Dr. Alicia Armitstead 1/19/23 Dr. Alicia Armitstead 1/19/23

New Service at Healing Arts: Medisend

At Healing Arts as we research and our understanding of the human body continues to grow we are discovering new ways to help support and heal the body with energy. We are already getting great results with the Pulsed Electromagnetic Frequency Therapy (PEMF). It helps with reducing inflammation, improving circulation, pain relief and increasing energy especially in patients with chronic fatigue. I loved the results with PEMF therapy that we have also applied energy medicine to create personalized homeopathic tinctures that we now make at the Tea Bar.

Having personally struggled with on and off again parasite infections for years knowing that herbal medicine and Nutrition Response Testing could kill it but every 6 months or so they would come up again I felt like I wasn’t getting rid of the parasite infection completely but managing it well. Having grown up on a farm I’m sure parasites were part of my daily life being around so many animals so wanting to get rid of the parasites that have been in my body for decades I turned to energy medicine and fell in love with the Medisend machine.

To understand how the Medisend machine works you have to understand that the human body has an electrical current running through it and this electricity creates a magnetic field around the body. A strong magnetic field equals a healthy body. A weak magnetic field equals an unhealthy body. A great example of how the human body has electricity running through it is that electricity is applied to a stopped heart to get it to contract again. The common defibrillator uses high voltage of 200-1,000 volts to shock the heart and force it to resume its normal electrical activity.

The Medisend uses electricity and magnetic voltage to give the cells healthy battery juice and not shock the system back to life like a defibrillator. The magnetic field therapy device developed by Dr. W. Ludwig generates alternating electromagnetic fields which create biological resonance effects with the body. It resets the nervous system to regulate the body and activate the self-healing capacities. The device works with weak, rapidly changing electromagnetic fields in the low and high frequency range. As the energy goes into the body patients usually don’t feel anything. The energy is that subtle to not disturb the body’s natural process as it goes into the cells. This type of energy medicine works because it directly interacts with the cells in your body. By offering treatment at the cellular level, your body can begin repairing itself at a deep level, a level that sometimes nutrition or chiropractic can’t get to by itself. That’s how the use of the Medisend can really excel improvements.

The Medisend technology was developed by Dr. W. Ludwig's (1927 – 2004). His ambition was to generate a device that created electromagnetic waves that the body would understand and use to heal. They have to be natural as in undisturbed nature to be able to cause a reaction in the body. Therefore he did research about the environmental signals that surround us naturally. (Schumann frequency, Geomagnetic and Solar frequencies). His doctoral research study was about the influence of electromagnetic fields to the nervous system. In the 1970s he designed his first magnetic field device in a plastic soap dish.

Because this type of energy medicine is relatively new, many people find themselves hoping to learn more. One of the most common questions people ask is, how can Medisend help the body? I also hope this article helps you decide if the Medisend can help you. We can also decide together at your next appointment.

Cells that have experienced an illness or injury will often not be able to hold their ideal magnetic charge. Consequently, these cells may become (and cause surrounding cells to become) inflamed. Inflammation is the result of cells “sticking” together and preventing blood flow from progressing as it needs to. With Medisend sessions the cells will can regain their proper charge and inflammation will decrease. There was a great study on Medisend and knee pain from osteoarthritis.

As you might expect, healing is something that often begins at the cellular level. Whether you are experiencing hypertension, fibromyalgia, or various diseases, if you do not address the core problem—damaged cells—recovery will take much longer. Medisend helps assure that cells have their proper charges (both positive and negative). Healthy cells are able to accept the nutrients they need to perform at their very best. With Medisend sessions this enables tissues to heal faster.

Is Medisend Sessions Right for You?

As you can see, there are many different possible uses and benefits of Medisend therapy. I recommend 15 min. once a week for 8 weeks helps with conditions like fibromyalgia, muscle pain, arthritis, depression, anxiety, tinnitus, PTSD, chronic fatigue and musculoskeletal pain. I had one patient with constant muscle twitching for over 6 years that got amazing results just after 6 sessions. Medisend sessions are a great option for natural, chemical free pain relief and overall wellness because magnetic field therapy helps the body to regulate. Stimulation at a cellular level helps boost the body’s natural ability to fight back against inflammation. The electromagnetic field helps fight back against cellular damage and inflammation, and create healthier cells. As the cells heal, the blood vessels, nerves, and capillaries dilate. The dilated capillaries enable better oxygenation and blood flow. Lastly, the increase in oxygen and blood flow encourage a healing environment.

The development of energy medicine and the Medisend device has helped change the way many people address and recover from certain health conditions. The benefits of Medisend therapy are numerous and positive results can begin to occur quite quickly. Know that you can use Medisend with other treatments. This means that you can continue using prescribed medications while undergoing Medisend sessions. You can do Medisend sessions with joint replacements and any metal support in the body. Do not do Medisend sessions with a pacemaker or if pregnant. It is $55 a session.

Dr. Alicia Armitstead 10/26/22 Dr. Alicia Armitstead 10/26/22

What to do For Your Health After Having COVID

Unfortunately I have now seen enough post-COVID patients from various strains to write this blog. Good news is if you have gotten COVID and still feel off in any way I have some health tips to help you feel like your old self again. This blog is for those who got COVID and please share with your friends and family so we can help each other post-COVID.

