Blog Archive

Cancer treatment is continually evolving alongside our understanding of the human body. That allows doctors to apply more targeted, more effective treatments in an attempt to fight the cancer cells. That shouldn’t necessarily be the only approach you take, though. As your body fights against cancer, it’s important to bolster...

Addiction develops because of changes in our brain. We do something — often, using a substance — that stimulates the reward system in the brain. That makes us feel good, so we want more.  As we consume more of the addictive substance, though, the dopamine and endorphin rush that came with...

Medical experts group more than 100 conditions under the umbrella of autoimmune disease. All of these different health problems have one thing in common: the person’s natural defenses are mistakenly turning on a healthy body part.  According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, autoimmune diseases are the third-most...

Our world contains many different types of metals, including lead, which is found in the earth’s crust. Despite the fact that this metal is naturally occurring, inviting it into our everyday lives can lead to very serious consequences, because too much lead can poison our bodies and interfere with development...

Modern life is busy and hectic and can leave even the most energetic of us completely run down and fatigued from time to time. In very general terms, fatigue affects 30% to 50% of the general population at any given point. An estimated 1.3% of all American adults have chronic...

If you look on the back of any package, you’ll see percentages that tell you how much of your daily requirement of certain vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients the food meets. Unfortunately, those percentages aren’t adding up for many Americans who have transitioned to processed foods that are long on...

You live under a near constant threat that your celiac disease is going to rear its ugly head, leaving you with abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, and a host of other unpleasant and uncomfortable symptoms. If you’re one of the estimated two million Americans who have celiac disease, managing triggers and...

You remember a time when you could reliably count on joints that functioned willingly and didn’t object to every movement. Well, that was then and this is now. Nowadays, osteoarthritis (OA) has different plans for some of your joints that mainly boil down to joint pain and inflammation. As it...

When we hear the word, “ozone,” we might automatically think of our atmosphere and that ozone layer out there that’s protecting us from harmful radiation. Through ozone therapy, we’re bringing the usefulness of ozone closer to home. The ozone in question is a gas made up of three oxygen atoms,...

When something’s wrong with your digestive system, it can cast a large net over your life, thanks to unpleasant symptoms like heartburn, nausea, stomach cramps, diarrhea, or constipation. If these side effects happen occasionally, you weather the digestive storm and wait to get to the other side. But if you’re...

Under normal circumstances, your body’s immune system is tasked with defending you from outside invaders. But what happens when this protective system misreads the situation and launches an attack — on your own body? Nothing good. Called autoimmune disorders, these diseases come in many forms, including lupus, a potentially all-encompassing condition...

Let’s kick off this discussion with an eye-opening statistic about the way Americans are moving, which is to say not all that well. More than 92 million adults in the United States have either doctor-diagnosed arthritis or symptoms that sound an awful lot like arthritis, namely joint pain and inflammation....

You hear a name like, “chronic fatigue syndrome,” and you assume it has everything to do with being overly tired all the time. While there’s some truth to this, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is far more complex and nuanced than that simple explanation implies. To help you better understand what...

You wake in the middle of the night drenched with sweat, which quickly turns cold as the moisture hits the night air, leaving you shivering. During the day, the sudden rises in body temperature aren’t any less uncomfortable. Night sweats and hot flashes are just two of the many possible...

As of 2017, nearly 20 million people in the United States had a substance use disorder, and this number has likely risen significantly since the global pandemic. Whatever the final tally, suffice it to say that addiction is an all-too-common problem.  If you’re worried that your own alcohol or drug use has...

Back pain is one of those conditions you can't just work around — when it strikes, it can be all-consuming and govern every aspect of your day. We’re sure the 65 million Americans who report a recent episode of back pain would agree. When your back is in pain, the last thing...

The complications that stem from diabetes can start out fairly small and turn into something life-altering in no time, which is often the case with diabetic foot ulcers, These hard-to-heal wounds, which affect up to one-quarter of people with type 2 diabetes, leave you vulnerable to amputation, which is why finding ways...

Lead was used with abandon until the 1970s, such as in house paints, which caused some serious issues with lead poisoning. Over the past 50 years, we’ve made great strides in the United States in reducing this heavy metal exposure, but we’re far from free and clear. Globally, about one...

You try to get a good amount of sleep each night, but you still wake each morning feeling far from refreshed. And this overall feeling of exhaustion only increases throughout the day, zapping you of motivation and enthusiasm. Making matters worse, this fatigue is accompanied by stress as you fall...

Each year in the United States, nearly two million people receive a cancer diagnosis, which marks the beginning of a battle against a powerful invader. As any good soldier can tell you, entering this battle both with strong defenses and with resources flowing in to keep up these defenses is...

When we discuss modern medicine, we’re referring to interventional practices, such as medicines and surgery. While this approach can be beneficial, many medical experts are taking a step back to figure out a better way to approach our health — one that works with the human body, rather than fighting it. At...

