Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
By Dr. Doreen DeStefano, ARNP
Whole-body nutrition is a balance of diet, exercise, limiting stress, sleeping sufficiently, eliminating chemicals and toxins, and supplementing your health with the right nutrients.
Healthy Foods that Feed Your Body
Many foods that contain chemicals, excessive salt, and sugar can cause inflammation to occur in the body. When the body is inflamed, it can exacerbate disease states, and it can also create a great deal of pain, especially in the joints, neck, and spine. If you suffer from chronic pain from migraines, arthritis, or back, to name a few, you should consider changing your diet and exercise program.
For the most part, you should focus your shopping efforts on fresh produce, lean protein like poultry, seafood and eggs, and some dairy. The Mediterranean diet is an exceptional example of what foods you should be eating, which provide essential nutrients for overall health and alleviating inflammation. This diet emphasizes eating plenty of vegetables, fruit, healthy fats, whole grains, and lean protein (especially cold-water fish) while avoiding excess salt, sugar, simple carbs, and saturated fats. Eating this way is thought to prevent inflammation and alleviate pain by proving the heart, brain, and entire body with antioxidants, and the good fats that it needs to function properly. Excessive sugar, simple carbohydrates, processed foods, and chemicals are known to cause inflammation and degeneration.
When you shop, check the labels on your food, and if you are buying processed, convenient foods, invest in healthier low-sodium versions. If you’re eating at a restaurant, ask for sauces of condiments on the side, and use them sparingly. Also, order steamed vegetables, lean meat, and in general, make wise choices.
Exercise
Most people can benefit from taking a brisk 30-minute walk or a 30-minute swim. Exercise helps to increase circulation, improves nutrient, and oxygen-rich blood flow and helps you build strength and to lose weight. If you can work out harder, it’s extremely beneficial to get your heart rate up daily with cardiovascular exercise. Stretching can also relieve pain.
There have been significant studies on the benefits of water activities for individuals that suffer from chronic pain. These cases have proven that the level of oxygen in the blood increases in water, which is ideal for individuals with pain. The oxygen consumption (VO2) is three times greater in water than on land. Working large muscle groups leads to this uptake of oxygen or VO2; however, doing a lot of running and legwork on land increases the risk of injury and puts undue stress on joints at a greater level than with water-based therapy. The point is, get moving!
IV & Chelation Therapy
IV therapy administers high dose vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other essential nutrients to fight disease, eliminate symptoms, and alleviate associated effects. Many individuals have digestive malfunctions and liver complications that prevent oral medications and supplementations from getting into the bloodstream and to the appropriate cells in the body.
A few examples of IV treatments are Alpha Lipoic Acid, Chelation, Glutathione, High-Dose Vitamin C, Meyer’s Cocktail, and Magnesium. These IV treatments help with countless issues from asthma, arthritis, diabetes, cholesterol, hormonal disorders, and so much more. Glutathione is one of the most potent antioxidants and is a master at detoxifying and healing the body.
About Doreen DeStefano, NHD, BSN, RN
Dr. DeStefano, of Root Causes Holistic Health & Medicine in Ft Myers, FL, incorporates IV & Chelation therapy with hyperbaric chamber sessions to combat multiple chronic conditions and disease states. The methods Dr. DeStefano uses to rectify gut inflammation, as well as the inflammatory response throughout the entire body, are multifocal. She listens to her patients well and works out specific protocols for their unique issues.
Dr. Doreen DeStefano holds a doctorate in natural health, an MPA in public business, MS (ABT) in criminal psychology, and a BS in exercise physiology and nursing. She previously held an EMT certification. Dr. DeStefano has been practicing natural health for over ten years. Her area of interest is healthy aging and prevention and resolution of chronic symptoms associated with aging. She believes that growing old should not mean breaking down.
Poor diet, chronic stress, insomnia, disease, illness, environmental stressors, and a sedentary lifestyle can all contribute to disease states and an unhealthy lifestyle. ISN’T IT TIME YOU TOOK STEPS TO LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE
Root Causes Holistic Health and Medicine
12734 Kenwood Lane. Ft Myers, FL 33907
239-425-2900 | www.rtcausesmd.com
