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Epigenetics and Nutrition

Imagine before you is a large salad, well-seasoned, loaded with bright and colorful vegetables, topped with lightly grilled salmon, and a large glass of water. Beside that dish is another, a heavily processed cheeseburger from any popular fast-food joint, with an extra-large side of fries, and a tall chocolate milkshake. Now, ask yourself, which of […]

Dear New Year’s Resolution–it was nice while it lasted.

      Dear New Year’s Resolutions,   It was nice while it lasted.   Sincerely,   February   Now that we are 31 days and counting into 2017, many of us are admitting defeat in our list of resolutions.   Excuses are as varied as the initial intentions.  The dryer shrunk my jeans, there’s […]

Small steps to begin a Healthy 2016

  As I moved through the holiday season with family and friends, I heard all the chatter of losing weight in the New Year. With a cookie or a dipped chip in hand we talked of our plans for shedding these indulgent pounds that we had gained over the last months, or maybe years. There […]

the journey along the middle prong river trail to Health

It is hard!   Health is to hard.  Many don’t achieve it because it is to hard.  These were the words of a recent conversation I had with a friend and client.   Is Health hard?  Is Wellness really unobtainable?  I may surprise you with my answer—for many the answer is unfortunately yes.  The answer […]

An Apple a Day? Healthy Choices vs. Inflammation

My pre-60th birthday journey to improve my previous test results from Seasons of Farragut continues! This month I decided to focus on the first tenet in our Forum Health Knoxville wellness regimen – nutrition!

 

About two years ago I took the ALCAT test and was astonished at my lengthy list of reactive foods! The ALCAT is a fascinating food sensitivity test in which white blood cells are introduced to a variety of foods, chemicals, and herbs. The severity of the reaction determines if a substance is mild, moderate, severe, or normal within my body. Since knowledge is power, I decided to receive the news that gluten and dairy were on my “severe list” as a positive indicator rather than “buyers’ remorse” for having performed the test!

 

Lyn-Genet Recitas has written a book, The Plan, which explains how inflammation from food intolerance can cause symptoms such as joint pain, skin disorders, fatigue, weight issues, headaches, and digestive disorders. Whereas a food allergy can have almost an immediate effect, a food sensitivity may not show up for several hours to 3 days later. For weight gain, it’s not as much about the calories as the chemistry of the body. One person may benefit from last night’s salmon and broccoli, but someone else may actually gain 2 pounds. Inflammation from food intolerance causes damage to the lining of the gut. As the lining becomes “leaky” with gaps present, foods begin to slip through not completely digested. This causes the body to attack undigested foods.

 

As we age, inflammation can increase which causes our systems to slow down. Many of us have much less stomach acid and digestive enzymes to break down food. This can ultimately alter our weight and our health. Reactive foods cause our bodies to produce more histamine which causes water retention via dilated capillaries. The brain responds by increasing the production of Cortisol. As more Cortisol is produced, fewer sex hormones are produced since both sets of hormones depend on the same building blocks. Increased Cortisol causes an increase in glucose which causes an increase in blood sugar! This domino effect alters the good bacteria in the gut and can increase yeast production. The altered gut flora leads to a weakened immune response since about 70% of our immune system is in the gut.

4 Foods That Build The Immune System

The cooler seasons brings temperatures that challenge our immune systems. Here are 4 foods to build our health and keep our immune system hardier through the fall and winter.

10 Ways to Increase Your Water Intake

Water is an essential part of the human body. There isn’t a single bodily function – seeing, hearing, thinking, exercising, singing, and even laughing – that does not rely on water. Here are 10 tips on how to increase your water intake.

The Sauna Reinvented

The creation of the Infrared sauna has completely transformed the meaning of the word “sauna.” An Infrared sauna offers 7 times the effectiveness of a traditional sauna because of its ability to penetrate human tissue.

Peaches: A Sweet Approach to Weightloss

At Forum Health Knoxville, we know wellness is not about taking a prescription medication to control a symptom. True wellness is the result of balancing five key points: nutrition, exercise, hormone balance, inflammation reduction and detoxification. At Forum Health Knoxville we address each of the five points of wellness to help you achieve not only weight loss goals, but more importantly your health and wellness goals.

Sweat Yourself to Better Health in our Infrared Sauna

Sunlighten Saunas use infrared heat rays instead of steam, as is used in traditional saunas. Infrared gently heats the body from within instead of heating the air. It has the ability to penetrate the surface of the skin, which gives your body overall radiant warmth. Traditional heaters only heat the air, which can become extremely hot and uncomfortable in which to breathe.