How Does America's Healthcare System Stack Up Against Other Countries?

How Does America's Healthcare System Stack Up Against Other Countries?

Despite spending far more per person on health care than any other country, and spending more overall than the next top ten spending countries combined, America still has more chronic illnesses and a shorter life span than most other industrialized nations. An alarming number of people today are suffering from fatigue, headaches, pain, indigestion, skin problems, anxiety and more, and the medical community is failing to provide an answer.

Our infant mortality rate, meaning how many babies don’t make it through their first year of life, is also one of the highest of the industrialized nations.

When a study was done comparing the healthcare system of the United States to eleven other countries. The United States came in last place in numerous categories. (Take note of the overall ranking, 11, and how much was spent, $,8,508, vs the other countries. It should also be noted that the U.S. came in last place in healthy lives, in which healthy life expectancy was a big factor.)

When expanded to a global scale, we can see that we’re number 37th in the world in health care. The rating was determined by multiple categories, including efficiency, cost, number of healthy people, life span, and more.

  So what are we doing wrong?  Why are we spending so much money and getting so little in return? The key word is prevention. These other countries focus on how to prevent patients from ever having health problems rather than focusing on what to do once they’re sick. 

Remember:

Most people have no idea 

how good their bodies are

 designed to feel!

Don't wait to start living a healthier lifestyle! Not only is it much more cost-effective in the long run, but by taking care of your body and self now, you will lead a much more happy and fulfilling life!

yours in health,

dr. samantha boldt

What is functional medicine and why you should be using it

What is Functional Medicine and Why Everyone Should be Seeing a Functional Medicine Practitioner

Most people have no idea

how good their bodies are

 designed to feel.

In the United States, it's common for people to deal with fatigue, aches and pains, heartburn, headaches, and other  maladies, and consider them to be a normal part of life. However, they're not!

  There is a reason our bodies feel the way they do, whether good or bad, and functional medicine is here to find that reason. This post will help give you a good idea of what functional medicine is, how it is different from the current model of healthcare, and how it can help you!

Functional Medicine Interprets Labs Differently

Functional medicine interprets labs differently. Normally, when you get your bloodwork done you will notice that there is a reference range on the side. So how do they determine these reference ranges? Each lab does their own set of tests and determines their own normals. A few hundred “healthy” people, meaning that they have no diagnosed diseases, have their blood values drawn and averaged, and that creates the normal range.

  However, even though they may not have a diagnosed disease, many of these people are still suffering from fatigue, upset stomach, headaches, heartburn, pain, and more. While these may not be the most detrimental of problems, they are still not what we consider perfect health. These problems are reflected in the blood work. So the normal ranges being used are not truly normal and not truly healthy. That is why functional medicine practitioners use a different set of ranges as well as a tighter set of ranges.

Functional Medicine Takes Action Before You Have A Disease

While there are many things that modern medicine is needed and good at, one of the big things they are failing with is prevention. The way bloodwork is read is that you reach a certain number, and all of a sudden POOF! You have a disease. But there is a big hill to go up or down to reach that number. Most medical doctors just don’t have the training to see these patterns in the blood and step in before the patient reaches that critical number.

Functional medicine practitioners are trained to look at a patient’s bloodwork and know that in, let’s say 5-10 years, that magic number is where a patient is going to be if they don’t do something to change. So let’s make a change now!

Functional Medicine Practitioners Often Run More Extensive Labs

All the thyroid markers instead of just TSH and T4.

In addition to interpreting the labs that mainstream medical practitioners run differently, functional medicine practitioners also tend to run additional lab markers. Typically the labs in the standard model of care diagnose a disease so that it can be matched with a corresponding pharmaceutical drug. If there is no drug to help with a certain step or pathway in a patient’s physiology, that test is not normally run, because medical doctors don’t normally know anything else to do. Therefore, the labs your doctor runs are adequate if he’s just prescribing medications, but they’re very much incomplete from a functional medicine perspective.

