How Nasal Irrigation Can Help Relieve Colds, Allergies, And Sinus Congestion
Anyone looking for an all-natural, holistic way to help relieve the symptoms of painful allergies, troublesome colds, and regular sinus congestion, should be interested in nasal irrigation. Nasal irrigation has been growing in popularity, and the basic principle behind it is simple.
Using a simple device such as the popular Neti Pot, or another specialized device such as a squeezable bottle, a warm, slightly saline solution of water is poured into the nose and through the sinus cavity.
This solution can help cleanse the cilia of the nose of thick mucus, remove crusting caused by dry air or colds, and clear the nasal passages of debris and pollen which can irritate the nose and cause allergic symptoms.
Is Nasal Irrigation Effective?
Though nasal irrigation has been growing in popularity, there are some naysayers who claim that it is ineffective. However, this is not true – nasal irrigation has been proven by multiple studies to be a safe and effective way of fighting issues like colds, allergies, and chronic sinus congestion.
A systematic review of available scientific studies showed that routine nasal irrigation was especially effective at:
- fighting allergic rhinitis,
- improving symptoms,
- reducing the need for medication, and
- improving quality of life.
Another randomized, controlled trial performed on adults with chronic sinus/nasal symptoms showed similar results, with patients reporting symptom improvements of up to 60% after eight weeks when using a low-saline solution and an appropriate low-pressure device.
The science is clear – nasal irrigation, whether through a low-pressure device such as a squeezable bottle or a Neti Pot, is an effective way to combat allergies, sinusitis, and much more.
Tips for Successful Nasal Irrigation
Looking to try nasal irrigation? Follow these tips to successfully use nasal irrigation techniques, and relieve painful symptoms of allergies, sinusitis, colds, and more!
- Choose the right product – For those who are seeking a traditional method of nasal irrigation, a Neti Pot is a great choice. These pots have been traditionally used by yogis in India for millennia.For others who seek a more modern form of nasal irrigation, squeeze bottles are a good choice – these specialized products apply gentle pressure through a tube, and are often a better option for those with severe allergies and sinusitis.
- Don’t use tap water – Nasal irrigation with tap water can be dangerous – leading to potentially deadly viral infections from meningitis and Naegleria fowleri amoebas.Distilled water is a better choice for nasal irrigation, though tap water can be used if it’s boiled and treated with specialized, non-iodized salt.
- Use specialized nasal irrigation salts – Salts that have been specially designed for nasal irrigation are required for optimal performance. Substances like iodine can lead to allergic reactions, decreasing the efficacy of the nasal irrigation regimen. For this reason, salts that are free of iodine and other contaminants are preferred when using nasal irrigation devices.
These simple tips will be helpful to anyone who is looking to take advantage of the health benefits of nasal irrigation.
Try Nasal Irrigation Today – Enjoy Holistic, Natural Relief!
Anyone suffering from allergies, sinusitis, or a cold should try nasal irrigation immediately. It’s safe, effective, and proven to be helpful – making it a fantastic choice for anyone who needs relief, but is wary of pharmaceutical products or over-the-counter medications.
Once you try nasal irrigation you may decide to make it part of your regular daily hygiene. It’s just as effective today as it was when it was first practiced by Hindu yogis in India thousands of years ago – and is proven to be helpful in relieving many painful or annoying nasal symptoms.
LiveO2 Can Save Your Life
In this podcast, Tom Butler explains the concept of super-oxygenation and how different parts of the body have priority for oxygenation.For many reason, certain body systems may be deficient in oxygen for extended periods of time,leading ultimately to dysfunction and then disease.
The interviewer and host, Stephan Spencer, first experienced the benefits of LiveO2 at a health conference. At the conference, he met Kristen who was demonstrating the equipment and explained how LiveO2 gave her back her life. Listen to this podcast to hear her powerful testimonial about her LIFE-SAVING experience with LiveO2.
How to Boost Your Body & Brain: the Optimized Geek Podcast
Tom Butler, VP and Partner at LiveO2, was interviewed by the folks at Optimized Geek Podcast. The podcast focuses on different tips, tricks, and ways to help reboot your life. Click on the player above to hear Tom Butler talk about the science behind super-oxygenation!
Heartmath Tools for Emotional Management
The Heart's Intuitive Intelligence - a path to personal, social, and global coherence
During consultations with patients about their heart rate variability we discuss the phenomena called coherence. The following video is a wonderful introduction about coherence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdneZ4fIIHE&feature=youtu.be
What are the core components of Heartmath?
