Photo by Mai Le.

Q: More than ever my patients are asking about alternative hormone replacement. Many are concerned about developing reproductive and associated cancers or adding something seemingly un-natural to their bodies after never having used medication their entire lives. What course of action do you suggest to your patients? -Dr. Charlotte R., UCLA, Second Year Resident Women’s Health

A: This is a great question! I’m glad to hear that more patients are becoming proactive before they dive into synthetic hormone replacement. This is a topic of great debate among health care professionals. I steer both providers and patients to the ethical, sociological and physiological concerns to sum it up.

Why Not Synthetic?

• Upsets genetic expression in fetal development and adulthood
• Increases risk of reproductive cancers such as ovarian, uterine, and breast
• Decreases the natural immune response
• Exacerbates pre-existing auto-immune and endocrine issues
• Ethical concerns involving the production of and harmful environmental affects
• In-activates healthy stores of hormones already present

Consider Before any Hormone Treatment

• Insist on a complete and comprehensive saliva test measuring hormone levels
• Rule out thyroid and other endocrine issues
• Synthetic-proof your food and drinking water supply
• Treatment with bio-identical hormone replacement and lifestyle changes

Christine M. Dionese L.Ac. specializes in integrative medicine, medical journalism and is the VP of marketing at WellWire LLC. Visit her wellness and lifestyle blog, Reaching Beyond Now.

Photo by Hamed Saber.

Cancer.
ITP.
Burst appendix.
Hit and run.

That was 1989, not my greatest year. A life-threatening illness, a rare bleeding disorder, a burst appendix and infection. Then, to add injury to injury, as I was walking across Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, I was hit by a ’57 Chevy.

I was 32 and very fit, and I recovered, physically. Meanwhile I was thinking, Why me? Will I die? Will my doctors cure me? I wasn’t thinking, I want to become a naturopathic doctor and work with cancer patients. But I did.

And it was during this time in my life, from 1989 to 1996, that I began to think like a doctor. I began to question life, death, medicine, the strength and fragility of my body, and the influence of my mind and spirit. Most importantly, I sought out my own answers when the answers presented weren’t satisfying, lasting, or curative. Quite simply, my illnesses forced me to think outside of the box.

So, I applied to naturopathic medical school. I didn’t know what to expect. In my first week of lectures at the National College of Natural Medicine, my world rocked. Dr. Zeff was teaching a totally new way of medicine: it made perfect sense but I had never heard it presented in this way: the body knows how to heal.

It sounded simple, natural and beautiful. As I heard him talk, and as I watched him pound the podium with his fist, I realized that he knew things that I wanted to know. I asked to be his student and he graciously agreed. I apprenticed with him outside of medical school for 5 years, and something came to light: A knowing that people can heal and a sense of how it happens. I knew it in the marrow of my bones that every one has, at any moment, the possibility to heal.

But when I began my own medical practice, an interesting thing began to happen, especially after the first few years when I thought I had enough experience to really understand cancer treatment and natural medicine. I began to question and examine my dogma–my stringent beliefs and exclusive commitment to my ideas about what natural medicine was, and how it should be practiced. My dogma was being challenged because my clinical experience did not match my ideas of how things should be–how natural medicine was accepted in oncology, what patients could and would do with natural therapies, and of course the outcomes. More than I liked, I saw people die. It made me question. Did my interventions make a difference? When they died, did I fail? How about if they died in peace? Slowly, I had to question the black and white world of curing, and entertain the very real and very uncertain world of healing, but now in the role of doctor. If I could not cure cancer, what was I doing? If I was involved in the healing process, what was I doing, and why was I doing it? There was a lot of uncertain territory ahead.

After 11 years of walking in this uncertain territory, this is what I am certain of: I don’t absolutely know what is right or wrong for any given patient at any given time. I don’t always know if I can help and some days now I don’t know if I even need to help, other than to listen. I do know that Grace, or magic, or healing, or whatever you call it, exists. I know that I am a part of that process but also that I am not–a doctor is both witness and participant.

I have seen the exact same diagnosis turn some people’s lives into hell, and some people’s lives into heaven.

