Natural 911

Apparently I am getting old…my old college buddies are dying.

I just got the news of a college friend dying of “old age.”  He was 39.  He died of a heart attack, leaving his wife and two pre-teen daughters.  

I haven’t seen him in years, and heard of this from a mutual friend I still stay in touch with.  Along with the grief for his family and for him, I feel a “wake up call.”

As you probably know, this type of death is virtually 100% preventable.  All he had to do was watch a few lab markers and this may never have happened.  The lab markers may have told him to change his lifestyle, well probably, as he was greatly overweight…but it also would have told him what he could have done nutritionally to support his “less  than perfect” lifestyle.

And, let’s face it, I don’t know anyone with the perfect lifestyle, eating the perfect diet, relaxing daily, vacationing away from stress, exercising daily, detoxing regularly from our toxic environment.  Heck, I detox regularly from my lifestyle choices!

Most of us are out of shape, eat convenience foods way too often, medicate ourselves with sugar, caffeine, and/or alcohol, and what? Relax?…I’m too busy to relax.  I can say that all these items are on my list…eat my veggies, relax and vacation, exercise, and detox…and stay on my list as needed improvements…but they are at least on my list. 

The wake up call for me is the people suffering from pretending, faking, ignoring, or otherwise not facing reality.  Part of that looking away is that the mainstream alternative is taking drugs and a talking to about your diet.  Many people are becoming aware of the dangers of taking drugs to manipulate your symptoms…and, yes, high cholesterol is a symptom, inflammation and oxidation are symptoms.  So if the treatment makes you worry, and the reality makes you worry…well I might ignore the whole situation too. 

My brand of medicine offers solutions to the less than perfect people (all of us) that are safe, effective, and will shift dangerous lab markers.  The worse your lifestyle, the more supplements you need to take, and there are never enough supplements if you don’t follow a couple simple rules for diet.  But, they are supplements…nutrition, plants, proteins…and they are safe.

This is what I would have done for my friend, if I had the chance…

Test him: 

Blood sugar and cholesterol.  The combo of fasting blood sugar, along with the ratio of triglycerides to HDL (good cholesterol) provides an accurate assessment of how up and down his blood sugar swings.  Big swings are highly predictable of heart attack as well as other diseases. 

Inflammation:  Cardiac C-Reactive Protein, SED Rate, and Fibrinogen provide a complete look at how inflamed your body, blood, and arteries are.  Inflammation is directly correlated to incidence of heart attack. 

Oxidation:  This is commonly known as the “rusting” process, but for heart, it is the oxidation of fats that really do you in.  You virtually eliminate atherosclerosis, or fatty build ups in the arteries, if you don’t oxidize your fats, called lipid peroxidation.  This process was featured on one of the evening news shows a couple years back, using a measurement called T-Bars, which is the lab equivalent of fat oxidation, and a supplement that contained several botanical antioxidants designed to slow the aging process.  And, true, the less you oxidize, the slower your tissues age, but as long as you breath oxygen you will age (and not breathing oxygen leads to decomposition, so that’s not a good strategy). 

Hormones:  Along with the blood sugar evaluation mentioned above, perhaps the other lab everyone should have done is the Adrenal Hormone Panel.  It is virtually never done in medicine, as there is no treatment for any abnormal finding.  It is a measure of how stress is affecting your hormones, and the primary stress hormone, cortisol, is directly linked to high blood pressure, a direct correlation to heart attack. 

Treat him…

If his blood sugar readings showed signs of significant swings, there are many options to help.  Lifestyle and diet are very important, but a few simple strategies could allow him to be less than perfect.  For instance, simply focusing on adding more protein or fat with each meal and snack slows the blood sugar spike.  Eating acidic foods slows the spike.  Adding certain nutrients and botanicals, such as chromium, vanadium, zinc, magnesium, gymnema, fenugreek, cinnamon, and others, slows the spike.  Exercise slows the spike.  He would have to make some changes, but he would have a goal and a focus, rather than pretending it ain’t so.

If he was inflamed, we would definitely add fish oils, which would also help the blood sugar, being a fat, and a really healthy one at that.  We could consider adding ginger or turmeric to his diet.  Taking sesame seed oil with carbs reduces inflammation.  Reducing grain consumption in favor of potatoes and rice decreases inflammation. 

If he was oxidized, we could help clear his vessels with some of the botanical antioxidants suggested on the program I mentioned, or make some strategic food choices such as blueberries and spinach. 

