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Mayo Clinic claims that ‘forever chemicals’ found in thousands of household products may affect women’s heart health.

Thousands of household products that you may use every day contain human-made chemicals.  They are also known as ‘forever chemicals’ because they break down very slowly over time. Studies at Mayo Clinic have recently found that even small exposures to these substances pose a health risk.

Dr. DeLisa Fairweather explains why postmenopausal women are at such a high risk for heart disease caused by these ubiquitous chemicals: Read on.

A new American Heart Association study found that middle-aged women, those with high blood levels of these chemicals, are 70% more likely to develop high blood pressure than their peers who had lower levels of these toxins.

“As soon as you go through menopause, you have a dramatic drop in estrogen,” explains Dr. Fairweather.  “When that happens, it really affects your immune response.  And, so, you enter a much more proinflammatory state that can increase your risk for various types of heart disease, like atherosclerosis and stroke.”

Forever chemicals are in thousands of household products, including shampoos, cosmetics and plastic packaging.

“It’s also in our nonstick pans, stain-removing products that are in our carpeting and furniture, and on our clothes,” says Dr. Fairweather.

They’re also found in water sources and foods we eat… “We’re finding that fish we’re eating have it because the water is contaminated with it.  It’s a major contamination in wells and other sources of water.  It’s in dairy products because the cattle or dairy cows are receiving it through fertilizer and other contaminants in their environment,” says Dr. Fairweather.  Previous studies have shown that even at low levels these forever chemicals create adverse health effects.

“What we can do proactively to help ourselves is to read every label on the food that we’re purchasing and make sure that it does not have chemicals that we don’t understand?” says Dr. Fairweather. “We need to educate ourselves and just make sure that if there’s anything that isn’t the actual food and natural ingredients that we don’t buy the product.”

Here at The Renewal Point, we understand that this information can be very overwhelming, especially if it’s not something that you’ve already been doing.  However, we don’t want that feeling to deter you from making changes.  Even small changes can make a big difference.  If replacing things feels daunting, then a good place to start is with any new purchases.  For example, the next time you buy shampoo, check to make sure it has natural ingredients; for Christmas, put a stainless-steel pan or ScanPan on your wish list; use the “Dirty Dozen” (by the EPA) as a guide for buying healthier fruits and vegetables.  Over time, you’ll see that most of your household items are no longer toxic.

Additionally, at The Renewal Point, we can run tests to see if toxic contaminants are at harmful levels in your body. This will help determine how critical the issue is and how quickly you need to act in removal of the chemicals from both your body and house.  If toxic chemicals are detected, we can then work together to create a manageable plan to rid your body and house of them before they cause health problems. 

While preventing and/or catching the problem before it becomes a health issue is ideal, we certainly understand that this is not always the case.  So, if you believe that you already have health issues caused by toxins, know that it’s not too late, ~ only more critical ~ to act.

Reference:

  • Mayo Clinic Minute: ‘Forever chemicals’ found in thousands of household products may affect women’s heart health. July 20, 2022. DeeDee Stiepan

Have you checked your adrenals?

As a physician, I am frequently reminded of just how fragile our bodies are to fall ill. At the same time, I am amazed at our ability to recover once the root cause is detected and corrected.

Take, for example, a new patient I had… a “fun-loving woman, fully engaged in life” had taken a turn….she had become “listless, moody, thrown out-of-sorts by petty things for months now.” She had seen her primary care physician who diagnosed depression and placed her on an antidepressant.

When she entered my office, she fell into a chair as if she were throwing herself into bed for a long nap. It was only 10:00 in the morning!

“I’ve always made myself available to my husband and children,” she lamented. “Now, I don’t have the energy to keep up. Everything seems impossible for me. The worst part is that I can’t explain why I feel so exhausted – and guilty for not being able to keep up.”

“To make matters worse, I own a growing, successful business. I can’t keep up there either. Bickering and gossip among the staff has taken a toll on me. I can’t handle it anymore. I dread going in this morning. I just want to go home and sleep for a few days – but I can’t.”

“The fatigue has made it impossible to keep up with my social calendar. I’m missing out on gym classes and girl time with my friends. They’ve given up asking me to join them. Forget keeping up with the kids’ school events.”

“What to do? I’m exhausted but can’t sleep, hungry all the time, and gained so much weight – frustrating!”

