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	<title>Asheville Alternative Medicine &#124; Great Smokies Medical Center</title>
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		<title>Sensitivity Removal Technique (SRT)</title>
		<link>http://www.gsmcweb.com/?p=268</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 27 Jun 2009 18:05:35 +0000</pubDate>
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				<category><![CDATA[Sensitivity Removal Technique]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[What?s the Problem? 
Up to 30 percent of adults and 40 percent of children in the United States suffer from allergic diseases. Hives, sneezing, bronchitis, itching, asthma and swelling are symptoms experienced by many allergy sufferers. Even more common, but seldom correctly diagnosed, are symptoms of delayed allergy and sensitivity to foods and chemicals including [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>What?s the Problem? </strong></p>
<p>Up to 30 percent of adults and 40 percent of children in the United States suffer from allergic diseases. Hives, sneezing, bronchitis, itching, asthma and swelling are symptoms experienced by many allergy sufferers. Even more common, but seldom correctly diagnosed, are symptoms of delayed allergy and sensitivity to foods and chemicals including but not limited to headaches, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, fatigue, urinary urgency or frequency, muscle and joint pain, chronic sinusitis, and feeling ?sick all over.? </p>
<p><strong>Traditional Allergy Treatment vs. SRT</strong></p>
<p>Although skin testing and blood testing are effective at identifying a specific type of classic allergy (IgE mediated allergy), they are not effective at identifying other more common mechanisms by which a person can have delayed allergic reactions. The Elimination/Challenge Diagnostic Diet, though effective in revealing food allergies, can require weeks of effort and relies on dietary and lifestyle restrictions that are difficult for many. SRT more quickly identifies and desensitizes allergens and requires fewer lifestyle changes.  </p>
<p><strong>What is SRT?</strong> </p>
<p>SRT was developed by an Ohio physician, Dr. Sherri Tenpenny, who desired to streamline similar methods in which she had trained: Nambudripad Allergy Elimination Technique (NAET), BioSET, and Jaffe-Mallor technique. After her adaptations were perfected over seven years of practice, Dr. Tenpenny trained others in her techniques, resulting in SRT now being offered at Great Smokies Medical Center. </p>
<p>SRT is a non-invasive, drug free, and natural solution to desensitize allergies and sensitivities to a variety of substances. It utilizes Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) testing, acupressure, and homeopathic principles. </p>
<p>SRT can eliminate adverse reactions to foods, food additives, spices, drugs, nutrients, pollens, flowers, molds, perfume, animals, cosmetics, chemicals, tobacco, pathogens, and environmental triggers including heat and cold. SRT will not treat symptoms from toxic effects of chemicals. Avoidance of chemical toxins and known carcinogens is recommended even after tolerance is gained. </p>
<p><strong>East Meets West</strong> </p>
<p>From a Western medicine perspective, allergy is an overreaction of the immune system to a substance that is harmless to most individuals. Oriental Medicine principles see allergies and sensitivities as resulting from disrupted energy flow in the meridians (energy pathways). Blocked energy flow causes imbalances in yin and yang, or opposite states (moist and dry, hot and cold, male and female, etc.) that combine to form chi (vital energy). Chi is balanced in health and imbalanced in disease. </p>
<p>According to Oriental medical principles, when the body is in perfect balance (homeostasis), disease is not possible. According to acupuncture theory, stimulating specific acupuncture points is capable of bringing the body to a state of homeostasis and restoring the flow of energy.  </p>
<p>The immune system has a memory, a fact that helps assure survival by providing lifelong immunity to infections. That memory is also responsible for developing chronic symptoms from repeated exposure to offending substances (allergens) including foods and toxins. SRT can be thought of as pressing the autonomic nervous system?s virtual ?reset button,? thereby reprogramming the autonomic nervous system to develop a new cellular memory so tolerance can replace the former allergic response. </p>
<p><strong>What Happens during an SRT Treatment? </strong></p>
<p>The patient is first assessed by an Asyra evaluation, i.e., computer-assisted GSR testing to determine which potential foods, molds, pollens, dust, danders, chemical toxins, or other substances need to be desensitized and the priority in which they need to be treated. This process is independent of the operator and usually takes less than five minutes. </p>
<p>Then, while the patient holds vials that contain homeopathic representation of the substances that have been identified as allergenic, pressure is applied to specific acupuncture points along the spine to open up energy flow to the autonomic nervous system. Acupressure is used once again to activate specific acupuncture points on the arms and legs to open energy flow throughout the body. </p>
<p>The patient is then required to lie quietly for 15 minutes. Experiencing tiredness, fatigue or hunger during the 24 hours after a treatment is common. Since the treatment can profoundly impact physiology, symptoms such as headaches, chilliness, perspiration, nausea, and emotional releases may occur in more sensitive people. Though successful treatment can occur without any symptoms, if symptoms do occur, they are seen as evidence that the patient?s physiology is responding as desired. The patient is required to avoid eating or drinking anything for three hours after an SRT treatment, in addition to avoiding other substances to which he is being desensitized. </p>
<p><strong>How many treatments will I need?</strong></p>
<p>All patients receive three basic treatments that enhance digestion, build the immune system, and desensitize basic essential bio-chemicals and nutrients, preparing the body for further desensitization. After the initial three treatments are completed, an average of four to seven more treatments may typically be needed, depending on the extent of allergic illness. </p>
<p><strong>Customize Your Treatments</strong></p>
<p>The first three basic treatments pave the way for subsequent customized treatments during which the patient can be tested and desensitized to virtually any item to which he suspects he reacts. Discuss any specific allergens needing desensitization with our SRT staff to enhance your treatment.  </p>
<p><strong>Prepare for Your Treatment</strong></p>
<p>Wear comfortable lightweight clothing. Eat and drink shortly before your appointment, as you will be asked to avoid eating and drinking for three hours immediately following your treatment. You will be given detailed written instructions for future appointments at your first appointment. Plan on an initial treatment lasting 90 minutes and 2-6 follow-up appointments lasting 30 minutes. </p>
<p><strong>A Word About Food and Nutrients</strong></p>
<p>Considering the fact that most people eat three or more times a day, there are many opportunities for an allergy-prone person to develop allergies or sensitivities to foods. Not only can symptoms of food allergy be uncomfortable, the resulting changes in the digestive and immune systems can cause interference with the absorption and utilization of nutrients, contribute to autoimmune diseases, and result in allergies and sensitivities to vitamins and minerals. </p>
<p>In an effort to feel better, persons suffering from allergic illnesses often take vitamin and mineral supplementation and may unknowingly take the very nutrients to which they are allergic. In doing so, they may perpetuate allergies and sensitivities. After problematic nutrients are addressed by SRT, patients may experience improved tolerance to and effectiveness of a program of nutritional supplementation needed for optimal health.  </p>
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		<title>Traditional Chinese Medicine</title>
		<link>http://www.gsmcweb.com/?p=238</link>
		<comments>http://www.gsmcweb.com/?p=238#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 07 Feb 2009 04:50:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Administrator</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Acupuncture]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a comprehensive medical system that has its origins in China. TCM encompasses a variety of complementary modalities including acupuncture, acupressure, Chinese herbology, cupping, Chinese dietary therapy, moxibustion, and Chinese style bodywork. TCM is based on the belief that all things in the universe are connected. In people, the mind, body, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a comprehensive medical system that has its origins in China. TCM encompasses a variety of complementary modalities including acupuncture, acupressure, Chinese herbology, cupping, Chinese dietary therapy, moxibustion, and Chinese style bodywork. TCM is based on the belief that all things in the universe are connected. In people, the mind, body, and spirit are similarly viewed as an energetic system. If something changes in one area of the body, all other parts of the body will be affected. TCM can be used to treat and/or prevent disease. </p>
<p><strong>Contrasting East and West</strong></p>
<p>TCM has a deep taproot of a recorded history greater than 2,000 years, a history that is still honored today. TCM addresses the subtle, significant energetic determinants of health that regulate balance. It is symptom-based, individualized, holistic, minimally invasive, strengthening, and respectful of nature.</p>
<p>Though Hippocrates, the Father of Western Medicine, lived nearly 2500 years ago, the roots of modern Western medicine as it is practiced today has its origins in the early to mid 1800s. It was then that Western medicine took a sharp turn toward a diagnosis-based, mechanical, drug-based, technological, anatomical view of the body that divided and reduced the whole person into its parts in an attempt to better understand it. Western medicine often opposes nature (as in anti-inflammatories, antihistamines, antibiotics).</p>
<p>If Western medicine were best symbolized by the newest gleaming piece of medical equipment, TCM would be best symbolized by a living, flowing stream.</p>
<p><strong>The Body Energetic</strong></p>
<p>TCM understands that people have a natural flow of energy through their bodies and that an imbalance, deficiency, or blockage of that energy flow results in pain and disease. This natural flow of energy is called Qi (pronounced chee). Qi is referred to as the life force, or the vital force that is responsible for nourishing and activating the mind, body, and spirit. There are about 365 points on the body (not including the ear&#8217;s auricular points) that are connected by twenty pathways called meridians. There are twelve major meridians, each connected to a particular organ, plus eight extra meridians. Qi travels through the meridians, connecting the organs to each other and the interior of the body to the exterior. They form a virtual road map of the entire body.</p>
