Frequent or recurrent herpes outbreaks can cause severe frustration and pain for patients Fortunately, wether its cold sores, shingles, genital herpes or post herpetic nueroalgia,   they can all be helped with natural medicine, natural cures, and/or natural remedies. In my practice I have helped several patients struggling with these issues. I combine diet, acupuncture, and natural medicines like herbs and nutrients to help patients recover from these issues.

When discussing herpes we first start with diet. Foods high in the amino acid arginine allow the herpes virus to replicate causing outbreaks, while foods high in lysine help prevent outbreaks.

Foods to include (unless you are allergic or sensitive ) in your diet if you suffer from cold sores or herpes are :

Dairy, especially fermented like kefir, yogurt, cheese, sour cream, etc

Fish and Seafood

Chicken, Turkey, Lamb

Eggs

Potatoes

Brewers Yeast

Foods to avoid during outbreaks and if you have recurrent outbreaks are:

Chocolate

Peanuts

Nuts, Seeds

Coconut

Wheat Germ

Granola

Alcohol

Coffee

Sugar

Foods to eat in moderation are:

Whole Grains

Beans

Sprouts

Eggplant, tomatoes, squah, zuchini etc

Some herbs and nutrients that are used to treat and prevent herpes are L- lysine, larrea, olive leaf extract, zinc, and others.

Acupuncture and chinese medicine can also be very effective addition in dealing with the pain from herpes, shingles, and post herpetic neuralgia.  If you suffer from cold sores or herpes and are looking for natural remedies or natural sloutins that are safe and effective. Give us a call or email today!

Hormone imbalances in men are not as well recognized as they are in women. Recognizing and treating these imbalances can add significant benefits to overall health and quality of life. Most common is testosterone deficiency or what is sometimes called low T or andropause.  As you will see, the imbalances in men are quite common and many age related symptoms correlate directly to declining hormone levels.

Symptoms of hormone imbalances in men

The signs and symptoms of hormone imbalance in men occur gradually over time. This can be different in women, which can happen more quickly. This gradual process in men makes detection and recognition more difficult, but there are some key things to look for. 

The most common symptom of low testosterone is low libido and/or erectile dysfunctions. Age related hormone imbalances can also contribute to fatigue, low energy, mood alterations (poor cognitive function, anger, lethargy, and lack of motivation), decreased muscle mass, osteopenia, increased abdominal fat, insulin resistance, blood sugar issues, frequent infections and immune compromise. These symptoms are mainly caused by the gradual decline in testosterone.

Cause of low testosterone, low T, andropause

The most common imbalances that men suffer from is testosterone deficiency. Low testosterone or low T occurs for several reasons mainly a lack of testosterone productions from the testes and lack of stimulation to the testes from the brain. The area of testosterone production in the testicles is from the leydig cells. These cell numbers gradually decline with age starting around age 40. This cell decline is part of the reason for decreased hormone production. Additionally the Leydig cells are stimulated by a hormone from the brain called LH. The LH from the brain also declines with age leading to less leydig cell stimulations and decreased testosterone production.

Also, most testosterone in the body is body to proteins called SHBG( serum hormone binding globulin). This SHBG actually increases with age making the amount of bound testosterone higher and the free testosterone lower. As a result some men with even reasonably high testosterone will have a lower amount of available testosterone.

Another cause is the gradual rise in estrogen production. Most of the rise in estrogen production comes from increased adipose tissue (fat) that occurs universally with age. As this occurs more of the testosterone gets turned into estrogen which lowers your total testosterone.

What are the treatment options?

The treatment options for low testosterone, low T, andropause varies from direct replacement of testosterone to lifestyle and herbal treatments to stimulate testosterone production.  Stimulating the bodies own production of testosterone can be accomplished through lifestyle changes, herbal medicine, and/or hormone stimulant. In the case of lifestyle changes and herbal medicine we would expect marginal increase in actual testosterone levels; however the improvements in symptoms can be dramatic.

Ways to increase testosterone.

Internal

Increase weight lifting exerices to 3-4 times a week

Eat a whole foods diet avoiding synthetic chemical and processed foods

Herbal stimulants – Tribulus terrestis or Maca can sometimes help

LH analog- a hormone injection that stimulates Leydig cells

These treatments can cause some dramatic results in some men but may not raise testosterone enough to provide relief from low T or andropause. In this case we recommend supplementing with testosterone directly.

Testosterone supplementation options

Topical Cream

Injectable Liquid

Topical Gel

Implantable pellets

When it comes to testosterone a steady level of free testosterone is the goal. This is best accomplished with topical creams or gels.  So if you are searching for answers to hormone imbalances in men than contact us today and set up a free consult today!

