Cold & Flu Season 2014

Cold & Flu season is upon us & I want to share with you how I prepare and prevent viruses.

I know that obtaining the flu vaccine is a VERY controversial subject.  I personally chose 2 years ago to stop receiving it even though it is highly recommended for health care professionals.  However, I encourage everyone to research the subject themselves and make an informed decision.  I think one of the best resources of information on the flu vaccine can be found at the following link: 

Things to Consider Before Getting the Flu Vaccine

When I chose not to receive the flu vaccine, I also chose to be very vigilant in taking the following nutraceutical regimen to hopefully prevent the flu as well as other viruses:

1.      PhysioLogics Quercetin C 2 capsules daily

2.      Vitamin D3 5,000 IU (take enough to obtain a Vitamin D 25 Hydroxy blood level of 65-100)

3.      Vital Plan Immune Advantage 2 capsules daily

This regimen worked the first year.  But in 2013 there was a particularly nasty virus going around that mimicked the flu.  Despite my vigilance, I did get this virus.  I followed all the recommendations that I give on our Cold & Flu Handout and it didn’t work.  I had the symptoms of this virus for around 21 days (I counted in my misery!).  I did not take any antibiotics even though it went past the 14 day mark because I knew it was a virus and my body would eventually win.

I then learned about a product called Monolaurin .  I knew about it but just hadn’t understood it or utilized it.  During the 2013-2014 flu season, I added taking Ecological Formulas Monolaurin 600 mg 2 times a day to my prevention regimen.  I have not been sick for any extended period of time since!  At my first sign of a cold (which is usually a sore throat), I tripled my dose of Vitamin C, Vital Plan Immune Advantage, and Ecological Formulas Monolaurin for 1-2 days and all of the symptoms resolved.  I also tripled my dose for a day if I was around anyone that I knew was sick (like some of my patients!).

So now my daily prevention nutraceutical regimen includes the following:

1.      PhysioLogics Quercetin C 2 capsules daily

2.      Vitamin D3 5,000 IU (take enough to obtain a Vitamin D 25 Hydroxy blood level of 65-100)

3.      Vital Plan Immune Advantage 2 capsules daily

4.      Ecological Formulas Monolaurin 2 capsules daily

I HAVE PROVIDED THE LINKS TO OUR COLD & FLU HANDOUT AS WELL AS A MONOLAURIN INFORMATION SHEET ON.  I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU READ AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS EVEN IF YOU RECEIVED THE FLU VACCINE.

All of the nutraceutical products mentioned on the handouts are available here at Insight Family Health Center.  Our office hours are Monday-Thursday 7:45 AM-5:00 PM (closed 11:45 AM- 12:45 PM).  You can also purchase them at www.vitalplan.com or at Medical Center Pharmacy.

I encourage you to be proactive in protecting your health this cold & flu season.  Don’t just depend on the flu vaccine.  Last year it was less than 60% effective!

Sincerely,

Tabetha L. Smith, FNP-C

September 2014

Disclaimer: We make no claim of providing superior services, nor do we guarantee any specific outcomes from the services we provide. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration.  The information, opinions & products on this site are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

BHRT Pellet Therapy - Huh?

BHRT Pellet Therapy – Huh?

As many of you know, I have practiced Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) with my patients since 2005.  When I started learning about BHRT, it radically changed how I thought about medicine and about how I best could treat my patients.  I have been prescribing BHRT using creams and patches on almost all of my patients since then.  I personally use progesterone cream and have since 2005.

I wanted to take this time to let you know about an exciting addition to my practice.  One of my greatest goals, as part of your health care team, is to provide you with alternative, but healthy and safe choices that will enhance your health and well-being.  I am pleased to present BioTE® Medical Hormone Pellet Therapy for women and men.  I decided BioTE® was the right choice for my patients because restoring and balancing one’s hormones makes a significant difference in their quality of life!

I have been investigating BHRT pellet therapy for years.  I have received marketing information from different companies as well as treated patients who had received this type of therapy in the past.  What I discovered was that most of the companies and most of the practices offering this service did not seem to have any consistency and quality in service and dosing.  Almost all of the patients that I spoke to felt the best they ever had when the dosing was correct and loved the consistency of how the 24 hour release of the hormone made them feel.  However, when the dosing or consistency was off, they felt horrible for months!

When I discovered BioTE®, I found my answer.  From my investigation, I had thought pellet therapy would be ideal for my patients but was nervous about the quality and consistency of the system.  BioTE® seems to answer and resolve all of my concerns.  They have a comprehensive system and rigorous quality control that ensures that I will be able to provide the best pellet therapy for my patients.  I complete my training with them on October 18^th and plan to start my first pellet insertions on October 23^rd. 

