Living in a world with conditions as they are, hearing of wars and natural disasters. The question of how this effects our health is forefront in many of your minds. Some of us may feel helpless as to what to do. Perhaps the only control we have is that one of personal responsibility: to ourselves, our loved ones, our co-workers and friends to take care of ourselves especially during this time. The impact of stress is measurable. It is measurable in elevated blood pressures, heart rates, cholesterol, weight; abnormal blood sugars, worsening allergy symptoms and other chronic diseases for example fibromyalgia, arthritis, irritable bowel, insomnia, panic attacks, abnormal menstrual cycles, feelings of depression, decreased libido, increased frequency of colds and flus and many other symptoms. Many patients ask what can they do for themselves and their families. Here are my top 7 recommendations:

1. Schedule regular checkups for each family member with a trusted healthcare professional. Many diseases, for example, hypertension, high cholesterol, heart diseases, diabetes, occur over time. Yearly checkups, pap and breast exams, with appropriate labs, xrays, and other tests are not only diagnostic, but can also be preventative. Yes, high cholesterol does appear in children, twenty and thirty year olds!
2. Under the supervision of a qualified physician, take your medications, and supplements. Every year, more people come to this office with their “bag(s)” of self-prescribed and over-the-counter supplements and medications. There is a lot of confusion about what to take and for what. Self-prescribing can be dangerous. The body changes, it is not static. Conditions do resolve, and heal, or worsen.
3. Sleep. Yes, sleep. Statistics show that most adults do not get enough sleep. And what about your children? Are they too busy with school, school activities, and social engagements to get the 9-10 hours sleep they may need? Consistent quality, and quantity of sleep is vitally important.
4. Relax, and take a breath! These are really two separate things, yet they are related. It is a fact that when we are relaxed we breathe deeper. Also, in order to relax, we can start with deep breathing. Relaxation also includes vacations, massages, hobbies. Make time to enjoy life.
5. Don’t use tobacco.
6. Exercise. Regularly. Do anything that gets your body to MOVE! Start with 30 minutes 3-5 times a week.
7. Food Focus. It is so easy to start with the DON’T list. And truly the power is in the following: prioritize fresh vegetables, and fruits, nuts and seeds, whole grains, organic free range poultry, eggs, fish and meat. It then becomes easier to avoid processed foods, hydrogenated fats, minimize alcohol, and caffeine.

“No one can live without experiencing some degree of stress all the time. You may think that only serious disease or intensive physical or mental injury can cause stress. This is false. Crossing a busy intersection, exposure to draft, or even sheer joy are enough to activate the body’s stress mechanisms to some extent. Stress is not even necessarily bad for you; it is the spice of life, for any emotion, any activity causes stress. But OF COURSE YOUR SYSTEM MUST BE PREPARED TO TAKE IT. “The same stress which makes one person sick, can be invigorating experience for another.” From The Stress of Life (Book) Hans Seyle MD

As many of you know, my father passed away in November of 2002. One of my uncles passed just a few weeks ago. They lived very different lives. My dad was diagnosed with colon cancer metastasized to the liver. He was given 1-4 weeks after the initial diagnosis. He lived 7 more months. He had acupuncture treatments, took supplements, and had an excellent quality of life. He chose no intervention, and did not suffer. He died in his own bed surrounded by his family. My uncle had diabetes, and heart disease, was on a lot of medications, and died following a triple heart bypass surgery, from which he never woke up. Money was not an issue, and at the end, his money couldn’t buy my uncle new body parts. His medical care was excellent.

OUR LIFE IS A JOURNEY. And most of us truly believe the journey is a more enjoyable one when we have health. Most often health is listed in the top 5 priorities, and yet most of us do not live a life that reflects this priority. When we are young, we take our health for granted. And as we age we do not put our resources, our time, and money, towards protecting and nurturing our health. And then in the twilight of our lives, we wonder as we are taking handfuls of medication, that keep us alive, where is the joy, the ability to enjoy life to the fullest, the inability to drive a car anymore, to travel to other countries, to sleep, to have sexual intimacy, to eat the foods we love?

