Employee of the Month-Kayla Crowell

Kayla Crowell is one of our administrative assistants. As anyone knows, a whole lot of stuff lands on the desk of an administrative assistant. She came to us in 2013, departed for a short time to be closer to her kids and ensure their care and now she’s back and we are all very thankful for so many reasons. One of them is the nature of that administrative role and Kayla can handle it; all the duties, all the pressure, changes in direction, constant interruptions and just one more request for something to be done. She is strong and assertive with an uncanny ability to learn quickly, multi-task and complete significant volumes of work consistently. Everyone knows that if you hand off something to Kayla, it will get done. She’s often one step ahead of the rest of us, anticipating and taking action before anyone else thinks of it. This dependability and work ethic is so greatly admired by the entire TWIHW team. And then there’s the fun side of Kayla. She has a colorful and passionate personality with a great sense of humor. She makes us laugh constantly and can always find a positive side to every situation. If she is not busy with her jobs or children, you may find her riding a dirt bike or playing volleyball. We know she can dance and she is great with celebrity impersonations. This woman is just plain fun to be with.

By Mila McManus MD|2016-04-29T09:09:03-05:00April 29th, 2016|General|

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly on Coconut Oil and Olive Oil

By Nancy Mehlert, MS

We often emphasize how important it is to choose healthy oils and we describe them as “undamaged”. Typically, once man begins to extract oil from its source, the goal is to find the fastest, cheapest way to extract the oil from the source, maximizing the amount of oil extracted, then treating the oil to make it look, smell and taste good, and last as long as possible. All of this is accomplished by using high temperatures, extensive refining and chemicals. Unfortunately, not only are the health benefits of the oils lost in this processing, but can actually cause harm. Here’s the scoop you need to know about two of the most important oils we recommend for everyday use, coconut oil and olive oil.

Copra

In the coconut industry, conventional coconut is dried in a wood-fueled kiln or in the sun over a period of several days. The result is called copra and it is packed tightly into burlap type sacks that hold the meat of about 400-500 coconuts. These bags are then moved through a very slow, time consuming transport to a large, industrial oil mill, usually in Europe or Asia. As a result of unhygienic drying methods, humid tropical conditions, bulk shipping and long distances with lengthy delays, the copra develops mold on it. These molds can also result in carcinogenic aflatoxin contamination. The oil extraction begins using large-scale, high pressure, energy intensive equipment and chemicals such as hexane to remove the mold from the copra. The result is a very low quality, damaged coconut oil with little to no available health benefits. This is why we emphasize organic, non-GMO, expeller pressed or raw and unrefined coconut oil so that you can benefit from the undamaged oil.

In the olive oil industry, a similar process occurs. Heat and chemicals are used to extract every last bit of oil from the olives, and these chemicals degrade the final product. To make matters worse, you may have recently seen the CBS News show 60 Minutes which exposed the hazardous chemicals and mislabeling of olive oil coming out of the Mediterranean. According to Italian authorities, as much as 80% of the olive oil investigated uncovered fraudulent labeling and false documentation. In one investigation of 10 tons of colored table olives, the coloring agent added was a prohibited and dangerous copper chlorophyllin complex also known as E141. “Made in Italy” claims were fraudulent and other illicit substances were found in production areas. Pesticides, mineral oil hydrocarbons, plasticizers, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and styrene were also found in the oils. For these reasons, we HIGHLY recommend First Cold Pressed, Organic, Non-GMO verified oils from small family owned farms, and more recently, from California.

Healthy undamaged oils are essential for good health but unfortunately highly processed and damaged oils are dangerous to your health, contributing to inflammation and disease. Be sure to make good choices when purchasing your oils.

