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Our practice is continuously pursuing new procedures and techniques that allow us to deliver optimal health solutions for you and your family. We are proud to announce our newest addition, the BioMeridian System.
This revolutionary device (see Figure 1 at right) provides our staff with the ability to measure electrical circuits (acupuncture meridians, Figure 2 ) in the body that provide critical information about specific organs and systems. A simple 30-minute test will focus our attention on the areas that need targeted support. Even more amazing is the ability to track your progress from visit to visit. Once testing is complete, data is compiled, reports are produced and recommendations are made. See Figure 3 , at right. The patient receives a color-coded, easy to understand, take-home report reflecting their unique data patterns.
This testing offers you an opportunity to take a unique look at the vital life energy that flows through your body. Interestingly, the only difference between living and dead tissue is literally the presence or absence of energy flow. An example of this is looking at brain function with a PET scan ( Figure 4 ) where an image of our brain is created simply by looking at the energy pattern.
If you are looking for support solutions for long-term health concerns or simply want to get an edge on performance and energy, we may have your answers. Through this testing we will consider a variety of possible protocols, including dietary and lifestyle changes, supplementation and other natural means to bring abnormal electrical patterns into equilibrium.
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We offer nutritional therapy and counseling for many conditions, including:
. . . and more. Click on these links to read more about each health condition on the list. Then call us today to find out how we can help you.
Mary Frances Wykowski, Cape Charles, VA
I was very concerned about my heart disease risk factors. My total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol were both high as were two other heart disease risk factors, C-reactive protein and homocysteine. By following the nutritional program that Dr. Banks helped me with, I have lost over 45 lbs, my cholesterol, C-reactive protein and homocysteine all dropped to the normal range. The program taught me how to eat and manage my nutrition, not simply how to diet temporarily.
Ettore Zuccarino, Cape Charles, VA
Dr. Scott Banks has simply been a godsend to me. When I first saw him, my digestive system was a mess. I had been suffering from IBS for many years and was slaved to Prilosec. Competently interpreting the data of a very comprehensive lab report, he guided me in understanding where the problems were and how to overcome them. Dr. Banks advised a well planned program of supplements aimed at re-establishing good health. Within three months I was free of IBS and my digestive system had healed.
With sure diagnostic expertise Dr. Banks also pinpointed the underlying causes of my overall state of inflammation as caused by a condition of Adrenal insufficiency and that too has remarkably improved through the use of appropriate herbal supplements. I recommend Dr. Banks as an astute, knowledgeable diagnostician whose aim is to heal rather than treat patients.
Catharine Hubbard , Eastville, VA
I was shocked when I went in for my annual checkup in August 2007 to learn that my lab tests showed that I had all the signs of being a diabetic. My blood sugar was 183, and my HAIC had increased to 6.6! In addition to my blood sugar abnormalities, my triglycerides were high and my HDL cholesterol had begun to drop. I knew that my weight had increased over the years, but I was now at 177 lbs – more than I weighed when I was pregnant with any of my three boys! I tried to control my diet with little success and my medical doctor recommended that I consult with Dr. Banks to get the nutritional support I needed.
The program consisted of very specific intense (initially weekly) education about my eating patterns (which contributed to the problems), the reasons my system was not producing and utilizing insulin, and the specifics of dietary changes including supplements that would help address my specific needs. At this time, my blood sugar is below 100, my triglycerides have dropped from 223 to 56 and my good cholesterol has gone up 20 points to its highest level. Best of all for my own self image is that I have gone from a size 16 to a size 8-10 in the clothes I wear, and my weight is staying between 139 -141!
For me, this nutritional program not only resolved my potentially life threatening problems, but gave me the knowledge to understand its causes and how to control my behavior to prevent it from occurring in the future.
Kathy Foreman , Virginia Beach, VA
I had progressive elevation of blood cholesterol and triglycerides over the past several years. I tried taking medications to lower them but could not tolerate them because of muscle pain. In January of 2008, my total cholesterol was 317, and my good cholesterol, or HDL, was low at 31. My triglycerides were very high at 643.