1. Heart Focus:
Focus your attention in the area of your heart. If this sounds confusing, try this: Focus on your right big toe and wiggle it. Now focus on your right elbow. Now gently focus in the center of your chest, the area of your heart. (Most people think the heart is on the left side of the chest, but its really closer to the center, behind the breastbone.)
You may want to put your hand over your heart to help you keep your focus there. If your mind wanders, just keep shifting your attention back to the area of your heart while you do Heart Breathing and Heart Focus.
2. Heart Breathing:
As you focus on the area of your heart, imagine your breath is flowing in and out through that area. This helps your mind and energy to stay focused in the heart area and your respiration and heart rhythms to synchronize. Breathe slowly and gently in through your heart (to a count of five or six) and slowly and easily out through your heart (to a count of five or six).
Do this until your breathing feels smooth and balanced, not forced. You may discover that it's easier to find a slow, easy rhythm by counting "one thousand, two thousand," rather than "one, two." Continue to breathe with ease until you find a natural inner rhythm that feels good to you.
3. Heart Feeling:
Continue to breathe through the area of the heart. As you do so, recall a positive feeling, a time when you felt good inside, and try to re-experience it. This could be a feeling of appreciation or care toward a special person or a pet, a place you enjoyed, or an activity that was fun. Allow yourself to feel this good feeling of appreciation or care.
If you can't feel anything, it's okay; just try to find the attitude of appreciation or care. Once you found it, try to sustain the attitude by continuing your Heart Focus, Heart Breathing, and Heart Feeling.
Heartmath Tools & Resources
- Neutral Tool (CLICK HERE)
- Quick Coherence Tool (CLICK HERE)
- Attitude Breathing Technique (CLICK HERE)
- Depletion to Renewal Plan (CLICK HERE)
- Heart Lock-In Technique (CLICK HERE)
- Personal Practice Log (CLICK HERE)
The Intestinal Barrier: Gateway to a Healthy Immune System
Bacteria, viruses, fungi, man-made toxins, and natural toxins are everywhere.
They are in food, air, and water. Bacteria and viruses can be transferred by specific vectors like ticks and mosquitos. There is no place to escape. Nevertheless, the human body is equipped to handle these ubiquitous influences because of the barriers to entry into the body.
The most obvious barrier is the skin. Seven layers of epithelial cells are stacked and closely knit together by proteins called keratins. The lining of the intestinal tract has a barrier. The lungs have a barrier. And just in case something gets through these three gateways, there is a blood-brain barrier.
The gut barrier is one of the three functions of digestion. As an analogy, if you thrust your fist into a balloon, the outside skin becomes the inside skin. In between the inside skin and the outside skin is air. The air represents your body. Accordingly, when you ingest something it is technically not in your body until it crosses the barrier.
The gut barrier is composed of a thin lining of mucous over a single layer of epithelial cells, the same cells that comprise the skin. Between each cell is a zipper-like protein that is called the tight junction. When the tight junction is broken, the gut barrier is compromised. This condition is referred to as intestinal permeability or sometimes “leaky gut”.
It is estimated that seventy percent of the immune system is located in the gut.
There is a constant, enormity of activity from destroying and eliminating bacteria, fungus, and viruses. Undigested proteins from foods are recognized as viral proteins and treated as such by the gut immune system. The gut environment is a fine balance of inflammation and repair. Sometimes the influences overwhelm the immune defenses or the immune system overreacts, creating a chronic inflammatory environment. The overburdened immune system cannot prevent damage to the intestinal lining, an important barrier to the body and vital organs. Once past the gut barrier, the body or somatic immune system reacts vigilantly to the same bacteria, viruses, fungi, man-made and natural toxins. Bear in mind that the immune system is finite so without the gut barrier the somatic immune system can be easily overwhelmed. When the immune system cannot keep up with the chronic invasion, symptoms begin to develop. A compromised gut barrier is the very beginning of many symptoms, syndromes, and diseases.
Intestinal permeability is correlated with autoimmune diseases, headaches, insomnia, lyme disease, and psychological conditions including anxiety, depression, neurosis, and schizophrenia.