Post COVID or long haul COVID are the terms used when symptoms or signs persist for more than two weeks after COVID-19 onset. I have seen symptoms continue for months after and include fatigue, headaches, poor focus or attention, shortness of breath, and so much more. Symptoms after having COVID-19 continue after the initial infection because the SARS-CoV-2 virus goes into the body causing more inflammation than the average virus. The number one place that inflammation hits is the airways and lungs because that’s how it gets into the body. The second place this virus hits is the liver. We are aware that it affects the lungs but no one is talking about the liver. So our goal at Healing Arts is to help boost up your immune system to reduce the inflammation while supporting the lungs and liver.

Due to the effect the virus has on the liver DO NOT go for any medical procedures that include anesthesia for 6 months after having COVID even if you don’t have long haul COVID. The liver will not be able to handle the anesthesia and you will have a hard time detoxing it from your system afterwards. So unless it’s life or death, no anesthesia during this time.

The attack that the SARS-CoV-2 virus does on the liver is actually similar to what the Epstein Barr virus (EBV) does to the liver. EBV causes mono and is prevalent in high schoolers and college kids. Besides causing mono and attacking the liver, EBV has a third stage of attacking the thyroid and causing the autoimmune disease known as Hashimoto’s. I am now seeing in patients post-COVID, whether they have long haul symptoms or not, the SARS-CoV-2 virus also in the thyroid. It is supposed to take months to years for the EBV to hit the thyroid and that’s only after having a chronically weak liver. I’m seeing the SARS-CoV-2 virus hit the thyroid in weeks. What takes EBV years, is taking the SARS-CoV-2 virus weeks.

Using muscle testing I pick up on thyroid weaknesses due to an Epstein Barr virus energy a lot in my office even without the patient knowing there is a thyroid issue. It is because we are picking up on it before it becomes an issue. Western medicine has done a lot of studies saying that the majority of Hashimoto’s patients have Epstein Barr antibodies so there might be a correlation and I will tell you that there definitely is from what I see in the office.

Inflammation can happen in any organ due to any pathogen or heavy metal or heavy chemical. Toxins cause inflammation period. That’s why our goal at Healing Arts is to help the body detox and with the right nutrition it can heal. When we start supporting the body to kill pathogens we have to be careful that the body does not have a die off reaction or a herxheimer reaction. It occurs when any immune challenge: virus, bacteria, fungus or parasite, is being killed too fast. When these things die, toxins are released, literally pus and mucus build up and the body releases proinflammatory proteins (known as cytokines) in response. While some cytokine activity bolsters the immune system to fight infections, too many of these chemicals can have adverse effects. An overabundance of cytokines in the body leads to muscle and joint pain, fatigue, a suppressed immune system, skin rash and brain fog. It is with some post COVID patients that 8 weeks later I am still seeing a high level of cytokines in their body and this is even after putting them on a program to reduce the inflammation. Even if your COVID symptoms were mild, less than 24 hours of a slight cold, when I muscle test I am seeing cytokines stuck in the liver or thyroid causing inflammation.

I think SARS-CoV-2 weakens the body to feed off of glutathione and that’s why it loves the liver. SARS-CoV-2 goes into the body through the airways and starts attacking the lungs because that’s where it settles first but as it gets stronger and finds it way to the liver it feeds off glutathione and becomes even stronger. This stage 2 in the liver doesn’t happen for everyone if the immune system is strong enough to fight it off before SARS-CoV-2 makes a home in the liver. Stage 3 is when it burrows itself in the thyroid the same way EBV does. So the stages of EBV and COVID-19 are very similar except SARS-CoV-2 goes through the stages so quickly the body does not have time to recuperate and a lot more inflammation occurs with SARS-CoV-2.

Depending on the body this inflammation can look like a lot of different things. A study was done to show 50 different symptoms post COVID. The majority of symptoms were fatigue and headaches followed by attention disorder and hair loss. Besides supporting the immune system to fight COVID-19, then supporting the lungs, liver, and thyroid depending on what stages the body is going through we also support the headaches or attention disorder or hair loss by doing everything we can to reduce inflammation. What I am seeing in the office that is testing the most often with great results besides the usual vitamin D with vitamin K, zinc and vitamin C are these four supplements: Inflammation Relief , Wellness Blend , Hydroxygen and Glutathione. Change this so it’s all the same color.

Inflammation Relief is a supplement I made to reduce inflammation in the body including the cytokine response. The supplement contains: Curcumin, Gotu Kola, Quercitin, Boswelia, Bromelain, Magnesium, Black Pepper, and Fenugreek which are all amazing herbs to reduce inflammation. This supplement is good for the post COVID patient who is still having headaches or muscle aches.

Wellness Blend is the first supplement I ever formulated to really help boost up the immune system when sick or to take to prevent getting sick. Ingredients include garlic, liposomal vitamin C, mugwort, echinacea, oregano, lysine, eucalyptus and goldenseal. This supplement tests well for patients who just need that extra immune system support.

Hydroxygen are drops of oxygen that the body needs to heal faster. These drops are especially good for the post COVID patient that is still coughing or having trouble breathing.

