Elysion Health and Wellness, Internal and Integrative Medicine

07/10/2024

Sleep and Alzhiemer's disease
A recent article in JAMA, June 2024 found an association between fragmented sleep and greater amyloid deposits in the brain 7.8 years later. Amyloid beta deposits precede symptoms of Alzheimer's by up to 20 years. Alzheimer's disease is one of those illnesses that there is no cure for; it seems to happen gradually but suddenly. Families oftentimes are shocked when their loved ones are in a child-like state with only fragments of memory left but they recall seeing signs of deterioration over many years. Targeting sleep can help to reduce the risk of this terminal illness. So getting that 7-8 hrs of restful sleep might be even more important. Looking into the causes of sleep disturbance whether it might be hormonal balance, blood sugar issues, cortisol issues or just the usual poor sleep hygiene are all important to to manage this and find the right path to healing.

07/09/2024

This is really about eating real food, reducing insulin levels and actually burning fat.

Thank you for your incredible support of our new eBook,"The Only Fat Loss Guide You'll Ever Need"!We've received amazing feedback from many of you, especiall...

07/09/2024

There was no hot yoga today for me but I decided on at at home strength training workout that felt awesome!

Try this 15 minute ALL STANDING arms and abs workout using dumbbells! We're using a set of 10 lbs dumbbells to help increase the intensity and burn. There's ...

07/09/2024

Have you ever heard a about serum-derived bovine immunoglobulin?
I am always searching for scientific data on supplements. The supplement business was worth $182.6 billion in 2023 worldwide. It is an unregulated industry with so many claims of relieving symptoms as well as large paragraphs filled with disclaimers. So when I came across serum-derived bovine immunoglobulin (SBI), I had to pause. There is so much conflicting evidence on probiotics but they are all made differently with a lack of uniformity. Some patients are unable to tolerate probiotics or prebiotics and visible benefits are not often clear. I was quite hesitant of an animal-derived supplement. I have always thought of plants and herbs as the ultimate healing foods. However, there is a lot of science regarding SBI. These immunoglobulins bind to antigens in the gut to prevent inflammation and modulate the human adult gut microbiota. SBI has been shown to be specifically fermented by gut microbes that produce short chain fatty acids which are incredible healing substances. So they almost act as probiotics as well. While there is still ongoing scientific research needed, SBI seems to be a great addition to lifestyle measures to facilitate gut healing.

07/03/2024

What's the big deal about dense breast tissue on mammograms?
Many women have seen the words "dense breast tissue" on mammograms. Oftentimes, there is little insight into what this means and what can be done about it. High breast density on mammogram is associated with protumor inflammation and more active tissue chemistry. The breast cells are just more active and with more activity, there is increased risk for transformation into cancer in patients at both low and high risk for breast cancer. But there are ways to reduce the risk of breast cancer. Know your estradiol level. Lifestyle measures and supplements can be used to help to normalize excess estrogen levels. Detoxification of hormones and reducing inflammation in the breast are both actionable steps that can reduce breast cancer risk.

06/30/2024

Why we should take perimenopause seriously
There is a fixed definition of menopause. It's the exact day, hour, minute, second one year after the last menstrual period of a woman's life. At this time, women no longer ovulate and the ovaries are officially out of business. This might be a liberating time for some women, no chance of pregnancy and no periods! But for most, this menopause date tells a story of years of symptoms related to perimenopause.
Perimenopause is also known as the menopausal transition. Perimenopause might start as early as the mid 30s but most often starts between the ages of 40 to 44 years age. This transition lasts an average of four years but can span a full decade. Perimenopause represents a time of significant fluctuation of female reproductive hormones. Common symptoms include irregular or heavy menstruation, hot flashes, disrupted sleep, mood changes. And although these symptoms are really disruptive, there are underlying changes that impact health significantly. In perimenopause the gut microbiome changes, cardiovascular risk increases, fat distribution changes, systemic inflammation increases and cognitive health is impacted to different degrees. These changes can significantly impact health. Apart from hormone replacement therapy, women can intervene with good nutrition, helpful movement , stress reduction and good sleep. There are supplements that have proven utility to help to regulate and balance hormones.

06/26/2024

https://youtu.be/Cgo2mD4Pc54?feature=shared
If you have 2 hrs , this discussion about the menopause transition, menopause brain and hope for women is absolutely extraordinary.

