holistic doctor Archives - Natural Medicine Clinic

Magnesium for Maximum Relaxation & Health

May 11, 2015 Dr. Tom Rofrano

Did you know that for stress relief and relaxation, taking Magnesium may be one of the best things you can do for yourself? And it can go a long way in improving your energy.

It’s no wonder so many are suffering from some of the symptoms of magnesium deficiency including:

Headaches / Migraines
Fatigue and Weakness
Anxiety and Depression
Lack of Focus and Concentration
Irritability
Insomnia
Numbness and Tingling
Muscle Cramps
Restless Legs
Menstrual Cramps
Nausea and Vomiting
Constipation

Magnesium deficiency is also associated with the following conditions:

ADHD
Asthma
Osteoporosis
Hypertension
Kidney stones
Seizures
Type 2 Diabetes
Metabolic Syndrome
Atherosclerosis
Sudden cardiac death
Fibromyalgia
Tinnitus
Preeclampsia
PMS
Obesity

Magnesium is the second most abundant mineral in the body, is critical for energy metabolism and protein synthesis, and is involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions in the body.

Yet, it has been reported that over 50% of Americans consume too little magnesium. So why are so many of us deficient in this important mineral?

First, most people don’t consume enough high magnesium foods, which include almonds, cashews, avocados, spinach and quinoa.

Second, most multivitamins contain very little magnesium.

Third, stress depletes magnesium. And we lose this mineral with sweating.

Fourth, malabsorption can result from conditions like gluten sensitivity, celiac disease, IBS, and leaky gut.

Fifth, many medications cause magnesium deficiency including birth control pills, PPI drugs like Nexium and Prilosec, certain antibiotics, and diuretics.

And sixth, taking calcium supplements can cause magnesium depletion.

I often see older women coming in as patients, taking 1000 mg calcium for their bones with very little to no magnesium. They usually have aches and pains and many of the above symptoms.

Remember, calcium is important for muscle contraction and magnesium is vital for muscle relaxation. So it is important to not get out of balance by taking too much calcium in relation to magnesium.

How much magnesium do you need? The recommended daily intake for adults is approximately 400 mg, but I have seen where some people need as much as 1000 mg per day or more.

How do you know if you’re low in magnesium? Well besides looking at your symptoms and taking a thorough health history, I often order a lab test called Red Blood Cell Magnesium that can evaluate your magnesium status.

The simplest and most effective solution to replenish your magnesium levels is to take a magnesium supplement.

I have the best form is Magnesium Malate which is highly absorbable, and the malate is especially helpful for fatigue and muscle tension.

If someone has constipation, then I usually recommend Magnesium Citrate as it not only has good absorption, it also has a laxative effect.

I would avoid magnesium oxide. Although it is very cheap, it appears to have an absorption rate of only about 4%.

So remember Magnesium, this important relaxation mineral for helping to improve your energy, health and life.

For any questions, or if you or a family member has any of the above symptoms and would like to have your Magnesium level checked, email us at info@nmcwellness.com or call us at 561-627-5800. We would be happy to help.

Yours for Optimal Health,

Dr. Tom Rofrano

P.S. We have both of the above highly absorbable Magnesium supplements to choose from. Click here to take a look!

Natural Immune & Stress Support for FLU Season

January 17, 2015 Dr. Tom Rofrano

Did you ever wonder why the FLU season peaks right after the holidays?

There are reasons for this and it all comes down to the health of your immune system.

So what could possibly weaken your immune system over the holidays?

Well a simple acronym I came up with for the word FLU can give you some answers:

F stands for Food
L stands for Late nights
U stands for Unlimited stress

F for the immune stress from unhealthy Food. Yes, all of the Holiday food habits that can stress your body and immune system.

It starts with Halloween and all the sugary, chemical-laden treats that many kids (and adults) overindulge in. That’s just the warm-up though for the peak holiday/flu season.

Thanksgiving is all about the food! Most everyone is stuffing themselves beyond capacity, including countless desserts, and maybe drinking too much alcohol. One year, between what my wife Dawn baked and our guests brought, we had 12 different desserts on our table! And that was on top of a huge Thanksgiving meal.

This is followed by Christmas and the winter Holidays- more food, more sweets, and maybe a lot more alcohol; things that your body just isn’t used to. And yes, sorry to say, sugar can absolutely weaken your immune system.

