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This issue's topics:

The Health Benefits of Flaxseed

How bioidentical hormones helped one patient

New health videos have been added to DrMarcantel.com

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The Health Benefits of Flaxseed

by Dr. Tina Marcantel

One food that I highly recommend to all my patients is flaxseed. The health benefits of this little seed make it sound like nature’s wonder drug: it can help protect against heart disease, cancer, and diabetes; it can reduce cholesterol and has anti-inflammatory benefits; it’s even been shown to reduce hot flashes in postmenopausal women!

Flaxseed is helpful in managing women’s health issues because it contains high levels of lignans, which are phytochemicals that are converted in the body into hormone-like agents that block the estrogen pathways and limit estrogen in fat cells. 

Limiting estrogen is important because it can help prevent estrogen dominance, a condition that can lead to numerous health problems including premenstrual syndrome (PMS), insomnia, irregular bleeding, uterine fibroids, fibrocystic breast disease, and breast cancer. In fact, many physicians treat women with breast cancer by adding flaxseed to their diets. It should be noted that only the seeds (not just the oil) provide the proper estrogen-blocking effect.

Flax is a mega-source for an omega-3 called alpha-linolenic acid. Omega-3 is a great support for cardiovascular function, skin health, and joint health. It's also an excellent source of fiber (1 tablespoon ground = 2 grams of fiber), which can improve regularity and help prevent colon cancer, as well as helping to lower LDL cholesterol levels.

You can put flaxseed in muffins, breads, cookies, cereals, cottage cheese, sprinkle it on salads, and add it to soups. Make sure the seeds are ground and kept in a closed container in the refrigerator. An amount of approximately 25 grams per day of ground flax will provide the optimal medicinal effect. This equals 4 tablespoons per day.

You can find flaxseed in both the ground (milled) form and in whole seed form in almost any grocery store, usually in the health food section. I like to buy it in whole seed form and grind it myself in a small coffee grinder; it tastes better when it is fresh-ground and you'll retain more of the nutrional value. However, the milled form may be more convenient for you. Either way, it's important to understand that you should use the ground form because it is a soluble form of fiber that is much more effective in reducing cholesterol and triglycerides and excess estrogen. The seed form can also be irritating to those with bowel problems.

AN IMPORTANT NOTE: Flax should not be eaten within one hour of taking medicines or vitamins because of its absorbing properties. It can actually absorb and eliminate the medicines from your body, making them ineffective.

For much more information on the health benefits of this food for both women and men, I suggest reading the comprehensive article on The World’s Healthiest Foods website.

This original article by Dr. Marcantel can also be found on DrMarcantel.com: "The Health Benefits of Flaxseed."

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We love testimonials! Here's some good news

from one of our patients who was struggling with women's health issues...

Dr. Marcantel helped tremendously in teaching me how to eat the kinds of foods that are the healthiest as well as the combination of proteins and carbs in order to watch my blood sugar so my triglycerides will lower. By following her diet plan I have lost most of my very strong cravings for highly sweet foods as well as lost 5 pounds (even while taking anti-depressants). Also, Dr. Marcantel has helped me discover that my female hormones are estrogen dominant. Within the first two cycles taking bioidentical progesterone I have noticed a lot less facial and chest acne, some improvement with extremely tender breasts, a lot less menstrual blood clotting (resulting in less painful/less crampy periods) and a regulation of timing.

I’ve also found the website helpful. I especially enjoy the newsletters that come by e-mail. It gently reminds me to read up on info that concerns my condition.

T. D.

We want to hear from you about your experiences with Dr. Marcantel's services. Patient feedback is extremely important to us because it tells us how we're doing in providing you with the quality care we strive for. We would really appreciate it if you would take a few minutes to print the Patient Feedback Form, fill it out, and drop it in the mail to us. You can print it directly from the pdf file link above or, if you prefer, you can download the text file and copy it into Word and fill it out on your computer.

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We've added some new videos to the site!

We've had a busy week at DrMarcantel.com. If you were to take a look at our Health Blog page, you'd notice that we've done plenty of additions and updates to our site (both major and minor). That includes the addition of three new videos to the site! First, we have a new and (we think) improved version of the "Meet Dr. Marcantel" video on the home page. We also created instructional videos by Dr. Marcantel to go with our Diabetes Central page and her article on bioidentical hormone therapy. As an added convenience to our site visitors, we've created a special page where all of the videos from the site can be viewed. There are four so far--but we have plans for lots more in the near future. Stay tuned!

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Is it time for a "Fall Check-Up?"

Now that fall is here, is it time for you to take control of your health again? During the "dog days" of summer, it can be tough to stay motivated and on track with a good health regimen. The kids are out of school, the temperatures are in the triple digits, and we're hitting the road for vacation--and all these things can sideline our best intentions about proper diets, regular exercise, and visits to the doctor. Now that summer is behind you, take some time to get back on track. Whatever your challenges may be--weight control, menopausal symptoms, pain management, allergies, type 2 diabetes, chronic fatigue, or a host of other issues--Dr. Marcantel will work with you to help you get and stay healthier. Call our office today to make your appointment: (480) 985-0000.

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Lots of our patients are spreading the word to their friends and taking advantage of the discounts we're offering through our patient referral program. Find out how you can qualify for a $200.00 gift certificate to a Valley day spa by simply referring 5 new patients to Dr. Marcantel!

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Have you tried IV therapy yet? A growing number of Dr. Marcantel's patients are reporting great results from their IV therapy treatments. Read Dr. Marcantel's article on How IV Therapy Can Benefit YOU and give her a call to see if this program might be right for you to give you more energy, supply your body with much-needed vitamins and nutrients, and boost your immune system.

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Dr. Tina Marcantel

5416 East Southern Avenue #110

Mesa, AZ 85206

480-985-0000

Newsletter written by Peter Marcantel, webmaster for DrMarcantel.com.