Category: Blog

Keone Kela Feels Good After Stem Cell Therapy

Keone Kela, a pitcher for the Texas Rangers, had been suffering from persistent soreness in his shoulder. He had been unable to play for entire seasons because of his condition. Kela decided to undergo stem-cell therapy treatment last November to stop the pain once and for all. He had bone marrow cells extracted and then injected into his shoulder, helping his body repair tissue and joints. After the treatment, he has felt much better and pain-free, allowing him to throw harder and better than ever before. “The body feels good,”, Kela said to Dallas Morning News. “The arm feels good. I’m ready to go.” Here’s hoping that Kela can take his pain-free shoulder and turning it into results on the field.

Stem cell therapy isn’t just for athletes, however. Anyone suffering from soreness in their body may benefit from the incredible results that stem cell therapy can provide. It’s just a matter of visiting your local clinic at Solstice and taking that first step in pain relief.

10 Foods That Help You Stay Young

It’s everyone’s goal to stay young both physically and mentally, and science has been hard at work for centuries trying to find the best ways to do so. Short of inventing a time machine, it’s impossible to simply turn back a clock to stay young forever. However, there are a number of natural foods that have been proven to at least slow the process down.

Dark chocolate

Eating a small piece of chocolate with a high percentage of cacao has been proven to slow the effects of aging. Next time you’re in the grocery store, look for chocolate with between 70 and 90 per cent of cacao. Of course, it’s important that you consume it in moderation. Don’t let the delicious chocolate carry you away!

Salmon

Salmon is rich in antioxidants that can help increase ‘good’ HDL cholesterol and improve blood circulation, as well as boosting the immune system and preventing DNA damage. Salmon fish gets its anti-aging properties from consuming bacteria and algae in the water rich in these antioxidants.

Avocado

Avocado is well-known today for being a superfood and a healthy substitute to butter. Avocados have been proven to reduce cell damage, lower cholesterol, and boost the immune system with its rich collection of antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins. As a source of lutein, avocados can even reduce the risk of cataracts and other degenerative eye conditions.

Nuts

There are many types of nuts out there and they all help to prevent chronic disease, cancer, and boost your cardiovascular system. Nuts such as chestnuts, walnuts, pecans, and many others are rich sources of unsaturated fats that are proven to reduce the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Of course, not everyone can consume nuts, so it’s important to make sure that you’re not allergic before incorporating them into your diet.

Bone broth

Bone broth is a great way to absorb a range of minerals and healthy compounds that help to build and maintain bone strength. It’s also a great source of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, which help to reduce inflammation arthritis and joint pain.

Maca root

As we age, our hormones aren’t what they once were, but there are natural supplements that can help to reverse this, such as the maca root. It’s a superfood that has been known to balance out estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone in the body. Maca has also been said to improve sexual performance and relieve symptoms of menopause.

Turmeric

Turmeric is a spice known for its use in many tasty dishes, but it’s also a great way to prevent joint aging and degeneration of the brain. It’s a main source of curcumin, which is an antioxidant that reduces inflammation, lowers the risk of heart disease, and supports liver function.

Blueberries

Blueberries are an excellent and delicious source of anthocyanins, which are known for its anti-aging properties, including preventing cell damage from free radicals, as well as slowing down brain cell damage.

Collagen

Eating foods rich in collagen or adding collagen supplements to your meals have been found to protect the skin from the effects of aging. Studies have also indicated that it may also be helpful in the growth of bones and the maintenance of bone health.

Figs

Figs are high in minerals, antioxidants, and vitamins. They’re great for your digestive system, as well as potentially helping to lower cholesterol levels, and prevent cancer. Figs are also helpful in keeping your stress levels in check by preventing hypertension. Figs are a rich source of calcium, which helps to improve and maintain bone strength; this is especially essential for anyone trying to keep the effects of aging at bay a little while longer.

Come visit us at Solstice to learn more about how we can help you manage your nutrition as effectively as possible.