<p><strong>The Art of Acupuncture</strong></p>
<p>Acupuncture is the practice of placing extremely thin needles at special junctures or &#8220;points&#8221; along these meridians, in order to affect the energy and balance of the body. Needling tonifies what is deficient, reduces what is excessive, heats what is cold, and cools what is hot. It also circulates what is stagnant, stabilizes what is reckless, raises what has fallen, and lowers what has risen. Acupuncture balances Qi, thus allowing for the normal flow of Qi throughout the body and thereby restoring health. Balancing the body is a delicate art. The acupuncturist must be sensitive and observant in determining which points to use and how to use them. After performing an individual assessment, an acupuncturist attempts to bring the body&#8217;s energy into harmony.</p>
<p><strong>The Science of Acupuncture</strong></p>
<p>In 1993, the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimated that Americans made 12 million visits to acupuncture practitioners. Acupuncture is one of the most thoroughly researched and documented alternative medical therapies, and is recognized by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the World Health Organization (WHO) as effective in treating a wide variety of medical problems.</p>
<p>The existence of acupuncture meridians was documented by Western medicine&#8217;s scientific methodology in 1985, when radioactive isotopes that had been injected into acupoints were tracked by gamma imaging and shown to have traveled about 12 inches within four to six minutes along the invisible pathways that acupuncturists had defined centuries prior. In a separate study, NIH researchers found that Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) brain scans of people who had various pain syndromes revealed brain changes consistent with pain. After receiving acupuncture treatment, follow-up SPECT scans showed changes in the brain consistent with baseline scans of the pain-free control subjects. </p>
<p><strong>How Does Acupuncture Work?</strong></p>
<p>Due in part to the anatomical location of many acupuncture points (near neural structures), much of the benefit of acupuncture comes from stimulation of the autonomic nervous system and the hypothalamus, the brain&#8217;s hormonal and emotional &#8220;control center.&#8221; Stimulation of acupuncture points results in the release of biochemicals in the muscles, spinal cord and brain. These chemicals either alter the experience of pain, or trigger the release of other chemicals and hormones that influence the body&#8217;s own internal regulating system. Endorphins, one of the better known brain hormones that are responsible for feelings of pleasure, are produced during a &#8220;runner&#8217;s high,&#8221; from eating chocolate, and as a result of laughing. Acupuncture treatments result in the release of this natural, morphine-like substance from the brain that reduces pain and increases feelings of well being.</p>
<p><strong>Does Acupuncture Hurt?</strong></p>
<p>Unlike hollow needles used to give an injection, the pre-sterilized, disposable needles used in acupuncture are extremely fine, parting the skin rather than cutting tissue. The needles stimulate sensation rather than cause pain. Acupuncture treatments are not painful. If significant pain is experienced from the needles, it may be a sign that the treatment is being administered improperly.</p>
<p><strong>Other TCM Healing Modalities</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Moxibustion &#8212; the use of heat to stimulate acupuncture points, using a specific herb, Ai Ye (Chinese mugwort) that is burned indirectly over an acupuncture point.</li>
<li>Cupping &#8212; the use of glass cups over specific acupuncture points or areas of the body to &#8220;pull out&#8221; disease by creating a vacuum-like suction.</li>
<li>Chinese dietary therapy &#8212; an individualized nutrition program based upon TCM principles.</li>
<li>Chinese style bodywork/Tui Na (pronounced twee nah) &#8212; a traditional system of massage that invigorates Qi and promotes circulation.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Aleah M. Wicks, M.Ac., L.Ac.</strong></p>
<p>Aleah received her Masters of Acupuncture from the Minnesota College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, a division of Northwestern Health Sciences University. She is licensed by the state of North Carolina and is board certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Aleah incorporates a broad range of Oriental Medical therapies including acupuncture, acupressure, Chinese dietary therapy, moxibustion (thermal stimulation), and Chinese style bodywork to treat a variety of health problems.</p>
<p>Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), including acupuncture, has been shown to relieve these common conditions, among many others:</p>
<ul>
<li>Anxiety</li>
<li>Arthritis</li>
<li>Asthma</li>
<li>Bronchitis</li>
<li>Chronic fatigue</li>
<li>Constipation</li>
<li>Common cold</li>
<li>Depression</li>
<li>Diarrhea</li>
<li>Digestive problems</li>
<li>Emotional problems</li>
<li>Fatigue Headaches</li>
<li>High Blood Pressure</li>
<li>Incontinence </li>
<li>Infertility</li>
<li>Injuries</li>
<li>Irritable bowel syndrome</li>
<li>Low back pain</li>
<li>Menstrual irregularities</li>
<li>Migraines</li>
<li>Nausea</li>
<li>Pain syndromes</li>
<li>PMS</li>
<li>Sciatica</li>
<li>Shoulder pain</li>
<li>Sinusitis</li>
<li>Sleep problems</li>
<li>Stress</li>
<li>Tennis elbow</li>
<li>Wrist pain</li>
</ul>
<p>Your first visit to an acupuncturist begins with a detailed health history intake. Since TCM encompasses all aspects of mind, body and spirit, you may be asked questions that initially seem to be unimportant, but they are actually vital in determining the type of care needed. Such questions may include sleep habits, temperature preferences, dietary habits, primary emotions experienced, overall energy, etc.</p>
<p>After attaining your health history, the acupuncturist examines your tongue and pulse, two major diagnostic techniques of TCM. Using all three tools (intake, tongue and pulse examination), the acupuncturist will determine the cause of your symptoms and administer the appropriate treatment. Your first visit may take between 60-90 minutes. Follow-up treatments are usually 60 minutes. Although a single treatment can improve some acute injuries or problems, most people see and feel significant results in four or five treatments. Of course, the total number of treatments varies according to the severity and duration of the condition. Any response is ultimately tempered by the overall health and vitality of the person being treated. </p>
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		<title>Testosterone&#8217;s Role in Men&#8217;s Health and Vitality</title>
		<link>http://www.gsmcweb.com/?p=228</link>
		<comments>http://www.gsmcweb.com/?p=228#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 11 Jan 2009 16:07:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Administrator</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Hormone Replacement Therapy]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[No Laughing Matter
Testosterone poisoning, the rationale offered in jest by women to explain male behavior, is a medical rarity compared to its far less humorous counterpart?testosterone deficiency. An estimated five million American men are affected by hypogonadism, the medical term for low serum testosterone levels. Testosterone levels most often decline as a result of aging [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>No Laughing Matter</strong><br />
Testosterone poisoning, the rationale offered in jest by women to explain male behavior, is a medical rarity compared to its far less humorous counterpart?testosterone deficiency. An estimated five million American men are affected by <em>hypogonadism</em>, the medical term for low serum testosterone levels. Testosterone levels most often decline as a result of aging but can also be deficient from the effects of environmental toxins (especially those from plastics and pesticides), drugs, trauma, surgery, radiation, and abnormalities in hypothalamus or pituitary function.<br />
<strong>A Man in the Making </strong><br />
Testosterone is an <em>androgen</em>, a hormone that gives men their male characteristics. Its effects include a deepened voice, increased body hair, maturation of genitals, increased sex drive, fertility, erectile function, ambition, and confidence. Testosterone supports the growth of muscles, bones, and sperm. Ninety-five percent of men?s testosterone is made from cholesterol in specialized cells called Leydig cells of the testicles in response to lutenizing hormone (LH), which is secreted by the pituitary. The remaining 5 percent is made by the adrenal glands.<br />
<strong>Free at Last </strong><br />
About 60 percent of total circulating testosterone is not biologically available because it is permanently bound to a protein called sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). Another 38 percent is more weakly bound to albumin. Testosterone bound to albumin can become free testosterone. The remaining two percent of testosterone is free and biologically active and is thus able to exert its powerful metabolic muscle.<br />
A total <em>serum testosterone</em> level measures all forms of testosterone, bound <em>and</em> free. Because more testosterone is bound to SHBG as age increases, older patients, in particular, may be advised to have their <em>free testosterone</em> levels measured.<br />
<strong>A Declining Portfolio </strong><br />
On average, men?s testosterone production peaks in the late teens and starts to decline about age 30 to 35. A 55-year-old man can have significantly less testosterone than during his youth, while an 80-year-old man can be running on fumes. The rate of <em>free testosterone</em> loss is roughly 1.5 percent each year. That?s 30 percent in 20 years. If your stock portfolio fell at that rate, no one would tell you that such a loss is expected with aging stocks. Yet patients with declining testosterone levels are expected to grin and bear their loss.<br />
<strong>Signs and Symptoms of Age-Related Testosterone Deficiency</strong><br />
? General physical weakness<br />
? Decreased vitality<br />
? Depression, uneasiness, anxiety, and irritability<br />
? Decreased muscle mass<br />
? Increased muscle pains<br />
? Heart disease<br />
? Low motivation for usual activities<br />
? Increased body fat<br />
? Osteoporosis<br />
? Low sperm count<br />
? Loss of sex drive<br />
? Hot flashes  </p>
<p><strong>Increasing Life Expectancy</strong><br />
Deficient testosterone levels weren?t a health issue when men didn?t live long enough to experience many years without this life-enhancing hormone. The life expectancy of American men is currently 74.5 years, which means they can outlive their ability to produce adequate amounts of testosterone by 20 years.<br />
<strong>Taking Pause</strong><br />
Women can usually find trained physicians to treat their age-related hormonal decline, <em>menopause</em>. However, men facing their age-related hormonal decline, <em>andropause</em>, often have difficulty finding a doctor to treat their dwindling vitality and health. Currently, there is about a 20-year gap in clinical experience between treating menopause and treating andropause.<br />