In its 2005 Report on Progress in Autoimmune Diseases Research the research committee stated “while many diseases (autoimmune) are rare, collectively they affect 14.0 to 23.5 million people in this country.” To put this into context, cancer affects about 12 million people and heart disease affects approximately 18 million people. Yet autoimmune diseases are more prevalent than cardiovascular diseases and cancer combined. In a 2011 study, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences estimates that “more than 32 million people in the United States have autoantibodies”. The 2005 report goes on to say “More than 80 human diseases are due at least in part to an inappropriate immune system response that results in damage to an individual’s organs, tissues, or cells. Autoimmune diseases can affect any part of the body, and have myriad clinical manifestations that can be difficult to diagnose. At the same time, autoimmune diseases share many features related to their onset and progression. In addition, overlapping genetic traits enhance susceptibility to many of the diseases, so that a patient may suffer from more than one autoimmune disorder, or multiple autoimmune diseases may occur in the same family.”
Some of the more commonly named autoimmune diseases are Psoriasis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, Hepatitis, Sjogren’s Syndrome, Lupus, and Multiple Sclerosis. At the core of these diseases is a hypervigilant immune system that attacks its own tissue because the tissue resembles a virus or other protein with which the immune system had an experience. This is called molecular mimicry and is an important understanding of the cause of autoimmune diseases. It is the undigested proteins, viruses, bacteria, fungus, and other environmental influences that pass through the compromised gut barrier and are attacked by the somatic immune system. The somatic immune system is on guard against any cell that even looks like the trespasser, including one’s own tissue and cells.
In a condition of intestinal permeability, the somatic immune system is overwhelmed and can barely keep up with the onslaught of influences, especially when it is confronted with the stealth bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria implicated with Lyme disease. Lyme disease is the symptom picture associated with an overwhelmed immune system combined with an unidentified autoimmune disease. Many of the psychological conditions, as well as insomnia, are part of chronic Lyme disease. Despite a multitude of physical and psychological symptoms, Lyme disease is the manifestation of leaky gut.
Once it is recognized, intestinal permeability can be repaired. First, remove the source of chronic inflammation. Then nourish the epithelial cells so they may replicate and develop new tight junctions.
We are proud to offer our own digestion solution products! You can view them here or by going to the FAM Dispensary. We offer the following product to help with intestinal permeability.Once the gut barrier is restored, the somatic immune system will rebalance itself and hyperactivity will subside.
Probiotics:
There are over 400 species and thousands of strains of bacteria that are supposed to inhabit the lower intestines and colon.
These 400+ species are collectively called probiotics, which means “for life”, and were initially discovered in the early 1900’s. These bacteria have many roles in good health such as making short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), polyamines, vitamins, antioxidants, and amino acids. Another function, especially in the case of Lactobacillus species, is to prevent food from decay, preserve antioxidants and vitamins, remove toxins and keep pathogenic organisms at bay. A third and major role of probiotics is to maintain proper immune function. Among the various effects on the immune system, a specific action is to stimulate the action of white blood cells like the macrophages, natural killer cells, monocytes, and neutrophils.
When buying a probiotic, you want a multi-strain product called “broad spectrum”. It should have at least 8 different types of probiotic bacteria. Avoid supplements with fillers or preservatives. The probiotic formula should be designed to by-pass the stomach and deliver essential bacteria to the lower intestines. Extended periods of elevated temperatures will diminish the viability of the organisms. Therefore, probiotics should be kept refrigerated and used immediately.
References
http://www.agingsociety.org/agingsociety/pdf/heart.pdf
http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/CancerBasics/cancer-prevalence
Progress in Autoimmune Disease Research, National Institutes of Health The Autoimmune Diseases Coordinating Committee, Report to Congress, March 2005.
Turner J. Intestinal mucosal barrier function in health and disease. Nature Reviews/Immunology 9: 799-809, 2009.
Fasano, A. Zonulin and Its Regulation of Intestinal Barrier Function: The Biological Door to Inflammation, Autoimmunity, and Cancer. Physiol Rev 91:151-175, 2011.
Fasano, A. Mechanisms of Disease: the role of intestinal barrier function in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal autoimmune diseases. Gastroenterology & Hepatology 2; 416-422, 2005.
Oldstone, M. Molecular mimicry and immune-mediated disease. FASEB J. 12, 1255-1265. 1998.