If he was stressed out to the point of hormone changes, we could have used adaptogens (ginseng, ashwagandha, holy basil, etc.) to help restore hormone balance at least.  Doesn’t change his life, but it makes him more resilient to whatever he is experiencing.  

He could have been proactive and taken some steps.  I am sure his goal was not a heart attack.  He simply didn’t have the information needed to become proactive.  With options, actions, and some change, with a goal and focus, he may still be here watching his little girls grow up. 

My job is to reach more of you, especially you pretenders, with a message that you don’t have to be perfect, you don’t have to take drugs, and you can, even you… you can save your life.

There are few things happening today more disappointing than the massive chemical experiment being applied to our kid’s brains. 

Who knows what the consequences of giving kids brain altering drugs will be.  There are already warnings about antidepressants and suicide.  The largest experiment being Ritalin and other stimulants, which alter the neurotransmitter composition of the brain (chemical messengers). 

On one hand, I rest easy knowing that brains are resilient, beyond our imagination.  On the other hand, I know that these kids need help with their brain, and as a result they are struggling, and often medicated, which does nothing for the underlying problems. 

If you are a parent and are uncomfortable with the drugging of our kids, what can be done for aggression, inattention, disruption, anger, hostility, and other symptoms, including the autism spectrum?

From a practical perspective, being a doctor dad, I can offer our personal strategies for our kids. 

Avoid food additives and colors.  If you want to experience acute ADHD and upset in your children, give them some food colors.  Our oldest daughter, Savannah, is most susceptible to these chemicals.  I can recall a few screaming upsets that occurred directly following eating these chemicals at a party.  If they are a regular part of your diet, you may not know what calm looks like!

Whole food choices.  Whole foods are unaltered from the way nature offers them.  While we are far from perfect, the intention toward whole foods has a limiting effect on the consumption of refined sugars and flours, while emphasizing veggies, fruit, and protein sources.  Another direct route to a crazy kid is blood sugar dysregulation from constantly consuming junk foods high in processed, refined sugars and grains. 

Physical and mental stimulation.  We engage our kids in conversation, projects, and physical play.  Our babies are adjusted, tossed, turned, rolled, and exercised.  Direct eye contact and communication at all ages is a must.  Singing, art, dance, yoga, flips, swinging, running, climbing, and jumping are brain building activities that we use on a regular basis.  

Yes, the basics, with intention. 

From a clinical perspective, we call the “problems” listed above, “Functional Disconnection Syndromes.”  Which simply means that certain areas of the brain aren’t doing their jobs and/or communicating with other areas of the brain. 

For example, ADHD is nearly always a lack of frontal cortex activation.  This can be caused by self image issues, immune stressors, or lack of physical stimulation.  (Video games, TV)

As a clinician, we can watch eye movements, body patterns, and other reflexes and develop a plan to stimulate the lower functioning parts of the brain.  Simple things like vibration, massage, timing exercises, sounds, smells, and eye exercises depending on how cooperative the child is. 

In the meantime, we assess confounders, including immune and stress chemicals, emotional states, allergies, inflammations, and blood sugar regulation.   These are the ultimate causes of functional disconnection, and the myriad of symptoms from ADD to Autism. 

Give your kid his or her best opportunity for health, happiness, and success in whatever endeavor.  We can provide a specific program, for at home or supervised, to clean up, clear up, and build up a great brain.

Do you have an allergic child?  First, let me advise that it is not normal, although common, to react to dusts, pollens, or a wide variety of foods. 

My little “talk” for parents goes something like this.

If you are an earthling, you should be able to suck in the air provided on this planet, and eat (at least) the majority of the foods, without an inflammatory reaction.  I have yet to treat a martian or other alien life form, so I am not sure how they might react to our air or food, but we are designed for breathing our air and eating our food.  Reaction to this process, regardless of the pollen counts, indicates immune dysregulation.  

As a past allergy sufferer, I know the misery of allergies.  In retrospect, I also know how I developed allergies (at least theoretically based on current science), and how I created an allergy free life after all these years, AND how we can do the same for you or your child in much less time. 

How does this happen?  Take this short test.

1. Were you vaccinated prior to age 2?
2. Did you use antibiotics prior to age 2?
3. Were you exposed (regularly) to cigarette smoke?
4. Do or did you eat trans fats or hydrogenated oils?
5. Does or did your diet consist largely of grains, cereals, breads, and flour.
6. Do or did you lack a wide variety of colorful fruits and veggies?
7. Do or did you eat foods treated with hormones, chemical pesticides or fertilizers?
8. Were chemical sanitizers (antibacterials) used on a regular basis?