References:

http://olivecenter.ucdavis.edu/research/files/report041211finalreduced.pdf

http://www.kokonutpacific.com.au/production/CopraKP.php

By Mila McManus MD|2016-04-29T09:04:00-05:00April 29th, 2016|Articles, General|

The treatments I received over the course of just 2 weeks has changed my life…

Dr. McManus,

I’m certain when you considered purchasing the PEMF device that you were certain it could help your patients with various conditions, but were you prepared for not just helping but changing lives? The treatments I received over the course of just 2 weeks has changed my life from one of constant pain and sleepless nights to 98% pain free and sleeping soundly! I have had tendonitis in my left elbow and numbness in two of my fingers with 70% nerve conduction loss for over a year. I am a medical professional, so I have tried months of NSAIDS, 30 days of continuous steroids and 3 steroid injections to try to relieve the pain to no avail. I finally had surgery in July and it did not work. I had another surgery this past December, but it left my left elbow with hyper-sensitivity due to the relocation of the nerve. I could not touch the inside of my left elbow, nor even have the sheets rub against it at night because it would cause severe pain. I decided to try your PEMF therapy but was completely skeptical that such a device would do ANYTHING, but what was there to lose. Well, to my amazement, after the first treatment, I could actually touch the area around my scar. I couldn’t believe the machine had worked. Now, after 2 weeks of treatment, I can not only touch the skin around the incision, but I can touch the incision and rub the scar to release adhesions. I can wear my long sleeves without any pain. Better yet, I can sleep!! I want to thank you for thinking outside the box and doing your research to stay on top of what is out there to better the lives of your patients. You and your staff have made such a difference in the quality of my life. I will forever be grateful because I had just made up my mind I would live in discomfort forever and then you introduced me to ONDAMED. I am recommending this treatment to all my friends who have a variety of issues, not just pain. Additionally, on more than one occasion, the machine indicated I was having issues elsewhere before I ever mentioned anything to you that I was in fact having issues in that particular area. This treatment works and it works well! Again, thank you for staying vigilant.

SH

By Mila McManus MD|2016-03-28T11:09:59-05:00March 28th, 2016|General|

Salmon Cakes with Caper Sauce

Serves 2

Cakes:

6 ounces raw salmon, skin removed and diced into small cubes
1 egg
⅓ cup ground walnuts
½ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 tsp dill weed
¼ tsp sea salt
Pinch of cayenne

Sauce:

3 tbsp grass-fed butter
1 tsp capers
1 tbsp lemon juice
sea salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Combine salmon, egg, ground walnuts, parsley, dill weed, sea salt and cayenne together in a bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to several hours. Form into 2 patties.

2. Preheat oven to broil. Place salmon patties on a lightly greased baking dish and broil for 5-7 minutes on each side.

3. While salmon is broiling, melt butter and combine with capers, lemon juice and sea salt to taste.

4. Top salmon patties with melted butter-lemon-caper sauce and serve.

By Mila McManus MD|2016-03-28T10:05:10-05:00March 25th, 2016|General, Recipes|

Employee of The Month

Renee Long has been a member of the staff here at TWIHW as a Medical Assistant since 2011. With over 30 years of experience helping women with nutrition and eating disorders, and her years of service here working closely with the medical team and our patients, it is no surprise that Renee has a wealth of knowledge. Because Renee is a very compassionate care giver, her patients trust her, request her and look to her for guidance and instruction. Behind the scenes her co-workers consider her an in house mom often seeking her out for her nurturing style or simply because she’s a great friend and listener with an infectious laugh. She has a huge heart for people and furry critters and she is always ready to jump in for a rescue if she sees one having a tough time. She likes a good challenge, a good problem to solve, and with an amazing drive and passion she will persist to resolution. She’s a loving wife, a dedicated mom, and an adoring grandmother who enjoys RVing, cooking, and helping others.