Dr Lisa Mosconi is the associate professor of neurology and radiology at Weill Cornell Medicine and director of Women’s Brain Initiative and Alzheimer’s Prev...

06/24/2024

Is your sunscreen safe?
The importance of sunscreen cannot be stressed but if you are wearing sunscreen everyday, it is worthwhile ensuring that the product you are using is safe. So what products in sunscreen are considered safe? Look for zinc oxide, avobenzone and mexoryl sx. Use creams, water-resistant products and an SPF between 15-50 depending on your needs. Avoid sprays, powders and ingredients such as oxybenzone, retinal palmitate and added insect repellants. Avoiding toxins and endocrine disruptors in everyday products is an important part of keeping your family safe. Most skin care lines carry products that might be low hazard or high hazard. Take the time to research products you use on a daily basis. Some sunscreens, although safe, might leave a strange color on darker skin. Talk to your skin care expert to find products that are safe and look beautiful on skin of color.
You can evaluate products you use on your skin at this site.
https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/

06/23/2024

We don't know much about hormones.
It always amazes me how little we know about so many things, but women's hormones seem to top the list of unknowns. We always seem to set limits on where hormones exert their effects. But I have heard the words brain fog, poor memory, mood changes too many times in perimenopausal women. These symptoms are often attributed to depression, stress, insomnia, anxiety, but what about estrogen deficiency in the brain? A novel study published in Nature, June 20th 2024 aptly labelled "In vivo brain estrogen receptor density by neuroendocrine aging and relationships with cognition and symptomatology", demonstrated a connection between estrogen receptor density, memory and mood in women. This is an open access article with beautiful images of women's brains using a special tracer which allows easy visualization even for the untrained eye. In summary, increasing estrogen receptor density in the brain in perimenopausal and post menopausal women was negatively correlated with memory and mood. This was a small but perhaps groundbreaking study which suggests that there might be a window for intervention to help to prevent cognitive decline and even dementia in women. Interestingly, the findings were independent of chronological age, estrogen level and SHBG. This means that the optimal estrogen level for women of different ages for brain health might differ significantly and certain women might need earlier intervention with estrogen than others to prevent a decline in memory. Perhaps again, optimizing and balancing hormone levels on an individual basis might be ideal for optimal function of individual patients.

https://rdcu.be/dLD3s
This is the link to the citation which needs to be copied in a separate window.

06/18/2024

What do we know about hormone replacement therapy? The world of hormone replacement therapy has been turned upside down multiple times. There is a fine balance between relieving suffering in women who have difficult menopausal transitions, with known risks, and ensuring that safety is maintained during replacement. Yet another question has been posed in this latest evaluation of a particular aspect of the Women's Health initiative. It was found that estrogen replacement alone in women with prior hysterectomy significantly increased ovarian cancer incidence and mortality in postmenopausal women. Notably, this was at 20 year follow up with a mean exposure of 7.2 years to estrogen alone. HRT with estrogen alone for women post hysterectomy has been the standard of care for such a long time and has been considered the safest option. It must be noted that preparations were extracted from the urine of pregnant mares. We have come a long ways since then with bioidentical hormones (extracted from yams). So perhaps this is much more complex than we once thought. Perhaps, there are additional factors to consider, whether genetic or at a more cellular processing and detoxification level. We have so much more to learn but science takes time. In the meantime, taking the time to find the safest methods of replacement with the lowest possible dose for the duration needed should guide us as for all medications.

https://ma1.mdedge.com/hematology-oncology/article/269557/gynecologic-cancer/ovarian-cancer-risk-doubled-estrogen-only-hrt

06/17/2024

Hiking up a mountain is such a great workout. No matter what type of aerobic activity people do, walking up a mountain is always a friendly reminder of our cardiovascular fitness. As a non-compliant sunscreen user, I really had to be intentional about protecting my face. I have been trying different procedures in an attempt to find out what truly works well for black and brown skin. This is me 7 days into a very conservative Tetra cool peel. After the peeling is complete, I am looking forward to compare before and after pictures. Sometimes limits need to be pushed for better results but a conservative trial never hurts.

06/14/2024

https://youtu.be/_cDr0xaeI0k?feature=shared
👆👆👆👆
THE ROLE OF OUR GENES
We know that our genes are not our destiny. Our lifestyle impacts how our genes are expressed.

