by Bianca Garilli, ND Body mass index (BMI) is frequently utilized in clinical practice to assess for risk of cardiometabolic disease (CMD). High BMI measurements are associated with insulin resistance along with other markers of CMD such as elevated blood glucose and triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, and elevated blood pressure.1 By way of review, a BMI > 30 indicates obesity, which is linked to increased risk of chronic illness, particularly CMD; a BMI 25-29 is considered overweight, and a BMI…

by Ashley Jordan Ferira, PhD, RDN There is a paradox occurring in American youth: obesity and dieting. National statistics confirm that pediatric overweight and obesity rates are high, steadily rising over the past few decades.1 In fact, over 20% of the 12-19 age group in the US are obese, with higher prevalence in Hispanics and blacks.1 Actual weight and the teenager’s perception of their weight can be incongruent. Furthermore, weight status misperception drives intent for weight change.3 American youth are…

Christopher Bump, DC covers real world experiences supplementing with Specialized Pro-Resolving Mediators and reviews typical everyday patients he has treated with SPMs and the positive results each individual has experienced from insomnia to periodontal pain. View the slides

by Bianca Garilli, ND Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is characterized by chronic inflammation in the digestive tract and can be classified into two main conditions: ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). Both of these debilitating diseases involve similar symptoms including bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain and cramping, fever, fatigue, and unintended weight loss.1 The two disease processes, although overlapping in many ways, differ in their pathophysiology:1-2 CD: This disease can affect any part of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and is…

by Bianca Garilli, ND  History of breast milk: then and now The “breast is best” and “liquid gold” taglines made their return to conventional pediatric conversations in recent years, diverging from a previous school of thought that led Western mothers to believe their naturally produced, free breast milk was inferior to factory made synthetic formulas with a price tag. Interestingly enough, this was not the first time natural breastfeeding had gone out of vogue. A brief history of infant feeding…

by Bianca Garilli, ND, IFMCP The Global Breastfeeding Collective (GBC), co-led by UNICEF and WHO, has a mission to rally political, legal, financial, and public support for breastfeeding, which will benefit mothers, children, and society. Seven key priorities have been set forth by the GBC to increase the rate of breastfeeding globally; their most recent data from 2017 evaluated 194 nations and found that, “only 40 percent of children younger than six months are breastfed exclusively (given nothing but breastmilk)…

Although the ketogenic diet has been used clinically since the early 20th century, with specific therapeutic use for seizure mitigation in children with intractable epilepsy, the “keto diet” is now discussed more broadly, having even entered colloquial use. With the ketogenic diet’s recent rise in mainstream popularity and increased clinical exposure, we compiled a Q&A with Mark Kaye, DC to answer specific questions from healthcare practitioners. Does a ketogenic lifestyle work for hypothyroid patients? Contributing factors to low thyroid function…

by Bianca Garilli, ND Although originally (and still) used as a therapeutic approach to reduce seizures in children with intractable epilepsy, nowadays the ketogenic diet is more well-known and broadly used for weight loss and cardiometabolic disease management. A question frequently asked when considering the implementation of a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet is whether there are potential negative health outcomes associated with this approach, such as worsening cholesterol levels. Unfortunately, the answer to this question is not cut and dry and…

by Lewis Chang, PhD Frailty, characterized by exhaustion, reduced physical activity capacity, slow gait speed, unintentional weight loss, and muscle weakness, is a major health concern associated with aging that increases the risk of disability, institutionalization, and death in older adults.1 It is important to identify modifiable risk factors associated with frailty so that prevention or early intervention strategies can be implemented accordingly. According to epidemiological evidence, certain dietary patterns or dietary components can influence the risk of frailty.2 However,…

by Milene Brownlow, PhD Nowadays, blogging about ketogenic diets hardly requires an introductory paragraph. Most of us are bombarded with newsletters, emails, and personal stories of how cutting back on carbs and increasing consumption of healthy fats yield remarkable benefits. The popularity of the diet is largely due to its effects on weight loss and improved metabolism. Yet, long before a trending topic on every social media platform, ketogenic diets were specifically, clinically used for seizure control in the treatment…