Finally studies and the media are showing what us naturopaths have known for years. so lets start with

The Bad News

Food is addictive just like drugs. High sugary and high fat foods cause the body to release chemicals that affect the reward centers of the brain just like drugs.  Similair to drugs the body develops tolerance/addiction to these foods so that you have to continually eat more sugary and fat foods to get the same reward and pleasure activation in the brain. This is why these food are addictive. This makes it very difficult to resist those foods and stick to dietary especially with the holidays coming up. This pleasure activation/addictive quality causes us all to get caught in a trap. Eating high sugary/fatty foods causes feelings of relaxation stress reduction, and pleasure, but after awhile those feel good chemicals decline and the feelings go away and the cravings come back and so these foods are eaten again. Eventually the body develops tolerance just like to drugs where more food is needed to create those same feelings of pleasure, thus the addiction!! and now.... 

The Good News 

Just like with drugs, food detox/rehab is possible.  Completely cutting out these foods for a short period of time, such as in a 2 or 3 week detox or strict diet those pleasure centers can reset. if you have every done anything like this you have experienced it.  That is why when people first start a diet they feel miserable because they are depressed because thier pleasure centers aren't being activated, but overtime those pleasure centers readjust. That is why at first eating more fruits and veggies doesn't taste as good but if done over time and in addition to eliminating high fat and high sugar foods, Fruits and veggies start to taste good and sweet again.

The Game Plan

If you feel like you are caught in this addiction or pleasure trap, consider a detox/ diet change. This can be hard this time or year and may need to wait until after the holidays.

The diet should eliminate all high processed foods and only include fruits, veggies, nuts, beans, seeds, and lean meats and should be at least 2-3 weeks long to allow those pleasure centers to reset.  After that sweets can be put back into the diet in small amounts very slowly but be careful because for some people small amounts of these high sugary/fatty foods will cause a quick "relaspe" into the food addiction cycle.

So if you feel like this is happening to you and you need some help going through food "rehab" and getting out of this vicious cycle. Let me know!

Adam Graves ND, LAc

Want to read more about this subject check out this article in the huffington post

Treating children with ADD/ADHD medication can be a doubled edge sword. One side is that the medications can be effective and help provide relief; the other side is that they can have severe adverse effects and don’t provide a real long term solution for children with ADD/ADHD.  In 2006 the FDA advisory board recommended a Black Box Warning on Ritalin, Concerta, Methylin, Metadate, Adderall and Adderall XR.  A Black Box Warning is the strongest warning placed on medication, a label only 10% of all medications carry.  This warning was recommended due to the adverse effects of these mediations such as sudden death, toxic reactions and heart attacks along with the possibility of increasing aggression, hostility, anxiety, depression, paranoia and the unknown long term effects on brain development.  Currently, the American Heart Association also recommends that anyone starting these medications, child or adult, have a heart evaluation. Since these are serious adverse effects a more holistic approach to ADD/ADHD should be used.  These facts create a serious risk for the children of this nation.  Is there any hope for kids with ADHD/ADD?

When one first begins the treatment of ADHD/ADD, it must be viewed as a multifactoral problem that cannot be quickly remedied by a pill.  A child’s behavior and emotions can be affected by diet, nutrient deficiencies, neurotransmitter imbalances, food sensitivities, environment, genetics and social factors.  Proper treatment must address all these issues.  Once all these issues are addressed and no improvements are detected, only then should medications can be considered.  So what does this approach look like?

First, a proper diagnosis should be made by a doctor, psychologist or psychiatrist.  Once a proper diagnosis has been made, then the treatment options need to be considered.  First is parental support.  With the support of a counselor or psychologist, improvements in the child’s behavior can be made and parents can feel empowered with tools to help their children succeed.  One study compared medications to counseling and concluded that the medications did not show any greater benefits for children with ADHD/ADD.    Next neurotransmitter imbalances ie, serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine need to be balanced using amino acid therapy. In a recent study amino acid precursors demonstrated greater effectiveness over Ritalin and Stattera and without any side effects. (citation)   If no improvement is seen with the above interventions than diet, food sensitivities and nutrient deficiencies need to be addressed.  Children with ADHD/ADD can be sensitive to many different dietary choices they can have blood sugar imbalances and /or food sensitivities.  Parents can begin with a diet that helps stabilize their child’s blood sugar and avoids artificial colors and sweeteners.  A child’s breakfast should include a good source of protein and fiber and be limited on the amount of sugar and refined foods like sweet cereals and juice.  A few examples of this may be eggs, turkey bacon, yogurt, natural peanut butter or even a high fiber protein bar.  This step helps prevent the mid-morning crash in blood sugar that can cause children with ADHD/ADD to act out.  The same goes for lunch, dinner and snacks.  Meals should include protein, veggies and whole grains such as a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread with carrot sticks, apple sauce, etc.  Healthy snack or meal ideas can be found at your local library or by simple searches on the internet. Food sensitivities can also play a role. In clinical practice, the main offending foods tend to be dairy, wheat/gluten, and/or eggs. Children with ADHD/ADD tend to have an oversensitive nervous system that is easily stimulated by these foods. Testing for these foods sensitivities is done easily in children with a finger stick using an ELISA food allergy test.  Children with ADHD/ADD also have documented deficiencies in magnesium, zinc, vitamin B6 and essential fatty acids to name a few.  A starting point for a child with ADHD/ADD would be to take a high quality multi mineral/vitamin formula, an essential fatty acid formula, high in DHA, and a good probiotic supplement.  Once the diet, nutrient deficiencies and behavior modifications are addressed, then children have the foundations to make improvements.  If progress is not significant, food sensitivities or other root causes should be explored with a Dr. Graves.  It is only after the above interventions have made and still nothing seems to help than medications can be considered for severe cases.  With this approach the full potential of these children can be achieved and fulfilled.  They cannot only live a full and normal life, but surpass their teachers’, counselors’ and parents’ expectations.

