Supporting People Who Are Ill and Surviving It Intact

Supporting People Who Are Ill and Surviving It Intact

From Mara Williams, NP

As a Lyme literate practitioner and as a mother of someone with CLD (Chronic Lyme Disease) I want to share some insights I have gained in the last two years. Amanda has had active disease since she was 15. She is now 37. We have been treating her for almost two years. Before I became Lyme literate, I was like any other family member frustrated by the incredible variety of symptoms Amanda complained about. I kept telling her to get help for her emotional issues and to get on with her life. As a “knowledgeable” health care provider I just couldn’t put the array of problems together into a diagnosis that made sense. Amanda would sometimes rage, literally, with anger that was scary. She would get panic attacks and these increased in intensity and frequency as the bugs became further entrenched in her body. Antidepressants were ineffective. Amanda would complain of severe pain, total body pain, joint pain that would migrate, hip pain that made her feel like her bones were breaking, muscle pain, stomach pain, abdominal cramping, and headaches. Wow! It was overwhelming to hear about this and feel helpless to help. She has had horrific stomach issues and would throw up often and feel nauseous constantly. I attributed these symptoms to her inability to resolve her emotional feelings. Yet I believed she needed psych help to get over the pain, that these symptoms were related to the trauma of the rape she experienced at a young age. For many of her family members it was Amanda crying wolf over and over again. Her emotional lability pushed people away as did her rage. I was the person the rage was directed at mostly and eventually I just wanted to disengage from it all. I did not make the connection of Lyme until I became Lyme literate and then everything she had been saying for years made sense.

Initially, I felt guilt for not believing her and helping her to find help. Fortunately we have so much guidance now. But when we had to interact with the current health care system I thought that because I was “one of them” they would believe what she was experiencing, listen, and help. I was foolish to believe this. The disconnect between IDSA (Infectious Disease Society of America) guidelines and ILADS (International Lyme and Associated Disease Society) guidelines rang loud and clear. I became the drug seeking, interfering mother and my gravely ill daughter became a psych case.

Amanda lived about a mile from us at the beginning of treatment. As I have written before we had a hellish year of 17 ER visits and 7 inpatient hospitalizations before I took her home and started treating her. My husband and I give her medicine every four hours around the clock and have for over 6 months now. She gets IV hydration, nutritional support and antibiotics. We prepare her food, do her laundry, help her with personal care, and are helping to raise her 12 year old daughter. In-between all this we work and make time for our relationship. Hundreds of thousands, probably millions, are doing this across the globe. Imagine the impact this is having on the global economy, as well as the emotional costs for those involved.

The financial costs of treating CLD physically run into thousands of dollars a year and can go on for several years. People lose their homes, their jobs, their relationships. Insurance companies refuse to pay for something that “doesn’t exist.” The burden of this is great and those that have no resources suffer for years. Many simply give up.

For those with the disease, healing on all levels is necessary. This encompasses not only the physical but the emotional and spiritual. The disease is a message to change the way they have been living their life. As Katina Makris states so eloquently in her book, Out of the Woods, ” The more debilitated and stricken people are, the more time has been created in their lives for reflection and realignment with their life dreams and purpose. It’s not random that those who have the most to offer the world – those who are working hardest and have the most altruistic attitudes – can get hit the hardest by this illness as they push themselves so hard, with little self-recognition. We must learn how to love our very selves with true compassion, through the tender and tragic mercies of this insidious and erratic illness”. This aspect of CLD is as critical to address as the physical. The infections will not resolve without doing this work.

