Roots and Raices Functional Medicine Inc.

12/22/2022

Here is a recipe I used today for our dinner. I can't have the egg due to allergies and I think I would add garlic to the pesto next time. Of couse, I used dairy free parmesan with this recipe. I added asparagus sauteed in butter and garlic and a side salad with newly reddened tomatoes still ripening in my back room from my organic garden. Yummy and plant-based (and moatly plant-based is the goal). A great meal for what I call hump day, the shortest day of the year (Winter Solstice). So we can look forward to each day getting longer once more.

A meditation today reminded me that seasonal changes are good for the body, and we should optimize our indoor time in recovery while we can. But I am still excited for more light each day. Make sure you get your Vitamin D lab levels checked with your P*P and optimize your supplementation intake especially since we don't get any from the sun at this latitude in Ogden, Utah, from October to April even if we choose to spend our time on the beautiful ski slopes.

This spaghetti squash pesto combines roasted spaghetti squash with an easy spinach pesto and a fried egg for one easy and delicious dinner.

05/12/2022

While browsing the internet, I found this awesome picture on a website by Dr. Kara Fitzgerald who is a Functional Medicine specialist I follow. How fitting for this Mother's Day we just celebrated. I feel my mother's influence everyday of my life. So many of my greatest qualities came from her.

So many times patients wonder why we do such a thorough family history in Functional Medicine. It is a vital part of Antecedents, where we are now and how we got here. Those who came before us and the genes they gave us affect the decisions we must make for our lives today.

Our genes are not our destiny. They are our blueprint of what we need to do today to improve our health. Epigenetics, or what we do with our lifestyle, can influence those things that came before. WE HAVE POWER OVER OUR HEALTH.

Take that power and utilize it. Choose what you:
1. put into your body
2. what you breath
3. what you put onto your body including your hair, to be absorbed through your largest organ
4. what you drink
5. how you move
6. how you sleep to regenerate
7. how you deal with the stress that inevitably happens to all of us daily
8.and how you relate to and influence those around you.

All the colors, baby, all the colors.

Right now they are getting planted into my 21 grow boxes and ground around my home.

05/01/2022

I have taught these principles over and over again. I want to show you other people, educated, knowledgeable people who teach them as well.

05/01/2022

11/26/2021

Comfort food is a misnomer. It is not comforting to me.

Formally stated, Newton's third law is: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The statement means that in every interaction, there is a pair of forces acting on the two interacting objects. ... Forces always come in pairs - equal and opposite action-reaction force pairs

Or in some other words :
There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—
And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.

I broke the law of my body working appropriately.
Very rough night due to all the carbs (even gluten-free, dairy free carbs). Back to obedience for me. What do they say about doing the same thing and expecting a different result. It is my own fault, I know better. Sugar makes me sick and insane.

Look out TMI coming: bad dreams, hot flashes, awake a bunch, diarrhea, pain.

Is that comfort, joy, wellbeing or even pleasure? Some would say it was worth it, but not me.
I sure hope your night was better than mine.
But another lesson well learned about how I treat my gut and my body. There are no bending the rules. Only consequences of good or bad choices.

It is a new day. Chose well!

Found on Google from www.wired.com

11/03/2021

Oh my goodness! Look at those beautiful red cabbage microgreens and pea greens from my shelf in my family room, beets, organic lettuce and greens, cucumbers with grated non-dairy parmesan and plant-based Simple Truth Bleu Cheese dressing that tastes even better than the dairy based kind. Simple and delicious.
But what will she eat? Yum, yum, yum! I just dethawed a grass-fed beef patty from Costco microwaved it because that was my only choice at work, chopped it up, and away we go to an easy delicious gluten free, dairy free, egg free meal!

11/02/2021

SLEEP CONTINUED.....
I have been introduced several times to the issue of nose breathing.
On audible, more than a year ago, I purchased the book "Breath" by James Nestor and listened to it while I was charting. I'm listening to it again. It is amazing and I recommend it to everyone.

