Category Archives: Bio-identical Hormones

Integrative Medicine

September 28, 2014

Difference between integrative medicine and functional medicine

Integrative medicine and functional medicine are two completely different approaches to medicine. Each one of them has specific characteristics and is built on its own principles that define how it works, what it seeks to achieve and how this is actually done. Therefore, by evaluating the special characteristics of each one of them, we shall have provided a clear understanding of how different the two are from each other.

Functional medicine

Basically, functional medicine can be seen as an approach to medicine which is focused on identifying the underlying causes of chronic diseases and working to prevent them from occurring in the body of patients. What this means is that unlike other approaches that are concerned with the signs and symptoms of a disease, functional medicine is concerned with tackling the root causes of a diseases and if, possible, preventing the causes from existing within the body of a patient. To this end, functional medicine seeks to ensure that the body is restored to and maintained at an optimum physiological functional level.

How functional medicine works

There are several important things that define how functional medicine works. First of all, the practice is based on the idea that understanding a patient is far much important than understanding only the disease. To this end, functional medicine is concerned with the needs of the patient in terms of overall vitality and how this is affected by the presence of disease.

Second, functional medicine is based on the idea that all of us are completely different from each other. This difference among us is not a mere conjecture but rather a complex creation of genetic and environmental factors that have led to every one of us having a completely different biochemical make up from each other. It is based on this differences that our physiological functioning differ from each other’s.

Third, functional medicine is based on the idea that our bodies operate in a special fashion characterized by complex interconnection among the body systems. All the systems of the body are seen as a maze of interconnected processes which are influenced by the state of each other at any given time. Therefore, a disorder in a particular system or part of the body will definitely affect many other systems and parts.

Fourth, as much as the internal body systems are connected to each other, the body as a whole has the ability to achieve a state of balance and maintain it over a long time. Balance in this case is understood in two aspects: internal balance between all the systems in the body and balance between the internal systems of the body as a single entity and a multitude of factors that form the external environment.

Integrative medicine

At the root of integrative medicine is the need for healing in body, spirit and mind. Since this is the foundation of integrative medicine, the approach can be seen as one that combines conventional therapies with complementary ones as a way of healing an individual in eth body, spirit and mind. This holistic approach to health is a very important characteristic of integrative medicine and differentiates it from functional medicine and other approaches as well.

There are fundamental differences between integrative and functional medicine. Since we have looked at the important principles that define how functional medicine works, we now turn to those of integrative medicine. It is by comparing them that clear differences between the two approaches to medicine become clear.

Important principles of integrative medicine

Just like functional medicine, the practice of integrative medicine is based on particular principles. These are described as follows. The first one regards the range of therapies that are used to treat patients. Basically, integrative medicine is based on the idea that conventional therapies like drugs, surgery and other special procedures used in cases of different diseases work hand in hand with other therapies such as nutrition, physical exercise and even traditional healing methods like acupuncture and specific herbs. The two, conventional and complementary therapies, are seen as being not antagonistic to each other but rather complementary.

The second principle that defines the approach and practice of integrated medicine regards the relationship between the patient and the specialist. The basic idea that defines this relationship is that the two work hand in hand in the process of providing healing to the patient. Although this approach is similar to what is used in functional medicine, its application in integrative medicine is much more emphasized and pronounced than it is in the former case.

The third principle is that healing is not only absence of disease but rather overall wellbeing of the body, sprit and mind. You can note the slight difference between this and what is used in functional medicine. Whereas functional medicine lays much emphasis on healing all the internal systems first before attaining to gain a balance between the body as a whole and the factors in the environment surrounding it, integrative medicine is primarily concerned with ensuring that the body, mind and spirit of a patient are at peace. This is where all the focus is.

The fourth principle that defines how integrative medicine is practiced regards the use of scientific evidence. Since integrative medicine advocates the use of multiple therapies to cure a patient, there is always the need for concrete scientific evidence that the different therapies used are actually effective. Although scientific evidence is required in functional medicine as well, the manner, type and level of emphasis that is attached to it in the practice of integrative medicine is clearly different.

IntegrativeAWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, has been on the forefront in promoting the practice of both forms of medicine: functional and integrative. Dr. Dalal Akoury is a certified practitioner of functional medicine with a lot of years of experience in the practice. She has worked with many patients having chronic illnesses often to satisfying results. You are free to contact us and experience not only our unparalleled expertise but also outstanding service in the form of unique and personalized care.

 

 

 

Difference between integrative medicine and functional medicine

 

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Opioids and Cancer

September 27, 2014

How the use of opioids disturbs the cancer balance

OpioidsWhat are opiods?

There are several important things about opiods that you need to know at this stage. First, it is important to note that strictly speaking, the term ‘opioids’ is used to describe a group of chemical compounds that are defined by two important characteristics: having chemical action that is similar to that of morphine and being made of a distinct chemical structure. For many of the compounds that are categorized under this umbrella, their structures vary. Whereas some have distinct alkaloid structures, others occur in the form of peptides.

The second thing is about the occurrence of opioids. Naturally, opioids are found in two distinctive forms: occurring freely in the environment and within the body of human beings. Although initially the possibility of occurrence of opioids within the body of humans was strongly refuted, rigorous research has indicated that indeed the human brain contains specific endogenous opioids that play important role in different functions.

The third thing regards the interaction of opioids with complementary chemical compounds. Further studies have indicated that there are compounds whose actions contradict that of opioids. Known as antagonists, such compounds play a highly important role in their interaction with opioids in relation to influencing particular processes in the body. We shall examine this subject later.

How are opioids used?

For years, opioids have been used for a range of functions. Basically, the use of opioids has been in the form of morphine, which is a commonly occurring plant. Morphine has been used for medicinal as well as recreational purposes for long. Since the use of the plant for medicinal purposes is what matters with regard to our discussion, we shall focus on it.

At the commercial level, morphine has actually been used to relieve pain in chronically ill patients. Take cancer for example, the disease has been known to produce intense pain in patients. To relieve patients of this, morphine-based painkillers are extensively used. This is one common and formal way in which morphine (a common source of opioids) is used for commercial purposes.

The ability of opioids in general and morphine in particular to act as a strong analgesic has been a subject of research for long. Studies have indicated that the compounds have specific effects on the nervous system which translates to drastic reduction in pain. This explains the popularity of morphine-based painkillers as the standard therapy for cancer patients who have undergone an operation as part of the therapy or simply those in advanced stages of cancer.

Therefore, whether for recreation or medicinal use, opioids, have been extensively used to relieve cancer patients of pain in the course of treatment.

How opioids act

Basically, the action of opioids on the body can best be understood when you understand what opioid receptors are. Your body is made of special compounds which act as receptors for opioids. The receptors are distributed in several parts of your body, with many of them being in the central nervous system. It is this phenomenon that explains why opioids have a very strong effect on the nervous system. Others are distributed in different parts of your body such as the lungs, liver and other internal organs.

There are several types of receptors. It is the interaction between specific opioids and receptors that causes particular feelings in the body. Whereas some receptors are meant to trigger feelings of relief when they come into contact with opioids, others are designed to trigger changes in other physiological processes when opioids are introduced. The interaction between opioids and receptors is an important process when it comes to how opioids may disturb the cancer balance in the body.

How do opioids disturb cancer balance?

Simply put, cancer balance is a situation in which the process of metastasis, angiogenesis and invasion of healthy body cells by cancerous ones is completely inhibited. Research has indicated that use of opioids as painkillers can disturb this balance, thus leading to development of cancer in the body. On the other hand, other studies have indicated that morphine, in particular, may have anti-cancer properties by inhibiting the cancer development process mentioned above.

One way in which opioids used as painkillers can disturb the cancer balance is by altering the normal functioning of the immune system. Since cancer development largely depends on the state of the immune system, any compound that alters the immune system can indirectly influence the possible occurrence, development and spread of cancer. From several studies conducted, it can be concluded that particular opioids are able to alter the normal functioning of the immune system, thus exposing a patient on whom they are used to cancer development.

