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Aug 20, 2022

Exploring Inflammation

It’s easy to think about some disorders that are associated with inflammation such as arthritis, phlebitis, bronchitis, and wound healing; but what about diabetes, hypertension, and even some cancers? They are also affected by inflammation. Inflammation comes from an injury or infection in the body. When injured, the immune system sends white blood cells to… 

Jul 27, 2022

Watermelon – More than a refreshing treat

Watermelons are a favorite research crop for Dr. Penelope Perkins-Veazie. She has helped improve commercial watermelon production, but has also done extensive research looking at the health benefits watermelon offers. She’s even done a few out-of-the-box projects, including overseeing a student-driven recipe development for watermelon-mango-guava fruit leather and evaluating a watermelon-based cream as a sunblock for UVA and… 

Jul 27, 2022

UV Awareness

Summer is certainly in full swing with high temperatures and lots of sunshine. This is a perfect time to remember the pros and cons of these sun-filled days. The sun is good for our gardens, our mood, and for vitamin D synthesis, but UV rays also put us at risk for skin cancer and eye… 

Jun 22, 2022

Do berries, exercise and the gut microbiome synergistically support brain health?

A group of collaborators from NC State University, UNC-Chapel Hill and Appalachian State University recently published a review article looking at the connections between brain health and flavonoids (in foods like tea, berries, and legumes), exercise, and the gut microbiome. You can use these connections to further the conversations with your patients about their lifestyle choices and prevention… 

Jun 22, 2022

Fight Cancer with Broccoli Microgreens

While attending the North Carolina Integrative Medical Society Conference on June 10-11 in Raleigh, I heard Dr. Emily Ho, PhD, from the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University share her passion for broccoli and its phytomedicine features. Ho focused on the cancer fighting properties of this sulforaphane-rich vegetable. Sulforaphane is a phytochemical in the isothiocyanate family and can… 

May 31, 2022

Medically Tailored Meals debut in NC this month!

Medically Tailored Meals (MTM) is a relatively new concept, but they are becoming a reality this month in North Carolina. In 2018, Dr. Seth Berkowitz from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill found that when patients with diabetes were given a diet tailored to their diagnosis, their food insecurity and their hyperglycemia decreased.1 These individualized meal… 

May 31, 2022

Summer Reading

Learning about food from the perspective of a medical provider has always interested me. How can we interact with our food in such a way that we can support healthy biochemical pathways in our bodies? Physician and author Daphne Miller asks similar questions in her book Farmacology: Total Health From the Ground Up. I thought this… 

May 31, 2022

Reading palms, assessing health

When Guiseppe Valacchi first demonstrated the Nu Skin Carotenoid Hand Scanner, I was intrigued. In less than a minute, without drawing blood or swabbing saliva, he had given me a carotenoid “score” that could be correlated to my personal intake of fruits and vegetables. My mind was racing. How did it work? Was it accurate?… 

Apr 29, 2022

E-news Launch!

The first issue of FRESH Rx, the PhytoMedicine e-newsletter hit inboxes April 27. The e-news will be a place to learn what is new in the world of nutrition in health and how that pertains to healthcare providers and the general patient population. Extension associate, Cheri Granillo, is the content developer and curator of the newsletter.…