Thrive MD Nutrition Blog
Over the years at Thrive MD Las Cruces, I have helped patients with symptoms including abdominal pain, fatigue, headaches, auto-immune illness, endometriosis, abdominal bloating, joint pain, chronic constipation, chronic diarrhea, depression, anxiety, eczema, and psoriasis. Patients find me, or are referred to me, often when they find a dead-end to relief of their symptoms. They are looking for solutions to their symptoms that continue, despite the best efforts of modern medicine.
Research has shown that the digestive system, where we receive our daily hydration and nutrition, is frequently where our problems start. We often refer to the digestive system as the gut – meaning the pathway starting in the mouth, passing through the esophagus, stomach, and small and large intestines, and ending in the rectum. Please consider the following:
- 70% – 80% of our immune system is in our gut.
- The gut is our largest endocrine organ – hosting 30+ hormones and bioactive peptides.
- The gut is considered our second brain due to the nerves and neurotransmitters present in the gut and their connection to the brain.
Seeing these connections, it makes sense that changing what you eat, supplementing your body with nutrients it has been missing, and making additional lifestyle changes can help you feel better, and more control of your health.
My blog will highlight topics that can support you in your health journey.
As always, please feel free to reach out to me if you have questions regarding my practice or would like to schedule an appointment.
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Choosing a Diet
June – Choosing a Diet Changing our diet, can change how we feel…for the better. But what diet is best. You hear the trends…paleo, vegan, ketogenic, vegetarian. How do you know what is best for you? No single diet is “best” for everyone; for long‑term health and adherence, most evidence favors well‑planned plant‑forward eating (vegetarian or near‑vegetarian), while strict paleo and ketogenic patterns tend to be more limited, harder to maintain, and sometimes riskier if poorly designed. Across large comparative studies, diets higher in minimally processed plant foods and lower in red/processed meat and refined carbs consistently show better cardiovascular and metabolic outcomes. Plant‑based patterns (vegan and vegetarian) are associated with lower risks of ischemic heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers when well planned and not overly processed. Ketogenic diets can improve weight, triglycerides, and glycemic control in the short term, but may increase LDL cholesterol and are not well studied for decades‑long use in the general population. Paleo diets can lead to weight loss and better glycemic control but often raise saturated fat intake and exclude legumes and whole grains that are strongly linked to reduced chronic disease risk. To feel your best, and be in
Sleep
April – Sleep Life seems to get busier every year. To adjust, we tend to cut back on sleep, in order to get everything done. The trade off however, may not be worth it. Getting enough quality sleep improves brain function, emotional balance, physical health, and long‑term disease risk. Sleep strengthens memory, learning, and problem‑solving by consolidating information and clearing metabolic waste from the brain. Adequate sleep improves attention, reaction time, and work or school performance, while lack of sleep impairs judgment and productivity. Adults who routinely sleep well think more clearly, feel more stable emotionally. Those who get a good night’s sleep get sick less often and have lower rates of conditions like heart disease and diabetes. Sufficient sleep helps the immune system detect and remember pathogens, so you get sick less often and respond better to vaccines. Ongoing sleep loss increases susceptibility to infections like colds and other viruses. Quality sleep lowers nighttime blood pressure and inflammation, supporting heart health and reducing risk of hypertension, heart attack, and stroke. Deep sleep supports insulin sensitivity and appetite hormones, helping with blood sugar control and healthy weight maintenance, and lowering risk of type 2 diabetes. Most adults feel best with
Where Do You Start to Improve Your Health
May – Where Do You Start to Improve Your Health Better health is not a destination, it’s a path. That path begins in different places for everyone. The best place to start if you want to make a concerted effort at improving your health is with a couple of very small, doable changes in the core pillars of health: how you eat, how much you move, how you sleep, and how you manage stress and connection. Trying to overhaul everything at once backfires; start with small, sustainable changes and build from there. A good rule is: choose one change that feels almost “too easy,” do it daily for 2–4 weeks, then add another. Here is an example: Physical Activity: Add a 10–15-minute walk most days. Sleep: Go to bed 30 minutes earlier. Diet: Add one serving of vegetables to lunch or dinner. Stress/Connection: Take 3–5 slow breaths when you feel stressed.
Stress
March – Stress Stress. It is a part of our daily lives. While some stress is good, a good bit of our daily stress has a very negative impact on our health. Long-term stress raises the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, depression, and other health problems. Reducing stress can improve sleep, mood, energy, focus, relationships, and even help with weight control and muscle tension. Where do you start? Everyone has different ways they prefer to manage their stress. Slow deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, or a brief walk to calm the nervous system and lower stress hormones. Practices like yoga, stretching, or gentle movement combine physical activity with relaxation and are effective stress reliever These are considered body-based tools. Mindfulness or meditation helps shift attention to the present and reduces rumination, worry, and emotional reactivity. Bringing mindfulness into your daily routine, helps you to navigate very stressful situations, with calm and ease. Lifestyle tools also have a big impact on our stress. Regular sleep, a balanced diet, limited alcohol, physical activity, and time for hobbies and social connection all buffer stress. If you are feeling stressed, see if you can incorporate several of these tools into your
Health Coaches
February – Health Coaches Caring for our health can be overwhelming. There is so much information online, books to read, podcasts to listen to. It can be overwhelming! Health coaches can take all of that information and help you determine what is best for you. They help people make realistic, lasting lifestyle changes by providing structure, accountability, and personalized guidance. A health coach works with you to clarify your health goals, understand your current habits, and design a personalized plan for nutrition, movement, stress, and sleep that fits your life. They focus on behavior change, helping you turn medical or wellness advice into daily routines you can actually follow over time. Feeling overwhelmed about your next steps? Find a health coach to support and guide you!
Walking
January – Walking It is 2026. A new year. A time we often reflect. How can this year be different or better. How can we make positive change in our lives. Our personal health is something many of us evaluate at this time. Physical activity is beneficial to all of us. While you may not enjoy participating in a group sport, or spending time at the gym, adding a walk in your day is simple to do, inexpensive, and beneficial to your health. Walking is low-impact and accessible to most fitness levels. It requires no special equipment beyond comfortable shoes. Walking improves sleep quality and can act as a natural energy booster during the day. The natural light you are exposed to when you start your day walking helps to reset your circadian rhythm, balancing your sleep and wake cycles. It strengthens the heart and lungs and lowers the risk of heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure. It helps maintain a healthy weight, reduces body fat, and improves blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Regular walking strengthens bones and muscles, improves balance, and can reduce joint pain and stiffness. Regular walkers tend to live longer and have a lower risk