Monthly Archives: April 2012

Eat Food for Medicine


How would you like your journey to be?

Life is a journey. The question is, what kind of a journey will it be for you? How would you like your journey to be?

According to American Cancer Society, over 95% of cancer is caused by the damaged DNA. We often hear that we all are going to get cancer and it is a matter of “when.”

I am not a big fan of being told by others how my life would be, so I began to research the answer to my question, “what can we do to protect myself and my family from cancer?”

There are several common factors among the hospitals and doctors who have been successfully helping cancer patients. Successful practitioners are following the same core protocol, which is to improve a quality of their lifestyles. Cancer is not about cancer cells but the body environment, which manifests cancer cells.

How can we change our body environment? As it is often said, we are what we eat; therefore, proper nutrition is the key. Nutrition is not only preventative but also has a curative role.

Although the definition of proper nutrition is varied among individuals and professionals, when it comes to people with cancer, Orthomolecular Nutrition has been proven to be the most effective nutrition (diet therapy). According to “I have Cancer: What Should I Do?”, Ortho (to normalize) molecular nutrition is about eating food that:

  • Minimize the secondary effects (toxins) of the oncology treatment
  • Reinforce the immune system to help treat the disease
  • Treat disease directly with appropriate management of macro- and micronutrients
  • Help with the patient with the recovery

Cancer cells use fermentation of sugar for energy to grow. Cancer cells accumulate lactic acid. Its cellular chemical construction is abnormal (saturated by sodium as opposed to a healthy cell is made from mixture of Magnesium and Potassium).

A diet that targets these characteristics of cancer cells would contribute to normalize their cellular construction, therefore their activity and growth. Orthomolecular nutrition is not only for those with cancer but also for those want to prevent and recover from it.

We are what we eat. This is a proven truth. How would you like your journey to be? We can regain the control by eating food as medicine. Please visit my profile here and website and see if we can help you.


By, Kinko Hamilton

A naturally effective solution to health

Over 70% of world population is depending on holistic approach to health and, in the US, the number of people who would prefer natural approach to a lifestyle has been tripled over the last few decades.

Are you looking for a naturally effective medicine to your condition? Would you rather take medicines that offer no side effects or addictions? Would you like to know how to build an immune system and also help yourself heal at the same time?

Aromatherapy is not widely known or used in the US; however, it has been proven to be one of the most effective alternative treatments, which has a long history. Essential oils were the mankind’s first medicine and even the Bible has 188 references to essential oils. In Europe, aromatherapy is covered by insurance in some countries. You may also find its own department in some hospitals in Asia.

Aromatherapy has three major applications; aromatic, topical, and internal. Essential oils are used in all applications and they are very small in molecular size that they can almost immediately penetrate the skin.

What are essential oils? They are aromatic compounds, natural extracts, from various parts of the plants. They are usually steam distilled, very concentrated, and know to be at least 70 times more powerful than herbal medicines.

So, how do essential oils affect us? Aromatic constituents, called sesquiterpenes, found in essential oils are known to be able to pass the blood-brain barrier, which is the cell membrane between the blood and the brain. This barrier protects brain cells from damaging substances to reach the brain tissue and cerebrospinal fluid. This means, essential oils would directly work on the cells. On the other hand, there are no man-made chemical substances found to go through the barrier.

According to National Institute on Drug Abuse, “the biggest and fastest growing part of America’s drug problem is prescription drug abuse.” Essential oils offer the significant health benefits with no side effects or addictions.

There are so many essential oils available on the market and you may wonder which one to get. Here is a tip: get a supplement-registered essential oil. Make sure a bottle says “for internal/ dietary use” or I would suggest you not to even open it because if it is not safe to drink, it is not safe to use at all.

I would like to invite you to take a look at a bright side of healthcare. A lifestyle is the cause of the majority of the diseases and aromatherapy would bring you a positive lifestyle to your health.


By, Kinko Hamilton

Vitamin D3 For A Breast Cancer Survivor

What Is The Best Amount Of Vitamin D3 For A Breast Cancer Survivor?

In my clinic, the way I dose vitamin D depends sun exposure, individual absorption and current co-morbidities/medical history, as well as other factors. Let’s discuss the breast cancer survivor population. As a general rule, I target a vitamin D3 range around 50, which is the lower to middle range of the 30-100 ng/ml “normal range” listed on lab results. This is also the general target range suggested during my two year fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona–I graduated a few years back and already had an established private integrative medicine practice in Philadelphia. The medical community needs well-designed studies to assess the cost benefit analysis of lower versus higher vitamin D levels in the breast cancer survivor and other populations. It takes funding to do longitudinal studies that look at secondary prevention of breast cancer, especially when so many factors are involved and it is challenging to accurately attribute cause to this single factor. New studies address a multipronged approach and its benefits, rather than seeking to isolate one factor to assess its involvement.

The Nurse’s Health Study first established by Dr. Frank Speizer in 1976 and later by Dr. Walter Willett in 1989 revealed that women who take in more calcium are statistically less likely to develop breast cancer to begin with. It’s established that higher vitamin D levels correlate with higher calcium absorption…so an indirect conclusion might be made here. Keep in mind that this correlation relates to primary cancer prevention, not prevention of a recurrence. Also calcium and vitamins D levels may matter more or even most when women are growing and developing, and there’s much more to learn here—the role of vitamin D during human development for prevention of later illness.

The reason that vitamin D may play a role in secondary prevention of breast cancer is that vitamin D acts as a hormone that affects proper immune function, and the immune system surveils the body and, ideally, destroys and recycles precancerous cells so that they do not develop into cancer. Again, much more research is needed to understand vitamin D’s extraordinary role in this and many other physiological functions.

In terms of how much daily vitamin D is needed to get to a specific target range, that varies widely. People absorb and metabolize vitamin D very differently. Many primary doctors recommend 2,000IU daily dose for maintenance, which I would say in the low end of the spectrum, especially if levels need to be repleted, but just maintained. For those with hypovitaminosis D, or low vitamin D, I may dose as much as 10,000IU daily for differing amounts of time to replete the D level. Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat soluble and need to be monitored for adequate but not excess repletion, so you need to work with your doctor. I do measure a serum or ionized calcium if I am concerned that levels are too high (this is a rare occasion), because higher levels of vitamin D translate to increased calcium absorption.

As a clinical anecdote, many with autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis notice that higher serum vitamin D levels translate to improvements in range of motion, morning stiffness, pain and other parameters. Of course more research is needed here, too.

The Institute of Medicine has guidelines for dosing and target levels, so please research their recommendations as well:

I always individualize vitamin D dosing and target range recommendations, and watch and learn how my patients absorb and metabolize water vs. fat soluble vitamins, as well as food in general.

Take care,

Dr. Georgia

Georgia Tetlow, MD, FAAPMR practices integrative medicine and specializes in wellness, chronic illness and cancer recovery. In support of a whole person approach, she addresses how conventional medicine can be infused with evidence-based approaches from a wide range of traditions to achieve balance and health. Addressing body mind and spirit, she takes the time to listen, educate and empower you. Dr. Tetlow works with your treatment team, and your recovery plan is personalized to your needs to address prevention, tolerance of conventional therapies, and wellness, not just the absence of disease. Trained in “alternative medicine” such as mindfulness and mind body medicine, biological therapies including supplements, alternative medical systems, hands on therapy and energy medicine, she also practices functional medicine, a more holistic conventional approach to care. She looks forward to seeing you in her Ambler, PA office.

By, Georgia Tetlow