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A Lifestyle Diet Created by Dr. Michael J. Leff

Any diet will help your symptoms, for a while.  The reason being any change will take your body out of a static pattern.  The real trick is consistent, long term change. I have compiled some guidelines to provide you with a solid direction for your eating habits.

The truth is, good fats are good for you.  You cannot lose weight without eating them.  If you don’t eat enough good fat, you body thinks it is in ‘starvation mode’, and stores fat.  If you are eating adequate amounts of good fat, your body knows it is being fed, and will release your fat stores, and you will lose weight.  Contrary to what you may have heard, good fats do not make you fat.  They make you thin.  Have you ever met anyone who got fat eating nuts and avocados?  There is a list of these good fats at the end. 

Most people gain weight because they eat refined carbohydrates and sugar.  These foods give a rapid release of blood sugar, releasing insulin, which turns the sugar into fat for storage.  If you want to burn fat, you cannot eat refined carbohydrates, period.  Refined carbohydratess are foods that contain white flour or white sugar.  I call them the ‘Evil Whites’.  Examples are: cake, cookies, candy, bread and most cereals. The carbohydrates in fruits and vegetables are different.  They are known as complex carbohydrates, and they are good for you. 

Although some people advocate eating dairy products, I do not.  You may get some calcium from it, but it is insufficient in quantity, and more importantly, it is a terrible allergen and pro-inflammatory (inflames your body).  Eggs are fine, in fact they are very good.  We have all read negative press about eggs and cholesterol causing heart disease.  The recent studies have disproved this.  Heart disease comes from inflammation, not just cholesterol.  Adequate cholesterol in your body is absolutely essential for health.  All of your hormones are a direct derivative of cholesterol.  If you are having trouble with hormone levels, and are on a cholesterol medication, this may be an issue to discuss with your prescribing physician.

Focus on eating protein (meat, chicken, fish), fruits, nuts and vegetables.  If you have intestinal problems, I may have you eliminate nuts, seeds, and green leafy vegetables for the initial stages of healing.  This will be discussed on an individual basis.  Brussel sprouts and beets are especially good for you.  Radishes and pineapple are natural anti-inflammatories. 

As for juicing, I never recommend drinking anything at one time that you couldn’t sit down and eat.  Who can eat six carrots or 3 apples at a time?  This over-consumption of fruits and vegetables in one sitting will elevate your blood sugar, just as if you ate a candy bar.  Fruits and vegetables are obviously good for you, but eat only what your body asks for.  Consumed in normal quantities, the sugar in fruit will not make you fat.  Again, have you ever met someone who became overweight by eating too many apples?  It doesn’t happen.  Your body has an innate intelligence that lets you know how much you could or should eat.  Really, try to eat two oranges, it’s nauseating.

A few silly, but true sayings : “If it has a mother, eat it.”

                                                “If it grows, it’s good.”

Another myth we have been perpetuated is that salt is bad for your blood pressure.  The truth is…that is not the truth (except in very specific situations).  Salt has very little effect on the blood pressure.  Most people are lacking good salt and electrolytes in their diet.  I recommend using sea salt, or Mortons Lite Salt.  It was actually designed for cardiac patients!

Eat fish.  Don’t worry about the mercury, unless you are eating an obscene amount.  The recent studies have shown the levels aren’t as toxic as we once thought.

THE ‘MEAT’ OF THE MATTER

Eliminate all refined carbohydrates from your life. 

Eat foods with a glycemic index of less than 50.

Do you know that one can of soda contains 6 tablespoons of sugar?  On average people eat ½ pound of sugar every day (170 pounds a year) without even knowing it.  The glycemic index is essentially how much sugar each food contains.  This is what we want to limit.

What can I eat for breakfast?  Plain oatmeal, fruit, nuts, plain yogurt, quinoa, and yes, bacon and eggs. 

What can I snack on?  Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds.

Aim to eat things that have only one ingredient.

Aim to avoid things in a bag, box or can.

If you can’t pronounce the ingredient, don’t put it in your body.

Should you take calcium if you’re a woman? Yes.

Should everyone take a multivitamin? Yes.

Most people can’t and don’t eat everything they should. There simply aren’t enough vitamins and minerals left in our ground soil to grow fruits and vegetables the way they used to.  Do you know that it takes 12 apples to get the same nutritional content as one apple used to?   Eventually this lack of vitamins and minerals leads to nutritional deficiencies.  It is almost impossible to eat what we need.  Whenever possible, eat organic.

I have put together two lists.  The first is a list of foods you may eat.  It lists the carbohydrate content of the foods.  Remember, only 75 to 100g carbs per day.  Again, this is a generalization, and I will add and subtract specifically for your condition. 

The second list contains the glycemic index of foods.  Consume foods with a glycemic index below 50-55.  The smaller the index, the better it is for you. 

I hope this will be helpful for you.  I understand that some of it may fly in the face of what you have come to believe.  Truthfully, if what you thought was correct, you wouldn’t be reading this!

GOOD FATS:

Butter

Eggs

Coconut Oil

Olive Oil

Avocado

Nuts and Seeds

BAD FATS:

Hydrogenated and Partially Hydrogenated oils (canola, vegetable)

Fats in sweets                                                                                                             

Butter substitutes

Margarine

GOOD BREADS: 

Sprouted Wheat

Rice

Spelt

BAD BREADS: 

White breads

Whole wheat breads

(Everything but those listed above)

NO-NO’S

            Artifical Sweeteners

            High Fructose Corn Syrup

            Hydrogenated Oils

            Anything ending in –ose

            Artificial Sweeteners.  Use honey, stevia or agave.

