The Integrated Pharmacist

 There are few universal experiences quite like sleep.  When it's done right, it can be enjoyable, rejuvenating, and healing.  Adequate, appropriate sleep can help athletes recover from tough exercises.  It can help students set important information in their memories.  When done poorly, it can be grueling, tedious, and even...nightmarish.  According to the CDC and the Sleep Foundation, most adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep, but across the United States, about 1/3 of adults get 7 hours or less.  Poor sleep can lead to more frequent acute illnesses like viral infections, chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, and mental diseases like depression.   In a perfect world, you would avoid computer or TV light 60 minutes before bed while performing a wind-down routine like meditation.  Between 9 and 10pm, you would retire to your bedroom which is cool, dark, and quiet.  Your comfortable bed would only be used for sleep and ...

***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, listeners, and welcome to another episode of The Integrated Pharmacist Podcast.  This week, I'm discussing bodywork.  This is the complementary/alternative modality that has garnered the most acceptance and usage.  It includes physical manipulation such as massage therapy and reflexology, movement therapy such as qigong, yoga and ti chi, and energy work such as reiki and therapeutic touch.  Although it is a diverse set of modalities, I'd like to touch upon one in each of these three categories. Physical manipulation comes naturally to many people as a mode of self care and home care.  After a long day on your feet, it feels good to get a nice foot rub.  When our muscles develop knots, human touch makes the pain more bearable.  Positive ...

***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*** Aromatherapy is a rather broad topic.  This is a modality that I engage in and was happy to research.  It includes such a variety of products, that this will be a topic I come back to in the future. Technically, it includes using aroma as medicine; however, it is generally agreed within typical users that it refers specifically to the volatile or essential oils of a variety of products.  The proposed (and not well understood) mechanism of action is that the inhaled chemicals enter the blood stream through the lungs or trigger synapses in the nose which relay directly with the limbic system in the brain.  We do know that the nerves associated with the sense of smell route directly into the brain without going through the brain stem.  We also kn...