<strong>Aim for the Right Target </strong><br />
Because testosterone production naturally declines with age, older men are often told by their doctors that their testosterone levels are ?normal.? Having an age-adjusted ?normal? testosterone level at age 75 could, in fact, be the cause of seriously declining health, mood, and vigor. An appropriate and safe target when replacing testosterone for an aging man is the mid to upper limits of the normal range for a 40-year-old man.<br />
<strong>Not Guilty by Association </strong><br />
Testosterone is classified as a steroid, along with other health-promoting substances, including cholesterol, cortisol, and Vitamin D. The misuse of <em>synthetic anabolic steroids</em> by athletes (and wanna-be athletes) in doses far higher than the body could possibly produce, have rightfully given <em>synthetic </em>steroids a bad name. Even though testosterone can be responsibly and safely prescribed, it has not escaped a ?guilty by association? verdict by the public and even some medical professionals. Young athletes and body builders who take steroids to enhance performance far exceed steroid levels that the body is capable of producing are at high risk for developing serious, even fatal, side effects. In comparison, men whose deficient testosterone levels are restored to physiologically normal levels have far fewer risks.<br />
<strong>Paths Often Traveled </strong><br />
Testosterone rapidly converts in the body by one of two major pathways. First, it can be converted to estrogen through the  aromatization pathway. The enzyme aromatase, which is required for this conversion, is especially abundant in fat cells, a fact that puts obese men at higher risk for developing signs of feminization from excess estrogen. These signs include testicular atrophy, breast enlargement, loss of body hair, and loss of lean body mass. Monitoring estrogen levels of men taking testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is thus recommended.<br />
This spiraling loss of masculinity can be offset by weight loss, exercise, consumption of organic, non-genetically-modified soy powder, and avoidance of sugar and other refined carbohydrates. Fish oil, chrysin, and Diindolmethyl (DIM) can also decrease aromatization. DIM occurs naturally in cruciferous vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, collards, kale, and cabbage.<br />
The second pathway that testosterone can take in the body is its conversion to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the most significant biologically active form of testosterone. This conversion requires the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase, which is especially abundant in the prostate gland. Nearly all testosterone that enters the prostate gland is converted to DHT, which, in turn, stimulates the growth of normal prostate cells. Some scientists and clinicians theorize that DHT can also stimulate the growth of abnormal or cancerous prostate cells.<br />
If developing prostate cancer was simply a result of high levels of testosterone or DHT, a lot of 20-year-old men would be diagnosed with it, because the production of testosterone and DHT is at its highest in young men. The incidence of prostate cancer actually is highest at ages that are associated with the lowest levels of testosterone and DHT?in older men. Obviously, other factors contribute to the development of prostate cancer. Because the incidence of prostate cancer is highest at the time of life when men?s estrogen levels are highest, imbalances or excess of estrogen are thought to contribute to the risk of developing prostate cancer.<br />
<strong>An Evolving Understanding </strong><br />
Several studies have found a lack of causative relationship between androgen levels and prostate cancer. In a Finnish study involving 16,481 men aged 18 to 78 years, blood samples were drawn between 1966 and 1972. Twenty-five years later, 166 of the men had developed prostate cancer. When levels of testosterone, DHT, and SHBG in men who developed prostate cancer were compared with those in 300 men who did not, no association was found between high androgen levels and prostate cancer.<br />
Every man needs a digital rectal exam of his prostate and a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test prior to starting TRT and at regular intervals during treatment. Men should report any change in their breasts to their doctor.<br />
The presence of male breast cancer, prostate cancer, an elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA), or a suspicious digital rectal exam is a contraindication for TRT in the United States at this time.<br />
<strong>Testosterone?s Benefits </strong><br />
The heart is a muscle, and like any other muscle, it improves in strength and efficiency (a particular benefit in congestive heart failure) when there are adequate levels of testosterone. Whether it is ?homemade? or ?store-bought,? testosterone has been shown to lower levels of total cholesterol and Lp(a), a fat linked to heart disease risk.<br />
The benefits of TRT in treating impotence can be especially rewarding for a man who has previously been told by his doctor that his ?low normal? levels of testosterone are unrelated to his inability to get or maintain an erection. In fact, the boost given to age-related, diminishing sexual performance is one of testosterone?s starring roles.<br />
TRT can enhance vitality, confidence, and cognitive functioning, in addition to decreasing anxiety. Improved muscle strength and visual-spatial performance (necessary for balance that plays an important role in preventing falls) that are associated with adequate testosterone levels help maintain mobility and, therefore, functional independence.<br />
In short, utilizing TRT in older men who have a proven deficiency in testosterone, can help add quality to their years both physically and psychologically.<br />
<strong>Safe Prescribing of TRT </strong><br />
Prescribing some hormones (e.g., thyroid hormone or insulin) is a routine, accepted standard of care in medical practice. However, replacement of the hormone testosterone is (most unfortunately for men who suffer from its deficiency) often overlooked.<br />
Considering a patient?s lifestyle, personal preferences, and compliance with therapy regimens, a single injection of long-acting, slow-release testosterone every two to three weeks may be the best option to boost lagging testosterone levels for some men. Others may be prescribed bio-identical testosterone drops, topical gels, or patches applied daily.<br />
Replacing only what the body would normally make (physiological, not pharmaceutical dosing), monitoring TRT with laboratory tests, and tweaking other hormones (thyroid, adrenal, etc.) at the same time that testosterone is taken all contribute to TRT?s effectiveness.<br />
<strong>Testosterone Poisoning </strong><br />
<em>Excess</em> testosterone has several known adverse effects. These include acne and fluid retention; increased production of red blood cells (which creates a greater likelihood of clot formation); aggression, infertility, and worsened sleep apnea.<br />
Because a healthy liver breaks down testosterone and estrogen every day for eventual excretion from the body via the kidneys, abnormal liver function can contribute to excessive hormone levels.<br />
<strong>In Summary</strong><br />
Because an excess and a deficiency of testosterone both have serious health risks, moderation and balance are the guiding principles for safe, effective TRT.<br />
For several decades, alternative doctors have safely and responsibly prescribed TRT for men who have dwindling health associated with age-related testosterone deficiency.<br />
TRT is best accomplished in a holistic context that includes a thorough medical history and physical exam, a healthy diet, nutritional supplementation, and exercise, in addition to regular laboratory monitoring and clinical follow-up. </p>
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		<title>Women&#8217;s Hormone Therapy: Benefits vs. Risks</title>
		<link>http://www.gsmcweb.com/?p=226</link>
		<comments>http://www.gsmcweb.com/?p=226#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 11 Jan 2009 15:50:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Administrator</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Hormone Replacement Therapy]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Complexity in High Heels 
Women are complex. They bear children and, generally speaking, are intuitive, emotional, and sensitive. They have good verbal skills and can multitask. Like Ginger Rogers, they do everything Fred Astaire does, except they do it backward and in high heels.
Women?s complexity is evident in their hormonal changes, most notably during menopause, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Complexity in High Heels </strong><br />
Women are complex. They bear children and, generally speaking, are intuitive, emotional, and sensitive. They have good verbal skills and can multitask. Like Ginger Rogers, they do everything Fred Astaire does, except they do it backward and in high heels.<br />
Women?s complexity is evident in their hormonal changes, most notably during menopause, when some women have a hormonal ?crash landing.? Compared to men?s gradual entry into their change of life, women have a relatively sudden entry into menopause, with fluctuating levels of several hormones. </p>
<p><strong>Symptoms of Menopause</strong><br />
The symptoms of menopause can be mild to severe and include hot flashes, vaginal dryness, dry eyes, dry skin, loss of skin elasticity (wrinkles), poor bladder control, difficulty thinking and sleeping, frequent urinary tract infections, decreased libido, and mood disturbances. These symptoms can significantly impact relationships, health, and quality of life. </p>
<p><strong>HT Research  </strong><br />
In 2002, the Women&#8217;s Health Initiative (WHI) study once again raised concerns about the long-term safety of post-menopausal synthetic hormone therapy (HT). The WHI studied more than 161,000 women between the ages of 50 and 79. Women were placed in one of three groups: Premarin-treated, Prempro-treated, or a control group with no treatment. The Prempro group showed increased risks of pulmonary embolism (113%), strokes (41%), heart disease (29%), breast cancer (26%), and deep venous blood clots (11%). Researchers felt that Prempro?s and Premarin?s risks outweighed their benefits and the trial was stopped early. </p>
<p><strong>A Closer Look </strong><br />
<em>Premarin</em> is a combination of estrogenic hormones called Conjugated Equine Estrogens (CEE), which are derived from pregnant mares? urine (PMU). Of the many estrogens found in Premarin, only two (estrone and estradiol) are bio-identical to human estrogens. The remaining estrogens are many times stronger and longer-acting than human estrogens and are thus thought to have more potential for side effects in humans. Premarin?s label warns that taking it for a year without also taking progesterone raises uterine cancer risk by 14 percent.<br />
