Vitamin D Expert Dr. Matthews – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 566
Do you know someone that is an athlete with a concussion? Tune if for a podcast with a special host Dr. Matthews, surgeon and vitamin D specialist.
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The Twisted Red Strawberry Smoothie – Healthy & Helpful Tips With Melissa
Join our 6 weeks of weeks of crazy colorful smoothies! The first one being the amazing Red smoothie. made with Melissa Bistricer, trained Chef and Dietitian.
What Supplement Is Good For Hair, Skin, Nails, And Joint Health?
Written By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT
For further questions or concerns email me at carcidiacono@invitehealth.com
Everyone’s heard of collagen. It’s typically associated with cosmetic fillers and beauty products. However, collagen is also an essential nutrient as it is vital to every part of the body. This is due to the benefits collagen has for the connective tissues.†
What Exactly Is Collagen?
Well, collagen is a protein that helps to make up the body and is sourced from bovine (cow), fish and chicken to make the supplements we use. The most common types are type 1, 2 and 3 as they have specific functions. Types 1 and 3 are helpful for hair, skin, nails, bones and the muscular system. Type 2 is most commonly used to help the cartilage within the joints.†
When it comes to healthy hair, skin and nails, collagen always seems to be the first nutrient looked at, for good reason. It is needed to help strengthen the nails, which helps them grow and keep any breaks and splitting to a minimum. It also helps to nourish the hair follicle to allow for hair growth and strengthens the hair to avoid brittle strands. Many skin care products contain marine collagen, useful to maintain a youthful appearance. It is needed to help smooth (or avoid as much as possible) fine lines and wrinkles, heal scarring and even adds elasticity to the skin. Collagen also can aid in the hydration of the skin to help combat dry, flaky skin. Establishing a good skincare routine that includes collagen can set up a lifetime of healthy skin.†
SUMMER THE MEDITERRANEAN WAY FOR HEALTHY SKIN – INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 552 >> Listen now!
Whether it’s through the normal aging process, an injury or even a surgical procedure, the muscular system (which includes muscles, tendons and ligaments) can really experience a lot of trauma. While collagen is needed to help maintain the strength and flexibility of these tissues, it can also help in recovery. Studies have shown that adding collagen a couple days after surgery can be effective in the healing process. Collagen can help to heal the wound, as well as strengthen the tissues.†
Collagen is an important part of the bones. It is the foundation of the bone matrix, allowing the calcium to “stick” and form bone. Approximately 40% of our bones are made up of water and matrix, with 90% of the matrix to be collagen. The collagen is quite strong and aids in the formation of bone and cartilage. This is important for healing from breaks and fractures, as well as to strengthen the bones due to osteopenia and osteoporosis. These issues can arise through the normal aging process, causing lower bone density and brittle bones, making collagen a perfect companion to calcium and magnesium.†
BONE HEALTH BASICS – INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 405 >> Listen now!
Collagen is needed by every part of the body for varying reasons. It is effective supplement for aging and healing damaged tissues. Incorporating skincare products with natural ingredients and collagen, as well as adding our powdered Collagen HxⓇ (my go-to option) into water, plain yogurt or even a nutritious smoothie can put anyone on the path to a strong, healthy body.†
Sources
https://www.getthedose.com/blog/bovine-collagen-vs-marine-collagen
https://www.drugwatch.com/health/collagen/types/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/collagen-vs-biotin#best-for-hair
https://www.webmd.com/beauty/marine-collagen
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3602539/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2790195/
https://www.healthline.com/health/osteoarthritis/osteopenia-vs-osteoporosis
What The Heck Is Collagen? – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 565
You keep hearing the buzz work Collagen? Well to learn more listen to the podcast all about collagen by Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT.