Everyday patients come to my office looking for help with their digestive complaints.  Patients are suffering from wide range of symptoms from heartburn, nausea, indigestion, bloating, pain, candida, yeast, diarrhea, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, and the list goes on and on.  These digestive problems can also lead to more problems in other areas of the body, like fatigue, aches and pains, anxiety, trouble thinking just to name of few. Digestive problems can affect infants to elderly.  The can range from mildly annoying to completely debilitating.   Most patients have seen many doctors and have had many tests and procedures without finding much relief from their issues.  Well if this is you, then there is finally some good news.

We offer many natural solutions for digestive problems, like IBS, GERD, Constipation, Crohn’s disease,  diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis, Candida, parasites, Food Allergies, etc.  Natural medicine is great at restoring and healing up the digestive tract, but first we start by truly identifying what is causing these digestive problems.  At Colorado Natural Medicine, we do this with two lab tests, a comprehensive food allergy panel and a comprehensive digestive and stool analysis.  The food allergy test measures the immune systems reaction to 96 different foods; this shows which foods may be causing their symptoms.  Once these food allergies are identified and eliminated, then digestive repair can start to happen.  The second test we do is a comprehensive digestive and stool analysis this measure numerous factors such as yeast, Candida, inflammation, parasites, absorption, sIgA, and more.  This comprehensive stool analysis can provide great insight into treating and recovering from digestive problems.  

We offer food allergy testing and stool analysis for Denver, Castle Rock, Colorado Springs and the surrounding areas. If you have any questions feel free to email  or call us.  We look forward to helping you on your journey back to health.

Adam Graves ND, LAc

Hi, welcome to Dr Graves’ blog

Welcome, since this is the first blog. We have to start with the basics about who I am, what I do, and who should see me, after that , this blog will be mostly devoted to you and providing you and your loved ones with the best and latest information to help live a life full of health and wellness.  So let’s get started.

Who am I and what I do?

Hi, I am Dr Adam Graves. I am a licensed acupuncturist, Natural Doctor, and Naturopathic Physician. I help patients restore their health using holistic and natural medicines.   My journey towards natural medicine began in college when I started seeking natural treatments for my severe asthma and allergies. I then decided to become a naturopathic doctor after his father’s struggles and death from cardiovascular disease. I work alongside my patients, encouraging them to take an active role in their health. I combine my diverse background and experience with tools and wisdoms from Eastern and Western medicine, providing true integrative health care. My practice incorporates many effective therapies including acupuncture, clinical nutrition, IV nutrient therapy, dietary therapy, herbal medicine, homeopathy, hydrotherapy and behavioral medicine.  I have worked with a wide range of health conditions and have an office in Castle Rock and Denver. When not working, I love spending time with my wife and two children.

Should you be a patient/blog follower?

• If you are seeking alternatives to medications, or medications aren’t working for your health conditions.
• You have an unusual disease that has your doctors and specialists baffled. 
• Doctors have told you that there's nothing wrong or nothing further they can do for you. 
• You have been told you are depressed but you don’t feel depressed. 
• You have an acute, chronic or unexplained symptom. 
• You are concerned that the side effects of your drugs may be worse than the disease. 
• You have tried numerous nutritional supplements without noticeable results. 
• You are looking for a natural health expert that will answer your questions and work with you to restore your health. 
• You have health problems and want alternative support alongside your current medication.

So that’s it, thanks for reading! If you have any questions feel free to call or email!

Thanks,

Adam Graves ND, LAc