<em>Prempro </em>consists of Provera and Premarin. Provera, medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), is synthetic progesterone or progestin. Though ?progestin? <em>sounds</em> similar to natural ?progesterone,? progestins are riddled with serious side effects; natural progesterone has few, minimal side effects. Progesterone levels are naturally high during pregnancy, while progestin in ?morning after? pills terminates pregnancy. </p>
<p><strong>Wyeth Has a Hot Flash </strong><br />
When WHI trial results were released, 66 percent of women who?d been prescribed Premarin stopped taking it. Warnings quickly appeared on Premarin?s labels; sales fell and (Premarin manufacturer) Wyeth?s stock plummeted. </p>
<p><strong>Man?s Laws/Nature?s Laws </strong><br />
Natural substances can?t be patented. To ensure profits, manufacturers must alter those substances before they can be patented. Even tiny changes to the structure of a natural substance can result in serious, unforeseen side effects.<br />
Prescribing hormones derived from PMU has been likened to putting Ford parts in a Volvo: they don?t fit, they don?t work as intended, and their use could result in both known and unknown consequences. </p>
<p><strong>A Risky Proposition </strong><br />
Estrogen?s health risks have been known as early as the 1930s. Months after the WHI trial was stopped prematurely in mid-2002 because of serious risks of synthetic hormone use, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences? Toxicology Program added estrogens used in HT and birth control pills to its official list of cancer-causing substances. </p>
<p><strong>Enter Bio-Identical Estrogens </strong><br />
Three natural estrogens occur in balance in healthy women. They are: estrone (E1), estradiol (E2), and estriol (E3). Each can be manufactured to be bio-identical.<br />
<em>Estrone</em> is the dominant estrogen in Premarin and is the main storage form of estrogen in the body. During the reproductive years, estrone is derived from estradiol. Around the time of menopause, estrone is increasingly made from testosterone in fat cells (even more so in women who are overweight or drink alcohol). High levels of estrone have been linked to uterine and breast cancers.<br />
<em>Estradiol</em>, a potent estrogen also linked to cancer, is the active ingredient in nearly all transdermal estrogen patches used to treat menopausal symptoms. Estradiol converts to estrone in the body.<br />
<em>Estriol</em>, a weaker estrogen, comprises about 85 percent of circulating human estrogens. Estriol is theorized to occupy estrogen receptor sites, thereby blocking stronger estrogens from occupying them in uterine and breast tissue, lowering cancer risk. However, estrone levels can increase in some women who take estriol. European studies have shown estriol to be effective in treating vaginal dryness and stress incontinence in postmenopausal women.  </p>
<p><strong>Good Estrogen/Bad Estrogen</strong><br />
Pharmaceutical estrogens (when taken orally) and ?homemade? estrogens are detoxified by the liver to estrogen metabolites for excretion from the body.<br />
Estrogen metabolites include 2-hydroxyestrone, a ?good? metabolite that opposes cancer, and 16-alpha hydroxyestrone, a ?bad? metabolite that has been shown to be elevated in women who have breast cancer or who have a family history of breast cancer.<br />
A more potent ?bad? estrogen metabolite, 4-hydroxyestrone, is formed when estrone is oxidized and ?burns? a hole in DNA, an event that can initiate cancer.<br />
Bad estrogen metabolites promote inflammation and clotting and increase the risk of heart disease and cancer. Cancer risk from estrogen metabolites can be measured by laboratory testing of urine, the preferred method, or serum.<br />
The cancer risk posed by estrogen?s ?bad? metabolites may be decreased with a program designed by an alternative practitioner trained in management of women?s HT. This program may include taking ground flax seeds, resveratrol, fish oil, di-indole methane (DIM), calcium d-glucarate, and iodine, and eating cruciferous vegetables (kale, broccoli, cabbage, collards, brussel sprouts, etc.).<br />
Estrogens used transdermally (patch, gel, or cream) bypass the liver and do not break down into risky estrogen metabolites.  Also, applying estrogen transdermally results in more stable hormone blood levels than taking estrogen by mouth. </p>
<p><strong>Enter Menopause </strong><br />
Women who have a <em>sudden</em> entry into menopause (usually from surgical removal of their ovaries with a total hysterectomy) may develop symptoms of estrogen deficiency. Suddenly stopping estrogen prescriptions can also cause the same symptoms.<br />
However, in women who have a natural, more <em>gradual</em> entry into menopause, the adrenal glands increase their production of pregnenolone and DHEA, which support the production of estrogens, progesterone, and testosterone that, in effect, can help moderate the symptoms of estrogen deficiency.<br />
Because fat cells produce estrogen, overweight women may have fewer symptoms of estrogen decline. </p>
<p><strong>Vital Woman </strong><br />
Testosterone may be used in small doses in a comprehensive HT program to strengthen women?s overall vitality and, when applied transmucosally, to enhance sexual response. </p>
<p><strong>Estrogen Dominance </strong><br />
The modern environment is increasingly estrogen-laden. Health experts are concerned about estrogen-mimicking substances that include pesticides, plasticizers (phthalates and bisphenol A), synthetic estrogens both in meat and those that are excreted into the water supply by people who take HT. Excess estrogen contributes to early puberty, blood clots, diabetes, endometriosis, cancer, obesity, liver stress, and fibroids.<br />
Natural micronized progesterone can help offset estrogen?s cancer, vascular, and clotting risks and also has beneficial effects on cholesterol levels. Most over-the-counter plant- or yam-based creams do not have this benefit, while synthetic progestin increases these risks. </p>
<p><strong>Menopause Treatment Options </strong><br />
Non-hormonal treatment of menopausal symptoms includes balancing neurotransmitters and making lifestyle changes, e.g., reducing intake of harmful dietary fat and alcohol, eating more cruciferous vegetables, eating fermented soy (miso and tempeh) and ground flax seeds, addressing thyroid and adrenal imbalances, getting regular exercise, and reducing stress. Because the liver detoxifies and excretes excess estrogens from the body, supporting liver health can help lower estrogen toxicity. Dietary fiber can assist in removing toxic estrogen stores from the body. Maintaining normal body weight can help lower risks of estrogen toxicity.<br />
Helpful herbs include soy isoflavones, chasteberry, dong quai, black cohosh, red clover, and Siberian ginseng. </p>
<p><strong>Hot Flashes/Cold Turkey</strong><br />
When family or personal risk for heart disease, clot formation, or cancer makes it advisable for a woman to stop HT, or if stopping prescribed HT ?cold turkey? results in symptoms, tapering hormone doses slowly over a period of months mimics the healthy, gradual decline of hormones during menopause. An herbalist can often help ease withdrawal from estrogen therapy (ET). Medical monitoring is advised during this process. </p>
<p><strong>Overview</strong><br />
Health risks from estrogen stem from a woman?s cumulative estrogen exposure during her lifetime?early onset of menstrual periods, late onset of menopause, use of birth control pills and other hormone therapies, and exposure to chemicals that mimic estrogen.<br />
The lowest effective dose of ET should be used for the shortest amount of time possible. Herbs, diet, environmental controls, nutritional support, and exercise can be used to support healthy estrogen metabolism.<br />
HT is not one-size-fits-all, a fact making individualized medical management of women?s HT essential. Each woman with peri-menopausal health concerns should be individually assessed for vascular disease, clot, and cancer risks prior to receiving HT. Women taking HT should inform their doctors if they develop breast swelling, pain, or discharge, uterine bleeding or pain, or nausea. Women taking HT need annual pap smears and breast cancer screening, in addition to ongoing lab testing of hormone levels to guide the practitioner?s dosing to optimize HT?s safety. </p>
<p><strong>List of Bio-Identical Hormones </strong><br />
Estrone, estradiol, estriol, testosterone, micronized progesterone, Alora, Biest, Climera, Estrace, Estraderm, EstroGel, FemPatch, Menostar, Prometrium, Estring, Triest, Vivelle, and Vivelle Dot.   </p>
<p><strong>Relief in Sight</strong><br />
Estrogen deficiency and imbalances that occur at menopause can seriously undermine women?s health and quality of life and should not be left untreated. Many women with moderate to severe peri-menopausal symptoms can be assured that options to synthetic HT exist. Properly prescribed, monitored bio-identical HT offers safe and effective relief for the symptoms of menopause, and at the same time, enhances bone, heart, and cognitive health, and helps lessen hormone-related aging symptoms.<br />
Balancing the need for relief from the symptoms of estrogen deficiency against the risks and side effects of synthetic HT can be accomplished by consulting an alternative practitioner trained in the use bio-identical HT</p>
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		<title>Fluoridation of Health: Bad to the Bone</title>
		<link>http://www.gsmcweb.com/?p=216</link>
		<comments>http://www.gsmcweb.com/?p=216#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 13 Feb 2008 13:31:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Administrator</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Environmental Health Issues]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Fluorine/Fluoride
Fluorine (F) is a gaseous element in the periodic table. It is a halogen (Latin for ?salt former?) along with its halogen cousins: chlorine, bromine, and iodine. Fluorine?s small size contributes to its being the most reactive of all elements. Fluoride is formed when fluorine binds to minerals. The mineral fluorspar, calcium fluoride (CaF2), is [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Fluorine/Fluoride</strong><br />
Fluorine (F) is a gaseous element in the periodic table. It is a halogen (Latin for ?salt former?) along with its halogen cousins: chlorine, bromine, and iodine. Fluorine?s small size contributes to its being the most reactive of all elements. Fluoride is formed when fluorine binds to minerals. The mineral fluorspar, calcium fluoride (CaF2), is the most abundant fluoride salt on earth.</p>
<p><strong> Uses of Fluoride</strong><br />
Fluoride is used in glass etching, in the manufacture of synthetic fabrics (including Gore-Tex?), in the smelting of all metals (e.g., steel, aluminum, gold), and in the plastic and phosphate (fertilizer) industries. Some prescription drugs are fluoride based, including Prozac, Cipro, Prevacid, Paxil, Crestor, Lipitor, Celexa, Celebrex, Diflucan and several general anesthetics. Fluoride is essential for the enrichment of uranium needed for nuclear power reactors. It is in rat poison, pesticides (Cryolite?, 82 percent of which is used on grape crops, and sulfuryl fluoride), Teflon?, military nerve gas, and is added to municipal water, toothpaste, and mouthwash.</p>
<p><strong> A Concerned Physician</strong><br />