By Mila McManus MD|2016-03-28T10:06:02-05:00March 25th, 2016|Articles, General|

Brain Builders and Brain Drainers

By Mila McManus MD and Nancy Mehlert MS

The human brain is home to more than 100 billion nerve cells that serve as the central command center for the human body. Neuroscientists have confirmed that we do have the ability to make new brain cells, a process called neurogenesis. Learning new things, having sex, and engaging in aerobic activities all increase neurogenesis, whereas stress and poor sleep decrease it. Not surprisingly, scientists have also discovered that nutrition plays a very significant role in the ability to make new brain cells. This means we can be very intentional about taking care of our brain to promote new cell growth thus improving memory, mood and a keeping a sharp mind as we age.

Brain Drainers

Keep carbohydrates in check, avoiding boxed, packaged and processed foods, especially grains and pastas as well as gluten, and sugar. All of these convert rapidly to sugar, a highly destructive substance to the brain. Read Grain Brain by Dr. David Perlmutter.
Avoid alcohol. It’s a depressant, it’s inflammatory, and inhibits neurogenesis of the region of the brain involved with memory.
Avoid foods high in Omega 6 which are inflammatory fatty acids. This includes natural and processed oils from corn, soybean, cottonseed, canola, grapeseed, safflower and sunflower.
Toxins-we are exposed to toxins 24/7. Every time we drink, eat, take a breath or shower, we are absorbing toxins. We don’t all detoxify at the same rate. Consider genetic testing that will help determine how well you detoxify. Also consider heavy metal testing. Aluminum, for example, increases acetylcholinesterase, the enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter involved with memory. Learn more about toxin “blocks and tackles” here.
Prescription drugs (and well, illicit drugs, too, of course). Statin drugs commonly prescribed for high cholesterol are among the worst offenders. You can also read our series on the dangers of other commonly prescribed drugs, such as antihistamines.
Electrosmog-this is the invisible electromagnetic radiation emitted from products such as cell phones, cordless phones, wi-fi, baby monitors, and cell phone towers. While the dangers of electrosmog are still controversial, we believe this is a real threat. Studies have shown, for example, that electrosmog emitted from mobile phones increases blood brain barrier (BBB) permeability. The BBB protects our brains from toxins, for example, so if the permeability is increased, consider the flood gates to be open!
Infection-it’s gross to think about, but we all have a LOT of microbes (bacteria, viruses, fungi, yeast, parasites) taking up residence in our bodies, including our brain. Lyme disease, for example, is very difficult to diagnose accurately with blood tests, and is known to have a link to brain diseases such as MS, ALS, and Alzheimers. Candida, a form of yeast, produces over 100 neurotoxins.
And, as mentioned above, stress and poor sleep

Brain Builders

Consider Cognitive assessments to quantify cognition. See a quantitative and objective measure of your cognitive health to help complement any existing subjective assessment methods you’re using as part of your care.
Consider Intermittent Fasting, a scheduled pattern of eating which includes fasting, with normal eating restricted to a small 6-8 hour window of time each day. Calorie restriction promotes neurogenesis.
Seek out foods and supplements high in Omega 3 fatty acids which are anti-inflammatory and make up 15 to 20% of your cerebral cortex. Good food sources include wild Pacific/Alaskan salmon and sardines, egg yolks from pasture raised chickens, chia seeds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, almonds, organic extra virgin olive oil and grass fed beef.
Your brain loves flavonoids – a very powerful antioxidant essential in the brain’s constant war against oxidation. Great sources of flavonoids include blueberries, dark chocolate, curcumin (found in the spice, curry), kale, citrus fruits and Brussels sprouts just to name a few.
Improve your gut health. Research has revealed that the health of your brain is largely dictated by the blend of microbes in your gastrointestinal tract.
Optimize your hormones with a functional medicine specialist. Slow thyroid function, for example, clearly causes slow brain function.
Boost oxygen! Improving circulation to the brain will provide more oxygen to the brain, thus facilitating brain function. Consider ONDAMED, gingko biloba, and Neo40 to help achieve this.
Magnesium L-Threonate
And, as mentioned above, learning new things, having sex, and engaging in aerobic activities.