I think that medicine is the profession where people pay to heal you.

I think that when I don’t need to heal anymore, I will cease being a doctor.

I think healing is knowing deep in the marrow of your bones that there is nothing to do, nothing to change, nothing to fix, and then doing absolutely everything you can to make it better. Some days that makes me scared and some days that makes me smile. Today, it makes me smile.

Dr. Ken Weizer has a hospital-based naturopathic practice in the Providence Integrative Medicine Cancer Centers, teaches oncology at the National College of Natural Medicine, and lectures on cancer care at Nike. He lives in a co-housing community in Portland, Oregon where he is slowly but surely learning to cook.

Courtesy of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Radon is an odorless, colorless, tasteless gas formed from the natural breakdown of uranium. The gas is found naturally in certain soils around the United States. It enters buildings through cracks in concrete floors and walls, and especially builds up in basements.

Decaying radon produces radioactive particles that can enter the lungs and cause damage, including cancer, over time. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) calls radon the second-leading cause of lung cancer after smoking.

The risk is greater in smokers and people with higher long-term exposure.

Natural emanations

Radon occurs everywhere, but some areas have soil types with higher levels. Do you live in a potentially high-radon area? The EPA has a national map of radon zones, as does the U.S. Geological Survey. Oregon’s Department of Health Services lists statistical radon levels by county and by zip code. These numbers don’t answer the question about your home, but can give you an idea of what’s going on around you.

Home radon testing

Home tests are easy and inexpensive. On-line coupons from the National Safety Council help defray costs, and detailed instructions are included in the test kits.

The first recommended test costs about $10. Place it in the living area of the lowest level of your house (usually the basement), leave it there for two to three days, and then send the kit into a lab for analysis. The more intensive, long-term test—only recommended if the shorter-term test comes up high—is $20 and stays in place for 90 days.

Radon levels are measured in picocuries per liter (pCi/L) of air. Outdoor air radon levels are usually 0.4 pCi/L, and indoor air in the United States averages about 1.3 pCi/L.

The EPA recommends action if your home test shows an average above 4 pCi/L. If short-term results are 4-10 pCi/L, a long-term test is recommended. If the average is higher, the EPA recommends a second short-term test to verify results. If the second test is still higher than 4 pCi/L, it’s time to find how radon’s entering your home and take steps to keep it out.

Knowledge is power

Knowledge conquers fear and action conquers despair so test your home and take action if necessary. Radon’s effects are cumulative, meaning the risks increase the longer and higher the exposure. The sooner you get your home tested and fixed, if necessary, the lower your risks will be.

Everyone in the United States is exposed to some level of radon every day. In fact, radon exposure is the biggest source of radiation exposure in the country, according to the EPA, five times greater than medical x-rays, for example. Radon is not benign, but it can be mitigated.

Fixing problems

Radon enters your home through cracks and joints in your foundation nearest the soil. The gas gets sucked in when, as is usually the case, air pressure inside the house is lower than air pressure outside. All radon mitigation systems involve increasing pressure inside the house so that radon stays out. Some methods involve sucking the radon out through a sump pump or under-slab pump. Others use fans to pull radon up through a pipe and release it outside. Installing these systems varies depending on the type of structure. Online cost estimates range from $800 to $2,500.

Health effects

Naturopathic philosophy holds that the body is wise in its responses to stressors, and that our bodies naturally want to move toward health. Naturopathic therapies promote optimal health by providing specific nutritional support, encouraging elimination of toxins on the organismal and cellular levels, and supporting healthy lung tissue.

Learn more

Oregon’s Department of Health Services has a special section devoted to radon, the Oregon Radiation Protection Services. Their site offers detailed information about the gas and its health risks, lists companies that measure and mitigate it, and offers test-kit coupons from that National Safety Council.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has “A Citizen’s Guide to Radon,” available in printed or on-line form, explaining what the gas does, how to test for it, what to do about it, and contacts for further information. See also EPA’s “Consumer’s Guide to Radon Reduction.”

Want to get geeky? Check out geological information on radon from the U.S. Geological Survey.

The National Safety Council also has a radon information page.