Living with Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, can occur because of injury, infection, from being overweight or for some it can be heredity. Knee Osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage in the joints breaks down causing chronic knee pain, stiffness, and abnormal joint functioning.

The knee is the largest joint in the body, the knee moves like a hinge, allowing you to sit, squat, walk or jump. When knee problems arise, they can interfere with almost all your daily activities and certainly compromise your participation in more advanced activities or sports.

Due to the wear of tear that happens along the joints, living with osteoarthritis can make daily life painful. Often patients complain that they feel loss of control of when their knee (or other joints) may act up, cause pain, or limit their ability to do something. Quite safe to say, that this condition does affect day to day life.

Stem Cell Therapy for Knee Osteoarthritis

Traditionally, treatments have been centered around surgical and pharmaceutical interventions. While pharmaceuticals have the potential to allow for a temporary pain relief, the cartilage will continue to deteriorate. Knee replacement surgery is often required when the knee joint has reached a point where the pain can no longer be controlled. Surgery should be used as a last resort as it is highly invasive and non-reversible should you achieve less than optimal results.

A safer, non-surgical treatment is available in our clinics, in Wisconsin, with Dr. Murray.

There is recent research that does suggest, that stem cells can regrow cartilage, furthermore, there is research on the use of stem cells (specifically mesenchymal stem cells, MSCs) in knee osteoarthritis treatment. Results demonstrated that MSCs (connective tissue stem cells) administered into the knee remained on the surface of the damaged meniscus and embedded into the cartilage, resulting in the restoration of meniscal tissue.

As you can see the growing field of regenerative medicine and orthopedics show us promising results in conditions such as osteoarthritis. We understand the difficulty of living with it and are here to help guide you towards a treatment plan that can help you get back to your day to day life.

Do you suffer from knee pain? Contact Dr. Murray and his team in Wisconsin, at Oconomowoc, New Berlin, and/or Mequon. We would love for you to come in for a consultation and assess what is the best treatment plan for you.

osteoarthritis

How Yoga Can Help You Lose Weight

These days, people lead busy, and unfortunately, due to convenience, many of us choose fast and unhealthy food options and don’t have the time to exercise.

This type of lifestyle can lead to fast signs of aging and can affect body weight. However, if you have decided to take action and do something about your weight issue and health, you may be looking for a physical activity that you would find enjoyable.

How Can Yoga Help You Lose Weight?

Yoga is a popular activity that many locals have successfully pursued to improve their physical and mental health and wellness. It offers many benefits, and the good news is that it can also be used for weight loss. However, this is not a cardio-intensive activity, so the benefits to your weight loss efforts are more unique. Have a look:

Improving Your Liver Function

One of the primary functions of the liver is to detoxify the blood, and this enhances weight loss in several ways. For example, a healthy liver eliminates unhealthy fats from the body, and it enhances the use of good fats to your benefit. If you are interested in improving your liver function through yoga, there are several great poses that you can use for this purpose, including the cobra pose, the spinal twist, the wheel pose and others.

Promoting Thyroid Health

Your thyroid serves the important function of controlling your metabolism, so you can see how promoting thyroid health would impact weight loss efforts. When you promote ideal thyroid health, you may be able to speed up your metabolism for faster weight loss and easier weight control after you have reached your ideal body weight. Just a few of the many poses that are great for improving thyroid health include the fish pose and the shoulder stand.

Enhancing Muscle Strength and Tone

You may have heard that a body with greater muscle tone and mass will burn more fat while at rest than a body with minimal muscle tone and mass. This has been scientifically proven, and this means that a primary goal to accomplish with weight loss efforts is to improve muscle tone and strength. Yoga may not be a cardio-intensive activity, but it is great for improving muscle tone. Almost every yoga pose you can do will affect muscle tone and strength.

Elevating Your Heart Rate

While yoga generally will not raise your heart rate the way a long jog or a spin session can, it nonetheless can elevate your heart rate for an extended period of time. Most yoga classes are approximately 30 to 60 minutes, and they feature intervals where your heart rate may rise and then lower frequently throughout the session. This is a wonderful way to burn calories without over-stressing the body.

