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Did ya know about these Caffeine Health Benefits?

March 2024

Loved this picture from a small town cafe I recently visited. As I sat enjoying my tasty cup, I thought of the many health benefits of caffeine. While too much of it (like more than 2 cups a day) can cause elevated blood pressure and physical dependency with rebound headaches when you dont drink it, coffee has been widely studied and found to have many health benefits. Why does a cup of coffee produce not just more pep in one’s step, but put a smile on one’s face?

Caffiene blocks receptors of the neurotransmitter, adenosine which generally serves as an inhibitory function on the brain. When its receptors are blocked, the actions of dopamine are able to be more effective. Dopamine stimulates parts of our brain that induce pleasure and motivation. So, in addition to a smile, getting some caffeine before exercise, helps you burn more calories from your workout with less fatigue.

As far as metabolism and sugar control, a review of 30 studies also showed that 1 cup of coffee consumed per day correlated with 6% decreased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Caffeine has been found to be beneficial for the beta cells in our pancreas which produces insulin to regulate our blood sugars.

Our brains also benefit with added focus and alertness as we already know. According to Healthline, another review of 13 studies showed caffeine consumption decreased the risk and slowed the progression of Parkinson’s disease over time.

So enjoy your morning cups of coffee and make it a great week!

MARCH MADNESS SPECIAL!

March 17, 2021

Start Spring Wrinkle Free! Also, learn about our latest testing tools to diagnose hidden illnesses and upgrade your health now!

Cosmetic Botox $11 per unit ALL MONTH!

Call or text our clinic number to book your appointment now!

Artius Implements more Cutting Edge Diagnostics to Help You Reset, Refresh, Renew

New testing now available at Artius! We are now able to conduct non-invasive, autonomic, vascular and cardiac risk assessments with your follow up appointment or health exam. After completing a short screening questionnaire, you will be evaluated with a group of diagnostic studies to check your autonomic nervous system, your risk for vascular disease or neuropathy, and microcirculation.

Why is this testing important to do?

Millions of American have chronic disease that goes undiagnosed. There are nearly 1 in 4 adults living with diabetes and 7.2 million don’t know they have the condition. Fifty percent of people with peripheral artery disease (PAD) are asymptomatic. (*2)Undiagnosed PAD has serious consequences including gangrene, amputation and a 5-time greater risk for heart attack and stroke. The information gathered with these tools will allow Artius providers to assess the status of your endothelium. Your endothelium is a single layer of cells lining your organs, body cavities, blood vessels, heart and lymphatic vessels. Stress, chronic pain and other medical conditions can damage this layer and cause endothelial dysfunction. This damage to microcirculation is a multifactorial process that leads to end stage disease if left untreated. The cutting edge technology now available to you can detect the earliest damage. Knowing the results of this testing will help our providers formulate an even more personalized functional and comprehensive treatment plan. We will be able to track progress and improvement. Let us help you take another step to living your best life and bridge the gap to your better self!

*2 Frequency of asymptomatic peripheral arterial disease in patients (2004, May) Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nih.gov/pubmed/15224456

Benefits of BCAAs & Emsculpt Combo:
Have Your Chocolate & Eat It Too!

February 1, 2021

Love Never Fails

You are worthy. You are valuable. You are loved. One of the conditions for loving yourself is taking care of your body. It is the only one you’ll ever have and your most important physical relationship. Stress, a sedentary lifestyle, hormone imbalance and other medical conditions can take a toll on your waistline. Studies have shown that waist circumference greater than 35in in women and 39in in men are associated with earlier mortality, This increased “visceral” fat around one’s midsection has been linked to chronic inflammation, prediabetes and other conditions. Here's how to measure your waistline:

Locate your hip bone on your abdomen.
Wrap a measuring tape around your body at this level. It should be snug but not pressing into your bare skin.
The tape should be parallel to the floor. Relax, exhale and read the measurement.

