Nutrition News

Kidney Stone Help

June 30, 2026 by towers

Wise Traditions Spring 2026 publication had an excellent article on kidney stones and the connection to gut bacteria, “The Gut Microbiome, Oxalate Intolerance and Your Kidneys”. The microbes in the gut can be protective or harmful even to the kidneys, and the diet, medications, and the environment can all affect the variety, quantity and quality of the microorganisms inhabiting the gut.

According to the article, within the last 30 years in the US, kidney stone disease has increased by 70%. Currently 1 in 10 US adults will have a kidney stone incident with 50% of these having a recurrence within 10 years. What is causing this? It appears to be connected to increased gut microbe disturbance in the US population. The article explores this topic and an interesting point it makes is that 97% of kidney stones contain bacteria! Also, antibiotic use is correlated with an increased risk of kidney stones. We know that antibiotic use can be associated with microbial imbalance in the gut. While not known for sure, it appears that a presence of “bad” microbes and absence of “good” microbes may be a cause or contributing factor of kidney stone formation. Of course, there are dietary/lifestyle factors also involved as described below, but this microbe association is an important piece of the puzzle that may result in better recommendations for prevention!

Eighty percent of kidney stones are made of calcium oxalates and 20 to 40% of the body’s oxalates are from the diet. This is why a low oxalate diet has been a standard dietary recommendation for preventing kidney stones for decades. There are some gut bacteria that are capable of breaking down oxalates but most people do not have this type of bacteria as they are associated with a healthy gut that would have a wide spectrum of healthy bacteria present. In fact, high blood concentrations of oxalates are associated with increased intestinal absorption that occurs in a “leaky” unhealthy gut common in people with various gastrointestinal diseases. Also, healthy kidneys can eliminate 90 to 95% of oxalates that are in the blood so it is a good idea to support good kidney function with a healthy, clean diet and good hydration.

Here are some recommendations that will help reduce the risk of formation of kidney stones:

Focus on healing the gastrointestinal tract. A healthy gut works well from top to bottom without the need of medications. In other words, if you are on GERD meds or laxative medications or you have a history of kidney stones, you have work to do! You may need help making the right diet changes and that is when a nutrition consult is important. We have helped many people not need these meds to digest and eliminate well.
Good hydration is required. Drink half your weight in ounces of purified water every day. This includes fresh juices, herb teas, soups, and broths. If you sweat a lot you may need more. If you eat a diet that is high in water (raw fruits and vegetables are mainly composed of water), you may not need as much. The important thing is not to get dehydrated. Also, mineralizing your water with trace minerals (we use Concentrace for trace mineral supplementation) is our recommendation. Concentrace is high in magnesium (a natural stone inhibitor) and is excellent for relieving constipation and muscle cramps. Ask us for a dose recommendation. Consider adding apple cider vinegar, a tablespoon in 2 cups of water, which will suppress stone formation.
Avoid high oxalate containing foods. Again, a nutrition consult will help with this.
Take a good probiotic to balance the microbes in the gut. We recommend a spore-based probiotic, especially when and after taking an antibiotic.

We sell a variety of nutritional supplements at our office some of which are mentioned above. Schedule a nutrition consult to learn more!

Signs of Parasites

October 20, 2025 by towers

Many people are concerned about having parasites these days and there are doctors practicing natural healing who recommend parasite cleanses for anyone who has an auto-immune disease. It is important to remember that there are many types of parasites, some microscopic and others seen by the naked eye–think worms!!! It follows that different treatments will be effective for specific types of parasites. Dr Lee Merritt has good information about this on her website, themedicalrebel.com.

Regardless of any diagnosis, there are definite signs to watch out for so that you know you need to follow up with treatment:

Itchy bottom/anus (pin worms)
Unexplained weight loss (tape worm?)
Constant hunger without gaining weight
GI disturbances, including nausea upon awakening
Coughing fits that last 5 or so minutes and repeat every 7-10 days (round worms?)
Hives, facial redness that are not related to an immediate food allergy

There are many herbal formulas available that are not specific and may not be effective, especially for egg-laying worms. In many cases, taking conventional medicines as prescribed and which are designed to stay in the gut (they are not systemic) is the best treatment. Dr. Merritt has good information about this so follow the link above to read more. Also, long-term dosing is not generally necessary with the anti-parasitic meds so that the issue of side effects is not of great concern. For anyone who has had pinworms spreading through the family, this is a no brainer–take the single dose med, clean all your linens and cloths, and be done with it!