Armed with passion for the well-being of people and the truth, Danish physician Kaj Roholm documented numerous toxic effects of industrial fluoride pollution in Europe in a 364-page paper published in 1937. He recommended that industry leaders protect people from fluoride?s devastatingly toxic effects on the brain, skin, lungs, bone, teeth, glandular, and digestive systems. Roholm said, ? The once general assumption that fluorine is necessary to the quality of enamel rests on insufficient foundation     . . . the enamel organ is electively sensitive to the deleterious effects of fluorine.?</p>
<p><strong>Concerned Industrialists</strong><br />
After the turn of the century in the United States, workers in aluminum and phosphate industries and animals grazing on land downwind from industries? fluoride-rich stack emissions got sick. Industrialists were naturally concerned. In an effort to offset paying settlements from an onslaught of lawsuits by injured workers, industrial leaders needed to convince the public that fluoride exposure was not only harmless but beneficial.<br />
In 1945, a ten-year long study began when fluoride was artificially added to the municipal water supply of Newburgh, NY. Children aged seven to 14 who drank the treated water were monitored for dental effects, growth, hemoglobin levels, and joint health. There is now evidence that several concerning effects of fluoride never made it into the whitewashed final public report. Ongoing evaluation of the original data and also of additional data collected during the ensuing years reveals no significant general or dental health benefits of fluoridation, but documents health concerns from fluoridated water.</p>
<p><strong> Government Experts</strong><br />
Industrialists and their attorneys strategized correctly that the general public would likely rely on doctors? authority to help them form opinions on fluoridation. By creating a media campaign that touted fluoride?s safety, industrialists were also tipping the odds that jury members in a trial of fluoride litigation would uphold fluoride?s reported safety in a courtroom. After all, didn?t the government add it to drinking water? The orchestrated campaign that resulted in fluoride being dispensed to the public was very effective.<br />
Unquestioning endorsement of fluoridation became the norm, despite criticisms from leading scientists who pointed out that fluoride is extremely toxic and that its therapeutic benefits had never been established. While 98 percent of western European cities have banned fluoridation of water, currently more than 66 percent of municipal water supplies in the United States are now fluoridated.</p>
<p><strong> Toxic Sludge Is Good For You</strong><br />
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found fluoride to be toxic to farmlands and crippling to animals, and mandated stack scrubbers to decrease the amount of fluoride spewing into the environment. Compliance cost industries millions of dollars. Fluoride-rich stack sludge was bound to silica and thus had little value in the marketplace. However, the red ink on the books suddenly turned black when toxic fluoride was collected, concentrated in ponds, pumped into tanker trucks and sold to cities following government sanctioned fluoridation of water following the Newburgh study.</p>
<p>Testing to determine the safety of fluoride was performed on sodium fluoride (NaF). However, more than 90 percent of the fluoride added to public water supplies today is unrefined hydrofluorosilic acid (H2SiF6), toxic sludge, largely from Florida?s phosphate industry. This sludge contains not only fluoride but arsenic, beryllium, lead, cadmium, and other toxins.</p>
<p><strong> Concerned Courts</strong><br />
In the 1970s, three legal cases were heard about the dangers of one part per million (ppm) fluoride in drinking water. All three trials concluded that water fluoridation increased cancer death rates and found no convincing evidence of benefit. At each trial the defense?s fluoridation expert was asked to name a single valid broad-based, double-blinded scientific study with results suggesting a significant reduction in permanent tooth decay from the addition of fluoride at one ppm to public drinking water. Each time the expert was unaware of any such study. All three courts determined that fluoridation was not beneficial and actually harmful. Each decision was eventually overturned by the Supreme Court.</p>
<p><strong> Sources of Fluoride Exposure</strong><br />
Sources of fluoride include toothpaste (half a tube can be fatal to a small child), mouthwash, topical dental solutions, Teflon-coated pans, black and green teas (decaffeinated and instant being the worst offenders?up to 7.7 ppm), wine (from Cryolite??sodium aluminum  fluoride? a pesticide used by grape growers), chewing tobacco, infant formulas reconstituted with fluoridated water, reconstituted foods including juices (42 percent of juices tested exceeded EPA limits, white grape juice being the most toxic), sodas (varying in fluoride content according to regional bottling water sources), industrial exposure during arc welding, fumes from coal burning, and manufacture of aluminum, steel, phosphorus, freon and glass. Airborne industrial fluoride emissions contaminate downwind food crops and pasturelands.</p>
<p><strong> Health Concerns</strong><br />
Fluoride is absorbed through contact, inhalation, and ingestion. Infants, children, the elderly, and people with impaired kidney function and nutrient deficiencies (especially calcium and Vitamin D) are more vulnerable to the poisonous effects of fluoride. Fluoride?s chronic health effects are cumulative. Scientists worry that the increasing exposures to fluoride have already surpassed the EPA recommended maximum exposure limits.<br />
Acute fluoride toxicity can cause nausea and vomiting. Fatal cardiac arrhythmias from severely lowered serum calcium levels can occur.</p>
<p>The adverse health effects of chronic fluoride toxicity include dental fluorosis, skeletal fluorosis, and immune dysfunction from inhibition of white blood cell activity, in addition to neurological, pulmonary, dermatological, endocrine, renal, and gastrointestinal symptoms.</p>
<p>Dental fluorosis first appears as opaque white flecks in dental enamel. As the toxicity becomes more severe, the staining becomes yellow, and eventually brown. Dental fluorosis affects nearly one-fourth of American children.<br />
Approximately 80 percent of ingested fluoride is absorbed from the digestive tract. About half of that enters the skeleton, and the other half is excreted in the urine. Skeletal fluorosis from excess fluoride exposure results in dense, brittle bones, skeletal pain, crippling deformity, and rigidity. Calcification of spinal ligaments may compress the spinal cord. Micro-fractures of the brittle leg bones can result in lower limb pain.</p>
<p>A study published in 1990 by the National Toxicology Program determined that rodents which were fed water containing one ppm concentration of fluoride (the amount approved to be added to municipal water) had a higher incidence of osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer. A subsequent study by Harvard?s Elise Bassin, Ph.D., confirmed that the incidence of osteosarcoma in children was five times higher than that in non-fluoride-exposed children, a conclusion supported by numerous other studies during the past 30 years.<br />
Roger Masters, Ph.D., from Dartmouth University, did a study of over 400,000 children and found that ingestion of one ppm of fluoride decreased IQ test scores and magnified lead?s toxicity ten fold.</p>
<p>In 1958, the medical use of fluorine in treating hyperthyroidism was discussed in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology. Today, fluoride?s effect of inhibiting thyroid function is known to occur because of fluorine?s ability to out-compete its halogen cousin, iodine, and interfere with the pituitary?s production of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH).</p>
<p>In 1995, Harvard neurotoxicologist Phyllis Mullenix, Ph.D., showed that rats treated prenatally with fluoride showed behavior patterns associated with hyperactivity, and rats dosed after birth showed hypoactivity. Shortly after, Mullenix was dismissed from her job.</p>
<p><strong> Innocent Victims</strong><br />
In a heart-wrenching saga, champion quarter horse breeder Cathy Justus of Pagosa Springs, CO, lost five prized horses to a variety of mysterious crippling maladies including Equine Metabolic Syndrome, deformity, coughs, infertility, lameness, wasting, and neurological disorders. Justus consulted Lennart Krook, D.V.M., Ph.D., Professor of Pathology at Cornell University, to determine the cause of the animals? deaths. Post mortem analysis of one horse?s exhumed leg bone confirmed fluoride toxicity. The surviving horses were also diagnosed with fluorosis and each improved when their drinking water was changed. Ultimately, Pagosa Springs chose to stop fluoridating its water.</p>
<p><strong> 7,000 Concerned EPA Scientists</strong><br />
Following revelations of an alleged cover-up of data from Harvard School of Dental Medicine that linked fluoridation with an elevated risk of osteosarcoma, more than 7,000 environmental and public health professionals called for a moratorium on municipal water fluoridation in 2005. They asked the EPA to recognize that fluoride poses a serious cancer risk.</p>
<p>Scientists in the prestigious National Academy of Sciences (NAS) concluded that the current allowable level of fluoride in tap water conflicted with public health and should be lowered.</p>
<p><strong> Reducing Fluoride Exposure</strong><br />
In summary, the benefits of fluoride are overstated while the risks are understated. Avoiding excessive fluoride exposure is prudent. Familiarize yourself with known sources of fluoride and limit your exposure. Stopping the intake of fluoride can reverse some of the its toxic effects. Use non-fluoridated toothpaste. Deionization and distillation of water are the most effective methods of removing fluoride from drinking water. While deionization is more costly, distillation removes both toxic and essential minerals. Reverse osmosis is partially effective at removing fluoride. All filtration systems need maintenance to perform optimally.</p>
<p><strong> Sources of More Information</strong><br />
The Fluoride Deception by investigative reporter Christopher Bryson is a tell-all expose of the history of fluoridation. More information can be found at: <a href="http://www.fluoridealert.org">www.fluoridealert.org</a>,  <a href="http://www.ewg.org">www.ewg.org</a> (enter search word ?fluoride?), and <a href="http://www.fluoridation.com">www.fluoridation.com</a>.</p>
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		<title>Advanced Clinical Massage</title>
		<link>http://www.gsmcweb.com/?p=207</link>
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		<pubDate>Sun, 19 Aug 2007 06:31:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Administrator</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Advanced Clinical Massage]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Origins
Most of the aches and pains of adults are the result not of injuries, but of the long-term effects of distortions in posture or alignment that have their origins in childhood or adolescence.