Yoga is a wonderful physical activity that can leave you feeling relaxed, and it is commonly used as a means for de-stressing. However, it has many total body health benefits as well, including supporting weight loss efforts.

If you are thinking of losing weight, or need to, we advise you to come see us and discuss a healthy approach to weight loss. At Solstice Health, under the supervision of Dr. Murray and his health team, we can ensure you are losing weight properly, and in a healthful manner that will last.

Visit us at three locations in Wisconsin – Oconomowoc, New Berlin, or Mequon. Contact us and set-up an appointment to have a free consultation.

weight loss yoga

The Importance of Sleep in One’s Health

Sleep is an essential part of your health and well-being. It is equally as essential as a healthy diet and
regular exercise. Research shows that getting enough sleep every night helps protect your physical and mental health as well as improve your quality of life. Here at Solstice Health, in Wisconsin, we focus on our patients well-being and overall health.

How does sleep help your body?

There are a number of key important outcomes from getting continual, adequate, and restful sleep.

Improved mental health

Lack of adequate sleep often leads to forgetfulness, irritability, and tiredness. Restorative sleep helps your brain regenerate and function properly. A good night sleep allows your body to remove dead blood cells and brain cells to clear pathways for newer synapses that help you maintain maximum cognitive brain function.

A healthy heart

According to research conducted by the University of Warwick, getting less than 6 hours of sleep over
an extended period increases your chances of heart failure by 48% and suffering from stroke by 15%. This is because sleep deprivation disrupts biological processes like blood pressure, inflammation, and glucose metabolism.

Weight

Lack of sleep increases chances of obesity. Sufficient sleep helps your body sustain a healthy balance of the production of the hormones responsible for making you feel hungry and full. When you deprive your body of sleep, it produces more ghrelin which ultimately increases your appetite. If you stay awake for longer hours, your body will need more energy to help you stay up longer. Therefore, you tend to eat more.

Immune system

If you consistently skimp on needed rest, the chances are that you fall sick often becomes higher. Sleep deprivation weakens the immune system. It makes you more prone to catching colds and flu. When you sleep, your body creates disease fighting hormones to fight off diseases and infections. Hence, if you do not sleep enough, you restrict your body’s ability to create these substances leaving you more prone to any virus or bacteria you encounter. Recent research also shows that sufficient sleep will help you get more preventative benefits from vaccines.

Healthier skin

Sleep is food for your body, brain, and skin. Poor sleep can cause chronic skin conditions and make
your skin age faster. However, when you get sufficient sleep, your body produces new collagen that helps prevent skin sagging, which in turn leads to fewer wrinkles. Also, a good night sleep will give your skin sufficient time to recover from ultra violet light exposure.

In case you are experiencing difficulty falling asleep, here are a few tips to help you snooze.

• Adopt a regular sleep/wake cycle
• Avoid alcohol, big meals, and smoking before bedtime
• Exercise regularly
• Do not nap for too long or too late

Sleep is a vital part of maintaining overall wellness in so many ways. It can make an enormous impact on the quality of your life. Hence, it is important that you prioritize getting adequate and consistent sleep every night.
For more tips on health maintenance come visit our clinic, we have 3 locations in Wisconsin – Oconomowoc, New Berlin, and Mequon.

At Solstice Health, we focus on preventative, natural, and holistic approaches to good health. Dr. Murray is an expert in many areas, including direct primary care; him and his team can help you feel restful, decrease stress, and be healthy again.

general health sleep

Why People Are Turning to Medical Weight Loss

Managing weight is an essential part of maintaining a healthy body.

Being overweight can contribute to health issues such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, strokes, and kidney disease according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

At Solstice Health, we know that starting a weight loss program on your own can be difficult, scary, and uncertain. This is why we offer medical weight loss, currently at our Wisconsin location.

What Is Medical Weight Loss Essentially?

