Category Archives: Healthy Aging

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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Fetal Complications of Obesity

September 27, 2014

Fetal Complications of Obesity – Positive Precautions

Obesity

Obesity complications can be very fetal especially to pregnant women. it is therefore important that as you plan to get pregnant, you need also to plan on your weight.

Not again could we let our mothers die of conditions we can easily manage and point out, obesity prevalence is basically a health condition we are able to bring to order. Lots of our people are dying because of lack of knowledge but this article is purposing to correct that. Take for instance the various complication reported in various health institutions globally, precisely the best segment of them is directly associated to excessive weight and obesity. I am trying to register to you that maternal obesity is associated with an increased risk for perinatal mortality and occurrence of genetic disorders with most typical one being the complications when it comes to the fetus which include Intrauterine death Genetic disorders Macrosomia In the end, large for gestational age (LGA), neonates of obese or diabetic mothers are prone to creating of childhood obesity and metabolic syndrome inside their maturity.

Fetal Complications

The increasing rate of maternal obesity provides a major challenge to obstetric practice. Maternal obesity can result in negative outcomes for both women and fetuses. The maternal risks during pregnancy include gestational diabetes and preeclampsia.

The fetus is at risk for stillbirth and congenital anomalies. Obesity in pregnancy can also affect health later in life for both mother and child. For women, these risks include heart disease and hypertension. Children have a risk of future obesity and heart disease.

Women and their offspring are at increased risk for diabetes. Obstetrician-gynecologists are well positioned to prevent and treat this epidemic. In these entire one would wonder exactly why this must take place when we have experts who can fix the specific situation. If you dint know where to get help then call doctor Akoury a proficient of over twenty years in weight related conditions and she will greatly assist you in overcoming this precarious condition out of your life.

Congenital anomalies

Prenatal screening for congenital anomalies becomes challenging in obese women on account of difficulty of interpreting blood serum indices when using the inability to display the fetal anatomy according to the ultra-sonogram. These difficulties just might be indicators explaining the higher incidence of congenital anomalies in fetuses of obese women. Nevertheless, there are actually data supporting a competent association between maternal obesity and genetic disorders. Specifically, the fetuses of obese mothers have an upper chances of developing abnormalities of one’s neural tube, as for example spinal bifida, cardiovascular abnormalities, along with abnormalities of one’s abdominal wall e.g. omphalocele. These abnormalities are definitely more prevalent in offspring of ladies with iddm and folacin deficiency, disorders that always coexist with obesity.

Macrosomia

The relationship between maternal obesity and fetal Macrosomia has been established by many studies. Maternal weight and insulin resistance before pregnancy affect fetal growth, as will be reflected among the birth weight. Obesity and insulin resistance alter placental function which, in the course of the last weeks of pregnancy, raises the accessibility to glucose, free lipids and amino acids towards the fetus. Thus, maternal hyperglycemia induces fetal hyperglycemia and accordingly, hypertrophy/hyperplasia of a given fetal pancreas and hyperinsulinemia. Insulin possesses a direct effect on cell division which leads to macrosomia. Therefore, women with diabetes are at higher risk of delivering macrosomic babies.

Obese women even with normal glucose tolerance possess a two-fold upper chance of giving birth to macrosomic babies since both conditions are independently correlated to macrosomia. Given that the incidence of obesity is approximately ten-fold that of gestational diabetes, it is often evident that maternal lifestyle exerts a good influence on the incidence of fetal macrosomia. Over again this nets quantitative relationship between maternal BMI and the chance of delivering a macrosomic/LGA neonate. Macrosomia, as well as maternal height and weight, gestational age and wide range of prior deliveries, are considered reliable predictors of this very likelihood of obstetrical events, such as shoulder dystocia and injury of one’s bronchial plexus.

Long-term complications

There is considerable evidence that the complications of maternal obesity extend beyond intrauterine and neonatal life into childhood and adulthood, thus resulting in serious lifelong medical disorders. Maternal obesity is mostly a risk for childhood obesity, no matter birth weight and of smoking while pregnant, along with a risk for the looks of the metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease in adulthood.

You will find a good deal of pathophysiologic mechanisms which could explain the undeniable fact that obese mothers give birth to obese children. Genetic factors are undoubtedly responsible to the certain degree regarding the tendency of both mother and child to be overweight.

Besides that the impact of the environment is going to be taken into account since mother and child typically share exactly the same eating styles. Moreover, sales turnover or ingestion while pregnant consists of a quantitative effect on the fetus, promoting the building of fat tissue.

Childhood and adolescent obesity exerts a long-lasting psychological and physical impact and increases population morbidity and mortality.

The increasing prevalence of maternal obesity before and from pregnancy ends in a vicious circle of obesity in subsequent generations. Thus, obese mothers give birth to obese daughters, who’ve a bigger risk of plagued by obesity and diabetes during their own pregnancies.

Developmental origin of adult disease the abnormal development of the fetus outcomes increased morbidity during childhood, adolescence and adulthood, a phenomenon generally known as “fetal programming” or “developmental origin of adult disease”. The fetal adjustment towards the uterine environment results in permanent changes within the phenotype (i.e. physical structure, physiology and metabolism) that might never be highly functioning in extra-uterine conditions.