There is a lot of talk about our retirement plans, our 401ks. As you save and invest for your retirement, I leave you with these questions: What have you done for your health IRA? Are you investing in your health as well? Are you protecting and nurturing yourself? Are you as healthy as you choose to be?

Call today for a tune-up appointment for yourself. Schedule a check-up, lab review, medication review, acupuncture treatment and/or annual breast and pap exam. We evaluate each patient individually, with respect to each symptom and risk factor and prescribe accordingly. Come in and see us. And we always make room for your referrals of family and friends. We look forward to serving your health care needs.

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Heart disease is the number one killer of women and men in America!

What is heart Disease?
Heart disease is a preventable and often reversible disease for most people. It is a term most often given to a condition known as ATHEROSCLEROSIS, a hardening of the artery walls due to a build up of plaque. This plaque is made up of cholesterol, fatty material, calcium and cellular debris from the inflammation of the blood vessels that supply the heart. This plaque is now measurable with a new device called an EBT (Electron Beam Tomography), that provides x-rays of the blood vessels of the heart.

Heart disease can also refer to congestive heart failure, arrhythmia’s, mitral valve prolapse, and cardiomyopathies. Some of these heart conditions are diagnosed by an electrocardiogram (EKG), usually done during a stress test. Although these diseases differ from each other physiologically, the treatment goals from a natural medicine prospective may be very similar as they support heart function.

What are the first signs of Heart disease?
You may FEEL perfectly fine and have no perceived symptoms, and yet have an elevated risk of heart disease that can be discovered by your doctor through blood tests, EBT, stress tests, etc. That’s why it’s important to have regular checkups (annually when over age 50.)

There are also factors that raise the risk of heart disease and are easy to identify, including overweight, smoking, poor nutrition, family history of heart disease and diabetes.

Preventative Medicine Clinic can help you identify and manage both the easy signs and the hard. Some signs include elevated blood pressure, shortness of breath upon exertion, elevated fasting cholesterol, elevated fasting blood sugar and/or increase in weight. Because some of these signs may be very subtle and change slowly over time, it is very important to have regular checkups.

What is a normal Blood pressure?
For adults: normal is 120/80 (systolic over diastolic.) The health of the arteries in the body and especially in the heart are extremely important in maintaining normal blood pressure. When arteries become hardened due to the build up of plaque, blood pressures increase. Lifestyle and dietary factors may include coffee and alcohol intake, lack of exercise, stress, smoking, obesity, sodium to potassium ratios, and amounts of meat, fiber, sugar, hydrogenated and saturated fats. Furthermore, nutritional supplements and natural medicines also play a role in the maintenance of normal artery wall structure and function.

Keeping blood pressures in normal ranges will lengthen and improve the quality of your life.

What is a normal fasting cholesterol?
The total cholesterol should be kept under 200. However, as important are the values of the LDL or unhealthy cholesterol, under 130, and HDL or healthy cholesterol, over 45. At a minimum, these values should be tested yearly, and in the case of active heart disease, even more often. When cholesterol levels are high in a case of heart disease, there is an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. In most cases, elevations of cholesterol are due to a lifestyle and dietary factors. In some cases, low thyroid function, and/or genetic factors may also cause elevations in cholesterol.

Recently, a number of cholesterol lowering drugs known as “statins” have been promoted in the media. However, many of them are toxic to the liver. It is important to note that the liver is a vital organ; i.e. one cannot live without the liver. It is therefore extremely important to make informed and educated choices when deciding on a treatment plan for the treatment of lowering cholesterol with drugs.

What does Preventative Medicine Clinic have to offer me if I have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or am over weight?
We have much to offer patients with heart disease, or patients with signs and symptoms that point to an increase risk of getting heart disease. Firstly, we can order the appropriate blood tests to determine cholesterol, blood sugar and other important information about your health status. We can measure and monitor blood pressure. Natural medicine, acupuncture, lifestyle and nutritional counseling, stress management and prescription medication may all play a role in the management of your health care needs. Individualized health care with the focus on natural medicine is our specialty. We also work with specialists in co-treating cases. Call today for a consultation to determine the best direction
for your specific situation.

