 Obesity is a prevalent disease in Western Society today. Over the past two decades, the incidence of obesity has increased and is reaching epidemic proportions. The results of the most recent National Health and Nutrition Examination survey indicates that close to 60% of Americans are overweight with 25% being obese and as many as 1.6 million Americans have extreme obesity (BMI>40). As our body fat increases, our life expectancy starts to decline. Over the next few decades the life expectancy for the average American could decline by as much as 5 years unless aggressive efforts are made to slow the rising rates of obesity. If the current trends continue close to 100% of the US population will be obese by the year 2230. We now know that obesity and insulin resistance often go together. Insulin should be measured on traditional blood work, but it is most often overlooked by Physcians. Patients who are being very careful about their carbohydrate intake might have insulin levels on their blood work of less than 2.0; this is actually very good and could be noted on the lab test results as being too low. A low number is indicative that the pancreas is not being overworked and that you are at a very low risk of developing diabetes. An insulin level above 5 should be considered elevated and you should consult with your Doctor. When writing blood work prescriptions for patients I will always make sure that I include fasting insulin levels in addition to many other markers often overlooked by conventional medicine. Obesity is associated with metabolic syndrome, hypertension, coronary heart disease, arthritis and many other chronic disease of aging. If you want to live a long, healthy life, than optimal body composition is mandatory to achieve that goal. My #1 recommended product to help patients lose weight is The VegeMeal Plus™ Lean Body Program by Designs For Health. This is designed to support healthy weight loss and successful weight maintenance by helping individuals lose fat while maintaining lean muscle. The program is easy to follow, which translates into high compliance and great outcomes. The simple steps to success are highlighted in the patient guidebook, which is included in every program kit. Let Dr. Banks help you achieve this by joining us in a Weight Loss Challenge during the month of February. Jump-start now to slim down from the winter and get ready for spring. Call our office today to learn more about the challenge! 631-271-0770 If you're interested in just ordering the program, click the image below to create an account and order your items! Fullscript offers HUNDREDS of items and FREE SHIPPING over $50! 
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The inspiration behind the machine was derived using NASA technology to create the first‐ever sports medicine and post‐op recovery device that simultaneously delivers active pneumatic compression and adjustable cold therapies.
Game Ready features patented ACCEL Technology (Active Compression & Cold Exchange Loop) to help accelerate recovery. Integrated active compression and cold therapies reduce pain and swelling, minimize muscle spasms, enhance lymphatic function, and encourage oxygenated blood flow — all to stimulate natural healing. The Game Ready has an extensive presence in the professionalsports arena including the NFL, NBA, MLB, MLS and the NHL. I am proud to announce that we now have this great technology available to our patients in our office. The unit is equipped to provide therapies for the neck, mid‐back and low back. In addition I have custom wraps to fit shoulders, elbows, wrists, fingers, hips, groin, knees, ankles and the foot. From personal experience and tremendous feedback from patients it makes ice therapy easy. Spinal decompression therapy followed by 15 minutes of the Game Ready is a game changer and has helped herniated disc patients recover much quicker. Whatever joint in your body has been injured from sports, auto‐accidents, from the workplace or wear and tear from the aging process, the combination of compression and cryotherapy is a home run. Game Ready helps patient’s recover in less than half the time without the use of toxic pharmaceutical drugs for extended periods of time. Aromatase is an enzyme found in increased amounts in fibroids, endometriosis and breast cancer cells. The key to aromatase management is phytochemical complexity from fruits and vegetables. Research has shown plant based chemicals in food inhibit human aromatase. This simple fact helps improve breast health and reduces one’s chance of developing breast cancer. In addition to a plant-based diet, I personally use I3C or DIM (diindolylmethane) to assist in reducing aromatase with my patients.
There are certain genes to be investigated through blood or saliva. These include: MTHFR, CYP 1B1, COMT and GSTP +/-. I feel that the genes load the gun and the environment pulls the trigger. We live in a very toxic world. Toxicity is metabolized through different pathways. Also for consideration are the timing of vulnerability, the influence of multiple chemical exposures and the effect of low dose toxicity. According to the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research, 2009, more than 50% of cancers have a nutritional component in their etiology. We are talking about organochlorinated pesticides, herbicides including atrazine and glyphosate (Roundup), plastics and plasticizers, fuels, PBDE’s (flame retardants), Dioxin, Teflon, phthalates, air fresheners, cosmetics, personal additives, and heavy metals. The maker of Tamoxifen and Arimidex is AstraZeneca. This company is the main sponsor of Breast Cancer awareness month. The joke is their subsidiary company, Syngenta makes Atrazine! This is an herbicide that causes human cancers. You must be kidding me!!! These are the companies selling both pharmaceuticals and pesticides: AstraZeneca Aventis Dow Chemical DuPont Merck Monsanto Novartis Pharmacia This is Dr. Banks’s nutritional therapy in dealing with estrogen imbalance and how to deal with excess estrogen in the body.