As I always say about all of my recommendations, BioTE® BHRT pellet therapy is not a magic cure.  I’m still looking for the magic cure! J  In conjunction with eating real food, exercising, quality sleep, adequate water intake, stress reduction, nutrient repletion, this therapy has the potential to amp up your health and augment the benefits from all of the other lifestyle changes that you make.

I’m excited to have this type of therapy available to my patients.  I plan to use it myself and am excited to see the results!  I encourage all of my current BHRT patients (women & MEN!) to attend the information seminars that we have coming up.  This seminar will be required in order to get the pellet therapy so get in on the ground floor now!  If any of your friends have been asking you about the BHRT you use, share this email with them and encourage them to attend the new patient seminar.

Tens of thousands of women and men nation-wide have helped regain their lives with BioTE® Hormone Balancing & Restoration Therapy.  How about You?

Sincerely,

Tabetha L. Smith, FNP-C

Fellow Sojourner on the Path to Optimal Health

September 2014

Disclaimer: We make no claim of providing superior services, nor do we guarantee any specific outcomes from the service we provide.  These statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration.  The information, opinions & products on this site are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

LIFE OVERHAUL: STRIVING TOWARDS OPTIMAL HEALTH

LIFE OVERHAUL:  STRIVING TOWARDS OPTIMAL HEALTH

April 8, 2014

I recently returned from an Integrative Medicine conference in Asheville, NC that really confirmed for me that what we do at Insight & Restore is right on track!  It was very exciting to hear the speakers and how the integrative medicine world is changing.

One of the things we’ve “preached” (J) here forever is that even a little bit of change towards a better overall healthy lifestyle can have an exponential impact on your future health.  At the conference, the research that was presented confirmed this message.  There is a whole new field of study out there called “epigenetics” that looks at how our lifestyle choices can actually turn on and off good and bad genes. 

We heard Dr. Dean Ornish speak on his groundbreaking research into the impact of healthy lifestyle choices on physical health.  He has actually looked at genes and validated the good ones turning on and the bad ones turning off with healthy changes in nutrition, exercise, stress reduction and love/companionship.  He has proved without a shadow of doubt that there is a direct correlation:  the more a person changed the more they improved their health NO MATTER WHAT THEIR AGE WAS. 

Dr. Ornish has proven that our genes are not our fate!  We do not have to be a victim to our genes.  Our genes just pre-dispose us to certain disease processes but our lifestyle choices actually turn those genes on or off.

Dr. Ornish has also researched what enables people to make sustainable lifelong health changes.  And it’s not fear of disease and death.  Fun, freedom, pleasure and love are the key motivators for lifelong sustainable health behavior change. 

It is not just about how long we live but how well we live!  I don’t want to be 80 and sick in a nursing home.  I want to be 80 and fit and healthy and enjoying my life to the fullest.  And the lifestyle choices I make today have the power to dramatically impact my future health goals.

Sadly, we have had not one person sign up to attend our 4 Pillars Permanent Weight Loss series.  As I stated in previous blogs, the entire 4 Pillars program is about making permanent changes in your lifestyle that lead to lifelong change and health.  We know that there are a lot of you out there that need the support and encouragement that can come from this program in order to help you make the changes that you need to make in your life.

Before going to the conference, I had asked the person in our first series who had the most physically measurable amount of success (i.e. lost the most weight!) to write a testimonial about the program.  She sent me the testimonial the week after the conference and it amazed me how much it lined up with what the purpose of the program was and with what we learned at the conference.  I’ve posted it below and I hope and pray it will inspire some of you to make this commitment to a true “life overhaul” that will help you in your journey towards optimal health.

“Hello,

I am writing this with excitement in my heart and the highest of hopes that at least some of what I share with you will help you along your journey to achieve what is called...“Optimal Health”.  I have no idea if you are one of those folks that struggles with being overweight; but, honestly, I have most of my life… at least I did…..until recently!

