This is exciting! Every day this week we are exploring a new aspect of Naturopathic Medicine! What’s Naturopathic Medicine, you ask? We answer! From allergies to detox, stress, hormones and more, we are diving into the world of REAL, TOTAL HEALTH – the all natural way – with Dr. Marie Rodriguez, top-notch Naturopathic Physician in Washington, D.C. (and my doctor – love her!).
Ready? Let’s go!
DAY 1
Naturopathic Medicine – What’s That?!
Naturopathic medicine grew out of the natural healing systems of the 18th and 19th centuries and included hydrotherapy, nutrition, herbal medicine, light therapy, healing touch, etc. This practice of medicine has an impressive history, so why are you less familiar with this form of medicine? Naturopathic medicine fell in popularity in the 1920s when the editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association made a mission of attacking naturopathic physicians, accusing them of quackery. Then, from 1938 – 1970, growing political and social dominance of allopathic (conventional or Western) medicine, fueled by the drug industry’s financial backing, led to the legal and economic suppression of naturopathic healing. Public infatuation with technology, introduction of “miracle drugs,” the development of surgery and other high-tech medical interventions also overshadowed naturopathic medicine until around the late 1960s when the public began seeing the many limitations of allopathic (conventional or Western) medicine and began to seek holistic therapies.
Are Naturopathic Doctor’s (ND’s) “Legit”?
YES! There are five accredited naturopathic schools in the U.S. that offer post-graduate degrees. All accredited ND’s are graduates from a 4 or 5 year post graduate medical institution and carry a license to practice naturopathic medicine. Think your standard MD +.
A naturopathic student follows this path:
- 1. Obtains a four-year undergraduate degree, including the pre-medical classes.
- 2. Attend naturopathic medical school – Two years of basic science classes, such as biochemistry, gross anatomy and lab, physiology, and 2 years of diagnostic and clinic training.
- 3. Takes a national board exam upon completion of our degree requirements
ND’s educational training is equivalent to that of a MD, but the big difference is integrating all of the human body systems, seeing how everything is inter-related and preventing illness versus waiting until the patient is in need!
Be alert, just like conventional MD’s, not all ND’s are created equal. To find an ND that has the correct training, above, visit AANP, American Association of Naturopathic Physicians, naturopathic.org to find the RIGHT ND in your area. (You’ll find Dr. Rodriguez listed there!)
The Real Difference: Prevention vs Reaction
Western medicine is most often ‘reactive’ medicine because it works by identifying a symptom, or an abnormal lab result, and then choosing the appropriate pharmaceutical drug or intervention to ‘put out the fire’. While this is an effective approach for symptom eradication, it fails to consider the underlying cause of the symptom or to consider each individual unlike naturopathic medicine.
EXAMPLE, DIABETES: Western doctors typically wait for pre-diabetics (fasting blood sugar btw 100 and 125) to become diabetic so they can then put a person on glucose lowering medications. As a naturopathic doctor, upon seeing a blood fasting blood sugar over 100, I prescribe exercise, a therapeutic diet and stress management since stress hormones drive up blood sugar. These 3 strategies are all effective for diabetes prevention. However, these suggestions may not be enough for someone who has had uncontrolled type 2 diabetes for an extended period of time. In these cases I would make additional recommendations: herbal blood sugar lowering supplements, customized detoxification support, antioxidants, and essential fatty acids are some examples.
Not a Band-Aid, Real Health
Healing with naturopathic medicine is a comprehensive approach that facilitates the body’s own power to heal itself, and because it is working at the level of the ‘cause’, healing takes time. Any illness does not develop overnight – diabetes most likely has been developing in a patient’s body for at least a couple of decades – your body will need time to heal, but it will get there. Holistic approaches aren’t a quick fix; we have to undo so many years of damage, but they are the WHOLE fix.
Want more? Visit www.drmarierodriguez.com and find out more about Dr. Rodriguez’s natural abilities!
Also follow Dr. Rodriguez on Facebook for daily healthy tips!
DAY 2
“If you are making the financial and personal commitment to take nutritional supplements,
make sure you are spending those dollars wisely and with confidence.”
ARE ALL SUPPLEMENTS CREATED EQUAL?
NO! Not all supplements are equal. NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENT MANUFACTURING IN THE U.S. IS UNREGULATED. This means that the majority of supplement manufacturers are never inspected or regulated to ensure quality and safety. No oversight or regulation means that many suppliers maximize profits by scrimping on quality. This practice is industry wide – many supplements are of poor quality and raw materials can be contaminated 
with lead, mercury, pesticides, chemicals, toxins, bacteria and mold. Unregulated manufacturers never test for these. Without consistent raw material and finished product testing you never really know the potency of the supplement – you could be getting a less than therapeutic dose, or worse a level that is too high.
