Terrain Clinic

09/06/2020

Who’s heard of seed cycling? 🙋🏻‍♀️

The general idea is that you’re using various seeds to support your hormones throughout your cycle, which helps to balance and regulate your cycle. It may sound woo woo but it works!

What do you need?
-Organic flax seeds (whole seeds)
-Organic pumpkin seeds (no shell)
-Organic sesame seeds
-Organic pumpkin seeds (no shell)
-A way of grinding the seeds prior to consumption (coffee grinder or blender)
-A fridge or freezer to store the seeds to assure max quality

How does it work?
Days 1-14 of our cycle is known as our Follicular Phase. During this phase the main focus is on supporting ESTROGEN. If you have no idea what “Day 1” means, it’s the first day of your menstrual cycle. During these 14 days the goal is to consume 1 tablespoon of the flax seeds and 1 tablespoon of pumpkin seeds daily.

Days 15-28 of our cycle is known as our Luteal Phase. During this phase the goal is to support PROGESTERONE. During these days you’ll want to consume 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds and 1 tablespoon of sunflower seeds daily.

If your cycle is ALL over the place or you’re not menstruating, you’ll want to use the moon as your guide for when to start the different seeds. Yes, I know this may also sound woo woo but our cycles do indeed naturally sync up with the moon. So if you don’t have a normal cycle consider your Day 1 the day of the new moon and your Day 15 the day of the full moon.

Why does this work?
-Both flaxseeds and pumpkin seeds contain phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens are very similar in structure to our own estrogen hormone so they have regulating abilities on estrogen metabolism. In addition to the phytoestrogen properties, seeds are naturally rich in fiber which can help to bind any excess estrogen in the gut to prevent it from being reabsorbed back into circulation.
-Sesame seeds have been used effectively for infrequent menstruation to induce a healthy period and also to boost progesterone production. Sunflower seeds are very high in vitamin E which also increases progesterone production by improving corpus luteal blood flow.

08/26/2020

HYPOthyroidism, is the most common thyroid disorder. However, lately we are starting to see an increase in a less common thyroid disease called HYPERthyroidism.

Hyperthyroidism is the opposite of hypothyroidism. This occurs when the thyroid gland becomes overactive and begins to produce too much thyroid hormone.

Symptoms of hyperthyroidism include anxiety, tremors, excessive sweating, bulging eyes, heat intolerance, heart palpitations, weight loss, insomnia, fatigue, and diarrhea.

The most common form of hyperthyroidism is called Graves’ disease, which is an autoimmune disease.

Conventional treatment focuses on suppressing the thyroid function, in hopes that it eventually returns to normal. Sometimes it does, but for many individuals, they can have lingering effects and symptoms. It’s important to identify the underlying cause and if there is in fact an autoimmune process occurring.

Certain bacterial infections (H. pylori, Y. Enterocolytica) can actually trigger the autoimmune process of Grave’s disease. This is commonly overlooked because these bacteria cause digestive diseases like reflux, ulcers and severe diarrhea.

So what do bacteria that cause digestive diseases have to do you with your thyroid?

When your immune system begins to attack these bacteria, the antibodies formed against the bacteria can cross-react with receptors on your thyroid gland, thus triggering the thyroid to make more hormone.

Comprehensive microbiome testing is critical in these situations to assess if these bacteria (or others) are triggering the auto-immune process.

When treatment just focuses on dampening the thyroid function, it neglects addressing the underlying cause. We focus on getting our hyperthyroid clients symptomatic relief while also addressing the underlying cause. The bacterial triggers are just one component and there are many other factors that can trigger Grave’s disease. Some other triggers can be viral infections, anxiety and high stress levels.

PMID: 21073613, 3017619

04/04/2020

If you have a loved one that is a healthcare worker or first responder who you think could use a little extra TLC right now please pass along the information that we are offering free 30 minute virtual consults (phone or video) during the months of April and May in light of supporting those directly affected by COVID19.

Potential areas we could support:
-Stress
-Immune support
-Self care
-Nutrition
-Sleep
-Venting (we are great listeners!)

If you or a loved one falls into this category and is interested in booking an appointment please email us at office@terrainclinic.com or you can visit our website www.terrainclinic.com to virtually book an appointment.

Sending lots of love and healing energy to everyone during this time - Dr. Galante & Dr. Boyd

03/17/2020

We hope everyone is staying healthy and centered during this time.

