Natural Medicine Expert

When functioning properly, our body processes and excretes all waste materials & toxins (from inside and outside the body) efficiently. This allows our body to remain in equilibrium.

When the body fails to eliminate wastes and other toxins, these substances cause a decrease in function of one or more body systems, including the liver detoxification system.  Often this happens because the body becomes overwhelmed by things that need eliminating and it cannot keep up.  In other instances there is a single event, a genetic predisposition, or metabolic challenges (low body temperature) that cause the body to be unable to eliminate waste and toxins quickly enough.

Toxins do damage to the body.  When the body can not eliminate them fast enough, it stores them in the tissues (fat, nervous system, kidneys, thyroid, adrenals, bones, etc) to get them out of the blood circulation.  This is a protective mechanism because it protects us from acute poisoning, however, when the toxin level in the tissues gets high enough, the body reaches a state where “total load” is too high to ignore.

Many symptoms of chronic illnesses are the body’s response to a high “total load”.

Sometimes we must help the body with elimination.

This process is called Cleansing, Purification, or Detoxification.

Cleansing often involves:   Colon cleansing, specific diet and supplements, saunas and sometimes chelation or Biotherapuetic drainage (a European technique).

I have extensive training in Environmental medicine and Cleansing and I offer a wide variety of options for cleansing:  from “Detox Light”  to serious cleansing and chelation for chemically sensitive individuals.

Amino Acids are the building blocks of many important molecules in our bodies.  Most notably amino acids are the building blocks of our neurotransmitters, proteins, and enzymes. Becoming low in amino acids can cause a wide variety of imbalances in the body (depending on the combination that you are low in).  Some of the most common complaints are:

Fatigue
Anxiety
Depression
Brain fog / poor memory
Poor immune function
Insomnia
Chronic aches and pains
Addictions

Many amino acids are available in our diets, but some are only available in limited amounts.  Additionally, amino acids compete with each other to be absorbed from the gut into the body.  When we become very low in an amino acid, it can be very difficult to catch back up using only food.  This is due in part to the fact that all foods have multiple amino acids in them (and they compete with one another for absorption), but also as with many nutrients, our food supply has become less rich in nutrients, and refined / processed foods in particular lack many of our essential nutrients.

Conventional anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medicines help with these conditions by forcing your body to recycle the few neurotransmitters that it has left.  An alternate approach is to give your body the building blocks it needs to build new neurotransmitters.  This approach has a better chance of actually “curing” the problem as it is replacing essential substances the body needs to keep itself in balance.  This is achieved by giving specific targeted amino acids.  In many cases amino acid deficiency (and the associated symptoms) can be resolved thru supplementation over the course of a few months.  Determining which aminos you may need can be done by looking carefully at your symptoms or a simple blood test can also be done to determine your levels of a whole spectrum of amino acids.

Many neurotransmitter imbalances, or other causes of the above conditions may have their root in certain genetic variations.  Testing and nutritional treatment for these gene variations is also available.

The health of the digestive system is central to our overall health.  As naturopathic physicians we feel that most healing must begin in the ‘gut’.  Naturopathic medicine and acupuncture are ideally suited to treat most digestive complaints such as:

• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Dysentery (traveler’s diarrhea / food poisoning) (Travel Health is one of my specialties)
• IBS
• Gas / Bloating
• Indigestion
• Reflux
• Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (Crohn’s, Colitis)
• Food allergies
• Candida

Naturopathic approaches to these conditions will focus on finding and treating the cause of these conditions, not just treating the symptom.

Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome (WTS) is an endocrine disorder defined by low body temperature (average oral temperature below 98.6F) and symptoms of hypothyroidism although lab values may indicate normal thyroid gland function.   (It is not related to Wilson’s disease which has to do with copper metabolism. )  Many people (more commonly women) suffer with unexplained symptoms that resemble hypothyroid disorder.  In Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome (WTS) these symptoms often began after a period of stress (fasting, prolonged illness, pregnancy, loss of a loved one, divorce, etc).  Symptoms of hypothyroidism may include:

• Intractable fatigue
• Insomnia and / or waking up tired in spite of getting “enough” sleep
• Feeling chilly all the time
• Cold hands and feet
• Dry brittle hair and nails
• Hair falling out
• Dry or rough skin
• Depression
• Mental fog
• Constipation
• Weight gain or inability to lose weight with exercise and healthy diet changes
• Puffiness in face, especially around the eyes
• Menstrual problems, particularly heavy periods, severe PMS, or irregular periods
• Unexplained chronic body pain, aches, or muscle pain
• Headaches and Migraine Headaches

This combination of symptoms is caused by inadequate stimulation of the tissues of the body by thyroid hormone.  If the tissues are not being stimulated by thyroid hormone their metabolic rate drops, lowering the body temperature, and causing many other problems.  There are many things that can go wrong with the thyroid gland, and all of those possibilities should be ruled out by your doctor before an assessment of Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome can be made.   If the thyroid gland itself is sick it may need different treatment than the treatment given for Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome (WTS).  In WTS the thyroid gland is healthy and functioning normally, it is secreting a normal amount of thyroid hormone, but the thyroid hormone is not able to stimulate the target tissues properly.  This said, patients that are hypothyroid, or have other problems with the thyroid gland may also have Wilson’s if their body temperature is chronically low in spite of thyroid treatments.  If the body temperature is not low, it is not WTS.  The lower the body temperature, usually the worse people feel.

The good news is that in most cases, Wilson’s Temperature syndrome is completely reversible with a 1-9 month course of treatment.  Once the body temperature is back to normal, there is usually no need for continuing medication and most people experience significant improvements in their symptoms and over-all health.

Working with WTS is one of my specialties.  If you think you may have WTS, I would love to assist you assessment and treatment.  If you want more information on WTS check out:
http://www.WTSmed.com

Here’s the theory of what has gone wrong:
Background Physiology review:

• There are several forms of Thyroid Hormone
  • T4:  is the majority of what is excreted by the thyroid gland.  It is an active form of thyroid hormone, but 4x less potent at the cellular level  than T3
  • T3:  is the active form of thyroid hormone, small amounts are secreted by thyroid gland.  Most of it is made by enzymes converting T4 at the cellular level.  T4 is converted to T3 on an as-needed basis.  When functioning properly the body keeps T3 levels precisely level 24 hours a day.
  • RT3:  “Reverse T3” is an inactive form of thyroid hormone, excreted in tiny amounts by the thyroid gland, most of it is converted from T4 by enzymes.  (see below)
  • T2:  is also an inactive form of thyroid hormone.  It is excreted in tiny amounts by the thyroid gland, but most of it is made by conversion of T3 and RT3 by enzymes.
• There are 2 relevant enzymes to know about:
  • 5’(prime) deiodinase:  converts T4 into T3,  AND converts RT3 into T2
  • 5 (non prime) deiodinase:  converts T4 into RT3
  • Enzymes are chains of proteins / amino acids that are shaped into very complex twisted blobs.  Their exact shape is very important in their proper, efficient functioning.
  • Temperature is a big player in how tightly or loosely an enzyme is folded and therefore how well it works.

Here’s the theoretical mechanism of WTS:

• Background:
  • Normally the thyroid gland secretes T4 which is converted by both of the above enzymes into T3 and RT3.
  • 80% of the body’s T3 is produced by conversion of T4 at the tissues by 5’deiodinase.
  • Over 95% of RT3 is produced peripherally by 5(non prime) deiodinase.
  • The body normally produces more RT3 than T3, but also usually clears RT3 faster than converting T3.  This makes it seem likely that the 5’deiodinase enzyme converts RT3 to T2 preferentially to converting T4 to T3.
  • T3 tells all the cells in the body how fast to operate (rate of metabolism), and is the main molecule that determines body temperature.
  • During times of stress (famine / fasting, childbirth, loss of a loved one, etc) the body naturally shunts T4 conversion to RT3, reducing the amount of T3 stimulating the cells and leading to a much larger than normal amount of RT3 in the body.  This turns down the cells metabolic rate thus conserving energy.  This is an elegant way to adapt to the potential loss of food supply or other stress.
  • Ideally this conversion is short term, but sometimes the backlog of RT3 is too much for the body to clear out.
  • When there is an overabundance of RT3, the 5’deiodinase molecule gets pre-occupied with clearing out the RT3, and doesn’t have a chance to convert T4 to T3 as much as is needed to keep the metabolic rate (and temperature) normal, so the body temperature drops below 98.6.
  • If the body is too cold, the enzymes are too tight and then they work less efficiently which leads to many of the problems associated with hypothyroidism and the general feeling of “heaviness” and “sluggishness”.
  • Enzymes not functioning at their normal rate means a decrease in all body functions (for instance the normal elimination of metabolic waste) which leads to many of the primary and secondary symptoms of hypothyroidism, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, high total load of toxins, etc.

