More Ways To Shine

Cholesterol certainly seems to have gotten a bad rap these days, with the dominant message out there being to get your blood cholesterol levels as low as possible. But did you know that the adult liver produces about 1,000 mg of cholesterol a day? Obviously something we are producing that much of has some very important functions! Cholesterol is necessary for life: Cholesterol makes up 30% of the membranes of every cell in your body. It is important for transferring thing

Zero Trimester is just what it sounds like: the time before the first trimester of pregnancy. It means optimizing health while trying to conceive. The big difference between this and the three trimesters of pregnancy is that we don’t know how long it will last. For some people it’s days, for others months or years. While we applaud this forward thinking, we’d like to suggest thinking even further ahead. If a couple is hoping to have children, it’s great if they can both wor

Because medical research in this field is rapidly evolving, the SHINE doctors recently attended an intensive, three-day professional webinar on HRT, to ensure our clinical protocols are informed by the latest data. Hormones are prescription-only medications, so an individualized assessment by a qualified healthcare provider is required to determine if you are a good candidate for them. Here are some factors to consider in your decision-making. Human-identical estrogen has b

If you’ve ever cooked a paella or a fragrant rice dish, you likely know saffron as the world’s most expensive spice. Derived from the delicate crimson threads of the Crocus sativus flower, saffron has been prized for thousands of years for its distinct aroma, vibrant color, and medicinal qualities. Recently, modern science has begun catching up with this ancient herb, discovering that this golden spice might offer a natural boost for mental health and emotional well-being.

Our patients often tell us “I’ve done my research”, and we notice that the quality of that research varies considerably from person to person. There is a vast amount of information on the internet. Some of it is brilliant, some is untrue and manipulative, and there’s a whole spectrum in between. How can an intelligent person know what to believe if it’s not their area of expertise? If you’d like to make sure your research is based on reliable information, this Health Post i

You may be hearing a lot of buzz about HRT, and wondering why, given it got such a bad rap 40 years ago, it is now making a come-back. If you are currently asking yourself this question, you are not alone. It is helpful to understand the history and evolution of HRT over the last few decades. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) most commonly refers to the supplementation of estrogen and progesterone—the female sex hormones that decline significantly during menopause. Early

The Omega-3 Index is a blood marker that reflects how much of the marine omega-3 fats EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) are built into your red blood cell membranes. Because red blood cells turn over slowly, the index is often used as a more “long-term” indicator of omega-3 status than a one-time diet recall or a plasma fatty-acid test. It is defined as the combined amount of EPA + DHA in red blood cell (RBC) membranes, expressed as a percentage of to

Catastrophizing is a common thinking pattern where your mind jumps to the worst-case scenario and then treats it as likely or inevitable. In therapy circles, it is often called “cognitive distortion”. It can increase anxiety and make problems feel monumental and unsolvable. Just thinking catastrophic thoughts has been shown to increase blood inflammatory markers temporarily. Interestingly, in men these markers returned to normal levels when they stopped catastrophizing, but i

Drug-nutrient interactions are plentiful, and they can result in the depletion of essential nutrients required for healthy metabolic function. These can happen if a drug: reduces nutrient absorption reduces nutrient synthesis in the body impairs metabolism of the nutrient, so it can’t function properly increases excretion of the nutrient A pharmacist or the internet can tell you what category of drugs a medication is from. This list gives the better-known nutrient low

Energy balance in humans is tightly regulated by a complex network of hormonal messages that integrate brain signals, nutritional status and fat mass. Three important hormones: leptin, ghrelin, and adiponectin, work in concert to help keep our energy stable and affect how our bodies handle food and fat by managing our hunger, energy use, and metabolism. Imbalances of these hormones are linked to obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes. Leptin: The “Fullness” Hormone: Lep

You may have seen liposomal supplements in your health food store or an advertisement. If so, did you wonder what makes them different from regular supplements, and whether the additional cost is justified? Here’s some information to help you decide. In the 1960s Alex Bangham discovered that the hydration of a lipid film gave rise to closed spherical structures of microscopic size: the first liposomes. Since then, liposomes have been increasingly used to encapsulate drugs,

You may have heard about peptides lately: from a wellness influencer online or your friend at the gym. The purported benefits of taking peptides are wide-ranging: more muscle, less fat, better memory, quicker wound healing and healthier skin. But what are they? And are they safe? Can they really do what their promoters claim? What are peptides? Peptides are short chains of amino acids — basically fragments of proteins. They occur naturally in the body, and we also make them

When we think of pollution, we tend to think of toxic chemicals in our environment. We don’t tend to think about pollution from a good thing, such as light, but just at the wrong time and place. Historically our night times were dark, lit only by the moon, and the occasional shooting star or maybe the aurora borealis, depending where we lived. Any light we used after dark was from a fire or a candle, both of which provide a yellow-golden light. This colour was emulated by i

The answer is a definite yes for some chemicals, as evidence from trials shows us that some drugs do tend to increase obesity as a side effect. Well-known among these are the birth control pill and some antidepressants. Because drugs have to undergo trials to get on the market, we have strong evidence about their effects and side effects. For many other chemicals in our food and our environment, it’s a “definite maybe”. Because chemicals in foods and air pollution don’t ha

Spring is the traditional time for liver detox. If you are thinking of eating to support your liver, consuming a rainbow of colours* from fresh fruits and vegetables is always good. In particular, foods that have a bitter edge are considered to be of special benefit to the liver and gallbladder, and it is easy to incorporate these liver-friendly foods into your diet. Artichoke: You may think of this as a food, which it is. And it is also a medicine! It has a slightly bitter

Olives, and olive oil, have been important foods for millennia. In fact, it was Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician, who called olive oil “the great healer”. The chemistry of olive oil is very similar to the oils of our skin, which may be why it has been used in beauty products for thousands of years. It contains vitamins E and K, and it is a mainly mono-unsaturated oil, so it doesn’t have negative effects on cholesterol. It is also rich in polyphenols*, those complex

Many of us grew up eating frozen or canned vegetables, boiled or steamed. It may be a revelation to some that eliminating water as a cooking method often brings out the best flavour in many veggies. That includes the ones you may have disliked as a child, when they were cooked in water! Roasted veggies are quick and easy to prepare. Just toss them on a sheet pan with some olive oil and seasonings and pop them in a hot oven for a delicious side to your dinner, and a welcome

You’ve probably heard about the importance of folic acid in pregnancy. Folate (vitamin B9) is a critical nutrient in the formation of the fetal neural tube, that will later form the baby’s brain and entire nervous system. Women take folate or folic acid in pregnancy to reduce the chances of neural tube defects, and the first trimester of pregnancy is the most important time for this supplementation. Without sufficient folate, red blood cells (produced in the bone marrow) ar

Many of us grew up eating frozen or canned vegetables, boiled or steamed. It may be a revelation to some that eliminating water as a cooking method often brings out the best flavour in many veggies. That includes the ones you may have disliked as a child, when they were cooked in water! Roasted veggies are quick and easy to prepare. Just toss them on a sheet pan with some olive oil and seasonings and pop them in a hot oven for a delicious side to your dinner, and a welcome

Olives, and olive oil, have been important foods for millennia. In fact, it was Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician, who called olive oil “the great healer”. The chemistry of olive oil is very similar to the oils of our skin, which may be why it has been used in beauty products for thousands of years. It contains vitamins E and K, and it is a mainly mono-unsaturated oil, so it doesn’t have negative effects on cholesterol. It is also rich in polyphenols*, those complex