If the posture or body alignment of a child or teenager is periodically examined and corrected throughout the growing years, that child will [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Origins</strong><br />
Most of the aches and pains of adults are the result not of injuries, but of the long-term effects of distortions in posture or alignment that have their origins in childhood or adolescence.</p>
<p>If the posture or body alignment of a child or teenager is periodically examined and corrected throughout the growing years, that child will be far less likely to experience what we have come to think of as the customary aches and pains of middle and old age. The short-term benefits include the child looking better, feeling better, and being less likely to suffer muscle injuries.</p>
<p><strong>Balance</strong><br />
Structural balancing seeks to free the soft tissues so that the body can align itself comfortably and efficiently with gravity, to help one both feel and look better in the present, and to prevent the aches and pains that typically present problems as one grows older. Although structural balancing would ideally begin in childhood or adolescence, it can be effective later in adulthood as well.</p>
<p><strong>Observation</strong><br />
The client&#8217;s biomechanical function is observed from front, back, and sides, taking note of irregularities in the movements of the legs, feet, arches, knees, hips, shoulders, and arms. The client is studied sitting and standing with arms held straight in front, straight up, and out to the sides to see how the body structure compensates for each of these shifts in balance. Balance is observed with the client standing on each foot with eyes open and closed, as is the positioning of the feet and knees in standing. The client is observed while sitting, with special attention to the positioning of the pelvis, sacrum, shoulders, cervical spine and head. A plumb line is used to help define structural imbalances.</p>
<p><strong>Consultation</strong><br />
Structural balancing is focused on the whole body, and the responses of the whole body to the work must be observed. The client will be draped with sheets and positioned with pillows to facilitate therapy. Patients may wear under garments during examination and treatment. The one-hour sessions are usually not more frequent than twice a week (to give the tissues time to respond to the work), and not less frequent than once every 10 to 14 days (to keep from reestablishing old patterns). Generally six to eight sessions will be required for children and eight to twelve sessions for an adult, although this may vary with the types of problems encountered. Treatment may include localized pressure to interrupt neuromuscular bad habits, stretching, and homework assignments. Referrals for chiropractic, radiology, and dental assessments may be made.</p>
<p><strong>Commitment</strong><br />
Before committing to structural balancing therapy, the evaluation findings and the reasons for treatment are discussed, in addition to answering any questions or concerns the client may have. Commitment of the therapist and client to the treatment plan is essential. Biomechanical structural balancing and bodywork is not simply done to the client, but is an ongoing process in which the client actively participates.</p>
<p><strong>Lazlo&#8217;s Rules of Good Posture: </strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Everything is connected.</li>
<li>Anything can cause anything.</li>
<li>Bones go where muscles put them. Bones stay where muscles keep them.</li>
<li>When you sit: put your tail behind you and sit on your sit bones.</li>
<li>When you stand: let your head pull and hold your body up.</li>
<li>Listen to your body when it tells you something is wrong.</li>
<li>Posture yourself in life by being as kind to yourself as you are to others.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Advanced Clinical Massage Therapy has benefited the following:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>ADD/ADHD</li>
<li>Autism</li>
<li>Bulging Discs</li>
<li> Carpal Tunnel Syndrome</li>
<li>Chronic Low Back Pain</li>
<li>Cystocele</li>
<li>Effects of Trauma, Including Birth Trauma</li>
<li>Endometriosis</li>
<li>Fibromyalgia</li>
<li>Frozen Shoulder</li>
<li>Hammertoe</li>
<li>Headaches</li>
<li>Overall Health</li>
<li> Incontinence</li>
<li>Infertility</li>
<li>Knee Pain</li>
<li>Lazy Eye</li>
<li>Leg Pain, Athletic Performance</li>
<li>Nerve Impingement</li>
<li>Muscle Spasms</li>
<li>Pain Syndromes</li>
<li>Adjustment of Post-Surgical Joint Prosthesis</li>
<li>Pregnancy</li>
<li>Prolapsed Uterus</li>
<li>Neck Pain</li>
<li>Limitations from Scars</li>
<li>Sciatica</li>
<li> Scoliosis</li>
<li>Sports Injuries</li>
<li>Tendonitis</li>
<li>Tennis Elbow</li>
<li>Tinnitus</li>
<li> Symptoms Caused by Structural Misalignment
  </li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Lazlo Paule, L.M.B.T.,? has trained extensively in:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Therapeutic Touch <em>(Hanna Kroger and Jenice Blitzer)</em></li>
<li>Quantum Touch <em>(John Kennedy)</em></li>
<li>Cranio-Sacral Therapy <em>(Upledger Institute) </em></li>
<li>Neuromuscular Therapy <em>(Paul St. John</em>)</li>
<li>Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques <em>(Erik Dalton, Ph.D.)</em></li>
<li>Active Isolated Stretching <em>(Aaron Mattes)</em></li>
<li>Thai Massage <em>(Margie Meshew, C.T.M.T.)</em></li>
<li>Applied Kinesiology <em>(Arleen Green, B.S., L.M.T. )</em></li>
<li>Visceral Manipulation <em>(Upledger Institute—Jean Pierre Barrall, D.O.)</em></li>
</ul>
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		<title>Sleepless In America</title>
		<link>http://www.gsmcweb.com/?p=206</link>
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		<pubDate>Sun, 19 Aug 2007 06:26:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Administrator</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gsmcweb.com/?p=206</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Sleepless in America
Americans spend 25 percent less time sleeping than they did 100 years ago and have added one month to their average annual commute or work time in the last 25 years. For these and several other reasons including the availability of artificial lighting, 24/7 television and Internet access, shift work, working more than [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Sleepless in America</strong><br />
Americans spend 25 percent less time sleeping than they did 100 years ago <em>and</em> have added one month to their average annual commute or work time in the last 25 years. For these and several other reasons including the availability of artificial lighting, 24/7 television and Internet access, shift work, working more than one job, emotional stress, workaholism, hormonal imbalances, and the use of drugs, cigarette smoking, caffeine, and alcohol, many Americans are accumulating a sleep debt that they are ill-equipped to pay back. Add airway obstruction to this imposing list and the deck is stacked against getting a good night&#8217;s sleep.</p>
<p><strong>Sleep Apnea/Hypopnea</strong><br />
The Greek word &#8220;apnea&#8221; translates to &#8220;without breath,&#8221; and is defined as a reduction of air flow greater than 80 percent of baseline.  <em>Hypopnea </em>is shallow breathing that reduces air flow to 50– 80 percent of baseline.</p>
<p>The two major types of <em>sleep </em>apnea/hypopnea are <em>central </em>(due to lack of effort to breathe, often from a stroke or brain trauma) and <em>obstructive</em> (due to collapse of the throat tissues into the airway). Of the two types, obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is far more common.</p>
<p><em>Clinically significant </em>OSA is defined as five or more events/hour of 10-seconds or longer cessation of breathing during sleep that is accompanied by a greater than three percent decrease in oxygen saturation <em>or</em> a neurological <em>arousal</em> (when high carbon dioxide or low oxygen levels alert the brain to briefly awaken a person to restore breathing). Five to 15 apnea/hypopnea events/hour is rated as mild, 15 to 30 events/hour is moderate, and more than 30 events/hour is severe.</p>
<p>People afflicted with OSA often have no memory of their frequent, momentary awakenings during sleep and may also be genuinely unaware of the severity of their breathing difficulties for years or even decades, and may think they &#8220;just snore.&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>Who&#8217;s at Risk</strong><br />
An estimated 12 million Americans suffer from OSA, and many of them are untreated. Risk factors for developing OSA include being male and older than 40, smoking cigarettes, and having a short, thick neck, large tongue, receding jaw, and obesity. Additionally, the use of alcohol and drugs that contribute to muscle relaxation contribute to OSA. The incidence of OSA in post-menopausal women approaches that of men in the same age group.</p>
<p><strong>Health Problems Associated with OSA</strong><br />
Health problems/symptoms associated with chronic suboptimal tissue levels of oxygen from OSA include feeling on waking as if one hasn&#8217;t slept, high blood pressure, memory problems, heart disease, stroke, esophageal reflux, difficulty concentrating, irritability, decreased libido, impotence, heavy sweating at night, self-reporting a poor quality of life, weight gain, severe daytime fatigue and sleepiness, morning headaches, seizures, heart arrhythmias, adrenal stress (from prolonged physiological stress of struggling to breathe), and death.</p>
<p>Sleep deprivation (which is largely due to the interruptions of deep, restorative REM sleep that is an absolute requirement for normal daytime functioning) can result in difficulty with both relationships and job performance.</p>
<p><strong>Driving Drowsy vs. Driving Drunk</strong><br />
Accurate statistics on the impact of driving while drowsy are difficult to obtain in part because there is no roadside reliable test for fatigue as there is for alcohol intoxication and because people in motor vehicle accidents may not be forthcoming about their level of fatigue. A conservatively estimated 100,000 accidents dur to driving while drowsy result in 71,000 injuries and 1,500 deaths annually in the United States.</p>
<p>A Stanford University study of 113 people with sleep apnea and 80 volunteer control subjects examined the dangers of driving while drowsy.</p>
<p>Following baseline testing of reaction time for both groups, the 80 volunteers were tested three more times while drinking 80-proof alcohol and again afterwards.</p>
<p>On the first follow-up testing, the sleep apnea subjects scored worse on all seven measurements of reaction time than the 80 volunteer drinkers. The sleep apnea patients performed worse on three out of seven tests when compared to those volunteers who tested legally drunk.</p>
<p>Most people overestimate their ability to override their need for sleep by using sheer willpower when they are behind the wheel. Falling asleep at the wheel for even a split second, particularly at higher speeds, can result in tragedy.</p>
<p><strong>Two Cases of Airway Obstruction</strong><br />
<u>Case # 1</u>  A man whose airway is obstructed from choking on food in public is likely to be the recipient of a Heimlich maneuver by a trained good Samaritan coming to his aid to help expel the food obstructing his airway.</p>
<p><u>Case # 2</u>  A man whose airway is obstructed from his own tissues collapsing into his airway while sleeping at home in his own bedroom is not likely to have his airway obstruction relieved by a well-intended bystander. He is left struggling to breathe and often remains oblivious to the serious nature of his malady.</p>
<p><strong>No Laughing Matter</strong><br />
The use of sleep deprivation as a tactic to coerce prisoners of war to reveal information is considered cruel and is banned internationally. Sleep deprivation that results from airway obstruction during sleep, however, is often mentioned only in humor or for the fact that it&#8217;s disruptive to people in the same household. Sleep deprivation can affect the health of an entire family and is no laughing matter.</p>
<p><strong>In-Home Testing for OSA</strong><br />
Watch-PAT100 provides screening, diagnosis and assessment of sleep-related breathing disorders.</p>