I believe this applies to those of us that care for their loved one as well. It is a consuming experience that requires surrender to each moment to avoid burnout that can come with care-giving. The rhythm of each day is dictated by the needs of one person and it can be overwhelming. Some family members walk away when they decide they have done enough. Many choose to believe the mainstream hype that CLD doesn’t exist. But for those of us that are able to remain steadfast, hold love in their heart, the reward of watching health restored is amazing. It is worth every moment of exhaustion and frustration. I get to assist someone I adore in her transformation; and, like a butterfly coming out of her cocoon, I am witnessing my child coming back to life. The process is slow, agonizingly slow, but each small step is a gift. One of my mantras is “God gives nothing but good, either gifts or lessons, and really, they are the same.”  Another manta is “Everything is perfectly manifesting.” This reminds me to embrace the moment and learn so that I can shift my consciousness ever higher, and return to a place of peace and acceptance. Those who are desperately ill with CLD need their loved ones to be present and whole. Like the birthing of a child, a woman is alone with her experience of labor, yet she needs support while going through it. So does someone who is chronically ill, frail, weak, exhausted, and in severe pain. My daughter, who is so ill, is the same being she was before she became sick, working to heal from an all consuming disease, and she needs all the assistance we can give. I will be here until her healing happens and she can move forward in her life once again.

Blessings to you all…Mara

Mara Williams, NP, has been a health care provider for almost 30 years. She has developed an expertise in functional, nutritional medicine; blending pharmaceuticals with nutraceuticals, utilizing science and nutrition to its best advantage to get the optimal effect and outcome. Mara is experienced with many chronic diseases, including Lyme disease and its coinfections, heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, and various pain syndromes, inflammation, cancer, and adrenal fatigue. You can reach her at Gordon Medical Associates.

Mara is also the author of Nature’s Dirty Needle, and the blog Voyaging Lyme. She is very active in patient advocacy, and is currently working to put together Inanna House, a non-profit that would provide supportive, integrative care to those with Chronic Lyme Disease.

Treatment Considerations with Elizabeth Large, ND

Treatment Considerations with Elizabeth Large, ND

Question:
What do you do for someone who cannot tolerate antibiotics due to severe allergic reactions to several drugs?

Answer from Dr. Large:
Since I tend to work with people who are sensitive, I am used to people who can’t tolerate antibiotics. It might be due to allergy or it might be also a severe die-off that looks like allergy. Either way, the patient must begin with gentler herbal remedies that treat that particular infection. This will lower the infectious load on the system and possibly calm the immune system making it less reactive. If the reaction wasn’t allergic in nature, then the patient has toxicity issues and the reaction is due to an overload on their detoxification system. When you add in antibiotics, the download is too great on detox pathways that are already overloaded and the body reacts by becoming more toxic and inflamed.

Integral to the treatment is reducing the load of the infection, supporting the immune system with targeted supplements or IV therapy, supporting detoxification in the lymphatics, liver, gall bladder and kidney and cellular detoxification with aiding methylation. If the person is suffering from extreme allergic hypersensitivities of all kinds such as food, chemical and environmental, this person has an upregulated TH2 (antibody-mediated) immunity. Underlying infection (viral, parasitic, bacterial, fungal) and intestinal inflammation is one of the key causes of this. I typically use a combination of diet, treating GI infection and re-balancing the gut ecology to calm down the immune system.  I find that a Paleolithic diet can do wonders for Lyme patients. This involves little to no grains and sugars, plenty of vegetables and greens, minimal fruit and organic meats.

Question:
What is the best diet with Lyme? What to eat? What to eliminate?

Answer from Dr. Large:
I find that the best diet for those with Lyme is an anti-inflammatory diet. Some patients have responded very well to the GAPS diet who have a very inflamed GI tract. However, I do often remove the fruits from the GAPS diet at least in the beginning. For others a modified Paleolithic diet which reduces grains, sugar and dairy and adding plenty of healthy fats and protein at each meal. Since the majority of people are not allergic to vegetables or meats, this reduces any possible allergic load on the body, lowers insulin levels and prevents feeding the microbes.

Question:
What does infrared sauna do?

Answer from Dr. Large:
Far infrared Sauna (FIR) is a wonderful approach to detoxification. FIR penetrates into the subcutaneous fat where toxins are stored stimulating discharge of toxins through the sweat. . Studies show that FIR promotes excretion of heavy metals, pesticides and solvents. Since toxins in the body reduce glutathione levels , disrupt cellular methylation thereby suppressing our immune system. Many with Lyme comment that they don’t sweat. For these people FIR is especially important. I recommend that patients begin with 5 minutes and work up gradually to 30 minutes per day, 3-5 x per week.