Besides giving the body the right supplemental support we also want to replenish the glutathione that SARS-CoV-2 used. We muscle test to see if the glutathione supplement will help and here are some ways to increase your glutathione naturally. Glutathione is one of the body’s most important and potent antioxidants. Antioxidants are substances that reduce oxidative stress by combating free radicals in the body. While most antioxidants are found in the foods you eat, glutathione is produced by your body. It is primarily made up of three amino acids: glutamine, glycine and cysteine. There are a number of reasons why your body’s glutathione level may become depleted, including poor diet, chronic disease, infection and constant stress. Glutathione is also known to decrease with age. Maintaining adequate levels of this antioxidant is incredibly important for your health in general, not just post COVID. Here is what you can do to ensure healthy glutathione levels.

1. Consume Sulfur-Rich Foods

Sulfur is an important mineral that occurs naturally in some plant and protein foods. Sulfur is required for the liver to make glutathione. Sulfur is found in beef, fish and poultry as well as cruciferous vegetables. Cruciferous vegetables are a family of vegetables known for their sulfur content and include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, boy choy, arugula, radishes, watercress, collards and mustard greens. Eat too much at once and it can bloat you due to the sulfur. Allium vegetables, including garlic, shallots and onions, also boost glutathione levels also due to their sulfur-containing compounds.

2. Increase Your Vitamin C Intake

Vitamin C is found in strawberries, citrus fruits, papayas, kiwis and bell peppers. This vitamin has many functions, including working as an antioxidant to protect cells from oxidative damage. It also maintains the body’s supply of other antioxidants, including glutathione. Researchers have discovered that vitamin C may help increase glutathione levels by attacking free radicals first, thereby sparing glutathione. They also found that vitamin C helps reprocess glutathione by converting oxidized glutathione back to its active form (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12499341/).

The same study also showed that taking 500-1,000 mg vitamin C supplements increased glutathione levels in white blood cells in healthy adults by 18%.

Another study showed that taking 500 mg of vitamin C supplements per day increased glutathione in red blood cells by 47% (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8317379/).

Vitamin C’s relationship with glutathione is why intravenous Vitamin C drips are helpful when treating COVID. Dr. Andrew G. Weber, a pulmonologist in NYC, has been giving his intensive-care patients who have been infected with the coronavirus 1500mg of intravenous Vitamin C several times a day - as part of an anti-viral protocol.

3. Add Selenium-Rich Foods to Your Diet

Selenium is an essential mineral and a glutathione cofactor, meaning it’s a substance needed for glutathione to work. Some of the best sources of selenium are beef, chicken, fish, organ meats, cottage cheese, brown rice and Brazil nuts. By increasing your intake of selenium, you may help maintain or increase your body’s supply of glutathione.

4. Eat Foods Naturally Rich in Glutathione

The human body produces glutathione, but there are also dietary sources. Spinach, avocados, asparagus and okra are some of the richest dietary sources. However, dietary glutathione is poorly absorbed by the human body.

5. Add Turmeric to Your Diet Which Helps absorb Glutathione

Turmeric is a vibrant yellow-orange herb and a popular spice in Indian cuisine. The medicinal properties of turmeric are likely linked to its main component, curcumin. The curcumin content is much more concentrated in a turmeric supplement, compared to the powder we use to cook with. Just make sure the supplement has black pepper added to it because black pepper contains the bioactive compound piperine, known to increase the absorption of curcumin into the body by 2000%

Numerous studies have shown that turmeric and curcumin extract have the ability to increase glutathione levels . Researchers conclude that the curcumin found in turmeric may assist in restoring adequate levels of glutathione and improve the activity of glutathione enzymes.

6. Consider Milk Thistle

Milk thistle supplements are another way to boost glutathione levels naturally. Milk thistle is a herb composed of three active compounds, collectively known as silymarin. Silymarin is well known for its antioxidant properties and shown to increase glutathione levels. Researchers believe that silymarin is able to maintain glutathione levels by preventing cell damage.

8. Get Enough Sleep

A good night’s rest is essential for overall health. Interestingly, long-term lack of sleep can cause oxidative stress and even hormone imbalances. As if that wasn’t bad enough, other research has shown that chronic lack of sleep may decrease glutathione levels. Therefore, making sure you get good, restorative sleep each night may help maintain or boost your levels of glutathione. If you don’t sleep well here are my sleep tips: https://healingartsnyc.blogspot.com/2020/05/sleep-well.html

9. Exercise Regularly

Regular physical activity of course is good for both your physical and mental health. Recent research shows that exercise is also helpful in maintaining or increasing antioxidant levels, especially glutathione. Studies show it is a combination of both cardio and circuit weight training that increases glutathione the most, compared to completing cardio or weight training alone . However, overtraining without a balanced diet and proper rest can deplete your levels because too much exercise can be stressful to the body.

The good news is viruses can only affect us if we have a weak immune system. For the most part, a strong healthy body, virus comes in and virus goes out, creating very little damage, even SARS-CoV-2. The body’s own innate immune system is the strongest thing against any virus or other germ for that matter. Having a strong immune system is dependent on a healthy nutrient dense diet and a healthy lifestyle of exercise and good sleep. The less stress the better for mind and body health, and a body void of as many toxins as possible. We live and breathe this concept at Healing Arts. We live this lifestyle, eat healthy and take our supplements for optimal health.

