​I first want to give you a brief overview on how medications impact important nutrients.
HOW MEDICATIONS AFFECT NUTRIENTS
The following are a few ways that blood pressure medications can affect how our bodies absorb essential nutrients. 

• The medication can attach itself to a nutrient and pass it out of the body
• The medication can alter the pH in the gut so that the nutrient can't be properly absorbed
• Some medications need specific nutrients in order for them to be able to work.

The Following are Blood Pressure Medications, Nutrients Commonly Depleted and the Negative Impact of the Deficient Nutrients
ACE INHIBITORS
Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE Inhibitors) are one of the most commonly used families of blood pressure medicines. Examples include; ramipril, enalapril, lisinopril, quinapril, fosinopril, trandolapril and captopril.
Nutrients that can be depleted by these medicines are zinc, magnesium, potassium and calcium.
Deficiencies in these nutrients can cause hair loss, slow healing of wounds, loss of taste or smell, prostate problems, loss of sex drive, frequent infections, leg cramps, weight gain, bone loss, high blood pressure, higher risk of cancer
CALCIUM CHANNEL BLOCKERS
Another commonly used family of blood pressure medicines. Examples include; amlodipine, nifedipine, felodipine, diltiazem and verapamil.
Nutrients that can be depleted by these medicines are potassium, calcium, vitamin D and possibly Co-Enzyme Q10.
Symptoms that can occur due to deficiencies in these nutrients are fatigue, leg cramps, frequent infections, thirst, muscle weakness, bone loss, confusion, high blood pressure, confusion, heart disease and rapid or irregular heartbeat.
BETA BLOCKERS
Examples of beta blockers include; atenolol, metoprolol, sotalol and bisoprolol.
Beta blockers can deplete the body of Co-Enzyme Q10 and melatonin.
Symptoms that can occur due to deficiencies in these nutrients are insomnia, disrupted sleep, increased risk of cancer, autoimmune disorders, muscle cramps, memory loss.
CENTRALLY ACTING BLOOD PRESSURE MEDICATIONS
Clonidine and methyldopa are examples of this.
These blood pressure medications can deplete Co-Enzyme Q10.
Depletion of Co-Enzyme Q10 can result in fatigue, weakness, muscle and leg cramps, memory loss, frequent infection, liver damage, higher risk of heart attack, higher risk of cancer.
Conclusion
The above blood pressure medications may in fact cause nutrient deficiencies making it more important to consider supplementing with these nutrients to decrease the negative symptom consequences
IMPORTANT
Always discuss this important information on blood pressure nutrient deficiencies with your healthcare provider.
References:
Pharmavite. Common drug classes, drug-nutrient depletions, & drug-nutrient interactions. www.aafp.org/dam/AAFP/documents/about_us/sponsored_resources/Nature%20Made%20Handout.pdf. Accessed September 20, 2019.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5874849/
https://nutritionreview.org/2016/12/practical-guide-avoiding-drug-induced-nutrient-depletion/

​Compliments from Functional Medicine University and
have it linked back to www.FunctionalMedicineUniversity.com

Histamine intolerance occurs when there is a buildup of histamine in the body. Many foods contain high histamine levels, and various health conditions and medications can contribute to an intolerance (See below for a list of common symptoms).
Histamine is a chemical that sends messages to the brain, signals the release of stomach acid for digestion, and is released as part of the immune system's response to an injury or allergic reaction.
An intolerance to this chemical happens when the body cannot break down enough of it in the intestines, causing histamine levels in the blood to rise.
This typically results from having low levels of an enzyme called diamine oxidase (DAO), which is the primary agent that breaks down digested histamine.
When histamine levels get too high or when it can't be broken down properly, it can adversely impact normal bodily functions.
Symptoms of histamine intolerance

• headaches or migraines
• nasal congestion or sinus issues
• fatigue
• hives
• digestive issues
• irregular menstrual cycle
• nausea
• vomiting

Additional symptoms may include:

• abdominal cramping
• tissue swelling
• high blood pressure
• irregular heart rate
• anxiety
• difficulty regulating body temperature
• dizziness