This is a really interesting watch. Dr. Yael Joffe discusses the genetics of weight loss for those who want to learn a little more.

06/13/2024

We talk so often about what we eat but often forget about HOW we eat. Eating is a ritual. It is a celebration of having food, sharing food and nourishing our bodies.
So how should we eat?
*we should eat in a mindful and relaxed manner
*enjoy the company of our friends and family
*Sit down
*try to practice screen-less eating
*chew food well
Paying attention to how we eat aids in our digestion, our ability to feel satiated when appropriate and preventing bloating and reflux.

06/12/2024

Potential harms of vitamin D supplementation
With approximately 42% of the US having Vitamin D deficiency, it almost seems like a no brainer that the majority of us need supplementation. But what are the risks of vitamin D supplementation? The estimated daily Vitamin D requirement is approximately 600-800 units for adults. In patients who are deficient, the need for supplementation might be up to 50,000 units per week. However, these high doses are used only in the setting of severe deficiency or lack of improvement on standard supplementation. In other words, levels need to be checked and monitored. Most patients require 5,000 units per day for supplementation. If Vitamin D levels get too high, calcium levels might elevate, causing potentially disastrous complications such as nausea, vomiting, confusion, kidney stones and kidney failure. In summary, vitamin D levels should be checked, supplementation should be appropriately based on level and response to treatment should be monitored.

06/09/2024

Thanks for sharing your journey, very inspiring and insightful! Thanks to cartessa for bringing together such a diverse panel of experts.

06/08/2024

For patients who are prescribed an elimination diet, preparation is very important. This is one nutrition plan in which commitment is key so here is a word on preparation.

06/06/2024

https://youtube.com/shorts/I1PlTex-Dc0?feature=shared
Here is an insight about sugar addiction from the glucose goddess herself.

🔔 Subscribe for more great content: https://www.youtube.com/lewishowes ▶️ Recommended for you: LINK TO VIDEO IN END SCREEN GOES HEREListen to this episode ...

06/04/2024

Surprising, low-priced ways to reduce cardiovascular risk, diabetes risk, stroke risk and cancer risk through healthy living
With new drugs, supplements and expensive therapies at wellness centers promising longevity, isn't it surprising that simple lifestyle changes can lead to a dramatic reduction in the risk for some of our most common and deadly diseases?

Smoking-patients can work with their physician to try to stop smoking once they are ready to make that change. And for those who don't smoke, there is no need to pick up the habit.
Maintaining a healthy weight-patients need to recognize what their healthy weight is and make conscious changes in lifestyle to maintain a healthy weight. If this proves to be an overwhelming task and patients already have significant chronic disease, medication options or surgical options are available.
Exercising 30 min a day-this might be a gradual process of building up for patients who are inactive. Just starting at 10 minutes a day can reduce risk of chronic disease.
Healthy eating-simply ADDING fruits, vegetable and whole grains can dramatically reduce the risk of heart disease. In fact, for each serving of fruit or vegetable added, a 4% risk reduction in heart disease was found in one study.

06/01/2024

This is a brief discussion about the dangers of visceral fat and a simple way to detect risk at home.

05/29/2024

Speaking on beauty from the inside, Dr. Greger offers his scientifically based and very frank insights into collagen supplements, the unknown and natural ways to prevent collagen loss and improve collagen. https://nutritionfacts.org

Which foods can increase collagen deposition and prevent wrinkles? What about all of the vegan “collagen” products on the market?This is the last video in a ...

05/29/2024

Beauty starts from within with good nutrition, sleep, excercise and stress relief. For those of us looking for natural beauty from the outside, welcome Potenza! This device delivers topicals deep into the dermis, imagine the possibilities-radiofrequency, microneedling and other goodies to stimulate collagen. Special packages are available now $1500 for 3 treatments. Topicals do come at an extra cost.

