Is your gut health negatively impacting your mental health? Join Dr. Karen Bender on Tuesday, May 23rd at 7 PM EST for a free webinar discussing the gut-brain axis, how these systems are connected, and how you can use nutrition and lifestyle to improve their communication and functioning. Dr. Bender will also be discussing: Nutrition and lifestyle interventions to support gut and … Read More
The Gut-Brain Connection
By Dr. Karen Bender, ND, RN Have you ever had a gut feeling about something? What about having butterflies in your stomach when nervous or excited? These common experiences are examples of how the gut and the nervous system are connected. In the research, this connection is referred to as the gut-brain axis. In this article, we will explore the … Read More
Fatigue, Irritability, Fertility issues, and Weight Gain: Could Estrogen Dominance be the Cause?
By Dr. Karen Bender What is Estrogen Dominance? Estrogen dominance is a condition in which there is too much estrogen in the body. It results from a combination of factors that lead to an imbalance between its production, breakdown, and elimination. Obesity can contribute to excess production of estrogen because fat cells are an additional source of estrogen production. Factors … Read More
Resolving Inflammation: A Key to Restoring Health
By Dr. Karen Bender What is inflammation? Inflammation is the body’s natural and protective healing response to injury and invasion. It occurs in response to infectious agents like viruses and bacteria, tissue trauma, and foreign substances such as environmental toxins. A healthy inflammatory response occurs in two phases. The first phase is the initiation phase that causes heat, pain, swelling, … Read More
The Vagus Nerve: Learn to Reduce Inflammation and Improve your Stress Response
By Dr. Karen Bender Meet Your Vagus Nerve Have you heard of the “wandering nerve”? This important nerve is named the vagus nerve because it wanders throughout your body, connecting the brain to the rest of the body. It’s the longest nerve in the body, and it stretches from the brain to the large intestines. Why You Should Care Since … Read More
Reduce Stress with Your Breath
By Dr. Karen Bender What if I told you that there is a powerful way to improve your health that is free, always with you, requires no special equipment, and easy to do? Well, you are in luck. There is such a thing–it is your breath. Breathing is something most of us do without thinking, approximately 23,000 times a day. … Read More
What Your Gut is Telling You
What Your Gut is Telling You How Poor Gut Health Contributes to Anxiety and Depression By Dr. Karen Bender How is your digestion? Do you experience pain and indigestion after eating foods you once enjoyed? Have you started to accept gas and bloating as normal? Do you often go days without having a bowel movement? These are all signs that … Read More
Dogs for Depression
By Dr. Karen Bender Feeling Blue? Has the isolation and uncertainty of the past year left you feeling sad, lonely and anxious? If so you are not alone. The circumstance of the past year have been challenging for most of us. We have had to adapt to many changes outside of our control. We are spending more time at home … Read More
When MTHFR is not the answer
By Dr. Angela Karvounides In recent years, the gene, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, better known as MTHFR, has well-achieved its 15 minutes of fame in popular media for it’s role in many biological processes and a variety of different medical conditions. Genetic variations of this gene are present in 60% of the U.S. population. MTHFR polymorphisms are associated with increased risk of … Read More