L for the Late nights.
So many things to do, staying out late, kids are out of school staying up way past bedtime. Usually past midnight on Christmas Eve and New Year’s eve (which just happens to be the very peak of the FLU season). Just because you sleep till noon doesn’t make up for going to bed late. Think about how exhausted you feel when you get up a couple of hours later than you usually do. Truth is, lack of sleep can weaken your immune system, making you more likely to get sick when exposed to a virus.

U for Unlimited stress.
On top of your already bursting at the seams schedule, you have presents to buy, more presents to buy, and last-minute presents to buy.

Many are shopping all night on Black Friday. Presents to wrap past midnight, holiday cookies to bake (and eat) and the kids are home from school. Travel, dealing with extended family, ex’s and the in-laws. It’s all crazy!

So to put it all together, getting sick is all about stress depleting your immune system.

Stress from too much sugar, maybe alcohol, and food you’re not used to eating.
Too little sleep or even changing your sleep schedule is a source of tremendous stress and burnout.
And the emotional stress from having so much more to do on top of an already crammed schedule with no time to relax.

Add this all up and it’s a recipe for disaster.

After all this, I bet you just want to take a break, relax and do nothing.
Well as I was writing this it came to me what the FLU stands for if you actually come down with it.

F = Forget everything
L = Lay down
U = Unlimited rest

Finally, this is exactly what you needed after all those weeks of craziness. You get to lay in bed for days, with nothing to do but rest. But the problem is you are miserable- fever, aches and pains, headache, congestion, sore throat, cough, vomiting, diarrhea, and/or fatigue. If you’re lucky, maybe you just catch a cold. In any case, not exactly the “vacation” you were looking for.

There is a better way to prevent this:

F for Healthy Foods. Yes, you can have the sweets and go a little overboard but keep it reasonable and eat plenty of healthy foods as your foundation.

L for Lighten up your schedule and set boundaries. Go to bed at a reasonable hour, ideally by 10 PM, and certainly before 11. Remember, you can accomplish a lot more by getting up early than staying up late.

U for Unwind. Of course, you have a lot more to do but set priorities. Take a day and relax at the beach, make sure you are sticking to your exercise program, go for a walk outside and get some fresh air and sunshine. Maybe you can actually have some quality time and fun with the kids or your significant other. Holidays do not have to mean “Hell-idays”.

For extra help in keeping your immune system healthy, the following supplements have helped many of my patients over the years:

1. Immune Support formula is an herbal remedy that has saved me many times at the first sign of a cold or feeling sick. From my experience, it often prevents anything from taking hold and if you do get sick, I’ve seen many times where it shortens the duration of symptoms dramatically.
2. Vitamin D offers immune support with studies to back its cold and flu prevention powers. I generally recommend 2000 iu/day for kids and 5000 iu/day for adults. Of course, your specific requirements depend on your blood levels, which we can also check if needed.
3. ProbioSupreme 100 is a powerful probiotic. This is for both digestive health and immune support, since over 70% of the immune system is located in your gut.

So remember, stay on the correct path by eating healthy foods, going to bed early and keeping your schedule in check.

Also, use the above supplements for you and your family, and you may be surprised at how healthy you are this flu season.

Yours for Vibrant Health,

Dr. Tom Rofrano

Gluten’s Effect on Your Health & Brain

August 16, 2014 Dr. Tom Rofrano

Is Gluten-Free for Real or just a passing fad? Well for those with gluten sensitivity, it certainly is for real and can cause multiple health problems.

And did you know that about half the people with gluten sensitivity don’t have any gut symptoms?

Often times with gluten sensitivity and celiac disease there are only brain and neurological symptoms / disorders, such as:

anxiety
depression
mood swings
dizziness
brain fog
ADD / ADHD
dementia
Parkinson’s
Multiple Sclerosis
seizures
ataxia
neuropathy

Other gluten sensitivity and celiac symptoms can include:

abdominal pain, gas and bloating
diarrhea and/or constipation
fatigue
PMS
lack of menstruation
infertility and miscarriages
migraines / headaches
joint pain and inflammation
muscle aches
acne
dermatitis, eczema and skin rashes
“chicken skin” on the back of the arms
canker sores
thyroid dysfunction
anemia
failure to thrive and short stature
developmental delays
learning disabilities
asthma
hair loss
autoimmune diseases
and many other conditions…

There are actually two types of gluten sensitivities. One is Celiac Disease, which is an autoimmune condition that results in intestinal damage from gluten.