What causes high histamine levels?
The enzyme diamine oxidase (DAO) is responsible for breaking down histamine that you take in from foods.
If you develop a DAO deficiency and are unable to break down histamine, you could develop an intolerance.
Some individuals have altered DAO production due to a number of different factors including:
Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO): some gut microbes produce high amounts of histamines as a byproduct of their metabolism.
Leaky Gut Syndrome: Intestinal permeability creates major inflammatory stress in the body which can contribute to poor DAO function.
GI inflammatory conditions: Crohn's, Inflammatory bowel disease (IBS), colitis
Celiac disease and those with gluten intolerance
Certain drugs: NSAIDs, acid-blocking medications, anti-depressants, immune suppressants.
Nutritional Factors to Consider:
The DAO enzyme is dependent on vitamin B6, B12, iron, copper and vitamin C, so it makes sense to increase the intake of these compounds.
Copper and Vit C are crucial components of the DAO enzyme and B6 is a key cofactor that enables DAO to degrade histamine.
Copper deficiency is another possible cause for low DAO activity, as copper is a central atom of the DAO and thus essential for its function.
Controlling histamine levels with diet
Foods to avoid or at least limit.
Histamine-rich foods are:
alcohol and other fermented beverages
fermented foods and dairy products, such as yogurt and sauerkraut
dried fruits
avocados
eggplant
spinach
processed or smoked meats
shellfish
aged cheese
There are also a number of foods that trigger histamine release in the body, such as:
alcohol
bananas
tomatoes
wheat germ
beans
papaya
chocolate
citrus fruits
nuts, specifically walnuts, cashews and peanuts
food dyes and other additives
Foods to eat
If you have a histamine intolerance, the following low-histamine foods can help reduce symptoms.
Some foods low in histamine include:
fresh meat and freshly caught fish
non-citrus fruits
eggs
gluten-free grains, such as quinoa and rice
dairy substitutes, such as coconut milk and almond milk
fresh vegetables except tomatoes, avocados, spinach, and eggplant
cooking oils, such as olive oil
Diagnosing Histamine Intolerance
Your doctor might also take a blood sample to analyze if you have a DAO deficiency.
G-DAP from https://precisionpointdiagnostics.com is a good test to check your DAO and Histamine levels
Supplement Recommendation to Block Histamine and Replenish DAO
Histamine Block from Seeking Health
Additional Recommendations
Replenish the supplements necessary for the production of DAO: B6, B12, iron, copper and vitamin C.
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7463562/
Ideas obtained from https://mthfrsupport.com.au
Ideas and concepts obtained from Dr. Ben Lynch--https://mthfr.net

Compliments from Functional Medicine University and
have it linked back to www.FunctionalMedicineUniversity.com

Neck pain is a prevalent health problem, largely reported in adult patients. However, very recent data show that new technologies are inducing a shift in the prevalence of this relevant issue from adulthood to all of the pediatric ages. In fact, the precocious and inappropriate use of personal computers and especially cell phones might be related to the development of a complex cluster of clinical symptoms commonly defined as “text neck syndrome”. The purpose of this article is to analyze the new phenomenon of the “text neck syndrome”, the underlying causes and risk factors of musculoskeletal pain, that can be modified by changes in routine life, in different cultures and habits, and on the “text neck syndrome” as increased stresses on the cervical spine, that can lead to cervical degeneration along with other developmental, medical, psychological, and social complications. Findings support the contention that an appropriate approach for an early diagnosis and treatment is crucial to properly evaluate this emerging issue worldwide in children and adolescents who spend a lot of time watching smartphones and computers; additional research with more rigorous study designs and objective measures of musculoskeletal pain are needed to confirm significant relationships. Existing evidence is limited by non-objective measures and the subjective nature of musculoskeletal pain.
For the complete study, click here:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7914771/?fbclid=IwAR2qcvEaT3qBP8mv6elKPoEJThvrgKXgJVaR_nQ9b_MHLkJ8XF9r-jhQ7LQ​