The EPA has a national map of radon zones, as does the U.S. Geological Survey. State health departments (find yours here) offer more detailed information about your area.

To talk to a real person about your issues, try these numbers:

• National Hispanic Indoor Air Quality Hotline: (866) 528-3187
• National Radon Hotline: (800) 767-7236
• National Radon Helpline:(800) 557-2366
• National Radon Fix-It Line: (800) 644-6999

Dr. Orna Izakson, ND, RH (AHG) is a naturopathic physician, herbalist, gardener and writer. She specializes in respiratory issues, mood and women's health at Celilo Natural Health Center in Portland, Oregon.

Photo by Debbie Schiel.

My favorite seed catalog came in today’s mail: organic Floriani red flint corn, green meat radish, Bolivian rainbow pepper, purple pac choy, ruby streaks mustard. These are the reasons I started gardening–I was awed by the incredible diversity of life I could sustain on my little corner of earth.

There were other reasons too. After my urban upbringing, I longed for the pastoral and bucolic ideal of self sufficiency and thriftiness. And certainly there were the political reasons: getting off the corporate-food trough while promoting biological diversity and personal health.

But what really pushed me past reading and into action was a full-color catalog that arrived one Winter’s day. I saw purple carrots, speckled lettuces, striped snappy string beans, and a bright orange tomato that turned out to be an eggplant! If your vegetable education came largely from mainstream supermarkets as mine once did, you’ll understand my shock. Who knew there were purple potatoes, or that we could grow Thomas Jefferson’s beans or the Anasazi’s corn?

These days I’m a passionate gardener and my garden supports over 100 species. Here’s why you should tend a garden, even if it’s just a couple of plants:

1. Get outdoors. Being outside can help many health conditions. The sunshine lightens most folks’ moods and helps produce immune-building Vitamin D. Researchers find that people living near green spaces have much lower rates of diseases including asthma, depression, heart disease, migraines, and even urinary-tract infections.
2. Eat healthier. At WellWire we’re always recommending that you eat the rainbow and gardening is one great way to do it. Vegetables begin losing nutritional value as soon as the plant is plucked and produce from your own garden travels the shortest distance between place and plate. Also, many soils around the country have some well known nutrient deficiency—in western Oregon it’s selenium—which you can address easily in your home garden. Feed your soil, feed your plants, feed yourself.
3. Love those vegetables. Gardening is a great way to convert knowledge about the health benefits of veggies into the action of eating them. Researchers consistently find that garden-based education in schools makes children more willing to try, like and eat a diversity of vegetables. The same trick works with picky adults, too…
4. Grow your own medicine. That lovely lavender you’re already growing can improve digestion and fight depression. Thyme makes a great ground cover and fights off lung infections. Garlic, onions and their relatives support the immune system and the heart. Even weedy dandelion is medicine, helping the liver and the kidneys. And so much of this is so easy to grow!
5. Be more community-oriented. Scientists have found that spending time outdoors changes people for the better. Read here about how gardening transformed the English town of Todmorden and its inhabitants, building food security, ecological sustainability and community spirit.
6. Pure joy. Part of a healthy life is making sure there’s joy in your life, every day. And that is one of the best reasons out there for gardening. For me, that’s about the wonder of nature’s colors and textures, and the sheer awe of actively and literally keeping history alive. And it’s a wonderful gift to share with your partner or kids.

So as the year’s darkest days settle in, take time by the real or virtual fire to go through the words and pictures of the seed catalogs and feed your dreams of summer. Here is a short list to get you started.

• Fedco Seeds, a Maine cooperative, offers great starter packets at fantastic prices.
• Horizon Herbs offers one of the largest selections of medicinal plant seeds.
• Native Seeds/SEARCH has a focus on traditional Southwestern crops including a huge variety of beans, corn and hot peppers.
• Seeds of Change was one of the first glossy proponents of growing heirloom seeds.
• Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds in Mansfield, Mo., boasts a catalog of 1400 varieties of vegetable and flower seeds.
• Heirloom Seeds in Pennsylvania.
• Southern Exposure Seed Exchange.

Happy garden planning!

