Category Archives: Dr. Tim Kuhlman

Migraine Meltdown

Do you know someone who suffers with migraines?

Research has found one way to prevent migraines1.  They studied vitamin B2, called riboflavin.  Taking daily riboflavin for 3 months showed favorable results over the placebo group.  They experienced fewer migraines that went away sooner.  While 2 people had diarrhea, there were no serious side effects.   

It’s amazing how simple treatments may have a big impact on health.

Vitamin B2 is found in many foods such as eggs, asparagus, and broccoli.  In order to get a therapeutic dose you would need to supplement vitamin B2.

For long-term use, it’s best to use several B vitamins together instead of a single high-dose vitamin. This is because they all work together.

We can do a micronutrient blood test to measure our patient’s levels of vitamins and other nutrients.  This helps to customize the treatment for better results.  Patients appreciate not wasting money on ineffective supplement treatments.

I’m Dr. Tim Kuhlman, Naturopathic physician, at www.ChehalisNaturopathic.com.  We’re now scheduling new patients with same week availability.

Reference:

  1. Neurology. 1998 Feb; 50(2):466-70.

Flu season is here. What you can do to prevent getting ill.

It’s that time of year again – the flu season hits the United States between October and April.   

Cooler, drier air makes it easier for the flu virus to spread from person to person.  Research suggests that the flu virus becomes tougher at colder temperatures, making it easier to transmit. So if you are wary of becoming sick in the winter, you may be correct that viruses are more active and resilient at this time.

Plus we tend to spend more time indoors. It’s also likely that when you stay inside in a room with the windows shut and people sniffling, that you are more likely to be exposed to germs. The central heating and dry air dries the nasal passages which increases the risk of infection. With the shorter sunlight hours, we make less vitamin D as well, a strong supporter of our immune system.

Make time to take care of yourself now:

  • Optimize your vitamin D levels. Come in and get a simple blood test to measure your vitamin D.  Take a high quality Vitamin D supplement from a naturopathic physician. The right type of vitamin D and the right dose matter.
  • Avoid antibiotics. The flu is caused by a virus so antibiotics won’t be effective.    Antibiotics only kill bacteria. Use natural plants and herbs to boost your immunity instead. Your immune system is your strongest ally.
  • Probiotics, good bacteria, can be helpful and found in fermented foods such as sauerkraut, yogurt and pickled vegetables.
  • Eat healthy foods to boost your immunity such as garlic, ginger, turmeric, green leafy vegetables and herbs such as rosemary, thyme and oregano. Add spices to warm up the body and get the circulation going. Fruits also contain antioxidants that will protect against infection.
  • Reduce sugars and refined carbohydrates such as baked goods. Sugars drain your immunity and make you susceptible to infection. Increase healthy fats in your diet such as avocados, walnuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds, fish oils and coconut oil.
  • Use stress management techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, yoga, tai chi, qi gong and mindfulness to prevent stress from depleting your immunity.

If you’d like to beat the flu, come in and see me. I’m Dr. Tim Kuhlman, Naturopathic Physician, at www.chehalisnaturopathic.com. We are accepting new patients by appointment at phone 360-996-4761.

What’s Stealing Your Sleep?

6 to 8 hours of sleep seems impossible for many of my patients. Many have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, and have tried over-the-counter or prescription sleeping drugs. They don’t like the way it makes them feel.

Obvious culprits should be addressed as the basics of quality sleep:

• Cut back caffeine consumption. Keep coffee, black and green tea down to 1 to 2 cups a day and only in the mornings and definitely before 4pm.

• Switch off all electronics at least 1 hour before bedtime. Create a relaxing bedtime routine. Go to bed close to the same time every day of the week.

• Don’t eat in bed, read in bed, or watch television in bed, these are sleep disruptors. Get in bed only when you’re ready to sleep.

• Sleep in absolute darkness. If you can’t get it completely dark then sleep with an eye mask. For some people even the alarm clock light can alter sleep patterns.

• If you live in a noisy area, wear ear plugs. Noise pollution disturbs your nervous system.

