People frequently come in to see me with vexing problems that cause them to be miserable, and cause me to scratch my head wondering what could be going on. I continue to read a lot of journals, listen to many webinars and podcasts, and go to conferences to expand my knowledge. I contract with some specialty labs to be able to offer tests that are not commonly available in other offices. I am finding many of these specialized tests are quite helpful for my patients.
For those of you worried about heart disease, diabetes, and obesity, we run specialized testing to look at your risk and to find the best treatments. Blood tests through Boston Heart Diagnostics, Cleveland Heart Lab, and BioReference Labs can tell us if your high cholesterol is a problem, or if you have a problem even if your cholesterol is low. We can look at several different inflammatory markers, how your individual genetics impact your risk, and how well your body is processing sugars. We can order a CAC (coronary calcium screening), a specialized type of CT scan, to see how likely you are to have stroke or heart attack in the near future. We are now offering a new test called Cleerly, a CT angiogram which is further analyzed to tell us how much soft and hard plaque is present. This is a breakthrough in cardiovascular disease management and we are proud to be one of the only providers in the metro DC area to offer this.
When it comes to prevention & treatment of a heart attack or stroke, we can discuss not only which medications may help, but also other means such as diet and exercise. There is a wealth of information out there on what types of diets are best for preventing not only heart attacks and stroke, but also diabetes, cancer, and autoimmune disorders. We use Avise Diagnostics and Genova Diagnostics to run tests and help pinpoint autoimmune disorders, what foods are most likely to make your irritable bowel syndrome or fibromyalgia worse, and what is the best way to eat to treat acne. Currently,, we don't have good studies proving certain foods can prevent cancer etc, but we are starting to get some good ideas of what a good, healthy, preventative diet looks like. I especially enjoy working with patients eating a low carb, ancestral (paleo or primal) diet and who are interested in fasting.
I see many patients who feel sick and tired. For those, we can do testing for adrenal fatigue, sophisticated hormone testing, leaky gut, and SIBO through Genova Diagnostics Labs, and specialty testing through Quest and BioReference labs. Treatment may include supplements, but also discussions about sleep, stress reduction, meditation, specific exercises and even the presence and types of light in your environment. Of course, diet plays an important role in this also.
Since most supplements sold in the US do not contain what they claim, it is essential to know which supplements to buy. Check out my Supplements Facts page for more information.
This is just a smattering of the options available to you here at my office. If you suffer from, or are worried about any of these issues, give us a call.
Ancestral (Paleo and Primal) lifestyles refer to living like our ancestors did. This does not mean you need to rent a cave to live in and wear animal skins! We as a species have spent many thousands of generations becoming optimized to certain foods and activities. We have now drifted away from them, to the detriment of our health. Let me explain.
Humans have been around for about 2 1/2 million years. For most of that time we were nomads, following our food supply. For the most part, we ate a lot of hoofed animals, along with plant material. We know this by looking at fossilized poop (among other things) and by accounts given by explorers that came in contact with hunter-gatherer tribes over the past several hundred years. We appeared to be pretty healthy, were tall and strong, but also probably pretty lazy, and only spent a few hours a day hunting, gathering, and sheltering. Our life expectancy was not very high, but that's because we had a high infant mortality rate and also had a higher rate of dying from infections (no antibiotics) and trauma. But if we lived past those issues, we were generally very healthy into our old age, and had a similar life expectancy to what we have now. BTW - some of this information was extrapolated from knowledge of the health of hunter gatherer tribes which still existed 100 years ago.
Starting about 10,000 years ago, we began settling down, domesticating animals for food and growing crops. We consumed more calories, and began reproducing at a higher rate. But we also started developing diseases of the modern age, such as heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, autoimmune disorders, even things like appendicitis, gall bladder disease and acne!
Today, when we have epidemics of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, many people are looking at where we went wrong, and what we can do to fix it. With all of modern medicine, what have we accomplished? Our infant mortality rate is much lower, and we survive trauma much better. We also don't die of complications from urinary tract infections and strep throat (at least not often). But aside from that, we are not living any longer, and we are often wracked with pain and disability as we age.
A very important elements is diet. Ancient man (and woman) rarely ate grains, legumes or dairy. Potatoes were inedible, and sugar did not exist. The tribe would take down an animal, maybe a mastodon or a rhino or a pig, and eat the entire thing raw. The meat itself would have been lean, but they would have eaten all the organs including the marrow, making the entire meal fairly high in fat. We would have eaten our fill, then when we got hungry again, we'd take down another animal. (Not six small meals a day!)
Edible vegetation would have been less available. Those that tasted good (like fruits) would have been smaller and less sweet than we have now, and also only ripe and available for a very short period during the year. Many vegetables would have been bitter and/or toxic. Also, we would not have hunted a mastodon and milked it, and even if we'd found some milk, we would have lost our ability to process milk sugars once we were past weaning age for human milk (generally age 3-6 years).