And second is non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) which can still cause most all the same symptoms and conditions, just not intestinal damage.

Many can go their whole life without being properly diagnosed. One reason is that basic lab tests your doctor would routinely order don’t check for gluten sensitivity.

Even if you can get your doctor to order the typical gluten antibody or celiac test, the results miss more than 50% of the cases.

A few years ago, a college student came to the Natural Medicine Clinic complaining of acid reflux, burning in her stomach, bloating and constipation that all started four years earlier.

She used to have PMS but then had not had her menstrual period for many months. She also had very low energy, and said she was tired all the time.

She had been to many doctors including the Mayo clinic. They could not find anything wrong with her but prescribed her laxatives and acid blocking drugs.

Using a very sensitive diagnostic test, we were able to determine she in fact did have a gluten sensitivity.

After placing her on a gluten free diet, and some nutritional supplements to enhance healing, all her symptoms cleared up within two months and she was feeling great!

The gluten sensitivity test I’ve found most helpful checks for not just the usual 2 -4 components that the major labs offer, but 24 antibodies involved with gluten sensitivity and celiac disease.

So while gluten-free may seem like a passing fad, if you truly have a gluten sensitivity, it can cause a whole host of problems.

And getting to the root cause of your condition is one of the most important things you can do for your health and wellness.

If you need help in finding your health solutions, or would like to find out if gluten is affecting you or a family member, email us at info@nmcwellness.com or call us at 561-627-5800. We would be happy to help.

Yours for Optimal Health,

Dr. Tom Rofrano

Thyroid’s Dramatic Effect on Brain Function and Health

July 12, 2014 Dr. Tom Rofrano

If you want more energy, vibrant health and better brain function, then you need to have a healthy thyroid.

Brain symptoms of low thyroid function include:

depression

anxiety

moodiness

brain fog – difficulty concentrating

poor memory

slow speech

Other hypothyroid symptoms include:

fatigue and exhaustion

difficulty losing weight

hair loss

dry skin and hair

itchy skin, hives and rashes

aches and pains

plantar fascitis

numbness and tingling

low sex drive

infertility and miscarriages

irregular menstrual periods

high cholesterol

chronic infections

constipation

headaches

insomnia, and the list goes on…

Millions of Americans with hypothyroidism go undiagnosed. Standard blood tests which include TSH and maybe T4 on your routine labs are simply not enough.

For instance, I had a young woman come in to the Natural Medicine Clinic complaining of back pain, plantar fasciitis (heel pain), fatigue, depression, anxiety, poor memory and concentration, digestive problems, dry skin, frequent infections, hair loss, obesity and being unable to lose any weight despite dieting. She said blood tests from her doctor were always normal.

After a thorough history and examination, I ordered comprehensive blood testing which included TSH, Free T3, Free T4, Reverse T3, Thyroglobulin Antibodies and TPO Antibodies.

Her results revealed low thyroid function, and her antibodies were elevated. This indicated an autoimmune condition called Hashimoto’s thyroid disease, which happens to be the most common cause of hypothyroidism.

Besides providing treatment for her back and foot pain, I put her on a comprehensive wellness program with supplements and a personalized diet. The end result was that all of her symptoms cleared up and she lost 50 pounds! And that was without any medication.

Interestingly, her TSH, Free T4 and Free T3 were within the “normal” lab ranges but one of her antibodies was elevated, confirming the diagnosis. This is one reason why so many cases go undetected, as you can have “normal” lab values and still have a thyroid condition.

Often times, prescription thyroid hormones are needed. If so, many individuals do much better on the natural desiccated thyroid prescriptions rather than the synthetic hormones.

The great thing about discovering a low thyroid condition is that you can dramatically improve your energy and clear up many different, long-lasting symptoms by just fixing your thyroid!

If you or a family member would like any help with testing your thyroid or guidance in this area, feel free to email us at info@nmcwellness.com or call us at 561-627-5800. We would be happy to help.

Yours for Optimal Health,

Dr. Tom Rofrano

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