​1. Practice Posture-Posture is a developmental process, meaning that the more that you stay in a certain position, the more that you’re going to remain in that position. That means that good posture is something that you have to constantly practice. Posture largely affects the amount of strain that you’re putting on various parts of your body, so making sure that you’re sitting up straight while you’re at your desk can be the difference between a healthy back and unpleasant bi-weekly visits to the chiropractor.
2. Get the Exercise Going-Stretching regularly and exercising is a great way to loosen up your body, making it more malleable to your good habits. You’re relieving stress centers that exist in your body, providing your posture with the relief that it needs to make you look and feel great. By exercising, you’re protecting your body from stress that can cause chiropractic problems. It’s not only good for your chiropractic health, though. Exercise is going to improve your overall health, improving every part of your life, including both your body and your mind.
3. Watch Yourself at Work-If you want to stay on top of your chiropractic health, you need to make sure that you’re watching yourself during your workday. Ideally, you’re going to want to make sure that you’re never sitting for more than forty-five minutes at any given time. Make sure that you get up and walk around for a little bit, it’s going to keep you loose and make sure that you continue feeling great.
Unless you’re in a job that requires it, you should be cutting out as much heavy lifting from your lifestyle as possible. If you can’t, make sure that you’re utilizing the proper lifting techniques to prevent potential injuries from occurring. Lift with your legs, not with your back, and if you have to carry something heavy, don’t put all of the weight on just one shoulder, or you might get shoulder pain, which can result in even worse problems.
4. Avoid Bad Sleeping Habits-One of the easiest ways to cause back problems is to sleep on it incorrectly. In order to get the spinal health you want, make sure that you never sleep on your belly, and on your back if you can. Your mattress should be more firm than soft, and you should have a contoured pillow that will fit your neck correctly while you rest. If you don’t do this, you might start experiencing the back pain that millions of Americans are already experiencing.
If you’re falling asleep on the couch at night, make sure that you’re not using the arm of the sofa as a pillow, as this can strain your neck substantially, causing you to need some serious chiropractic work. Try to sleep on your side with your knees bent and a pillow between them. Not only is this a very comfortable position, but it’s also the best position for your chiropractic health.
5. Wallet in the Front Pocket-There are many seemingly harmless things that you can do to practically ruin your chiropractic health, but among them, having a wallet in your back pocket is probably the worst. Having something constantly digging into your posterior is not only uncomfortable, but it also throws off the entire alignment of your spine, making it almost impossible for you to retain the good chiropractic health habits that you want to have. Make sure that you don’t keep anything in that back pocket, it’s more for decoration on your pants anyway. You can be sure that your lower back is going to thank you for it.
Practice Chiropractic Wellness-Chiropractic wellness is a simple matter of practice. Catch yourself next time you’re at your desk and notice that you’re slouching. Discipline yourself to get out and exercise whenever you can. Cut out the lifting, and make sure that you avoid all of the bad sleeping habits. These are all tips that can prevent chronic pain from becoming a problem in your body. By practicing all of these, you substantially reduce your risk of experiencing pain, which can take several chiropractic appointments over a matter of weeks to fix.
If you want to stay flexible, reduce your stress, and prevent a myriad of disease, you need to stay on top of your chiropractic health. The only way to do that is to have regular appointments with a chiropractor who has a plan that’s based on your specific chiropractic needs. From physiotherapy, to spinal adjustments, your chiropractor has a plan for you. What do you do when you’re not with your chiropractor? How do you stay on top of that chiropractic health in the interim? Here are a few tips that you can use in your everyday life to improve your chiropractic health so you can stay on top of things between the appointments that you have with your chiropractor.

Provided by: Premier Chiropractic & Wellness

Oxalate (or oxalic acid) is a compound found in a variety of plant-based foods. Under a microscope, oxalates are jagged in structure and look somewhat crystalline.

During metabolism, oxalic acid combines with other minerals like calcium, sodium, magnesium, and potassium to form compounds like calcium oxalate and sodium oxalate in the kidneys. This in turn may be responsible for mineral deficiencies.
One of the most common issues with increased oxalates in the urine (hyperoxaluria) is the formation of kidney stones. However, if the body struggles to eliminate oxalate it can accumulate as crystals anywhere in the body. Commonly it accumulates in blood, then the eyes, bones, skin, muscles, blood vessels, heart and other organs.
High oxalates have also been linked with autism and inflammatory bowel disease. It can also be an underlying issue in those with ongoing gut problems or irritable bowel syndrome.
Tissue destruction, fibromyalgia and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus are all issues that can be related to oxalates because oxalate in tissues trigger the inflammasome reactions of the body's innate immune system.
As a side note, the thyroid will also suffer as oxalates can bind to T3 and disturb thyroid function.
The following list of vegetables should be helpful in identifying foods high in oxalates. 





As you can see from the list above your favorite spinach (> 900 mgs of oxalates) green smoothie may be contributing to a host of health issues!
Low oxalate diets involve eating less food that's high in oxalates. Foods high in oxalates include certain types of fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, and legumes.
On a low oxalate diet, you should limit your oxalate to 40 to 50 mg each day.

Summary
Whether for kidney stone prevention or to address other possible chronic health conditions, a low oxalate diet may be the solution.
On a low oxalate diet, you may notice a decreased risk of kidney stones, improved mineral absorption, diminished joint and muscle pain, improvement in fibromyalgia, autism symptoms and improvement of autoimmune symptoms.


References:
The damaging effects of oxalates
Oxalic toxicity
Symptons
Oxalate, inflammasome, kidney disease
How to eat a low oxalate diet/
Oxalates control in autism therapy
Pubmed - Pathogenic role in autism
Pathogenic role in autism
Increased cardiovascular disease
Arterial plaque contains oxalate/
Lowering urinary oxalate excretion
 
Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., DACBN, MS, CFMP
​
The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Grisanti and his functional medicine community. Dr. Grisanti encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. 