Our diet would have consisted mostly of animal products along with vegetables and fruits when they were ripe and roots (tubers). We probably did a fair amount of walking and ran only when we were running after prey, or away from predators. We lifted and squatted and threw things. We tended to sleep when it got dark and slept until our body was fully rested. We had access to lots of sunlight during the day, We had intense episodes of stress (like when we were chased by predators) but less of the chronic episodes of stress of modern life. We ate less frequently and had periods of fasting when we did not have access to food. And we were apparently quite healthy.
For young people, trying to follow the paleo or primal lifestyle should hopefully give them a long healthy life. Using modern medicine judiciously should help assure they don't succumb to their ancestors' nemeses of infection, trauma or early death in childbirth.
Unfortunately for those of us who are little older, we may need a little more help. Because we often have done irreparable damage (through misguided advice we may have followed so far), diet and general lifestyle changes may not be enough. We may need some help from modern medicine to keep us healthy and prevent premature death. But we also don't want to be over treated, and to inadvertently make us worse off by taking medications, which are too aggressive and cause adverse effects.
There is a fine line between too much and too little medical care. I try to balance that fine line, looking at the risk vs. benefit ratio for each intervention I do with my patients, taking into account ancestral principals. You don't need antibiotics every time you get a cold, but it would be stupid not to treat a significant infection with antibiotics and die of sepsis. Not everyone needs medication for their cholesterol, but there are clearly people alive today who would be dead if they hadn't been on those medications.
My job is to work with you by advising you which interventions are most beneficial to you. We do that by discussing the risks and benefits of each therapy. Some aspects of an ancestral lifestyle conflict with recommended guidelines. As a physician with 3 decades of experience, I've learned what tends to work and what doesn't, and we can decide together to achieve meaningful goals.
I do specialized testing (like the Advanced Lipid testing and CAC for heart disease) so we can get a better idea of what your risk really is, before I recommend a treatment. I listen to you, so we can try to fit any treatment recommendations into your lifestyle. And most importantly, I follow many of the same recommendations I give you, so I know what is involved.
The goal I have for all my patients is to live a healthy long life, requiring as few medical interventions (including pills) as possible. If that is also your goal, then we should talk.
We are pleased to announce we offer personalized medicine and wellness recommendations in conjunction with Boston Heart Diagnostics, Cleveland Heart Lab, BioReference Labs.
80% of people with coronary artery (heart) disease have normal cholesterol levels. Despite "adequate" control on medication, many people still have heart attacks and strokes. Obviously, today's routine cholesterol tests are failing to identify the majority of people who are at risk for heart attacks. The limited focus of these tests on "good" and "bad" cholesterol is simply not good enough to accurately identify those most at risk. So, how can you protect yourself?
Cholesterol guidelines are made by committees, and therefore are compromises. They also lag years behind the research, and have to take into account the cost of implementing them for the entire population. However, some people would like more information to enable them to make informed decisions about their health. Advanced lipid testing are comprehensive blood tests that are based on current research targeting vascular disease risks such as heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes. These blood tests combine chemical and genetic testing. It allows us to personalize treatment plans based on genetics, the size of cholesterol particles, and the level of arterial inflammation. It also allows us to predict likely reactions to different medications, foods, alcohol, stress, and exercise.
An evaluation would be based on a panel of specific test of your blood sample. All of these tests help assess risk for vascular disease (heart attack, stroke, diabetes). A typical evaluation would include:
Anyone who has any of the following risk factors:
Insurance generally covers most or all of the cost. Depending on your insurance, we can often give you a good idea if you will have any out of pocket expense, and how much. Out of pocket expenses are eligible for reimbursement by medical spending accounts.
Please make an appointment for an office visit to discuss testing. You will need to fast for 12-14 hours for the test and usually the blood can be drawn at the time of your appointment. The results will take 2-3 weeks to come back.
Dr. Moghissi will review your results with you in detail, give you a cool color copy of your results, and make recommendations for possible treatment. These recommendations may include medication, dietary changes, exercise and/or stress reduction. We may want to do follow up testing in several months to see how you respond to the treatment.
We are pleased to offer these exclusive state of the art tests for all those who are interested in proactively improving their health to live a longer and healthier life.
Most of my patients are either trying to lose weight, improve their cholesterol, and/or trying to live a healthier lifestyle with a better diet. For the past 25 years I have tried all sorts of things to help them, and rarely have we had long term success. We have tried various diets, pills (phen-fen being a spectacular failure), and surgery. None have consistently given significant long term success.
We offer a diet and wellness program called Cornerstone Wellness. his program is physician supervised, and based on the patient's needs, preferences, and lifestyle. The program itself is based on the most recent scientific findings in weight loss. See our page Supplement Facts to help explain why we trust the companies we carry.
Since for most of human existence our problem has been too little food, the body aggressively guards its fat stores. Therefore, when the body is deprived of energy it will preferentially break down lean body mass (i.e. muscle) and try to leave the fat stores intact. When weight is gained back, it will be gained preferentially as fat. That one of the reasons why yoyo dieting is so bad. After a few cycles of dieting you may weigh the same, but your body composition will be different as you will generally have much more fat compared to muscle than you had before. To make things even worse, there is evidence that your basal metabolic rate (the minimum amount of energy you need, AKA resting rate) can be permanently lowered after losing large amounts of weight. This makes it even more important to do this carefully!