Question:
What can be done for nausea? I have been treated for 3 years. I had the whole gamut. I did really well for 6 months after treatment. About 5 months ago I started in a downward spiral. My problem is I can’t tolerate any antibiotics. Now I throw up everything. I am nauseous all of the time, even without antibiotics. what is causing this persistent nausea? My gag reflex is really bad, this has been going on for more than 2 months.

Answer from Dr. Large:
Chronic Lyme can cause inflammation of the vagus nerve, one of the longest and most complex nerves in the body. Common symptoms of this nerve impairment include: high blood pressure, shortness of breath, palpitations, vomiting, hoarseness, frequency of urination, difficulty swallowing and GI motility dysfunction.

If vagal nerve impairment is ruled out, I would focus on treating  the  liver  and  gallbladder.  The  origin  of  the  nausea must  be  assessed  such  as  gastritis,  gall  stones, cholecystitis, enlarged  liver and/or underlying gut  infections. Nausea is often caused by congested detox pathways in the liver and consequently toxic bile in the gallbladder. I also look at dysbiosis (microbial imbalance) and intestinal permeability. My intent is to increase bile production, flush the gall bladder and improve liver detoxification. Often this treatment has  to be  introduced gradually as it will cause the liver  to back up even more, increasing nausea. However, if the patient  finds the right dosage, nausea usually begins  to decrease and will disappear over time.

An underlying bacterial/fungal/parasitic infection may be contributing to the problem and must be dealt with by treating the infection with natural or prescription medicines. A  “Leaky Gut” with increased permeability due to infection causes the bacterial/fungal/parasitic endotoxins to be absorbed into theblood stream  increasing  the  filtration needs of  the  liver. It  is important  to reduce this toxic load as well  as support  the liver  and  gallbladder. Often the place to begin is the gastrointestinal  tract. Underlying infections create disturbances in the gut ecology and liver.

Dr. Elizabeth Large practices at Gordon Medical Associates, specializing in Lyme, chronic fatigue, chronic digestive, immune, and endocrine disorders. Before she began specializing in the last two years, she practiced naturopathic family medicine with children and adults. Her passion is healing complex illness through natural medicine, diet, and mind/body medicine. She offers free classes on Thursdays at GMA.

Treating Lyme Disease with Frequency Specific Microcurrent

Gordon Medical finds that Frequency Specific Microcurrent (FSM) is a very useful modality in treating Lyme disease. Patients have a lot of questions about how works, and how it can be used. FSM  is an exciting new way of treating nerve and muscle pain and many other conditions using specific frequencies and micro amperage current. The practitioner applies the current using a battery operated unit with lead wires that attach to gloves, probes, or sticky pads that are then applied to the patient’s skin. Skilled practitioners use their knowledge of specific frequencies, along with the distinctive change in tissue that happens in the body when the right frequency is used.

Treatment can be done by a practitioner in a medical office, or may be prescribed for the patient to use at home with custom programmed units. Patients should always be well hydrated before treatment in order to best conduct the current, and to have a better chance of being able to detox any toxins that are released with the treatment.

Eric Gordon, MD and Julie Galvan, CMT, recorded this informal discussion about some of the issues they see in treatment of chronic Lyme patients. It won’t answer all of your questions, but will give an idea of how it is used in this office. They, with Neil Nathan, MD, will be teaching treatment of Lyme disease with microcurrent in the advanced training for FSM practitioners on February 18, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. We will be posting clips from that conference when they get back.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Dr. Eric Gordon is the founder of  Gordon Medical Associates. What Dr. Gordon emphasizes is listening to his patients. “I believe my patients. Their description of what is going on in their body is the most accurate way we have to assess what is going on with them. I interpret the information they present, and blend it with laboratory results and imaging and other tests to determine a protocol that is customized to their condition.”