Our Medical weight loss program, in Wisconsin, concurrent with the promise of no surgeries and prescriptions, is personalized for each patient. It includes regimented exercises and diets prescribed by a medical professional, and weight loss is monitored. This ensures it is done safely.

The diets tend to be more intensive in cutting down on specific caloric intakes in the beginning and then, after thorough progression, the patient is gradually allowed to eat a wider variety. We also focus on using the “ideal” protein foods, which you will learn more about.

Is Medical Weight Loss For Me?

Currently, medical weight loss is an alternative form of therapy for people who want to forgo surgery to reduce their weight issues.

If you feel you need help in creating those healthy lifestyle choices, if you need guidance, if you are looking for an entirely natural solution based, this is for you.

Medical weight loss is a proven and safe way to lose weight, and that is reflected as more of these programs are being created every year, with similar rates of success. Their natural approach helps people shed excess weight without the potential issues that surgery or dietary tablets can give.

weight loss

Do you suffer from one of these Symptoms? It Could Be Diabetes

Diabetes is the condition in which the body does not properly process food for use as energy. Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose for our bodies to use for energy. The pancreas makes insulin to help glucose get into the cells of our bodies. When you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use its own insulin as well as it should, which causes sugars to build up in the blood. This results in an abnormal metabolism of carbohydrates and elevated levels of glucose in your blood and urine.

Types

There are two main types of diabetes.

Type 1 Diabetes: The body does not produce ANY insulin.
Type 2 Diabetes: The body does not produce ENOUGH insulin for proper function.

Approximately 90% of patients with diabetes suffer from type 2 diabetes making it much more common than type 1.

Causes

Causes of type 1 diabetes include autoimmune, genetic, and environmental factors such as a virus. Causes of type II diabetes include older age, obesity, family history of diabetes, prior history of gestational diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, physical inactivity, and race/ethnicity.

Symptoms

Some people, especially those with prediabetes, may not experience symptoms initially. In type 1 diabetes, symptoms tend to come on quickly and be more severe. Symptoms for type 1 or type 2 diabetes could include:

Increased thirst and extreme hunger
Frequent urination
Fatigue and irritability
Blurred vision
Slow-healing sores
Frequent infections, such as gums or skin infections and vaginal infections
Male sexual dysfunction
Weight gain or unusual weight loss
Numbness and tingling in hands and feet

How Solstice Can Help

Diabetes care is complex and requires that many issues, beyond glycemic control, be addressed. Treatment could include diet control, exercise, home blood glucose testing, and in some cases, oral medication and/or insulin.

We are here to help manage a healthy weight and sugar levels, to help you get back on track. Contact us today at (262) 354-3100.

diabetes symptoms

5 Summer Foods to Add to Your Diet

It’s officially summer and some of us are in full on cookout mode. Fun family gatherings are a wonderful thing to look forward to this time of the year, but something that gets us especially excited this time of year is the food. Summer offers us some of the most delicious fruits and veggies to choose from. We’ve worked hard on our summer bodies. Luckily, summer provides us with foods that are not only delicious additions to our weight loss diet, but also full of added health benefits. Check out these 5 summer foods to add to your diet.

Eggplant

Eggplants are high in tryptophan. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that helps regulate appetite, improves sleep quality, and elevates your mood. Eggplants also help improve blood flow in blood vessels which is good for cardiovascular health.

Blueberries

Although they are little, blueberries back a big punch. Blueberries help fight anti-inflammatory issues, help improve brain function, enhance mood, and help combat cancer cells.

Red Bell Peppers

Red bell peppers are low in calories and delicious. This sweet and crunchy vegetable also provides 240 percent of the recommended daily vitamin C.

Tomatoes

While you should always wear sunscreen, eating an extra tomato or two may help protect your skin from sunburn. This is due to the consumption of lycopene (the pigment that makes tomatoes red).

Watermelon

Did you know watermelon is about 92% water? Adding more watermelon to your diet will help keep you hydrated during those hot summer months. Similar to tomatoes, watermelon also contains lycopene and can help protect against sunburn. There are also some studies that show that eating foods high in water can actually leave us feeling more satisfied on fewer calories. In that case, watermelon is a triple threat.

