Did you know your ability to absorb Vitamin B12 gradually decreases with age? In fact, B12 deficiency is a silent epidemic with serious consequences to your health. Reports from the USDA show B12 deficiency may be more widespread than thought, with at least 40% of the population being severely deficient. Okay, yeah, so? Why do we even need B12? What does it do? Vitamin B12 is a powerhouse that helps make DNA, nerve and blood cells, and is crucial for a healthy brain and immune system. Plus your metabolism wouldn’t run smoothly without it. So, it’s pretty important. Add advancing age, certain prescription meds (such as heartburn medications), and a lack of meat in one’s diet (looking at you, vegetarians & vegans!) and you could find yourself severely lacking in vitamin B12.

So how do you know if you’re deficient? The following symptoms are signals of a possible deficiency!

• Fatigue – The fatigue we’re talking about here isn’t the...

Milk does a body good! Right? Actually…your milk could be setting off chain reactions of inflammation, hormone issues, and dietary malfunctions in your body. Not really doing a body good now, is it?

The biggest milk myth we’ve been taught is that we should consume cow’s milk because it’s full of calcium which is good for our bones. But scientific studies have shown that we barely absorb the calcium in cow’s milk (especially if pasteurized), but to make matters worse, it actually increases calcium loss from the bones. In fact, higher milk consumption has been shown to help increase bone fractures.

Milk and other dairy based products can also be a trigger causing people to become lactose intolerant – which means they suffer from bowel cramping, bloating or even loose stools after eating dairy. Dairy can be a real gut irritant in general. Lots of us have undiagnosed dairy sensitivities or allergies, which means our gut gets very cranky...

We’ve all heard that a good sex life isn’t just something that feels…well, good! It also provides a plethora of health benefits such as:

• Alleviation of joint and muscle pain through the release of natural opiates that are an extremely effective pain reliever
• Stress relief
• Energy boost
• Stimulation of the immune system
• A stronger connection to our partner

Yet many people are in the same boat of daily management of a full time career, a home, children, homework, meals, exercise and more leaving little energy left for your sexual relationship. And that’s unfortunate because you could probably really use some of those benefits we mentioned above when you have that much going on. Right? But what if it’s not just time that’s keeping you from a healthy and fulfilling sexual relationship? Sexual dysfunction can be caused by:

• Taking prescription medications
• Hormone imbalances
• Drug abuse
• Depression or anxiety
• Stress
• Diabetes, heart disease,...

So you’ve started eating better foods and exercising more but you’re stuck at a weight plateau? Here’s an important question then – are you eating breakfast? Yes, you’ve heard it time and time again that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but is it true?

Consider this – studies have shown that eating a real breakfast (as opposed to meal replacement shakes or processed “diet” foods) can decrease hunger and cravings reducing your risk for obesity and metabolic syndrome. Why? Because breakfast isn’t just breaking your nightly “fast”. What you eat for breakfast sets the tone for food choices throughout the rest of the day. Breakfast is seeming more important now, right?

Let’s say you eat a healthy, well-balanced breakfast. How will you feel after? Full? Satisfied? Energetic? Now what happens when you skip breakfast? We all know the answer to that – afternoon rolls around and we’re ...

Have you been diagnosed with fibromyalgia? Or maybe you haven’t but you think you might be a victim of it? It’s estimated that fibromyalgia affects about 10 million people in the U.S. alone.

What is this disease?

Fibromyalgia is characterized by chronic pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances and cognitive impairment (or what’s more commonly referred to as “brain fog”). Other symptoms of fibromyalgia can include eventual depression and anxiety (chronic pain = depression and depression = more pain, leading to a vicious cycle), stomach issues and sensitivity to medications. Fibromyalgia is a tricky disease and one doctors still don’t know a lot about (including how to treat it). Often traditional medicine treats the symptoms but not the underlying causes, which helps no one. Read on to find out what some of these underlying causes may actually be.

• Gluten Intolerance – People often think an intolerance to...

In the past week, we’ve spent some time talking about how all sunscreens aren’t created equal and how many of them contain chemicals of which you might not have been aware. Yet you obviously know that too much sun damage can also harm you in the long run. So where’s the middle ground? Here are the top natural alternatives to sunscreen that will help minimize sun damage while not invading your body with harmful man made chemicals.

• Diet: As always, it’s important to start anything that concerns your body by focusing on your diet. Everything you put in your body controls in some way or another how your body looks and acts. Remember what we said in our last blog? Good skin comes from the inside out. This also means that you can help prepare your skin for the sun through what you eat. Eating foods rich in healthy fats and antioxidants helps protect your skin from damage, including UV damage. That means you should reach for dark, colorful fruits and...

It’s the end of Allergy Awareness Month here at Integrative Wellness Advisors. Between our site and our Facebook page, we’ve covered what an allergy actually is, what can cause an allergy, (seasonal allergies to pollen or ragweed) and natural remedies for allergies. So to round things up, today we’re going to talk about food allergies and more specifically, how to tell if you have one.

First, food allergies and food intolerances affect nearly everyone at some point. When people have an unpleasant reaction to something they eat, they often think that they have an allergy to the food. Actually, however, only about 1% of adults and 3% of children have clinically proven allergic reactions to food. So what exactly is the difference between an allergy and an intolerance?

Food intolerances are an abnormal response to food, and its symptoms can resemble those of a food allergy. But food intolerances are far more prevalent, occur in a variety of diseases, and are triggered...

Maybe you used to think that using the Pill was no big deal. But did you know that using hormonal birth control to treat symptoms (such as acne or heavy periods) is only covering up an underlying issue and potentially allowing the symptoms to get worse or the underlying issue to progress? Maybe you used the Pill for its intended use – to prevent pregnancy. But did you know that while it can be extremely effective, there are some major negative consequences of long-term use? Some of the side effects are heart attack, stroke, blood clots, skin & breast changes, hair loss, effect on your libido, and so much more. And that doesn’t begin to cover the increased risks of depression, plus the hormonal mess this kind of birth control can create.

So if you are considering ditching the pill or another form of hormonal birth control, it’s important that you understand what happens when you stop using it. Please read on so you have the info you need…

WHAT HAPPENS...

George Orwell once said, “At 50, everyone has the face he deserves.” Why? Because your skin portrays the kind of lifestyle you’ve led and even more so, the type of diet you’ve lived by. How is that possible? You might think that skin problems are on the surface, but most skin problems originate in your body, not just on your skin. The reason for this is because the body is one whole integrated system. This includes your skin. So no matter what condition, disease, or health problem you face, the root causes can be traced back to the same underlying factors such as diet problems (food allergies, leaky gut, etc), a need for detoxification, inflammation and stress.

When it comes to your diet, first and foremost, it’s important to identify what food allergies and sensitivities you might have (such as gluten or dairy). You can do this by doing an elimination diet or a simple blood test. There’s also the matter of the leaky gut. How do you know if you...

It’s easy to be skeptical, and even confused, about how to reach your weight loss goals. No matter how you spend your time, throughout the day you’re targeted with advertisements about diets, pills, shakes, and programs offering a quick fix. They’re on social media, in your news feeds, on TV, and radio. You even see ads for weight loss clinics and health clubs on billboards as you drive to work! Everywhere you turn these ads are begging for your attention.

You can’t help but wonder, “could this one be the answer?”

How can you know if this one or that one is legit? Is it worth your time, energy, and investment? Is it even safe or proven? Maybe you’ve even wasted hours researching but you’re still left unconvinced that they’ll work. You’ve been disappointed more than once before.

Sound about right?

Let me just tell you it’s good to question the legitimacy of ads. Advertisements with big claims, extreme...