During the time when my cholesterol and triglycerides were elevating, I was also having considerable difficulty with lightheadedness, slight shortness of breath and chest pain. I had extensive testing resulting in the diagnosis of chronic reflux and was placed on medication. I also continued to have muscle pain and was told that this was fibromyalgia.
Dr. Banks worked with me to rebuild my diet and to take the correct nutritional supplements to correct the problem. In May of 2009, my total cholesterol was down to 215, and my good cholesterol was up to 48, which is normal. My triglycerides decreased dramatically to 141. In addition, further testing by Dr. Banks revealed that I had an intestinal yeast infection which was causing both my reflux and the muscle pains from the absorbed toxins. The dietary changes and supplements resolved my digestive problems as well as most of the muscle pain. I also lost weight after following the nutritional plan. My weight is now in the normal range after being overweight for about 20 years!
I also have hemochromatosis, a chronic iron storage disease requiring phlebotomy every 3-4 months for control. My last test of stored tissue iron (ferritin test) before beginning the nutritional program was high at 119. Before my most recent phlebotomy session it was 37. I am now on an every 6-month schedule for phlebotomies.
Before starting my program with Dr. Banks, every day seemed to be a struggle. Now, I look and feel much better, and I am able to function normally. It feels wonderful to have the knowledge needed to take control of my health.
I am grateful to Dr. Banks and his staff for the service they provide. I highly recommend Dr. Banks to anyone who is ready to take control of their health and well-being.
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NEWSLETTER
BIOMERIDIAN
FOOD SENSITIVITY VIDEO
CONDITIONS WE TREAT
SUCCESS STORIES
Scott D. Banks, DC, MS
Clinical Nutritionist
About Dr. Banks
Dr. Banks graduated from the State University of New York at Alfred University and from Logan College of Chiropractic. He received his Masters of Science degree in Clinical Nutrition from the University of Bridgeport. The Virginia Board of Medicine licensed him to practice chiropractic in 1977.
Dr. Banks is a past president of the Virginia Chiropractic Association. He received the “Chiropractor of the Year” award from the association in 1986 and the “Lifetime Achievement Award” in 2002. He is the past editor of Nutritional Perspective, the journal of the Council on Nutrition of the American Chiropractic Association. He is an active member of the Council on Nutrition.
In addition to his practice, Dr. Banks is a postgraduate faculty member for Logan College of Chiropractic and for New York Chiropractic College. He teaches certification programs on spine disorders throughout the country for these colleges. He was also a board member of the Chiropractic Rehabilitation Association and authored their guidelines for the rehabilitation of the low back. Dr. Banks has also been a contributing author to two textbooks on the spine. He has made clinical presentations to the Southern Medical Association, The American College of Sports Medicine, The Northern Virginia Society for Continuing Medical Education and several other professional associations. He has also served as a preceptor for Eastern Virginia Medical School in alternative medicine.
At Banks Nutrition, we start all patients with a comprehensive nutritional evaluation to find out what is going on in your body and why. The evaluation starts with a complete history, an examination and testing that may include blood, urine, stool, hair and other analyses; body composition analysis and other specialized testing as necessary.
We also conduct a comprehensive dietary analysis that compares food intake to food chemical content for 150 different factors, allowing us an understanding of total diet content. Each patient keeps a detailed food diary for a 3-5 day period, helping us understand what it is you eat that is determining your health and condition. The information is run through a sophisticated software program that breaks it down into specific nutrients and amounts. From this breakdown, we are able to formulate an individualized treatment program.
Our nutritional treatment programs include:
Effective nutritional programs are time and education intense. It takes time to make gradual changes based both on knowledge that must be developed, and on behavioral factors. Lifestyle, and particularly eating, is completely managed by the individual. Eating is one of the more complex human experiences and is influenced by a broad range of emotions and understandings.