Finally the hazards linked to maternal obesity constitute a serious health risk for the mother and fetus, with the level of intensity increasing when you have obesity. A non-balanced diet during pregnancy contributes not only to abnormal fetal development and subsequently increased neonatal morbidity and mortality but in addition to increased morbidity during childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Therefore systematic effort for losing weight is very necessary if we must avoid transferring obesity from one generation to another which you can do by calling doctor Dalal Akoury a dedicated expert in reinstatement of complications associated with weight and obesity. Doctor Akoury founded AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center to help you out from situations like this. And at her office she will together with her team of experts give attention to Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome all in one. Dear reader remind yourself that achieving this goal will result in a sharp decrease in fetal and neonatal morbidity and mortality and can improve the outcome of offspring and of future pregnancies.

Fetal Complications of Obesity – Positive Precautions

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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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Fever Therapy as Used In Cancer Treatment

September 27, 2014

Fever Therapy and Cancer

A brief history of fever therapy

The idea of using fever as a curative method for various diseases dates back to thousands of years ago. Essentially, this method was used to treat a number of different diseases that were chronic at the time, like tuberculosis. The idea behind the method is simple. Fever of the body is seen as a natural means that the body uses to fight invading bacteria, fungi and other disease-causing microorganisms. Therefore, by stimulating fever, the body of an individual can manage to fight a number of diseases by simply slowing down the rate of growth of the microorganisms that are causing the disease. Stimulation of fever in patients was by use of special preparations.

Coley’s toxins as Alternative cancer treatment

Currently, fever therapy in cancer treatment is applied in the form of Coley’s Mixed Bacterial Vaccine. This is a form of treatment that is administered to patients intravenously. When administered to a patient, the vaccine causes a number of reactions that are prove to be beneficial after some time. First, a patient experiences high fever in the form a rise in body temperature, feelings of being nauseated and pain in some parts of the body. The symptoms that a patient experiences after it is administered are similar to those experienced in the classical case of a fever.

The most important observation that one makes when this treatment is used against cancer is that the location of the cancer becomes tender suddenly. This tenderness is an indication of the effect that the fever is having on the cancer cells. Usually, cancer cells are easily killed by heat as compared to healthy body cells. Therefore, the high body temperature that arises from fever is an effective means of killing them. This explains the feeling of tenderness at the place where the tumor is located that one experiences after this treatment is administered.

After the softness in the tumor region, a patient usually observes a drastic reduction in the extent of swelling at the area. Tumors are represented by swellings as a result of the uncontrollable division of cancerous cells. Therefore, the heat from the fever is able to kill the majority of cancer cells within the region, thus leading to a reduction in the size of the swelling.

How Coley’s toxins works as an Alternative cancer treatment

The observations that one makes when using this treatment are a reflection of complex biochemical activities that take place within the body of a patient. These are explained as follows. First, the ability of this treatment to reduce the extent of growth of cancer cells has been attributed to its ability to alter the functioning of the immune system. This happens in several interrelated ways. For example, the treatment has been known to stimulate the production of specific hormones that have been known to boost the way the immune system works in general. Since cancer thrives comfortably in an environment that is characterized by a weak immune system, boosting the overall strength of the immune system is an effective means of combating the rate of growth and development of cancer cells. This is one of the things that use of Coley’s Mixed Bacterial Vaccine achieves in the body of a patient.

Secondly, the efficacy of this treatment against cancer cells is as a result of its role in promoting the activities of lymphoid tissues in the body of a patient. The lymphoid tissues play a key role in stimulating the way the immune system works. Therefore, when the vaccine is administered to a cancer patient as part of alternative cancer treatment therapy, it triggers a fever which in turn stimulates the lymphoid glands to produce specific hormones like Interleukin2 that work to undermine progression of cancer in the body.

Lastly, Coley’s Mixed Bacterial Vaccine has been known to combat the growth and progression of cancer by accelerating the processes by which body cells remove toxic waste products. Since cancer develops in an environment in which there is a buildup in toxins such as lactic acid within the cells, this treatment reduces the possibility of further cancer development by ensuring that the cell environment is free of such toxins.

Side effects of Coley’s toxins as Alternative cancer treatment

Although Coley’s Mixed Bacterial Vaccine has been successfully used as part of a standard regimen for the treatment of different types of cancer, its use is not without side effects. There have been cases of patients experiencing headaches and pain in some parts of the body such as the back and chest. Practice however, has indicated that the side effects do clear with time.

FeverAnother important thing to note about this treatment is that it is possible for it to interact with some other forms of therapies that may be used. Therefore, it is important for the person administering it to understand possible interaction between this therapy and other forms of therapy such as use of drugs.

Coley’s toxins therapy as an alternative treatment for cancer is available at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Centre in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Together with other forms of therapy, it is used as an alternative treatment for cancer in patients. Dr. Dalal Akoury has been in the practice of treating cancer patients using alternative and complementary therapies for years now. Contact her today for highly personalized and effective care.

Fever Therapy and Cancer

 

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