The connection between the population in the United States and chronic pain is a strong one — 1 in 5 adults have chronic pain and, sadly, more than 7% report high-impact pain that’s significantly limiting their lives. Unfortunately, many pain management options simply mask the symptoms without addressing the underlying...

A herniated disc can be an incredibly uncomfortable experience when even small movements, such as getting up from a chair or even turning a door knob, can cause shooting pain. Whether you’ve had a herniated disc or you know from friends and family that it’s a condition best avoided, you...

You’ve overcome the first hurdle — getting clean and sober — and now you want to learn how to stay this way. The early days of recovery can be full of minefields and potential relapse, and you need all the help you can get to stay the course. We offer...

Your health and wellness are governed to a great degree by your hormones, which oversee everything from how your cells use energy to your reproductive function. Some of these hormones, namely your reproductive hormones, can fluctuate considerably throughout your life, and hormone replacement therapy is designed to keep these levels...

If you’re struggling with lower back pain, you’re not alone — 80% of people in the United States experience the problem at some point in their lives, and 25% of the population reports back within the past three months. Like millions of others, you’re not keen on the idea of back surgery...

For the up to 2.5 million people in the United States who are estimated to have chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), life can change dramatically, and not for the better. CFS can hijack almost every aspect of your life as you struggle with the constant fatigue, the aches and pains, the...

The numbers surrounding joint health in the United States is nothing short of eye-opening. The Arthritis Foundation estimates that more than 92 million people have doctor-diagnosed arthritis or arthritis symptoms. At HealthFirst, Dr. Jonathan Singer understands that this surprisingly large number is only going to grow as the population ages. To fight back against...

While we’re at a time in history when there’s more food than ever before, the quality of this food isn’t the best, leaving many people at risk for vitamin deficiencies. In fact, according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, nearly one-third of the population in the United States...

Your body produces at least 50 different types of hormones that control everything from your appetite and sleep to your growth and energy production. It would be hard to overstate the importance of hormones for your overall health and wellness, as you simply can’t live without them. At HealthFirst, Dr. Jonathan Singer believes that...

It’s estimated that chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) affects between 836,000 and 2.5 million people in the United States. There’s the wide range in numbers because this condition is widely misunderstood and difficult to diagnose. In fact, the CDC estimates that 90% of sufferers have not been properly diagnosed with CFS. At HealthFirst, Dr. Jonathan Singer specializes...

The opioid problem in the United States was already labeled a crisis, but the number of deaths due to overdose topped 100,000 in the year ending in April 2021, up from around 78,000 during the same period the year before. These numbers are alarming, and we want to do all...

You may not give much thought to the tiny chemical messengers in your body called hormones, but when their levels are imbalanced, you’re sure to feel the effects. From fatigue and excessive sweating to declining sexual health and bone loss, hormone imbalances can leave their marks. Thanks to modern science,...

Heavy metal poisoning isn’t all that common, but it’s definitely one condition you’d do well to avoid, which can be tricky since these materials exist most everywhere in our environment. That said, there are steps you can take to avoid toxic buildup of heavy metals in your body. At HealthFirst,...

Dealing with sciatica can be painful, and the last thing you want to do is to add to the discomfort through interventional solutions, such as surgery. Luckily, there are nonsurgical options, including an innovative technique in which we relieve the pressure on your sciatic nerve. Using spinal decompression therapy, Dr....

We’re going to begin this discussion with an incredibly sobering statistic from the CDC — overdose deaths due to opioids in the United States rose exponentially during the 12-month period ending April 2021 compared to the same period a year prior, with nearly 76,000 deaths compared to a little more...

You get up and feel lightheaded, almost to the point of fainting. At the same time, you’re experiencing frequent headaches. While there are many drivers behind these two symptoms, if they occur together along with other symptoms, they could signal chronic fatigue syndrome. To help you get to the bottom...

When you have problems with your gastrointestinal (GI) tract, your quality of life can suffer quite considerably. Frequent trips to the bathroom, pain, discomfort, embarrassment — these are just a few of the side effects of GI problems, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). At HealthFirst, Dr. Jonathan Singer and...

Type 1 diabetes is a chronic autoimmune illness that can hijack your life in many ways as you struggle to keep your (or your child’s) blood sugar levels well-regulated. While insulin shots or an insulin pump can provide this crucial hormone, there are other steps you can take to manage...

A cancer diagnosis is often a double-edged sword — the treatments for this disease are often as destructive as the cancer itself. Through alternative cancer therapies, such as the ones we offer here at HealthFirst, our goal is to help your body better defend itself against the assault. Our own...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report in 2015 that found that 3 million people in the United States had an inflammatory bowel disease — either Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis — which is up by a million people since 1999. Of this number, about a half...

You lie in bed and reminisce about the days when you’d jump up and seize the day with excitement and energy. Now, it’s all you can do to get the bathroom. This type of chronic fatigue can have a devastating impact on your quality of life, and we want to...