Our food has undergone complex changes, and these changes are presented to the public in ways that obscure understanding rather than create it. The current metabolic problems that many people suffer have developed slowly, over time, and are related to changes in our food composition, our food selection, and changes in other lifestyle factors that affect metabolic function, such as exercise. Perhaps this is why nutrition related metabolic problems have become epidemic. If poor nutrition caused immediate symptoms, the common metabolic disorders would likely be rare.
The good news is that many of these common metabolic disorders can be corrected through nutritional treatment. If we may be of service to you, please contact our office. We take pride in our work and will do everything possible to provide an effective and patient-friendly service in a much needed area of health.
What is the best diet or nutritional pattern of eating?” The answer to this commonly asked question in nutrition is it depends on who you are. While this answer seems like it is vague and evasive, it is the accurate one. Human DNA contains approximately 30,000 separate areas called genes which contain the individual code to make the 30,000 enzymes and proteins that literally run our body. To date, we have identified about 3 million small variations, or “polymorphisms”, in these genes that determine each individual’s chemical make-up. Each person is likely to have dozens to a few hundred of these variations which determine their chemical abilities to operate their bodies including the ability to tolerate different dietary patterns.
It is this biochemical complexity that accounts for the observation that two people eating the exact same diet will develop different diseases:
A person’s genetic make-up is their “genotype”. Their disease tendencies are their “phenotype”, which is the interaction between their genetic make-up and the environment that they exist in particularly the chemical make-up of their diet. Generally disease risk may have the following behaviors:
Good genotype + good environment low disease risk
Weak genotype + good environment low/moderate disease risk
Good genotype + bad environment low/moderate disease risk
Weak genotype + bad environment high disease risk
Not only is an individual’s general disease risk related to their genotype, the risk for specific diseases is also related to genotype. While two adults may have a similar number of genetic polymorphisms that create weaknesses in their metabolic abilities, the weakness may be in different genes related to different enzyme systems. One person may have weaknesses of several enzymes involved in carbohydrate and sugar utilization, while another may have their weakness with enzymes involved more in fat metabolism. The result is that one will do better on a lower carbohydrate/sugar pattern, and the other will do better on a low fat pattern of eating.
The above reality is borne out looking at the popular nutrition books. One “next revolution” nutrition book says that low carbohydrate/low glycemic load diet is the ideal, yet another suggests that a low fat diet is healthiest. The reason that all of these “revolutions” have their followers as well as their critics is that they only work if the matching genotype tries the right diet (environment) that the plan exposes.
Just as individuals are genetically unique and will have different responses to different variations in their environment such as their nutrition, so their “ideal” nutrition patterns are different. The only effective nutritional pattern for everyone is an individualized one.
Fortunately, we now have both a better understanding of individualized nutrition as well as methods by which to test for them. Genomic markers are the best test of individuality. These markers actually look at part of the individual gene to compare it to “ideal”. This testing is not clinically feasible on a wide scale basis given its complexity and enormous cost to test the many genes known to be associated with the various common diseases. A more practical approach is to look at functional markers of intolerance to one’s environment and a newer type of testing called metabalomic testing.
Functional markers are patterns of traditional tests that suggest not only a problem but infer a dietary pattern that may be driving the pattern. For example, a fairly large number of persons with elevated blood cholesterol may be not helped or worsened by a low fat diet. These diets rely on greater amounts of carbohydrate, and persons who are genetically ill-suited to tolerate higher amounts of carbohydrates begin to convert more of the derived sugars into triglycerides and cholesterol. A functional marker of this tendency is the ratio of triglycerides to HDL or “good” cholesterol. There are also several other functional markers which help sort through predicting the origin of an individual’s problem.
Metabalomic testing looks at the products of the different important enzymatic reactions in human metabolism. For example, sugars are converted to energy in a series of reactions each involving a different enzyme made from a different gene. Step 1 makes an intermediate product called an organic acid that will be used for step 2. If step 2 is not progressing forward well enough because of a genetically weak enzyme, the intermediate from step 1 will build up. It is eventually cleared from the cell and excreted in the urine. A battery of urinary organic acids can be easily and economically examined reflecting an individual’s metabalomic or genetic enzyme functioning pattern.