Don’t get discouraged, we are in the movement for good health together – let’s figure it out!
WHERE TO START?
Research, research, research! Get familiar with reading labels and investigating manufacturers! Go online, find a number for the company/manufacturer, call and ask them what quality control measures they have in place.
Here’s a tip, ONLY ONE privatized company, NSF International, does quality control and testing of supplement manufacturers. Think of NSF International as a supplement watch-dog, enforcing good manufacturing standards and making sure there are no molds or bacteria and no other chemicals in the product that reaches you. The vast majority of companies are NOT going to be NSF Intentional certified, but watch for their certification…it means quality control! We like that!
Dr. Rodriguez recommends the following supplement brands.
Recommended
Remember, not all supplements are created equal, Dr. Rodriguez recommends avoiding the following brands.
NOT Recommended
- 1. Centrum
- 2. CVS
- 3. Costco
- 4. Nature’s Made
- 5. Country Life
The decision of what supplements you take is ultimately up to you. Do the research! After your individual research, remember to talk to your local naturopathic doctor – it’s important to create a partnership!
Supplements to SELF-TREAT
Can you grab a supplement off the shelf to cure what ails you without talking to a doctor?
When you research your nutritional products and know you are taking high quality products that have been tested – or better yet, get the opinion of an ND – spot treating with nutritional supplements should be safe. Those who need to be the most careful are people who are on pharmaceutical prescriptions. They are the ones that need to be working with a naturopathic physician who knows about drug admissions and reactions.
5 people who have complaints of low energy could need 5 completely different treatments. One could be anemic, another have low thyroid, someone else have adrenal fatigue, hypoglycemia or yet a chronic viral infection. It’s great for people to be empowered and motivated to support their health, but you want to find someone with training and knowledge of the body. Dr. Rodriguez advises focusing on the foundations of healthy nutrition, exercise and stress reduction. Need more support? Do your research and consider consulting with an expert such as an ND – only one visit will go a long way to get you on a long term plan for prevention.
Want more? Visit www.drmarierodriguez.com and find out more about Dr. Rodriguez’s natural abilities!
Also follow Dr. Rodriguez on Facebook for daily healthy tips!
DAY 3
DEFINING DETOX
Once and for all…yes, detox is important! If we lived in a clean environment, ate all organic foods, didn’t taking pharmaceutical drugs, used skin care products that weren’t laden with hidden toxins and hormones, only used natural cleaners, we would not need detox because our body has it’s own built in routes of elimination such as the liver, kidneys, GI, lungs. BUT, we DO NOT live in a clean environment! Instead, our environment is full of heavy metals, pesticides, and various other hormone disrupting chemicals and pollutants.
Our bodies can’t keep up with the exposure that we have on a daily basis. As a result, we experience higher rates of chronic
disease: cancer, heart disease, and obesity. Detox, when done correctly, helps give our bodies a break to help it heal itself.
DETOX, DONE RIGHT
Many people want a “quick fix,” and use fad detoxes because they want to drop weight fast, and think they can completely detox their body in a few short days. Unfortunately it just doesn’t work that way.
Dr. Rodriguez recommends a detox diet that consists of nutrient-dense foods, eliminates processed, refined, inflammatory and allergenic foods. This is a much better, healthier approach over something more extreme (Master Cleanse, juice fasting, etc.). No starvation, no extremes, just a clean, healthy diet to allow your body to rest, heal and detox.
When people do these more extreme versions of a detox, they can ‘rebound’ on an abundance of comfort foods afterwards – counteracting their efforts, and never really learning what a healthy diet looks like. It’s important to practice a sustainable detox/healthy eating program.
Frequency? Dr. Rodriquez recommends doing a detox a minimum of twice per year .
[Want a copy of Dr. Rodriquez’s clean, anti-inflammatory detox diet??! It’s yours! Email info@HerExchange.com for a copy]
Want more? Visit www.drmarierodriguez.com and find out more about Dr. Rodriguez’s natural abilities!
Also follow Dr. Rodriguez on Facebook for daily healthy tips!
DAY 4
PMS, CRAMPS, MENOPAUSE….OH MY!
It’s normal for women to feel some symptoms before their period. A lucky few women don’t get PMS at all, but they tend to be the minority. But, here’s the clincher, PMS should NOT compromise your quality of life! If you feel a little fatigued, a bit more emotional, but you are doing OK with your daily activities, then PMS isn’t too much of a concern. When things become more problematic – you have prolonged breast tenderness and need to wear 2 jog bras when you exercise, you retain water so much that you have your PMS jeans, you cry at the drop of a hat – even at commercials – then
this is when it’s time to consider either consulting with a naturopathic doctor and/or lifestyle changes.