Julie Galvan, CMT – As long as I can remember, I always had an insatiable curiosity about the body.  While seeking my degree in Modern Dance, I was introduced to bodywork. Shortly, I had a long line of people waiting at lunch, seeking relief from their aches and pains.   I did everything I could imagine; all kinds of stretching, moving, imagery, and self-talk, in concert with my in depth knowledge of anatomy and how the body moves.  By the mid-90’s I discovered CranioSacral Therapy.  This set a trajectory of recognition, acknowledgment and interaction with the intelligence each body has to heal itself.  I went onward to Lymphatic Drainage, Visceral Manipulation, and recently added Neural Manipulation and The Franklin Method to my bag of tools.  If this wasn’t enough, I became inspired and intrigued with Frequency Specific Microcurrent (FSM).  I now consider it my dance partner in bodywork.  FSM’s ability to tap into the intelligence of the body in a kind, supportive way, dovetails beautifully with the work I’ve practiced for so many years now.  I am grateful to have been invited to join the team at Gordon Medical and to have the opportunity to serve this group of amazing people.

In my off time I am mostly found spending time either with my family, or at a conference studying some new approach of the body/mind/spirit continuum.

Free Education Events at Gordon Medical Associates

Free Education Events at GMA

The first two in a series of classes and talks to be held at Gordon Medical Associates on the first Thursday of each month.  Classes start February 9 at 6:30 PM.

There is limited space, so please call to reserve a spot. (707) 575-5180.   

Effective Exercise for Busy People
With Anniemieke Austin, MD
No fee
Thursday, February 9
6:30 PM

How to quickly increase your metabolism, boost growth hormone levels (essential to healthy aging), increase lung capacity and build strength in less than 30 minutes per day. The discussion will focus on Dr. Al Sears’ P.A.C.E. program, exercise research, and Dr. Austin’s personal experiences. Appropriate for all ages and fitness levels.

Dr. Austin views her roles as  a physician and that of a medical detective with excitement. The challenge to discover the underlying cause of illness and the search for answers is a privilege that she approaches with great vigor.

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Are you suffering from fatigue or wish you had more energy?
With Elizabeth Large, ND

No fee
Thursday, February 9
7:15 PM

There are many causes of low energy including thyroid, adrenal, infection, food allergies, hypoglycemia, poor sleep, malnutrition, and iron deficiency. Many can go clinically undiagnosed for years.  Come and learn the causes of low energy, the testing available and ways to improve energy using natural supplements and medication.

Dr. Elizabeth Large, ND practices at Gordon Medical specializing in Lyme, chronic fatigue, and chronic digestive, immune and endocrine disorders. Before specializing in the last 2 years, she had been  in the Bay Area for 8 years practicing at a mood disorder clinic and doing naturopathic family practice medicine.with both children and adults.Her passion is in healing complex illness through natural medicine, diet and mind/body medicine.

There is limited space, so please call to reserve a spot. (707) 575-5180.

What You Need to Know About Insulin Resistance

What you need to know about insulin resistance

Alan B. McDaniel, MD

 Why is it so hard to lose weight?  Why do I gain weight when I use nothing but stevia to sweeten my food?  Why is my cholesterol so high when I eat hardly any?  Why does everyone in my family get high blood pressure, strokes or heart attacks?  Why does my husband snore so badly when he’s not even overweight?  All these questions and more are easily answered when you understand insulin resistance.

Our ancestors faced starvation.  In ancient times, before we had cash to buy groceries; before we had canned or smoked or dried food; our “wealth” and indeed our insurance against famine was the nutrition we stored in our body fat.  In primitive societies into the present day, body fat is desirable.

At least 100.000 years ago, one of our ancestors developed a mutation, a change in his genetic program that made him more fuel efficient.  He consumed less energy and was able to store more of it, against future need.  This DNA mutation was perfect for primitive peoples and greatly enhanced their survival. This same gene mutation that protected our ancestors against famine allowed them to have more children, who were larger at birth and better able to survive.  These bigger babies grew up into larger, stronger adults and the tribe had a great competitive advantage.