Emsculpt helps tone & strengthen core muscles in your abds and glut regions to improve balance, posture & prevent injury. The Emsculpt treatment is a high frequency focused electromagnetic therapy. A 30min of treatment on a muscle region is equivalent to 22,000 contractions. So if you apply the treatment to your abdominal muscles, 30min of Emsculpt equates to 22,000 crunches! Research has also shown this treatment to decrease the width of diasthesis recti, the separation of the abdominal muscles in the midline which can occur after pregnancy in women or in men with large abdominal girth.

You can also target your arms, thighs and legs! Get your Get Lean IV (BCAAs, methionine, B12) just before your Emsculpt treatment to maximize the benefits of each session by burning fat permanently and increasing lean muscle mass.

What are the benefits of BCAAs?

BCAAs essentially are found in proteins from meats, legumes, and dairy products. Optimal intake is up to 7-9 g daily. This level is typically not satisfied in the average diet so supplementation is helpful. There are numerous benefits to BCAAs.

A Japanese Study in 2010 showed that these amino acids decrease post workout soreness and recovery time. They also help decrease inflammation and are building blocks of lymphocytes, thereby supporting your immune system. BCAAs also enhance release of a peptide that delays gastric emptying and suppresses appetite. This is one way that they enhance weight loss. Other research reports that during times of increased stress on the body when inflammation and cortisol levels are high, BCAAs have been shown to aid in hormone balance by decreasing cortisol levels and improving testosterone production in men and women.

Our “Get Lean” IV contains:

BCAAs (Branched Chain Amino Acids): Leucine, Iso-leucine, Valine, and Methionine, with B12

What is NAD and what are the benefits of NAD infusions?

January 4, 2021

NAD is an abbreviation for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. Recently, it has gained more attention in the fields of regenerative medicine and epigenetics. This molecule is one of two coenzymes of vitamin B3 and is a crucial currency to energy required for multiple cellular reactions. These reactions work in physiological pathways that decrease inflammation, auto-immune reactions and degenerative processes in the body.

Of particular interest, a group of enzymes called sirtuins that utilize high levels of NAD have multiple functions. Sirtuins help regulate metabolism, the sleep-wake cycle as well as cellular repair and recovery. When NAD levels decline with age, sirtuin mediated reactions decrease. This results in damage and defects to nuclear and mitochondrial function. Restoring NAD concentrations in the body can therefore prevent age-associated problems, to include neurodegenerative conditions.

Results from a recent human clinical trial published in May 2020 showed a correlation of increased NAD+ levels with decreased whole body fat and increased skeletal muscle mass.

NAD utilized by sirtuins in the brain have been shown to elevate neurotransmitters that elevate mood and decrease anxiety. Because NAD is a powerful antioxidant, it can also promote calm as toxins are cleared from your body.

Taking high doses of oral niacin daily can cause abdominal pain or skin flushing. It can also take months to increase NAD concentrations in your bloodstream to reap noticeable benefits. For these reasons, infusions are recommended.

A Fresh Outlook

Published in The Great Falls Connection December 16, 2020

As we close the chapter on 2020, many may feel tattered and beaten down as they look to 2021. We are all survivors of a whirlwind year where many of us felt a roller coaster of emotions including tragedy, adversity, uncertainty, and loss. Choosing to be optimistic is not perpetuating a Pollyanna or excessively cheerful attitude while ignoring negative emotions and experiences. It is facing the adversity, experiencing these emotions as they occur and believing for an opportunity to survive victoriously through it. Optimists see a difficult situation and choose to find a way, anyway. They persist to support the downtrodden, to overcome, to problem solve and ultimately to add value to others around them. To all reading this, you have exemplified these actions at some point in your life, if not everyday. You are an optimist. You are an everyday hero.

I’m thankful to have witnessed many examples (big and small) of this spirit in Great Falls and only have room here to list a few:

The Langley HS Junior Optimist club persisting to meet virtually through the pandemic and writing letters of encouragement and gratitude to health care workers laboring in COVID units, many of them sacrificing time from their families as they have to be quarantined from them.
Mike Kearney, owner of the Old Brogue Irish Pub which has been integral to community gatherings for years, playing live music on his patio so many patrons can still celebrate St Patrick’s Day, safely socially distanced outdoors.
Community members who designed and produced artful masks and sold them for just $5 in front of Safeway when there was a shortage of masks in stores. If we have to wear masks, why not make them beautiful and spread cheer!
The Great Falls Optimist club providing Thanksgiving meals and Holiday meals for local families in need, which they have done for years.
Celebrate Great Falls’ successfully booking Santa and Mrs Claus so they wouldn’t be denied spreading holiday cheer to our children at the Christmas tree lighting ceremony. What a wonderful event it was!