IMBALANCE
Often, PMS is a result of a hormonal imbalance. Today, more often than not, women have too much estrogen because of all the endocrine disrupting pollutants in our environment. A good example of this is the BPA in our plastic coffee lids and hormones in our meat/dairy products – all adding unneeded estrogen to our systems! And in the long run, hormone imbalance can really wreak havoc during the menopausal years. To treat PMS, Dr. Rodriguez starts with the basics, diet and stress reduction – both of these enhance liver function. The liver is critical because it’s responsible for breaking down and manufacturing our bodies’ hormones. (Liver need some cleaning up? Check out Day 3 for a natural, healthy way to detox!)
Dr. Rodriguez begins her work with patients by testing their hormone levels. From there, she tailors her approach, which may include customized nutritional recommendations, create a detox plan, and prescribe herbal and homeopathic remedies. Many women want a ‘quick fix’ with natural hormones, but this approach fails to address the underlying contributing factors and can run the risk of raising your levels too high.
The good news is, PMS doesn’t have to run your life – you do! Let’s get you back in control! Visit www.drmarierodriguez.com for more information about Dr. Rodriguez’s natural abilities and to schedule your appointment.
Also follow Dr. Rodriguez on Facebook for daily healthy tips!
DAY 5
ITCHY, RUNNY, SCRATCHY – ALLERGY RUNDOWN
Did anyone notice that the pollen this spring was worse than ever?! A mild winter and increased humidity intensifies environmental toxins and local pollens. Bottom-line, seasonal allergies are becoming more amped because of the environment because our bodies can’t keep up with what we’re being exposed to. Pollens are the plant’s way of eliminating toxins, so it makes sense that would make sense that pollen disperse was in higher portions. I’ve seen people with allergies who can identify a dairy sensitivity and they go off dairy and the allergies get better. I’d say that for the majority of people it’s more long term. They get off of it for several months.
IMBALANCE
Allergies result from a hypersensitive immune system. The ‘allergic’ immune system misidentifies an otherwise innocuous substance as harmful, and then attacks the substance with intensity far greater than is required. In a properly functioning immune system, white blood cells differentiate between threatening and non-threatening proteins – invading those deemed harmful and ignoring those deemed harmless. The allergic immune system creates an abundance of antibodies against benign substances. When triggered, these antibodies stimulate a cascade of events that 
ultimately results in the release of histamine. Histamine causes vasodilation, inflammation, and a host of other symptoms associated with allergies – sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes, and itching.
Conventional treatments for allergies include: decongestants, anti-histamines, and allergy shots. These may offer temporary relief, but they DO NOT solve the underlying problem as the body’s immune system continues to be impaired.
Naturopathic treatments offer immediate symptom relief, and more importantly, a strategy for correcting the underlying immune system imbalance. Restoring health to our digestive system is of utmost importance in re-establishing a balanced immune system. Our digestive system is where the external environment meets our internal environment, and where over 80% of our immune cells originate. Daily stress and bad nutrition leads to intestinal inflammation and even “leaky gut,” when digested foods and toxins leak into systemic circulation through an incompetent intestinal wall. Once in circulation, these food particles and toxins can trigger unnecessary immune action.
Effective allergy treatment involves identifying and eliminating exposure to allergens. Dairy is HUGE trigger for seasonal allergies, not only because it triggers the cascade of events detailed above, but because it is very congesting. Homeopathic and herbal remedies can be utilized as a complement to dietary and lifestyle changes to help offset the worst of symptoms. Read below for a naturopathic allergy treatment plan:
RELIEF
- 1. Follow an anti-inflammatory diet (see day 3, detox) avoiding sugar, dairy, wheat and food additives – these foods are congesting and irritating to the nasal passages. A body that is less congested is less allergic. A good quality probiotic can help heal the gut and encourage the immune system to self-modulate over the long term.
- 2. Limit exposure. Change bed sheets and pillow cases frequently. Avoid outside activities during peak pollen hours, close the windows to your house or car during high pollen days, wear a face mask and protective goggles when mowing the lawn and gardening. Strip off your clothing and hit the shower or bath after outside activities. Not only should you wash from head to toe, but your clothes should be washed as well.
- 3. Try eating local, unpasteurized honey (from a place near to where you live) starting at 1 tsp daily until you see a response (adverse response is possible) increase up to 2 tsp daily. Symptoms should improve over a 2 week period.
- 4. Nettles are a natural anti-histamine, can be taken in capsule form, or a tea can be made by steeping 1 tsp in 1 cup hot water and drinking 3 cups daily.
- 5. Use a saline rinse or Neti Pot to irrigate your nasal passages and rid them of pollen.