This gene is now carried by 40% of all Americans.  While it gives us many gifts during bad times, it is now causing us great suffering.  Because of changes in our diet, life-style and nutrition, these “thrifty” genes are now killing us.  These genes lead to obesity, sleep apnea and diabetes; high blood pressure, kidney disease, heart attacks and stroke; polycystic ovaries (PCOS), menstrual problems and infertility; low-testosterone and in general, chronic illness, reduced quality of life, increased lifetime medical expenses and shortened life-span. Fortunately, all of these problems are preventable. Of course, all of these conditions have been known for thousands of years.  How they are all linked together was not known until Stanford’s Dr. Gerald Reaven spelled it out for us in 1988.  However, it takes new truths about 20 years to become generally known.  These lessons are old but new.

The “thrifty gene” requires the carrier to release more insulin than normal to control her blood sugar.  This is called Insulin Resistance.  Every year, she gets slightly more resistant and has to make ever more insulin to keep her blood sugar normal.  Ultimately, she may not be able to make enough insulin to overcome her resistance and her sugar goes high.  This is diabetes and it is just the tip of the iceberg.

Insulin is a hormone that is released in two phases: As soon as something sweet touches your tongue and then more when your blood sugar rises a bit later.  Insulin triggers your muscle cells to soak up great amounts of blood sugar very quickly – to this effect there is resistance.  Insulin also has many other effects on our body and there is no resistance to these effects.  As Hamlet said, “Therein lies the rub.”  Insulin is an energy-storage hormone.  Excessive insulin makes us grow excessively fat and it raises our blood fats (triglycerides and cholesterol) as well.  Oh, did you think that higher than normal amounts of insulin wouldn’t effect people who are insulin-resistant?  Well, so did doctors for years but as it happens, insulin does many things and only its blood sugar-lowering effect is blocked in insulin resistance.  There is no resistance to insulin’s effects to make us store energy as glycogen and in particular fat.

Higher-than-normal insulin levels change how our brain regulates body functions.  As a result, we get high blood pressure and make more adrenal steroids than usual, which make us fatter and raise our blood sugar.  Our daughters reach puberty earlier.  We make more stomach acid than normal and so get reflux. Excessive insulin levels mimic other hormones.  Insulin cross-reacts with Growth Hormone receptors, causing people with IR to grow larger (professional football players are nearly all IR).  Unfortunately, this also makes cancers and tumors grow more quickly.  Insulin also acts like the hormone Aldosterone, making the kidneys increase salt retention and worsening our high blood pressure.

High insulin levels directly stimulate the adrenal glands to make both adrenaline (worsening our high blood pressure) and even more steroid hormones – which further raise our blood sugar and make us fatter.  The ovaries are hit hard, causing them to make lots of cysts (PCOS) and transforming their supporting cells to actually resemble testicles.  These damaged ovaries make too much testosterone. This gender-bending doesn’t stop here.  Insulin also alters the way women and men process their sex hormones.  Overly-robust insulin levels cause women to make too much testosterone and estrogen, while losing progesterone.  They get “estrogen-dominance,” PMS, acne, facial and body hair growth and male-pattern baldness.  In contrast, insulin causes men to convert their testosterone to estrogen.  They lose muscle mass and gain abdominal fat; get breast and prostate enlargement and all the symptoms we call “low-T,” including early death.

The last bad thing we’ll look at is the role of high insulin in causing heart attacks and strokes.  Insulin is a pro-inflammatory hormone.  Research shows it damages the lining of our blood vessels in many ways.  This damage leads to narrowing and hardening of the arteries.  This in turn leads to heart attacks and strokes, as well as kidney failure, amputations and retinal disease.

Metabolic Syndrome

All this information is the fruit of research conducted in the last two decades.  Until 1988, doctors believed IR was no more than a risk factor for diabetes – they thought high blood sugar levels caused all the ills of the diabetic.  Now we know that high insulin damages our bodies for decades before diabetes develops – and indeed, may cause premature death even when blood sugar levels have never been high.

The constellation of problems caused by high insulin is called the “Metabolic Syndrome.”   Decades ago, physicians saw that people who became diabetic had a similar history.  They had been overweight with high blood triglycerides and cholesterol, high blood pressure and trouble keeping their blood sugar level for many years.  This Metabolic Syndrome is caused by IR and the effects of high insulin.  All this is preventable.