Satoh M et al. Prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of antinuclear antibodies in the United States. Arthritis and Rheumatism. doi:10.1002/art.3438
Alternative to Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatments
Athletes and Hyperbaric Oxygen
Over the past few months there have been news reports about athletes who are using hyperbaric oxygen chambers to support recovery from their day to day regimens of intense training and competition. As a avid tennis fan I found a newsworthy article in the Wall Street Journal about Novak Djokovic and other players at the 2015 Australian Open.
Recently, Family and Environmental Medicine has brought another similar yet more effective oxygen treatment i
nto our clinic called Oxygen Multistep Therapy (also known as Exercise with Oxygen Therapy or EWOT). It is quicker, deeper, and ultimately more effective because of the pumping action of the lungs, heart, and cardiovascular system. While hyperbaric treatments are typically 60 – 120 minutes, Oxygen Multistep Therapy takes only 15 minutes while riding a stationary cycle and breathing 75% - 90% oxygen. During this time we monitor heart rate, intensity, and oxygen saturation. The treatment is very safe and is available to anyone who is able to exercise.
EWOT is Anti-Aging and Longevity Medicine
Oxygen is the necessary material that every cell in the body uses to make energy efficiently. If oxygen doesn’t reach the tissue, diffuse into the fluids, then shuttled into the cell, energy efficiency is disrupted. When energy is inefficient the function of cells declines. It is well-established that by 50 years old, a person is absorbing about 50% of the oxygen that was available during their 20’s. This decline in oxygen absorption leads to many diseases as well as aging. Oxygen Multistep Therapy reestablishes oxygen absorption and is well-established as an “anti-aging” therapy (I like to call it aging gracefully).
Here is a short video that explains inflammation and poor oxygenation of tissues:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2a2azCm07o&feature=youtu.be
Exercise with Oxygen Treatments
Treatments: The patient’s treatment plan is thirteen 15-minute sessions, either once or twice weekly. The total cost of the treatment plan is $975.00. Therefore, the average cost per session is $75.00. Additional sessions after the initial treatment plan will be charged at $75.00 per session. The payments will be cash or credit only, i.e., no insurance reimbursements.
The treatments do not include the cost of oxygen mask, oxygen hose, and supplements. These costs will be charged separately. After the first session, the oxygen mask is required to be purchased. While certain supplements are recommended they are not required.
Family and Environmental Medicine help patients with Holistic Solutions that support health and well-being. Dr Gary Gruber provides private appointments for patients from around the country who seek health and healing with Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The majority of patients are from the local area of southern Fairfield County (including Greenwich CT, Stamford CT, Darien CT, Norwalk CT, New Canaan CT, Wilton CT), Westchester County, NY, NYC, and Northern NJ. For personal questions about Exercise with Oxygen Therapy, please contact us at (203) 966-6360.
LiveO2 is Exercise with Oxygen Therapy (EWOT)
Oxygen Multistep Therapy
Manfred von Ardenne (1907 - 1997) was a brilliant scientist and inventor. As a medical researcher he discovered a very important mechanism of the human aging process. Along with his discovery he was able to develop a therapy that effectively reversed this mechanism with a corresponding cure to many chronic illnesses. In his textbook, Oxygen Multistep Therapy, he described the results of years of testing his theory along with the chronic conditions that the therapy cured: Erectile dysfunction, arteriosclerosis, hypertension, hypotension, and other circulatory disorders.
He found that there was a common condition whereby the capillary beds were swollen, narrowed, and thicken thereby reducing blood flow, increasing blood viscosity and oxygen delivery to the tissues (see Anti Aging Medicine Exercise with Oxygen). He called this condition the Cellular Wall Switching Mechanism. He also discover that this condition was reversible. This condition is always present in the aging process but may also occur with:
- Infection
- Cancer
- Trauma
- Toxicity
- Low pH (acid)
- Allergic reactions
- Low and high blood pressure
- Anesthesia
- Noise
- Hormones
- Poor nutrition and diet
Dr von Ardenne’s oxygen multistep therapy was studied and applied to reverse this switching mechanism.
The basic therapy was to have a patient exercise while breathing oxygen. The protocol was typically 18-days for 2 hours each day. First the patient took some nutrients (magnesium and thiamin) that enhanced the utilization of oxygen for energy production. After 30 minutes, the patient began to exercise (using a stationary bicycle or treadmill) while breathing oxygen through a mask with a storage balloon at a flow rate of four to six liters per minute.