Sometimes it’s easier to see from the outside looking in. We can all get ourselves overly committed as our modern “pedal to the metal” lifestyles start whirling out of control.

Like this patient, every one of us will have periods of fatigue. But, after taking some time off – a vacation, a little sleep – we recover. However, this patient was not recovering in the way she was used to and she knew something was wrong. Based on her symptoms, I suspected an issue with her adrenals and, just as suspected, her lab tests revealed a condition called “Adrenal Fatigue.”

Jacqueline Redmer, MD, MPH explains, “Subclinical Adrenal Fatigue or burnout can develop when the adrenals (two small but very important glands that manage stress) have been working too hard for too long to keep up with high physical, psychological, emotional or toxic stress.”

In this case, I advised:

  1. Reduce commitments and add in more fun, free time, and things you enjoy.
  2. Set goals to obtain adequate sleep.
  3. Laugh as much as possible.
  4. Make good dietary choices – Limit alcohol and sugar.
  5. Hire a business coach to help with the office.

While lifestyle changes are a must, this did not reverse all of her symptoms. Her Integrative Medical Plan to boost recovery included:

  1. Herbs and vitamins (based on lab tests) to assist her adrenals.
  2. Natural Hydrocortisone until her own adrenals picked up.

A few weeks into treatment, she was feeling better. Within two months, she weaned off the antidepressant – didn’t need it. She began to feel like her old self again, only now she has gained a new perspective on how to care for herself.

At The Renewal Point, we’ve helped thousands of men and women recover from adrenal fatigue. In this particular case, lab testing revealed that the solution would be supplements and natural hydrocortisone.  In other cases, testing reveals that toxins, genetics, or an underlying illness is at fault ~ in which case there may be a different plan of care.  This is why we always start with testing ~ it assists us in quickly getting to the root cause of the problem in order to determine the most appropriate action to take.

If you have been experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, we can help!  For more information or to set up an appointment, you can give us a call (941-926-4905), email us (info@therenewalpoint.com), or fill out the contact form here on our website: https://www.therenewalpoint.com/contact/

Symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue:  Fatigue, Difficulty waking in the morning, Prone to infection, Craving sweets and salty foods, Difficulty concentrating, Irritability, Depression, Increased P.M.S.

Key Words: Adrenal Fatigue as opposed to Adrenal Insufficiency (Addison ’s disease) or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (C.F.S.).

References:

J.L. Wilson: Clinical perspective on stress, cortisol and adrenal fatigue.Adv Integr Med. 1 (2):93-96 2014

K.A. Head, G.S. Kelly: Nutrients and botanicals for treatment of stress: adrenal fatigue, neurotransmitter imbalance, anxiety, and restless sleep.Altern Med Rev. 14 (2):114-140 2009

Rakel, David. (2017). Integrative Medicine. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier.

Since the discovery of telomeres, doctors and scientist have dreamed of using them to control aging.  In 1973, Alexey Olonikov discovered that telomeres, which are tiny units of DNA at the very end of each chromosome, shorten each time the cell divides.  Hence, as you get older and your telomeres get shorter, you are at increased risk for many age-related diseases including death.  The theory is that if you can keep your telomeres from shortening, you can live much longer with a higher quality of life.

Most recently, Ronald DePinho, a cancer geneticist at the Dana-Faber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School in Boston, was surprised to find that when he gave a certain enzyme, called telomerase, to older animals, these animals showed a dramatic reversal of aging.  (Telomerase prevents the telomeres from shortening and even has the ability to lengthen them.)  He described the outcome as near ‘the mythical Fountain of Youth’ that was searched for by Ponce de Leon.

The downside to giving telomerase to humans, at the present time, says DePinho, “is that it seems to help existing tumors grow faster.  If treatment can be made safe, it could lead to breakthroughs in treating a variety of diseases of aging.”

While the possibilities of telomerase are exciting, it looks as if the technology is still in the research phase.  So until the science can be worked out, should we (humans) just sit around and do nothing about our telomere length?  Is there anything that can be done now?

The good news is – Yes!  There are many proven health strategies that can slow telomere shortening while effectively decreasing premature aging.  At The Renewal Point, we have become experts at two of them, namely hormone balancing and exercise.

HORMONE BALANCE-which has been so valuable for women in many other ways has also been shown to slow down telomere shortening.  Dr. Richard Cawthon of the Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah, found that telomere lengths were longer in postmenopausal women who had taken hormones (no matter what age they started at) than in postmenopausal women without a history of hormone therapy.

HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING- which is known to trim and slim our bodies has also been found to slow down telomere shortening.   In a recent study published in Mechanisms of Aging and Development, the author’s state:  “There is a direct association between reduced telomere shortening in your later years and high-intensity-type exercises.”

At The Renewal Point, we use the science/evidence-based methods of bioidentical hormone balancing and physical training, to help our patients achieve healthy aging. Together, with nutrition and toxin elimination, we see improvements in sexuality, brain function, body composition, physical conditioning, cardiovascular health, skin, hair, nails, energy, and vitality.

With over 30 years of experience and numerous board certifications and credentials, Dr. Watts, MD, ND, MSNM is an expert in the science and art of Integrative and Age Management Medicine.  If you are interested in learning more about things you can safely do to live a happier and longer life, we encourage you to call us at 941-926-4905, email us at info@therenewalpoint.com, or RSVP for an upcoming seminar.

References:

  1. Sex Hormones Modulate the Length of Telomere. Rodrigo T. Calado, et al. Blood 2006 108:182. www.gloodjournal.org/content/108/182
  2. The Immortality Edge. Dave Woynarowski et al. 2010
  3. Telomerase Reverses Ageing Process. Ewen Callaway. Nature News. Nov 2010.

  Hormone Balancing Made Simple

“I miss the old me. I’m irritable, tired, lots of brain fog…. having trouble sleeping through the night… and forget about sex,”  a patient told me as she sat in my office.  She had recently moved to Sarasota and had been on hormones prescribed from another physician in her previous town for over a year.  She was taking them faithfully, but still not feeling much better.  She did say that at least her hot flashes and vaginal dryness had resolved… “I’m glad for that,” she said, “but I just want to feel like myself again. I used to have energy, focus, and a pretty good sex drive, but all that seems to have changed with menopause.”

When I asked to see labs that were drawn prior to beginning hormone therapy, and then after, to see if they had balanced, I was surprised to hear that no hormone lab tests had been run.  “My doctor just began me on an estrogen pill in the morning and a progesterone pill before bedtime. Later, we switched to an estrogen patch and kept the same pill at night,” she added, “but….” and she began to tear up.

When a series of blood and salivary test results came back, we found her answers.  Her cortisol levels were low all day long, relating to an adrenal fatigue problem.  Her estrone levels were high, contributing to irritability and increasing a tendency toward Estrogen Dominance.  Her testosterone levels were practically non-existent, explaining her brain fog and lack of libido.  Blood tests also revealed a persistent low progesterone level, although she was faithfully taking her nighttime dose of progesterone.

Through lab tests, we knew how to correct the problem.  After a few weeks, she was sleeping through the night.  Within two months, her irritability had calmed down.  And within three months, her libido was back where she wanted it.

While the only way to tell if you truly need hormone replacement therapy is through blood, saliva, and/or urine testing, there are some symptoms in both men and women that can provide clues as to whether or not you might be experiencing hormone imbalances. These include…

Fatigue

Brain fog

Low sex drive

Mood swings

Vaginal dryness

Erectile dysfunction

Depression/Anxiety

Trouble sleeping

Memory loss

Irritability

Weight gain

Hot flashes

Most patients come to our practice because they are experiencing one or more of these symptoms.  From there, we determine which tests are most appropriate to run.  And, from there, we run these tests every 6 months to make sure they continue to stay on track.

From the inception of The Renewal Point 20 years ago, one of our mottos has been “Test and Correct”.  We continue to practice this today because of how important it is to personalize every regimen we give to our patients.

If any of the above symptoms are bothering you, we encourage you to reach out to us.  You can give us a call at 941-926-4905, visit our website at TheRenewalPoint.com, or email us at info@therenewalpoint.com.  You CAN live the life you imagine!

Ka-put / Kä ‘pŏŏt – no longer working, broken down; inoperative.

It’s not “all in your head”

Women should feel healthy, vibrant and strong throughout their adult lives. If you’ve been told, “It’s all in your head,” or “learn to live with it,” read this patient’s story…

She visited The Renewal Point several years ago, at the age of 52. During her evaluation, she lamented that since menopause her health had taken a dive. She suffered from fatigue, brain fog, depression and insomnia. She had frequent bouts of mood swings and lack of romantic desires, both affecting her marriage.