“Life is not merely living, but living in health.”

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A friend of mine has a car that is 20 years old. It is safe and functions very well, even with almost 300,000 miles on it. Why is it in such great shape compared to other cars of exactly the same year? He took and takes care of it. Also, it has good genetics, so to speak. (It’s a Mercedes). Our bodies are similar. Some of us have good genetics. Some of us not so good. Either way, we all have work to do to take care of our body.

How? Many of us did not invest in our “body and health account” and as we age we began to have ailments. Is it too late, you may wonder, to be preventative? NO, as long as you are alive, even the smallest steps towards health and wellness count. This article is geared to answer the general question of “What can I do to have a healthier body and mind as I continue to age? ”

First, get a complete physical with a blood and urine workup. Many diseases can be avoided IF a person has the current information of the state of health of their body. And then compare, over time, under medical supervision, changes in these findings. Depending on your age and sex, other tests include regular pap and breast exams, thermograms, mammograms, EBT, dexascan, PSA and prostate checks, and colonoscopy.

Go over the results in detail with a physician. Give specific details of previous medical history, both personal and family. Ask questions if you need clarification of specific results. Keep records of your blood pressure, height and weight. Know your blood type, fasting cholesterol, and glucose.

Examine in detail your diet, lifestyles, and daily habits. If you are uncertain about the details of your life keep a monthly log and then examine. This includes sleep, food and drink, elimination, all over the counter supplements, prescription medications, exercise program, and weight changes.
QUIT SMOKING, chewing tobacco and taking recreational drugs. Aging is going to happen, like paying taxes and dying. However, these habits not only hasten the process, they can cause disease and decrease the quality of life along the way.

There are a number of supplements that are protective and may be part of a preventative program. These include antioxidants: vitamin C, selenium, zinc, B vitamins, including folic acid. Others are calcium and magnesium, and essential fatty acids.

We have all heard the expression “ Use it or Lose it”. Yes, if we do not use our muscles, we lose them. Resistance training or weight lifting and maintaining lean body mass is one of the key indicators of a healthy aging body. Exercise is important.

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine thy food”, is another expression we all have heard. And yet so few of us embrace and practice this philosophy. Water, fruits, vegetable, grains, nuts and seeds, quality proteins (free range, non-GMO, hormone free) must be the priority of our diets. There are so many benefits from these types of foods, such as vitamins, phytonutrients, and fiber just to name a few.

Taking care of injuries and symptoms as they arise before they become chronic disorders most often are excellent short as well long term investments into your overall health.

And lastly and certainly not least, the mind-body connection. Filling our lives with love and joy. Doing what we love with passion, loving and being loved in return nurtures our soul, spirit, and our body.

On average, the life expectancy age continues to rise. As we live longer, let us choose to also live healthier. THIS should be part of our legacy, an example to and for each other, and our children.

If you would like a consultation regarding this or any other health matter, please call (541) 383-3424 today to schedule an appointment. We look forward to serving you.

These words describe an inflammatory condition of the “bursae” and tendons of the body. The bursae are padded sacs that produce lubricating fluid and cover the joint areas. Tendons are the connections between muscle and bone and are surrounded by a sheath that protects and guides the tendon.

Lubricating fluid is also present in the tendon sheath. If these tendons and bursae are not properly lubricated, they may tend to become inflamed or hot. This would be somewhat like two moving mechanical parts that do not have sufficient lubrication and become hot and sometimes “freeze up.” In the body, this could be a frozen shoulder or other joints which lose some or all of their full range of motion.