And the list goes on. If you have an example of optimism in Great Falls, VA, big or small, we invite you to post it on our Facebook page so we can celebrate them with you!

As a community, we are always better together. And together, we can look forward to 2021 with a face of positivity, hope and optimism. From the wise words of poet Christian D. Larson, author of the Optimist Creed, I invite you to free yourselves from the same resolutions you broke in 2020. Instead, promise this for yourselves for the coming year:

“Promise Yourself

To be SO STRONG that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness and prosperity

to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.

To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.

To think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the GREATER ACHIEVEMENTS of the future.

To wear a cheerful countenance AT ALL TIMES and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have NO TIME to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.”

Why SculpSure® Has Such a High Satisfaction Rate

April 15, 2020

Achieving a healthy weight is a huge accomplishment, but the numbers on the scale don’t always reflect the body you imagined. Your body has its own pattern of weight loss – some areas slim more readily than others.

With SculpSure, you have greater control over the process.

Here at Artius Medical Clinic, we want our patients in Great Falls, Virginia, to look and feel their best. When you feel confident on the outside, you radiate health: It’s the ultimate win-win scenario, and we can help with SculpSure.

Read on to learn how nonsurgical SculpSure system works to boost your body confidence.

Stubborn fat

Your body likes to hold onto fat, which it views as a reliable source of energy if food becomes scarce. Where you carry, and lose, fat is dictated by forces that are well beyond your control, which is what can make any weight loss journey so frustrating.

Men and women operate differently when it comes to body fat, as the genders are under entirely different biological directives. Women’s hormones make it so the carry fat in the lower body, particularly the pelvis, thighs, abdomen, and buttocks.

Men, however, are more likely to have slim legs and store most extra fat in their tummies.

This means that when you embark on a weight loss program, you don’t choose where to shed the pounds; your body does. No matter what you eat or how much you spot train with exercise, you cannot tell your body where to lose fat.

Controlled fat loss

SculpSure bypasses your body’s natural proclivity to hold fat in specific areas. You decide where you want treatment and our team directs the laser energy of SculpSure to those sections to destroy unwanted fat cells.

SculpSure energy penetrates your outer layer of skin and disrupts the integrity of the fat cells that lie beneath. The fat cells cannot survive and, as a result, are evacuated through your body’s natural processes.

You endure no incisions, injections, or blood loss.

With SculpSure, once the technology destroys the fat cells in your target area, they’re gone for good. As an adult, you have a set number of fat cells, which expand and contract according to your diet and exercise habits. When you gain weight, the number of fat cells don’t increase; the existing ones simply swell.

With SculpSure, we can destroy up to 24% of fat cells in your treatment areas, and they don’t regenerate. You maintain slimming SculpSure results as long as you don’t gain notable weight causing other fat cells to plump.

Simple process

For most of our patients, we recommend 2-5 SculpSure treatments, which we space out by several weeks to allow time for your body to flush out the destroyed fat cells and for your skin to resettle itself. Our expert team develops a customized plan that meets your aesthetic goals.

The treatments themselves take only 30 minutes or so, and there’s no downtime afterward. This means you can go back to work, school, or even workouts following SculpSure sessions.

SculpSure brings about gradual results, you notice a change within 6 weeks and optimal results 12 weeks after your final treatment.

We don’t recommend SculpSure for comprehensive weight loss, however. The best candidates are those that are already close to their normal weight, with a body mass index of 30 or below.

SculpSure refines your body most effectively when you have pockets of stubborn fat to lose.

To get started on a physique you can’t wait to show off, call our office or book an appointment using this website.

