PIVOT Integrative Consulting, LLC

12/10/2025

Discover the power of winter produce with our cozy whole-food, plant-based recipes! These dishes are designed to keep you warm while tasting great. Check out the full blog for recipes! https://wix.to/yelkM0L

Use winter produce to build meals that feel cozy, steady your energy, and still taste like comfort food.

12/02/2025

The Caduceus, a rod with two snakes and wings on top, has been used as a symbol for medicine in the US. However, the Caduceus is the symbol for Hermes, the messenger of the gods and the guardian of traders and travelers. By using the Caduceus, we are symbolizing that medicine is a for-profit business (which is what it has turned into) and disregard the care of a skilled healer. The Staff of Asclepius and the Bowl of Hygeia are better symbols for whole-person healthcare.

Asclepius, with his staff and single serpent, represents clinical care that treats disease once it appears, such as surgery or acute drug therapy. Hygeia, his daughter, stands for health protection through daily habits, such as food choices, movement, sleep, and social ties.

Ancient writers already linked Hygeia with clean living, self-control, and public hygiene, ideas that match modern data on risk factors for heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and depression. When these symbols appear together on medical logos, they show a balance between rescue care and prevention.

Lifestyle medicine takes this pairing seriously, and treats nutrition, exercise, stress management, substance control, and healthy relationships as core therapies, not as side advice.

This invites patients and clinicians to see behavior change as a central clinical goal, not a minor detail.

Read more here: https://wix.to/ckbfMlR

The Staff of Asculapius points to the physician’s art, slow and careful, grounded in the body. The Caduceus has often been misused in place of it, which raises questions about how we picture medicine as trade, service, or moral duty. The Bowl of Hygeia highlights pharmacy and the safe use of drugs...

11/25/2025

This Thanksgiving, let's transform our tables! 🌱 Discover the joy of a whole-food, plant-based feast that not only looks inviting but is also heart-healthy. Say goodbye to heavy classics and hello to vibrant veggies and wholesome flavors. Check out my latest blog post for delicious ideas! https://wix.to/4sImbWU

The Thanksgiving table often tells a story. Turkey in the center, butter melting into mashed potatoes, sweet casseroles topped with marshmallows, and pies heavy with sugar and cream. It looks warm and inviting, but for many people it also brings worries about blood pressure, blood sugar, or weight.N...

11/12/2025

Pharmacists and Medication Nutrient Depletions: What to Ask

Many common drugs can lower key nutrients. This can raise health risks, weaken treatment, or both. A focused talk with a pharmacist can guide safe steps.

Use these questions to structure the visit:

* Which nutrients can this medicine lower? How often does this occur?
* Who faces higher risk, such as older adults or people with GI disease?
* What signs should I watch for, and when should I call?
* Which labs track these risks? How often should I test?

Ask about well-studied pairs:

* Metformin and vitamin B12, risk rises with long use.
* Proton pump inhibitors and H2 blockers with magnesium and vitamin B12.
* Loop and thiazide diuretics with potassium and magnesium, thiazides may raise calcium.
* Statins and coenzyme Q10, evidence is mixed, discuss need and benefit.

Plan nutrition support with care:

* What dose and form fit my case, such as methylcobalamin vs cyanocobalamin?
* How should I time supplements with my medicine to avoid reduced absorption?
* Are there drug interactions with minerals, acids, or fiber?
* When should I start, and for how long?
* Which foods can help restore levels?
* Which brands meet quality standards, such as USP or NSF?

Bring a full list of medicines, OTC products, and supplements. Share diet patterns and alcohol intake. Ask for a written plan with follow up and lab targets. Small, specific steps tend to work best.

Learn more about what questions to ask your pharmacist: https://wix.to/TIGSjdT

Some medicines drain nutrients your body needs, and pharmacists can help you protect your levels. They know how drugs and diet interact, and they can flag risks before you feel them.

11/04/2025

I grew up thinking genes were a fixed script and certain diseases just "run in the family."

But I was wrong...

Epigenetics provides genes with dimmer switches that respond to your lifestyle choices. A gene can be turned on, off, or dim based on specific epigenetic changes from the environment.

Nutrigenomics looks at how the foods we eat signal these changes. Every meal sends signals to your cells.