On the other hand, some studies have indicated that morphine is able to induce natural cell death and, as a result, control the growth of cancer cells in the body. However, this property, which highly depends on a number of different factors such as the concentration of the morphine that is used and the state of the opioid receptors in the body, remains a subject of research. What you need to know is that there has been concrete evidence to the effect that the use of opioids for relief of pain in cancer patients may actually disturb the cancer balance and trigger fresh development of cancer. This happens because of the effect that opioids have on the immune system of the patient in the form of production and inhibition of production of important hormones.

OpioidsConcluding remarks

Here at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, we use the best approaches to administer alternative and complementary treatment of cancer to patients. Dr. Dalal Akoury is a specialist in this field. One thing, though, that sets her apart is her devotion to helping cancer patients successfully fight the devastating effects of the disease. Feel free to visit us in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for a completely personalized administration of alternative and complementary therapies for cancer.

How the use of opioids disturbs the cancer balance

 

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Alternative Cancer Treatments

September 27, 2014

How alternative cancer medicine offers better ways for cancer treatment

In general, cancer treatment and care takes place in four different approaches. These are outlined as follows.

Cancer Preventive measures

AlternativeThe first approach to cancer management involves primary prevention. In this approach, the main objective is to prevent people from exposure to particular factors that have been found to be the causative agents of cancer. In general, many different types of cancers have been found to be triggered by continuous exposure to particular carcinogens. It then follows that by limiting the intensity of exposure to such factors, individuals will play a key role in preventing the development of cancer. Also, adopting lifestyles that limits the level of exposure to particular factors thought to contribute to cancer development has been touted as a worthy preventive measure against different forms of cancer.

Cancer Detection measures

At the root of effective cancer management is early detection. The primary concern for early detection is that some cancers can be effectively tackled if they are detected at an early stage. Whereas there may be few curative options for tackling highly advanced cancers, several curative measures remain options for cancers that are still in their early stage. By use of effective screening programs, early detection of cancer among populations is carried out as an important part of overall cancer treatment and management programs. After detection programs are used to identify cancer that is still at an early stage of development, effective intervention measures are instituted.

Cancer Diagnosis and treatment

Once a patient has been diagnosed with a particular type of cancer, special treatment therapies are used. The diagnosis is usually carried out in the form of special laboratory procedures and tests to determine the location, actual type and degree of progress of the cancer. Also, in determining what treatment option shall be used on a patient, several factors are taken into consideration. The most important one is the nature of the disease. It is only when the cancer has been fully understood that a particular treatment method can be used.

There are several therapies that are used in cancer treatment. In general terms, conventional therapies include procedures such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery. These may be used either in isolation or in combination with other forms of treatment. The other forms of treatment include alternative therapies which make use of different forms of methods to complement what is done by conventional treatment.

Alternative cancer medicine and cancer treatment

The problem with cancer treatment arises from the fact that many cancer patients are diagnosed when it is already too late to effectively deal with the disease. This makes it difficult for many of the therapies to be used with positive outcomes. The good news, however, is that alternative cancer medicine has been used to successfully offer better ways of approaching the approaches used in cancer management: prevention, diagnosis, treatment and general care. These are discussed in the sections that follow.

Alternative cancer medicine in cancer prevention

There are several strategies that are used under alternative cancer medicine to help prevent the onset and development of cancer in patients. For instance different kinds of nutritional supplements are used to help the body of patients develop preventive mechanisms against possible development of cancer. The use of such food supplements is based on strong scientific evidence derived from rigorous studies carried out over a considerable length of time. There are several types of supplements that are used in this approach. For example, nutrients such as calcium and carotenoids have been found to be effective in helping the body prevent the development of cancer. Other natural products such as garlic, green tea and folic acid have been successfully used as natural methods of preventing the development of different types of cancers.