Every 20 minutes the patient pushed his exercise capacity for two minutes to the aerobic target heart rate which increased cardiac output as well as oxygen delivery to hypoxic areas. After 36 hours of oxygen multistep therapy, the patient’s switching mechanism was generally found to be reversed.
Dr von Ardenne also used a modified protocol where the patient exercised at the target heart rate for 15 minutes at an oxygen flow rate of 10 liters per minute. This quick treatment protocol has been used extensively throughout the United States and Europe and is referred to as Exercise with Oxygen Therapy (EWOT).
LiveO2 is Exercise with Oxygen Therapy (EWOT)
The LiveO2 advanced delivery system is the latest and most improved technology for EWOT at this time. The advantage over other basic EWOT systems is the Altitude Contrast mechanism.
The human body is so programmed for survival such that when there is any change in oxygen concentration levels that there is an immediate physiological response to preserve the most important organs and systems. For example, when a person flies from New York at sea level to Denver at one-mile above sea level, the respiratory system is immediately challenged by the reduction of barometric pressure and oxygen concentration. This results is several changes to the respiratory and cardiovascular systems.
The carotid bodies are specialized cells that are located in the carotid artery that signal the brain that there is lower oxygen levels in the blood that is traveling into the brain. In response,
- The brain sends a signal to increase the rate of breathing and constrict vessels in the lung
- The brain sends a signal to increase the heart rate
- The brain sends a signal to dilate peripheral circulation to arms, legs, hands, feet, and head
Knowing these physiological changes occur rapidly, we can take advantage of it to provide enhanced EWOT. We can do this with the LiveO2 Altitude Contrast Mechanism. It is enhanced because the physiological change from Altitude Contrast are likened to opening the flood gates to allow massive infusion of oxygen into the tissues.
The LiveO2 Altitude Contrast Mechanism allows the patient to go from sea level to approximately 19,000 feet (and back again) by the flip of a switch. With the fast change in a patient’s altitude physiology oxygen uptake is significantly increases along with the resulting impact on energy production to the neurological, hormonal, immunological communication systems of the body as well as the high energy organs such as: brain, heart, muscles, liver, kidneys, and eyes.
Anti-Aging Medicine is Exercise with Oxygen
Botox Injections and Collagen Therapy are not Anti-Aging Medicine in Fairfield County
As a naturopathic physician for over 12 years I am always researching to find and implement new therapies that generate health and healing for our patients. The current state of anti aging medicine consists of hormone replacement therapy, laser treatments, botox injections, and collagen therapy. This type of anti-aging medicine reminds me of the Saturday Night Live skit: “Its not how you feel but how you look, and you look marvelous….” Skip to the following video to watch an anti-aging presentation by Dr Gary Gruber:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT07CewOIh4
In this article we are going to explore one of the most important causes of physical aging and a therapy that effectively reverses the mechanism of aging.
What is Aging?
Aging is a complex process of changes in biological systems that results in progressive decline in function and degeneration of one or more physical systems of the body.
Changes are observable as well as experienced: Changes in sensory experiences such as vision, hearing, taste, and smell. Changes in the skin and joints; changes in sleep patterns; changes in urinary and sexual function, changes in cognition and mood. Cardiovascular changes (heart, veins and arteries) and neurological (neuropathies and dementias).
Many people are told by their doctor that their symptoms are just the result of getting older, as though it should be accepted as fact. And while some people will buy into the getting-old program and stereotypes, others will look for alternatives to aging that reverse the signs and symptoms.
Cause of Aging is Lack of Biochemical Energy
What is the underlying cause of physical aging. Can the mechanism be reversed?
When we consider all of the factors that influence the aging process, there is one factor that consistently declines throughout life … Energy!
We progressively lose the vitality of youth. All biological functions require energy and lots of it. Biological functions including metabolism, regeneration, digestion, respiration, locomotion, cognition, immune, neurological, hormonal, ALL require energy. To get energy we have to make it. It requires nutrients and oxygen.
It is possible for cells throughout the body to make energy without oxygen. But the process, called anaerobic respiration is inefficient and results in a net loss of biochemical energy. Anaerobic respiration results in two molecules of energy or ATP but after considering the removal of waste products from the body which also requires energy, there is a net loss of four molecules of ATP.
