The Integrated Pharmacist

  Cardiovascular disease refers to the disease of the heart and blood vessels. Although we continue to learn more about this disease, it continues to be one of the top killers in the United States. Today, I'd like to take a look at what integrative and functional medicine have to offer. Cardiovascular disease is a multifaceted problem that results in life threatening cases of heart attack, embolism, and stroke. These different events are all caused by a problem in the arteries. As we understand it currently, molecules that carry cholesterol called low-density lipo-proteins (or LDL) get stuck under the linings to our blood vessels. As they build up, immune cells try to consume them. Their high cholesterol content causes the immune cells to foam up. As more cholesterol builds up in the vessel lining, bulges begin to obstruct the flow of blood and (perhaps more importantly) red blood cells. This fatty build up can become calcified, making the vessel brittle. Brittle and bu...

***Disclaimer: This blog is not meant to be used as legal or medical advice.  It is written as my person perspective on how medical professionals could blend western medicine with other modalities*** Greetings, and welcome to another episode of the Integrated Pharmacist Podcast.  Fad diets come and go.  So often, they're built on extreme limitations with the goal of dropping weight quickly or offering longer, more vibrant life.  These fad diets came into being during the 19th century when people drifted culturally away from ethnic and locally grown foods to diets based more on comfort and pleasure.  This new style of eating obviously had a negative effect on health and wellness, so new diet trends continue to spring up.  Extreme diets have included low-fat, low-carb, high fiber, and high protein.  There have been diets based on specific foods or food-groups like cabbage and grapefruit, restrictive diets, liquid diets, and much more. Of course, fad ...