Alternative cancer medicine in cancer treatment

The bulk of the importance of alternative cancer medicine in overall cancer management has been on how the approach can be effectively used to enhance the effects of conventional therapies. The growth of alternative cancer medicine has been in this area and has been used to foster the overall effects of conventional treatment methods. It is important to note that it is uncommon to find alternative cancer treatments being used in isolation. What usually happens is that the therapies are used in conjunction with the other conventional therapies such as chemotherapy and surgery. The idea is to have both approaches complementing each other as a way of effectively treating cancer in patients.

One way in which alternative cancer medicine has been effectively used to complement conventional therapies has been in the use of natural supplements as a way of dealing with some of the most unpleasant effects of conventional treatments. Effects such as loss of weight, diarrhea, cell damage and other complications are common effects that patients suffer from when undergoing cancer treatment using conventional therapies. However, research and practice has proven the efficacy of a wide range of natural supplements in treating these effects. Supplements such as vitamins, ginger and other botanicals have been successfully used to counter such unpleasant effects thus boosting the overall outcome of cancer therapies in patients.

Alternative cancer medicine in care of cancer patients

AlternativeAnother area in cancer management in which use of alternative cancer medicine has been instrumental is in general palliative care. In general, after undergoing treatment, cancer patients need a specialized program for rehabilitation or general care. Here is where alternative cancer medicine has been widely used. There are several remedies and methods that have been used to enhance the physical and psychological; comfort of patients in this stage of cancer management. Practices such as yoga, meditation and aromatherapy have been used to provide psychological comfort for patients. On the other hand, acupuncture, message, rehabilitation and hydration have been successfully used to enhance the physical comfort of cancer patients.

Dr. Dalal Akoury of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Centre has been on the forefront of promoting the use of alternative cancer medicine in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and general care of cancer patients. Her training, experience and devotion have been notable by a wide clientele she has attended to. Regardless of the stage at which the disease is, we are ready to provide safe and effective natural methods to provide effective treatment and complete wellbeing to you.

How alternative cancer medicine offers better ways for cancer treatment

 

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Integrative Medicine and Biomedicine

September 25, 2014

The Difference between Integrative Medicine  and Biomedicine

IntegrativeThere are several differences between integrative medicine and biomedicine. These are discussed in the sections that follow.

Difference in overall purpose

Integrative medicine is an approach to medicine that is focused on combining alternative therapies with the conventional ones as a way of providing complete treatment to patients. Complete treatment in this case represents overall wellbeing in the body, mind and spirit of a patient. On the other hand, biomedicine is a distinct approach in medicine in which overall health of an individual is seen as a state in which the functioning of all the internal systems of the body is at an optimum level. It can be seen that whereas the focus of integrated medicine is on ensuring that a patient is healthy in body, spirit and mind, the focus of biomedicine is to ensure that all the internal systems are working properly. It is only when the internal systems are at their optimum level that an individual can be said to be in perfect health.

Difference in the role that the patient plays during treatment

It can be said that in both approaches, the patient takes the central position in the treatment process. Both forms lay much emphasis on the principle that good treatment should be patient – centered in the first place. It is this approach that differentiates these practices from conventional medicine.

However, the manner in which the patient is expected to play a central role in the course of treatment differs distinctively in both approaches. In biomedicine, the patient is taken to be the master. It is the uniqueness and specific demands of the patient that determine the nature, type and timing of the therapies used. This differs significantly from what takes place during the course of treatment under the integrative medicine approach. Since integrative medicine entails use of conventional and alternative therapies in the course of treatment, the role that the patient plays during this process is likely to vary depending on whether he or she is undergoing conventional therapies or getting complementary ones.

This is so because whereas the role of the patient in course of complementary therapies like nutritional supplements and exercises may remain central, this may not necessarily be the case in the course of undergoing conventional therapies such as chemotherapy in the case of cancer.

Differences in what constitutes the key aspects of a human being

The two approaches, biomedicine and integrative medicine, differ from each other in the way they view what the elements that constitute a whole person are. Although this may be a difference in principle, it does have an influence in practice since the approaches that are used and the way that they are administered really depends on the underlying principles of the practice.