<p>Watch-PAT (Peripheral Arterial Tone) provides an in-home, reliable, unattended, affordable, user-friendly, evaluation that is accessible to OSA sufferers. It offers a single button operation and allows patients to sleep in their own beds at home during testing, without the stress of being observed by a stranger in the unfamiliar environment of a clinical sleep lab. Watch-PAT100 also provides a cost-effective ongoing monitoring of the effectiveness of OSA therapies.</p>
<p>The Watch-PAT unit weighs in at a mere 3 ounces, and it is velcroed to a comfortable glove/sleeve worn on the wrist and forearm of the non-dominant hand just before the person being studied goes to bed. Two non-invasive probes are attached to the fingertips to measure the PAT signal, pulse rate, sleep/wake cycles, body movements, and oxygen saturation.</p>
<p>The recorded signals are stored in a removable memory card in the device and are downloaded for computerized analysis of the data after the testing is completed.</p>
<p>Comparative studies have revealed a 90 percent correlation between Watch-PAT results and those of sleep lab testing (polysomnology).</p>
<p><strong>Treatment </strong><br />
Treatment for OSA varies based on an individual&#8217;s medical history, the severity of OSA, and the cause of airway obstruction.</p>
<p>Treatments include lifestyle changes such as losing weight, stopping smoking, avoiding sleeping on one&#8217;s back, and evaluating the use of drugs which contribute to airway obstruction.</p>
<p>A variety of surgical procedures are used to reduce the volume of the tissue that is obstructing the airway  or to support the obstructive tissues to prevent them from collapsing into the throat.</p>
<p>The most common physical intervention is Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) in which room air under pressure is delivered to the patient via a mask to lessen airway obstruction.</p>
<p>Other interventions include oral splints, acupuncture, and allergy desensitization.</p>
<table border="0" cellpadding="20" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#ccccff">
<p align="center"><strong>Obstructive Sleep Apnea Self-Assessment Questionnaire</strong></p>
<p align="center">Developed by Professor David White of Harvard University Medical School</p>
<p><strong>1.    Snoring</strong><br />
a) Do you snore more than three nights/week?<br />
Yes (2)    No (0)</p>
<p>b) Is your snoring loud enough to be heard through a closed door or a wall?<br />
Yes (2)    No (0)</p>
<p><strong>2.    Has anyone ever reported that you stop breathing or gasp during sleep?</strong><br />
Frequently (5)     Occasionally (3)    Never (0)</p>
<p><strong>3.    What is your collar size?                                 </strong><br />
<strong>Male:       </strong>17 or more inches (5)     Less than 17 inches (0)</p>
<p><strong>Female:  </strong>16 or more inches (5)     Less than 16 inches (0)</p>
<p><strong>4.    Do you occasionally fall asleep during the day when</strong><br />
a) you are busy or active?                           Yes (2)    No (0)<br />
b) you are driving or stopped at a traffic light?    Yes (2)    No (0)</p>
<p><strong> 5.    Have you had or are you being treated for high blood pressure? </strong><br />
Yes  (2)    No (0)</p>
<p><strong>Totaling Your Score</strong></p>
<p><strong>A score of 5 points or less: </strong>low probability of sleep apnea<br />
<strong>A score of 6 &#8211; 8 points:  </strong>a gray area &#8212; contact your physician for an exam and assessment<br />
<strong>A score of 9 points or more: </strong>a high likelihood of having OSA. Seek a medical consultation.</td>
</tr>
</table>
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		<title>Frequency Specific Microcurrent</title>
		<link>http://www.gsmcweb.com/?p=205</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 04 Aug 2007 15:58:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Administrator</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Frequency Specific Microcurrents]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Inner Space
Each of a human&#8217;s estimated 50 trillion living cells is energetically powered by a virtual &#8220;computer within&#8221; that enables cells to communicate with each other and to organize, monitor, and regulate an entire complex, dynamic organism. However, when this subtle, invisible energy is disrupted, symptoms or diseases can result. The ability to restore an [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Inner Space</strong><br />
Each of a human&#8217;s estimated 50 trillion living cells is energetically powered by a virtual &#8220;computer within&#8221; that enables cells to communicate with each other and to organize, monitor, and regulate an entire complex, dynamic organism. However, when this subtle, invisible energy is disrupted, symptoms or diseases can result. The ability to restore an organism&#8217;s subtle energy that has been adversely impacted by injury, toxins, infection, inflammation, or stress represents an exciting potential in clinical medicine&#8217;s vast, new frontier: Inner space.</p>
<p><strong>History</strong><br />
Spanning from 2750 BC and the medical use of electric eels for stimulating healing to current-day, innovative research of electricity to treat cancer, electromagnetic energy has made fascinating and sustaining contributions to science and medical practice. Electromagnetic therapies were used by 50 percent of U.S. physicians in 1910. However, in the 1930&#8217;s, these therapies were nearly driven out of existence by competitive influences that favored emerging pharmaceutical and technological advances in deference to several therapies in practice at that time.<br />
In 1995, Oregon-based Carolyn McMakin, M.A., D.C., was given tissue frequency protocols from a retired Canadian osteopath to use in her practice. &#8220;Dr. Carol&#8221; used the frequencies on hundreds of patients who were referred to her and who had proved to be resistant to a variety of other treatments. As a group, these patients responded extremely well. Fueled by her observations, Dr. Carol ushered FSM into the 21st century by expanding its applications to help assure its ongoing relevance, establishing the reproducibility of FSM protocols through clinical research, and educating healthcare professionals in FSM training seminars worldwide.</p>
<p><strong>Good Vibrations</strong><br />
All matter is made of atoms. Negatively charged atomic particles called electrons vibrate and spin in orbits around the nucleus of atoms and, in doing so, produce electromagnetic energy. Each tissue and organ has a specific frequency that is unique from all of the body&#8217;s other tissues and organs. Because water is a conductor of electromagnetic energy and because the human body is approximately 70 percent water, people are susceptible to electromagnetic field changes, whether intentional (therapeutic) or from background environmental pollution.</p>
<p><strong>Bad Vibes</strong><br />
When cells are injured or diseased, the vibrational frequencies of their electrons are disrupted. The specific abnormal vibration is not only determined by which tissue is afflicted (cartilage, tendon, bone, liver, etc.), but also by the type of causation (inflammation, infection, stress, shock, injury, toxicity, etc.). These two variables determine the frequency selection and are thus essential to achieve good results.<br />
Disturbed cellular frequencies can become &#8220;stuck,&#8221; in effect perpetuating symptoms and leaving the affected person chronically afflicted with ailments that may not yield to the usual physical interventions.</p>
<p><strong>The Equipment</strong><br />
GSMC uses FSM equipment manufactured by Precision Distributing, Inc. FSM is a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved medical device that is grouped by the FDA in the same category as Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator (TENS) units, even though FSM outputs in millionths of amperes (the same as human cells), and TENS units output in thousandths of amperes (1,000 times greater). Microcurrent devices such as FSM that deliver amperage similar to that of the body cooperatively resonate with the body&#8217;s energy, as opposed to devices that deliver amperage which forces a biological response by suppressing or overriding the body&#8217;s more subtle energy.</p>
<p><strong>FSM Results </strong><br />
Some patients have reported significant benefits immediately after or within 24 hours following a single FSM session. These reported benefits can be permanent, or they may last between four days to a week, with the duration of benefit lasting longer with each subsequent FSM session. Other patients, particularly those with long standing symptoms or a decreased vital force, have reported benefits only after six sessions.<br />
Electrons that have been vibrating at disrupted frequencies for an extended period of time tend to habitually return to those frequencies, often within four to seven days following an FSM session. This situation calls for repeated FSM sessions at appropriate intervals. Though early intervention generally enhances favorable outcomes with FSM and other medical interventions, good outcomes have also been observed when using FSM for long-standing symptoms, even when other treatments have failed.<br />
No technology, device, or technique is 100 percent effective, and FSM is no exception. Some patients may not respond. Predicting in advance who will or won&#8217;t respond to FSM is not possible. No significant or lasting adverse reactions to FSM have been reported.</p>
<p><strong>General Information</strong><br />
FSM requires a light touch&#8211;no painful or deep pressure is involved. Bodywork or massage techniques may be used during an FSM session.<br />
Because FSM&#8217;s amperage is similar to the body&#8217;s own cellular amperage, patients experience no sensation whatsoever. Benefits of improved cellular function include warmth, softening of tight tissues, emotional release, and reduction of pain during a session.<br />
The therapist may deliver FSM through moist towels or thin black graphite gloves. The gloves enable the therapist to have a &#8220;hands-on&#8221; feel of the response of muscles and other affected tissues during the session and target FSM to smaller areas such as trigger points.<br />
When normal tissue frequencies are restored, tissue function can also be restored, resulting in backed-up cellular toxins being released, and possibly the occurrence of flu-like detoxification symptoms. These symptoms have started as soon as an hour after a session and usually last two to four hours and up to a day or two. Drinking one or two quarts of water in the first two hours following a treatment is recommended to help prevent or lessen detox symptoms.</p>
<p><strong>Home-Based FSM</strong><br />
Some patients may respond well to FSM, but do not experience a sustained improvement in symptoms without ongoing sessions. These patients may be candidates for purchasing a portable unit that can be programmed with their specific frequencies for safe and effective, ongoing home-based FSM.</p>
<p><strong>Conditions For Which Others Have Reported Benefits With FSM</strong><br />
Achilles tendonitis<br />
Adhesions<br />
Asthma<br />
Back pain<br />
Bell&#8217;s palsy<br />
Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy (BPH)<br />
Bronchitis<br />
Carpal tunnel syndrome<br />
Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)<br />
Concussion<br />
Emotional issues<br />
Endometriosis<br />
Fibromyalgia associated with cervical spine injury<br />
Fibrosis<br />
Fractures<br />
Frozen shoulder<br />
Goiter<br />
Gout<br />
Herpes<br />
Interstitial cystitis<br />
Irritable bowel syndrome<br />
Kidney stone pain<br />
Lymphedema<br />
Migraine headaches<br />
Myofascial pain<br />
Osteoarthritis<br />
Neuromuscular pain and inflammation<br />
Peripheral neuropathy<br />
Post-herpetic neuralgia<br />
Post-surgical pain<br />
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)<br />
Reflexive Sympathetic Dystrophy  (RSD)<br />
Restless leg syndrome<br />
Scar tissue<br />
Sciatica<br />
Shingles<br />
Sinusitis<br />
Spinal disc pain<br />
Sports injuries<br />
Sprains/strains<br />
Temperomandibular Joint (TMJ) Pain<br />
Tendon and ligament injury or pain<br />
Tension headaches<br />
Tennis elbow<br />
Vulvodynia<br />
Whiplash<br />
Wound healing</p>
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		<title>IV Nutritional Therapies: A Fast Track to Replenish Nutrients</title>
		<link>http://www.gsmcweb.com/?p=204</link>