• We sleep better in a cooler temperature. Set the thermostat between 60-68 degrees Fahrenheit, the optimal sleeping temperature.

If you’re having trouble sleeping, there could be a hidden reason. It’s called Adrenal Fatigue. Adrenal Fatigue may be stealing your sleep. The adrenal glands, 2 glands on top of the kidneys, produce adrenaline and cortisol, the stress hormones. They can disrupt your sleep. For example, adrenaline will wake you up when your blood sugar level gets too low or if you drink coffee after dinner or if you’ve had a stressful day.

I offer labs that will test your adrenal gland function. I use herbal medicines to restore and replenish the adrenal glands. These plant medicines help us to adapt to stress.

It’s time to get a good night’s sleep and wake up in the morning refreshed and with energy.

I’m Dr. Tim Kuhlman, Naturopathic Physician. Now accepting new patients at ChehalisNaturopathic.com, phone (360)-996-4761.

Pre-Diabetes Can Be Reversed

12038526_1633359983589819_6952205240257684588_nAdult type 2 Diabetes, the “sugar” disease, is a rapidly growing health and financial problem.

Diabetes causes a lot of nerve pain and weight problems from out of control blood sugar and inflammation.

It is well worth preventing because diabetes is in the top 10 causes of debilitation and death for Americans.

It’s good news that diabetes is preventable.

Wouldn’t it be better to know if you were heading into diabetes so you can do something about it?

Pre-diabetes is the earlier milder form of Diabetes.

Up to 72 million Americans have pre-diabetes and don’t even know it, according to the American Diabetes Association.

It can be why it’s difficult for you to lose weight.

To be evaluated for pre-diabetes, we use simple blood tests with a naturopathic medical consultation.

There are many natural treatments that can reverse pre-diabetes. We go far beyond basic diet and exercise. We use therapeutic nutrients and plant medicines to control inflammation and blood sugar.

You’d be surprised to know there’s a tasty spice you most likely have in your kitchen that helps sugar cravings and blood sugar problems.

Take action now.

It’s up to you to improve the quality of your health and your wallet.
Get testing and treatment options for Pre-Diabetes and Diabetes:
Call (360) 996-4761 Dr. Tim Kuhlman, Naturopathic Physicians at Chehalis Naturopathic.

What’s Your Risk for a Heart Attack?

10374905_1631633320429152_8414430899304688222_nHeart disease is still the number one cause of death for Americans. It’s the number one cause of death for men. About 1 in 3 women die from heart disease1. It affects all of us, young and old.

Doctors commonly tell patients their risk factors for heart disease are tobacco use, overweight, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

Maybe you think your risks of dying from heart disease are low because you are a thin, non-smoker, and have normal cholesterol levels. Or because you are taking cholesterol lowering drugs.
You might think you’re safe but you’re not.

What really causes heart disease? The early stage of heart disease is damage in the lining of your blood vessels. That damage comes from inflammation leading to atherosclerosis (hardening and narrowing of your arteries). Cholesterol deposits and blood clots build up to the point of blocking blood flow.

That’s the start of heart attacks and strokes.

Doesn’t cholesterol cause heart disease? I strongly disagree with the high cholesterol theory causing heart disease. There’s a cbn.com news video about cardiologists making this point. Many people have normal blood pressure and normal cholesterol levels who become heart attack victims.

Cholesterol is needed in every cell in your body. All hormones are made from cholesterol. You need it for memory and sex drive.

Cholesterol is at the scene of the crime but it doesn’t mean it’s the perpetrator of the crime.

A partial cause of the crime is mechanical damage from the force of flowing blood. This requires repairing from nutrients in our food and nutritional supplement choices we make.

The biggest culprit of damaging blood vessels is inflammation.
How can you reduce the risk of heart disease since cholesterol isn’t the problem?

I’m Dr. Tim Kuhlman, Naturopathic Physician at Chehalis Naturopathic. I help patients with testing and treatment options. I have never prescribed cholesterol lowering drugs because they do harm and have no health benefit.

