local health briefs
Choosing the Right Diet
It is very hard to know which is the right diet. Even in integrative medicine circles, there is debate about vegan, plant-based diets, ketogenic diets and nutritarian diets. The reality is that there are studies to support them all, but science is evolving as we learn and try new things. Each person is an individual with different genetics, epigenetics (how the environment turns genes off and on), environments, medical and family histories, and it all matters. The growing field of “nutrition as medicine” includes a broad range of providers like nutritionists, chiropractors, health coaches and doctors to maximize health for us all. They can check inflammatory markers and advanced cholesterol panels to figure out the best diet for a patient. When someone comes in with a lowcarbohydrate, high-fat diet and their labs are great, they are probably on the right track. When the labs show a lot of inflammation on that diet, their markers usually improve with a plant-based diet. There is a correlation between blood type and diet, so it may be helpful for us to know our blood type, and the easiest way to discover that is to donate blood. Most importantly, once past the first few weeks of starting a new diet, assess how we feel (clear-headed, energized, less inflamed). If so, it is the right path. If going with a whole food, plant-based vegan diet, take some cooking classes or read some books and pay attention to micronutrients and fat content. Seeing a nutritionist is recommended to be sure of getting the maximum nutrition. Functional and holistic-minded nutritionists are popping up everywhere, which is great news for the health of our population in the future. Cammy Benton, M.D., ABIHM, IFMCP, is the owner of Benton Integrative Medicine, with locations in Charlotte, Huntersville, and Denver, as well as the founder of Compass Integrative Health Center, a nonprofit dedicated to launching a hospital that utilizes traditional and integrative treatments. For more information, call 704-775-6029 or visit www.BentonIntegrative.com.
Hyperbaric Therapy Can Treat Long Covid
It has been estimated that 10 to 20 percent of people that get Covid will develop long Covid symptoms that include shortness of breath, cough, fatigue, brain fog (inability to focus and concentrate), anxiety and depression. Fatigue is the most common symptom, reported in 65 percent of patients, and is often severe. The age group with long Covid are typically employed, so their ability to earn income is affected. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a medical treatment administered in a chamber in which the patient breathes 100 percent oxygen under pressure. This stimulates stem cell production by 800 percent and is a very potent anti-inflammatory. It is extremely safe and effective and has been shown to be effective in the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome, which has many similarities to long Covid. Currently, the treatment options for long Covid are limited or non-existent. In a study published in Royal College of Physicians Clinical Medicine, patients with long Covid symptoms lasting longer than three months were treated with 10 (HBOT) sessions at 2.4 atmospheres absolute (ATA) in 12 days. The study reported substantial improvement in all categories. Many patients reported that their lives had been transformed (www.tinyurl.com/RoyalCollegeLongCovid). In a more recent study, leading world hyperbaric researcher Dr Shai Efrati and team conducted a randomized controlled double-blind long Covid study. They reported that the virus enters the brain through the cribriform plate above the nose. With a treatment protocol of 40 (HBOT) sessions, they reported actual repair of the virus-caused damage to the brain as well as excellent improvements in all measured functions (www.tinyurl.com/HBOTforLongCovid). Dr. Roger Hunter is the owner of Nirvana Hyperbaric Institute, located at 146 Medical Park Rd., Ste. 110, in Mooresville. For a free consultation or more information, call 704-471-4100 or visit www.NirvanaHBO.com. August 2022
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