The team at Solstice Health can help patients lose weight and keep it off for good. Read more about medical weight loss and how we can help by visiting: www.solsticewi.com/medical-weight-loss

diet summer foods

Could It Be Arthritis? 5 Common Yet Overlooked Symptoms

Arthritis is the inflammation of one or more joints. This can cause pain, swelling and tenderness. About 350 million people worldwide suffer from arthritis. About 40 million of those people are Americans. Of those affected, over half are women.

Arthritis is commonly misconstrued as only affecting the aging or elderly. However, more than half of those with arthritis are under the age of 65. With these staggering numbers, you might be wondering what the symptoms of arthritis are. You may wonder if you have it. Check out these 5 common yet overlooked symptoms of arthritis.

Painful swelling and inflammation

Swelling and inflammation are worse in the mornings when you wake up. The pain is typically found in the same joints on both sides of your body.

Stiffness

With arthritis, joint stiffness usually happens gradually. This is why it’s important to seek treatment as soon as you start seeing symptoms to avoid losing further mobility.

Tenderness

Joints can become not only sore and swollen, but also tender to even the gentlest of touches. This can be particularly true of gout, which is a specific type of arthritis.

Fever

Fever is often a sign of infection somewhere in the body. It is important that you call your doctor immediately if you experience fever along with your joint pain.

Rash

Typically associated with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, blotchy rashes can be an early symptom. This rash is usually found on the arms and legs. Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis also has unique symptoms of loss of appetite, weight loss, and anemia.

If you take over-the-counter anti-inflammatory pain medications for joint pain or if you have any of the following symptoms associated with your joint pain, consider seeking medical attention.

Rapid swelling
Immobility of joint
Loss of function
Unable to exercise without pain
Severe pain

Do you suffer from arthritis pain? We may be able to help. Schedule an appointment with Solstice Health for more information. 262-354-3100

arthritis joint pain pain relief

Tips for Treating Joint Swelling at Home

Swollen joints are limiting when it comes to your daily activities. They can certainly be a deal breaker when it comes to having fun. They are painful, uncomfortable and can put a damper on anything from dancing at a friend’s wedding to the simple daily walk up and down the stairs. The cause of swollen joints is inflammation due to a variety of reasons ranging from injury to disease. Check out these tips on treating joint swelling at home.

Massage

Treat yourself. Treat your joints. A massage will help relax your muscles, in turn easing your joint pain. This may not be a long-term cure; however, few will complain about having multiple spa days in their future.

Stretching

Go ahead and sign up for that yoga class you’ve wanted to try. Over time, stretching increases flexibility and the ability to move. Yoga is a great low resistance way of practicing this. Plus, it has the added benefit of calming your mind. Something you may need when dealing with the frustration of painful joints.

Take a Warm Shower

Similar to the above-mentioned massage, taking a warm shower or bath can be simply relaxing. It also helps promote blood circulation, releases muscle tension and ultimately eases joint pain.

Exercise

It is important to find a daily exercise routine that works for your schedule. It will help improve strength and stamina. There are also the added benefits of releasing feel-good endorphins and clearing bad toxins from your body.

Eat More Fish

Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids help reduce swelling and inflammation. This healthy fat is found in salmon, sardines, mackerel, trout, flaxseeds, and walnuts. Try eating 3 to 4 ounces of fish, twice a week. If you don’t like fish, try a fish oil supplement.

These tips will help you manage your joint pain and swelling. However, at what point should you decide to go into the doctor for a more in-depth treatment? If you are having any of the following symptoms associated with your joint pain, consider seeking medical attention.

Rapid swelling
Immobility of joint
Loss of function
Unable to exercise without pain
Severe pain
If you are frequently taking over-the-counter anti-inflammatory pain medications for joint pain

Do you suffer from joint pain? Solstice Health may have a solution for you. Call us today to schedule an appointment. 262-354-3101

exercise joint health massage nutrition