- 6. Natural remedies available in Dr. Rodriguez’s dispensary:
a. Allergiplex – 1 tablet weekly for 4 weeks to help prevent symptoms prior to allergy season. Can be taken daily when symptoms arise.
b. Northeast Allersode – Homeopathic preparation of local pollens, grasses, weeds for desensitizing the immune system. Take 1 dropper 3x daily for prevention.
c. Aller-C – Contains quercitin which stabilizes mast cells and prevents the release of histamine. 2 capsules twice daily for prevention, then 3-4x daily as a therapeutic dose.
Suffering? Your best first step is to visit Dr. Marie Rodriguez, or your local Naturopathic Physician, for a personal consultation and customized program.
Start by visiting www.drmarierodriguez.com, and follow Dr. Rodriquez on Facebook for daily healthy tips!
DAY 6
STRESS RELIEF
Feel maxed out? So used to running on E that you don’t even notice it anymore? It’s affecting your health! Stress strongly impacts our human physiology: weakening our immunity (stress lowers white blood cell counts!), slowing our natural inborn detox processes and even compromising our digestion.
Stress acts like a vice grip on your digestive system; when you’re stressed out, your body can’t make enough hydrochloric acid. Without adequate hydrochloric acid, you can’t break down your protein or absorb the much-needed nutrients from your food, leaving your body ill-equipped to carry out it’s multitude of biochemical processes.
There is a better way! Solution: Craniosacral Therapy! Craniosacrel Therapy helps to relieve stress by hitting the ‘restart’ button on your nervous system. Through a relaxing treatment of light touch, your body moves from “fight or flight” mode to a more relaxed, cathartic state where the body can heal itself of the damage done by stress.
Craniosacral Therapy is one of the most powerful ways to reduce stress and to balance your nervous system.
Dr. Rodriguez pampered Stephanie Goetsch with this stress-relieving treatment, check it out:
Visit www.drmarierodriguez.com for more information about Dr. Rodriguez’s natural abilities and to schedule your appointment.
Also follow Dr. Rodriguez on Facebook for daily healthy tips!
DAY 7
TO ORGANIC OR NOT
Debating on whether or not to go organic? Don’t know where to begin? Dr. Rodriguez advises 4 EASY STEPS to making a healthy transition. Start at 1 and when you’re ready, move on until you are the picture of good health!
STEP 1: MEAT & DAIRY
Conventionally raised animals are routinely given antibiotics, and hormones, and eat feed that is genetically modified and sprayed with pesticides. Everything an animal is exposed to makes its way into the meat/milk we consume, and thereby into our bloodstream and individual cells. Non-organic animal fats are a storehouse of toxic chemicals that influence our body’s physiology and even increase risk for various cancers. So when you think about preventing chronic illness, going organic in the meat and dairy category is certainly worth the effort!
STEP 2: FRUITS & VEGGIES
Remember the DIRTY DOZEN! The following 12 items should be purchased organic because of the high level of pesticides used on them, because those pesticides end up in your body! Don’t see it on the list? Save your money and buy ‘conventional.’
- Peaches
- Apples
- Sweet Bell Peppers
- Celery
- Nectarines
- Strawberries
- Cherries
- Pears
- Grapes (Imported)
- Spinach
- Lettuce
- Potatoes
STEP 3: GRAINS
Grains are routinely sprayed with herbicides and because they are stored for extended periods of time, they commonly harbor toxin-producing molds. It’s important to get things as fresh and whole as possible. Grains can be very healthy, when they are whole, unprocessed, and prepared in a good way. They are high in fiber, and contain many important essential nutrients like vitamins from the B group.
STEP 4: WATER
Pure drinking water is also of utmost importance and is oftentimes overlooked. It’s worth investing in a high-quality filtration system for your home such as a carbon block or reverse osmosis filter that reduces: chlorine, VOC’s (volatile organic compounds), heavy metals, endocrine disrupting chemicals, and microbes and cysts. Unfortunately your good ‘ol Brita won’t take care of all of these. Also think about filters for you showers to reduced chlorine exposure. Don’t just think about drinking water, your body is absorbing chlorine and additives in the shower, washing your face, all the time. (Filters not only limit the toxins your body is exposed to, but is a great way to conserve water – cuts your water bills!).
Thank you for joining HerExchange on our COUNTDOWN TO TOTAL HEALTH, with Dr. Marie Rodriguez! We hope you’ve found great tips to help you on your journey to happy, healthy, whole!
Visit www.drmarierodriguez.com for more information about Dr. Rodriguez’s natural abilities and to schedule your appointment.
Also follow Dr. Rodriguez on Facebook for daily healthy tips!
Awesome article
the supplement info is right on time. i’m thinking about trying glucosamine and chondroitin for my achy old lady knees and i ALMOST got some at Costco this past saturday, but something told me not to… i’m doing more research and this is a big help!