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Browse more Recent Posts by Condition, Laboratory Test, or by Date...
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 Our goal with the Metametrix Institute blog site is to keep you informed regarding hot topics, current research, lab updates and ways to improve whole health in an enjoyable, time-friendly and clinically-applicable way.
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I have been waiting for politicians to do something about endocrine disruptors like phthalates and Bisphenol-A (BPA). And while I don’t want anything bad to happen to anyone, I know that things are going to happen due to exposure to these and other environmental chemicals. So when reports came out that there was evidence that genital malformations could be increasing (really in males) and it was blamed on exposure to endocrine disrupting environmental chemicals, I really thought there was going to be more action...
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The anti-aging market continues to experience tremendous growth and is projected to bring in a whopping $291.9 billion by 2015, according to the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine. “The primal desire of humans to remain young forever has groomed and nurtured a goliath of an anti-aging industry worldwide.” The drive bulldozing this market forward is the ultimate propensity to look and feel younger, and in turn, to achieve optimal health and well-being...
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“Is Sugar Toxic?” 1 There was a great article in The New York Times Magazine last week reviewing work done by Dr. Lustig, who argues that our excessive consumption of sugar is the primary reason so many of us are obese. He also argues sugar is the likely dietary cause of other chronic ailments such as heart disease, hypertension, and some cancers. He means beet and cane sugar, both white and brown, and high-fructose corn syrup...
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Metametrix has once again written a valuable book to help educate clinicians in the field of integrative and functional medicine. Case Studies in Integrative and Functional Medicine (CSIFM) is the first book of its kind to discuss a wide range of conditions and symptoms with pre- and post-testing results, as well as treatment interventions...
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Recently a friend of mine I’ll call Jody commented on how Activia® yogurt had “fixed” her irregularity problems. Knowing I worked at a lab that does stool testing, she figured I’d be able to explain this amazing phenomenon to her. I deferred, saying there is way too much still unknown about the gut, with its mass of microbes, to know the whole story, or even a tiny fraction of it...
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There is an experiment that I would like to do. It’s very simple. Have parents collect urine specimens from their children 10 days after they are immunized or 10 days after their 1- to 2-year-old child’s temperature peaks from a viral infection. Send 5000 such samples to a laboratory for analysis of quinolinic acid and follow the children to document the occurrence of regressive autism. Segregate the subjects by quintile of quinolinic acid and ask the statistical question: Is the incidence of autism higher in the upper (5th) quintile that in the lower (1st) quintile? My hypothesis about the etiology of regressive autism predicts that the answer to that question will be “Yes.” In a nutshell, the rationale is that the acute inflammatory episode (not anything “toxic” about the immunization alone) can disrupt brain development in susceptible children...
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You may know about the many millions of “other” cells in your body, ones that don’t carry your DNA. But I’m talking about the 3 to 4 pounds of gut bacteria in your colon or large intestine. We are talking 10 times the number of human cells – approximately 100 trillion microbial cells, and more than 600 different species! Not only are most of us rather mindless in what we eat, we’re ignorant of what these microbes do for us – and what they need in order to do it!...
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The act of cleansing the body is an ancient practice sewn throughout the fabric of cultures around the world. A portion of these practices serve to further facilitate our innate detoxification pathways and what better time to discuss than with the onset of spring…the time of year most commonly associated with a top-to-bottom scrub down...
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Spring is in the air. Birds are chirping, flowers and trees have started to bloom, and amidst all the beauty of Spring – seasonal allergies make many people dread this time of year. It is estimated that 17.7 million adults and 7.2 million children have been diagnosed with hay fever...there are a few things you can do to support your immune system at the onset of seasonal allergies and during allergic reactions...
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What do you do when an older patient has no mal-absorption symptoms but a low fecal elastase-1? Well a new study says that you should go ahead and provide support. They concluded that older adults with low elastase-1 enzyme levels might benefit from pancreatic enzyme supplementation therapy, regardless of the amount of steatorrhoea, mal-digestion or clinical symptoms...
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George Bernard Shaw’s famous quote, “Death is the ultimate statistic, one out of one of us dies,” is a great truth, particularly in the study of medicine and science. Nowadays science can measure all manner of variables related to health and disease, but there’s really nothing like the statistic of death. Even the most optimistic person has to admit, a particular treatment or therapy is not effective once an individual has not been breathing for a few hours!...
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March is National Nutrition Month, which is a nutrition education campaign sponsored by the American Dietetic Association (ADA). This year’s theme is "Eat Right with Color." No matter what your opinion of the ADA, you can’t really argue with the theme. Americans do need to eat more color, specifically more fruits and vegetables. I can’t think of a single dietary change that would lead to more benefits. Plus, it’s so simple! Whatever level of fruits and vegetables people eat now, they should be eating more. You may also see significant changes in many test results...
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With the inception of spring right around the corner, it’s the consummate time to consider our individual growth—the growth in our lives, the growth in our physical, mental, and emotional health. It’s also the perfect opportunity to ensure that the proper components of whole health are in place and abundant so further growth may occur...
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I found two articles I think go well together. The first says that pregnant women in the US are exposed to multiple chemicals; the second states that primordial germ cells, embryos, and fetuses are highly susceptible to epigenetic dysregulation, or changes in DNA sequences, from chemical exposures. Those two pieces of information seem to point to a really bad combination.