This is the list of statistically significant exposures that shift the immune system, causing reaction to pollens, dusts, and multiple foods.  I was exposed to 7 of the 8 on the list.  (We were dirty little kids, the only exception)

How did I “balance” my immune system, even after massive antibiotics, the loss of my spleen, and second hand smoking two packs a day for 18 years? 

I started with the oils, nearly 10 years ago.  I began taking fish oils in high doses, which counteract the high intake of grains and hydrogenated oils.  I also noticed much better memory and recall during this time. 

I then started eating a wide variety of fruits and veggies, and included a daily Greens First shake in my diet, which provides tons of antioxidants which clean up immune inflammation. 

I worked on my gut immune system with probiotics, Immunoglobulins, and protein. 

I began treating my adrenal stress physiology with glandulars, phosphatidyl serene, and most recently, a variety of adaptogens. 

The last step was shifting my immune function back to center, using specific botanicals, which in my case was Echinacea, astragalus, and immune mushrooms.  (This can be different depending on how the immune system has shifted).  I also added Glutathione cream this past year which has immune regulatory effects as well. 

The end result was an allergy free spring and summer.  I was 90% allergy free the last couple years, and now 99% allergy free this year with the addition of the last step. 

Don’t let your child live nearly 40 years with allergies.  Bring them in for a personalized approach to treating and healing allergies.  And, as the first article mentions, an improved brain!

“Bad kids.”  They yell, spit and swear.  They tell you off.  They do not do what you want, in fact, they often do just the opposite. 

Last Christmas, we were on vacation at the beach, and sure enough, Savannah (6) was “bad.”  She was angry, trying to hurt Sacred (4), yelling and screaming, crying and flopping on the floor. 

I’ll tell you how she quickly became a “good” girl, in a matter of minutes, but first let’s look at some bigger concepts. 

NLP, or Neuro-Linguistic Programming, has a governing principle that states, “All people are doing their best, for themselves and others, with the resources they have available to them.”  This is a great concept to remember, perhaps simplified to “everyone wants to fit in to and help the team they are on.” 

NVC, or Non-Violent Communication, states that any upset is a perceived need NOT being met.  Do you wonder about your child’s need when they are upset, or more about your needs? 

Let’s begin with the idea that there are no “bad” or “good” children, rather a child lacking the resources to express his or her needs, which are pretty important to that child. 

So, what did we do to help Savannah meet her needs when she was in a full out tantrum. 

I use kinesiology to tap into a persons neurology, which includes emotions, which includes upsets.  I “asked” Savannahs nervous system, using muscle testing what she was feeling.  It turns out she felt rejected and second best to Sacred because Momma attended to Sacred before she attended to Savannah as we were walking from the beach.  She interpreted that Mom likes Sacred more. 

A great point is that the upset is usually displaced from the upsetting event.  Looking at the circumstances of being in our room, and what it appeared Savannah was upset about, totally would throw us off the track.  We had to back track to the walk, the upsetting event, to get to the tantrum, the upset. 

The solution was then simple.  I said, “do you sometimes feel like mommy likes Sacred better?”  That got her attention.  She heard what she wanted to say.  She also learned a way to say it.  

I then reinforced that mommy loves her immensely, that she is very special, and her needs are very important to us.  Mom joined in to drive that point home. 

The next moment, Sacred was falling off the couch, and our “bad girl” jumped to rescue her sister and caught her, saving the day.  They were a team again!  

I was nearly in tears as I witnessed the transformation.  Even though I assisted the process, I was deeply humbled, touched and grateful.

“Like the Sun, you can only share the energy you have!”

This quote was taken from a conversation between a physician and a gentleman consulting for “feeling poorly,” in which the patient stated that he has no time for himself, rather is busy providing for his family, working at home and the office. His doctor introduced him to the concept of taking care of himself for the sake of being generous to his family. It was a paradigm shift for him. He saw his duties as sacrificing himself for the good of his family…but what happened was that he was sacrificing his good to everyone, particularly his family.

How is your energy? Do you know what “energetic” feels like? Energy is abundant in this universe…can not be created or destroyed, only moves from one place to another. Are you receiving your fair share of this abundant resource? Do you expect to feel lousy as you get older, just because many people do?

Let’s look at some energy “thieves,” and the symptoms that often accompany each. Each category results in low or suboptimal energy, plus the symptoms listed. Obviously you won’t have every symptom in each category, but these are “common” symptoms.