Dr. Alicia Armitstead 6/8/22 Dr. Alicia Armitstead 6/8/22

Detox Foot Baths And Why It's So Important

Foot detoxes are becoming more and more popular as a way to rid the body of any harmful toxins. I purchased one and have been using it since 2006 and since its popularity and patients asking about it I purchased one for the office now as well! Potential toxins can range from using aluminum foil , impurities in the air, to chemicals in your home and beauty products. If you're curious about what a detox foot bath is and if it can help you, here's what you need to know.

A detox foot bath is a specific machine that helps to pull toxins out of the body through the feet by putting ions in the water of which your feet are soaking in. These ions have a positive charge. The positive charge attracts the negatively charged toxins in your body. The ions in the foot bath water hold a charge that enables them to bind to any heavy metals and toxins in your body, similar to how a magnet works. This allows the toxins to be pulled out through the bottoms of your feet.

As one goes through a detox foot bath the water will change color depending on the toxins being pulled out. Water will change color even without your feet in the water due to the impurities in water but it will change differently. I have seen successive foot baths done on a number of people with the water all looking different as an end result. When you do a detox foot bath take a photo when you are finished so I can see what came out. It's helpful in determining other aspects of your detox program. Colors and effects of the water that one may see depends on what is being detoxed from the body:
Black or blue flecks - heavy metals
white flecks - fungus/yeast
color changing orange - toxins from joints
oily bubbles - toxins from lymphatic system

Most everyone, except for pregnant women and those with open sores or an infection on their feet, can benefit from doing a foot detox bath. Besides detoxing, it can be beneficial if you are experiencing athlete's foot, arthritis, allergies, chronic pain, chemical sensitivities, autoimmune disease, edema, inflammation and psoriasis. The number and frequency of foot detox baths varies for everyone and will be determined with your practitioner at Healing Arts.

There are quite a few detox foot bath machines. After all my research there are only two machines I have experience with and know get good results, KiScience Advanced Hydrogen Detox Foot Spa and EB Pro Foot Bath. They now have foot detox pads which I don't have experience with but if you do please share!

We now have a monthly membership for detox foot baths if you want to come in for an unlimited amount of times or you can pay per foot bath.

Dr. Alicia Armitstead 5/25/22 Dr. Alicia Armitstead 5/25/22

Ozone Sauna Therapy Benefits

Who doesn’t love to sweat out toxins for better health? Dry saunas and steam rooms have been used for centuries to help people feel better not just by the relaxation but by the heat allowing one to sweat out toxins and boost the immune system. When doing this type of therapy one always has to be careful to not detox too fast and cause a detox reaction or dehydration. To help prevent dehydration that’s one reason why I love using steam versus the dry heat. But even after spending time in a steam room you want to drink at least 64 ounces of water that same day to help flush out toxins that were brought up and out of the cells during the steam room time. Besides a steam room, hot showers always do the trick for me especially if I have tight muscles or feel like I need an immune boost. Now I can get the benefits of a steam room with ozone at Healing Arts (I just have to come to work early or leave later to have time for a treatment).

I love ozone. Having had asthma as a child putting ozone into the air saves me when I go to my mom’s dusty cabin in the Adirondacks. I also make ozonated water to drink 16 ounces daily, wash my fruits and vegetables in it to get the dirt and bugs off of it and I use it to wash my face. The ozo-pod makes that all possible, creating ozonated water at home. Washing my face with the ozonated water is amazing! I couldn’t believe it the first time I used it, my skin got tighter. More oxygen to the skin is only beneficial. So when I learned about ozone sauna therapy I couldn’t wait to try it! If I had amazing results with just washing my face, imagine if I did my whole body! Not only is it amazing for the skin but ozone sauna is therapeutic for the body as well. As the ozone gets absorbed in through the skin to the lymphatic and blood streams the extra oxygen gives the body the extra boost it needs to fight free radicals, fight infection, detox heavy metals, absorb nutrients, reduce inflammation, have better digestion and more! I knew I had to have one in the office so others could experience it and understand why I love ozone.

Ozone is a colorless gas made up of three atoms of oxygen (O3). The oxygen in the air is O2 so when ozone gets absorbed into the body the extra oxygen atom easy breaks off and bonds to where it is needed in the body. Your body can benefit in all sorts of ways if it has extra oxygen. To help detox the extra oxygen molecule bonds with sulphur compounds the way glutathione does. In this way ozone helps take the burden off the liver by binding to toxic substances making them neutral in the body and no longer a toxin.

Ozone sauna therapy is the combination of steam sauna and ozone gas. During an ozone sauna session you sit in a sauna pod that covers you from the neck down and induces sweating using steam from distilled water. This sweating opens up pores to allow the ozone gas to be absorbed by the skin. As you sit in the sauna pod, ozone gas is introduced at the same time. It’s important that the sauna allows for the head to stick out to prevent you from inhaling a lot of the ozone gas. Inhaling some ozone will only benefits the lungs as the extra oxygen is beneficial but too much can be irritating to the lungs and cause lightheadedness. You google ozone and there is a lot of controversy despite the research that shows how therapeutic it is for the body. I’m not waiting for research to catch up to the results I see in my daily life.