So what is your ideal nutritional pattern? It depends on who you are… but at least we can now find out. Our practice philosophy is that nutritional therapy must be targeted to the ideal pattern for each individual to obtain the best result. While each individual must accept their inherent genetic abilities, (i.e., their genotype, they have a fairly large degree of control over their environment and phenotype which actually determines disease risk. There is no simple answer to this question, but there is a specific answer for each individual.
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High Cholesterol
High blood cholesterol has become almost epidemic. Not only do more adults have trouble with their cholesterol levels, the problem seems to be occurring in younger adults. The reasons for this epidemic are complex yet somewhat understandable.
Only about 10-20% of our total body pool of cholesterol comes directly from cholesterol in the diet. The majority comes from cholesterol that is made in the liver from other substances. Appropriately, the origins of and solutions for many cholesterol problems are found more often by looking at the “other substances” rather than simply the amount of cholesterol in the diet. Our ability to make cholesterol in the liver is based on ensuring survival during periods of low food and cholesterol intake, as cholesterol is important in making several fat based molecules such as the hormones estrogen and testosterone. Unfortunately, when we consume ongoing higher amounts of the substances that increase cholesterol production, we make more than we need.
At almost all meals, we consume more energy that we will immediately use. It is converted into short-term storage forms such as converting dietary sugars to glycogen within muscle cells. However, when there is a more pronounced excess on an ongoing basis, we convert more of it to fats such as triglycerides and cholesterol in the liver as we have much greater fat storage capacity. Different forms of dietary energy all have the ability to undergo this conversion including saturated fat, trans fat, excessive carbohydrate energy, excessive sugars and others.
While two individuals may have similar cholesterol problems, they may originate from different combinations of dietary imbalance. This is further complicated by small genetic variations that result in different tolerances for excesses of different forms of dietary energy from one person to the next. Each individual is a unique combination of different genetic tendencies and different dietary causes. The most effective individual solution comes from analyzing the pattern of each individual’s blood lipids (cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, etc) and each individual’s dietary chemistry. See the chart at left.
We have been stuck in the middle of the era where everyone gets the same basic simple advice to lower cholesterol and triglycerides. For the occasional individual who does benefit, it was just chance that the simple diet changes recommended just happen to fit their pattern of genetics and diet. For most this is unsuccessful leading to the conclusion that diet does not work.
A recent study examined the different impacts of simple versus comprehensive diet changes on blood LDL cholesterol levels. Patients either received a simple low fat diet, statin drugs or a comprehensive diet program. The simple diet resulted in 14 point reductions in LDL cholesterol, which was insufficient as the average level was 175 initially. The statin drugs reduced LDL levels about 30% to an average of 120. The comprehensive diet did as well as the statin drug treatment also resulting in about 30% reductions in LDL cholesterol.
For most, diet is effective in managing blood cholesterol and triglyceride problems. However, the key is to understand each individual’s pattern of blood lipid imbalances and their unique dietary imbalances that are contributing to the problem.
Blood Sugar Problems
Diabetes Risk
Diabetes is on the verge of replacing heart disease as the leading cause of death in the United States. Death rates from diabetes complications doubled between 1971 and 2000. There are two reasons for this sobering statistic; the percentage of the population with diabetes has been increasing dramatically and treatment approaches have been less successful than they have been for other diseases such as heart disease.
Perhaps more than any other chronic metabolic disease, diabetes is largely related to poor diet. As would be expected, diabetes is also generally responsive to diet with an adequate and focused intervention. This is particularly true of the earlier stages of disease in the diabetic spectrum. Long before blood glucose is sustained at a high level consistent with the diagnosis of diabetes, other earlier stages of the disease occur. The chart at left shows the evolution of diabetes.