She also experienced a recent history of sensitivity to cold. Her body temperature ran low. She was also disturbed about significant hair loss, constipation and had severe muscle aches. Additionally, she had recurring sinus infections, headaches and cystitis for which she had been given numerous antibiotics and pain medication.

She sought the care of her physician, who, after a general exam told her “Your blood tests are all normal.” He recommended treatment with antidepressants and sleep medication.

She did as prescribed but still feeling ‘punk’, she discussed her health problems with a friend. This friend told her that there may be natural solutions for her problems and recommended The Renewal Point.

The Plan of Care

The symptoms she experienced are common to women in her age group, caused by hypothyroidism, hormonal imbalance, poor nutrition and lack of essential vitamins and minerals. All the antibiotics that she had taken for infection had killed her normal colon flora leading to yeast overgrowth.

Through The Renewal Point, she was prescribed natural bioidentical hormones, natural desiccated thyroid and placed on a yeast-free eating plan. She was given recommendations for vitamins and minerals.

Within a few months, her fatigue and depression and other symptoms had disappeared.

By three months, she was able to discontinue medications and slowly weaned off her antidepressants. She told me, “I haven’t felt this good in years.”

Lack of energy is one of the most common reasons that women and men come to see us.  While almost everything about lack of energy is negative, the one upside of it is that it alerts us to an underlying problem.  While it’s normal to have some ‘low energy’ days here and there, consistently low energy levels are a telltale sign that you need to seek help ~ the type of help that gets to the root of the problem, not just the symptoms.

If you have been experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, we are here to help! For more information or to set up an appointment, you can give us a call at 941-586-7358.

References:

Rakel, David. (2017). Integrative Medicine. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier.

According to a 2021 survey from the American Psychological Association, more than three-quarters of Americans report that the pandemic has been and still is a significant source of stress.   One of the side effects of that stress may be brain fog.  If you’re feeling more forgetful or distracted than usual, you’re not alone.  In this article I will discuss how to beat that very brain fog brought on by Post Pandemic Stress.

Stress can cause our hormones (including neurotransmitters and adrenals) to get out of balance resulting in more stress issues (either lack of sleep and/or being tired all the time…. wired and tired), adrenal fatigue, brain fog, loss of libido, etc. 

Many people’s routines were disrupted by the pandemic.  You may not realize it, but your routines give your conscious brain a chance to rest while your unconscious brain takes over and proceeds on autopilot.  For that reason, building predictable new routines is one way to help lessen brain fog. 

If you have been experiencing these issues, we recommend reducing stress through the following ways:

  1. Getting back on a routine, as much as possible
  2. Exercise, but not to exhaustion
  3. Nutrition
  4. Regular sleep patterns

While these recommendations will work for most cases, if you have been trying these suggestions and they haven’t worked, you may be dealing with something other than a stress syndrome.  If this is the case, we recommend getting tested for such medical problems as: autoimmune disorders, adrenal fatigue syndrome; hormone issues such as, thyroid, pituitary and gonadal imbalances, or chronic fatigue syndrome.

Since the Pandemic has begun, we, at The Renewal Point, have noticed an increase in early autoimmune activation, adrenal fatigue syndrome and a reactivation of old infections, such as; Lyme disease and EBV.  And, indeed, it is reported that these conditions may be responsible for much of the Long Covid syndrome.

If you have been experiencing unrelenting stress, loss of libido, lack of sleep, brain fog, exhaustion, or a “wired but tired” feeling, we encourage you to give us a call at 941-926-4905 to schedule an appointment or you can visit our website at www.TheRenewalPoint.com to learn more about our services and view our education library/blog.  We are here to help!

The Environmental Working Group comes through for us again with research on which foods contain the most toxins and which contain the least. This time we’ll be focusing on fish and mercury levels.

BEST TYPES (very low mercury, high protein, high omega 3): Wild Salmon, Sardines, Rainbow Trout, and Atlantic mackerel. Additionally, these are available from sustainable sources.

GOOD TYPES (low mercury, high protein, good levels of omega-3) : Anchovies, Pollock, Herring.

MODERATE GOOD TYPES (low mercury, high protein, but low Omega-3): Catfish, Tilapia, Pangasius. These are lower in toxins and a good source of protein, but don’t contain much Omega-3.

