Posts by Dr. Robert hedaya

What is a ‘broken brain’ and how do you know if your brain is broken? A broken brain is a brain that is not functioning properly.  Sometimes it is quite obvious that a brain is broken-for example when someone has Alzheimer’s Disease and cannot recall the most basic things, such as their children’s names. Much of the time, however when brains are ‘broken’, it is assumed that the problem is bad character, lack of will power, bad upbringing, or some personal failure. With our newfound ability to look inside the brain, using advanced quantitative electroencephalograms (qEEG), we now know that the
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By Kat Osorio If you’re taking medications used to treat breast cancer, such as tamoxifen or anastrozole, you’re likely also experiencing side effects associated with these drugs, namely joint pain. Symptoms like this are all too common, but that doesn’t mean you have to suffer with no sight of relief. Here are a few ways to help alleviate joint pain caused by breast cancer drugs: Eat whole foods that contain nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids and polyphenols, to help to reduce the state of inflammation in the body. Wild-caught fatty fishes like salmon and sardines, chia and flax seeds,
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If you live in the Washington, D.C. area, you’ll know that it has a lot to offer when it comes to eating locally. Residents living in the more urban areas have the option of trekking out to the more rural areas of Maryland and Northern Virginia to visit farms, orchards, and wineries, while still having access to a variety of home delivery options.  No matter where you live in the DMV, you’re able to take advantage of a community-supported agriculture program and get fresh, local produce delivered straight to your door. Eating locally-grown foods not only supports the local economy,
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By Kat Osorio Now that we’ve entered the spring season, you might be wondering if it’s time to start adding some seasonal produce into your diet. The answer is yes! The best way to do it is by buying and eating locally-grown and produced food, which has a variety of benefits that include the following: Locally-grown fruits and veggies simply taste better because they’re picked at their peak and sold close to the time of harvest. When produce is shipped a long way, it has to be picked early before it’s allowed to ripen naturally, often resulting in a lackluster
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By Kat Osorio When was the last time you or someone you know said, “I’m so stressed” or “I don’t know how to relax.” Probably not too long ago, because chronic stress is a given for many people in our modern society. It’s associated with increased inflammation in the body, which can then progress to conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension. Managing your stress levels is key to maintaining lower levels of inflammation and an overall healthy state of being. Meditation comes to mind when thinking about stress management, and for some that may be sufficient. However, in order
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By Kat Osorio When one thinks of anti-inflammatory spices, turmeric is usually the one that comes to mind. While there is plenty of research that supports turmeric’s anti-inflammatory mechanisms, this king of spices holds court with a multitude of royals that are also helpful for reducing inflammation in the body. If you experience health conditions caused by inflammation, you may want to consider adding some of these spices into your daily diet. Warming spices, such as cinnamon and ginger, have anti-inflammatory properties that can help to reduce joint pain and other discomforts. Cinnamon contains the compounds cinnamaldehyde and cinnamic acid,
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By Kat Osorio It can be overwhelming deciding what to eat. We receive countless messages from all different directions on a daily basis- messages telling us which foods are “super,” what diet you should follow if you want to live forever, and exactly how many grams of protein you should eat for a trim physique, among other things. I tend to listen to these messages with a grain of salt, because everyone is different so there is no one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition. Instead, I recommend putting a meal together using components from different categories, almost like a salad bar. Choose
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By Kat Osorio “I don’t want to make healthy changes to my diet because that means I won’t enjoy my food anymore.” This is a sentiment I’m sure that many of us can identify with, but that doesn’t mean that it has to be true. In fact, you can have your almond flour cake and eat it too! Let’s chat about how. Balance is integral for the success of any healthy lifestyle change. Taking the time to plan out your meals and shop for the ingredients ahead of time insures that you will have healthy options on hand and be
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