Insulin Resistance
The first phase of abnormality of sugar metabolism is a state where insulin functions less optimally. When blood sugar levels rise, insulin secreted by the pancreas signals cells to take blood sugar in to use for energy by stimulating signaling receptors on the surface of the cell. In the initial phase of a blood sugar problem, these receptors become “insensitive” and respond less to insulin. This is compensated by a higher than normal level of insulin release to finally stimulate these receptors and lower blood sugar levels.
Insulin resistance is the most correctable phase of the spectrum of diabetes. Several factors contribute to insulin resistance and need to be addressed. These may include inflammation related to imbalances in fatty acids in the diet called “omega” fatty acids. Another factor may be mineral imbalances in the diet such as inadequate chromium, vanadium and magnesium. Perhaps the greatest factor in insulin resistance is the amount of dietary carbohydrate “stress”. Insulin is the workhorse of carbohydrate management. If the workhorse is just too over-worked, things begin to fail.
The best indicator of dietary carbohydrate “stress” is the dietary glycemic load. This is a combination of both the amount and type of carbohydrate eaten. Glycemic load should not be confused with glycemic index which does not incorporate both amount and type of carbohydrate.
All of the factors in insulin resistance can be delineated by a computerized dietary chemical breakdown and a few lab tests. The basis of correcting it is to first understand the combination of factors driving it in each patient.
Insulin resistance is not diagnosed with a standard glucose blood test. It is indicated by a measurement called the HOMA index which is a formula calculated from fasting blood glucose and insulin levels. Basically, when cells “resist” insulin, the blood sugar will be controlled but will require high levels of insulin to do so.
Other indications of insulin resistance may include a high ratio of triglycerides to HDL (good cholesterol). Insulin resistance causes an increased disposal of blood glucose by the conversion to triglycerides in the liver. This is thought to generate much of the link between diabetes and secondary heart disease.
The third indicator of possible insulin resistance is difficulty losing weight with dietary measures. Lab tests and dietary analysis to direct specific dietary recommendations based on poor insulin function may often result in effective weight loss. Ironically, greater weight loss helps with progressive improvement in insulin function further lowering the risk of actually slipping into full diabetes.
Impaired glucose tolerance
Impaired glucose tolerance is the next step along the path to full diabetes. The fasting blood glucose level may be normal or intermittently elevated a little. As with early heart disease, diagnosis is aided by a “stress test”. The stress that challenges the sugar handling ability is a blood sugar test done after ingesting a known amount of sugar solution. Even if the fasting blood sugar is normal, levels may rise above that expected 2 hours after the test meal. This is the first indicator that the insulin resistance is now not as effectively overcome by excessive insulin output. This stage again is highly manageable with targeting diet and supplementation.
Diabetes
At some point, insulin production cannot be raised enough to overcome progressive insulin resistance, and the fasting and after meal blood glucose levels remain high enough to be called outright diabetes. In the early stages, oral medications can be used to try to improve insulin sensitivity along with diet and lifestyle modifications. There is a tendency however, for the medication to have diminished effectiveness over time and insulin production eventual begins to fail. This phase requires insulin replacement therapy.
Hypoglycemia
Some people experience excessive reductions in blood sugar by insulin. This creates a unique set of symptoms which can interfere with normal activity. Hypoglycemia will usually present with 2 phases of symptoms; one from the low blood sugar and a second from the hormonal compensation which attempts to correct the problem.
The symptoms from low blood sugar are primarily the result of impairment of function of the brain. The brain is unique in that unlike other cells in the body such as muscle cells, it can only use sugar to produce energy. As would be expected, the symptoms of low blood sugar all reflect declining brain cell activity. These may include:
If brain cell energy declines too much, the person may lose consciousness. To prevent this we have counter-regulatory mechanisms to raise blood sugar levels. This involves the release of a hormone from the adrenal gland called epinephrine or adrenalin. This causes the liver to convert amino acids (protein) from muscle into glucose and release it into the circulation to raise blood sugar levels. Unfortunately, epinephrine is also a response hormone to stress, and it raises blood pressure pulse, induces sweating and a general feeling of shakiness. This second phase of hypoglycemia often goes on for several hours after the initial hypoglycemic symptoms.