You’re not feeling like yourself, and you’re experiencing a variety of seemingly unrelated symptoms that range from low-grade nausea to fatigue. You’ve sought medical help, but answers are in short supply. In the meantime, your symptoms continue to drag you down.  If this sounds familiar, it would be a very...

The function of the human brain is complex, to say the least, and there’s still much we don’t understand. That said, great inroads have been made in the field of substance use disorders and addiction and we now better understand the effects that drugs and alcohol can have on your...

By their very definition, autoimmune illnesses are complex and difficult to understand. After all, these are conditions in which your primary defender — your immune system — mistakenly turns on your own body, often causing great discomfort and harm.  There are more than 100 different autoimmune disorders, including Sjögren’s syndrome....

Last year, more than 1.8 million new cases of cancer were diagnosed in the United States, and this number is expected to rise along with life expectancy.  While a cancer diagnosis is frightening enough, this disease is one in which the cure can often be as arduous and aggressive as...

For the 4 million adults in the United States affected by fibromyalgia, the quest for answers can be frustrating. As you struggle to regain your quality of life, we want to assure you that while there’s still much to learn about this chronic condition, there is hope in the form...

There’s little in your body that isn’t somehow affected by your hormones, which are tiny chemical messengers that control everything from your appetite to your moods.  When certain hormones become imbalanced, the effects can cast a wide net. This is where bioidentical hormone replacement therapy can help. At HealthFirst, Dr....

Many of us lead fast-paced lives that leave us exhausted and depleted of energy, which is perfectly normal. Less common are the exhaustion and lack of energy that come with chronic fatigue syndrome. Distinguishing the difference between the fatigue that comes with everyday life and that which stems from a...

Tendonitis typically develops over time due to overuse and stress, which means it can also take ample time to remedy. To speed up your recovery from tendonitis, we often turn to a minimally invasive and highly effective technique called prolotherapy. At HealthFirst, Dr. Jonathan Singer and our team aim to...

For the past six months, our nation has been held in the grips of a viral infection that underscores one very important point — the strength of your immune system matters.  At Health First, Dr. Jonathan Singer and our team believe that optimal health and wellness is best achieved by...

Chronic fatigue syndrome is an extraordinarily difficult and frustrating condition to cope with, largely because there’s a fair amount of misinformation surrounding it. In fact, the CDC estimates that anywhere between 836,000 to 2.5 million Americans are affected by chronic fatigue syndrome, yet up to 90% aren’t properly diagnosed. At...

Any time your body incurs damage — whether through an accident or a disease like arthritis — it jumps into action to heal itself, regenerating and repairing tissues on a cellular level.  While effective, your body works at its own pace and allocates resources judiciously, which means you may not...

Humans are nothing if not creative, as witnessed by the evolution of our world from one where stone chisels were an advanced technology to today, where we have massive machinery that produces everything from ice cream to cars.  All of this was fueled by heavy metals found in the natural...

If moving and going about your regular day causes your joints to ache, there are natural treatments you can try to make the pain go away. At HealthFirst, Dr. Jonathan Singer takes a holistic approach to medicine and focuses on using natural treatments to improve your health.  You don’t have...

You may know ozone as the gas that surrounds the Earth’s stratosphere to protect us from the sun’s ultraviolet light. Ozone has also been used as a form of alternative medicine for decades to treat a variety of conditions. The list of uses for ozone therapy continues to grow as...

Chances are you’ve never heard of Sjögren’s syndrome before. Sjögren’s syndrome is an autoimmune disorder that typically causes dry eyes and dry mouth. While the disorder itself is manageable without treatment, it can lead to a number of inconvenient and even dangerous side effects.  HealthFirst is a leader in functional...

Chronic back and neck pain can interrupt your sleep and daily activities, and affect the quality of your life. For too many people, the answer to chronic musculoskeletal pain is medication, but that can lead to addictions and additional health problems. Spinal decompression is a natural way to alleviate chronic...

Having an opioid addiction means that changes in your brain make breaking the addiction an insurmountable task — unless you have proper medical intervention. Suboxone® is a prescription medication that makes it possible to break an addiction to opioids while making the effects of withdrawal tolerable.  As part of a...

Oh, hormones. They plague us in our teen years. And just when we think we can put hormonal problems behind us, they rear their ugly heads again. As we age, our body produces less of specific hormones. These changes can sap your energy and libido, cause you to lose muscle...

Cold weather might bring ice skating, snowball fights, and hot chocolate, but it also brings cold and flu season. Several factors combine to make these common illnesses thrive in winter, and it might seem like getting sick is inevitable when everyone around you has the sniffles.  With intravenous nutrient infusions,...

Heavy metals may come from deep within the earth’s crust, but thanks to their many industrial, technological, agricultural, and medical applications, most people come in contact with them on a regular basis.  While limited exposure to trace amounts of heavy metals probably won’t affect your health in a perceptible way,...