Tag Archives: anti-aging

Physician of the Month: Susan Marra, MS, ND

August 2, 2016

Susan Marra, MS, ND

A4M valued member Susan Marra, MS, ND, shares great insight from her professional experience in this Physician of the Month feature.

Based in Seattle, WA, Dr. Marra has more than 15 years of experience successfully diagnosing and treating Borreliosis/tick-borne illness, and has helped over 10,000 patients return to health. Additionally, Dr. Marra has been completely successful in overcoming her own battle with Borreliosis/Lyme disease, and has been symptom-free for more than seven years. Her personal road to recovery aids her in understanding the difficulties patients experience on the healing journey, and heightens her compassion for patients in search of a proper diagnosis and subsequent treatment.

Q: Before becoming a member of A4M, what was your medical background?

I have a Masters of Science in Psychology, and a Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine. I largely practice Integrative Medicine, but I needed a well-organized, thoughtful, comprehensive refresher course after nearly 20 years of practicing medicine.

Q: What anti-aging techniques have you incorporated into your practice and how did you do so?

I use more natural hormonal therapy in my practice as the result of my anti-aging training. Balancing hormones is an art that requires significant study and practice, but I believe as the result of using them, my patients are happier and healthier than ever. Understanding how the hormones influence each other was something that I took away from this course in much greater depth than I had known previously. For that, I am grateful. The teaching was phenomenal.

Q: What are the benefits of practicing Anti-Aging Medicine?

The greatest benefit by far is to witness the increase overall sense of wellbeing that I see in my patients. They are happier and enjoy life more, and are better able to handle stress in their lives because they have underlying endocrine and organ support. For me, this is the greatest accomplishment that I could achieve as a professional.

Q: Why would you recommend Anti-Aging Medicine to your peers?

There are many reasons for learning Anti-Aging Medicine but mostly to service the continuous increase in the population of aging people. Anti-Aging Medicine allows for people to live healthier, longer lives, and enjoy their golden years with fewer ailments. This is also “common sense” medicine. In my opinion, A4M and the Metabolic Medical Institute have THE most comprehensive education program in the country with the most qualified teachers. The seminars are fantastic and you can do a lot of coursework online, so that you don’t have to miss much clinic time. I found that if you listen and study the material well, you will be well prepared to apply the newly learned material in your practice. Clearly, there was a lot of thought put into the development of this curriculum. It was outstanding.

Q: Where do you see the future of Anti-Aging Medicine 20 years from now?

I believe that Anti-Aging Medicine is and will be at the forefront of progressive medicine in this country for many decades to come. Also, with the rise in genomic research and available diagnostic testing, the marriage of Anti-Aging Medicine and genomic medicine is extremely exciting. This will allow for true personalized medicine to be delivered in the office setting. I am excited about the developments in both fields, and will continue my education to reflect the ever-changing landscape of 21st century Integrative Medicine.

Open to all A4M Members: If you would like to be featured as A4M’s Physician of Month, please write us at [email protected].

10 Proteins Top Alzheimer’s Biomarkers

October 29, 2014

Often, the biological processes of Alzheimer’s Disease begin many years prior to the display of symptoms, making the pursuit of predictive diagnostics a paramount effort.  Simon Lovestone, from King’s College London (United Kingdom), and colleagues analyzed blood samples from 1,148 people: 476 with Alzheimer’s, 220 with mild cognitive impairment and 452 elderly controls without dementia. The researchers honed in on 26 proteins previously found to be linked with Alzheimer’s Disease, and found that 16 of the  proteins were strongly associated with brain shrinkage in either mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s.  The team then ran a second series of tests to see which of these could predict which patients would progress from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s; they identified a combination of 10 proteins capable of predicting with 87% accuracy whether people with mild cognitive impairment would develop Alzheimer’s disease within a year.  Writing that: “We have identified 10 plasma proteins strongly associated with [Alzheimer’s] disease severity and disease progression,” the study authors submit that:  “Such markers may be useful for patient selection for clinical trials and assessment of patients with predisease subjective memory complaints.”  For the news source visit: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/07/08/us-health-alzheimers-idUKKBN0FC2IC20140708

Hye A, Riddoch-Contreras J, Baird AL, Ashton NJ, Bazenet C, Lovestone S, et al.  “Plasma proteins predict conversion to dementia from prodromal disease.”  Alzheimers Dement. 2014 Jul 3.

Breast Cancer Awareness and Preventive Medicine

October 6, 2014

When most people think of October, they think pumpkins, leaves changing colors, Halloween, a cooler crisp in the air – and breast cancer. It’s become pretty standard in today’s society that most people associate the month of October with Breast Cancer Awareness.

Since the Susan G. Komen Foundation started handing out those pink ribbons at a 1991 Breast Cancer Survivors race in New York, (carecyclesolution.net) the color pink can be seen prevalently throughout the month of October with hopes of bringing awareness of this awful disease affecting over 232,000 women and over 2,000 men, just in 2014 (cancer.org). During the month of October, professional athletes proudly wear pink cleats and wristbands, thousands of walks and races are held nationwide for survivors and their care takers, and most importantly- survivors are saluted and people are realizing the importance of taking the proper steps for prevention.

While there is no profound way to prevent breast cancer, according to the American Cancer Society, there are several ways to decrease the risk of breast cancer – and disease in general. Eating healthy, getting enough sleep and physical activity, visiting the doctor regularly, staying away from smoking and limiting alcohol consumption; these all seem like things we should be doing anyway right? It’s more than that, it’s Preventive Medicine. Preventive Medicine is just that, it’s preventing chronic health issues and age related diseases that debilitate people every day; it’s a lifestyle.

So what can we do? If you’re a doctor, try dabbling in personal and preventive medicine and teach your patients about lifestyle management. If you’re a patient, establish a working partnership with your physician, get that mammogram, take your recommended vitamins and supplements to protect your body, have a salad instead of that slice of pizza, or take the stairs instead of the elevator.

Breast cancer awareness (and disease awareness) in general, is on the rise and has grown over the last several years, but we can never do enough. The more people know how to be healthy, will be.