First get screening tests that look at how much inflammation is going on in your body.There are many natural treatments to lower your risk of heart attacks and strokes.

I realize many people don’t make the time to exercise. I tell my patients about a kind of High Intensity Interval Training exercise that only takes 15 minutes at a time, every other day. At least, if you have sitting jobs or lifestyles then stand up and take 1 minute breaks.

Simple changes to our food choices will reduce your risk of heart attacks and strokes. For example, it’s easy to change the type of cooking oil you use.

There are many foods and high quality nutritional supplements that dramatically decrease the inflammation in your body. It’s the choices we make about what we put in our body that makes the difference in how we feel.

For testing and treatment call (360) 996 4761 for an appointment with Dr. Tim Kuhlman, ND at Chehalis Naturopathic.

1
Center for Disease Control, http://www.cdc.gov/…/data_stat…/fact_sheets/fs_men_heart.htm
2
What Really Causes Heart Disease?,http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/healthscience/2012/oct
ober/cholesterol-myth-what-really-causes-heart-disease/

Concerns about Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs, Statins?

12034477_1629901563935661_1877214184107351802_oOne in four Americans over 45 years of age has been put on a statin drug to lower their bad cholesterol levels to avoid heart disease. It’s true, statins can be effective for lowering cholesterol. Here’s the question we have to ask though: does low cholesterol really help you to avoid heart disease? The shocking answer is NO for the majority of the population.

In fact, research has shown that statin drugs actually make your heart less healthy! Statins can stimulate atherosclerosis (commonly known as hardening of the arteries) and heart failure by depleting the body’s vitamin K2 and CoQ10, an antioxidant very important for heart health. Besides, there are multiple risks for heart disease besides cholesterol such as fasting blood sugar, insulin and iron levels. Diet habits, exercise and family history play a huge part too.

Has your doctor recommended you take statins to lower your cholesterol levels to avoid heart disease? Let’s think about this…statins work by blocking the liver from making cholesterol. Yes, the cholesterol that your body needs to survive. Cholesterol is essential for us to make hormones such as estrogen, progesterone and testosterone, to digest fats, to keep our brain healthy and for making our cell walls. So statins can create unwanted effects such as cancer, liver damage, diabetes, sexual dysfunction, memory problems and muscle pain.

Our naturopathic perspective is that there is no such thing as bad cholesterol. Any cholesterol and triglyceride levels can be “bad” if they are too high, including our “good” HDL cholesterol. The goal is to optimize all your cholesterol levels by managing your diet and optimizing your nutritional vitamins and minerals. There are many natural foods that can keep your heart healthy. In addition, we take a more holistic view of your other risk factors and use natural, safe therapies to help you maintain your heart health.
Get in touch with us if you are concerned about taking statins.

Please call Dr. Tim Kuhlman at Chehalis Naturopathic Medicine at (360) 996-4761 to schedule your appointment.

5 Ways to Love Homeopathy

12009775_1627731307486020_8434534270063582072_nHomeopathic medicine has a powerful blend of benefits.
1. Safety first: Homeopathy uses natural things such as plants and minerals to treat illness.

2. Effective: This is time-tested medicine used for over 200 years of research and clinical effectiveness.

3. Comprehensive: It helps both your mind and body together because they affect each other.

4. Kid friendly: It’s so easy to take the little white pills that melt in your mouth. This is great for infants and children who don’t swallow pills.

5. Pregnancy appropriate: Most treatments such as drugs and plant medicines can’t safely be taken during pregnancy, but homeopathy can help you for pregnancy related problems as well as infections during your pregnancy.

6. Convenient: Save you time and money because in order to work they often don’t need to be taken every day, or even weekly.

You got a bonus 6th benefit. I couldn’t come up with only 5 reasons to love Homeopathy.

I’m Dr. Tim Kuhlman Naturopathic Physician at Chehalis Naturopathic Medicine. For over 18 years I’ve specialized in homeopathic treatments for patients of all ages. I’ve helped people feel better when they almost gave up trying. Please don’t settle for less health than you want. There are many options for healing.

For a homeopathic treatment call 360-996-4761.