption of grains or foods to replace gluten creates new sensitivities. Accidental consumption of gluten also happens from products such as chewing gum or products that contain “spices” or “natural flavors.” Most gluten-free products contain other grains that often cross-react with gluten and continue to cause reactions for the gluten sensitive patient. The Array 4 will detect antibodies to these foods and...
Hi, I’m Dr. Marie Starling At The Healing Center Denver, we help people like you reach their full potential. I specialize in functional medicine for internal disorders, autoimmune conditions, IBS, thyroid symptoms, diabetes, and other complex health issues. By: Lucinda Miller, Mary Beth Gudewicz CNTP, MNT Vitamin D is important in many aspects of our health from healthy bones to protection from cancer, heart disease, and autoimmune diseases. Although it is known as the “Sunshine Vitamin” you are not always getting Vitamin D when the sun is shining. In fact it is estimated that 50% of the population in North America are Vitamin D deficient. Our mechanism for making Vitamin D depends on the availability of UVB rays and as you will read in this article from the Vitamin D Council, anyone above latitudes of 37° north of the equator and below latitudes of 37° south of the equator experience what is known as a “Vitamin D Winter” in which no UVB rays can penetrate the ozone and thus shuts down our ability to make our own Vitamin D. What you need to know: Your body is designed to make its own Vitamin D with exposure to the UVB rays of the sun. Just 10-15 minutes of sun exposure depending on your skin color (chest, arms, legs, torso- think 40% of your body) between 10 AM-2 PM will give you 10,000 IUs of Vitamin D. When your skin is pink to the touch, you’ve made 10,000 IUs of Vitamin D, do not overexpose. Keep in mind sunscreen with as little as SPF 8 can block your Vitamin D production by 100%. Burning leads to skin cancer so be...
DiagnosTechs Lab Testing for the Adrenal Stress Index (ASI) PUBLISHED ON JUNE 23, 2016 Hi, I’m Dr. Marie Starling We are your Denver, CO Functional Medicine specialists who specialize in adjunctive care for internal disorders, autoimmune conditions, IBS, thyroid symptoms, diabetes, and other complex health issues. By: Dr. Caitlin Landerholm, DC Why we run the Adrenal Stress Index (ASI) Adrenal related disorders have become an epidemic as we currently live in a high stress society. The adrenal glands adapt to stress (emotional, chemical, physical) by producing steroid hormones cortisol, aldosterone, progesterone, and DHEA; and catecholamines epinephrine and norepinephrine. Dysfunction of the adrenal glands is not due to a problem with the gland, but rather the pathways in the brain that signal the glands to perform their function. Patients often have symptoms of Adrenal Stress and they take supplements for their adrenals, but they don’t improve. This is because their symptoms are NOT an adrenal gland issue. We run the ASI to rule in OR rule out Adrenal Stress Syndrome. We often know patients have this based on their symptoms, but we need to know what kind in order to treat it appropriately. Signs and symptoms of Cortisol Imbalance Fatigue Headaches with physical or mental stress and/or afternoon headaches Slow starter in the morning Crave sweets, salt, caffeine, nicotine Get shaky or light headed if meals are missed or delayed Irritable before meals Eating relieves or worsens fatigue Difficulty falling asleep (adrenal hyperfunction) or staying asleep (adrenal hypofunction) Weak immune system Allergies About the test The Adrenal Stress Index panel is a collection of 4 saliva samples during the day. A sample is collected in the morning, noon, afternoon, and evening...