For Example……

Here’s an example using the thyroid. Many people today are having hypothyroid symptoms (problems losing weight, fatigue, insomnia), but their blood tests don’t reflect what they are feeling. Mostly that’s because there are only two markers being tested, TSH and T4.

  This picture shows the process of thyroid hormones being made, circulating through the blood, and attaching to cells to properly stimulate them. Each star represents a different step and a different place to test hormone levels, proteins, and enzymes involved in the process. Why it became normal to test only two of these steps, especially when the patient is having symptoms, it is unclear.  However, once we start looking at the whole pathway, it is easier to find where there is a breakdown and how to best help the patient.

Functional Medicine Practitioners Customize Health Care

Once you’re labeled with a disease in mainstream medicine, you’re given the same medications everyone else with that disease is given. This cookie cutter approach works sometimes, but more often than not, it fails and causes other problems in the long run. Functional medicine takes into account that we’re all designed a little differently, so what works for one person isn’t necessarily best for you. A tailored, comprehensive health program addresses you as the unique individual that you are.

Functional Medicine Practitioners Spend More One-On-One Time With Patients

Mainstream medicine is very focused on symptom care. That is why every six months you typically wait an hour at your doctor’s office for a five-minute visit. At this visit, they look at your bloodwork, match up the numbers to any drug they think you need, and send you on your way. This system is failing millions of Americans suffering from chronic health problems!

  Again, we are all different. Functional medicine practitioners take the time to determine what a patient’s lifestyle is like, their stress levels, what they eat, and how much movement they get in a day. All of these impact our health and must be considered. 

Functional Medicine Practitioners Address Underlying Dysfunctions

In our picture of the tree, you can see that we have the leaves and branches above the ground and labeled with different conditions. There is depression and anxiety, heartburn, heart disease, irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, cancer, allergies, and more. In mainstream medicine, once you are labeled with one of these, that is normally as far as the doctor looks.

  Functional medicine practitioners like to go below the surface to the ROOT of the problem. Nobody has heartburn because of a Prilosec deficiency, and nobody has high cholesterol because of a Lipitor deficiency. That just isn’t how our bodies were designed to function! Once we begin looking at things like inflammation, nutrient absorption, and stress levels, we can understand why the body is reacting the way it is and know how to help it.

Functional Medicine Practitioners Don’t Shy Away From Natural Treatments

Functional medicine is not anti-medication, but we do ask what the patient’s most effective option is and what causes the fewest side effects. Very few times is the answer medication. Somewhere in the last hundred years, mainstream medicine grew away from the thought that what we put inside our bodies isn’t really affecting our health and that it’s not to blame for the huge increase in chronic conditions. However, scientific studies have shown that to be wrong with the law of 20.

  The law of 20 states that twenty years after refined carbohydrates and processed foods are introduced into a society, they will begin to suffer from problems like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other illnesses. The more that society eats that kind of food, the more illnesses they have. This has been shown time and time again, country after county.

  So no, we don’t shy away from natural treatments. We embrace them. More often than not, natural treatments will be more effective and have much fewer side effects in the long run!

So Why Should You Be Seeing A Functional Medicine Practitioner?

Functional medicine is the future of healthcare. It doesn't wait for people to get "sick" or get a "disease." Rather it takes a proactive approach and makes sure that patients never reach that point in the first place! We are facing far too many health problems today. Stomach pain, headaches, heartburn, etc, are all becoming common maladies, and mainstream medical doctors have no advice to offer except for more medications. There is a reason that the body is feeling a certain way, and there are things other than medications and pills that can be done about it. Find a functional medicine practitioner near you today!

Yours in health,

Dr. Samantha Boldt

Free Radicals and Oxidative Stress 2

Last week we talked about free radicals, how they form, and the damage that they do. This week, we're going to discuss different herbs, spices, and supplements that will help you combat those free radicals!

But first.......