MERCURY RISK UP: Canned light and albacore tuna, Halibut, Lobster, Mahi Mahi, Sea bass. (Pregnant women and children should avoid these altogether. For others, it depends on their age, weight, and health status.)

AVOID: Shark, Swordfish, Tilefish, King Mackerel, Marlin, Orange roughy, and Tuna (bigeye, yellowfin, bluefin, etc)

It can be hard figuring out what’s healthy and what’s not. There are so many things to consider these days…does it have additives, pesticides, GMOs….the list goes on and on.

Luckily, when it comes to fruits and vegetables it’s pretty straightfoward, thanks to something that the Environmental Working Group calls the “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean Fifteen”. Take this list to the grocery store with you while you are shopping to make it easier.

The “Dirty Dozen” are the fruits and vegetables that have been found to contain the most pesticides. These are the ones that you will want to buy organic, when possible:

  1. Strawberries
  2. Spinach
  3. Kale, Collard, and Mustard Greens
  4. Nectarines
  5. Apples
  6. Grapes
  7. Cherries
  8. Peaches
  9. Pears
  10. Bell & Hot Peppers
  11. Celery
  12. Tomatoes

The “Clean Fifteen” are the fruits and vegetables that contain the least amount of pesticides:

  1. Avocados
  2. Sweet Corn (some of the sweet corn in the US is made with GMO seeds, so buy organic or non-GMO sweet corn if you want to avoid GMO)
  3. Pineapple
  4. Onions
  5. Papaya (some of the papaya in the US is also made with GMO seeds, so buy organic or non-GMO papaya if you want to avoid GMO)
  6. Sweet Peas Frozen
  7. Eggplant
  8. Asparagus
  9. Broccoli
  10. Cabbage
  11. Kiwi
  12. Cauliflower
  13. Mushrooms
  14. Honeydew Melon
  15. Cantaloupe

Haven’t started your New Year’s Resolution yet?  No worries!  This article is for you 😊 

First, you’re not alone.  Second, research shows that taking your time can even work to your advantage…

When it comes to Behavior Modification, which is ultimately what most people do when they embark upon a New Year’s Resolution, working through the Stages of Change can produce more long-lasting results than diving in headfirst.  Here’s an overview of The Stages of Change:

  1. Pre-contemplation Stage – People in this stage are not thinking about taking any action so, in terms of the behavior that you are looking to change for 2022, we can skip to the Contemplation stage.
  2. Contemplation: If you are intending to start the behavior within the next 6 months, this is the stage you are in.  In this stage you are weighing the pros and cons of changing the behavior, and the pros are beginning to outweigh the cons.
  3. Preparation: This is most likely the stage you are in if you are thinking of taking action within about 30 days.  In this stage you are asking for advice and probably doing some research on the internet to figure out next steps.  You might even be taking some small steps in the behavior change itself.
  4. Action: This is the stage people are in when they have recently (within the last 6 months) taken action and plan to continue to do so.  
  5. Maintenance: When you’ve been doing the behavior/action for more than 6 months, and/or have reached your goal, you are now in the Maintenance Stage of Change.  The behavior is now a part of your lifestyle and has become a habit. 

So… if you haven’t started (or even thought of) your New Year’s Resolution yet, our suggestion is to look at it as more of a Spring Renewal.  In Chinese Medicine, the Spring Equinox, which follows the Chinese New Year, is the time for growth and change.  If you are person who likes to have a particular date in mind…look towards the week of March 13th-March 20th. 

March 13th is when the time changes and March 20th marks the beginning of Spring. So, any time within this week would be great!  For those choosing to start or restart an exercise program, that time change can be particularly handy.

Whatever your behavior change might be, we are here for you and happy to answer any questions you might have! 

Sincerely,

Dr. Watts and The Renewal Point Team

“Toxic metals in the environment may increase the risk of atherosclerosis, a buildup of plaque in the arteries that can prevent blood and oxygen from reaching major organs. Arsenic and cadmium, metals that can be found in food, water and tobacco, plus titanium, which can come from dental and orthopedic implants, cosmetics or auto manufacturing, were associated with a higher likelihood of having clogged arteries in the neck, leg and heart in this study of auto assembly workers in Spain. Current global environmental, occupational and food safety standards may be insufficient to protect people from the adverse effects of metals, according to study authors.” To view this article in full, please click on this link: https://www.therenewalpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Exposure-to-toxic-metals-may-increase-risk-of-clogged-arteries-ScienceDaily.pdf