It pays to be pro-active. Vacations abroad are often the point of contamination so be careful when travelling. Another common source is having pets in your house. For both of these cases, it is especially important to watch out for those signs listed above. Don’t forget to wash your produce very well–even the stuff that is from your garden or the local farmer!

Do you have a Fatty Liver?

October 23, 2023 by towers

Thirty percent of Americans have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and don’t know it. It is asymptomatic until it has progressed to hepatitis (NASH) and mostly doctors are not looking for it. Before 1990, liver disease was rare and confined primarily to alcoholics or drug abusers. The recent upsurge coincides with the increase in obesity and metabolic syndrome (high blood pressure, high fasting blood sugar, low LDL, high triglycerides, and belly fat). Even children are being diagnosed with NAFLD. The good news is that it is reversible because the liver can regenerate.

If you are overweight, tired, have low HDL and high triglycerides and high VLDL, with elevated liver enzymes you may have NAFLD. The cause for concern is that it can lead to NASH with the eventual need for a liver transplant. The sad part is that most people would make the necessary diet and lifestyle changes to reverse the NAFLD if they knew they had it–and there is the added benefit of dropping weight!

Simple, routine blood work (metabolic panel and a cholesterol panel) are very useful for assessing the risk of NAFLD. Bring your blood results to us for a nutrition consult and we will help you with dietary and lifestyle recommendations for getting your liver back into good working condition.

BEWARE FAKE MEATS!

August 11, 2022 by towers

Anyone who eats needs to be informed about our food supply–it’s just too easy to make bad choices while thinking you are doing good for yourself and the planet. Check out this interview in the Price-Pottenger newsletter for the nitty-gritty on fake meats. I couldn’t agree more—Excellent job!

Is Your Inflammation From Eating the Wrong Fats?

July 8, 2022 by towers

We now offer the OmegaQuant tests for quick and easy determinations of the body’s balance of fats (pro-inflammatory vs. anti-inflammatory), vitamin D, and even hemoglobin A1C. A simple finger prick and collection of a drop of blood is all it takes. These are all very important indicators of whether the diet is anti-inflammatory, immune-system supportive, and supportive of healthy pregnancy/lactation. With these results we can make specific diet recommendations to address any insufficiencies/imbalances. Ask for more information by calling our office or scheduling an appointment with Monica.

Support Your Immunity

February 28, 2022 by towers

Recommendations for supporting the immune system:

Most important recommendation–eat an anti-inflammatory diet. Basically this means no sugar, white flour products/gluten grains, vegetable oils (canola, soy, corn, sunflower, safflower, peanut). For more details on the specifics. schedule an appointment with Monica or ask for our handout in the office.
Vitamin D3. Maintenance dose for adults is 5000 IUs a day (children ¼ to ½ of that depending on weight). If infection is beginning or has occurred, take 10,000 IUs a day of vitamin D3 for 2 or 3 days and then drop down to the maintenance dose. We recommend the powdered form (not the kind in vegetable oil in gel caps). We carry a brand that provides 5000 IUs per capsule, plus the option of a D3/K2 combo which is also powder. We also have drops of Vitamin D3/K2 emulsified in MCT oil —this works for babies and children who can’t swallow pills. Getting out in the sun has many benefits as long as you don’t overdo and burn but most of us live in areas where sun exposure year-round is not a reliable way to get vitamin D.
Vitamin C. The VitaminCfoundation.org has many research articles linked on their site regarding the efficacy of vitamin C for viral infections. Apparently it is being used intravenously in hospitals in China for patients with corona virus infection. Read the articles on the site for more information. There are recommendations for oral vitamin C intake there also. VitaminCfoundation.com has good quality vitamin C in various forms available to order.
Andrographis Complex. This is a MediHerb product that we have been using for cold and flu prevention for years. It is a combination of andrographis, holy basil and echinacea root extracts. It is available at our office. If you can tolerate it, place one of the tablets in your mouth and allow it to dissolve; this can instantly improve a sore throat. Another antimicrobial herb is oregano oil. We suggest NeuroHemp which besides the cannabinoids provides oregano oil. Swish a dropperful in the mouth before swallowing.
Chaga Tea. Chaga is a mushroom that grows on birch trees in northern latitudes (Canada). It has many properties that support the immune system. Here is a recipe and a source for chaga tea.
Zinc and Quercetin. Zinc as losengers or as liquid ionic zinc. , Some extra zinc (about 15 mgs a day) is a good measure to take as many people are low in zinc. Quercetin helps zinc to be taken up by the cells to fight infection. Don’t take extra zinc long-term unless you take extra copper also as it may create copper deficiency. Long-term it is best to rely on a multiple that has all the essential trace minerals in it to maintain adequate zinc levels. Plus a good multi will provide Vitamin A (as retinyl palmitate , not just beta-carotene) and vitamin K2 both of which help fight infections.
Elderberry extract. Purchase online or at local healthfood stores and take the dose recommended on the bottle.
Use the neti pot to rinse the nasal passages daily with salt water, plus brush your teeth with a drop of tea tree oil and 1/4 tsp. baking soda on your toothbrush along with your toothpaste for the anti-microbial effect of the tea tree oil. You can also gargle with a drop of tea tree oil in some hot, salt water–do this hourly to reduce microbes hanging out in the back of the throat that may or may not be causing symptoms.
Take a good spore-based probiotic such as Just Thrive or MegaSporebiotic, which we have available in our office.
NAC or N-acetyl cysteine is an amino acid that helps boost glutathione production in the body. NAC has benefits itself but glutathione is a major detoxifier and that alone is a good reason to take–500 mgs a day.
Stay warm and hydrated with a variety of herbal teas, such as tulsi, licorice root, chamomile, mint. Raise the body temperature to the point of sweating to help kill viruses by sauna or hot baths.
Breathe and get enough sleep! Diaphragmatic breathing to keep calm is a no brainer! Ask for our instruction handout. Doing this before sleep is helpful for insomnia. And if you are exposed to wifi or cell phone radiation especially at night it is having an impact on your cellular health and suppressing your immune system. Ask us for more information.

