Skip to main content

Author: Dr. Debra Muth

Lyme Disease Awareness

Written by Dr. Debra Muth on . Posted in Blog, General Health, Lyme Disease. No Comments on Lyme Disease Awareness

Lyme disease awareness — 4 facts you should know

May is Lyme Disease Awareness month. The team at our functional medicine clinic near Milwaukee promotes Lyme disease awareness by providing the community with vital information about this potentially debilitating condition. The primary symptoms of Lyme disease feel much like the flu: fever, chills, fatigue, joint pain and muscle aches and nausea. While most people consider the bulls-eye shaped rash to be the distinguishing characteristic, not all patients develop this rash. Here are four more facts you should know.

Important information to help you develop Lyme disease awareness

  1. More than 300,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported every year in the U.S.¹

    While Lyme disease can be found throughout most of the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that 96% of cases occur in 14 states, and they have pinpointed the upper Midwest, including Wisconsin, as a prime area for infections¹.

  2. Not all testing for Lyme disease is created equal.

    Part of Lyme disease awareness involves understanding testing. Conventional medicine physicians use PCR testing, which is only accurate 20% to 30% of the time. At our functional medicine clinic near Milwaukee, we use the Western Blot and other new testing methods that are more accurate.

  3. Untreated Lyme disease can lead to serious health problems.

    Lyme disease awareness is so important because people need to seek early diagnosis if they suspect they have been bitten by a deer tick and are experiencing symptoms. Left untreated, Lyme disease can progress to short-term memory problems, nerve pain and inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, among others.

  4. People with Lyme disease can have co-infections.

    A little-known fact, but an important one for Lyme disease awareness, is that a tick can also transmit other bacteria and viruses it has contracted when it bites a human. This can cause co-infections, including relapsing fever and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, along with Lyme disease.

Lyme disease awareness begins with knowledge. The team at our functional medicine clinic near Milwaukee has the expertise and know-how to help people cope with this complicated condition. Contact us today for an evaluation for Lyme disease and begin your journey to wellness.

¹https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/21/9/15-0417_article

Client Feedback Survey

Written by Dr. Debra Muth on . Posted in Uncategorized.

We’re working to improve our doctor/patient partnership

In keeping with our commitment to our doctor/patient partnership, we would appreciate your feedback about our practice. Your suggestions and input will help us improve your care and the services we provide to you. Thank you for taking a couple of minutes of your valuable time to complete our survey. All responses are kept anonymous and confidential.

[gravityform id=”2″ title=”false” description=”false”]

Ticks Carrying Lyme Disease

Written by Dr. Debra Muth on . Posted in Blog, General Health, Lyme Disease. No Comments on Ticks Carrying Lyme Disease

Study confirms: Ticks carrying Lyme disease found in Eastern U.S. National Parks

Our natural medicine clinic near Milwaukee specializes in the treatment of Lyme disease. It can be difficult to treat, especially if it isn’t diagnosed in its earlier stages. At Serenity Health Care Center, part of our mission is to inform people about the symptoms, treatment and prevention of Lyme disease, an under-diagnosed and under-treated disease. With this in mind, we want our patients to know about this important new study, published in the Journal of Medical Entomology.

This study is the first to confirm the presence of ticks carrying Lyme disease in this region

Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, and the National Park Service, NPS, collected ticks in nine national parks, including Acadia National Park, Gettysburg National Military Park and Shenandoah National Park. The study, published in the Journal of Medical Entomology, confirmed that there were ticks infected with the type of bacteria that causes Lyme disease present in all nine parks they studied.

Researchers encourage the public to take preventive steps to decrease their risk

Researchers note that the study reminds everyone to “…protect themselves and their loved ones from tick and other bites.” Here are suggestions on how to reduce the risk for Lyme disease.

  • Apply a repellant product that contains 20 to 30% DEET to all exposed skin and clothing.
  • In addition, apply products that contain permethrin to your clothing.
  • For those looking for a natural product Ticks-N-All is an essential oil that can be applied directly to the skin.
  • Stick to the center of the trails, and try not to lean or sit on bushes or logs.
  • Check your clothing, gear, pets and other items for ticks.
  • Within at least two hours after you leave the area, take a shower.
  • If possible, put the clothes you were wearing in a dryer, set on high, for ten minutes.

If you are experiencing symptoms of Lyme disease, contact us.

The earlier we can diagnose and treat the disease at our natural medicine clinic near Milwaukee, the better the treatment results. If you discover that you have the disease in its later stages, rest assured that our expertise and knowledge makes a great resource for people in all stages of Lyme disease.