This is the heart of epigenetics and nutrigenomics, how food can nudge genes on or off.

Not by changing DNA, by changing how DNA is read.

Leafy greens bring folate that supports methylation, a key on-off switch.

Blueberries and cocoa carry polyphenols that boost your antioxidant defense.

Fiber feeds your gut microbes, they make short-chain fats that relax tight chromatin and open helpful genes.

Sleep, stress, and movement also tag along, they change the same switches food touches.

You do not need a perfect plan, just consistent signals.

Build plates that repeat your goals, energy, focus, calm, long-term health.

A simple place to start: build each plate around color, fiber, and plant-based protein.

Track how you feel, mood, skin, sleep, recovery, then adjust.

🧬 Food is not just fuel, it is information.

Read more here: https://wix.to/NyhPwFE

What if your daily menu could tune your genes? What if your daily choices could turn your genes up or down, like a dimmer switch? That idea sits at the heart of epigenetics, the study of changes in gene activity without changing DNA. Epigenetics explains how chemical tags control which genes are act...

11/03/2025

I made some changes to the website…let me know what you think!

www.dramyknaperek.com

10/29/2025

Are you considering taking antibiotics? Learn how to use them wisely to protect your gut microbiome! Discover simple tips for safe antibiotic use, from choosing the right type to supporting your gut health. Read more: https://wix.to/Q7ozEwN

Antibiotics are valuable and safe when used wisely. Confirm the need with clear signs or tests, pick a narrow-spectrum drug when possible, and use the shortest effective course. Support your gut with fiber-rich meals, fermented foods, and timed probiotics. Follow safe-use steps and watch for warning...

10/21/2025

October is American Pharmacist Month! This is a valuable time to recognize the tremendous contributions pharmacists make in healthcare. From providing essential medication advice to administering vaccines and testing, pharmacists play a vital role in our health. Thank a pharmacist today!

Learn more: https://wix.to/ZdmYbnp

October brings cooler days, back-to-school routines, and a fresh reminder to thank the people who keep our medicines safe and our health on track. October is American Pharmacist Month, a time to recognize how pharmacists do far more than fill a prescription bottle. They answer tough questions, help....

10/18/2025

Autumn is here! 🍁 It’s time to focus on the positive aspects of this wonderful season. Whether it's enjoying warm meals or taking brisk walks, let's celebrate the little pleasures that boost our mood and health. Read more about it here: https://wix.to/NwCM7jn

Autumn rewards those who look for small joys. A warm meal, a brisk walk, a tidy corner by a window, each one builds comfort.

10/09/2025

THROWBACK THURSDAY!

Fresh fruits and veggies always look great at the store, but they’re not always the top pick for nutrition.

Frozen produce gets picked at peak ripeness and often keeps more vitamins because flash-freezing locks those in. Canned produce sometimes loses a few nutrients during processing, and you have to watch for extra sodium or added sugar.

Still, all three options pack solid nutrition and can make healthy eating easier. Mix things up and choose what works for your budget, taste, and plans for the week.

Read more here: https://wix.to/Xbds9DT

Someone recently asked me, "Is fresh produce always best?" That got me thinking. Fresh produce, canned goods, or frozen options - which offers the most nutritional value for the best price? Understanding the differences in nutritional content between these choices may have a significant impact on yo...

10/07/2025

The parasympathetic nervous system counters chronic stress by restoring rest and recovery. It is part of the autonomic nervous system and promotes calm states. It slows heart rate, lowers blood pressure, and improves gut activity.

By boosting vagal tone, it calms the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and tempers cortisol release. This shift supports sleep quality, mood stability, and immune balance. You can activate it with slow nasal breathing, longer exhales, and relaxed posture.

Brief daily practices like meditation, gentle aerobic exercise, and time in nature help. Social safety cues, warm contact, and unhurried meals also send clear parasympathetic signals.

Track your response with heart rate variability, and adjust the dose of practice.

https://wix.to/ltyS9jl

Small inputs change the baseline. Short sessions of breath pacing calm the heart, steady the gut, and clear the mind. Regular practice turns recovery into your default, not a rare break. That shift protects long-term health and makes hard days easier to bear.