Book Recommendation—“The End of Alzheimer’s”!!!

March 3, 2021 by towers

There IS a program, a functional medicine program, that has prevented and reversed cognitive decline. People at risk or those with Alzheimer’s who are in the early stages of the disease have really had little hope for a natural treatment up until now. I highly recommend the book, “The End of Alzheimer’s” by Dr. Dale Bredesen, MD. Dr. Bredesen is also interviewed by Dr. Mercola on mercola.com. As Dr. Mark Hyman says in his review on the book cover, “if you have a brain, read this book”. Couldn’t have said it better.

PHONE CONSULTATIONS NOW AVAILABLE

December 16, 2020 by towers

We are now offering nutrition consultations by phone. If you are interested, please call the office to schedule and receive instructions about filling out paperwork and emailing or faxing it to us. Also, we continue to offer the best quality nutritional supplements but please call before stopping by the office so that we can have them prepared for you.

Thank you for allowing us to be part of your healthcare!

Importance of NAC

May 21, 2020 by towers

May 2021 Update on this post about NAC. Amazon and some other suppliers are removing NAC and products containing it from there sites. Read the updated article here. There will be legal challenges as it appears that the FDA is on shaky ground on this one. My supplier has been inundated with orders so NAC is TOS but more is in production and it should be available in June. Call the FDA and let them know you want easy access to this very safe nutritional supplement.

Original post. N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) has been recommended by nutritionists for decades as a very safe amino acid nutritional supplement that is a precursor for glutathione production in the body. (Glutathione is a major de-toxifier.) The FDA is hinting that it may review this supplement’s classification and, therefore, possibly make it difficult to purchase. Please give the FDA a call at 888-463-6332 and ask that the classification not be changed. NAC has many other important functions in humans–take a look at this Mercola.com article to learn more about FDA’s actions and the benefits of NAC.

Congratulations, Fall 2019 Nutrition Class “Graduates”!

December 4, 2019 by towers

Our Fall Nutrition Class participants were a pleasure to have at our clinic. Here are a few things “graduates” have had to say upon completion of the 7-week class.

“The nutrition class with you was life changing and positive. I so appreciate how well prepared you were, all the food and teas you prepared, and your wealth of knowledge.”
The class empowered me to take out “several food items that were unhealthy, pay more attention to food ingredients, implement more good foods for my kids.”
The changes I made “eliminated brain fog, increased energy by 50%.”
“Off sugar! Trying new recipes and thinking differently about what to eat and drink.” Lost 20 pounds!
“No more acid reflux and heartburn, no bloating and gas.” Lost 11 pounds!
“Have had constipation issues but gut feels much better–no acid relux.” Lost 4 pounds.
“Learned so much!” Knees better, energy better and lost 4 pounds.