Someone giggled when I tried to teach her about the erectile tissue in our nasal passages that moves from one side to the other opening and closing. If we purposely stop off each nostril alternately closing them off during the day, we keep them both open despite allergy and cold symptoms. I did it and even if I am totally stopped up on one side and close off the other, if I keep working at it, it works Everytime. Of course that French nose of mine is much bigger than most.

Here is a short synopsys of what I have learned about nose breathing:

1. Big benefits all around
2. Helps moisturize the air we breath, better for our lungs.
3. Brings down Histamines
4. Keeps bacteria out that easily can get in through the mouth so helps avoid SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth).
5. Makes our mouth have more room so helps with orthodontic issues. Mouths were meant to get bigger not smaller. Backwards from what we thought we knew in dentristry a long time ago. Glad I never saw the orthodontist.
6. Decreases dental infections.
7. Improves microbiome in the nasal cavities and NALT (nasal associated lymphoid tissue). Yep... that's a real thing.
8. Decreases blood pressure and heart rate while we are sleeping.
9. Increases oxygen consumption.
10. Helps with snoring.

So I'm experimenting with mouth taping and the different kinds of tape. Keep watching, more on that later.

So breath through your nose! It will soon become a habit and bless your health journey immensely.

10/30/2021

Since having Covid and switching from "have pillow will sleep" to waking up sometimes three times a night, I have been studying sleep lately.

I have always had so many patients who don't get enough quality sleep. I never even thought about VOCs (Volitile Organic Compounds) in matresses.

I am so careful about carpeting and flooring but we sleep so many hours of our lives. It is logical that our warm bodies would make VOCs worse. Here is an excellent article all about mattresses and why they have to be Organic.

I’ve been searching for and researching organic mattresses for a few years now knowing that I would have to upgrade my youngest to a big bed eventually. Now that the time has come and passed,

10/26/2021

We have got to save our bees. They are under attack and dying away and with them, the world in general. Plant wild flowers next year. My son JP and I are going to become beekeepers which is so going to improve my gardening experience.

Time for some accountability: I owe honey🍯 an apology.

In the past, I have written about honey and recommended that people avoid it at all costs. This position was based on the fact that honey has a very high sugar content. In fact, the actual fructose content in most batches of honey is around 40 percent, but this percentage can vary wildly from 21 to 43 percent due to how and where the honey is harvested and processed. When digging deeper into the literature about this sweet nectar from nature, I discovered that science supports the idea that it may not be so bad after all. But, as I write about in my new book, DROP ACID (www.dropacidbook.com) We may be able to make a small space for honey in our lives.

In fact, several human trials have indicated that honey consumption is associated with better insulin response and better blood glucose levels. Some researchers have gone so far as to characterize honey as a “novel anti-diabetic agent” in terms of its effects on both the liver and pancreas where it has been shown to improve blood sugar control, and the gastrointestinal tract where it positively modifies the gut microbiota.

So, have I changed my position on honey? Yes, and that’s a reflection of how scientific research continues to inform us. Research I share in my new book, DROP ACID ➡️ www.dropacidbook.com

And my promise to you is that I will continue to change my position(s) any time science starts to align behind findings that support lifestyle modifications associated with improved health outcomes, whether or not they're in harmony with my earlier recommendations. This is about getting you the information you need to protect your health, not my reputation.

Pre-order today and read more in DROP ACID ➡️ www.dropacidbook.com

10/22/2021

Although one harvest is winding down with a few yellow pear tomatoes today, the next one is revving up. Microgreens are my next best thing. It was harvest day for them as well.

Here we have Sunflower, red clover, the last if the red beets from that tray, amarynth and sweet peas. Who knew that the pea microgreens taste exactly the same as their adult version and are about 100 times more nutritious, and you don't have to sit for hours shelling them out of the pod.

