4 Better Health

12/14/2025

Wishing everyone a safe and healthy finish to 2025 with added vitality and laughs for 2026! Happy Holidays from everyone 4Better Health.

12/14/2025

Is it time to retire Benadryl (diphenhydramine)?
A new paper in the World Allergy Organization Journal recommends reconsidering OTC access to Benadryl — and the reasoning is rooted in its long-term physiologic impact.
https://www.worldallergyorganizationjournal.org/article/S1939-4551(25)00002-X/fulltext

🧠 Why the concern? Diphenhydramine is a first-generation antihistamine that crosses the blood–brain barrier and affects multiple neurotransmitter systems. Over time, this leads to:

• Sedation / slowed reaction time — shown in some studies to impair performance more than alcohol.
• Strong anticholinergic effects — associated with memory problems and increased dementia risk with long-term or frequent use.
• Prolonged grogginess, especially in older adults (can linger up to ~18 hours).
• Limited benefit compared to newer antihistamines that work as well without the cognitive side effects.

Important clarification: We absolutely recognize the life-saving role of Benadryl in emergency situations (anaphylaxis, acute allergic reactions, when directed by a medical professional).
However, we strongly recommend avoiding routine use of Benadryl or diphenhydramine-containing products.
😴 Most OTC sleep aids contain diphenhydramine as the “sleep ingredient,” and chronic use has been linked to higher dementia risk and cognitive decline.
⚠️Children should not use Benadryl except in true urgent/emergent situations.

The bottom line: Benadryl is helpful in emergencies — but not ideal for daily allergies, sleep, or routine symptom management.

If you rely on Benadryl regularly to control allergy symptoms, it may be time for a better solution. At 4 Better Health, we assess underlying triggers and offer comprehensive allergy support—including SLIT therapy—to reduce reactivity and improve long-term tolerance.
💚 Safe, sustainable allergy management is possible. If you’re curious whether SLIT or functional medicine allergy work could help you, we’re here to guide you.



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12/13/2025

Muscle=Longevity
Weight training is insurance for your future.

Beginning in our 30s, we lose ~3–8% of muscle mass per decade if we are not actively working to maintain or build it.
After 60, that loss accelerates.
This process—sarcopenia—is one of the strongest predictors of frailty, falls, fractures, loss of independence, and early death.

Muscle is a protective, metabolic organ.
And it is the only organ system we can control. At ANY age.

Muscle matters for longevity & vitality:
• Metabolic health: Up to 80% of glucose after meals is taken up by muscle. Muscle contains insulin receptors—less muscle = more insulin resistance and higher risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
• Heart & brain health: Stronger muscles are associated with lower risk of heart attack, stroke, and dementia.
• Bone protection: Muscle pulls on bone—helping maintain bone density and reduce fracture risk.
• Fall prevention: Strength and power are the difference between catching yourself… or a fall which often leads to injury which can have life altering effects.
• Independence: Muscle keeps people out of wheelchairs, nursing homes, and chronic disability.

We must shift the rhetoric around health and BMI-stop with the “skinny”.
This is about being strong enough to live your life fully—from your 40s into your 90s.

You can start at ANY age. Even 30 minutes, 3–4x/week makes a measurable difference.

Think of strength training as:
➡️ Insurance for aging
➡️ Protection against frailty
➡️ A down payment on your future independence

Strong over skinny. Always.

12/11/2025

As we head into the holiday season, your immune system and energy need as much support as you do.
Our IV Suite is open and ready to help you stay strong, resilient, and recovered with high-dose Vitamin C, immune-boosting blends, and hydration therapy tailored to your needs.

If you’re feeling run-down, fighting something off, or just want to stay ahead of the holiday stress… come recharge with us.
A 30–45 minute infusion can make all the difference. (*you do not need to be a patient to book an infusion).

Your wellness is worth prioritizing — especially now.
Call or book online to reserve your spot in the IV Suite.

12/06/2025

12/05/2025

Friday Funny 😉

12/04/2025

You cannot out-supplement stress.
You cannot out-exercise trauma.
You cannot “biohack” a nervous system stuck in survival mode.

If you want to heal your gut, balance hormones, lose weight, improve sleep, or reduce inflammation — you must address your nervous system first.

Your body lives on two main settings:

The sympathetic nervous system = fight, flight, freeze. And The parasympathetic nervous system = rest, digest, repair, heal

If you’re always “on,” your body is never repairing.

And this time of year?
It often brings extra stress, unresolved grief, emotional overload, and old traumas to the surface — even for people who “seem fine.” Your body remembers what your mind tries to bury.
One powerful stat:
Chronic stress has been shown to suppress immune function by up to 40% and significantly worsens insulin resistance, inflammation, and gut dysfunction. Stress is not emotional fluff — it is biological load.

Here are some of our favorite root-level tools we recommend in practice to retrain your nervous systems:

🌿 Walk outside daily - Nature + movement calms the brain faster than most supplements.

🧠 Address grief & past trauma through counseling - Unprocessed emotion becomes physical inflammation.

🖊 Journal + speak your truth - Repressed emotions = heightened nervous system activation.

👐 Reiki, craniosacral therapy & acupuncture - Hands-on therapies that soothe the body where words can’t reach.

🧘 Meditation, Qigong (“Chong”), tapping (EFT) - You don’t “think” your way out of stress — you regulate your way out.

📱 Support your nervous system from home
We link our favorite tools on our website under our Wellness Toolkit:
• HeartMath
• Nerva app
• Curable app

Healing is not achieved through willpower.
It is created through safety, regulation, and consistency. If your body doesn’t feel safe — it will not heal.

11/24/2025

Thanksgiving Week Reminders 🦃

A short week at work feels amazing…
But let’s be real — the holidays can also crank up stress in every direction.