Please see my article on why we get fat for more information on the mechanics of obesity and weight loss.
How can you lose fat preferentially? One way to do this is by eating lots of protein. Protein protects the muscle, and is a natural appetite suppressant. The Adkins's diet has lots of protein, and people who follow this do lose weight, and their cholesterol will usually get better, even though that diet is very high in fat. The problem is that many people find it difficult to follow that diet long term.
But we also need fiber and the other good things (bioactive food components like antioxidants and phytochemicals) we get from vegetables. Most importantly, they fuel the microbiome and provide important micronutrients we can't get from other sources. What we don't really need are starches (but they taste so good….)! There is one other consideration. Most tissues of the body require a continuous supply of protein and amino acids, and muscle is the only reservoir. When we eat protein, it goes to replenish that muscle that has been broken down since the last time we ate some protein. Too much protein, however, appears to be just wasted, it gets broken down and converted to glucose (raising out blood sugar)
What are we looking for in a diet? We want a decent amount of (but not too much) protein, lots of vegetable, not too much fruit, and minimal amounts of starch. This diet should be low in calories, but individualized for each person. We should be looking towards losing fat, not pounds. It needs to be easy to follow, and not too expensive. It needs to be safe for everyone, especially diabetics, patients with heart disease, patients who have had weight loss surgery, children, elderly, and women who may become pregnant while on the program. It should have a maintenance program that can be followed once the dieter has reached their goal. And the program should be with real food, so the dieter can learn to eat correctly for the rest of his life. Cornerstone Wellness fits all those criteria.
Those of you who know me, know I live a crazy schedule. Between seeing patients, doing the business aspects of the practice, learning new medical techniques, and taking care of my family, I don't have time for complicated diets. So I figured, if I can follow the diet, most anyone can. I found the diet very easy to follow, and was even able to incorporate it into our family meals. In the first month, my exercise level stayed the same, and I had 10 restaurant meals (meetings) during that month. I lost 5 lbs, did not feel hungry, and I wasn't cranky. Needless to say, I was hooked.
Our patient results have been similar. They all have reported feeling energetic and well, and found this diet not difficult to follow. We have modified the diet over the past several years, lowering the starch intake, and increasing allowed fats (yes, you read that right). We have found people feel well, lose weight, and their cholesterol and sugar values usually improve by significant amounts. We have also become more adept at individualizing the program to account for differences in medical conditions and lifestyles of our patients.
When you come in for a consultation, you will get weighed and measured. We'll discuss what you think would be a reasonable exercise program to follow (need to build that muscle!). Based on our discussion, we will recommend the specifics of the diet for you. The basic diet will contain 1-2 protein shakes and 1-2 meals. You are given a list of how much of each type of each food to eat daily, i.e. how much protein, fat, starch, and vegetables. These exchanges can be moved around (I had to do that to be able to eat in restaurants), but the daily total should come out right. We see you monthly to remeasure you so we can track you progress, and revise the diet, if necessary.
The protein shakes are made from whey and immature green pea. Since you mix your own, we will decide together what type of liquid and additions will work best for you. They are a high quality source of protein, with a good mixture of essential amino acids, and contain 23 grams of protein. This is an important source of low calorie, low carbohydrate protein. In addition, the protein powder contains 50-400% RDA vitamins, including plenty of vitamin D.
In addition, everyone gets an Omega 3 (fish oil) supplement. Omega 3 is an essential fatty acid which the body cannot produce on its own. Omega 3 oils combat inflammation, lower triglycerides, and help with many medical and psychiatric illnesses. These are medical grade supplements refined to have the lowest possible levels of mercury and other toxins. They are one of (if not the) purest fish oils on the market, and you should not have any fishy burps. Taking these will also help keep the skin, hair and nails in better shape while dieting.
The final supplement is called MetAssist. This is taken 3 times daily, before meals. It helps regulate insulin levels, blood sugar levels, prevent carbohydrate craving, and promote fat loss. It contains several things, including hydroxycitric acid or HCA which limits the body's conversion of excess blood sugar to fat as well as regulating appetite. Chromium helps insulin function better to get excess glucose into the cells. Green Tea has fat burning properties as well as potent antioxidant substances.
We see you once a month for an office visit, and you will need to pay your copay. We will bill your insurance for the visit. If you do not have insurance, or if you have an HMO and I'm not your primary doctor, the visits will generally cost $100-$150. The supplements cost around $200/month and are not covered by insurance. If you have a flexible spending account however, you can usually use it to pay for the supplements, as this is a medical treatment.
We are constantly revising and updating the program as more information becomes available about the science of weight loss. We also factor in the experience of our patients to customize and improve the program. We have had great results so far, and expect them to get even better as we continue to improve the program.
Copyright 2022 Jasmine Moghissi, MD PC