Not so long ago I sat at the table, clutching in my hand, the results of my blood work…overwhelmed by what I saw, not fully comprehending the words “Critical” but understanding that I was headed full speed ….down a slippery slope of declining health and it was just a short matter of time before some horrible event like a stroke or heart attack tackled and incapacitated me.  I struggled to make  sense of how I, a vegetarian ….for a number of years , had become so unhealthy and so overweight……looking for comfort…..I reached for another bite of a fresh lemon filled Krispy Cream doughnut that just happened to be laying on the table in front of me.  Soon after,  I stumbled across an email from Insight Family Health announcing the start date and description of a brand new twelve week program “4 Pillars of Permanent Weight Loss”   I thought…hum…maybe this is a sign! As I read about the content of the program, I decided at that moment it was time to take that step, to move forward and make some sort of positive change in my life.  But first, I made a phone call to my mom, and together we started a brand new chapter in our lives.

When I started this program…I was desperate for change……I was totally depleted, exhausted, run down with little energy left to do anything after I got off of work.  I was stressed to the max, disappointed with my own quality of life, desperately wanting to be able to wake up in the morning and feel energized which just seemed so far out of my reach. I really had no idea what to expect on that first night, but I was determined to drop it all at the door, enter as an empty slate and absorb…learn everything that I could in the amount of time that I had.  My mom by my side, my husband cheering us on…we were determined!

Without hesitation, I can tell you that deciding to participate in this program has turned out to be one of the Greatest most rewarding things that I could have ever done for myself.  I really loved the way that this program encompasses and focuses on the “whole” person, not just the weight loss aspect. It surpasses any program that I have utilized in the past where you just kind of get bits and pieces.  This program I must say is the whole package!  Mom and I decided to take advantage of all that was offered to us.  This included the Myer’s vitamin infusions, the B12 shots, the saunas, the counseling sessions and the group classes…all working together to lead us down the path of a “total lifestyle change.” My mom, well…I’m so very proud of her, she has lost over 18 lbs and the weight is still falling off, she says she feels better than she has in years! I must admit having a support team really helps and my husband has also been right there with me every step of the way on this new journey.  I enjoy our quality time as we both get in the kitchen and cook healthy meals together, take walks at night and we are working toward the same goal...”Optimal Health!”

This program truly has been a life saver for me.  I’m down 23 lbs and for me that is huge! I have more energy than I have had in years. I’m actually able to sleep all night and wake up refreshed and rested in the morning. My overall physical and mental well-being has improved greatly.  I’m finally off my blood pressure medication that I have been on forever and my skin is clearer.  I honestly feel like I have “woken up.”

If you are at the place in your life where you are tired of the weight gain struggles, tired of not feeling well, really needing a life “over haul” then this program is for you!  All you have to do is take the first step….you will find all the support you need from this amazing team of folks here at Insight Family Health & Restore Health & Wellness.  They are truly a God send and an answered prayer!   A little advice, the first two weeks will be your hardest;  but, once you make it past that marker and you start seeing results, you will no longer want to nose dive in your co-workers lunch plate……trust me…it will be well worth it! Stay focused, stay determined, and believe in yourself! Best of luck to you as you start this Awesome Journey!”                                                     B.P., 50 year old female

Space is limited for the 4 Pillars series.  Trying to make change and be healthy in our culture is ridiculously difficult because of all the pressure we get from media, family and friends to make unhealthy choices.  I encourage you to either find a friend or family member to sign up with or just do it yourself and make a decision TODAY towards positive, sustainable lifestyle change.  As B.P. said in her testimonial, IT’S NOT EASY BUT IT’S WORTH IT!

Sincerely,

Tabetha Smith, FNP-C

Fellow Traveler on the Journey towards Optimal Health

PERMANENT WEIGHT LOSS? REALLY?

We are getting ready to launch a new 4 Pillars Permanent Weight Loss seminar series and I wanted to follow up on how things went with the first class.  I discovered that some of the participants came to the class looking for a quick weight loss scheme and some came looking to make some permanent changes in their lifestyle.  I thought when I sent out the first email advertising the series with the blog about quick weight loss that it would have clarified that this program was NOT a quick weight loss program.  So, please let me further clarify.

I’m sure that it is true for many of you, just as it is with me, that those of us who have struggled with weight gain and weight loss have tried many different “diet” plans to give us “quick” weight loss results.  One of the homework assignments for the class was to count how many diet books and different weight loss programs you have tried.

I personally have tried the Adkins diet.  I lasted one day.  I found that even though I am definitely an animal protein eater, I couldn’t just eat that.  By the end of the first day, I was nauseous.  Yuck!  I’ve tried the cabbage soup diet.  Again, not the yummiest thing ever.  I’ve tried the diet by either the Heart Association or Mayo clinic where you eat a lot of tuna and cottage cheese.  I’m not a real fan of either! J  I’ve tried low glycemic.  I’ve tried different detox diets.  I feel like over my lifetime I’ve bought gazillions of diet books.