05/29/2024

The face of lupus
Who is the face of lupus? Lupus is mainly a disease of women. In fact, 90% of people living with lupus are women. Most women develop the disease between 15-44 years of age and the symptoms can be severe from rashes, hair loss, memory issues to stokes, heart disease and painful joints. Is this a surprising fact? One in 3 patients with lupus have multiple autoimmune diseases. Not only is lupus 2-3 X more prevalent in minority groups but disease severity is oftentimes worse with a higher risk of death. So what can we do to treat this disease? Conventional medicine offers multiple treatment options ranging from steroids to immunosupressants. While these drugs might be lifesaving, each patient can also take the initiative to attack this disease through nutrition and other lifestyle measures that reduce inflammation. The worst case scenario would be simply preventing other chronic diseases, best case scenario, sending this disease into remission. Nutrition support involves using an anti-inflammatory diet, elimination diet or simply packing in nutrient dense foods. Gut healing might also play a major role as well as detoxification. Movement, good sleep, relaxation techniques, anti-inflammatory supplements such as Omega3s and curcumin all have a role to play. So if you have lupus, you are not alone. You can play a role in healing yourself.

05/21/2024

Weekend warriors
Sometimes the weekdays are terribly hectic with work and family life. But do not despair, you will still reap the benefits on mortality and risk of cardiovascular disease if you exercise on the weekends. Ideally, this should be 150 min of moderate intensity exercise if you are fit enough for this. So 50 minutes per day starting on Friday through to Sunday is still quite an achievement. And the good news is, you can exercise with family or friends to make the experience even more rewarding.

05/19/2024

Although supplements for deficiencies are critical and might offer safe alternatives for certain medical conditions, a FOOD first perspective always makes sense. Starting with food as first line and adding to that will often lead to optimal results. Here is a good recommendation for gut healing for patients who have a hard time tolerating fiber. A whole chopped onion, 1 bunch of chopped leeks and garlic are sautéed, adding your favorite broth and simmering. The green part of the leek is fibrous and usually is not eaten but is loaded with nutrients. Throwing healthy food in a pot with no recipe is one of my favorite hobbies.

05/17/2024

Excellent review by Lisa Rackley, via Google

I recently went to Elysion Health and Wellness for the collagen micro-needling and I am in love with my results. While the topical anesthesia was sitting on my face, Michelle took me to the most Amazing massage chair that I’ve ever been in. Wow!! Dr. Gibson then completed my Micro-needling. She remained sensitive to my comfort level during the entire procedure. She said that the results would get better with time. But, I’m sure that I was glowing and I loved my face immediately. The thing that I love most is that it stimulates MY face to make its own collagen naturally. I feel fortunate that we now have Elysion Health and Wellness in the area and I don’t have to travel to Atlanta anymore. It was clean, comfortable and while they were very professional, we still managed to have lots of laughs :)
Thank you Dr. Gibson and Michelle.

★★★★★ · Medical Center

05/15/2024

Natural ways to lower blood pressure:
Reduced your sodium intake to about 1500 mg per day- be careful with canned food
Ensure good sleep-go to bed before 10:00 pm-shoot for 8 hrs
Keep evening meals light
Exercise for 20 min a day and think out of the box-housecleaning, gardening all count
Ensure Vit D levels are good-at least 40
Consider rubbing your feet with Lavendar oil at night
Get your omega-3s!! Flax seeds/chia seeds/supplements
Try some hibiscus tea
Increase fiber-nuts, favorite veggies/fruits, hummus, lentils, beans, whole grains
Beets/beet juice/dark leafy greens all have a big impact on blood pressure

05/12/2024

Happy Mother’s Day to all wonder women, superwomen, grandmothers, foster moms, aunts, teachers, all women who have impacted the lives of our children.

05/11/2024

Nadi-shodhana pranayama to improve blood pressure
A few years ago, my dad who has been a yogist for decades told me about alternate nose breathing for blood pressure control. I am the only one in my immediate family who developed high blood pressure in my early 40s. Based on my lifestyle, I knew why. We forget often about balance in the autonomic nervous system. Our sympathetic nervous system puts us in a state of high alert, heart rate up, blood pressure up. Our parasympathetic nervous system allows us to calm down. Nadi-shodhana pranayama is a technique to help to lower blood pressure. Few facts: Exhalation for beginners 6 sec to 4 sec inhalation improves parasympathetic response and decreases HR and blood pressure. The breathing can be complex but looking at the simple physiology can allow us to still get benefits-it should not be stressful, defeats the whole purpose.

05/08/2024

This is absolutely eye-opening and a phenomenal watch-each episode is free for 24 hrs-the history of natural medicine.

Episode 1: The Quest For Lost Medicine Airing Here until Wednesday the 7th of September at 9:00 pm ET Please help us share this powerful healing information with your friends and family – they’ll thank you for it! Need Help? Click here for FAQs How do I get email notifications and links to the E...