Remember, we must always follow the “scientific method” when attempting to fix, balance or correct something. There is no “one pill wonder.” If we want to change something: 1.Do something differently 2.Observe your results 3. Change when necessary and 4. Keep trying

Sugar Metabolism:
>Tired after lunch
>Crave sweets or carbs
>Feel jittery or irritable if you miss a meal
>Gain weight on the belly
Sugar metabolism problems resolve with 5 steps:
1. Lower your carbohydrate and sugar intake, while increasing your energy expenditure (exercise)
2. Maximize nutrient intake with vegetables and fruit, and a quality multivitamin. Antioxidants, B Vitamins, Magnesium, Calcium, Chromium, Vanadium, and Zinc are the key players
3. Eat long chain, fluid fats, such as fish or flax oil, and olive oil.
4. Exercise aerobically, using 180 – your age as a starting point for heart rate.
5. De-Stress: Along with rest and relaxation, you can try 2 B vitamins to slow down your nervous system (B5/Pantothenic Acid, and the B vitamin Choline)
Feel the energy surge!!

Thyroid:
>Morning energy is low
>Often accompanied by morning headaches
>Gain weight all over, thick ankles and arms, even on low cal diet
>Hair loss
>Skin cracks
>Constipation
>Muscle cramps
>Feel cold
>Cry for no reason

Thyroid hormones are rather easy to make naturally: Protein + iodine + selenium = thyroid hormones. So add a natural sea salt or kelp to your diet, eat plenty of protein, and supplement selenium. The X factor again is stress. The stress hormone cortisol impairs the thyroid to make thyroxine. Try the de-stress nutrients described above.

Oxygen:
>Heart palpitations
>Shortness of breath (can’t catch your breath while exercising)
>Fingernails ridge or crack
>Lightheadedness
>Food cravings
>Numbness and tingling

Oxygen is carried on red blood cells using iron, folic acid, and vitamin B12. It also uses B6, C, and copper to get the iron into the cell. I have treated a few patients who were taking iron without B6, and energy did not appear until the B6 was added.

Toxicity:
>Poor memory
>Brain fog
>Skin conditions
>Headaches
>Gain weight on the hips, butt and legs
>Arthritis
>Premature aging
>Heart disease

Toxicity is not a “quack” or alternative issue. We all detoxify, or break down the chemicals we make and ingest. The liver does most of the work, so this is really a liver issue. The liver uses protein and antioxidants, plus a few B vitamins and minerals to break down these chemicals. A detoxification program may consist of eating organic, drinking lots of water, and perhaps a product like Metagenics UltraClear Plus. It contains all the nutrients and proteins that are used by the liver for its clean up duties. I tend to stay away from fasting cleanses, because why? NO PROTEIN. That means your body may begin to clean up, but there is insufficient protein to bind the chemicals for removal. So they are mobilized and can’t get out. That means you feel more toxic than ever.

Adrenal Fatigue:
>Dizzy when you stand up quickly
>Eyes sensitive to bright light or sunlight (need sunglasses)
>Knee and ankle problems
>Immune problems: Asthma and allergies
>Gain weight on the upper body, with thin legs
>Tendency toward ulcers

Adrenal fatigue means you are stressed out. Sometimes, the only thing we feel we have control of is our diet (versus job, spouse, kids, money). You can do an awful lot to de-stress with just biochemistry. The chemical stressors include: artificial colors and flavors (including sugars), stimulants such as caffeine, trans- or hydrogenated fats, and sugar or refined flour products. Clean it up and you will de-stress. Other techniques chemically are B5 and Choline (mentioned earlier) that help to make a chemical called acetylcholine. That chemical is very relaxing to the nervous system. Another chemical method is alkalizing. Eating green foods and veggies that are rich in potassium, magnesium and calcium. These alkaline foods also relax the nervous system. Or for a quick fix, use the product Greens First, which is a green food drink that actually tastes good…really it does.

Inflammation:
>Pain
>Headaches
>Tender and sore muscles/joints
>Poor attention/focus
>Allergies
>Swelling
>Heart disease

Inflammation messes up everything. Imagine the same chemicals that produce heat, swelling and pain when you twist an ankle actually circulating through your blood stream, affecting every cell and tissue in your body. That is what is measured by the lab test CRP. If you don’t know your lab score, you could be at risk for stroke, heart attack or dementia, and not even know it.