And what did it all leave me with?  Still struggling with constant weight gain and weight loss issues.  That yo-yo pattern of nutrition is not very healthy.  I challenge you to GOOGLE the research on the damage it can do to your body and your natural ability to regulate hunger and fullness.

I don’t believe me teaching you just another quick weight loss scheme is really going to help you.  I gave it my final attempt when I did the HCG diet plan with my patients back in 2012.  Out of the 30+ patients who completed the program only about 3 or 4 have kept their weight off.  Not very good odds.  Most have gained the weight back and more.  Sadly, I saw one of them back in the office recently and he is now heavier than he was the first time I ever saw him for a visit!  L

My health and weight dramatically changed 3 years ago when I got off the “diet” merry-go-round and started making permanent changes in my lifestyle and food choices.  At that point, I was over 180 pounds.  I’ve lost over 30 pounds and kept it off and I DID NOT lose the weight quickly.  I set a target weight goal.  I slowly made changes that helped me gradually lose weight.  Several times, I’ve plateaued and gained a few pounds.  At those times, I reset my focus and started again.  I finally reached my goal in the middle of 2013.  And I’ve maintained it.

I also adjusted my expectations to more realistic ones.  At my age, a 25 BMI is a realistic goal that I can maintain and still cheat a little.  I’m not a tee-totaller.  I know I’ll cheat so I may as well factor that into my plan.  To get to the weight I was in my 20’s and 30’s would be extremely difficult and I could never cheat again!  Not really my goal at this point in my life.

Now for those of you who think the BMI chart is bogus and that you could never get to a 25 BMI, I have a little bit of a reality check.  The current BMI chart factors in the fact that Americans all weigh more now.  When I started nursing 20 years ago, the normal weight for someone my height was 30 pounds less than the 25 BMI point on the chart these days!  Trust me, you can reach a 25 BMI and that is the most you should weigh.  Ever.

The success of the 4 Pillars Permanent Weight Loss seminar series depends on you.  It is a program that I created based on the principals that have played into my success with finally keeping my weight off.  It is NOT a quick weight loss scheme.  It is designed to be a program that arms you with enough information and support that you can make permanent lifestyle changes that lead to permanent weight loss.

In the program, YOU have most of the responsibility.  We give you multiple homework assignments each class.  We challenge you to become self-aware of what’s driving your weight issues.  We challenge you to begin operating with self-control and self-discipline and to make better daily moment to moment health decisions.  And, we hold you accountable to all of it.  You want be able to hide or pretend.  

The ultimate success of the program will be determined by how much YOU adhere to all of its recommendations.  Partial completion of assignments and not attending all classes/individual meetings will ultimately result in an inability to maintain any weight loss obtained during the program.

The program will work.  But it costs too much for you to sign up and make a partial commitment.  And, in reality, the participants who had the most success and lost the most weight and were the most radically changed were the ones who completed EVERY assignment, attended EVERY meeting and signed up for Level 3 which adds extra nutritional support to boost energy.  The others were successful but only to the level of their level of commitment.

If you are TRULY ready for radical commitment that results in radical lifestyle change, the 4 Pillars program is for you.  If you are already looking at the dates and finding reasons why it will be hard to attend then frankly you aren’t committed enough for this program to work.  Will it work?  Absolutely.  But only to the level that you commit to doing everything recommended.

Fighting our culture’s constant bombardment to eat junk and be a couch potato is extremely difficult even for the most disciplined.  I’ve designed the 4 Pillars Permanent Weight Loss program to equip you with the tools that I used to help me overcome and be successful and maintain weight loss. 

I urge you to take a long hard look at where you are now.  Have you had enough yet?  Are you ready to really change?  Are you ready to quit being “insane” and start making different decisions that will lead to different results?  If you answer a resounding “yes!” to these questions, then please consider letting us help you through the 4 Pillars program.

Sincerely,

Tabetha Smith, FNP-C

Former Yo-Yo Dieter

4 Pillars Seminar 

COST:

          Level 1:  4 Pillars Plan Only

1.      12 group or individual meetings

2.      Total Cost $426

Ø  3 Automatic Draft Payments of $142 each

Ø  Full Payment up front - $399 (save $27)

·         Level 2:  4 Pillars Plan + Energy Boost

1.      12 group or individual meetings + 12 weekly MethylB12 Injection

2.      Total Cost $510

Ø  3 Automatic Draft Payments of $170 each

Ø  Full Payment Up Front - $485 (save $25)

·         Level 3:  4 Pillars Plan + Energy Boost + Detox Boost

1.      12 group or individual meetings + 8 Myer’s MVI Intravenous Infusions with MethylB12 & Glutathione + 12 Far Infrared Sauna Sessions + 4 MethylB12 Injections

2.      Total Cost $1152

Ø  3 Automatic Draft Payments of $384

Ø  Full Payment Up Front - $1099 (save $53) 

INSANE? OR DO I HAVE A CHOICE?