In biomedicine, a whole person is seen as being composed of three key systems: neurological, digestive and immunological. It can be seen that clearly, the emphasis is on the biochemical composition of the body of a person. It then follows that disease, under this approach, is a result of a form of imbalance in any of these systems. Such imbalances may be caused by a buildup of toxins or poor intake of nutrients. Since this is the case, the approach works by seeking to restore balance to the biochemical functioning of a patient. This is done by recommending the kind of nutrients that should be taken to restore the balance in the three systems and ensure that removal of poisonous byproducts is efficient.

In integrative medicine, an individual is viewed as being made up of three aspects: the physical, spiritual and mental. Therefore, the health of an individual depends on how well the three aspects are functioning. It can be seen that the focus for integrative medicine is wider than that of biomedicine which is based on the biochemistry of the body and its related internal systems.

Differences in the kinds of therapies used

There are also fundamental differences between biomedicine and integrative medicine with regard to the kind of therapies that are used during treatment. For the case of integrative medicine, it should be noted that the approach combines conventional and complementary therapies. The conventional therapies that are used in the course of treatment under this approach vary with the disease that is being treated. A common point is that they include use of pharmaceutical drugs, special procedures such as surgery and other methods whose development and use has been based on rigorous scientific research, technological development and clinical trials.

In addition to these therapies, integrative medicine entails the use of other therapies which are derived from a number of different sources. For instance, different types of physical exercises may be used in the course of treatment. Also, practices such as acupuncture, body massage and use of special nutritional supplements may be used in the course of treatment.

The goal of combining these apparently different forms of treatment is that by doing this, the methods complement each other, thus enabling a patient to have full health in body, mind and spirit.

IntegrativeAlthough biomedicine may use some of the alternative methods that are used in integrative medicine like naturopathic medicine, the mode of treatment under this approach remains confined to such methods.

Dr. Dalal Akoury of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Centre has been on the forefront in the use of biomedicine and integrative medicine in the treatment of various diseases and conditions, chief among them being cancer. If you have a chronic disease or any condition that requires the attention of a doctor, do not hesitate to contact us for an engagement. We value our clients; that is why we endeavor to offer the most personalized care to them for any kind of condition.

The Difference between Integrative Medicine  and Biomedicine

 

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Smoking and How it Effects your Sexual Health

September 23, 2014

Smoking and Sexual Health – Sexual Arousal Adversely Affected by Smoking

Sexual health

Smoking and Sexual Health are not a good combination because nicotine affects sexual life negatively.

In one of the previous articles, I mentioned that sex is one of the most human valued assets which needs to be protected by all means and I want to repeat the same here even as we get into this discussion. For a couple of weeks now we have been discussing primarily about sexual health and all that causes hindrances to sexual satisfaction. We have also pointed out that all the problems affecting both men and women sexual health has solutions when addressed in good time by the experts and in this Doctor Dalal Akoury has been very much outstanding in administering real life treatments using the new technological methods or Priapus Shot for men and the O Shot for women. However in this article we want to further the discussion but this time looking at how tobacco smoking may be contributing in the derailment of absolute sexual health.

If you have been following the link by own you must have known that sexual health requires good blood circulation in the body for proper and sustained erection during the process of sexual intercourse, yet tobacco exerts a negative effect on blood circulation by constricting blood vessels. Several studies have been done on this and most of their findings have established that smoking has a negative impact on the arousal phase, erection and lubrication. It is primarily for this reason that tobacco is harmful for sexual health in the medium term. However, we now know that numerous substances contained within smoke may also exert a more immediate effect, leading to a significant reduction in erectile capacity after just a puff of one cigarette. Besides effects on the sexual health, cigarette smoking can also negatively affect fertility, promote certain sexual diseases and lead to an early menopause.

