What is Functional Blood Chemistry?

It is a frustrating experience to feel absolutely terrible and have your doctor tell you that your bloodwork and all of your tests are 'normal' . This is quite common with hormonal imbalances as well as with many of the over 2,000 named autoimmune diseases (300 new classifications added every year). Often after being poked and prodded in about every way possible and everything is still 'normal' , you may be labeled with a vague diagnosis of 'fibromyalgia' or 'mitrochondrial disease'.
The reason this happens is that lab abnormal ranges are set to identify most life threatening diseases. There are many health problems that can cause you to feel so terrible, it often feels like you must be dying. These health problems may not yet be life threatening and therefore your lab tests will come back as 'normal'. A functional bloodwork analysis can be done on the same bloodwork you have done at your yearly physical, or when you are trying to figure out what is 'wrong' with you.
Functional ranges are a lot smaller than disease state ranges, and meant to identify patterns rather than diseases. In other words, the smaller ranges are used to identify weak organ systems, or areas you need to strengthen. Strengthening can be done with a number of different techniques from exercise to specific nutrition and lifestyle changes. A functional bloodwork assessment should be done by someone trained to identify patterns of bloodwork with functional deficiencies.
Eating healthy, exercise, supplements, and taking care of yourself is not covered by your health insurance (seems that would be common sense, but a lot of people need to be told). Health insurance is meant to help people who suffer from life threatening or physically debilitating diseases. I believe all health problems (life threatening or not) are best served by proper nutrition and care of your body. I try to guide patients along this path using functional blood chemistry as one of many tools. And don't worry if you want your insurance to pay for it, with a few more years of doing the same thing and expecting a different result, your body will continue down the same path and eventually your lab tests will come back abnormal. At which point your doctor is likely to recommend a drug or treatment to prevent death or debilitation not disease, and of course that is covered by your insurance.
I believe we create our own destiny by the choices we make. Or as Eleanor Powell once said, "What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God."

"I'm So Stressed Out"

If you haven't uttered those words at one point or another, please share your secret. It seems to me jobs, schedules, foods, cars, houses, and even spouses are changing more and more. Since stress can be simply defined as 'change', it is no surprise the prevalence of depression, anxiety, impulse control, and substance abuse disorders have doubled since 1945. Of course stress affects our health on a physical level as well.

I have wanted to write this blog for a while, but have struggled to put simply to words what stress looks like in your body. I believe in a holistic vision when it comes to taking care of myself, and that doesn't mean avoiding allopathic medical care. Holistic means to see the body as a whole and not as individual parts. It is as if I am looking out at an entire landscape trying to put into words what causes it to change over time. I want to just say "God only knows", but understand that many of us seek answers as to why we get sick.

Having studied a Western paradigm, I will start with what Western scientists refer to as our stress glands, the adrenals. I start here because it is quite rare to find an American with a completely normal adrenal hormone labwork. Often I see patients whose labwork consists of a single cortisol number, and tell me their doctor said their adrenals are completely normal. Well maybe they don't have adrenal cancer, but saying your adrenals are functioning normally with a single cortisol level, is like starving a diabetic then testing their blood sugar and then saying they no longer have diabetes because their blood sugar was normal. Adrenal stress causes abdominal weight gain, muscle aches, sensitivity to light, perimenopausal symptoms, fatigue, and so much more......

Regardless of whether you have high, low, or bloodsugar somewhere in between, the best thing you can do to help restore you health is ***eliminate all processed sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and MSG from your diet because all of these things can increase your cortisol levels. Increased cortisol levels will cause your blood sugar to elevate, and long term will cause diabetes, and hypothyroidsim.

Even children are under more stress today playing more sports, more homework, busier schedules, less family time, less spiritual growth, more sugar, more MSG and other food additives that cause their adrenal glands to become stressed at younger and younger ages. This causes their immune systems to become weaker, and their liver less capable of detoxifying the chemicals added into our foods (like dyes, aspartame, etc.). Both of these things cause a decrease in immunoglobin A which causes food allergies and leaky gut syndrome. So it is very important to **eliminate foods that cause allergies/sensitivities in anyone with stress for optimal health.

*Good sleep patterns are essential to maintain good cortisol levels, most people having trouble sleeping are struggling with an overworked adrenal gland. As your body struggles to make more hormones to keep everything in balance, your cholesterol levels will climb because your body needs cholesterol to make the hormones and also to respond to the inflammation indirectly caused by the increased blood sugar caused by the increased cortisol. Eventually adrenal stress will lead to altered neurotransmitter function which causes depression, anxiety and a number of emotional problems, as if you weren't stressed out enough now your stress is causing you to be more stressed.

Western and Eastern scientists alike recognize that stress effects our health. M. Emoto (a Japanese scientist) believes that when water is subjected to good or bad feelings it will change appearance; and since most of our body is composed of water, our feelings and the feelings of those we come in contact with can influence our health. During the past few weeks we have been in a time period Eastern scientists refer to as 'Mercury Retrograde' which is what us Western scientists would simply call a stressful time. I hope one day Eastern and Western scientists will be able to combine their knowledge, fitting pieces of the puzzle together so we can better see the entire landscape and not just a piece of it.

