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Supplements such as vitamins and various herbs have been relatively popular for years. Many people grew up with the teaching that a daily multivitamin was a must to sustain excellent health. Alongside a well-balanced, low-sugar diet, supplementation offers significant benefits. How significant those benefits are, however, are dependent on a few factors. The factor that most are familiar with is the quality of the vitamin or supplement itself. Those with few, if any, fillers are ideal. The other factor, the one that often gets overlooked, is its suitability for the individual. It is no secret that optimal health requires good levels of various vitamins and minerals. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies have been associated with numerous symptoms, including poor sleep, depression, anxiety, fatigue, and headaches. To…

We hear of numerous different supplements that we “should” be taking these days. Collagen supports this. Peptides support that. It can all feel a little overwhelming. At Ong Institute for Plastic Surgery and Health, we want to discuss the issue of health and wellness in a way that leaves few questions, if any, other than when you can come visit us for a personalized assessment and planning to help you thrive. Here, we cover NAD, the coenzyme that assists with several physical and cognitive functions. NAD, Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide, is present in every living cell in the body. It is perceived as a cornerstone of internal and neurological vibrancy because it assists with biological processes including: Mitochondrial function DNA repair Calcium signaling Gene expression Chromosomal…

Throughout modern history, we have used terms like “medical therapy” and “alternative therapy” when describing various methods of treating illness and disease. It’s safe to say that ozone therapy fits into the category of alternative therapy. As such, its clinical value may be overlooked. In her engagement with functional medicine, Dr. Ong has vetted several different modalities to promote health and wellness. Ozone therapy stands out and we want you to know why. Ozone Therapy is Not New Ozone was first discovered in the mid-1800s. The earliest recorded machine to make medical-grade ozone in the U.S. was patented by Nikola Tesla in 1896. This therapy was used during the First World War to facilitate blood flow, reduce inflammation, and disinfect wounds as well as clinical…

Thymosin alpha-1 (Ta1) is a peptide originally isolated from thymus gland as the compound responsible for restoring immune function. Ta1 helps regulate the immune response. It enhances the Natural Killer (NK) system and stimulates the immune response by stimulating stem cells and augmenting the production of new immune cells. The immune system, now activated, then acts in concert to kill bacterial, fungal, or viral infections and tumor cells. It also improves the response to vaccines by stimulating antibody production. The Natural killer (NK) cell system is your body’s immune system that shows strong function against stressed cells such as tumor cells and virus-infected cells. NK cells are made for killing. They are constantly on patrol, looking for harmful cells that would like to take up…

People may respond differently to a viral illness due to the current state of their immune system. They immune system is a complex system. It can be under-activated or over-activated. An overactive immune system can cause continued inflammation in the body and conditions such as auto-immune illnesses. Auto-immune illnesses such as Rheumatoid arthritis and Hasimotos thyroiditis are caused by the immune system being over-activated that it begins to loose sense of the “enemy” and its own tissue, and begins to attack its ownself. Under-activated immune systems are conditions were the immune response is depressed such as in patients with immune systems disorders caused by genetics, old age, or infections. A good example is HIV patients, where the immune cells are attacked by the virus and…