Informative Session With Cardiologist Dr. Davis – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 564
Cardiologist Subscribe Today! Please see below for a complete transcript of this episode. Informative Session With Cardiologist Dr. Davis – InViteⓇ Health Podcast, Episode 564 Hosted by Amanda Williams, MD, MPH. *Intro music* InViteⓇ Health Podcast Intro: Welcome to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast, where our …
Digestive Health, Part 3 On Blood Tests
Written by Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
For further questions or concerns email me at carcidiacono@invitehealth.com†
Digestive Health affects practically everyone who eats and goes to the bathroom. Everyone knows about colonoscopies for digestive health. If you watch television you probably know about the new at home test! But there’s so much more to be done when it comes to testing the digestive tract. The test s are broken down into the following categories: blood tests, breath tests, stool tests and “structural” exams. There are so many different tests for digestive health, I will cover the most commonly run blood tests for digestive health as well as the most commonly done breath tests. †
Blood Tests Done For Digestive System
Liver function tests which can be done to make sure the liver is healthy. There are some tests that can help to check for gallbladder health as well as liver health. Liver tests include Serum Alkaline Phosphatase Test, Alanine Transaminase (ALT) Test, Aspartate Transaminase (AST) Test, Serum Albumin Test and INR. For both the gallbladder and liver, the Serum Bilirubin Test and Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase (GGT) can be done. † (1)
Celiac disease can be done by testing for gluten antibodies. The thing to note is if you haven’t eaten gluten in a long time, this test can give a false negative. The body will stop making antibodies to process gluten if none has been present for a long period of time. †
Helicobacter Pylori can also be found by testing for the presence of antibodies. There is also a breath test for this!
Food allergies can be determined via IgE antibodies. This is slightly different from food sensitivities, which can be found via IgG antibodies. General food allergies tend to be more severe in reactions than food sensitivities. † (2)
Lactose Tolerance Test is a blood test that looks for the digestive breakdown products of lactose in the blood. The breath test is the preferred method to determine lactose intolerance. †(3)
Anti-Saccharomyces Cerevisiae antibodies can indicate Crohn’s disease, since they’re often seen. †
Other routine blood work that can be helpful include testing for Anemia as well as testing the white blood cells. †(4)
C- reactive protein can be helpful as a maker for inflammation in the digestive system. †(5)
CHRONIC INFLAMMATION, PART 1 – INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 498 >> Listen now!
Breath tests are very interesting; done by measuring gases in the breath. The hydrogen breath test measures hydrogen levels produced after consuming a particular sugar. You go and give a baseline breath and then you consume a sugar – usually lactose, fructose, sucrose, sorbitol, glucose or lactulose. The type of sugar used changes depending on what is being tested. After a certain period of time, you will give several breath samples to measure the hydrogen produced. If the hydrogen is high, it means you aren’t digesting that particular sugar well. Lactose, fructose, and sorbitol all test for an intolerance. While a breath test is the best way to rule out lactose intolerance, a blood test is still an option. Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) is tested using glucose as the sugar. Additionally, hydrogen breath tests can be done to determine if rapid transit time is occurring. This is where the food goes through the GI tract faster than normal. †
The H pylori Test checks for carbon dioxide to determine the presence of H pylori, a bacteria commonly associated with acid reflux. Blood tests for H pylori antibodies can be done; however, they are not as accurate as the breath test since it can’t differentiate between current and past infections. During this test, rather than consume sugar, you normally consume a solution made up of carbon molecules. In summary, breath tests are done most often to help with determining lactose intolerance, certain sugar intolerance’s, SIBO, H pylori as well as rapid transit time. †(6)
Next week, we’ll be covering stool tests as well as physical exams like colonoscopies. †
Sources
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/common-liver-tests
https://ukhealthcare.uky.edu/digestive-health-program/diagnosis/blood-tests
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003500.htm
https://www.mycrohnsandcolitisteam.com/resources/crohns-disease-diagnosis-and-testing
https://www.nature.com/articles/ncpgasthep0359
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/12360-hydrogen-breath-test