We want you to know that we are still available to you and offering both phone and video consultations to help provide you care in the comfort of your home.

Use this time to connect with others at home, indulge in some extra (much needed) self-care, and rediscover what sparks joy in your life.

Be prepared but not fearful. We are here to support you in any way we can!

Give us a call or text if you’d like to schedule an appointment or free 15 minute discovery call 👉🏻703-269-0589

01/23/2020

Breast cancer accounts for about 1/3 of all female cancers. If detected early there is an 85% chance of survival compared to only a 10% chance if detected late.

That being said, early detection is vital to ensuring a long life of healthy and happy b***s.

Women are typically recommended to begin getting a mammogram done after age 40. Mammograms are currently the gold standard in the medical community for breast cancer screening.

There are a few big issues when it comes to mammograms:

1. The first is the most obvious and that is that it exposes women to radiation. And yes, maybe it’s not a mega-dose of radiation but radiation causes DNA damage and DNA damage is at the root of why cancer occurs so why the hell would be want to be exposing our breasts to something that causes DNA damage when the whole point is preventing DNA damage?

2. In women less than 35 years old, it is only able to diagnose less than 2% of breast cancers making it a very poor diagnostic tool for this large age group (hence why it’s not recommended until after 40).

3. False positives. According to a study in 2017, the false positive diagnosis rate for women after having a mammogram every year for 10 years was 49.1%.

4. They are less effective for women with dense breasts (which is the category I fall into, thanks mom). All “dense breasts” means is that you have more fibrous and glandular tissue rather than having more fat tissue like non-dense breasts would have. When breasts are dense, they can mask the visibility of tumors that may be developing within the tissue.

Infrared breast thermography is an especially useful screening tool in younger women and women with very dense breasts. Thermography works by identifying areas of the body where the surface temperature is increased by using an infrared camera. These temperature increases can be caused by increased blood flow and increased cellular activity that may correlate to pre-cancerous or tumor activity. In short, tumors are more metabolically active than normal tissue so they generate more heat.

In individuals with healthy breasts containing no tumors, the surface temperature of both breast is almost identical. When there is a tumor, fibrosis, inflammation, or an infection the temperature between the two breasts are altered and no longer the same.

The detection of a temperature change is how the thermogram can help to identify any early breast abnormalities and allow an individual to take action to prevent cancer from ever developing rather than waiting for a mammogram to identify a tumor when it is too late to prevent.

Women with increased vasculature in a breast are 7x more likely to develop breast cancer, so why not utilize a tool that can help identify this increased vasculature before it actually becomes cancer?

Infrared breast thermography can detect the first signs of tumor development 8-10 years before a mammogram can.

Thermograms are also starting to be used to identify inflammation in other areas of the body such as the intestines for cases of inflammatory bowel disease (think Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis), oral cavities and the neck for cases post dental surgeries, mercury filling removal, and also in autoimmune thyroid disease.

With thermography you have the option of getting a scan done of the entire body, the upper half of your body, or only your breasts and the bonus is that it’s very affordable.

At our office we have a certified thermographer come into the office every couple of months to offer thermograms. If you’re local reach out to me if you’d like to book an appointment or check out who is offering them in your location!

P.S. I am in no way claiming that thermography should take the place of a mammogram. Your course of action is for yourself and the physician you are working with to decide. I am just here to inform and spread awareness.

PMID: 30149621

***s

01/13/2020

Important read if almonds are abundant in your diet!

Bees are essential to the functioning of America’s titanic almond industry – and billions are dying in the process

12/30/2019

Please consider donating a small amount for the licensing effort to provide naturopathic medical care in Virginia!

Shouldn’t everyone have access to the quality Naturopathic medical care that you and your family have? Please help make this a reality for ALL Virginians today! In order to provide all Virginians with access to naturopathic medical care, the VAANP (Virginia Association of Naturopathic Physicians) ...

12/03/2019

Looking to build up the strength of your bones? Yoga is your answer.

Assess the effectiveness of selected yoga postures in raising bone mineral density (BMD).Ten-year study of 741 Internet-recruited volunteers comparing preyoga BMD changes with postyoga BMD changes.Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometric scans. Optional radiographs ...

10/20/2019

If you are using this product with your child, it's time to toss it.

Johnson & Johnson has announced that it's initiating a voluntary recall in the United States of a specific lot of its popular Johnson's Baby Powder due to low levels of asbestos contamination.