Life was a lot easier when I thought Western science had all the answers, but as my mind grows I have come to recognize life is not a small town, a country, a planet, and who knows maybe not even an entire universe. In the end, I still believe only God truly knows everything.

HOPE

It's been said that when you look at something, intentional or not, you will walk in that direction. Motivational speakers all say that to make a dream become reality, you must see it in your mind so you can walk in that direction. Before the first man ran a four minute mile it was thought to be impossible, so runners didn't see it in their minds. After the first person ran that four minute mile many more did.

Last week I overheard two older women talking about their health problems. I found myself wondering if their health problems weren't worse because they were spending so much time looking at them that they couldn't help but walk towards their problems. Then I found myself wondering what direction I was looking?

Many of my patients have been to more than ten different doctors and still seek answers. Doctors label my patients with some ill defined malady or none at all, and tell them there is no treatment, no cure, no answer. If a patient improves they are told it is probably placebo, psychosomatic, coincidental, or nothing was wrong with them in the first place; because statistically they shouldn't be getting better. As a doctor, I truly understand how easy it is to walk in the same direction as most people and believe the statistics; that a four minute mile is impossible. It is harder to believe in a reality few people see.

I find myself wondering if it is not answers my patients seek, but hope? Maybe, for some, the only real cure is to believe a four minute mile is possible.

Cholesterol - The Good Stuff

If you had a truckload of dirt dumped in your front yard because you intended to build a beautiful landscape, would it make sense to get rid of it because having it there devalued your property? So I wonder why you want to get rid of the cholesterol your body is making? Do you not know what masterpieces your body intends to create with this cholesterol?
Cholesterol is essential for creating healthy cell membranes. We need cholesterol to repair damaged tissues, from sprain/strains to heart and vessel damage. Everyday I see people healing much slower, and developing new muscle aches and pains because of the cholesterol lowering drugs they take. It is important to recognize that often cell membranes are damaged from eating too many chemicals, saturated fats, hydrogenated fats, and don't worry about eating enough cholesterol because your body will make what you need.
Cholesterol is used to create hormones like DHEA, estrogen, testosterone, cortisol, and many more. It seems logical to me that if you have hypothyroidism, andropause, perimenopause, diabetes, or any disease affecting your hormone levels that your cholesterol numbers would be a little high. It is important to remember here that many hormone imbalances are caused by eating too much sugar. Eating less sugar can definitely help lower cholesterol.
Cholesterol is used in the liver to create bile acids. Bile acids are used to break down foods in your gut, so if you have any number of gut issues your cholesterol levels can start to climb. So maybe all those antacids aren't helping you?
Cholesterol is used to convert sunlight to vitamin D. Vitamin D is one of the many miraculous creations your body intends to make with cholesterol. It helps prevent cancer, builds stronger bones, and is essential for proper immune function. I believe our bodies are the best pharmacies around, just give it what it needs and it will make what you need.
Currently 66% of adults are overweight or obese. Obesity in the United States is largely due to a poor diet resulting in cell membrane damage. Fat cells produce estrogen and cause hormonal imbalances. For a lot of people lowering cholesterol is as simple as loosing weight with a good diet and exercise program. If your cholesterol level is high but your triglyceride level is low it is unlikely you will lower your cholesterol with diet and exercise, so look deeper to discover what your body is making with that cholesterol.
If you find yourself on cholesterol lowering medication and wondering what your alternatives are, I would suggest reading the books below. I would never suggest going off any medication without consulting your doctor first.

NOTE: recommended reading "The Great Cholesterol Con" by Dr. Malcolm Kendrick (my favorite); and "Heart Disease, What Your Doctor Won't Tell You" by Rodger Murphee

