Lifestyle and Prevention

Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) a Treatment for Vitiligo

PRP treatment is a process of using one’s own blood components back into the body in areas that are injured, damaged or diseased causing regeneration. PRP has been used at the Stram Center for over 2 years and has continued to expand in its demand and uses. In addition to joint injections, we also use PRP to regenerate hair growth and to reduce lines, wrinkles and scarring.  Upon our continued practice using PRP, we continue to discover benefits that PRP can provide our patients. In the medical community, PRP continues to gain momentum on disorders that are positively affected by its use. There is ongoing research to identify additional uses for this natural remedy. In addition to the above listed procedures, we also use PRP to reduce pigmentation to the skin. The main pigmentation disorders we encounter are melasma and vitiligo. Vitiligo is an autoimmune disorder that affects the skin by causing depigmentation. These areas can be located on the face, scalp and/or extremities. The depigmentation in vitiligo is caused by a destruction in melanocytes. Multiple dermatology and PRP case studies were reviewed, all with positive results on vitiligo improvement for both microneedling and PRP injections under the skin.

Changing Seasons, Changing You

As the air begins to crisp, and the leaves start changing colors, we are brought back to what’s familiar. Maybe this time feels sad, or it feels exciting. The beauty of seasons is the change we must endure; reminding us of our internal strength and resilience. September 10th was National Suicide Prevention Day, and while a day can never be enough to grieve the lives lost and families and friends affected, it’s an important time for us to listen, unlearn, relearn, and heal. With over 700,000 lives lost a year globally due to suicide it important for us to reflect on our own struggles, how common and yet unique they are, and the systems within us and around us, that make it challenging to find hope. Most of us, if not everyone, has thought about dying, has questioned why we are here, and wondered what it would be like to not exist. For us to make changes in that harrowing yearly number, we need to take the shame out of suicide and suicidal thoughts. Shame hides us from the world, it protects us but with limits. It is also not solely on us, but on the systems and powers put in place that keeps us apart: limiting our time available to support one another.  Most of us are too tired to have challenging conversations and too exhausted to support one another as most of us are barely able to support ourselves. 

Back to School Tips for Your Health

Back to school season has arrived. It is the time of year when the days are getting shorter, the weather cooler, the leaves are beginning to change, and the children are back in school. As you and your family adjust to the schedule of early mornings, busy days, sports and after- school activities here are a few ways to help you navigate the return to school while keeping your family healthy from the inside out.  

What Can You do to Prevent Ticks?

Happy beginning of spring! With the weather warming up, we are all so excited to venture outdoors, set up our gardens, walk new trails, and enjoy all that mother nature has to offer. However, this is the time of the year where ticks are also increasing their outdoor presence. It is important to remember that ticks are not only present in deep wooded areas, but are also present in common places that you may be in every day, such as your yard. It is best practice to try to be as tick safe as possible whenever you are outdoors, even if you are not in the woods. 

Boost Your Immunity this New Year with IV Vitamin C

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin that is involved in several essential processes in the body. Humans are not able to make their own vitamin C, relying on natural sources such as fruits and vegetables for our daily requirements. We have come a long way with research on the health benefits of vitamin C, including targeted work focusing on the benefits of Intravenous (IV) vitamin C. In IV form, vitamin C can saturate blood and tissues at higher levels than oral ascorbic acid ever could, as oral doses can only achieve a maximum blood concentration of 220 micromoles per liter. It has been hypothesized that when IV vitamin C is used in conjunction with other treatment modalities, it can have synergistic effects on the overall treatment regimen, therefore improving patient outcomes. Additionally, IV vitamin C is cheap and safe, with minimal side effects - - this is significant, as many therapies are quite the opposite.

Health and Gratitude

Being the first born child, I was an easy baby with minimal to no health issues. Little did my parents know that their next child would be quite the opposite picture of health. Following a challenging birth, it was a never ending cycle of visits to children's clinics, new specialists, new medications, surgeries, series of hospitalizations, with a couple of near death health emergencies sprinkled on top. It was easy to feel hopeless, sorrowful, and downright angry for everything that this innocent child had to experience. However, we soon realized that what was out of our control was simply out of our control. It would be essential to embrace what we could control - our mindset towards the situation. 

Feeling Sluggish? Toxic? Out of Balance? Try Biotherapeutic Drainage

Feeling toxic? Sluggish? Out of balance? Biotherapeutic Drainage May Help!

Biotherapeutic Drainage is a type of detox, both gentle yet profound, that aids in the elimination of toxins & waste products, restoring balance to the body.