On the other hand in the presence of oxygen, that is called aerobic respiration, the cells make in excess of 30 molecules of ATP energy for each molecule of glucose, fat, or protein.. Aerobic energy production is efficient and effective and is the source of youthful vitality. Oxygen is the critical factor. Without sufficient quantities of oxygen cells make energy inefficiently. Yet with every breath there is a vast supply of oxygen so why aren’t cells always making energy aerobically. It is because the delivery system has changed over the years.
It is well understood that the body fluids of a 50 year old contain less than 50% of the dissolved oxygen than the same person at 25 years old. In order for the cells to get oxygen, the oxygen must be dissolved in the fluids that surround the cells. This fluid, predominately water is outside of the vascular system, the system that carries the oxygen-rich red blood cells.
The fluid of the body is like a fish tank. Suppose you fill a tank with 10 gallons of water and put a dozen goldfish in the tank. What happens after a week?
The water gets murky is depleted of oxygen and the fish die. To prevent this condition you either need to replace the oxygen-depleted water or add a bubbler system that creates turbulence in the water. It is the turbulence that is necessary for oxygen to be dissolved in the water.
In the human body the only way to create turbulence in the fluids, like a fish tank, is to engage your own pump, the heart. We do this through exercise. When the heart rate is sustained above 110 beats per minute, or greater, such as a cardiovascular workout, the turbulence is created that promotes oxygen to dissolve into the body fluids.
Oxygen is not dissolved in blood but rather it is attached to hemoglobin within the red blood cells. But remember, the oxygen must dissolve in the fluids in order to be picked up by the cells.
However, as we age, inflammation of the capillaries prevents oxygen from dissolving into the tissues. Here is how it happens: In order for the oxygen to be stripped off the red blood cell, each red blood cell, one by one, must pass through the tip of the smallest vessel in the vascular system, the capillary. If the red blood cell by-passes the tips of the capillaries, the oxygen is not stripped off and does not dissolve into the fluid.
Advanced Oxygen Multistep Anti Aging Therapy in Fairfield County
There is only one effective way to reverse inflammation of the capillaries: oxygen multistep therapy. Oxygen Multistep Therapy was first developed by Manfred von Ardenne, a German physicist in 1987 after years of research into the question of how to maintain good health in older age. Since then hundreds of clinics throughout Europe have reversed or slowed aging using this simple therapy of combining oxygen while exercising.
In 2016 Family and Environmental Medicine became the first clinic on the east coast of the United States to offer patients the most advanced system for oxygen multistep therapy, a system called LiveO2. This advanced system that uses altitude contrast therapy has been clinically demonstrated to be more effective in LESS TIME than traditional oxygen multistep therapy, exercise with oxygen therapy, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. In addition to reversing and slowing the effects of aging, LiveO2 has been effective in our clinic in treating chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, high blood pressure, chronic lymphatic congestion, chronic infections and chronic Lyme disease.
Anti Aging in Fairfield County CT and Surrounding Local Areas
Family and Environmental Medicine help patients with Holistic Solutions that support health and well-being. Dr Gary Gruber provides private appointments for patients from around the country who seek health and healing with Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The majority of patients are from the local area of southern Fairfield County (including Greenwich CT, Stamford CT, Darien CT, Norwalk CT, New Canaan CT, Wilton CT), Westchester County, NY, NYC, and Northern NJ. For personal questions about anti aging therapy and LiveO2, please contact us at (203) 966-6360.
Removing Obstacles as Treatment for Chronic Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is typically associated with a bacterial infection from a tick bite.
Most people do not even notice the tick bite or a rash. Nevertheless, the typical treatment for eliminating the infection is one or more treatments with antibiotics. Unfortunately, in the majority of cases that see in our office, antibiotics make the condition worse.
Chronic Lyme is NOT merely a bacterial infection. The underlying condition of chronic lyme disease is that the immune system is overwhelmed and dysfunctional.
https://youtu.be/euEUOK-i0Gk
In most cases a patient’s immune system is not suppressed or deficient. But rather, the immune system is simultaneously hyperactive and hypoactive.
For example, a patient with chronic lyme may have seasonal allergies and food sensitivities indicating an over-active immune system. At the same time there may be sinus infections, frequent colds, enlarged lymph glands and strep throat suggesting an under-active immune system. Once the symptoms progress further a hyperactive patient may be diagnosed with an autoimmune condition such as Rheumatoid arthritis, MS, Fibromyalgia, or Lupus. Likewise, the hypoactive immune system may result in cardiovascular disease or cancer.
