Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Periodontal Disease and Gingivitis Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Both gingivitis and periodontal disease are conditions in the mouth that involve an overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria. But just how are these 2 conditions related? What are the symptoms you may experience? How do you even develop …
Introduction to Dental Health Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Dental health may not seem like a topic that would come up in an Invite health blog series but here we are talking about dental health! Dental health, or in other words oral health, does not just …
Daily Detox- The Power to Cleanse your Cells
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Anyone who knows me can tell you how much I like Invite Health powders! In this blog I will be talking about one of my absolute favorites, Daily Detox powder! This powder is full of nutrients that are good for your liver and even your kidneys. Let’s review just a few of the top nutrients found in our Daily Detox, shall we?
Let’s start with something that most people may have heard of, that is Milk Thistle. What do the studies have to say about Milk Thistle? Well a 2021 study found that using Milk Thistle helps to improve liver function in those with NAFLD. One theory proposed for how it works is by reducing inflammation and thus helps to reduce the liver damage. (1) In a 2014 study it was found that using milk thistle may help to extend life expectancy in those with cirrhosis. (2) While most people have heard of using milk thistle for liver health I bet you haven’t heard that it is also good for our kidney health! In fact studies have found that milk thistle has beneficial effects in those with diabetic nephropathy! (3) Preliminary studies have also found indications that milk thistle may help with memory, bone health and even our blood sugar. (4) As you can see milk thistle has a number of benefits for our overall health.
The next nutrient in Daily Detox is MSM. Studies have found that using MSM can help to reduce liver changes that are associated with NAFLD and even hepatic steatosis. MSM has also been found to help with blood sugar in diabetics. Controlling blood sugar when you have diabetes is important for many reasons, including our liver and kidney health. (5)
Another important nutrient in Daily Detox is dandelion root. I bet that you’re thinking but Dr. Claire isn’t that a weed that grows in my yard?? Well technically yes it is however it also has benefits for our overall health too. In fact studies have found that dandelion can help with certain GI disorders including but not limited to liver disease, gallstones and even pancreatitis. (6) Studies have also found that dandelion use can improve kidney health in those with damage caused by diabetes. (7) As you can see while dandelion may be “just a weed” that grows in your yard it is a fantastic nutrient four our health.
Chlorella is another nutrient in Daily Detox. Chlorella has been found to help with detoxing heavy metals from our body. (8) Another nutrient that helps with detox is watercress. Studies have found that watercress can help detox environmental toxins out of our body. (9)
Other nutrients in Daily Detox include Green Tea and NAC. Both of these have been blogged about by me before so I’ll just refer you to those blogs! Other nutrients that are good for our liver health and detox that are found in Daily Detox include Glycine (10), Ellagic Acid (11) and DL Methionine. (12)
As you can see Daily Detox is just chockfull of powerful nutrients! But how do you even use it? Well just like with any of our other powders you can simply mix it into water or you can simply mix it into any milk of your choice for a yummy strawberry flavored drink. You can even add it to yogurt or applesauce for a treat. As I always say get creative and have fun!
Our next blog will be on cirrhosis.
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Cancer Related Fatigue Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND I wanted to talk about cancer related fatigue because it’s so common in those who have cancer. It can also be difficult to work with because there can be a number of reasons why a person feels …
Green Tea, our most common questions!!! Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Green Tea is probably one supplement that everyone has heard of! It’s probably been written about by almost everyone, including me! So why write about it again you ask? Well it’s recently come to …
Opportunistic Infections
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
What do we mean by the phrase opportunistic infections? Well it is exactly what it sounds like, it is an infection that takes the opportunity to grow when your immune system is compromised. Some types of cancer and cancer treatments can weaken our immune system. One way that this occurs is by reducing the ability of the bone marrow to make the white blood cells that fight infections. One example of a low white blood count is called neutropenia, or low neutrophils.
Now I’m sure you have heard that our skin is covered with bacteria and other “bad guys”. Normally these bacteria aren’t a problem. However for someone with a compromised immune system the bacteria or viruses on the skin and in the digestive system can make them sick.
I bet your first thought is so Doctor Claire exactly what type of “bad guys” make us sick when we have a compromised immunity? Well there are 4 types of bad guys that cause infection. These include bacteria, viruses, fungal infections and protozoal infections.
Of these 4 different types of bad guys bacteria have been found to be the most common in those with cancer. These bacteria include Staph, Strep, Pseudomonas, C. Diff, E.coli and Listeria. Symptoms that indicate that you may have a bacterial infection can include upset stomach, stomach pain, and change in appetite, diarrhea and even a fever.
In addition to bacteria viruses’ can also be a common infection if you are exposed to them. These can include the viruses’ that cause the common cold, the flu, Varicella (chicken pox virus), Herpes virus, Cytomegalovirus virus and Coronavirus. Viruses in general can cause fever, muscle aches, coughs, headaches and sore throat. Herpes as we know can cause cold sores or genital sores. (1) For more information please see the blog on Herpes written by Allie Might. Varicella or chicken pox can also cause raised bumps on the skin as well as small fluid –filled blisters. After a few days these will form crusts and scabs. (2)
One of the most common fungal infections that can occur in cancer patients is Candida. You may have heard of an infection in the mouth called thrush. This is another name for fungal Candida in your body. In addition to affecting your mouth thrush can also grow in your vagina or on your penis. Thrush usually looks like a white patch with read and sore skin. Less common fungal infections include Aspergillosis and Pneumocystis.
Toxoplasmosis is a type of protozoa that can infect our brain if we have a compromised immune system. (1) This usually spreads via undercooked meat or exposure to cat feces. The symptoms of a protozoa infection include fever, swollen lymph nodes, headaches, muscle aches, rash, eye pain, poor vision and floaters. For those with a compromised immune system it can also cause brain inflammation or encephalitis. This can present with confusion, poor coordination, muscle weakness, seizures and even changes in alertness. (3)
One dangerous side effect of having an opportunistic infection during cancer is an increase in the risk of developing sepsis. If you suspect you have sepsis go to the hospital. Sepsis is very dangerous. People can and do die from it. Some signs to be mindful of include slurred speech, confusion, extreme shivering or muscle pain, passing no urine (in a day), severe breathlessness, it feels like you’re going to die, skin mottled or discolored. SEPSIS is the acronym to help you remember the symptoms. (4)
Opportunistic infections can also leave to patients having to either reduce treatments or even stop treatments. It is important to support our immune system the best we can.
During treatments:
After treatments – I usually recommend the following after your treatments in order to avoid any possible interactions with the different cancer treatments.
Our product highlight will feature Green Tea and the most common questions I get asked about it!
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