		<comments>http://www.gsmcweb.com/?p=204#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 20 Jan 2007 06:31:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Administrator</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Chelation Therapy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gsmcweb.com/?p=204</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Healthcare practitioners trained in nutritional medicine know the many benefits of using intravenous (IV) drips to quickly and efficiently deliver nutrients directly to where they are needed: the cells. IVs bypass the digestive system and its potential barriers to the absorption of nutrients (deficient hydrochloric acid is at the top of the list, followed by [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Healthcare practitioners trained in nutritional medicine know the many benefits of using intravenous (IV) drips to quickly and efficiently deliver nutrients directly to where they are needed: the cells. IVs bypass the digestive system and its potential barriers to the absorption of nutrients (deficient hydrochloric acid is at the top of the list, followed by deficient digestive enzymes and a lack of beneficial friendly gut bacteria that aid digestion).<br />
IV nutrients are given in therapeutic, pharmacological doses far above the minimal requirements of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA), which are intended to avoid deficiency states and have little to do with promoting optimal health.<br />
The body&#8217;s familiarity with natural nutrients (as contrasted with &quot;unnatural&quot; drugs) accounts for the high safety profile of IV nutrient administration.<br />
Sixty-seven percent of the population is estimated to be magnesium deficient, a fact that gives magnesium a starring role in IV nutritional therapy. Because deficiency of this mineral results in spasms, magnesium is especially useful  to treat asthma (spasm of bronchioles), high blood pressure (spasm or constriction of blood vessels), menstrual cramps (spasm of the uterus), and migraines (vascular spasm). Heart failure and heart arrhythmia are conditions associated with decreased intracellular magnesium levels and, as such, are also benefited by this essential mineral. For mostly unknown reasons, people who are deficient in magnesium often cannot correct their deficiency by taking magnesium capsules by mouth until the magnesium levels are first replenished by IV administration.<br />
Vitamin C&#8217;s starring role in IV administration is due to its anti-viral properties that make it useful in treating colds, influenza, and hepatitis. Because humans (and guinea pigs and bats) cannot make vitamin C the way other mammals can, there is much benefit to be had from IV Vitamin C. It is also indicated for immune support, for treating allergic conditions, for its anti-cancer properties, and to aid the detoxification of heavy metals.<br />
The Myers Cocktail, named after the late Maryland physician John Myers, M.D., and popularized by Alan Gaby, M.D., combines magnesium and B vitamins to safely, inexpensively, and effectively treat a variety of chronic conditions including depression and fibromyalgia and chronic conditions of the digestive tract that can result in magnesium being &quot;leaked&quot; or wasted.<br />
Nutrient depletion is common, especially in patients requiring surgery, who may not have been able to tolerate eating prior to surgery or who suffer from a poor diet. IV administration of nutrients before surgery can have a positive impact on the post-surgical course, including less pain and faster healing.<br />
Macular degeneration is often responsive to IV administration of nutrients required for healthy eye function, including zinc, selenium, glutathione, and vitamin B complex.<br />
Though dehydration is obvious after vomiting and diarrhea, its role in chronic disease is often overlooked. Chronic, low-grade dehydration impairs cellular function. Afflicted patients can respond well to re-hydration by IV fluids.<br />
A blend of vitamins, minerals, and micro-nutrients comprise a Mega-Nutrient, an IV used to replenish nutrients during a course of chelation therapy and also anytime someone feels rundown, is exhausted by chronic illness, or is under more stress than usual. Stress &quot;eats up&quot; nutrients (especially B vitamins), thereby creating a temporary exaggerated need.<br />
Intensive anti-oxidant therapy can be delivered by using IV glutathione or alpha-lipoic acid. These nutrients have special use in modulating peripheral neuropathy of diabetes, liver disease (including hepatitis), asthma, and virtually any chronic disease in which oxidation plays a role. </p>
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		<title>Eat Your (Organic) Vegetables</title>
		<link>http://www.gsmcweb.com/?p=203</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 20 Jan 2007 06:18:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Administrator</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Diet/Nutrition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gsmcweb.com/?p=203</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The well-known admonition of mothers to their nutritionally-challenged, dessert-loving children, &#34;Eat your vegetables,&#34; likely still echoes in the psyche of many nutritionally-challenged, dessert-loving adults. Well, guess what? Mom was right. The guys in white lab coats have scientifically confirmed many times over what mothers always knew: vegetables are important for good health.
In January 2005, the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The well-known admonition of mothers to their nutritionally-challenged, dessert-loving children, &quot;Eat your vegetables,&quot; likely still echoes in the psyche of many nutritionally-challenged, dessert-loving adults. Well, guess what? Mom was right. The guys in white lab coats have scientifically confirmed many times over what mothers always knew: vegetables are important for good health.<br />
In January 2005, the U.S. Health and Human Services Department and the U.S. Department of Agriculture released the 2005 Dietary Guidelines complete with updated recommendations that vary based on a person&#8217;s age and activity level. The new guidelines call for increasing the number of daily servings of vegetables and fruits from 5-9 to 5-13 servings a day. (A serving is one-half cup if solid, or one cup if leafy.) Some speculate this increase is largely driven by the roles vegetables play in decreasing cancer risk.<br />
A reported decrease of nutrient levels in commercially available vegetables in U.S. supermarkets certainly justifies more vegetable servings. Many of the vegetable nutrient levels published in 2000 were significantly less compared with 1963 levels. For example, the vitamin C level in bell peppers fell from 128 mg to 89 mg (a 31 percent decrease), while spinach lost 45 percent of its vitamin C. Nearly half of the calcium and vitamin A in broccoli apparently vanished. That southern staple of soul food, collards, has lost 61 percent of its vitamin A and 51 percent of its potassium. (Nutritional tables can be accessed online at www.usda.gov.)<br />
Just how relevant is this decline of nutrient levels in food?<br />
For starters, in 1992 a USDA report estimated that if everyone in the United States ate a diet supplying the recommended daily nutrients, cancer, respiratory diseases, and infectious diseases would decrease by 20 percent, heart and vascular diseases by 25 percent, and arthritis and infant and maternal deaths by 50 percent.<br />
In a University of Minnesota study of 14,962 middle-aged adults, those who ate more servings of fruits and vegetables had a 41 percent to 53 percent decrease in the incidence of venous thromboembolism (clot) formation.<br />
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study which found that men with the least amount of vitamin C (most abundant in  fruits and vegetables) have a 62 percent increased risk of cancer.<br />
The journal Nature published a study showing that onions (the food with the greatest amount of quercetin, a natural plant nutrient) slowed the loss of bone density, which can eventually result in osteoporosis. The vegetables arugula, broccoli, cucumbers, Chinese cabbage, red cabbage, dill, garlic, leeks,  wild garlic, lettuce, parsley and tomatoes have also been shown to slow bone density loss.<br />
Imbalances of the hormone estrogen increase the risk of cancer in both men and women. The risk can be offset by eating cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, collards, kale, and kohlrabi, which contain compounds known as indole-3-carbinol (I3C) and diindolymethane (DIM). They are effective in shifting the metabolism of estradiol (the estrogen most associated with cancer risk) by reducing levels of &quot;bad&quot; estrogen metabolites and increasing levels of &quot;good&quot; estrogen metabolites, thus reducing the risk of prostate, cervical and breast cancers, among others.<br />
Vegetables are the single best food source of minerals. Literally every biochemical process in the human body is dependent on minerals, a fact that makes mineral imbalances or deficiencies capable of undermining health in all organ systems.<br />
The relatively sudden change in western culture from eating mostly organic, home-grown produce to eating primarily commercially-grown produce may be at least partially offset by year-round availability of fresh produce. However, for food to be transported across the nation (or planet) before it spoils, it must be picked before Mother Nature can ripen it naturally. In foods that are allowed to ripen on the vine, plant chemicals called flavonoids form. The media have recently brought one flavonoid, lycopene, to the attention of the public. Lycopene is found in red fruit and vegetables, most notably in tomatoes, and is especially beneficial to prostate function. While flavonoids function as sunscreens for plants, they protect those who eat them from DNA damage (which could otherwise result in cancer) and deterioration of brain cells, and also provide other health benefits.<br />
Not allowing vegetables to ripen outdoors in the sun decreases plant levels of folic acid, precursors of vitamin A, and anthocyanins (chemicals that give mature plants their bright colors and are a source of life-sustaining, whole food antioxidants).<br />
Vegetables also add high quality fiber that supports immune, digestive, and general health.<br />
Maybe you have brought home produce that looks beautiful (huge, bright red strawberries, or off-season tomatoes and cantaloupes) only to discover it tastes like flannel. Such &quot;food&quot; may be hybridized to look appealing, is likely grown on artificially fertilized, depleted soil, and may even be genetically modified.<br />
In America, where vegetables are considered a side dish (incidental to meat and grains), and little time is relegated to meal preparation, the average person is unlikely to get nutrients from vegetables in levels adequate to deter, much less treat, diseases of nutritional deficiency.<br />
Though many people who eat organic produce do so for what they don&#8217;t get (chemical fertilizers, genetic modification, pesticides, antibiotics, herbicides, growth enhancers, etc.), sufficient data now provides motivation for eating organically for what is present: more nutrients.<br />
A 2001 article in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine reviewed 41 published studies that compared the nutritional values of conventional and organic produce. According to the article, organic produce has 27 percent more vitamin C, 21 percent more iron, 29 percent more magnesium, and 14 percent more phosphorus than non-organic produce.<br />
All is not perfect in organic-land. However, even when factoring in the politically-based lowering of organic standards, the difficulty monitoring compliance to standards, and unavoidable factors such as drift of airborne chemicals from stack emissions and agricultural sprays that indiscriminately affect all crops, eating organic produce still translates to lower toxin levels and higher nutrient levels. Eating organically grown food remains a healthier choice than eating food that is conventionally grown.<br />
GSMC doctors have taken thousands of dietary histories and, though our &quot;average patient&quot; gets enough protein, fat, starch, and calories, inadequate intake of fresh vegetables is common.<br />
Interpreting the current glut of dietary information and misinformation in the media becomes nearly impossible for the general public who wants valid, sound advice. Here&#8217;s some: Eat a minimum of five to seven servings of a wide variety of raw or cooked, fresh, organic vegetables daily, most of which are brightly colored. Moms everywhere would approve! </p>
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