So when you combine the wet and warm skin with the ozone gas the extra oxygen that goes in has such great anti-inflammatory and immune boosting effects. Ozone sauna therapy is believed to be a powerful treatment which may be comparable to IV ozone administrations just without the needle. Ozone therapy breaks up lactic acid, increases cellular respiration in muscles, speeds up recovery of damaged tissue and accelerates growth of muscle for those who have tight, sore muscles. Ozone therapy improves blood circulation, improves vitamin and mineral absorption, fights inflammation, and is wonderful at killing mold, parasites, candida, viruses and bacteria.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

You will sit in the Ozone pod with your head out of the top of the pod while steam and an ozone, oxygen mixture circulates inside the unit. The steam and heat trigger the opening of your pores. Ozone then enters your body through your skin into your lymphatic fluid, blood and fat cells. Toxins in your lymph, fat & blood are oxidized, the oxidized toxins are expelled out through your skin, sparing your liver and kidneys. Because ozone enters the body and pulls toxins out of fat cells it increases the body’s metabolism and can assist with weight loss

A treatment is usually between 20 or 30 minutes depending on your health. But we also offer 10 minute sessions to help prevent too much detox and if you just want to give it a try and don’t have enough time. You will sit naked on a towel inside the pod. You could also have a towel wrapped around you but the idea is the more skin that is exposed to the steamy ozone air the better. No jewelry, water bottles or foreign objects should be taken into the pod with you due to the wet heat.

You can expect to emerge from the treatment feeling relaxed, refreshed and energized. We provide towels to dry off. Remember to drink plenty of water and breathe deeply for the rest of the day!

What is ozone sauna therapy used for?

Ozone saunas are used for a wide array of conditions because of its potent anti-inflammatory, detox and immune system boosting effects. Ozone sauna therapy can be used for:

Joint pain

Multiple Sclerosis

Foggy Brain

As a complementary treatment to reduce side-effects of chemotherapy

Lyme disease

Rheumatoid arthritis

Auto-immune disorders

Lupus

Eczema

Injuries

Weight loss

Chronic viral diseases like EBV, hepatitis B and C

Bacterial infections

Fungal infections

Skin ulcers (diabetic, infectious, necrotic)

Allergies

Influenza, cold

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Fibromyalgia

Poor Circulation

Diabetes

Scleroderma

Asthma

and more …

Are there possible side effects of ozone sauna therapy?

Ozone saunas are one of the safest treatments in the alternative health field: They’re non-invasive, and relaxing.

The reported side effects are usually minor, transient, and can be easily remedied by using the sauna less. This is why I like to muscle test for how long a patient’s ozone sauna session should be. We have 10, 20 or 30 minute intervals. The longer the session the more oxygen can get into the body but we don’t want to detox too fast. Signs of detoxing too fast from the ozone would be a rash or fatigue. The body goes into fatigue because all of the body’s energy goes to detoxing and not towards daily output. If this happens just be kind to yourself for the day and it usually wears off with a good night sleep.

A rash can occur because the ozone has brought up too many toxins and the body is trying to get rid of toxins through the skin as you sweat. It can be itchy and it usually looks like small red pimples. It can occur on the abdomen, chest or back, or on the limbs. It is usually the itchiest the night of the ozone sauna therapy and dissipates completely in 3-4 days without any long standing damage to the skin. It’s a good thing because you know you detoxed a lot but there is no reason to overwhelm the body so if you get a rash I do suggest the next time you do it either a reduction of the ozone concentration or frequency of administration.

If you get itchy you can alternate hot and cold showers when you get home. 10 minutes hot shower 2 minutes as cold as you can stand and the water really only has to hit the area of the rash. You may also want to do a liver flush to help with the toxins. A lotion with oat can be really soothing. Bentonite paste on the rash can draw out the toxins helping the skin, and a high dose of vitamin B12 : up to 1500 micrograms at a time can help the rash too.

For those who just want to do steam sauna and not ozone it is possible to turn the ozone off and get the health benefits of just the hot sauna.

You are not allowed to do the ozone sauna if you have high blood pressure, worried about a stroke, have an organ transplant or have hyperthyroidism. If you are pregnant please do not partake in sauna ozone therapy, rather consider it for your post pregnancy protocol.

To know whether ozone sauna therapy is right for you talk to me or one of the other practitioners at Healing Arts and we can muscle test you for the best course of action. If your body would benefit we can test for the best duration 10, 20, 30 minute sessions and for how often. I do see for general detoxification and well being a schedule of four 30 minute sessions once every other week sessions is tested often. For chronic medical disorders up to 12 sessions or more are required but everyone is different and we want to personalize your care. So if you are thinking about it let us know at your next appointment so we can muscle test you for it.

Resources

Ozone Water Blog -https://healingartsnyc.blogspot.com/2016/04/benefits-of-ozone-water.html

Ozo-pod for ozonated water - https://healingartsnyc.com/shop/ozone-pod

Ozone therapy research -https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5674660/

Dr. Alicia Armitstead 4/10/22 Dr. Alicia Armitstead 4/10/22

How to Lower High Blood Pressure Naturally

High blood pressure may not be due to what you think. Many times it can be managed by lifestyle changes and medication can be avoided. Just like a diagnoses of Type II Diabetes that can be managed by avoiding sugar, high blood pressure can be managed naturally as well. You first need to learn why someone would start having high blood pressure. What goes wrong in the body to start reacting with high blood pressure? It can be four things: toxic blood, a need for heart support, need to drink more water or better stress management or a combination of those four things. The cause of toxic blood is toxins. We assess the body for toxins by muscle testing for heavy metals, heavy chemicals, immune challenges and food intolerances. The major toxins we deal with include but are not limited to aluminum, mercury, lead, plastic, chlorine, asbestos, fungi, mold, parasites, viruses, bad bacteria and food you are eating that the body is having trouble breaking down and digesting.

