Yesterday I attended a presentation by a local Ph.D in Biochemistry regarding balancing women’s hormones and mood, and while she has great success treating her clients with blood analysis only, she states that saliva testing is never appropriate. Unfortunately, this blanket-type statement may not be fully correct, as there is documented validity of salivary testing in certain circumstances, and this discrepancy in understanding further illustrates the misunderstandings of functional vs. traditional allopathic medicine.
While blood (serum) testing has long been the “gold standard” for traditionally accepted medical testing and medical disease, recent developments, technology and understanding have brought other testing methods to the playing field. These include urinary metabolites and salivary testing. This testing is not intended to be a replacement or substitute for serum (blood) testing, but rather that it allows for the assessment of different functionality, for different criteria.
Tuesday January 7th at 1:30pm and 5:30pm at The Athletic Club at the Westin in Avon, Colorado
Informational presentation by Dr. Jacqui Slavin D.C.
Cardiologist Bill Davis MD author of Wheat Belly, and Neurologist David Perlmutter MD author of Grain Brain, reawakened the discussion of how wheat and gluten affect our health by specifically addressing the link to heart disease and brain degeneration. Many people are still confused about Celiac Disease, gluten sensitivity, and grains and whether it is just a fad or an important dietary concern.
This presentation aims to dispel some of the confusion by reviewing the physiology of high cholesterol and brain degeneration presented by the authors, as well as a explaining in greater detail why gluten and wheat seem to be of increased concern in the past few years.
Dr. Jacqui Slavin D.C. is a local functional medicine and nutrition expert who has lived in the valley for 17 years and understands the goals of both locals and destination guests, and the requirements for our active lifestyle.
By focussing on the underlying cause versus just reducing the symptoms, Dr. Slavin is passionate about helping people to optimize their health by combining both natural and traditional medicine, as well as focusing on preventative therapeutic lifestyle medicine.
Specialization in common health concerns includes high cholesterol, thyroid imbalance, weight-loss, digestive dysfunction (gas, bloating, heartburn, constipation, diarrhea), food sensitivities, and hormone imbalance (PMS, menopause, infertility).
Dr. Slavin participates in community education classes on gluten, thyroid, brain health, weight-loss and other topics, and has presented for the Eagle County Parkinson’s Support Group; Eagle, Edwards and Vail Rotary Clubs; Walking Mountains; Fresh Approach – bringing healthy foods to Eagle County Schools, and other local organizations, and as an adjunct faculty member at Colorado Mountain College teaching Anatomy and Physiology and healthy cooking classes.
With the holidays already rolling, we want to continue to eat balanced meals with PROTEIN, a little bit of fat, and HEALTHY carbs at every meal and snack.
Try not to go to a holiday party on an empty stomach….that will set you up for quick decisions on food that may not be the best choices.
Be sure to drink plenty of water before the party and for each “adult beverage”, drink a glass of water between trips to the bar.
You CAN have dessert and “treats” just be sure to have them with a good, healthy meal. This will go a long way to help maintaining your blood sugar.
Be happy, stay healthy – then your New Year’s Resolutions won’t feel so daunting.