Yet the two MOST important questions that you can ask are:
- What can I do that will change and improve my health?
- What is the cause of all this immune system dysfunction?
The answers to ALL your questions may be found in understanding this very basic principle of natural healing.
REMOVING the obstacles is the fundamental action that allows your body to naturally find balance and healing.
Obstacles are hurdles or blocks to healing your chronic lyme. All obstacles have a direct or indirect influence on the immune system because they are a source of stress. Any stress on the body may influence the immune system and become an obstacle to healing. In order to heal Chronic Lyme Disease the obstacles must be removed.
10 CATEGORIES - TOTAL LOAD
There are 10 categories of stressors or influences:
- Infections: epstein barr virus, herpes virus, bacteria such as borrelia burgdorfi, parasites such as candida and giardia. Normal gut flora that has become imbalance. This category also includes chronic low level focal infections from root canals, periodontal disease and tooth extractions.
- Man-made chemicals: This category includes things such as paint thinners, pesticides, herbicides, pharmaceutical drugs and heavy metals like lead, mercury, and cadmium..
- Lifestyle: Smoking, drinking alcohol, recreational drugs. Little or no exercise, lack of fresh air, lack of sunshine, poor diet, pregnancy
- Physical Structure: This category includes biomechanical problems like scoliosis or TMJ. Obstructions of the airway. Scar tissue from trauma or surgery.
- Physiology: Poor absorption of nutrients, an acidic diet, too much protein protein or too little fatty acids, food allergies and sensitivities, disturbed circadian rhythms.
- Natural toxins: These are toxins that are produced and released by some very common molds and fungus.
- Biological inhalants: molds and seasonal pollens
- Physical phenomena: Electromagnetic fields, microwaves, and ionizing radiation
- Hormones: This category includes imbalances of steroidal hormones such as cortisol, DHEA, Testosterone and Estrogens. Multiple stressors also suppresses Thyroid hormone, the regulator of metabolism.
- Emotional/Spiritual: There is substantial clinical evidence that this category is the most important contributor to chronic Lyme. Post traumatic stress disorder, unconscious guilt and conflicts, experiential stress. How you are with the world: angry vs forgiving, fearful vs letting go.
Obstacles to healing may be directly influencing the balance of your immune system or they may be influencing your health in some other way and indirectly stressing your health by creating a TOTAL LOAD.
It is never just one stressor but a combination. In some cases a few stressors may influence other stressors that creates what seems to be the never ending cycle. Since each person is unique, personal investigation is necessary to uncover the obstacles that are influencing the immune system and REMOVE them from the TOTAL LOAD.
SUMMARY
- There are ten broad categories of influences or stressors and each category contain multiple obstacles to healing.
- Each category should be investigated. In our clinic we use diagnostic tools like Regulation Thermography and 24-hour heart rate variability. These tools help us understand a patient’s unique immune system dysfunction and tailor personalized and prioritized treatment plans that may be periodically assessed for effectiveness.
- Take control and be proactive. Methodically Remove the Obstacles to Healing.
Importance of Detoxing during the Holiday Season
Everyone knows it’s hard to resist the tempting treats and libations that come along with holiday celebrations.
After each meal or party, we vow not to indulge at the next party. We eventually give up altogether and are back at square one. If you are having a hard time sticking to your diet over the holiday season, you are not alone. So, how do you detox after holiday festivities? Follow these simple detox tips and you will be on track and ready to achieve your nutrition and fitness goals come January 1st.
- You will feel better
- You will lose weight
- You will reduce cravings
- You can reduce or eliminate food sensitivities
- You will give your body a well-needed rest so that it may repair itself
Detoxing after overindulgence
- Hydrate – water flushes out toxins as well as prevents problems from dehydration such as headaches due to overindulging
- Start taking probiotics – They will help to improve the digestion of ll of those holiday meals
- Deep Breathing – relaxing the body and mind and getting your metabolism back on track to counteract the cortisol production due to stress during the holidays
- A good night’s sleep – It will keep you energized which will keep your cravings at bay. You won’t be looking for a quick cookie fix to boost your energy
- Watch what you drink – sugary drinks, including coffee sodas and eggnog are worse than sugary food because they go straight to the liver without going through the breakdown and filtration process and they don’t tend to make you feel full. They also tend to be very high in calories.