Preparing Your Child for Allergy Skin Testing

Written by Dr. Debra Muth on . Posted in Allergies, Blog, General Health. No Comments on Preparing Your Child for Allergy Skin Testing

3 ways to prepare your child for allergy skin testing

At our natural medicine clinic near Milwaukee, we try to create a stress-free environment for our patients. That being said, we know that parents and children usually experience some anxiety when they find out we need to perform allergy skin testing. We use a method of skin testing called intradermal testing. During this test, we use very thin needles to gently inject diluted allergens just underneath the skin. Prior to testing, we apply a numbing cream to help children with any discomfort they may feel during testing.

We observe the skin for approximately 15 minutes after the injections, looking for reactions such as wheals, which are red, raised bumps that itch. We know that this process can seem intimidating to both parents and children, but our experienced staff strives to make allergy skin testing a minimal-stress situation.

Serenity Health Care Center’s suggestions for preparing your child for allergy skin testing

  1. Prepare yourself.

    You are your child’s advocate, voice and comforter-in-chief. The best way to prepare your child for allergy skin testing is to come to the test prepared with knowledge about what is going to take place and what your child will need from you. Ask questions at our natural health clinic near Milwaukee before testing so that you understand the process. We are happy to explain! Please read all the written instructions, familiarizing yourself about what to do prior to testing to ensure the best results.

  2. Explain the process to your child before testing using age-appropriate language.

    Now that you understand how allergy skin testing works, it’s time to sit down and spend some time with your child explaining the process. The type and amount of information you provide will depend on the child’s age. Timing is also important. The best time to discuss allergy skin testing is the day before or the day of the testing so that the child will not obsess or worry about it for days in advance. Older children may want more detailed information.

  3. Come prepared to comfort and distract your child.

    Our staff has a lot of experience in working with children, and we will help your child through allergy skin testing. We suggest that you bring along any comfort items your child has, such as a blanket or stuffed animal. Also, bring books, devices or other items to distract your child while waiting for the test results.

We strive to make allergy skin testing as stress-free as possible for parents and children at our natural medicine clinic near Milwaukee. If you would like to discuss allergies and testing, contact us.

Individualized Weight Loss Plan

Written by Dr. Debra Muth on . Posted in General Health, Healthy Lifestyle, Nutrition, Weight Loss. No Comments on Individualized Weight Loss Plan

3 things you should know about our individualized weight loss plan

Hoping to finally lose weight and keep it off? Have you made that same resolution every year for countless years now? Maybe what you need is an individualized weight loss plan, something exactly tailored and fine-tuned to address your needs.

Our natural medicine clinic in Milwaukee creates a customized plan that finds and addresses the issues that are causing your weight gain, as well as any health issues that you are dealing with as a result of your weight gain.

We would like you to know three important things that make our individualized weight loss plan unique.

  1. We offer supplemental support as part of our individualized weight loss plan. Our individualized weight loss plan includes the support of members of our integrative medicine team. After consulting with you and doing our evaluation, we may suggest nutritional therapy or special supplements. Some people may benefit from our many alternative therapies, such as hypnotherapy or massage therapy. We will help you in every possible way.
  2. Our natural medicine clinic in Milwaukee also offers behavior modification. You may benefit from adding a behavioral modification component to your individualized weight loss plan. This helps you identify and change the behaviors that are causing your weight gain and preventing you from losing weight.
  3. Our bariatric program evaluates health issues that may be affecting your health. Our natural medicine clinic in Milwaukee addresses emotional, behavioral and health issues when devising your individualized weight loss plan. This includes an evaluation of important numbers such as your cholesterol and blood sugar. We may decide that you would benefit from a sleep study to see if sleep apnea could be causing problems with your weight loss.

Our individualized weight loss plans are much more than a simple diet plan

At our natural medicine clinic in Milwaukee, we take your health and weight loss very seriously. We believe in treating the whole person – mind and body – and our individualized weight loss plans reflect this approach. If you are ready to make a change in the way you approach nutrition, weight loss and life choices, contact us today.

Allergy Testing

Written by Dr. Debra Muth on . Posted in Allergies, General Health.

Allergy Testing

When you come to our natural medicine clinic near Milwaukee with symptoms of allergies, we begin by evaluating your personal and family history, as well as the environment in which you live and work. After we discuss your personal history and perform a physical examination, we may suggest allergy testing to help us make a thorough and accurate diagnosis.

How intradermal allergy testing is performed

Our expert health professionals perform a method of skin testing known as intradermal testing because it is more sensitive than the skin prick test, the most commonly performed type of allergy testing.

Allergy testing identifies the allergens that cause your body to produce the IgE antibody, which causes your cells to produce the histamines and other chemicals that lead to allergy symptoms.