INSANE? OR DO I HAVE A CHOICE?

At several conferences I have heard the quote from Albert Einstein defining insanity.  “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”  I confess that I have been “insane” a lot in my life!  Especially when it comes to my health and in relationships!

Not many of you know that I grew up in an alcoholic verbally abusive home.  My dad was actually physically abusive to my mom.  One of my first memories is watching him beat her with the butt of a gun.  Because of her mental issues, when they divorced, my custody was awarded to him.  I’m the only one out of my sisters that he actually hit out of anger a few times.  We had every physical need met because he had money but not a lot of our emotional and spiritual needs met.

I 100% credit my relationship with Jesus Christ that I began at age 9 for preserving me in the situation and healing me of past hurt and baggage.  At age 46, I’m still working on it and struggling with it.  I could blame my past and my dad for all of my failures and struggles.  I confess that I lived many years blaming him.  But I’m a grown-up who GETS TO CHOOSE how I think and how I feel and how I act.  I don’t have to be “insane”!

I am excited that I GET TO CHOOSE something different for my life!  That gives me so much hope – personally and physically.  I GET TO CHOOSE to eat better and exercise and feel physically better.  I GET TO CHOOSE to pray and read God’s Word and heal myself spiritually through these activities.  I GET TO CHOOSE to read and study books on emotional healing and developing better relationships.  I GET TO CHOOSE to transform my life every day by making choices that take me down a healthier – body, soul, & spirit – path.

Does that mean I’m perky/happy all the time?  No.  Life is stressful.  Things happen to me that are beyond my control.  But the “joy of the Lord is my strength”.  He can help me through all the stressors of life and help me enjoy my journey.  He helps me make different choices that are for life and hope in response to my stressors.

I recently finished reading a book called The Noticer Returns by Andy Andrews.  Here are a few quotes from the book that have helped me in this area of life:

“If you are doing what everyone else is doing, you are doing something wrong.  Why?  Because most people are not obtaining results that are considered extraordinary.  If your thinking is causing you to do what everyone else is doing, you are only contributing to the average.  Even if you are contributing to the average at a high level, it is still…average.  Do you want to be average?  Do you want an average life span or an average lifestyle?  Do you want an average marriage?  Do you want to raise average children?  Do you want average financial results?...No! Of course not!  If you could wave a magic want over your life, you’d create results in every part of your life that are wildly beyond the average…Therefore, in order to produce results that are wildly outside the average – to produce results that are extraordinary – you cannot afford to think like average people think.  You cannot act like average people act.  You cannot be what average people are…which is normal.”

“If your situation is the fault of anything or anyone else there is very little hope and absolutely zero power over your own life.  Responsibility is about hope and control…Who doesn’t want hope for a greater future that their choices control?  You have been granted free will…Don’t be like average people.  Most folks look for their car keys with more energy than they search for the wisdom that can change their lives.  The power wrapped up in the principle of responsibility is unleashed by correct thinking.  Consider this statement: ‘I have had some crazy and tragic things happen in my life, and I couldn’t control any of them.  But in response to those crazy and tragic things, I have made choices that have taken me down a path to a place I do not like.’  If you can understand and believe that, it will be a defining moment in your journey…If you can understand and believe that you have made choices that took you to a place you don’t like, doesn’t it just make logical sense that you can now make choices that will take you to a place you do like?...So now your game becomes one of seeking wisdom and harnessing the power of that wisdom in order to make better choices.”

Your health and your life will never change for the better unless you start making different choices.  I urge you to urgently seek out all the help you need to make different choices in your life that lead to an extraordinary future full of hope and health. 

As always, my staff and I are here to help you with the health part.  We now have available to you in the office a counselor to help you emotionally and spiritually and an RN Educator for counseling on stress management and good nutrition.  There are really unlimited resources available in our world to help us grow and change.  Take advantage of them. 

Don’t be “insane”.  Make a DIFFERENT choice today!

 

I’m so grateful for you all.

Thanks for letting me speak into your life.

Tabetha, “Insane” at times Nurse Practitioner