The basics for treating systemic inflammation include high dose fish oils. That means finding a clean source (mercury issues) and taking 4 to 10 gel caps per day. Again, use a quality multivitamin, because certain B vitamins and minerals are used to process these oils, and turn them into anti-inflammatory chemicals. Also drink ginger tea, and use turmeric spice, and other spices like rosemary. Garlic also can be helpful. Eat plenty of deep colored fruit, like blueberry and raspberry, or pomegranate juice.

Digestion:
>Heartburn
>Bloating
>Gas
>Abdominal pain
>Constipation
>Diarrhea
>Passing undigested food

Digestion is a four step process:
1. Remove infective organisms
Often a stool analysis is needed to know if this step is necessary
Antibiotics only kill bacteria. You can get farther using goldenseal, garlic, oil of oregano, or other natural antimicrobials.
2. Replace digestive enzymes and acids (we need these acids to digest)
You may have to try several digestive aids to get “the right one,” but it will be worthwhile when you hit it right.
3. Repair the gut lining
The gut is repaired with protein, particularly the amino acid glutamine, which can be taken as a supplement, or drink a whey protein shake every day.
4. Re-Innoculate with healthy bacteria
Probiotics such as acidophilus, and bifidobacterium, and many others.

If you suspect or know your energy levels are suboptimal, and fit into one or more of the categories, you now have a couple strategies you can try. Apply the scientific method always. Try something, a change, for 4 weeks and pay attention to the results. That’s it…that is the scientific method. For my patients, I use exam findings and labs as well as how they feel to determine our methods and results, but if you are just a bit tired in the afternoon, you may not want to spend money on a full lab or exam. So try something new and notice the change (or lack of change). The wonderful thing about nutrition is there is no major downside…you won’t die or end up in the hospital trying a new vitamin.

Since energy is abundant, and can not be created or destroyed…where does it go??

As I mentioned, these categories are “energy thieves.” Because of poor or imbalanced function of a particular organ or system, energy is being redirected toward that imbalance. Much like the attention seeking child in a classroom, energy is stolen from the whole class in order to attend to that child.

Or…the problem can stem from the transfer of energy. We transfer energy from plants and animals (our food) into usable energy for us. If we don’t eat energy transferring foods, and opt for energy sapping foods (sugar), again the whole body suffers.

YOGA = GABA = PEACEFUL RELAXATION

Harvard Medical released a study showing that the practice of yoga increased brain concentrations of GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter best know for its effects with use of the GABA drug Valium. Yoga = Valium high?

The study was a small investigational study, but resulted in significant findings regarding the ability to change your own brain chemistry through yoga. In the study, they compared yoga to reading, which I would guess would increase dopamine levels rather than GABA levels. They found no change in GABA levels in the reading group, but a 27% increase in GABA release in the yoga group.

This might not be shocking or revealing to those who practice yoga, but for the rest of us, it might provide the needed motivation to start a yoga practice.

GABA is a brain chemical that provides a feeling of peaceful relaxation. In the brain, there are chemicals that speed up the brain and others that slow it down. GABA is balancing to the chemical Glutamate. You may have heard of glutamate from monosodium glutamate, which is a manufactured source of glutamate that does affect the brain negatively. Glutamate is naturally occurring in less concentrated doses, which excites the brain. Too much of this chemical causes over excitation of the brain resulting in anxiety and digestive problems. Some studies have shown that “normal” intake of processed glutamate from sodas causes neuronal death in lab animals (Brain cells die). GABA is the natural balance to excitation, allowing our brains to relax. Low GABA is associated with anxiety, digestive upset, and muscle stiffness similar to an excess of glutamate.

While I occasionally see clients that need to be “excited,” a more common presentation in today’s world is stressed and over excited. For those people, this study is a medical prescription.

My interest in this study is the effects that body movement or lack of movement has on the chemistry of the brain and body. From a chemistry background, I might treat a GABA deficiency with precursors of GABA… what makes GABA chemically? GABA is made from a protein, several B vitamins and calcium. I might try to enhance production using one or several of these raw materials. I would also counsel on avoiding glutamate additives.

A medical doctor might “skip to the chase,” and give a GABA drug. Just knock the person out! Which may be advisable to “interrupt a pattern” chemically for someone who can’t function neurologically.

A “self medicater” might reach for a glass of wine or a beer. Alcohol is a GABA drug as well. And for those who have used alcohol, you probably would describe the effects as relaxing.

I find it fascinating, although not surprising, that slow stretching your body while deeply breathing has the same or similar effect as a drug. It also increases your choices for dealing with stress. Now you can add yoga to your list of solutions to “having one of those days.” And, a healthier alternative at that!