- Exercise – Exercise oxygenates the body. The more oxygenated your body is the easier it is to get rid of toxins. It also promotes sweating which is another way your body releases toxins.
- Detox your life – food and drink are not the only toxins in your life. Take time to clear your home of harsh chemicals and unnatural products. This is also a good time to take inventory of what you can release from the life that isn’t serving you.
Get a clean start – Start the New Year off right with The PaleoCleanse Plus 14 Day Detox Program. For more information about the program CLICK HERE.
Treatments for Brain Fog and Fatigue in Fairfield County CT
Brain Fog and Fatigue in Chronic Lyme Disease
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VGypfboyGw
In our clinic, we see many patients that are diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease. One common thread with all these patients is brain fog and fatigue. Brain fog and fatigue are common symptoms that result from chronic stress. Chronic stress may be from emotional influences such as death of a spouse, financial difficulties or hardships, divorce, physical, and emotional abuse.
Chronic stress may be the result of chronic physical inflammation from dysbiosis, food sensitivities, weight problems, joint and muscle pain, low thyroid, high blood sugar, viral load from Epstein-Barr or herpes, bacterial load from tick-borne infections and defective root canals, and chronic heavy metal absorption.
Once symptoms start and do not resolve, the condition is considered chronic: Headaches, joint and muscle pain, reflux, gas and bloating, constipation and diarrhea, pain and ringing in the ears, allergies, and of course, BRAIN FOG AND FATIGUE.
Both emotional stressors and physical stressors contribute to chronic stress, also known as Allostatic or Total Load.
Chronic Stress from Lyme Disease Causes Brain Fog and Fatigue
Here is an important point: Chronic Stress has more to do with the heart than any other organ system because the electrical field and rhythm of the heart impacts all of the cells of the body.
Most people think of the heart as simply a pump. Well, in fact, in addition to producing its own hormones for signaling other cells throughout the body the heart transmits a very strong electrical field that can be measured well beyond the surface of the body.
When you are under constant stress from whatever source, your body reacts by sending hormones and neurotransmitters into your bloodstream. These chemical signals are picked up by your heart and result in an in a change in heart rate variability. Heart rate variability is the way your heart speeds up and slows down from moment to moment. It is not the same thing as heart rate.
To explain heart rate variability consider the analogy of passing a car on the highway. You’re driving your car and in the lane ahead of you is a slower car. You signal, move gradually into the left lane, accelerate, pass the slower car, gradually move back into the right lane, then de-accelerate to your cruising speed. Nice and smooth, Right? Suppose in a different way, you drive within a few feet of the slower car, slam on your brakes, jerk the car into the left lane, smash the accelerator to the floor and pass the car, again you abruptly jerk the car back to the right lane, and finally slam on the brakes to bring the car to its cruising speed. So in the first scenario, we call the variability smooth or coherent, in the second scenario choppy or incoherent variability.
It turns out that the variability in the heart’s moment-to-moment rate can also be incoherent or coherent and this heart rate variability is transmitted by nerve impulses to your brain. An incoherent heart rate variability causes your brain to shunt or detour impulses away from your brain’s frontal cortex, the thinking area, into the emotional areas of the brain. As a result, it is harder to process thoughts when you become more engaged with your emotions. This phenomenon is experienced as brain fog and fatigue. Usually, we arrive at a diagnosis of Chronic Lyme because the patient has reached the tipping point and the body may no longer be able to balance and handle the symptoms associated with multiple chronic stressors.
Treatments that Cure Symptoms of Brain Fog in Chronic Lyme Disease
We have treatments that help patients manage their emotions and build resilience in order to strengthen the immune system and cure symptoms like Brain Fog and Fatigue, particularly in chronic Lyme disease.
If you would like more information about treatments like HeartMath or Inner Balance that we regularly use with our patients check out the research at www.HeartMath.org.
Heart Rate Variability Testing in Fairfield County CT and Surrounding Local Areas
Family and Environmental Medicine help patients with Holistic Solutions that support health and well-being. Dr Gary Gruber provides private appointments for patients from around the country who seek health and healing with Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The majority of patients are from the local area of southern Fairfield County (including Greenwich CT, Stamford CT, Darien CT, Norwalk CT, New Canaan CT, Wilton CT), Westchester County, NY, NYC, and Northern NJ. For personal questions about Regulation Thermography testing, please contact us at (203) 539-1149.