BPAs are chemicals that are used to create a lot of plastic products and more. These have recently come under fire due to a large number of unwanted side effects that have been exposed in studies. Among the most intense of these is the fact that they may lead to higher blood pressure! While society catches up and moves over to BPA-free products, you can do your part by making the switch early. Avoid plastic bottles and not only will you be helping your heart – you’ll also be helping the planet! If you want to know if plastic or BPA toxicity is part of your high blood pressure or circulatory concerns get muscle tested.

Toxins including plastic, heavy metals, chlorine and bad gut flora can irritate your intestines so much that the intestinal lining becomes porous and leaky gut can form allowing undigested food and toxins to leave the intestines and enter the bloodstream, causing the blood to become toxic. Besides causing high blood pressure leaky gut can also cause bloating, thyroid conditions, fatigue, joint pain, headaches, skin issues like rosacea and acne, digestive problems and weight gain.

If left un-repaired, leaky gut can lead to more severe health issues like inflammatory bowel disease, IBS, arthritis, eczema, psoriasis, depression, anxiety, migraine headaches, muscle pain and chronic fatigue. According to the Journal of Diabetes, there is a strong body of evidence pointing to leaky gut syndrome as a major cause of autoimmune diseases, including type 1 diabetes. Besides causing high blood pressure, another problem with leaky gut is that it can cause malabsorption of vital minerals and nutrients, including zinc, iron and vitamin B12.

To heal leaky gut there are 4 steps:

REMOVE foods and factors that damage the gut

REPLACE with healing foods

REPAIR with specific supplements

REBALANCE with probiotics

We use Nutrition Response Testing at Healing Arts to get biofeedback from the body to know exactly what needs to be done for you in each of the 4 steps. No 4-Step plan to heal leaky gut is the same. Everyone needs different supplements and to remove different foods from their diet while they are healing the gut. The same goes for circulation support. If your blood pressure is not due to toxins but due to lack of vitamins or minerals we can figure that out as well using the muscle testing. Common whole food supplements that are used include omega-3s, hawthorn, vitamin E, and minerals to calm the nervous system down.

We also use water to help high blood pressure. It’s so simple to drink water yet Did you know that over a third of the population is in a state of chronic dehydration? To overcome the issue, make sure that you drink water regularly. A person should drink at least 2 to 3 liters (64 to 96 ounces) of water each day. This improves blood pressure by helping to dilute the blood .Water is also a natural detoxifying agent and one of the most common and simplest blood purifiers. It flushes out toxins from our body and helps our organs to function properly.

Water aids the flow of minerals and vitamins and also helps in purification of blood by flushing toxins out through urination. To give your water an extra purifying boost try alkaline water. Alkaline water is water with a high pH. pH is a scale 0-14 to show how acidic (low ph) or alkaline (high pH) something is. Water generally has a pH of 7. Your saliva should also have the same pH of 7, like water. There are pH strips you can buy to test your saliva but to test correctly it has to be at least 2 hours after eating.

Acidic substances have a pH of below 7.0, down to zero. The pH of vinegar is around pH 3, lemon juice around pH 2, and battery acid around pH 1.

Alkaline substances have a pH up to 14. Baking soda’s pH is between pH 8 and 9, and green leafy vegetables are alkaline, ranging pH 8-12.

Lymph fluid should be more than 7.0 pH so it is alkaline. The more acidic your body is the slower the lymph will flow through the body. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2603912/) and unfortunately our bodies tend to run acidic. That’s why we need to make sure we add more greens to our diet or start each morning with Healing Arts Apple Cider Vinegar Tonic with baking soda in it in order to become more alkaline despite the vinegar that is in the tonic.

The pH of blood is an indication of acidity or alkalinity in the body. It is an important indicator of good health. The normal pH is essential for the optimal activity of the body so it is balanced by different physiological processes. The normal blood pH of a healthy person ranges from 7.35 to 7.45. It is a very narrow range and the body does everything it can to try to keep it in that range. There are various factors that regulate blood pH. The pH of blood depends on CO2, and electrolyte balances. The two main organs that regulate blood pH are:

Lungs- They are in the gaseous exchange and remove CO2. The brain regulates breathing process so the brain and the lungs maintain blood pH by regulating the speed and intensity of breathing.

Kidney- They maintain pH balance through excretion. They remove the excess acid or bases present in the blood.

So, our body maintains pH balance through respiration, excretion and other metabolic activities. Any change in blood pH, i.e acidosis or alkalosis is due to impaired function of these organs.

Too high or too low pH is an indication of some organ dysfunction. Acidosis or alkalosis is mostly due to impaired functioning of lungs or kidneys. Any change in the blood pH may be due to various diseases such as diabetes, poisoning, infection, heart, lung or kidney diseases.

Hence, normal pH of blood is vital for normal body functioning. High or low pH is not a disease in itself but a sign something else in the body is off. With the right nutrition and lifestyle the body can reach a homeostasis pH level.

