Functional medicine practitioners like those here at Restoration Healthcare often advise patients, “You can pay the farmer now or pay the pharmacy later.” That’s because the human body evolved over millions of years, primarily in an environment where safe, nutritious foods were plentiful, and the soil was rich in organic matter and biodiversity. Today however,…
What do beets, spinach, okra, tofu, raspberries, and navy beans all have in common? Two things — they’re all considered healthy foods, and they’re all high in oxalates (also known as oxalic acid). Oxalic acid is a naturally occurring chemical compound found in plants. Consumed in small amounts, it’s harmless. But ingest too much and…
In 2012, the Figi family of Colorado Springs, Colo., launched a movement to legalize cannabidiol (CBD), when parents Paige and Matt began using it to help ease the symptoms of their daughter’s, Charlotte’s, Dravet syndrome. This rare genetic disorder, which was first thought by her doctors to be Epilepsy, causes terrible seizures, requiring round-the-clock care.…
Toxins are everywhere — in the food we eat, the beverages we drink, the air we breathe, the homes we live in, the places we work, and many of the products we use and consume. There’s no escaping them. They come from all sectors of the economy — manufacturing, technology, agriculture, construction, transportation, energy —…
Now that Orange County has moved down and into “Red” territory on the Covid Tier Assignment Scale and most non-essential businesses are reopening with limited indoor capacity — with the less-restrictive “Orange” tier expected to be announced before the first of April — it’s time to consider if you’re on track with your Restoration Healthcare plan…
Over the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has dominated the headlines, and for good reason — it has impacted nearly every aspect of our lives. Unfortunately, this single illness has drawn attention away from many other serious health issues, among them being colorectal (colon) cancer. And, since March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, we…
Dr. Walid Faraj is a board-certified family physician and a holistic medicine practitioner who specializes in Integrative Functional Medicine here at Restoration Healthcare. The journey that led to his embrace of functional medicine started back in 2001 during his family medicine residency at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, Calif. It was at that time…
The middle of winter may seem like an odd time to write about tick-borne Lyme disease, but here in Southern California, tick season is year-round. In fact, for those already infected with the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, there is no off-season. Likewise, Lyme research continues unabated throughout the year, increasing our knowledge and insight…
Have you ever shown up totally unprepared for a business meeting or a class? Perhaps the meeting coordinator failed to let you know what the meeting was going to be about, giving you no opportunity to prepare questions or come up with ideas. Or maybe you didn’t complete the assignment for a class and couldn’t…
The year 2021 is just around the corner — with little fond farewell for 2020 — and that means your health insurance provider is about to reset your deductible. And what, exactly, does “reset your deductible” mean? That’s just one of things we’re going to cover in this post. Suppose you have a health insurance…