Fatigue, Irritability, Fertility issues, and Weight Gain: Could Estrogen Dominance be the Cause?

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By Dr. Karen Bender What is Estrogen Dominance? Estrogen dominance is a condition in which there is too much estrogen in the body.  It results from a combination of factors that lead to an imbalance between its production, breakdown, and elimination. Obesity can contribute to excess production of estrogen because fat cells are an additional source of estrogen production.  Factors … Read More

Cardiovascular Disease: Treating the Root Cause

Karen BenderAll Categories, Cardiovascular, WellnessLeave a Comment

By Dr. Karen Bender What is Cardiovascular Disease? Cardiovascular disease is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery disease (CAD) such as angina (chest pain)and myocardial infarction(commonly known as a heart attack) and stroke. There are many other conditions that fall into the category of CVD but this article will focus on … Read More

Are Toxins Making You Sick? 10 Easy Steps to Detoxify Your Life

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By Dr. Karen Bender Endocrine Disruptors: How environmental toxins contribute to disease It has become increasingly clear that many chemicals found in pesticides, some plastics, lotions, soaps, shampoo, laundry detergents, home cleaning products, ect. have been found to act as toxins and have disruptive effects on the body and its hormone system. More specifically, they interact with the endocrine system.  … Read More

The Vagus Nerve: Learn to Reduce Inflammation and Improve your Stress Response

Karen BenderAll Categories, gastrointestinal, Psych, WellnessLeave a Comment

By Dr. Karen Bender Meet Your Vagus Nerve Have you heard of the “wandering nerve”?  This important nerve is named the vagus nerve because it wanders throughout your body, connecting the brain to the rest of the body.  It’s the longest nerve in the body, and it stretches from the brain to the large intestines. Why You Should Care Since … Read More

Reduce Stress with Your Breath

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By Dr. Karen Bender What if I told you that there is a powerful way to improve your health that is free, always with you, requires no special equipment, and easy to do?  Well, you are in luck. There is such a thing–it is your breath. Breathing is something most of us do without thinking, approximately 23,000 times a day.  … Read More

Caregiver Fatigue Prevention

Karen BenderAll Categories, Psych, WellnessLeave a Comment

By Dr. Karen Bender Are You Experiencing Caregiver Fatigue? It is not uncommon for people who care for others to become fatigued and overwhelmed by their role in caring for another.  It is not hard to see why. The role can be very demanding, and responsibility can seem endless. Parents, teachers, health care professionals, and caregivers to elderly family members … Read More

Compassion for Success

Karen BenderAll Categories, Psych, WellnessLeave a Comment

By Dr. Karen Bender Meet Your Harsh Inner Critic What happens inside your head when you do not reach your goals, or you fall short of the expectations set by yourself or others?  If you are like many people, you are met with a harsh voice that is often brutally unkind and almost impossible to satisfy rather than an encouraging … Read More

Forest Medicine & The Science Behind Shinrin-Yoku

Jen StaggAll Categories, WellnessLeave a Comment

Source: Unsplash, Kevin Young

By Aylah Clark, ND Less than 0.01% of our species existence has been in our modern, urbanized surroundings. (1) Throughout the 99.99% of our species’ time before this urbanization, we had many more interactions with nature and subsequent adaptations of our immune system, genetic expression, microbiota ecosystem, and stress response. Our bodies respond to airborne plant compounds and work in symbiosis with microorganisms. Our … Read More

The Role of Inflammation in Body Weight: An Intro to the Biology of Fat

Jen StaggAll Categories, Diet & Weight Loss, ImmuneLeave a Comment

Inflammation and Body Fat

By Aylah Clark, ND Inflammation comes up a lot in my practice. It promotes many chronic diseases and correlates with worsening signs and symptoms whether it be autoimmune disease, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, or others. Inflammation is also intrinsically tied to obesity and this connection is well-established.  How are inflammation and body weight related and what can we do about it? What is inflammation? … Read More