With cardiovascular disease claiming the lives of one out of two people in America today, it's no wonder people look to medicine for help preventing heart attacks and strokes.
However, the focus on high cholesterol as the main cause of heart attacks and strokes is woefully misguided. The clinically proven indicators of cardiovascular disease include elevated levels of trigycerides, insulin, cortisol and C-reactive protein, but not high cholesterol.


What About Cholesterol?
Unfortunately, medical studies show that lowering your cholesterol won't actually lower your risk of a fatal heart attack or stroke. According to William Castelli, M.D., a former director of the Framingham Heart Study, people with low cholesterol (lower than 200) suffer nearly 40 percent of all heart attacks. In addition, people with low cholesterol (less than 180) have three times as many strokes as the general population.
What are the Real Risk Factors for Heart Attack and Stroke?
The following ten items are some of the most important clinical indicators that show you have a higher risk for heart attack and stroke.
1. Cardiac arrhythmia. This includes atrial fibrillation and other disruptions of the heart's normal rhythm.
2. Elevated triglycerides, particularly an elevated ratio of triglycerides to HDL cholesterol. Studies have implicated triglycerides in the progression of coronary atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).
3. Elevated homocysteine. One study found that men with extremely high homocysteine levels were three times more likely to have a heart attack than others.
4. Elevated insulin.
5. Elevated cortisol levels. High levels of cortisol are associated with hypertension, which increases your cardiovascular risk. Patients with heart diseases exhibit higher cortisol levels than do others.
6. Elevated estrogen in respect to progesterone.
7. Low testosterone (in men). Higher levels of testosterone has been found to offer men greater than five-fold protection against coronary artery disease.
8. High testosterone (in women).
9. Lipid peroxide. Lipid peroxides are the products of chemical damage done by oxygen free radicals to the lipid components of cell membranes. High levels of lipid peroxides are associated with cancer, heart disease, stroke, and aging.
10. Elevated C-reactive protein. C-reactive protein is a marker associated with production of inflammatory cytokines, which represent a threat to cardiovascular health. Men with CRP values in the highest quartile had three times as many heart attacks and two times as many ischemic strokes as the general population.
Other risk factors include thyroid insufficiency, magnesium deficiency,fatty acid imbalances and lipid fractionation.
Is It Hard to Manage Your Risk Factors?
The good news is that it may not take a long time to rectify the imbalances that show up in a thorough cardiovascular evaluation. One 54-year-old patient of mine with high blood pressure and elevated triglycerides was able to lower her risk factors in just six weeks from 10 to only 4.

By: Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., D.A.C.B.N., MS, CFMP

​
​The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Grisanti and his functional medicine community. Dr. Grisanti encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. Visit www.FunctionalMedicineUniversity.com for more information on our training in functional medicine. Look for practitioners who have successfully completed the Functional Medicine University's Certification Program (CFMP) www.functionalmedicinedoctors.com. 

Pesticides could be responsible for Parkinson's, a neurodegenerative disease.
Toxins from such chemicals can increase the risk by up to six times.
The seven pesticides tested include: dithiocarbamates (e.g., maneb, ziram), two imidazoles (benomyl, triflumizole), two dicarboxymides (captan, folpet), and one organochlorine (dieldrin)

This study was done at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).
The study clearly revealed that these seven toxic pesticides inhibit the aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) enzyme, which then affects the dopamine cells linked to the development of Parkinson's.
It has been well established in the medical arena that when dopamine levels decrease this results in abnormal brain activity and eventually to the signs of Parkinson's.
Of even greater concern, the scientists of this study reported that the pesticides caused an inhibition of the ALDH enzyme at far lower levels than the allowable current safety standards.
Although one of the pesticides (benomyl) has been banned, the others can still be found in everyday use. They are found in the foods we eat that have been sprayed with these toxic chemicals and found in parks and golf courses. They are also found in common pesticide control agents used in offices and homes.
As a functional medicine practitioner, I recommend that any patient suffering with Parkinson's request that their physician order the Toxic Effects Core test or the GPL-TOX Profile from Great Plains Lab
To find a healthcare professional certified in functional medicine, go to www.FunctionalMedicineDoctors.com.These are clinicians who have been trained at Functional Medicine University (www.FunctionalMedicineUniversity.com)


Written by: Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., D.A.C.B.N., M.S.

Reference:
Arthur G. Fitzmaurice, PhD*, Shannon L. Rhodes, PhD*, Myles Cockburn, PhD,  Beate Ritz, MD, PhD and Jeff M. Bronstein, MD, PhD. Aldehyde dehydrogenase variation enhances effect of pesticides associated with Parkinson disease. Neurology February 4, 2014 vol. 82 no. 5 419-426
https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/10.1289/isee.2013.P-3-23-13
The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Grisanti and his functional medicine community. Dr. Grisanti encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. Visit www.FunctionalMedicineUniversity.com for more information on our training in functional medicine.