Looking Forward to Health Care Reform

If there is such a thing as the best time and place to ever have lived, I think I've lived it. As a kid I never met anyone with cancer, or anyone who contracted a fatal disease like small pox, tuberculosis or yellow fever. Everyone who was capable of working did, and there was enough money left over to take care of those who couldn't. It seemed anything was possible in a world bursting with abundance.
Then a couple years ago while raising money to help families with critically ill children, I had to take off my rose tinted glasses. It seemed increasingly more and more families were struggling with critically ill family members. Sixty one percent of bankruptcies in the United States are now due to medical expenses. People are struggling just to take care of their own families.
Often I would make dietary suggestions like cutting back on sugar and eliminating all foreign chemicals like msg, food dyes, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated fats, and basically anything made in a lab. Most of the time they would try it for a while and then say if it wasn't guaranteed to fix them they just weren't going to follow through. Sometimes I would suggest someone try exercise, therapy, acupuncture, herbs, and/or manipulation before they resorted to drugs or surgery for non-life threatening ailments. Many times I heard, "I can't because my insurance doesn't pay for that, and it's too expensive".
I believe health care reform is not creating a society that expects to be taken care of, but creating a society that takes responsibility for their own health. There are two types of people who take responsibility for their own health.
The first group of people are those who have gone to the doctor (usually several), did what the doctor told them, and did not get any better. These people often become desperate for answers and willing to try just about anything to feel better. This group of people either grow resentful of "a system that doesn't work", or become part of the next group.
The second group of people are those who don't expect someone else to fix them. This group includes people who do everything within their own ability to maintain good health. They usually research any herb, drug, or new food they plan to put into their bodies. They wouldn't go have surgery unless there was no other viable option, and will research all possibilities. They do not expect their doctor to fix them, but to offer guidance.
Some people take care of themselves naturally, while others do so because of their circumstances. People who do not have insurance will often research alternatives because they are less expensive. People who live in countries with socialized medicine often take more responsibility for their own health because they have to wait for months and sometimes years before a procedure will be covered by their national health care. And most obvious of all, if you become unhealthy you usually try to live healthier.
I believe our health care today is much like an American child who gets upset because they only own a single pair of new shoes. In many other countries a child would feel blessed and grateful beyond words to own a single pair of used shoes. So many children in America leave their old shoes lay behind, because they have or can easily get another pair. I look forward to the day when people take care of their health before it goes bad, because they realize we only have a single pair of shoes to take care of. The best made shoes come from someone who creates that great shoe from their own need. Sometimes we have to lose what we have to appreciate it.

Sugar Cramps

Halloween had to be one of my favorite holidays growing up. The next day grandpa would warn me about "sugar cramps" when I would sit down to eat my entire collection of treats in a single sitting. Mom and dad thought if I got sick from eating so much sugar all at once, that I would "learn my lesson"and no longer crave sugar. The next day I always felt bad, but figured a little more sugar would fix me up. If there was such a thing as sugaraholoics anonymous, I could be their poster child.
If you think healthy choices come easily to me, maybe you didn't know about my secret little addiction. I am a sugar addict, and it has been 30 years since I drank my last soda. I tried chromium, gymnema, B vitamins and anything people told me would curb my cravings for sugar. For me the only thing that worked was a strong will to be healthy.
I didn't want the headaches I suffered from because my blood sugar dropped or spiked. I didn't want the hormonal problems I developed because of the stress sugar put on my adrenals, which help to maintain balance between all of your hormones. I didn't want yeast infections and stomach problems. I didn't want sore muscles and joints caused by the increased inflammation secondary to sugar consumption. I didn't want to get sick every time someone around me was sick because sugar compromises my immune system. I didn't want to get diabetes like my grandmother. I didn't want the kidney, heart, gall bladder and liver problems she developed because of her diabetes. It came down to a simple choice, did I want to be healthy or eat sugar?
It is probably a good thing that I made the decision to be healthy back when the only sugar substitute that existed was saccharin which everyone knew tasted nasty and caused cancer. I could have easily cross addicted into using the chemical substances of aspartame (Nutrasweet) and sucralose (Splenda) which seem to be even less healthy than sugar. These chemicals have been linked not only to cancer but to neurological diseases, birth defects, fibromyalgia, and a never ending list of new complaints. I grew up in the "say no to drugs" era when chemicals foreign to our body weren't typically added into our foods.
Occasionally I do fall off the wagon. I'd love to blame Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia, but have to admit that I've fallen victim to other gluten free sugary temptations as well. I am no longer so far gone that I don't feel those "sugar cramps" or deny that sugar causes my body and health to deteriorate. I recognize the extensive health problems sugar can cause for not just diabetics, but to me and everyone. May God grant me the strength to chose wisely.

Looking at the World through Healthier Eyes

Grandpa's laugh growled like an engine revving up, and I can remember laughing with him watching his big Santa belly shake. Through his black framed bottle cap lenses, dad would smile at us revealing his missing front tooth. They were the most handsome men in the world, at least to me. Can you remember far enough back when everything and everyone in your life was beautiful? Do you remember how good that felt?
Feeling good is about being healthy physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Physically, I think most people know what to do (or not to do) to be healthy. It is easy to look at a morbidly obese person, or see an alcoholic or drug addict sleeping homeless on the street and shake our heads wondering how they could do that to themselves. But as healthy as I live, I recognize that I have my own weaknesses and do not always make the right choices. I know the only difference between me and that drug addict is the ability to control my choices. In a world where biochemically engineered products marketed as food (sometimes deceptively as healthy food) that is less expensive, often addictive, and more accessible than real healthy food - it can be difficult to make the right choices. I know there are many factors that can contribute to poor choices when it comes to our physical health.
Emotionally, I wonder if the increasing amount of antidepressants being prescribed is a result of not understanding the effect our emotional health has on us physically? or not wanting to attempt to cure what ails us physically by working on the emotional aspect? Emotional health comes from understanding that I am beautiful, and appreciating everyone and everything in my life; the good for just that, and the bad for what I can learn from it.
Spiritually comes from understanding that the world and life is not about me, but about discovering the purpose God intended for me. As I grow older, I have come to believe that although our bodies and minds may begin to deteriorate with the normal aging process, our spirituality can grow if we so choose. We can grow to see the world through God's eyes; and see beauty in everything and everyone.