On a deeper level it makes me consider the concept of the holographic universe. This theory suggests that there are no separate pieces or elements of life and existence, but rather everything is a part of the whole thing. If you choose to look at a piece and separate it from the whole, you are vastly distorting the whole. You may see a part or perspective that brings you fear or sadness, but it also contains love and peacefulness.

David Bohm, who died in 1992, taught the principles of the holographic universe. He ascribed that this belief in separateness was the main cause of world wide fear, conflict, and confusion.

While I am not a physicist, and can hardly do his theory justice in description, I think this study is an example of how everything is part of the whole thing. When you move your body or have a thought, your chemistry is changed. When you change your chemistry, you change how you move and think.

My focus, not as a physicist, but as a clinician, is to help others find a sequence of moving, thinking or eating that will have the greatest impact on the whole. I have found that living in fear will circumvent the best diet and supplements. I have found that lack of motion will circumvent the best thoughts and attitudes. I have found that “seeing” the whole picture can help your body to detoxify, repair and restore health, and, as this study shows, that moving your body can change your brain and mind.

If you have low levels of GABA, you will see and experience the world differently than if you have optimal levels of GABA. With low levels, you might think someone is talking about you, and with high levels you might think the same person is bragging on you.

Where I am currently in my studies, I believe that belief is the most difficult part of you to change. I hope that changes over time, and I can help people see their way of thinking and change towards healthful thinking as easily as I can adjust a low back.

That is not to say that anyone should see things my way or any certain way, but in a way that produces health and adaptability versus disease and inflexibility. And that is not hard to determine…if it feels bad the way you think, it is bad for your health…and if it feels good the way that you think, it is good for your health.

Through muscle testing, I can increase ones awareness of how they feel about a particular person, experience, or even themselves. If a thought creates a short circuit neurologically, meaning a muscle weakens, then it is more than likely bad and bad for you.

A person may not even realize they have such a negative feeling toward money because they really want money, or “money isn’t important to them.” Yet their body says that they have a “bad” feeling about money, which ultimately is resistance to money, and more importantly, bad for their health.

So the holographic model says movement will allow you to see, and seeing will allow you to move, and that is profoundness found in a study of stretching.

The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine
May 2007, Vol. 13, No. 4 : 419 -426

I have found the actual fountain of youth. This is not a hopeful, good idea, rather a protocol proven via clinical trial to reverse the aging process.

If you could delay or reverse the age related declines in memory, balance, and coordination, what would you do for that effect? Would you choose to be mentally sharper and more agile?

The method of testing these functions included: balancing on a thin rod and measuring the time to fall, which is an objective measurement of balance and coordination. For memory, they measured the time it took to complete a maze. The tests were performed on “senior citizen” rats that showed age related declines compared to their offspring.

There was a control group, that no alterations to diet or environment were offered. The study groups were fed spinach smoothies and blueberry smoothies.

The rats were fed the supplemented diets for 8 weeks before the challenge tests were performed.

The blueberry group dramatically improved their rod walking time versus their first trial and versus the average old rats. By eating the blueberry smoothie, they doubled this objective measure of balance and coordination, and effectively reversed the aging process in the brain.

The spinach group found their way in the maze twice as fast as the control group on the second trial. The second trial, of course, being the test for memory, or recalling your way through the maze. By eating the spinach smoothie, they doubled their speed and accuracy of memory.

This study was done in 1999. For years I have used the spinach, blueberry smoothie formula to fortify my diet with brain enhancing and anti-aging nutrients.

The formula I use:

1 scoop Whey Protein
1 scoop Greens First http://www.greensfirst.com/1280/content_doc.asp?
½ cup frozen blueberries
1 handful of fresh spinach
Filtered water or whole raw milk
Blend

I mix it up using frozen cherries, raspberries, cranberries, and have used kale, broccoli sprouts, and other sprouts. The spinach has a mild taste that works well, while the kale and sprouts “takes over” the taste of the smoothie. If I had cancer or something like that, I would choke down the sprouts however.

By the way, another trial was done using young rats, fed very similarly, and the results showed that typical age related declines were delayed with the supplemented group.

Also, Dr. Barry Sears reported that he used this formula along with high dose fish oil with late stage alzheimers, and described these changes. “Prior to the supplements the patient would not acknowledge her family or talk, and stared at the floor in front of her. Following the supplemented diet, the woman began to talk and interact with her family, even calling them by name.”