Effects of Smoking on Sexual Health  

The connection between long-term smoking and arousal disorders (erectile dysfunction or lubrication problems) is well known and has been demonstrated. Although it is true that sexual health problems may be caused by many things, it is important to observe smoking as a risk factor in itself, especially when an arousal problem suddenly develops. Smoking effectively poses certain well-known risk to cardiovascular health and given that circulation problems are the main physical cause of erectile dysfunction, it then becomes very clear that nicotine and tobacco will have a very negative impact on the sexual health of a smoker thanks to their detrimental effects on blood supply.

The correlation between erectile problems and cardiovascular illnesses, as well as the constriction of the penal arteries, underpins the concept of the “sentinel symptom”, given that erectile dysfunction can be an early warning sign of broader cardiovascular illnesses. Erectile dysfunction can therefore appear several years before the first cardiac symptoms. The harmful effect that smoking exerts on the whole network of veins seems to depend on the dosage and on how long the person has smoked.

Physiology of Sexual Health

It is important to appreciate the fact that the penis is not formed of bones and so the blood vessels in the penis are the ones that facilitate or cause an erection as a result to a build-up of blood in the spongy tissues of the reproductive organ. Should anything obstruct the arteries then the blood supply no longer reaches an optimal level and this will definitely cause problems. The constant flow of blood is so crucial that even a reduction of say 25% in blood supply is enough to affect the quality of an erection, whereas the supply in the coronary arteries must generally fall below 50% for physical symptoms of heart disease such as angina to become present.

That is why the specialized literature now recognizes that erectile dysfunction in men of all ages can be a useful warning sign of latent cardiovascular problems. Furthermore, the most commonly used medication for treating erectile dysfunction (e.g. Viagra®, Cialis®, Levitra®) act by increasing the blood supply, which emphasizes the importance of good circulation as a major contributor to adequate sexual arousal. Circulation problems in women can also lead to an insufficient level of arousal, for example, vaginal dryness.

Smoking Just One Cigarette can affect Erection and Sexual Health

Among the innumerable active ingredients in tobacco, nicotine, carbon monoxide and certain free radicals are responsible for the constriction of blood vessels with a more immediate effect this has been well demonstrated by several studies in the recent past. An occasional cigarette can therefore lead to a significant decrease in erectile performance, for instance an increase of over 20% compared to a non-smoker!

Tobacco is a risk factor for Sexual Health

The high instance of smokers among have a decreased sexual health like erectile dysfunction, significantly higher than in the general population (40% compared to 28%), clearly points to a straightforward correlation between tobacco and erection problems. Epidemiological studies suggest that smokers may be twice as likely to develop erection problems as non-smokers. The risk is obviously higher if we take into account the risks posed by other smoking-related conditions such as diabetes.

Tobacco is harmful for sexual health

As it has been established in many studies, tobacco leads to an impaired arousal phase among men and women. However, the negative effects of tobacco are not limited to arousal and erection problems. Smoking can also affect sexual health like fertility, effectively decreasing it among both male and female smokers and it can also cause problems during pregnancy. The anti-estrogen effect of smoking tends to bring the menopause several years e.g. 10 years upfront.

Finally considering that cigarette smoking is also very addictive, it will be very important that the effects of cigarette smoking are sexual health is not only addressed at that level but also as an addiction problem. We are privilege that doctor Dalal Akoury is a professional in both conditions and had had a very good track record in her treatment undertakings for the past twenty years of practice. For those wishing to stop smoking and regain a functional and fulfilling sex life calling doctor Akoury will be the starting point.

It should also be noted that although sexual health problems do not generally affect life expectancy, they are more common than people think and considerably affect the overall health of an individual. Therefore individuals suffering from such should consider reaching out for doctor Akoury who will up on evaluating their individual situations and condition will be able to subject them to proper medical treatment. Doctor Akoury founded AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center a health institution I will also call the home of solutions to all medical problems relating to sexual dysfunction, obesity and weight related problems, substance abuse and addiction and many others. Call right now and meet the experts for lasting remedies to all your sexual concerns.

Smoking and Sexual Health – Sexual Arousal Adversely Affected by Smoking

 

 

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