Alternity Healthcare Blog
Alternity Healthcare, LLC is an innovative medical practice emphasizing proactive, preventive care designed to help patients avoid degenerative diseases, regain lost vitality and achieve optimal health.
Natural Rejuvenation with Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)
Platelets are specialized cells that circulate in a relatively low concentration in your blood. They are critical to healing injured or damaged tissue. Platelets clump together to form a blood clot at the site of damaged tissue. They also release growth factors and other cytokines that get the healing process underway by promoting tissue repair and new blood vessel formation.
Platelet Rich Plasma, or PRP, is produced by taking your blood in a special tube and spinning it in a centrifuge to separate the platelets and plasma from the red and white blood cells. The resulting plasma is highly concentrated with platelets and can be re-injected where healing and/or rejuvenation is needed. A key component in the healing process is increased blood flow to the area. The growth factors and cytokines released from your platelets accomplish this by dilating existing blood vessels and creating new ones via a process called angiogenesis. read more…
Medicine — As It Should Be
Like most, I consider the healthcare system in this country to be broken and getting worse. It is not uncommon for a physician to see 30-40 patients per day and to have overall responsibility for a panel of 4000 or 5000 patients. Why? Because insurance companies reimburse based on volume, not efficiency or positive experiences. Doctors must also comply with arcane rules and standards that may not translate into what is best for your health. A large part of the problem is that the consumer of healthcare services has been separated from the payer of those services. We seem to have forgotten that the true purpose of insurance is to protect against the relatively uncommon, unforeseen, expensive or catastrophic events. That is how health insurance started out. But we have now become accustomed to our health insurance covering everything, including routine primary and preventive care. The solution is to reunite the payer and consumer of healthcare services. This concept, referred to as concierge, membership, retainer, direct-pay or boutique medicine has been around for a while, but has become increasingly popular in recent years. read more…
Active Surveillance: New prostate cancer treatment options
The Ultimate Gift
Now that we are in the midst of another holiday season when our thoughts turn to good tidings and well wishes, we also begin the often difficult task of deciding on the best gift for ourselves and loved ones. Gifts for our kids tend to be fairly easy, since they usually want or “need” everything they see. Where does that leave us, the adults? Sure, there are plenty of clothes, gadgets or trinkets we can buy because we are feeling generous, prosperous or affluent. But these aren’t the things that really matter. For those we care about we don’t usually wish them a new iPod or new necklace, we wish them love, good health, and a long life. But merely wishing for things does not make them happen. Instead of just wishing for health and a long life, consider giving the gift that can help it come true. read more…
When NO Means Yes!
Yes! That is exactly what your answer would be if asked whether or not you wanted something that could improve your energy, stamina, heart health, immune function, mood, mental acuity and sexual satisfaction. What one molecule can do all of that? Nitric Oxide (NO), one of your body’s most important signaling molecules. It is released as a gas that quickly sends signals through every cell, organ and system in your body. NO signals arteries to relax and expand, immune cells to kill bacteria and cancer cells, and signals brain cells to communicate with each other. NO is critical for overall optimal health but its most notable function is within the cardiovascular system where blood flow is vital. read more…
Unexpected Benefit from Getting Healthier
Telomere Length and Anti-Aging
Prostate Cancer Does Not Always Require Surgery
Actice Surveillance is a method of monitoring men with low risk prostate cancer without the need for aggressive treatment like surgery or radiation therapy. Until recently, a man with an elevated PSA ended up with a biopsy and radical prostatectomy if cancer was found. That is despite the fact that most prostate cancer is slow growing and most men will die from something other than their prostate cancer. read more…
Getting Younger Every Year
Within each of your cells there are pieces of DNA that determine how quickly you age. These end caps on your chromosomes, called telomeres, were long thought to be junk-DNA since they did not code for any genes like the rest of the chromosomal DNA. But in 2009, the Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to three scientists who uncovered the role that telomeres play in aging and disease. We now know that telomeres are essentially the biological clocks within the cell determining how quickly your cells are aging. The shorter your telomeres, the older your cells and therefore your body behaves. The length of your telomeres is also closely associated with your risk of developing chronic diseases, like heart disease, arthritis and cancer. The good news is that your telomere length is not static; you can change it based on how you live your life. read more…
When Drugs Kill, Who is To Blame?
We have a major drug problem here in the US. No, I am not talking about illicit street drugs. I am referring to prescription medications that are supposed to help people. In the US 
every year, more people die from taking prescription medication than illegal drugs; by as much as a factor of ten. In fact, drug deaths, primarily from prescription medications, outnumber deaths from traffic accidents (LA Times). Who is protecting us from this public health crisis? Is the FDA negligent or merely ineffective? read more…
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