Solutions

Understanding the cause of the Metabolic Syndrome and of the problems it creates allows us to prevent them. There are four approaches to keeping us healthy: Diet, life-style, supplements and drugs/ herbs.  Our goals are to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce the need to make insulin.  That’s all it takes!

Diet

Here’s where we reduce the need to make insulin.  The best diet for IR can be described in three ways: Low-Glycemic Index; slowly-accessible glucose and low Insulinemic Index.  Let’s examine each of these briefly.

Glycemic index (GI) measures the amount of blood sugar (as glucose) a particular food gives us.  It was “invented” in 1981 as a way to help diabetics keep their blood sugar under control and reduce their insulin requirements.  It has been proven to help people with insulin-resistance, too.  Because IR is about insulin more than about blood sugar, though, the Glycemic index by itself is not sufficient.

The second important feature of a good diet for IR is “slowly-accessible glucose.”  We must understand that a healthy diet should give 40 to 50% of its calories as “slow” carbohydrates.  All carbohydrates are made of sugars, the way words on a page are made of letters.  To reduce the need for insulin, we must eat “carbs” that will release these sugars slowly.  When a person with IR eats rapidly-accessible glucose (“fast-carbs”), it is like putting gasoline into a kerosene lantern – it just makes a real mess!  “Slow-carbs” are vegetables – green, yellow, orange, red and purple.

The third feature of a healthy diet for IR is a low Insulinemic Index.  While the GI shows how much a given food raises the blood sugar, the Insulinemic Index shows how much insulin release a food will provoke.  There’s a big difference between the two!  Of course, if a healthy diet minimizes the amount of insulin we must make, it will be a low-Insulinemic Index diet, right?

Most diet studies have been performed before Insulin Resistance was understood.  Once, doctors believed only the amount of calories we eat was important for weight control.  Low-fat, calorie-restricted diets are still commonly recommended and they work for some people. Recently, researchers began to understand IR.  They have compared the calorie-restricted, low fat diets against low-GI, slow-carb and low-insulinemic index diets like the Mediterranean and Atkins diets.  For people with IR, Atkins and Mediterranean are significantly better.  Restriction of calories is not as important as what kinds of foods you eat, and how your body responds to them.

Which brings us to sweeteners: Sugar is sweet and sweets cause our body to release insulin – which makes us fat.  Our body “wants” to be fat; it is an energy savings account – so our body craves sweets and it is fun to make deposits.  Sweeteners, even natural ones like stevia, have a zero glycemic index.  They give us a nice, sweet taste without raising our blood sugar.  However, they have a high insulinemic index, just like sugar.

Now hear this: Sweeteners including stevia make us fat.  Though they give us no calories, sweeteners cause us to release insulin by a taste-reflex.  Insulin causes our body to convert our blood sugar to fat for storage – and we end up with low blood sugar.  Have you wondered why so many people carrying diet drinks also carry a bag of snacks?  They are keeping their blood sugar from dropping!

Is this possibly right?  References on file at the NIH National Library of Medicine web site “Pub Med” state that drug companies are trying to make proteins from stevia (called “steviosides”) into drugs to increase diabetics’ insulin production.  Sweeteners, even “natural” ones, make us fat and people with IR should avoid them for that reason.  If it tastes sweet on the tongue, it makes you release insulin.

Unless my patient is already diabetic or a “sugar-holic” who once started can’t quit eating it, I recommend following a careful diet for six days a week and then having a “Sabbath” day.  Eat anything you want on that day and get it out of your system – it won’t hurt you nearly as much as a little, unsatisfying “cheat” every day.  Knowing that glorious day is coming helps most people keep a good diet the rest of the week.

Lifestyle

Here, only two things are really important: Physical activity and adequate sleep.  Since our muscles are the most important organ effected by insulin resistance, it makes sense that putting them in top physical condition would be essential.  Indeed, just 30 minutes of some sort of physical activity daily greatly improves insulin sensitivity.  This effect is many times stronger than that of our best drugs and it has been proven repeatedly in research studies.