We need to eat our spinach and berries anyway…why not give it a try for 6 weeks and see how you feel and function?

Last time we discussed the importance of barrier assessment and treatment in autoimmune conditions.

We are built with an intestinal and lung mucosal barrier, and a blood brain barrier, which is truly the first line of immune defense. Once compromised, via stress, chronic antigen exposure, alcohol, pain relievers, and even sugar, your immune system begins to react to simple processes like eating and breathing.

STEP 3

Adrenal stress physiology is often a part of autoimmune conditions. If you weren’t stressed out before the condition, the continuous immune attack will stress out your adrenals. So either way, it must be addressed.

The adrenal stress physiology affects nearly every tissue in your body, from digestion, joint repair, and immune balance. Chronic stress will imbalance your immune system even in the absence of a antigen.

The adrenal glands have a daily cycle, much like the ovaries have a 28 day cycle. As such, we must test adrenal output throughout the day in order to assess the rhythm.

We want to know your output levels of cortisol and DHEA, the two main hormones of the adrenals, and the rhythm of cortisol throughout the day.

Normally the cortisol output is high in the morning, partially as a result of awakening, and partially as a result of its blood sugar regulating effects overnight during a sleeping fast. The glands release cortisol to maintain blood sugar.

So, this has a great deal to do with your sleep cycles as well. If you can’t fall asleep or wake through the night, you most probably have an adrenal output or rhythm problem.

Taking this further, your diet during the day has an effect on the adrenals. If you skip meals, eat sugary or starchy foods, you will end up driving the adrenal stress physiology as a result of this secondary effect on blood sugar regulation.

If you eat high fiber carbohydrates, moderate protein, and regular meals, there is very little drive into the adrenals because you are regulating blood sugar the old fashioned way, by feeding your body with healthy foods.

Once the immune activation is eliminated by removal of antigens, and healing barrier compromises, the correction of adrenal physiology is a much easier process, and requires treating the output with phosphatidyl serine or licorice root, depending on whether it is a high output or low output. Then treating the rhythm with herbal adaptogens which work directly on the brain and hypothalamus to regulate or re-regulate the rhythm.

There are also nutritional components that need to be covered, such as B6, Pantothenic Acid, choline, and others that allow the adrenals to perform as well.

Next we will cover the final step of treating autoimmune conditions and restoring your health to near perfect once again.

STEP 4

Once the antigen, barriers, and adrenal physiology have been assessed and corrected, the immune system can be dealt with directly.

This is the exciting news for natural medicine, where only natural supplements, plants and antioxidants have proven to truly shift immune balance and stop the destructive effects on your own body parts.

The medical alternative, (and as I often say, “When did natural become the alternative”) is full on immune suppression using chemo drugs or cortisone. Not ideal for a healthy return to life.

Restoring immune balance requires looking at all the immune cells and treating your specific version of imbalance. This gets into looking at T regulatory cells, T suppressor cells, Natural Killer cells, T helper cells, and T killer cells.

No, I don’t expect you to know your immune system to that detail, that’s my job right!?

The readers digest version is that we have to pull the immune attack back, and balance the T and B cells.

Vitamin D and Glutathione therapy are effective at pulling back the attack.

Powerful antioxidants such as resveratrol, pine bark, grape seed, and others are effective at shifting from T cell dominance to balanced T and B cell immunity.

Your traditional immune supporters, such as Echinacea, Astragalus, and immune enhancing mushrooms are effective at shifting from B cell dominance to balanced T and B cell immunity.

The key is knowing which way you want to go, as shifting into or toward a dominance will activate the immune attack on your own cells. You will realize it pretty quickly as you feel worse in a few days time.

What are we talking about?? What are autoimmune conditions?

Anything that has a destructive component originating from your own immune system.

In simpler terms, when your body attacks itself.

In some diabetics, the problem is not insulin resistance, but destruction of pancreas tissue by the immune system. In MS, there is often an immune attack on the myelin sheath of nerves. Some arthritis is an immune attack on joint cartilage. Some thyroid problems (possibly most) are immune attacks on the thyroid. Some dizziness and vertigo problems are actually immune attacks on the brain.

Over the past couple years, I have come to realize that Natural Medicine is the ONLY way to modify and treat autoimmune conditions. Seriously, if I don’t teach you how to treat this, or where to look, you are terminal.

I have seen a growing number of autoimmune conditions presenting clinically.

I always request medical records to begin the detective work in helping my clients.