So for my breakfast today, I took two slices of Julia's Table Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free (for those of us with those sensitivities ir on the Elimination Diet) bread, toasted it, spread avocado on it, topped it with amarynth and sunflower microgreens and garnished it with plant-based cauliflower/cilantro/jalapeno dip and smiled and smiled and sighed with delight while I ate them.

Who says Elimination Diet foods are boring and tasteless! I know better than that.

05/21/2021

So here is this week's cache from Misfits. All organic. $38.00. Green beans in the recyclable bag.

05/19/2021

I am so excited about Misfits!

One of my patients was getting them weekly, so I took the plunge.

I have now received three weeks worth of organic fruits and vegetables coming right to my door. It is getting me to eat more of those awesome things daily.
🤑I have paid for them.
🍉They are sitting in my fruits and vegetable tower in my kitchen and in my refrigerator everytime I pass by or open the door.
🚫 I don't want to waste them, so I grab them, put them in my 🛍️ and eat them daily.
All organic, all nutritious for my body.
📦All available.
You get to choose what you want and how much.🤔

Here is a discount code to use so you get a special offer. Join Misfits Market with my code COOKWME-AF6GBFLAZCH.

Food is medicine.
Food is information for your body.
The right food nourishes the metabolic functions of your body, mind, and spirit.
Eat Organic!
Help to waste less food in this world!
Avoid toxins!
Don't forget to recycle the packaging as well.🗑️♻️

04/26/2021

Oh so sad, I went to eat at my friend's house and she is currently on the Elimination Diet. As you can see she is really suffering through it. Don't worry she also had beets in balsalmic vinegar to get those purples in it as well. So yummy! Those stuffed portobellos with pine nuts were soooo tasty. How else are we going to know if you are having a food reaction? Scratch your back? Draw your blood? Nope, then you will be avoiding things you don't need to avoid.

She food-prepped yesterday so this meal came together in about 15 minutes fresh and tasty!

We have spaces in our upcoming Elimination Diet classes still so you too can eat yourself to health with food as medicine, food as nutrition, food as information and food as pure enjoyment. 435-919-7668.

03/06/2021

You can do it! All the colors while charting on Friday Night. I don't just preach it, I live it!

11/07/2020

This is the Time of Year when 23 and Me and Ancestry.com DNA testing goes on Sale. So it is a great chance for you to get your testing (you only need the Ancestry Version to get your Raw Data) and let us help you to understand what is going on with your genetic make up and use Epigenetics to make the good ones better and the not so good ones not Exhibit themselves.

So take advantage of the sales and come see Us to improve your health and your immune system in this time of uncertainty.

11/07/2020

HURRAY IT IS MEDICARE OPEN ENROLLMENT!
#1 If you are looking to pick up insurance in the Open Enrollment Period for Medicare 2021 be aware that We are Credentialed with
+Medicare itself,
+ Molina Medicare,
+Molina Affordable Care Act,
+Molina Medicaid
+University of Utah Medicare Advantage
+Medicare + any secondary insurance
However
+AARP Medicare Complete is not run by United Healthcare in Utah, it is Administered by Optum Care and they are not accepting any new Providers in the State of Utah.
+ Humana Medicare Complete is also not accepting any new Providers in Utah. So either of these plans are not credentialing anyone so we cannot accept them.
If you need a great agent to help you to switch, please call
+Tracy Pharis
Quality First Insurance
435-752-0101
tracy@q1ins.com

and she can help you decide on a wonderful policy during this open enrollment period. This also goes for the Affordable Care Act open enrollment period.

Otherwise you will be doing your Medicare Functional Medicine with our Cash Pay Service.

09/25/2020

So Excited! We can now take Aetna with out-of-network credentialing and will be IN NETWORK November 1, 2020. Little by little we will get them all so that we can give everyone the best care with Root Cause Medicine as it deserves to be.

Also want to Welcome Tammy Barsell to our Awesome Team!
Go team R&R!