Financial stress: gifts, travel, hosting, groceries (why is everything 5x more?)

Physical stress: disrupted routines, more alcohol, sugar, sleep changes

Emotional stress: family dynamics, grief, expectations, overstimulation

Sleep stress: late nights, alcohol before bed, sugar spikes → cortisol spikes

Food stress: ALL the foods that taste great…
and leave you bloated, foggy, puffy, inflamed, or exhausted for days

10 Tips 4 Better Health 🍗😴☮️
1️⃣ Bring food that loves you back.
Your favorite holiday dishes don’t need to derail your gut or inflammation. Bring versions that won’t flare headaches, bloating, joint pain, or fatigue.
2️⃣ Taste things — don’t surrender to the “holiday free-for-all.” A few meaningful bites won’t wreck your week.
3️⃣ Drink water first… and between every cocktail. Hydration = better blood sugar, less inflammation, fewer headaches, better sleep.
4️⃣ If you choose to drink, support your detox pathways. Take taurine + glutathione before bed to protect your liver and reduce that next-day fog.
5️⃣ Move your body every single day.
A walk outside after meals lowers blood sugar, improves digestion, and clears emotional clutter.
6️⃣ Protect your energy from “toxic relatives.”
Shorter visits are allowed. Bathroom breaks are allowed. Boundaries are healthy: “Let’s talk about something lighter,” “I’m stepping outside for air”.
7️⃣ Use digestive help if needed. Digestive enzymes and apple cider vinegar in water before meals can support stomach acid, bile flow, and blood sugar.
8️⃣ Prioritize sleep whenever you can. A rested brain makes better choices, has less anxiety, and handles family dynamics with more grace.
9️⃣ Create small pockets of joy. Laugh. Light a candle. Sit with someone you love. Moments of presence shift your whole nervous system.
🔟 Make memories — not martyrdom.
You don’t need to do everything.
You don’t need to cook perfectly.
You don’t need to absorb everyone’s stress.

This season, choose YOU. Protect your body, your peace, and your energy.

11/20/2025

Understanding Acute vs Chronic Inflammation

Acute inflammation is your body’s emergency-response team. Chronic inflammation is the slow leak that turns into metabolic fires. One heals you. One harms you. Learning the difference changes everything.

Acute inflammation is protective — helping you fight infections or recover after injury.
Chronic inflammation is persistent immune activation linked to nearly every chronic disease: metabolic syndrome, heart disease, autoimmune disorders, depression, osteoporosis, and accelerated aging.

Research📚
• Chronic low-grade inflammation (“inflammaging”) is a major driver of chronic disease and mortality (Franceschi et al., 2018).
• Diets high in ultra-processed foods, industrial oils, sugars, and emulsifiers activate chronic inflammation through microbiome disruption and metabolic stress (Szabo, 2022; Monteiro et al., 2023).
• Exercise, sleep, fiber, omega-3s, and stress reduction are the strongest known modulators of chronic inflammation (Calder, 2020).

Your body is always communicating — and you never have to navigate those signals alone.
If inflammation, fatigue, pain, or “not feeling like yourself” has been whispering (or shouting), you deserve support that listens, honors your story, and helps you heal in a way that feels sustainable and compassionate.

At 4 Better Health, we believe in:
✨ nourishment, not restriction
✨ empowerment, not fear
✨ understanding, not dismissal
✨ connection, not isolation
✨ healing that happens in community

11/18/2025

✨ Patient Story → Why YOU Should Try a CGM for One Month ✨

This message came in completely unsolicited, and it’s too powerful not to keep to ourselves…
“I’m really learning, thinking, and having a better awareness of my health and eating because of the continuous glucose monitor. Thank you for encouraging me. It’s been the best money I’ve spent in a long time! I could talk for hours about what I’m seeing. I’m researching ideas to get myself back on track out of this pre-diabetes cycle.”

This patient LOVES sweets.
She is not overweight, she is happy, healthy, and had no symptoms.
But her labs were quietly trending toward future metabolic issues… and instead of waiting for a diagnosis, she chose data, prevention, and empowerment.

She wore a CGM for just one month — and it completely changed how she eats, moves, and understands her body. She even removed honey from her tea after seeing what it actually did to her glucose. This is the kind of information that can change the trajectory of your health.

This is what functional medicine is all about:
Education. Awareness. Prevention. Empowerment.

👉 We now offer CGMs right in our office — just $104 for an entire month.
You walk out with it the same day. No pharmacy. No insurance hurdles.
🌟And for the rest of 2025, anyone who purchases a CGM will receive a FREE InBody body composition scan. (Regularly $25.)
Because your glucose + your muscle + your visceral fat = your metabolic destiny.

A CGM gives you real-time insight into:
• Which foods stabilize your energy — and which silently spike you
• How stress, sleep, and movement affect your metabolism
• Whether your “normal” labs are actually trending in the wrong direction or your family has prediabetes or diabetes
• How to lower inflammation, cravings, and metabolic risk now — not later

Most labs are snapshots.
A CGM is a movie — showing patterns, habits, and trends we can actually change.

11/16/2025

Food is one of our greatest teachers.
It can soothe us. Energize us.
Or quietly inflame us without us realizing why we feel so “off.”
Most people have a mindset of “It’s the Holidays- I’ll start after New Years” … YOU’re not most people. Start Now so you feel better starting 2026.

This week, instead of restriction, try curiosity: What happens when you choose foods that stabilize your energy, blood sugar, support your hormones, and calm inflammation?

Try ONE nourishing meal.
Remove ONE inflammatory trigger.
And watch how your body responds with relief.

We’re cheering you on — every tiny step.

11/14/2025

Friday funny 😎🙃🏋🏼‍♀️🥃