Where does oxidative stress come into play?

Oxidative stress is the term used when free radicals are injuring the body. Your body can have very little oxidative stress or lots of oxidative stress.  When you have lots of oxidative stress,  your DNA, cell walls, and other important tissues are constantly being bombarded by damaging free radicals.

Have you ever seen a rusted pipe?  Well that same reaction is happening, just inside our bodies. Gross!

Too much oxidative stress has been linked to diseases such as……

Besides trying to eat healthy, staying away from chemicals, and avoiding stressful situations, what are some easy ways to reduce your oxidative stress?

Herbs and spices that are especially good at boosting our body’s own free-radical destroying pathways…….

•Turmeric

•Resveratrol (found in coconut oil and grapes)

•Ginger

•Milk Thistle

•Green Tea

Enzymes that are good at boosting our free-radical destroying pathways (These can be found as supplements)……

•Glutathione Peroxidase

•Catalase

•SOD (Superoxide Dismutase)

In our office, we love using Turmero Active and Glutathione Recycler. Both of these products are from Apex Energetics and work wonders on the body!

However, many of these can easily be found at your local grocery store, and adding these herbs and spices into your food or diet is also highly beneficial!

-Dr. Samantha Boldt

Free Radicals and Oxidative Stress

Most people have heard of free radicals and antioxidants and how they are supposed to be good for your body. However, few people actually understand what a free radical is and how they lead to a condition known as increased oxidative stress.

Even fewer people know that antioxidants may not be the best way to combat oxidative stress. While they can help, it is actually much better to stimulate your body's own production or free radical fighting agents!

By the end of this week, I want you to understand what a free radical is, what oxidative stress is, the damage these can do to our body, and the best ways to decrease their levels in our bodies!

What is a free radical?

First, a quick bit of basic chemistry. This is an atom. Remember how all atoms are supposed to have a specific number of electrons (the little things that spin around the center of the atom)? And when they have this specific number, they are happy.

A free radical is missing an electron. This makes it unstable and unhappy. It goes around the body trying to find other molecules to steal electrons from.

How do free radicals form in the first place?

Free radicals can form spontaneously or it may happen as a result of heat, light, toxins in our body, or other environmental exposures. Sometimes our body even generates them purposefully in order to kill invading pathogens.

Normally, our body has mechanisms in place to stabilize these free radicals, but that’s only if the number of free radicals is kept at a manageable rate. Today, we are being bombarded by air pollutants, electromagnetic radiation, industrial chemicals, processed foods, drugs, and more stress than humans have ever had to deal with before.

These things are overwhelming our natural free radical turn-off mechanisms, resulting in too many free radicals!

So what kind of molecules do free radicals steal from?

When an electron is stolen from another molecule, it is considered damaged and does not work the same way. Certain tissues are much more likely to be affected by free radicals, and when they are, the effects can be disastrous. DNA and cellular membranes are two of the most common targets for free radicals.

The DNA normally targeted is located inside your cells in  an organelle known as the mitochondria. The mitochondria are the energy producers. Normally when DNA is damaged, the cells automatically fix it. The DNA inside the mitochondria, however, is not so easily fixed. As more DNA damage occurs, the less productive the mitochondria are, and this is one of the main theories behind aging!

Cellular membranes (or the walls around our cells) are also at high risk for damage from free radicals. When the cellular membrane is attacked, it can increase cell membrane rigidity, disrupt membrane receptors, and alter the activity of enzymes and proteins attached to the cell membrane. 

Basically, free radicals damage the communication network between the cells of our bodies.

Without proper communication, a cell can’t tell other cells that it needs certain nutrients, or that it has been infected by an outside pathogen, or know whether or not it should start multiplying. Certain free radicals are being studied as carcinogens, because it is believed that by messing up the communication process, they are the initial step in the development of cancer.

Later this week: How to Combat Free Radicals and Oxidative Stress!

Yours in health,

Dr. Samantha Boldt