How Prolotherapy Can Help Alleviate Chronic Muscle and Joint Pain

March 15, 2020

As the baby boomer generation proceeds into retirement in better health than their ancestors, it’s only natural that wear-and-tear health issues like osteoarthritis become a more frequent concern. Chronic pain resulting from joint deterioration and sore muscles can rob the mobility that active adults expect.

Since there’s often no cure for degenerative diseases like osteoarthritis, pain management can include drugs that carry side effects and dependency issues, yet you may be years away from joint replacement or other surgical interventions. Artius Medical Clinic offers a natural, drug-free injection treatment called prolotherapy that can be customized to your condition, providing risk-free pain relief for many chronic conditions.

Prolotherapy defined

Usually, the best treatment for any injury and disease is your body’s own natural healing mechanisms. In the case of a degenerative condition, the rate of decline proceeds faster than your body can repair the damage. The term “prolotherapy” is short for “proliferative therapy,” revealing the intent of the treatment. These injections are meant to aid and assist your body’s healing systems to work more quickly, to proliferate new tissue needed for healing.

Prolotherapy and inflammatory response

Ligaments, tendons, and cartilage all suffer through degenerative conditions, destabilizing joints, and irritating muscles — factors that contribute to chronic pain. The basis of prolotherapy is twofold, to both aid a healing inflammatory response and to add necessary resources so that your body’s healing systems can work faster. As damaged connective tissue recovers, joints become more stable and muscles less irritated, reducing the amount of pain you experience.

Components of a prolotherapy treatment

Unlike treatments such as corticosteroid injections, prolotherapy isn’t comprised of a single active ingredient. In fact, your injection can be formulated specifically for you by the prolotherapy experts at Artius Medical Clinic. Common components of prolotherapy injections include saline solution, dextrose, and sarapin.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and stem cells are also finding increased acceptance throughout the regenerative therapy field, since these are vital components of natural healing, and each can be sourced from your own body, eliminating any chance of biocompatibility complications. Finally, common and safe anesthetics like lidocaine and procaine may be added to increase short-term pain relief.

Prolotherapy treatment targets

Prolotherapy may be a suitable treatment for you if you have chronic pain in any of the following areas:

Back or neck pain such as that due to degenerative disc disease

Knee pain from osteoarthritis, meniscal tears, and more

Wrist and hand pain, such as from carpal tunnel syndrome

Shoulder pain, including rotator cuff issues

Elbow problems like tennis or golfers’ elbow

Plantar fasciitis and other foot pain

Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD)

General musculoskeletal and connective tissue pain

Every patient can respond differently to prolotherapy, so the frequency and length of treatment can vary widely. Some patients see reductions in pain, rather than complete elimination, reducing the amount of analgesic drugs necessary to manage their condition. Since maintaining activity levels is often critical to slow or stop the progression of conditions such as osteoarthritis, managing pain with prolotherapy is part of a healthy arthritis management plan.

Contact Artius Medical Clinic today, by phone or online, to schedule your initial consultation to learn more about prolotherapy, its options, and how it can help you with a chronic pain condition.

Newbie's Guide to BOTOX®: 5 Steps to Prevent Bruising

February 14, 2020

Since its introduction in 2002 as an anti-aging weapon, millions of people in the United States, and around the world, have availed themselves of this minimally invasive cosmetic injectable to dial back the years. Not only is BOTOX effective, there’s no downtime afterward and very few complications. In fact, one of the only concerns is bruising at the site of the injections, which can be avoided with a few easy steps.

Here at Artius Integrative Medicine, our team of healthcare providers and aestheticians believes that our Great Falls, Virginia, clients should have the tools they need to feel and look great, inside and out. To that end, we offer BOTOX as part of our suite of cosmetic injectables, which is FDA-approved to temporarily improve the appearance of your moderate-to-severe frown lines, crow's feet, and forehead lines.

If you’re envious of your friends who look years younger thanks to BOTOX and want to try it for yourself, the following tips to avoid bruising will help you enjoy your results to their fullest.

1. Mind your meds

If you routinely take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, like Advil® or Motrin®, or aspirin, these medications can thin your blood, making you more susceptible to bruising. A week before your scheduled BOTOX treatment with us, steer clear of these products if you can (and for a day or two afterward).

