Phillips Health Care Newsletter

PLANT BASED DIET

The US Department of Agriculture and Health and Human Services releases dietary guidelines every five years.

Current recommendations are to "shift food intake patterns to a more plant-based diet that emphasizes vegetables, cooked dry beans and peas, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, 

Plant-based diets are low in saturated fat, free of cholesterol, and rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. 

Plant-Based Diets: Pros

Following this type of diet will lower your risks of:

Heart disease

Hypertension (high blood pressure)

Diabetes

Digestive disease

Colon and breast cancers

Overweight & obesity

Help lower total and LDL cholesterol

Plant-Based Diets: Cons

Following a plant-based diet means saying goodbye to all animal products — including lean meat and dairy products such as milk, yogurt, cheese and ice cream. Maybe easier said than done, since many prepared products contain dairy and animal fats.

In addition, if a plant-based diet is not planed correctly, it may not meet all protein, vitamin and mineral needs. Which could result in a nutritional  deficiency.

How To Get Enough Protein

To ensure that a plant based diet includes enough protein to  maintain muscle mass, strong bones and healthy skin, include the following foods are packed with protein:

Beans, lentils and split peas

Quinoa

Soy products: tempeh, tofu, soybeans, soy milk

How To Get Enough Vitamins 

& Minerals

It’s important to get adequate calcium and vitamin D in your diet to ensure healthy bones.

Drink a milk alternative such as soy, almond, rice or hemp milk, which contain both calcium and the vitamin D needed to absorb it.

Eat plenty of dark green leafy lettuce and beans, which contain calcium.

Eat mushrooms and fortified cereals, which contain vitamin D. Include a vitamin D supplement. 

To get enough zinc and iron to support a healthy immune system, and 

maintain energy and immunity, and enough vitamin B12 to produce red blood cells and prevent anemia:

Eat whole grains, beans and fortified cereals for zinc and iron. 

STEM CELL THERAPY & PRP FOR JOINT INJURIES & PAIN

Stem cell therapy for joint and soft tissue pain is a groundbreaking, minimally invasive procedure.

Stem cell therapy is performed to stimulate the body to repair and replace damaged tissue in any joint or soft tissue structures – such as knees, shoulders, hips, wrists, ankles, elbows, tendons and ligaments .

Stem cell treatment takes advantage of the body’s ability to repair itself. These stem cells have anti-inflammatory properties, similar to cortisone and steroid shots. However, stem cell therapy goes far beyond the benefits of standard “injection therapy.”

While cortisone and other drugs only provide temporary pain relief, stem cells actually restore degenerated tissue while providing pain relief. The growth factors in stem cells may replace damaged cells in your body. Additionally, stem cell injections hyaluronic acid, which lubricates joints and tendons, easing the pain and helping restore mobility.

For many patients with debilitating joint pain or osteoarthritis, treatment options are limited: steroid injections, joint replacement surgery (and replacement alternatives), physical therapy, etc. At Phillips Clinic Family Practice and Anti-Aging Medicine, new cutting-edge treatment options like stem cell injections may be used to successfully treat patients with knee osteoarthritis, Achilles tendonitis, rotator cuff tendonitis, and degenerative arthritis. Patients suffering form any kind of joint, tendon, or ligament pain may be considered as candidates for stem cell therapy

PRP: PLATELET RICH PLASMA

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)  is a concentrated source of growth factors, anti-inflammatory and regenerating factors that play major roles in healing. 

Several clinical studies have demonstrated that PRP injections  have improved function and decreased pain in various conditions,  including - but not limited to - wrist, elbow, shoulder, hip,  knee, and ankle tendonitis.  

PRP & Stem Cell Therapy work together to ease pain and inflammation, increase healing and restore function.

If you would like to learn more about Stem Cell Therapy and Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy 

at Phillips Clinic Family Practice, 

please contact our office. Call Us: 702.363.4000

Watermelon

Watermelons, as their name suggests, are almost all water, 92% to be exact. This refreshing treat also contains plenty of beta -carotene, lycopene and vitamin C to help maintain eyesight, keep your skin glowing, and boost that immunity.