Essentially, pregnant women are being exposed right now to environmental chemicals that can dysregulate the fetal epigenome...
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Modern Family is a television family comedy about just that—a modern family. A family that is quirky and blended in various ways and each family member, as in all families, is annoyed in some way by another family member. However, despite their differences, each person is necessary and they somehow fit together to create a perfect puzzle, and I cannot imagine the show without all of the family members. Just as the families portrayed on Modern Family are not what was once considered “normal” neither is integrative and functional medicine...
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It’s a phrase most can identify with. It speaks of the comfort, familiarity, and security most people associate with their regular place of dwelling. It’s uttered most often when returning home from a vacation or a stressful, long day at work. While there’s no doubt most people hold positive emotional and spiritual ties with their home, science has uncovered that the average home can be a source of hazardous chemicals and toxins...
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Since you are not a grazing horse (great legs notwithstanding), eating plants may not be in the forefront of your consciousness. Consider for a minute, though, that our lives totally and utterly depend on plants, green plants. If not for them, we would not have anything to eat that would suffice as food, period. Think about it. If your husband eats no plants that you know of, ask yourself what that steer or pig or chicken ate to sustain itself—and where that food originated. The entire food web we live in ultimately is based upon plants. It follows, then, that plants need to be as robust and healthy as they can be, for a lot is riding on their health and vitality...
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Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis or NASH is a silent liver disease. The major feature is fat storage in the liver, along with inflammation and liver damage. In its early stages, when there is just fat in the liver but no inflammation or damage, it is called “fatty liver” or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Both NASH and NAFLD are becoming more common in adults and children. Recent studies estimate its prevalence to be up to 30% in the United States. Its incidence is associated with obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, hypertension, and insulin resistance—the regular culprits...
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I happen to come from a family where heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and high blood pressure are the main disorders in my family medical history. I was intrigued, therefore, to discover in the initial months of my relationship with my current wife that simple things like my deodorant or aftershave could inflame both my wife’s and mother-in-law’s sinuses and could lead to a headaches and watery eyes as well as fatigue and lethargy. In contrast with my family, my wife’s family has a history of asthma, eczema, and chronic fatigue, all consistent with heightened chemical sensitivity...
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As New Year’s resolutions fill your mind, the airwaves, and conversations like an intoxicating perfume, there’s one that’s bound to be a major player at the top of everyone’s list—EXERCISE! Some hope to get off the couch to start a regimen, others want to take their current routines to the next level (like our in-house Metametrix physical trainer), and still some remain in the planning stage—planning to get off the couch—soon, real soon! Regardless of where you are personally, exercise is a crucial component to overall health and wellness...
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With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, it’s the perfect time to persuade you not to be tempted to buy yourself or your loved ones those delectable, yummy-smelling, skin-exalting, beauty-enhancing personal care products—unless you read the list of ingredients first. From shampoos and conditioners, to mousse and hairsprays, to lotions, creams and exfoliators, to cosmetics galore! The practice of paying close attention to food labels should also apply to personal care products—you may be getting more than you bargain for, definitely more than beauty itself!...
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I attended grand rounds for OB/GYNs at a major teaching hospital last year to see a friend speak. Before her lecture began, the head resident did a little house keeping. He mentioned that they were tracking hand washing differently, and holiday schedules had changed—then he said something that really surprised me...
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A Review of Walter Crinnion, ND’s book:
Clean, Green & Lean (2010, John Wiley & Sons)
By Terry Pollock, MS – Technical Support Specialist
Meet Michelle. “Michelle” had been having increasingly severe and frequent allergies. Even dryer sheets, which never bothered her before, were intolerable...
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 Making healthy choices...
It’s the new year and we’d like to remind everyone to be mindful of portioning your food. To help keep those healthy eating new year resolutions, check out the information below for some good visuals and serving sizes...
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Rest is the foundation for activity
Rest and sleep are highly researched, yet still mysterious in their own rights. Over the years, many scientists have studied this essential activity that all animals participate in. Although the definitive reason why we sleep is yet to be agreed upon, physiologically and biochemically speaking, this complex activity has a number of benefits...
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Educational series with Metametrix Institute Contributor, Wesley Hurrell   The logic behnd the TRIAD Profile is simple. Interventions based on Organix, Amino Acid, or Allergix IgG Food Antibodies testing produce excellent results—to realize wellness potential faster...
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 The GI tract ranges from 15 to 60 feet in length. and with that kind of size, it's bound to play a huge role in our overall health. Join Dr. Rachel Marynowski as she discusses GI health issues. It really is all about the gut!...
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 Join Dr. Elizabeth Redmond as she discusses analyte patterns that are beneficial in helping identify metabolic issues in patients...
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 Organix is considered the "basic chemistry profile" of Integrative and Functional Medicine. Learn the six easy steps that will help make you an expert at using this great profile in this informative series...
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Educational series with Eve Bralley and Walter J. Crinnion  Toxins are present everywhere you look. As a matter of fact, we all carry a significant toxic burden. Learn how toxins affect your health and what you can do about it in this audio series...
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Cass Nelson-Dooley, MS (18)