Both the natural tendency and often medical advice for an acute episode of hypoglycemia often makes the problem worse over time. While eating something sweet will relieve the immediate symptoms, it generally causes progressively greater insulin response which only sets up the next cycle of excessive blood sugar reductions by high insulin levels. A more functional approach is to consume a low glycemic load diet which minimizes the insulin spikes that induce hypoglycemia in the first place. Imbalances of several micronutrients may also contribute to hypoglycemia, and these should be evaluated in the initial work-up.
There is some suggestion that the repeated cycles of high insulin response that induce hypoglycemia may eventually lead to a decline in cellular response to insulin, or “insulin resistance”. The importance of this is that insulin resistance is a mechanism of early diabetes; it may cause weight gain that is difficult to treat, and it may cause imbalances in blood triglyceride and cholesterol levels. Although this is a late potential progression of hypoglycemia, it has serious health implications that are best avoided. Early nutritional analysis and intervention is the best approach to hypoglycemia.
Reflux
Indigestion
Treating Indigestion and Reflux with Medication: Feeling Better While the Problem Gets Worse
Indigestion and reflux are very common symptoms. Studies suggest that they affect at least 20% of the US population, or about 60 million persons. The common treatment of these symptoms is the use of proton pump inhibiting drugs (PPIs) that inhibit the stomach cells from producing hydrochloric acid. While this strategy often brings symptomatic relief in the short-term, it can trigger a series of problems in the long-term.
The first problem is that the acidity of the stomach plays three important roles in the function of the body:
Problems in the above three areas have become progressively more common with the widespread use of PPIs triggering a wave of newer research about the potential problems related to the ongoing use of these drugs. Recent studies have found:
A 2009 study in the journal Gastroenterology has found that many persons who take PPIs may actually create a worsening situation in the long-run.(1) The study followed patients who were taking PPIs for 8 weeks. At the end of 12 weeks (4 weeks after trying to discontinue therapy) those taking the actual drugs had worse symptoms than they had before beginning treatment.
It seems that when the drugs inhibit normal stomach acid production, the cells that are responsible for acid production actually grow and increase in numbers to try to compensate. The net effect is that when the drugs are stopped, stomach acidity increases considerably causing an increase in symptoms. Unfortunately, the study did not find out how these patients did over time, and whether the “rebound excess acidity” eventually resolves itself.
Perhaps the greatest irony of this whole process is that many if not the majority of persons with indigestion and reflux symptoms do not have too much stomach acid to begin with. The most common cause of reflux-like symptoms is not enough stomach acid, a condition called hypochlorhydria. The valve that empties the stomach into the intestines is triggered to open by adequate acidity. The valve that prevents the stomach contents from refluxing back into the esophagus also receives some of its signaling to close preventing reflux from the stomach acid. If there is not enough acid, the food cannot empty into the small intestine soon enough, and it is not prevented from refluxing back into the esophagus. Even the weak acidity in this situation which is inadequate for digestion is still enough to irritate the esophagus.
Another common problem associated with ongoing PPI use is the development of secondary irritable bowel symptoms (IBS) such as gas, bloating and/or abdominal discomfort. The digestive process is very similar to an assembly line. Each step must be performed properly before the product is passed on to the next station. IBS typically begins from the passage of inadequately digested foods into the intestines causing putrefaction, irritation and gas production.
Most persons with indigestion and reflux symptoms will respond well to a non-drug nutritional approach. This includes:
The bottom line is that while indigestion and reflux may feel better taking PPIs, too much stomach acid may not be the cause of the problem. Just blocking the digestive process further may create a series of secondary problems over the long-term. The most important trait of a digestive functional approach outlined above is that it restores function rather than simply shutting down an aspect of it that may set off a cascade of undesirable secondary effects.