The average person is too acidic either due to their diet, lifestyle or stress or a combination of all three. So an easy way to balance your pH is to drink alkaline water. There are wonderful machines that make your water alkaline. Essentia is a bottled water that is alkaline but comes in plastic. The most cost effective way to drink alkaline water without buying a machine is Alkaline drops called Alkalife. Even if you have the machine this is the best way to travel and still have alkaline water.

Because electrolytes help balance pH levels you may want to add electrolyte packets to your daily regiment or a homeopathic remedy we use in the office called Rehydration. Even better is to get muscle tested to see which one your body likes best. We also use trace mineral drops and cell salts to help with balancing pH.

High blood pressure is because of too much pressure on the circulation system. If the high blood pressure is due to stress then it is literally too much pressure on yourself and on your circulation system. Stress plays a huge part in high blood pressure. Cortisol is the primary stress hormone that when it is released not only increases blood pressure but also increases your heart rate, blood sugar, enhances your brain’s use of glucose and increases the availability of cells to repair tissue. If stress continues for too long and the body can’t keep up with making the cortisol that the stressed body is asking for inflammation will occur and high blood pressure will continue. Studies have shown that Increases in long-term cortisol levels create a breakdown of lymphatic vessels which you don’t want because lymphatic vessels carry lymph fluid that if not pumping well can increase the body’s water retention which can lead to even more pressure on the circulatory system. So one way to help with high blood pressure is to do lymphatic drainage therapy by a licensed massage therapist at our wellness center. The amount of sessions recommended depends on how high the blood pressure is and whether you are already on medication or not.

Stress management is needed to help with and prevent high blood pressure. Even if you are already on medication and your blood pressure is managed I highly suggest better stress management to help lower your medication or get off medication all together. Managing stress is very often overlooked on a person’s healing journey. There are so many ways to lower stress that usually I just ask a patient to pick one and incorporate it in daily. A little bit every day is important to manage the body’s stress response. To do it before you have a stress response is important so that when stress does hit the response is not as intense. Stress management can include exercise, journaling, talking to a good friend or therapist, mindfulness, visualizations or meditation. Research has shown that meditation reduces inflammation and Mindfulness modulates cortisol response in stressful situations. Mindfulness skills are observing, describing, acting with awareness, and accepting without judgment.

Mindfulness changes gene expression which takes me to a topic written by Bruce Lipton called Biology of Belief where are thoughts do have an affect on what genes our cells produce. One of the things that works for me the moment I start feeling stress and to actually change the physiological reaction is take three deep breaths. In the moment, that is enough to stop the stress hormones from flying through your body and wreaking havoc. The stress response in your body will be weakens because breath turns on the parasympathetic nervous system which is the part of the nervous system that is in charge of rest and digest. When you turn on the parasympathetic nervous system you turn down the sympathetic nervous system which is the fight or flight mode. So with breathing you can get the body out of the fight or flight mode.

I have also developed a circulation drink that can help your high blood pressure. The circulation drink has cayenne in it. Adding cayenne to your diet will help promote blood circulation due to its active ingredient called capsaicin. Capsaicin has been found to balance blood flow as well as strengthen arteries and capillaries. You can try consuming it in various dishes or this medicinal drink:

Circulation Drink

One-1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper powder

Two tablespoons of organic apple cider vinegar

One tablespoon of blackstrap molasses in one cup of water or more.

Drinking this mixture twice a day will help your high blood pressure. Pregnant women, however, should avoid cayenne. ACV helps circulation by preventing vein stagnation and leg cramps due to its anti-inflammatory effect. Blackstrap molasses is used for it’s mineral content to lower blood pressure. The potassium in it lessens the effects of sodium – a huge contributor to hypertension, thus blackstrap molasses is beneficial for people suffering from high blood pressure. Also, the magnesium and calcium in it help reduce both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. If you are on high blood pressure medication and your blood pressure still isn’t regulated then definitely try this circulation drink.

Teas that can help with high blood pressure are believe it or not black tea, and one of my favorites, butterfly pea tea. Cat’s claw, fennel, hibiscus, raspberry leaf and rooibos can also help lower high blood pressure.

If you are already on high blood pressure medication you can try these lifestyle changes to lower your high blood pressure naturally and also lower your medication. I have seen many people no longer need their high blood pressure medication after implementing lifestyle changes and are on a good nutrition program for 3 months or more.

Dr. Alicia Armitstead 1/24/22 Dr. Alicia Armitstead 1/24/22

What to do For Your Health After Having COVID-19

Unfortunately with Omicron I have now seen enough post-COVID patients from various strains to write this blog. Good news is if you have gotten COVID and still feel off in any way I have some health tips to help you feel like your old self again. This blog is for those who got COVID and please share with your friends and family so we can help each other post-COVID.

Post COVID or long haul COVID are the terms used when symptoms or signs persist for more than two weeks after COVID-19 onset. I have seen symptoms continue for months after and include fatigue, headaches, poor focus or attention, shortness of breath, and so much more. Symptoms after having COVID-19 continue after the initial infection because the SARS-CoV-2 virus goes into the body causing more inflammation than the average virus. The number one place that inflammation hits is the air ways and lungs because that’s how it gets into the body. The second place this virus hits is the liver. We are aware that it affects the lungs but no one is talking about the liver. So our goal at Healing Arts is to help boost up your immune system to reduce the inflammation while supporting the lungs and liver.

