Blog
Ask Dr. Santa Maria: Albumin, Bilirubin and AST Blood Results
What does it means when your Albumin, Bilirubin and AST are all low?
Albumin is a major blood protein that will either go up or down in many different situations. Poor nutritional intake or excess protein losses through bowel movements or urination can cause it to drop. It will also drop when there is systemic inflammation (also known as a reverse acute phase reactant.)
P.O.T.S & Periods: Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Patient’s Menstrual Cycles
POTS and the Menstrual Cycle Any female POTS patient will tell you that the only thing worse than constant nausea, shifting blood pressure, racing pulse, continuous light-headedness, devastating fatigue, and inexplicable dehydration—is having all of that—AND your...
Ask Dr. Santa Maria: POTS Patient With Shortness of Breath?
It is critical to know the patient’s breathing history, whether or not they have asthma or a pet-related lung disease, what medications they are on, what their blood count and symptoms are that might have led to this this complaint.
Ask Dr. Santa Maria: Why Do P.O.T.S Patients Pass Out?
These “black-outs” where you constantly feel like you are going to pass out—but may not completely lose consciousness may be related to a lack of volume or lack of blood flow to the brain. Medically, we use the terms “dehydration” and “hypovolemia.” These terms are not interchangeable (although you will see that quite frequently” and each has a specific meaning.
Start Healthy, Stay Healthy: Concierge Medicine With an Emphasis on Prevention
In ancient China, during an era where so much importance was placed on prevention of illness—if a patient became sick, the doctor would pay them. Clearly, they took wellness and prevention very seriously back then. They believed that prevention was the foundation of...
The Trouble with AGE (Advanced Glycation Endproducts) is Glucose—and You Can Stop It.
AGE is the technical term for a protein plus a sugar. Proteins are all over the place—whether it’s in the form of an enzyme or a structural protein like the ones in your eyes or heart. Proteins get sugar coating and that makes them dysfunctional. It’s kind of like the bottom of a ship that gets barnacles and then it won’t float so well anymore. When this happens, the body has to throw out those proteins or recycle them—or its very stressful to the body, and it’ll wear down.
