Virtual Integrative Specialists

08/01/2025

Hormone replacement therapy protects against pancreatic cancer! This risk decreased by 35% in women who used MHT 1–2 years and by 60% in women who used MHT ≥ 3 years compared to women with

The role of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) in the development of pancreatic cancer is inconclusive owing to small studies and lack of proper study design. This population-based matched cohort study included all Swedish women who used systemic MHT ...

06/12/2025

We are now providing care to the entirety of Washington State with virtual visits. Encompassing care from Seattle to Spokane, Yakima to Wenatchee, you don’t have to drive across the state to get great healthcare. VIS is 100% virtual — offering the same connection, depth, and diagnostic expertise you’d expect from in-person care.

05/23/2025

exposure to metals constitutes a significant risk factor for CVD, including ischemic heart disease, stroke, and PAD. There is also convincing evidence that higher plasma or urinary levels of metals such as arsenic, lead, and cadmium are associated with subclinical CVD, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and electrical and functional disturbances in the myocardium. The totality of evidence supports the notion that environmental metal exposure increases the risk of premature cardiovascular death by contributing to CVD progression, severity, and clinical outcomes.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10356104/ #:~:text=Lead%20and%20cadmium%20levels%20in,formation%20and%20increased%20atherosclerotic%20plaque

04/24/2025

Hormonal contraceptives can hide PCOS symptoms on a uterine ultrasound!

This study aimed to assess the effect of combined oral contraceptives (COCs) on polycystic ovarian morphology (PCOM) and serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels in Korean women with polycystic o***y syndrome (PCOS). This university hospital study ...

04/11/2025

"Patients with hypothyroidism have increased hs-CRP levels compared to a healthy control group"

Background: Hypothyroidism is one of the most common endocrine disorders. Most patients with hypothyroidism have autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashimoto's), characterized by elevated concentrations of anti-thyroperoxidase (ATPO) antibodies. Both overt ...

04/04/2025

The literature data confirmed diagnostic concordance between BMD values obtained using DXA and REMS. Furthermore, REMS has adequate precision and repeatability characteristics, is able to predict the risk of fragility fractures, and may be able to overcome some of the limitations of DXA.

Osteoporosis is a frequently occurring skeletal disease, and osteoporosis-related fractures represent a significant burden for healthcare systems. Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) is the most commonly used method for assessing bone mineral ...

04/04/2025

Glutathione in the epithelial lining fluid (ELF) of the lower respiratory tract is thought to be the first line of defense against oxidative stress. Inhalation (nebulized or aerosolized) is the only known method that increases GSH's levels in the ELF.

Glutathione inhalation is an effective treatment for a variety of pulmonary diseases and respiratory-related conditions. Even very serious and difficult-to-treat diseases (e.g., CF, IPF) yielded benefits from this novel treatment. GSH inhalation is very safe, and rarely causes major or life-threatening side effects.

Reduced glutathione or simply glutathione (γ-glutamylcysteinylglycine; GSH) is found in the cytosol of most cells of the body. GSH in the epithelial lining fluid (ELF) of the lower respiratory tract is thought to be the first line of defense against ...

03/30/2025

modified citrus pectin (MCP), a complex water soluble indigestible polysaccharide obtained from the peel and pulp of citrus fruits... affects numerous rate-limiting steps in cancer metastasis!

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2782490/ #:~:text=2.2%20MCP%20effect%20on%20metastatic%20cell%20arrest%20in%20target%20organs&text=Thus%2C%20the%20anti%2Dadhesive%20properties,2%20and%20their%20homotypic%20aggregation.&text=In%20the%20later%20study%2C14,cells%20in%20vitro%20was%20demonstrated.&text=And%20finally%2C%20in%20the%20most,and%20bones%20by%20%3E%2090%25.&text=Thus%2C%20MCP%20is%20an%20efficient,formation%20of%20intravascular%20metastatic%20deposits.

03/18/2025

I LOVE this for folks to understand, exercise doesn't equal weight loss. It just makes you hungry!

A breakdown of how your body expends energy. How can we manage calorie burn to our advantage? On our pursuit to achieve health and fitness goals – whether it be to lose fat, increase muscle, or maintain healthy weight, control of daily calories consumed (energy intake) is critical to the process. ...

04/26/2024

WHEY protein powder can lower C-Reactive Protein levels?!!

(This is only if you're not sensitive to dairy proteins!)

"Subgroup analyses showed that whey significantly lowered CRP by 0.72 mg/L (95% CI −0.97, −0.47) among trials with a daily whey dose ≥20 g/day"

03/04/2024

Two to three years of hormone replacement treatment in healthy women have long-term preventive effects on bone mass and osteoporotic fractures.

This is 20 year old news, and something I have never learned! This is hugely important for women to prevent bone loss and osteoporosis! Another important consideration for HRT!

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is often prescribed for a few years to suppress menopausal symptoms. Although its long-term use of HRT for the primary prevention of osteoporosis is not currently recommended, the long-term skeletal benefits of the limited therapy are of great interest. To determine...

02/02/2024

Here's a link to my most recent interview with Dr. Sarah Louie DPT. We discuss ways to support recovery after surgeries.

For some runners, hip surgery will be their option of treatment. And while this is a HUGE decision for many to make, it's also a HUGE event for the body. In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Rachel Erickson, a Primary Care Naturopathic Doctor based in Seattle, WA. She shares with us the demands that s...