If you’re on blood thinners for heart problems, please stick to your regimen and always talk to your doctor before making any changes in these important medications.

2. Mind your supplements

If you’re taking supplements like vitamin E, ginkgo biloba, or garlic, these, too, have blood-thinning effects. To avoid bruising after BOTOX, perhaps curtail your use of these supplements for a week before your appointment.

3. Ice it up

Immediately after your BOTOX treatments, we recommend that you apply ice to the injection sites. This cooling therapy constricts your blood vessels, which can help prevent bruising. The icing will also take care of any minor discomfort you may be feeling.

4. Try arnica

Arnica, which comes from the arnica herb, has been used for centuries as a natural pain reliever and it also does wonders with bruising. Arnica comes in tablets or an ointment and can be found in most pharmacies or natural supplements stores.

5. Skip the booze

The night before your BOTOX treatment, you may want to skip that glass of wine or cocktail since alcohol can interfere with the platelets in your blood. By avoiding alcohol before your treatment, you’ll have something to really toast afterward.

While these five tips will serve you well in avoiding bruising after BOTOX injections, enough can’t be said about finding the right professionals to administer your BOTOX. Our highly qualified team understands where and how to inject BOTOX for best effect, and how to keep your skin in the pink of health.

To schedule your BOTOX appointment, give us a call at (844) 927-8487 or use our convenient online scheduling tool to set up an appointment.

Need a Health Boost? Learn about IV Therapy

January 15, 2020

Do you often feel sluggish, possibly due to lack of nutrition? Do you wish there was an easier way to get all the nutrients your body needs to thrive and help you focus and function at peak performance? IV therapy at Artius Integrative Medicine, located in Great Falls, Virginia, may be the ideal solution for you. The team of holistic staff can customize a special “cocktail” of vitamins and nutrients based on your body’s unique needs.

How IV therapy works

IV therapy is a safe and efficient way to optimize your health and performance by providing nutrients and minerals depleted by stress, poor sleep, an unbalanced diet, or sickness. While IV therapy is not meant to replace a healthy diet and exercise, it can complement good lifestyle habits. The IV is inserted into a vein, and the solution is infused into your bloodstream.

Benefits of IV therapy

IV therapy is known for boosting energy, decreasing brain fog, boosting your immune system, healing wounds faster, decreasing tissue and nerve-related pain, detoxifying the body, clearing your skin, increasing hydration, decreasing recovery times for athletes training for events, reducing inflammation, decreasing anxiety, and decreasing opioid dependency. IV therapy is also beneficial to migraine patients who are lacking essential nutrients, as well as people with acute muscle spasms; chronic muscle and joint pain; and viral, bacterial, and fungal infections.

What to expect during IV therapy

Your IV therapy session can last 30 minutes to an hour. You may require a custom blend infusion, depending on what your body needs. You can relax in a comfortable chair while the nutrient solution restores and promotes healing. During this time, you are free to read a book, work on your laptop, listen to music, or take a nap if you desire. The relaxing, rejuvenating, and energizing effect of the infusion can be felt almost immediately.

You can choose from different types of fluids

If you don’t require a customized blend, you can choose from any of the following types that are available:

Ozone infusion

Decreases brain fog, improves overall body’s performance, boosts your immune system, and helps prevent and fight infections.

NAD infusion

Depending on the dose, this infusion rejuvenates and repairs your body while slowing the effects of aging, reduces anxiety, and helps decrease opioid dependence.

Glutathione Infusion

Great for detox and clearing your skin.

ALA infusion

This IV helps repair damaged nerves and neuropathic pain.

Anti-inflammatory infusion

Helps decrease migraine pain, muscle spasms, and joint pain.

Meyer’s cocktail

This popular fluid assists with a combination of conditions, such as fatigue, flu symptoms, and inflammation.

Learn more about IV therapy

If you want to learn more about IV therapy, you can schedule an appointment by calling Artius Integrative Medicine at 844-927-8487. You can also request an appointment online. We look forward to serving you.