Call us at 281-298-6742 and let us help you improve your brain function.

https://www.ted.com/talks/sandrine_thuret_you_can_grow_new_brain_cells_here_s_how?language=en

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/11/05/fish-oil-benefits.aspx

Grain Brain by Dr. David Perlmutter

https://ccst.us/projects/smart/documents/082009_Nittby_Increased_Permeability.pdf

By Mila McManus MD|2018-09-12T12:38:27-05:00March 25th, 2016|Articles, General|

Magnesium L Threonate

Magnesium is one of the body’s most abundant minerals and estimates suggest that up to 80% of Americans don’t get enough of this mineral. There is no such thing as a 100% magnesium supplement because magnesium needs to be bound to another substance and that substance will affect bioavailability, absorption and its stool softening or laxative effect. It can be confusing when deciding which form of magnesium is best for you. One of the newer and emerging types of magnesium is called Magnesium L Threonate, a magnesium salt of L-threonic acid which is a vitamin C metabolite. It has been shown in animal studies to cross the blood-brain barrier and penetrate cell membranes while having no laxative effect. Animal studies have shown that Magnesium L Threonate (trademarked under the name Magtein™) increased learning ability, working memory and both short and long term memory. These improved brain functions, along with the fact that magnesium supports a large number of physiological functions, bone health, energy and metabolism, just to name a few, have made magnesium L Threonate a favorite new form of magnesium. Testimonials speak to improved memory, mental focus, energy levels and clarity.

It’s important to use a high quality well manufactured form of Magnesium L Threonate to avoid cheap binders and allergens. We offer Dr. Mercola’s formulation that is specially formulated for high absorption and high penetration characteristics in a non-GMO, hypoallergenic encapsulation.

By Mila McManus MD|2016-03-28T11:16:29-05:00March 25th, 2016|Articles, General|

What TWIHW Has Done For Me

Take a minute to watch how TWIHW has changed this patient’s health for the better!

By Mila McManus MD|2018-05-10T18:00:44-05:00March 9th, 2016|Testimonials|

Energy Medicine

by Mila McManus MD

We use energy medicine every day in main stream as well as alternative medicine. If you’ve ever had an x-ray, mammogram, MRI, CT scan, or ultrasound, then you’ve experienced the wonders of energy medicine. Besides using energy for diagnostics, we use energy for therapies, such as with ultrasounds and lasers. If you’ve ever had acupuncture, you’ve experienced energy medicine. When you understand that our bodies, the universe, and everything in it are made up of energy and molecules, you can begin to understand that energy medicine is not voodoo.

What most people experience in modern medicine is chemistry, e.g. pharmaceutical drugs, when it comes to treating their ailments. I’ve been a physician for many years and my main focus has been using chemistry (hormones, vitamins, dietary interventions, and when necessary, pharmaceuticals) to treat and detoxify my patients. Well, since 2018, The Woodlands Institute for Health & Wellness has been exploiting the powers of the universe and the body’s innate ability to heal itself. We incorporate energy medicine to facilitate healing and I’ve seen some pretty amazing things using a device that emits pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF). There are many PEMF devices out there and they are not all created equal. Our technology is top notch and my only regret is not having this device years ago!