During intradermal allergy testing, we inject allergens immediately below the skin’s top surface with a very fine-gauge needle. This usually only takes about five to 10 minutes, and most people find that it is relatively painless. These injections are usually done on an adult’s forearm, and on a child’s back or forearm.

What happens after you receive your results?

Once the injections for your allergy testing are finished, we wait about 15 to 20 minutes to see if your body reacts to any of the allergens. It is important to see a medical professional for allergy testing in case of a severe reaction.

When you do react, you will see a wheal, which is a raised red bump that looks like a mosquito bite. It may also be itchy.

Our integrative medicine health professionals check the injection sites and record which allergens, if any, caused a reaction. We use these results to create an individualized treatment plan for you that may include medications or allergy drops.

Sometimes patients experience delayed reactions for up to 48 hours after the test. You should report redness, swelling or itching to our staff if this occurs after you leave our natural medicine clinic near Milwaukee.

How to prepare for testing

If you decide to pursue allergy testing, our staff will provide you with instructions before the test. We will advise you when to stop taking antihistamines prior to the test, usually three to seven days before testing, as well as when to stop using other allergy or asthma medications you may be using.

Allergy testing is part of the integrative medicine program we offer at our natural medicine clinic near Milwaukee. Contact us for more information about our comprehensive, caring approach to allergies.

When to Have Allergy Testing

Written by Dr. Debra Muth on . Posted in Allergies, General Health. No Comments on When to Have Allergy Testing

3 signs that it’s a good time to pursue allergy testing

How do you know if it’s time to talk about allergy testing for you, your child or family member? The health professionals at our natural medicine clinic near Milwaukee are always here to help you with answers, expert diagnosis and treatment and advice. Here are three scenarios that should prompt you to consider allergy testing.

  1. If allergies are affecting your quality of life, it’s time for allergy testing.

    There are several signs that you may need allergy testing to diagnose and control your allergies.

    • Repeat sinus infections
    • Difficulty breathing
    • Symptoms that interfere with sleep, work or school
    • Failure to control your symptoms with over-the-counter medications and treatments
    • Severe reactions to insect bites
    • Warning signs of asthma – wheezing, tightness in the chest or shortness of breath
    • Symptoms of a food allergy, which need to be confirmed or diagnosed
  2. If you experience seasonal allergies every spring, you may want to be tested in the late fall or early winter months.

    If you find yourself dreading the flowers, trees and plants that bloom each spring, you may need allergy testing. Instead of toughing it out and suffering from the sneezing, congestion and itchy eyes, you may want to come to our natural medicine clinic near Milwaukee for allergy testing while the snow is still on the ground. This allows us to diagnose your allergies and begin treatment before the plants bloom, preparing you for the peak of allergy season.

  3. If you have experienced allergy symptoms from late July through early fall, you may have mold allergies, so spring is a good time to be tested.

    Mold allergies can affect people year-round, especially if they are caused by indoor allergens and toxic mold, but seasonal allergies peak from late summer to early fall, making winter and early spring a good time for allergy testing for seasonal problems. Performing allergy testing a few months before symptoms appear allows us time to make the diagnosis and begin treatment before symptoms reach their peak.

We perform allergy testing year-round at our natural medicine clinic near Milwaukee and encourage patients not to put off the decision to pursue testing. Suffering from allergies is neither necessary, nor good for your health. Contact us today for an appointment.

Vitamin D and Bladder Cancer

Written by Dr. Debra Muth on . Posted in General Health, Men's Health, Nutrition, Women's Health. No Comments on Vitamin D and Bladder Cancer

Linking low levels of vitamin D and bladder cancer

Many people know that they get vitamin D from milk and being outside in the sun, but what many people do not know is the potential health hazards of low levels of vitamin D in your body. At our natural medicine clinic in Milwaukee, we are proponents of nutritional health, so we were very interested in a recent study* that linked low vitamin D and bladder cancer.

The study found that vitamin D may help stimulate an immune response to bladder cancer

Researchers at the University of Warwick reviewed seven studies that investigated the role that vitamin D plays in bladder cancer. Five of the seven studies they reviewed did show a link to low levels of vitamin D and bladder cancer.

The researchers also conducted their own experiment investigating the cells that line the bladder, known as transitional epithelial cells. Their experiment showed that the transitional epithelial cells activated and responded to vitamin D. They believe that this response can stimulate an immune response.

This immune system response could potentially play an important role in cancer prevention. If the system can identify abnormal cells before they become cancer cells, it could prevent bladder cancer.

Vitamin D and bladder cancer – what’s the solution?