Eliminate: Sugar, caffeine, alcohol and junk food Toxic chemicals and xenoestrogens Hormonal imbalance Stress Avoid unnecessary drugs and artificial hormones If you have any questions or concerns about your lifestyle choices, please feel free to contact me about a nutritional consultation. I am a Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner and am here to help you add years to your life and life to your years. The following are several key principles:
· Exposure to synthetic environmental toxins is widespread, increasing and lifelong. · The total body burden of these toxins can act synergistically to cause physiological dysfunction. · This dysfunction can lead to chronic illnesses in susceptible individuals. · Susceptibility is largely defined by an individual’s ability to bio transform, detoxify and eliminate exogenous (environmental) and endogenous (from within) toxins. · Lifestyle, diet and nutraceuticals can enhance detoxification, prevent disease and restore health. I attended a symposium this past year in NYC and had the opportunity to hear Philip Landrigan, MD, M.Sc. speak. His statement stuck in my mind, “What typically will happen is smart chemists will develop a new product, see that it has useful properties, put it into consumer goods and the chemical then gets disseminated widely in the marketplace. Typically ten, fifteen or twenty years later, scientists begin to realize that this chemical is really quite toxic.” Over long periods of time, small daily doses of multiple contaminants, such as persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals, pesticides/insecticides and our own metabolic waste, have cumulative detrimental effects on physiological pathways that can eventually impair health and cause disease. Chemicals combine in our bodies, but are rarely tested that way. The combination of all these toxins is known as total toxic load. The exposome is combined exposures from all sources that reach our internal environment. In my practice I help patients implement the detox core food plan. This will provide patients with specific instructions on how to choose a healthy distribution of diverse phyto-nutrients. Dietary intervention will optimize detoxification pathways in my patients that I suspect have toxicity and impaired detoxification. A high dietary intake of vegetables and fruits results in a reduced dietary net acid load (and improved alkalization) and indirectly improves the detoxification processes. In combination with a colorful diet I often will add a medical food and several key nutraceuticals that are well researched to assist the body in eliminating harmful toxins. A high quality medical food will optimize bio transformation and the clearance of xenobiotics. You may wish to consider the following: · Metagenics Ultra Clear Renew® · Metagenics Clear Change™ Daily Essentials · Metagenics Clear Change™ 10 day Program · Dr. Banks Functional Solutions Microbiome Support Go slow and ensure a safe, healthy detoxification program. For more information on detox solutions, please visit www.spinelife.com . There are alternatives that can help you get through the season without taking OTC and prescription drugs. These drugs might make you feel better, but come with a long list of side effects. For children these side effects include, nervousness, wheezing, fatigue, hyperkinesia, abdominal pain, conjunctivitis, dysphonia and upper respiratory tract infection. For adults and children over the age of 12, the side effects include, headache, insomnia, dry mouth, somnolence, nervousness, dizziness and fatigue.
Flonase a popular nasal spray is associated with bloody or unexplained nosebleeds, shortness of breath, headache and vomiting. Overuse can lead to blindness. There is a better way that has no side effects and is quite effective in reducing symptoms. It will not kill you, make you tired, give you a headache or make you go blind. I recommend three specific formulas: 1. AllerDHQ incorporates bioflavonoids, micronutrients, proteolytic enzymes, and herbs into a comprehensive formula that provides multifaceted support for individuals with immune imbalances. Dihydroquercetin, a key component in Allergy Rescue, inhibits oxidation, is bioactive and highly absorbable. Allergy Rescue supports patients with elevated histamine and irritation due to common environmental allergens. 2. ProbioMax ENT is a chewable, strawberry flavored probiotic that activates in the oral cavity to support ear, nose and throat health. By supporting mucosal membranes with friendly flora, symptoms will be greatly reduced. 3. Immune Protect is a proline rich polypeptide spray is an immune modulating formula that will quite inflammation and boost your immune response so that allergies will not manifest as symptoms. I have found the above combination to be very effective in reducing symptoms without any unwanted side effects. If you would like more information, please visit my online store at www.spinelife.com for information on how to order these products We could write an entire book and devote a conference to this most important subject, but for the purpose of this blog I will keep it short and sweet.
Methylation is a process that occurs in the body millions of time per day. In this process, a single carbon plus three hydrogens known as a methyl group is applied to facilitate many crucial functions in the body. Methylation is critical in repairing DNA, removal of environmental and metabolic toxins plus boosting your immune system just to name a few. Methylation defects are associated with estrogen related cancers (breast, ovarian, prostate etc.), stroke, cardiovascular events, depression, anxiety, Alzheimer’s, autism and many autoimmune disorders. Defects in methylation reduce your ability to detoxify. Neurotransmitters such as adrenaline, dopamine and serotonin need to be broken down and eliminated. Methylation defects such as the C677T and the A1298C regardless if homozygous or heterozygous needs to be addressed. This is an overlooked health crisis in mainstream medicine. Why? I hate to sound cynical, but if there were a drug to address the genetic polymorphisms and treat elevated homocysteine then everyone would know about it. For a minimal amount of money, one can address their genetic uniqueness with a personalized protocol. Whenever I perform an initial blood workup on my Functional Medicine clients I always include this genetic profile. Once it is determined which genotype you express, we then customize an individual protocol. The good news is, this test is covered under most insurance plans including Medicare. Glutathione levels are always evaluated on traditional blood work and confirmed with Functional testing. If levels are low we would then treat. Low levels of glutathione are often associated with the MTHFR genetic trait. Low levels of glutathione can contribute too many disorders including Alzheimer's, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. The most important nutrients to address the MTHFR genotype with or without elevated levels of homocysteine are:
Genetic polymorphisms are very common. When you know your genotype you now have the ability to modify that genetic expression with the correct nutritional and lifestyle intervention. Just because you have the genes does not mean you will get a specific disorder. Genes are pleomorphic meaning they can express themselves differently based on how well you treat them. Coming soon, Dr. Banks Functional Medicine Solutions!! |
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