When you hear the term “EMF”, you may be thinking of dangerous scattered EMF related to cell phones, laptops, wi-fi, and baby monitors (yes, baby monitors are the worst offenders!). PEMF devices use focused, therapeutic low doses that actually jump start the body’s healing process. PEMF also stimulates cellular detoxification. Imagine a bottle neck traffic jam on the highway due to construction on the road. Four lanes merge into one and it’s painfully slow to get from Point A to Point B. Now imagine the electrical highways throughout your body that are required for communication for your body to have any action (for instance, for you to raise your arm within a millisecond of wanting to raise your arm, your brain must send an electrical signal to your arm in order to contract the right muscles that allow you to raise it). Well, due to injuries, infections, toxins, and inflammation, our electrical highways can get traffic jammed. An injured joint, for example, requires not just blood supply to rush in, but also requires energy to get to that area to provide the correct signals for healing and function. PEMF therapies unjam that traffic to allow normal speeds of communication to allow the body to heal itself, whatever ails it. A great analogy I read about distinguishing the speed of chemical reactions (e.g. pharmaceutical drugs) vs energetic reactions is understanding the difference in how long it would take to walk across the country vs fly across the country. I’ve seen patients’ pain disappear immediately after a session before they’ve even left the office. Not everyone responds this quickly though. What’s also pretty unique about the PEMF device that we use in our office is that it incorporates biofeedback which directs us not only to the specific frequencies with which someone should be treated at that particular time, but also helps us to locate the areas in the body that have the disturbance. And you might be surprised to know that the area where you may have pain, for example, may not be the area at which the PEMF needs to be directed.

Important benefits to note regarding the use of PEMF include:

Increases oxygen delivery to your cells
Improves ATP production (the energy source for our cells)
Enhances circulation
Speeds healing
Stimulates detoxification
Reduces pain
Reduces swelling
Reduces inflammation
No known side effects
Non-invasive
Non-painful
Non-pharmaceutical
Antioxidant properties
10,000+ scientific papers and 2000+ double blinded studies to back up its claims

It’s important to understand that we cannot say that PEMF therapy “diagnoses, treats, or cures any disease”. It’s facilitating your body’s ability to heal itself. Also, the only contraindication to using PEMF therapy is pregnancy. Having metal implants (e.g. hip or knee replacements) does limit the areas that can be treated.

Check out our Current Promotions page for ONDAMED specials!

Click here to read one of many patient testimonials about ONDAMED.

Find upcoming information and demonstration sessions here.

References:

http://www.pemft.net/

www.ondamed.net

By Mila McManus MD|2021-10-20T10:39:53-05:00March 1st, 2016|Articles, General|

The treatments I received over the course of just 2 weeks has changed my life…

The treatments I received over the course of just 2 weeks has changed my life...

Dr. McManus,

I’m certain when you considered purchasing the PEMF device that you were certain it could help your patients with various conditions, but were you prepared for not just helping but changing lives? The treatments I received over the course of just 2 weeks has changed my life from one of constant pain and sleepless nights to 98% pain free and sleeping soundly! I have had tendonitis in my left elbow and numbness in two of my fingers with 70% nerve conduction loss for over a year. I am a medical professional, so I have tried months of NSAIDS, 30 days of continuous steroids and 3 steroid injections to try to relieve the pain to no avail. I finally had surgery in July and it did not work. I had another surgery this past December, but it left my left elbow with hyper-sensitivity due to the relocation of the nerve. I could not touch the inside of my left elbow, nor even have the sheets rub against it at night because it would cause severe pain. I decided to try your PEMF therapy but was completely skeptical that such a device would do ANYTHING, but what was there to lose. Well, to my amazement, after the first treatment, I could actually touch the area around my scar. I couldn’t believe the machine had worked. Now, after 2 weeks of treatment, I can not only touch the skin around the incision, but I can touch the incision and rub the scar to release adhesions. I can wear my long sleeves without any pain. Better yet, I can sleep!! I want to thank you for thinking outside the box and doing your research to stay on top of what is out there to better the lives of your patients. You and your staff have made such a difference in the quality of my life. I will forever be grateful because I had just made up my mind I would live in discomfort forever and then you introduced me to ONDAMED. I am recommending this treatment to all my friends who have a variety of issues, not just pain. Additionally, on more than one occasion, the machine indicated I was having issues elsewhere before I ever mentioned anything to you that I was in fact having issues in that particular area. This treatment works and it works well! Again, thank you for staying vigilant.

SH

By Mila McManus MD|2016-03-28T11:08:00-05:00March 1st, 2016|General, Testimonials|

About Mila McManus MD

By Nancy Mehlert, MS

Call us at 281-298-6742 and let us help you improve your brain function.