Dr. Orna Izakson, ND, RH (AHG) is a naturopathic physician, herbalist, gardener and writer. She specializes in respiratory issues, mood and women's health at Celilo Natural Health Center in Portland, Oregon.

Photo by tijmen van dobbenburgh.

The media has propelled estrogen-mimicking chemical bisphenol A (BPA) to the forefront of health news. It’s ubiquitous, and it’s likely in your body.

The chemical, developed as an estrogen replacement, is commonly used to harden plastics such, most commonly polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. It’s been linked to various cancers, diabetes, heart disease and digestive problems. The polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins are often used in plastic helmets and goggles, computers, kitchen appliances, medical devices, adult toys, and the packaging for some foods and drinks—including soda cans, water bottles and baby bottles. This month Consumer Reports and the watchdogs at the Milwaukee, Wisc., Journal Sentinel found BPA leaching into commercially canned foods (it’s in the lining).

And last week Linda Birnbaum, director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program, told the Journal Sentinel that consumers should be concerned. Here’s a roundup that many products containing BPA, along with links to safer alternatives.

To learn more about BPA, read “Chasing Molecules: Poisonous Products, Human Health, and the Promise of Green Chemistry” by Elizabeth Grossman.

So what’s a health-conscious person to do? Eat more fresh food, of course. Or preserve your own in good old-fashioned glass jar. Here are some books that will teach you to safely and easily preserve the summer’s bounty from your garden, farmer’s market or local store.

• Stocking Up, 3rd Edition, by Carol Hupping is one of the most recommended books on safe canning and includes great recipes.
• Wild Fermentation, by Sandor Katz focuses on fermentation as a preservation method.
• Complete Guide to Home Canning and Preserving, the US Department of Agriculture’s classic.

Canning is fun for the whole family, and the results can make thoughtful, thrifty holiday and hostess gifts. It’s also clearly the healthiest choice.

Dr. Orna Izakson, ND, RH (AHG) is a naturopathic physician, herbalist, gardener and writer. She specializes in respiratory issues, mood and women's health at Celilo Natural Health Center in Portland, Oregon.

Photo by Nihan Aydin.

It’s the “most wonderful time of the year” and depression is rampant. Between the early darkness, family drama and financial stress that goes along with shopping season, many people find their mood taking a turn for the worse. Here are some tips for feeling better:

1. Exercise
Depression diminishes motivation. But getting off the couch can make a remarkable difference in your emotional resilience. Exercise literally changes the chemicals being made in your brain and how well those chemicals work. It doesn’t have to be intense and it doesn’t have to be very much. Even a brisk walk will help lift the clouds.

2. Get some sun
The winter’s lack of light makes lots of people feel low. The effect isn’t new—it’s been described since the 1800s. These days there’s a name and a cute acronym for it: seasonal affective disorder, or SAD.

Adding light can help. Outdoor, natural daylight is best, especially in the morning. But many companies also sell light boxes that researchers find really do help—even for summertime depression.

Photo by Nathalie Dulex.

3. You are how you eat
Author Michael Pollan said it best: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

Scientific research all over the map supports this. An October 2009 study in the Archives of General Psychiatry reported that a Mediterranean-style diet reduced depression (in addition to its well-known heart and anti-cancer benefits). They found that fruits, nuts, beans and fat from fish and olive oil all helped beat the blues.

Filling up with fresh fruits and veggies also has another happy side effect: reducing your exposure to mood-busting sugar and processed foods.

4. Up the fish oils
The long dark winters in Iceland don’t translate into high levels of depression there, and scientists think the reason is in the high-omega-3 fish the locals consume.

For people who are depressed, researchers have found significant improvements in mood after just two weeks of therapy with fish oil.

How does it work? The omega-3 oils reduce depression-causing inflammatory chemicals and improved cellular function, all of which make a happier brain.

5. Feed your microflora
The first-line prescription therapy for depression is a drugs that increases serotonin availability in the brain. Looking at the body as a whole, most serotonin is found in the gut, where it helps signal the movements needed to promote digestion.