1) Proton-Pump Inhibitor Therapy Induces Acid-Related Symptoms in Healthy Volunteers After Withdrawal of Therapy. Rubio–Tapia et al. Gastroenterology 2009 Jul 137:80.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, has become one of the more common health disorders affecting 10-15% of the population. It is the single most common complaint for which people see medical specialists who deal with disorders of the digestive tract. The number of adults with IBS is increasing rapidly in all developing countries, and the link appears to be the dietary changes that are common to these countries.
The primary symptoms of IBS include:
Other commonly associated symptoms include:
There are many more infrequent symptoms of IBS that vary considerably from one individual to the next. These diverse symptoms, however, occur concurrently with the common IBS symptoms above. The diagnosis of IBS is made by the presence of the above features combined with negative examinations which have looked for other causes.
Contributing causes of IBS include antibiotic use, anti-inflammatory drug use, imbalances of the types of dietary carbohydrates and fats, poor digestion, and many others. Each case tends to be a unique combination of factors that add up to cause the problem.
A common feature in IBS is an imbalance of the different microorganisms such as bacteria or yeast in the digestive tract. The digestive tract, and particuarly the colon, are normally “populated” with helpful bacteria. Species such as acidophilus help to protect the lining of the colon from overgrowth of harmful bacteria and yeasts, from the activity of several toxins and by producing protective chemicals such as butyric acids. Butyric acids produced in the colon serve as the fuel for the cells in the lining of the colon maintaining the healthy functional status. It is also thought that they play an important role in the prevention of cancerous transition of colon cells.
When antibiotic use inadvertently kills off much of the normal bacteria that should inhabit the colon, unhealthy species can then grow altering the health of the intestinal lining and inducing IBS. Dietary imbalances may also be a major contributing factor as the “good” and “bad” organisms require different food for growth. If the diet supplies the food that favors the bad organisms to populate, they can slowly become dominant inducing IBS. Specialized testing of urinary organic acids now allows the accurate analysis of the “dominant” organisms in the digestive tract. Each organism survives and populates by fermenting different dietary substances that produce different organic acid residues which are normally absorbed and excreted in the urine in small amounts. If an organism is overpopulated, a corresponding organic acid will be excreted in higher amounts reflecting the imbalance.
The important point in treating IBS is to appreciate that there are many contributing factors and that each case represents a unique combination of factors and thus a unique combination of corrective steps. With this approach, long-term IBS relief is typically achieved.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Chronic fatigue syndrome, or CFS, is a complex disorder that is becoming progressively more common. Currently in the United Sates, it is estimated that approximately 1 million persons have CFS and the number is increasing rapidly.
What is it?
The features of CFS include:
1) Unexplained ongoing fatigue that is not alleviated by rest and…
2) Four or more of the following:
What causes it?
CFS is a complex disorder which involves several factors occurring together in the same person. It is thought to result from a combination of genetic factors combined with one or more environmental triggers and imbalanced hormonal function. The genetic factors appear to involve:
Those with genetic predispositions often do not develop any clinical disorder without the presence of environmental factors that trigger and sustain the imbalanced body responses. The likely environmental triggers in CFS may include:
A factor in both the imbalanced immune and hormonal responses to the above factors is the person’s nutritional status. Nutritional intake provides, or fails to provide, many of the factors needed for proper immune and hormonal function. Several food-related factors also can induce considerable immune and hormonal stress. The “net” nutritional influence on immune and hormonal function is the summation of the missing helpful nutrient factors and the presence of the harmful food substances.
Individualized Treatment Programs
Each patient with CFS typically has several similar causative factors as well as a unique combination of others. As would be expected, each patient needs to be comprehensively evaluated for the unique collection of causative factors. Different batteries of testing can help identify the factors involved in each person’s symptom complex allowing the development of a focused treatment program.
Gout
