Are you doing all you can to support your heart health? ❤️

Heart disease remains the number one cause of death and affects approximately one-third of adults across the globe.

Once thought of as primarily a disease of old age, we now see heart disease in younger people.

Recent data suggests that about a third of adults in their 30s have signs of heart disease, such as plaque formation.

And unfortunately, with 🦠 we are seeing even more inflammation and injury to the cardiovascular system triggered by the 🦠, with slow recovery time for those facing long-🦠.

The good news? The body has an incredible ability to heal.🥰

We’ve known that cells that line the gut turn over quickly, but heart damage from a heart attack was once perceived as permanent.

Fortunately, we also have evidence that we may be able to support the regeneration of these (❤️) cells too.

Many of you probably know how diet and lifestyle choices impact the cardiovascular system that heart disease often develops over years of poor habits. And hopefully, you’re making good choices that support your heart health. 😊

But did you know that there are many nutraceuticals that offer high-level, targeted support to the heart and the vascular system?

See the image above for my top 10 heart health supplements to support inflammation and cell regeneration.

For more information on heart health, read my new article, Nutraceuticals for Heart Health and 🦠 Impact (in linktr.ee).

Dr. Ann ❤️

#cardiovascular #heartheath #integrativenutrition #integrativemedicine #minerals #inflammation #healthiswealth #healthylifestyle #truehealth #heartdisease #healthjourney
#cardiovascularhealth #omega3 #astaxanthin #rootcause #toxinfreeliving #healthiswealth #heart #heartinflammantion #livewell #toxinfreeliving #toxinsout #bewell #agewell #lifestyle #eattoheal #eatwell #naturopathicmedicine #holistichealth #naturopathic #holistic #supplements ...

A common trigger to autoimmune diseases is a hidden sensitivity to gluten. Many people are consuming gluten daily in foods like breads, pizza, soy sauce or pasta (to name a few), and are inadvertently priming their body for an autoimmune condition that attacks the thyroid or other systems. And most people have no clear symptoms to alert them.

Here’s how: The protein found in gluten (gliadin) has a similar molecular structure to the protein found in the thyroid gland.

So, if you have a hidden sensitivity to gluten, and the protein, gliadin, leaks into the bloodstream through the intestinal lining, the immune system may recognize it as an enemy and release anti-gliadin antibodies.

When these antibodies are active in the body – they can start to attack the thyroid gland – leading to an autoimmune condition Hashimoto’s. Once considered rare, Hashimoto's is now common. But it's just one of over 100 distinct autoimmune diseases.

Autoimmune diseases affect three to five percent of the population of western countries, of which 80% are women.

I see autoimmune patients every day, some with multiple autoimmune conditions.

Unfortunately, many people come to me after seeing several specialists who only treat the symptoms, prescribing medications that “band aid” the issue and never address the underlying cause(s).

If you think you may have an autoimmune condition, or if you want to be proactive against Hashimoto’s and other autoimmune conditions, you can start by finding out if you are allergic or sensitive to Gluten – one of the labs I like is the Enterolab test.

And consider checking some additional thyroid panels...anti-thyroglobulin (TG), anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPO), and thyroid receptor antibodies.

While many are told that autoimmune disease is a life-long chronic condition, this is not always the case. The disease process can be slowed, halted, or even reversed by taking a root cause approach.

For more insight and strategies, read my new blog (in articles in linktr.ee) Autoimmune Diseases – A Root Cause Approach.

Dr. Ann ❤️

#autoimmunedisease #hashimotos #thyroid #thyroiddisease #glutenfree #foodallergies #autoimmune #paleo #autoimmune ...

Stubborn belly fat? Maybe its time to address hormones…

Belly fat, or visceral fat is the fat that surrounds internal organs. And while you may want to lose it for the bathing suit, there are health risks associated with excess visceral fat.

When visceral fat increases its known as central or abdominal obesity.

And abdominal obesity is linked to metabolic dysfunction, insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance…and an increased risk of diabetes and heart disease.

If you’re dealing with stubborn excess belly fat, the “calories consumed minus calories burned” approach to weight loss does not address the real reasons your body is storing fat in the abdomen.

In short, we gain weight because of hormonal signals.

And it’s diet and lifestyle that influence the two hormones involved with fat storage and metabolism: Insulin and cortisol.

- Insulin drives the sugar in your bloodstream into your cells and is a main storage hormone.

- Cortisol is the main stress hormone made by the adrenal glands, and influences fat distribution.

When stress raises cortisol it can increase blood sugar, which then requires more insulin and plays into insulin resistance.

A cycle that continues, leading to weight gain and greater health risks.

Applying a Fun(ti0nal Medicine approach to address root causes and balancing hormones often allows body composition to shift without having to force it with an unsustainable fad or crash diet.

The approach is not a quick fix…it takes time and dedication to building new habits.

But the result of losing weight is a nice side effect to feeling great and supporting long-term health! 😊

For some key insights and steps to losing belly fat visit my linktr.ee and read my new article: The Answer to Belly Fat and Losing Weight - Visceral Fat vs Subcutaneous Fat.

Dr. Ann ❤️

#weightlossjourney #toxinbuildup #cortisol #bellyfat #visceralfat #abdominal #loseweightforgood #integrativemedicine #rootcause #foodismedicine #meditation #avocado #insulin #insulinresistance #hormones #toxinfreeliving #stressfree #weightloss #loseweight #meditation #eatclean #hormones #hormonesupport ...