While researchers acknowledge that more studies need to be conducted before they can conclusively connect low levels of vitamin D and bladder cancer, they agree that the potential for vitamin D to prevent cancer is very promising and exciting, especially since vitamin D is inexpensive and readily available to the general public.

Vitamin D is an important vitamin that you can obtain through food sources, sunlight or supplements. Here are a few of the important roles that vitamin D plays in the body.

  • Vital for bone growth and strength
  • Helps the body properly absorb calcium
  • Reduces inflammation
  • Helps modulate cell growth

The integrative medicine team at our natural medicine clinic in Milwaukee can help you achieve your best health. For more information about low vitamin D levels and an increased risk of bladder cancer, contact us.

* https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161107110336.htm

Estrogen Dominance in Men

Written by Dr. Debra Muth on . Posted in Hormones, Men's Health, Women's Health.

Estrogen Dominance In Men

Many men may be surprised to learn that their bodies produce estrogen as well as testosterone. There are several factors that can lead to estrogen dominance in men, which means that the male’s body is producing too much estrogen and his hormones are out of balance. Our natural medicine clinic in Milwaukee will narrow down what is causing your hormones to be imbalanced and provide male hormone therapies as needed.

What are the symptoms of estrogen dominance in men?

There are a variety of signs and symptoms that a man’s estrogen levels may be too high. He may experience mood swings, depression or irritability. Some men are fatigued or have sleep disturbances. Other symptoms you may notice are short-term memory loss, sugar cravings, weight gain or water retention. It varies from man to man.

What causes the imbalance?

Several factors can cause estrogen dominance in men.

  • As a man ages, he produces less testosterone and estrogen levels rise.
  • Heavy alcohol consumption
  • Obesity
  • Exposure to xenoestrogens, or estrogens from a foreign source

Men are exposed to xenoestrogens every day from sources such as chicken, beef or pork; chemicals; spermicides; plastics; pesticides; and other substances.

How can it be prevented?

Take steps to avoid excess estrogen exposure that may lead to estrogen dominance in men.

  • Buy grass-fed, organic meat and chicken
  • Eat organic produce
  • Avoid spermicides in condoms
  • Avoid chemical cleaning products and detergents
  • Use glass containers
  • Don’t heat your food in plastic containers in the microwave
  • Avoid exposure to pesticides when doing yard work
  • Do not use excessive amounts of alcohol

Our natural medicine clinic in Milwaukee treats men with hormone therapy

One of the most important ways to deal with estrogen dominance in men is to seek treatment from an integrative medicine provider, such as our natural medicine clinic in Milwaukee. Our team will diagnose and pinpoint the reasons that your hormones are imbalanced and design a treatment protocol just for you. This is an individual problem that has to be treated in a way that is uniquely suited to your needs.

Estrogen dominance in men can make you feel unhealthy, and even the idea may make you uncomfortable. Our caring and knowledgeable integrative team will support you with compassion and expertise. Contact us to learn more.

The Immune System

Written by Dr. Debra Muth on . Posted in General Health, Healthy Lifestyle.

The Immune System

The immune system is the body’s defense against infection

When the immune system is functioning properly, people take it for granted because it’s doing its job – preventing illnesses caused by germs, viruses and bacteria. When the immune system becomes compromised, people may suffer from chronic illness that negatively affects their quality of life. At our functional medicine clinic near Milwaukee, our team addresses a compromised immune system from many different angles, always creating an individualized treatment plan for each patient.

Several factors can weaken the immune system

A healthy immune system is comprised of a variety of cells that work together to protect the body from viral infections, fungi, bacteria and parasites; however, there are several factors that can depress the immune system and cause it to function poorly. These include:

  • Stress
  • Exposure to environmental or occupational chemicals or toxins
  • Lack of sleep
  • Excessive alcohol
  • A diet high in saturated fats and/or refined sugar
  • A protein deficiency

Chronic illnesses put extra stress on the immune system

Chronic illnesses, diseases like AIDS and primary immunodeficiency diseases that are caused by genetic abnormalities target the immune system. Other chronic illnesses, diseases and conditions can also weaken the immune system. These include:

The importance of good nutrition and proper supplements

Nutritional deficiencies can also impact the immune system. At our functional medicine clinic near Milwaukee, we understand the importance of good nutrition. We create individualized nutrition plans that includes supplements to provide vitamins and nutrients that people are often missing in their diet.

Our team tests patients to determine what nutritional deficiencies exist and need to be addressed.

We employ a variety of tools to strengthen the immune system

When patients come to our functional medicine clinic near Milwaukee, they can expect to be treated as a whole person, instead of just a series of symptoms. Our team works together to determine what is weakening the immune system and devise a treatment plan to help.

For more information, get in touch or call today (262) 522-8640 to schedule an appointment.