We’re designed to make a lot of serotonin ourselves, with the help of foods and the healthy flora in our guts. Supporting that flora with probiotics—found in foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, live yogurt and miso—can help make more serotonin available to the whole body, including the brain.

Like fish oils, probiotics also reduce inflammation and oxidative stress that influence depression.

6. Try flower essences
Having flower essences on hand can offer a quick pick-me-up, or support long-term healing. Take four drops as needed, or four times daily in a little water over the longer term. They don’t interact with any other medications and the only possible concern is a tiny amount of alcohol.

Try Star of Bethlehem for dealing with grief and trauma. Sweet chestnut helps deep, dark despair and hopelessness. Pine relieves guilt. And willow helps when you feel resentful or sorry for yourself. For some sunshine in a bottle, try the Solstice Sun environmental essence from wild Alaska.

7. Read up
While there’s no substitute for talking with friends or professional counselors, reading can help you understand what’s going on and offer suggestions for helping yourself. Try “The Mood Cure” by Julia Ross, or “Depression Free, Naturally” by Joan Larson.

This psychologist-recommended website links to articles about natural health and a variety of mental health issues.

8. If you need help, get help
Sometimes the blues are transient, and simple home fixes like these are all you need. But if the darkness persists, remember that you are not alone. Naturopaths and psychologists are an important part of getting better.

If you’re battling the blues this holiday season, be sure to take some moments out to take care of you! And please share your own suggestions for beating the blues in the comment section.

Dr. Orna Izakson, ND, RH (AHG) is a naturopathic physician, herbalist, gardener and writer. She specializes in respiratory issues, mood and women's health at Celilo Natural Health Center in Portland, Oregon.

Photo by Bruce Foster.

Tis’ the season for giving thanks, huddling around an open fire and feasting with friends and family. This Thanksgiving, when you’re going back for more turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing, don’t forget the cranberry sauce or relish–the tangy side will cut through all those deliciously rich foods.

Cranberries, like many other colorful fruits and veggies, are packed with antioxidants which have gained celebrity status among health experts for their anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties.

Cranberries are a good source of vitamin C, fiber, manganese, vitamin K and have some great medicinal properties including the following:

• Cranberries increase urinary levels of an anti-bacterial acid called hippuric acid that inhibits the adherence of E. coli to the mucosal lining of the urinary tract and prevents or treats painful urinary tract infections (UTI). Note: do not drink cranberry juice that contains sugar when trying to prevent a UTI, as the sugar will feed the bacteria and allow the infection to flourish. Cranberry capsules or unsweetened juice works best. Due to it’s intense tart flavor, unsweetened cranberry juice is hard to drink for many, so I recommend diluting it with water when drinking for UTI prevention. Of course, consult with your doctor if you are experiencing pain with urination or blood in your urine.

• Contain proanthocyanadins which help to prevent plaque formation on teeth.

• Cranberries proanthocyanadins have been found to prevent cancer by blocking tumor growth.

• Research has found that cranberries help to reduce LDL levels and raise HDL levels, protecting against heart disease.  The anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of cranberries also decrease oxidation of cholesterol which also prevents atherosclerosis and decreases risk of heart disease.

• Shown in a test tube, to prevent breast cancer cells from multiplying.

• Regular consumption of cranberries has been shown to help kill H. pylori bacteria, a bacteria that can cause digestive problems, ulcers, and stomach cancer.

• May have anti-viral properties

• The high antioxidant content in cranberries helps to prevent age-related macular degeneration.

Remember, to get the maximum benefit from cranberry juice, always look for unsweetened juice. You can always add your own healthy natural sweetener. I like to sweeten my drinks with a bit of agave syrup because it dissolves easier than honey and doesn’t have a strong flavor like maple syrup.

For a fun cranberry spritzer, mix unsweetened cranberry juice with sparkling water, agave syrup to taste, and a spritz of lime! You can substitute cranberry juice with pomegranate juice. Here’s a recipe for a great gluten free cranberry chutney. Enjoy!

Dr. Nishant Rao is a co-founder of WellWire.com. He is a well-traveled naturopathic doctor and new father, practicing an integrative approach to create wellness in and around Los Angeles. Become a patient or discover his practice.