Sleep seems a peculiar association with IR but only until we realize that the lack of sleep is very stressful.  All sorts of stress worsen insulin resistance – a response our ancestors used to stay alive longer when they were sick, injured, freezing or starving.  The lack of sleep very significantly worsens insulin resistance.  It seems most adult humans need between 8 – 9 hours sleep every day to perform at their best.

Supplements

Many supplements are marketed to improve insulin sensitivity.  Some of them act like drugs (berberine and vanadium, for instance).  Chromium, however, is a nutrient that is essential to glucose uptake into our cells.  Deficiency of chromium worsens insulin resistance and supplementation has repeatedly been studied and proven to increase insulin sensitivity, even to helping diabetics control their blood sugar.  Although chromium picolinate is well-marketed, it is poorly-absorbed; at least 1,000 mcg must be taken daily.  Chromium tri-chloride is much more easily absorbed.  Biotics sells it as Aqueous Chromium; one drop (150 mcg) twice-daily is all you need – if you need it at all.  About 70% of my patients say it helps and 50% report they completely lose their sugar cravings taking it!

Drugs

If all else fails, drugs help.  Sometimes, a prescription is needed to get people “unstuck” out of the rut in which they’ve gotten caught. There are two classes of prescription drugs that can help.  Stanford’s Dr. Reaven studied the TZD (or “glitazone”) drugs and proved them useful.  The TZDs include Actos® and Avandia® and both are under withering scrutiny for causing complications.  I believe this is because they don’t “fix” the problem that causes IR; they just make changes that mitigate many ill-effects of IR and increase some “good” effects of insulin.  The down-side is that some of the bad effects of insulin may also be increased, like fluid retention and weight gain.

The second drug, metformin, seems to target the precise cause of IR (trafficking proteins that mobilize the GLUT-4 transporter in muscle and fat cells).  However, it is not very strong.  Its use has been repeatedly proven successful compared to placebo – though it may be no stronger than the herb berberine.  Metformin’s greatest advantage is that taking it should not make you fatter, as the TZD drugs can.  Harvard docs recommend using it to help significantly obese patients (BMI over 35) get “unstuck.”  Its worst side-effect is blocking the absorption of sugar in your diet, which causes gut symptoms similar to lactose intolerance.  Don’t take the metformin on your dietary-Sabbath day, OK?

Summary:

Insulin resistance is common and up to 40% of Americans carry that genetic program.  It is a great advantage for surviving hard times.  The combination of our modern diet and lifestyle with this gene has created our current epidemic of obesity, diabetes, chronic illness and premature death. Research has shown us the cause of IR.  There are many strategies for coping with this condition.  Research is beginning to show us good combinations among many that can be successful.  While medical interventions are helpful, prevention is the key.  Even the most insulin-resistant person can live a long and healthy life when he or she applies the principles we’ve outlined above.

Alan McDaniel, MD is a Board-certified Ear, Nose & Throat specialist with two sub-specialties.  His work with dizziness and allergy in the 1980s led him to seek solutions for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.  Since 2003, Dr. McDaniel has taught physicians practicing on five continents to effectively employ nutrition and hormones for this and other issues in his two-day course titled “The New Endocrinology.”  Dr. McDaniel has been working as a visiting physician at Gordon Medical throughout the past year.

Comprehensive Stress Reduction Program with Dr. Sunjya Schweig

Comprehensive Stress Reduction Program

Sunjya K. Schweig M.D.

 I am excited to announce that Gordon Medical Associates will begin offering a new Comprehensive Stress Reduction Program.

The program incorporates proven methods of reducing stress and improving health, and will teach multiple techniques for actively reducing stress.  In addition, the program will focus on specific lifestyle changes which help decrease overall stress.

In my integrative medical practice, I see a wide range of patients with complex health conditions.  With these patients, I carefully manage laboratory testing, prescription medications, dietary supplements, and nutrition.  However, it is increasingly clear that working with patients on stress reduction and relaxation techniques is critically important for overall healing.  As patients learn to manage and control stress, other treatments simply work better.