Annually there are more than seven million people suffering from tendonitis/bursitis. Often over- the-counter or prescription drugs are used to reduce the inflammation and decrease the pain temporarily. The use of natural anti-inflammatory medicine, acupuncture, and physiotherapy modalities can be extremely helpful in decreasing the pain, and restoring normal ranges of motion in the joint.

Often these methods are used at the same time to reduce healing time. Prevention may include specific exercises, protein supplementation, glucosamine sulphate, chondroitin sulphate, calcium/magnesium, MSM, and other vitamin and mineral supplements.

If you know someone suffering with either bursitis or tendonitis, please offer them help by suggesting they call for an appointment.

Are you the man who doesn’t like doctors and/or doesn’t get sick often?

For your information: it may be important for you to have specific tests done on a regular basis depending on your age. We can help you with this. Dr. Brust can order specific lab work to monitor your health. Most conditions that affect men, e.g., diabetes, heart disease, prostate problems, high blood pressure, slow weight gain, and high cholesterol develop over time. Be preventative and proactive.

Schedule your annual lab and physical today. Call 383-3424.

Many patients ask me what supplements to take. Not all supplements are the same. Quality and price are not necessarily related. There are costly supplements on the market that are very poor quality.

If you are a person who is going to spend the money to buy the supplements, and take the time to take them, my recommendations are as follows:

Buy those that are prescribed to you by a physician who is an excellent clinician and is trained specifically in treatment with natural medicine. Naturopathic physicians are the only physicians who are educated, nationally and state tested, and state licensed in natural medicine. Supplements are considered natural medicine. The supplements that are prescribed in this office are not available at health food stores or over the internet. It is our general office policy not to sell supplements to people who are not clinic patients.

“Why?,” you may ask. These supplements are biochemically active. This means that they cause physiological changes in the body. This is the whole purpose for taking a supplement. If a supplement is therapeutically prescribed, the desired effect should be manifested. In some cases, however, there may be interactions between the supplements and the prescribed medications. These reactions may in fact be very serious and dangerous to one’s health.

Often I hear new patients on their first visit say, “I stopped taking all my vitamins that I bought at the store. I thought I would feel better taking them but I didn’t so I stopped. I still don’t feel well. What is wrong with me?” Over the counter supplements must be “safe” for the average person. This means that most people will have some or no improvement, and very few people will have negative side effects. There are many companies that take advantage of a consumers’ lack of knowledge about their own body’s specific needs and its individual physiology. A trained physician will diagnose and treat each patient individually and with specific formulations and dosages.

A quality supplement enhances and supports the body’s functioning in say, the immune system, the digestive system, the hormonal system, and/or the neurological system. For example, take two patients of Preventative Medicine Clinic. Their supplement regimes will not be identical. This is because each person is an individual. The doses and types of supplements and length of treatment are chosen and prescribed according to the individuals health issue and needs. And yes, too much of a good thing is dangerous. For example, not all patients need iron. Yet, for most multi-vitamins/mineral supplements over the counter contain this ingredient. There also may in fact be other ingredients in the over the counter products that are not healthy; e.g., carnauba wax. The supplements prescribed in this office are of highest quality. If you are prescribed and take them as prescribed, your health will in fact be positively impacted. My patients often hear me say, “the proof is in the pudding.” There is no ambiguity. That is the power of the proper prescription and use of supplementation. If you would like Dr. Brust to review your supplement program, and/or you would like to refer a friend or family member for this service, please call (541) 383-3424 to schedule an appointment.

VJ Huffman can see, but a year ago she was legally blind.

Since 1973, she has suffered from macular degeneration, then an untreatable disease. And she is not alone. This disease affects 13 million Americans, most often people over 65. By age 75, as much as 30% of the population may be affected. For some it means a loss of visual acuity and the ability to perform tasks such as sewing or writing. For others such as VJ, it means walking with a white cane.

Now new technology is offering hope for many sufferers. Preventative Medicine Clinic is on the forefront of this treatment as an alternate to surgery and evaluating patients who may be appropriate for its application. It’s so important that we’ve devoted a section of our web site to the discussion. See more information here…