What I am recognizing is that if you are diagnosed as autoimmune, immediately thereafter, your immune system is forgotten. You are treated with anti-inflammatory meds or hormones, and once a serious life and health threatening episode occurs, your treatment moves (jumps dramatically) to immune suppressing drugs such as prednisone and chemotherapy drugs.

I also recognize that due to the lack of effective (medical) treatments for autoimmune conditions, lab tests for auto-antibodies are often not even tested. Why check if you can’t do anything about it?

That occurs most often with thyroid conditions in my experience. I will see patients who have been diagnosed with thyroid dysfunction years prior, and have never check for thyroid antibodies.

If you have thyroid problems, are being treated with thyroid medications, and STILL HAVE THYROID SYMPTOMS, it probably is the fault of your immune system and not the thyroid gland.

WHAT CAN BE DONE?

What can natural medicine do that allopathic medicine can not do?

STEP 1

First of all, the thought process is different. In natural medicine, we always look for the root cause. In the case of autoimmune, the root cause would be something that triggers an abnormal immune response. An immune irritant, termed by medicine an ANTIGEN.

An antigen is something that triggers an immune protective cascade. A bacterium is an antigen. An environmental chemical is an antigen. A true food allergy would make that food an antigen for that person.

To treat autoimmune conditions, you must find the antigen. If it is an infection…get rid of it. If it is an environmental chemical…eliminate it. (The only way to eliminate is through detoxification and elimination pathways). If it is a food allergen…stop eating it.

Medicine only looks at the most volatile parasites, and still uses culture technology. Culture technology is ancient and misses many infections. The most advanced technology is DNA testing for microbes. Even if the microbe dies in collection and testing, the DNA is present and detected.

Medicine barely recognizes that environmental chemicals can stress the body, unless acutely poisoned. You are either acutely poisoned or you are not. No stages of gray. No such thing as great detoxification versus poor detoxification.

Medicine barely recognizes food allergens, unless you show pathologic signs such as anaphylaxis, or intestinal villous atrophy (the lining of the intestines dies, as in celiac disease).

Yet, these all exist, and can trigger the autoimmune process!

STEP 2

After identifying and eliminating the ANTIGEN, the barrier system should be assessed. The barrier system is the intestinal mucosal barrier, the lung mucosal barrier, and the blood brain barrier.

These barrier systems are intended to minimize antigen exposure to the blood, brain, and immune system. With compromise, you react to everything with an immune attack. If you breathe perfume it might cross the blood brain barrier and initiate an immune attack. If you have mercury fillings, it will pass into the brain and initiate an immune attack. If you eat food, your intestinal barrier is permeable to undigested foods, resulting in an immune attack. Breathing pollen and dust will cause an immune attack.

Essentially eating and breathing will activate your immune system.

The intestinal barrier is assessed using two sugars, one a tiny molecule, the other a large (ordinarily unabsorbed) molecule. Once eaten, you collect urine samples to see what is passing, and the ratio of big to small determines how compromised your intestinal barrier is.

The blood brain barrier is tested via the GABA challenge. GABA is a protein molecule made in every cell of your body, but it doesn’t exchange from body to brain. Brain cells must make their own GABA, and body cells must make their own GABA.

If you ingest GABA and it alters your brain, you have a compromised blood brain barrier. You may notice a drunkenness, sedation, or even an excitability. Any change is positive for compromised blood brain barrier

The lung barrier does not have a lab test, but you can challenge the lung barrier by taking the most forceful breath (inhalation) you can possibly take, hard and deep. If the barrier is compromised, you will cough and or gag.

The barrier compromise is treated with proteins, immunoglobulins, antioxidants and ultimately treating the adrenal (stress) physiology, which we will cover next.

The purpose of our wellness center is to educate and assist as many individuals as possible toward true health and wellness. Our focus is on leading edge diagnostics, both laboratory and physical diagnosis, for chronic, unresponsive conditions such as Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue, or Chronic Pain not diagnosed as Fibromyalgia, Auto-Immune disease, Vertigo, Neuropathy, Autism Spectrum including ADHD, Hormonal Imbalances, and other neurological conditions such as early Alzheimers and post Stroke Rehabilitation.

In order to assess and treat such misunderstood and complex conditions, we include both metabolic and neurological diagnosis and treatment. This includes hormonal, auto-immune, and other metabolic diagnostics, along with Central Nervous System evaluation, which is truly the missing link in the “standard of care” for chronic conditions.

My intention is to help spread the word and simplify a complex subject so that you, the health care consumer, can intelligently seek the “right diagnosis” and care for your health.