Over time, I developed the Comprehensive Stress Reduction Program to teach participants how to understand, recognize, and effectively manage stress.  The program includes over nine hours of in-person class time and online webinar meetings (see www.gotomeeting.com) where participants can learn and practice key stress management techniques.  The live webinars make it possible to meet as a group to hear and discuss information while viewing slides on one’s home computer.

The program will have a strong focus on ways in which participants can actively reduce the stress across their entire lives.  Participants will learn about the physiological and biochemical nature of stress, how it affects the body on multiple levels including critical organs like the heart and brain, as well as body systems such as the hormonal system, nervous system, and immune system.

The foundation of the program is detailed instruction on the HeartMath biofeedback system.  HeartMath is a scientifically validated biofeedback program that uses a computer to look at that heart rate and heart rate variability where one can clearly see changes associated with stress.  Participants will receive detailed instruction on the theory and practice of HeartMath biofeedback in a group setting and will be able to use a portable biofeedback device to train themselves in their home or work environment.  This system allows participants to monitor their heart rate variability and quickly learn to train themselves to achieve a heart rate variability pattern that is associated with decreased stress, increased focus, and increase overall vitality.  The benefits of this training have far-reaching effects for a wide variety of health conditions.

The live online classes will discuss the effects of diet, exercise, and sleep on stress.  Each topic will be discussed in detail with specific recommendations on how participants can adjust these areas of their life to effectively reduce their mental and physical stress.  Frequently, even small adjustments in one’s daily routine can have profound benefits for your body and can be an important part of overall healing.

Throughout the program, participants will learn a variety of quick and effective stress reducing techniques that can be used during a busy day.  My goal is to provide tools that are quick, easy, and effective that can be used while engaged in a busy life.

The Comprehensive Stress Reduction Program is a broad and detailed training program that will help you understand, recognize, and effectively manage the stress that you experience.  With these new tools you will begin to markedly improve your health and vitality.

Program Cost: $525

Class Schedule
Class Description
Brochure

Participants will receive a Super Bill with a diagnosis code for each of the in-person group visits (billed at $175 each).  You will be able to submit this bill to your insurance for reimbursement.  Actual reimbursement will depend on your individual plan.

Please contact Danielle at Gordon Medical Associates for more information:
(707) 396-5829
or
Email Danielle

Sincerely,

Sunjya K. Schweig, MD

DVDs from the Biotoxin Conference

The DVDs from the October Biotoxin Illness Conference with Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker are now available. We will be posting short preview clips on the blog. This first section is from the question and answer session, and discusses what to do when the person impacted by mold cannot leave their home, and how to clean soft items like clothing.

Gordon Medical Associates brings the finest practitioners and researchers to the Bay Area to speak on cutting edge medical concepts for both the interested public and medical practitioners. On October 22, 2011, Ritchie Shoemaker, MD and Neil Nathan, MD spoke in Santa Rosa, CA on issues of biotoxin caused illness.

Illness caused by water damaged buildings is the issue most commonly seen by Dr. Shoemaker, but biotoxic illness due to spirochetes (Lyme disease), dinoflagellates, cyanobacteria, and other toxin formers can also lead to a chronic inflammatory illness with a common symptom set, lab findings, and treatment options. the talks and resources on this DVD set will provide necessary information to diagnose the problem, treat the layers of dysregulation of the immune system, and to manage the environment to protect against further exposures.

Biotoxin Illness:
the science behind accurate diagnosis and effective treatment
Five Disc Set
$125.00
To Order
Call (707) 396-5808 or email Justin

Over nine hours of video, including a “Shoemaker for Dummies” section by Dr. Neil Nathan, plus an additional CD that contains the event Syllabus, all Power Point Presentations as PDF documents (including slides not seen during the event), and other extensive documentation to support Dr. Shoemaker’s work. Of special interest were question and answer panels with Dr. Shoemaker and the Gordon Medical physicians, providing a range of physician experience with the treatment protocols in different patient populations.