So the end of the story is that you end up with all the symptoms of hypothyroidism in the context of a healthy thyroid gland and normal thyroid lab tests.

If you would like more information please check out:  http://www.WTSmed.com

The missing link for Depression, Fibromyalgia, IBS and more

MTHFR is shorthand for a specific gene that codes for an enzyme called “Methyl Tetra Hydro Folate Reductase”.   The web of biochemical reactions in the body is dense and complex, but there are a few spots that are what I would call “bottlenecks” where a single “wrench” shuts down many “engines”.  This particular enzyme (MTHFR), is responsible for a process called “methylation”.  It is most well known for changing homocystiene into methionine.  The MTHFR enzyme is also involved indirectly in the production of many neurotransmitters (serotonin, dopamine, norepinepherine, etc), as well as SAMe and glutathione (a pivotal anti-oxidant molecule involved in the body’s natural detoxification process).
There are 31 currently known variations of this gene.  The two most common are known as the 677 and the 1298 (which makes reference to the specific location on the gene where the abnormality is).   These variants produce a MTHFR enzyme that is 30-60% less active than normal.
As with all genes, MTHFR comes in pairs.  You get one from each parent (often the corresponding symptoms run in families).   So it is possible to have:

• Two normally functioning genes
• One normal gene, and one gene that is a lower functioning variant
• Two genes that are the same low functioning variant
• Two genes that are different low functioning variants.

Having one or two of the lower functioning variants can contribute to symptoms of:

• Cardiovascular risks associated with high Homocystiene:
  • Cardiovascular disease, Atherosclerosis,  Stroke, Deep Vein Thrombosis (clots)
• Folate deficiency related pregnancy and development problems
  • Still Births / miscarriage
  • Pre-Eclampsia
  • Neural tube defects (cleft lip, cleft palate, etc)
• Neurotransmitter issues
  • Depression / Anxiety
  • Insomnia
  • Dementia
  • Schizophrenia
  • Parkinson’s
  • Addictions
• Significant decrease in ability to eliminate toxins, especially heavy metals
  • High oxidative stress in all body systems
  • Contributes to:  immune disorders, allergies, autoimmune issues, fatigue, headaches, insomnia, mood issues, thyroid and menstrual disorders, kidney damage, neurological symptoms, cancer risk.
• Complex disorders that usually cascade from a combination of the issues above:
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Chronic Fatigue
  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome
  • Autism Spectrum Disorders
  • Peripheral Neuropathy
• Other Associated diseases (not caused by MTHFR, but significantly complicated by it)
  • Diabetes
    • Peripheral Neuropathy due to diabetes usually much more severe in patients with MTHFR deficiency
  • Lymphoma
  • Leiden Factor V

Testing requires a simple blood test, and is covered by most health insurance.  The good news is that the enzyme deficiency is correctable using a special form of folate in very high doses (available by prescription).  Many patients that have these less-than-optimal genes experience significant (and sometimes dramatic) improvement once beginning the “MTHF Repletion” protocol.  The protocol is simple and affordable.

Here are some links about for MTHFR:
http://www.renewashoe.com/medical/
http://nwhealthcare.net/index.php?id=40
http://www.mindmeister.com/12694596