Due to the affect the virus has on the liver DO NOT go for any medical procedures that include anesthesia for 6 months after having COVID-19 even if you don’t have long haul COVID. The liver will not be able to handle the anesthesia and you will have a hard time detoxing it from your system afterwards. So unless it’s life or death, no anesthesia during this time.

Hydroxygen are drops of oxygen that the body needs to heal faster. These drops are especially good for the post COVID patient that is still coughing or having trouble breathing.

1. Consume Sulfur-Rich Foods

2. Increase Your Vitamin C Intake

The same study also showed that taking 500-1,000 mg vitamin C supplements increased glutathione levels in white blood cells in healthy adults by 18%.

Another study showed that taking 500 mg of vitamin C supplements per day increased glutathione in red blood cells by 47% (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8317379/).

3. Add Selenium-Rich Foods to Your Diet

4. Eat Foods Naturally Rich in Glutathione

5. Add Turmeric to Your Diet Which Helps absorb Glutathione

Numerous studies have shown that turmeric and curcumin extract have the ability to increase glutathione levels (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15650394/). Researchers conclude that the curcumin found in turmeric may assist in restoring adequate levels of glutathione and improve the activity of glutathione enzymes.

6. Consider Milk Thistle

Milk thistle supplements are another way to boost glutathione levels naturally. Milk thistle is a herb comprised of three active compounds, collectively known as silymarin. Silymarin is well known for its antioxidant properties and shown to increase glutathione levels. Researchers believe that silymarin is able to maintain glutathione levels by preventing cell damage (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1360480/).

8. Get Enough Sleep

A good night’s rest is essential for overall health. Interestingly, long-term lack of sleep can cause oxidative stress and even hormone imbalances (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25945148/). As if that wasn’t bad enough, other research has shown that chronic lack of sleep may decrease glutathione levels. Therefore, making sure you get good, restorative sleep each night may help maintain or boost your levels of glutathione. If you don’t sleep well here are my sleep tips: https://healingartsnyc.blogspot.com/2020/05/sleep-well.html

9. Exercise Regularly

Regular physical activity of course is good for both your physical and mental health. Recent research shows that exercise is also helpful in maintaining or increasing antioxidant levels, especially glutathione. Studies show it is a combination of both cardio and circuit weight training that increases glutathione the most, compared to completing cardio or weight training alone (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17925621/). However, overtraining without a balanced diet and proper rest can deplete your levels because too much exercise can be stressful to the body.

The good news is viruses can only affect us if we have a weak immune system. For the most part, a strong healthy body, virus comes in and virus goes out, creating very little damage, even SARS-CoV-2. The body’s own innate immune system is the strongest thing against any virus or other germ for that matter. Having a strong immune system is dependent on a healthy nutrient dense diet and a healthy lifestyle of exercise and good sleep. The less stress the better for mind and body health, and a body void of as many toxins as possible. We live and breath this concept at Healing Arts. We live this lifestyle, eat healthy and take our supplements for optimal health.

Dr. Alicia Armitstead 5/28/21 Dr. Alicia Armitstead 5/28/21

Ozone Sauna Therapy Benefits

Ozone sauna therapy is the combination of steam sauna and ozone gas. During an ozone sauna session you sit in a sauna pod that covers you from the neck down and induces sweating using steam from distilled water. This sweating opens up pores to allow the ozone gas to be absorbed by the skin. As you sit in the sauna pod, ozone gas is introduced at the same time. It’s important that the sauna allows for the head to stick out to prevent you from inhaling a lot of the ozone gas. Inhaling some ozone will only benefits the lungs as the extra oxygen is beneficial but too much can be irritating to the lungs and cause lightheadedness. You google ozone and there is a lot of controversy despite the research https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5674660/ that shows how therapeutic it is for the body. I’m not waiting for research to catch up to the results I see in my daily life.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

You can expect to emerge from the treatment feeling relaxed, refreshed and energized. We provide towels to dry off. Remember to drink plenty of water and breathe deeply for the rest of the day!

What is ozone sauna therapy used for?

Ozone saunas are used for a wide array of conditions because of its potent anti-inflammatory, detox and immune system boosting effects. Ozone sauna therapy can be used for:

Joint pain

Multiple Sclerosis

Foggy Brain

As a complementary treatment to reduce side-effects of chemotherapy

Lyme disease

Rheumatoid arthritis

Auto-immune disorders

Lupus

Eczema

Injuries

Weight loss

Chronic viral diseases like EBV, hepatitis B and C

Bacterial infections

Fungal infections

Skin ulcers (diabetic, infectious, necrotic)

Allergies

Influenza, cold

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Fibromyalgia

Poor Circulation

Diabetes

Scleroderma

Asthma

and more …

Are there possible side effects of ozone sauna therapy?

Ozone saunas are one of the safest treatments in the alternative health field: They’re non-invasive, and relaxing.

For those who just want to do steam sauna and not ozone it is possible to turn the ozone off and get the health benefits of just the hot sauna.

Resources

Ozone Blog - https://healingartsnyc.blogspot.com/2016/04/benefits-of-ozone-water.html

Ozo-pod for ozonated water - https://healingartsnyc.com/shop/ozone-pod

Ozone therapy research - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5674660/