Strawberries

These tart berries are another fruit that are comprised of 92% water. In addition to their high water content, strawberries also offer an abundance of antioxidants and folate, both of which help maintain low-blood sugar.

Cantaloupe

This super fruit is super hydrating! Not only is this melon made up of 90% water, but just a one-cup serving contains as much potassium as one medium banana. Getting an adequate amount of potassium is essential in hydration, especially for athletes or those working up a sweat, as it helps to maintain fluid-balance, muscle function, and bone strength.

Pineapple

Foods with the highest water content by green blender

This exceptionally juicy fruit made up of 87% water is beyond hydrating as it is packed with bromelain, an enzyme with potent anti-inflammatory, digestion, detoxing, and immunity-boosting benefits.

Oranges

This sweet treat makes the perfect after-workout snack. It’s comprised of 87% water, contains more than 100% of your daily recommended value for vitamin C as well as plenty of potassium known to help the body restore its fluid levels.

Raspberries

This delicious superfood also contain 87% water and are packed with fiber, keeping your digestion in check and blood-sugar levels low.

Our Raspberry Jalapeño Smoothie will pep you up and keep you hydrated!

Cucumber

Cucumbers boast an extremely high water content, with 96%! With most of its hydration being from the skin, which also contains vitamin C and caffeic acid. These two elements help soothe skin irritations and reduce swelling.

Iceberg Lettuce

This leafy green adds more than a crunch to your salad, it’s 96% water and is sure to keep you hydrated! Iceberg lettuce is also cholesterol and sodium free!

Celery

Foods with the highest water content by green blender

This vegetables 95% water content isn’t the only nutrient responsible for its hydrating benefits, just 3 celery stalks provide provide natural salts that help to replenish levels of sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, iron and zinc.

Green Peppers

Foods with the highest water content by green blender

This green veggie may be 92 percent water, but it’s still abundant in numerous vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, thiamine, vitamin B6, beta carotene, and folic acid.

Spinach

Foods with the highest water content by green blender

This leafy green is also made up of 92% water, making it especially beneficial in keeping you hydrated. Spinach is also rich in magnesium, potassium, and B-vitamins, all of which are known to increase energy.

Omega 3 fatty acids are one of the foundations of good health. They decrease inflammation (not only in our joints but in our blood vessels and bronchioles), improve blood flow to the brain, lower blood lipids and triglycerides and improve levels of good cholesterol (HDL). The health benefits are so vast and well studied that I feel comfortable stating that most people should be ingesting Omega 3 fatty acids on a daily basis.

The 3 types of omega 3 fatty acids are EPA, DHA and ALA.

Sources: 

* EPA and DHA are found in fish oils. If eating fish for its omega 3 content eat smaller, cold water fish such as salmon and sardines. Remember that the bigger the fish (and higher up the food chain) the more mercury it will contain. Most authorities recommending limiting fish consumption to 3 times per week due to mercury toxicity issues.

* EPA and DHA can be supplemented. This is one type of supplement where it is important to know the company and their quality standards. Good fish oil supplements will have a guarantee of being purity tested. Liquid forms are available and are less expensive than gel caps. Also, they are available in a variety of flavors and forms.

* ALA can be found in flaxseed, pumpkin seed, hemp seed and walnuts.

Omega 3 fatty acids are useful in maintaining:

* Heart and Circulatory Health

* Brain and Eye Health

* Healthy Mood and Cognition

* Nervous System Health

* Joint Health

* Skin Health

* A Strong Immune System

* Healthy Pregnancy and Fetal Growth

Consult with your doctor about the dose of omega 3s that is right for you.

Certain foods can help lower cholesterol, including fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and some vegetable oils, because they naturally contain health plant sterols and stanols.

"Plant sterols and stanols are natural substances that are in the same family as cholesterol but are produced by plants instead of animals, and because they're not normally absorbed by people, they compete and interfere with the absorption of animal cholesterol that you eat," explains Ivan V. Pacold, MD, a professor of cardiology at Loyola University's Stritch School of Medicine and director of cardiology at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

When this happens, your body grabs up extra LDL cholesterol from your bloodstream and sends it your liver, where it's used to make important digestive juices. This causes your LDL cholesterol and your total cholesterol to go down, while your HDL (good) cholesterol stays the same.