            Limit coffee, tea and alcohol

            Milk (yes, milk).  Use soy, almond or rice.

REFINED CARBOHYDRATE EXAMPLES:

            Candies, jelly and jams

            Soda, fruit juices, fruit drinks

            Pudding, custards and other sweets

            Bread and pasta made with any refined flour

            Cakes, cookies and other sweet bakery products

Earache (Otitis Media)

Joe: 4 year old male

Joe’s father is a patient who I had treated for shoulder pain.  Joe started getting earaches when he was 2 years old.  He had myringotomy (ear tubes) when he was two.  He had been placed on antibiotics over 6 times. 

Joe presented with right-sided jaw and ear pain.  He had once again been to his primary care physician who recommended another course of antibiotics.  Surgery was next on his list.  Needless to say, his father wanted to avoid that. 

There are two main reasons I find kids get earaches and ear infections.  First is a misalignment of the top vertebra in the neck.  Second is what is known as dysbiosis. 

Let’s start with number 1.

There are lymphatic vessels all over your body.  They collect the waste in our bodies that need to be eliminated.  Most people are familiar with the ones in our necks that swell when we are getting sick.  If the junk in the head is coming out faster than the lymph vessels can eliminate it, our glands swell. 

What often happens in kids is a very common condition called Childbirth.  You say that childbirth is a beautiful thing right?  Well, it’s not so beautiful for the fragile neck of an infant.  I have seen research showing that up to 90 pounds of force is put onto the infant’s neck when the doctor is trying to extract them vaginally with forceps.  It is only slightly less for Cesarean born babies. 

Can you imagine all the twisting and pulling on the baby’s head may be traumatic to the neck?  If (more likely, when) this trauma misaligns a bone in their neck, that can stop the lymphatic drainage of the head.  It is directly related to the Eustachian tube’s ability to drain infection out of the ear. Voila!  Ear infection.  With a very gentle and simple adjustment of that bone, the ears are allowed to once again drain, and the earaches go away.  There is often a second part to fixing this, which we will now discuss.

Dysbiosis is the second most common cause of ear infections.  Dysbiosis essentially means that you have too much garbage in your intestines.  If you are eating things you shouldn’t, the toxins are backing up in your bowels.  Eventually that stuff leaks into your bloodstream and causes terrible things to happen: earaches, infections, allergies, Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, headaches… and the list goes on.  The buildup of toxins in your bowels changes its pH, and yeast (Candida) starts to grow.  Candida thrives on the carbohydrates in your saliva.  So when you sleep, the Candida clenches your jaw to produce more saliva, so they can eat.  People who wake up with a tight jaw, jaw clenchers and people who wear night guards/splints often have Candida as an underlying cause. 

I asked Joe’s dad if he clenched his teeth at night.  Sure enough the boy had been complaining of the very thing.  The first thing that needs to be done to fix an earache/infection is to eliminate all wheat and dairy from the diet! I adjusted the bone in Joe’s neck, advised him of the foods he shouldn’t be eating (especially wheat/dairy), and gave him a special probiotic for kids. 

I spoke with Joe’s dad a few days later.  The ear and jaw pain were gone, and the infection had cleared.

Note:

This is such a common problem, and typically very simple to fix.  People get caught up going to their pediatricians for tubes and antibiotics.  It is quite frankly, stupid.  Antibiotics are not supposed to be given for ear infections.  They don’t work!  The pediatric governing board does not recommend using antibiotics for ear infections!  Some people continue to insist, so what is a doctor to do? 

The first thing I do for kids that keep getting sick or have bad allergies/colic etc., is pull them all wheat and dairy.  None at all!  Wheat has a similar genetic sequence to the Influenza Virus.  Every time you eat it, your body things it’s getting hit with the flu.  Dairy is just awful for humans.  The dairy council has a fabulous marketing team, that’s all.  Milk is an allergen to humans.  Very little calcium is absorbable from milk.  Milk is full of growth hormone and pesticides.  All it does is clog up your intestines and set off inflammatory reactions all over the body.Stop feeding it to your kids!  Use rice/almond and soy milk as alternatives.

Neck Pain and Tremors

Mandy, 44 year old Female

Mandy presented to my office in September of 2009.  She had complaints of Right sided neck pain and ‘full body tremors’.  The pain began approximately 4 months prior.  It was a gradual onset, and thought that perhaps it was from playing tennis.  She had been to her primary care doctor who ordered an MRI of her neck and blood tests.  He didn’t find the cause of her neck pain or tremors.  He then placed her on Alleve, Steroids and a heavy duty anti-seizure medicine/pain killer called Neurontin.  She was sent her for physical therapy. 

Mandy’s second complaint was what she called ‘tremors’, which began in July.  She characterized them as electrical charges throughout her whole body.  Nothing she knew of brought them on, and nothing had helped. 

In her physical exam I found the neck pain was caused by a sprain (minor tear) of her first rib.  Most people don’t realize that their rib cage starts at the level of their shoulders.  There are some very large muscles that attach to the first rib.  When you have tight and sore shoulders and ask someone to rub them, that is usually where these big muscles attach to the first rib.  This injury is invisible on Xray or MRI, and many doctors don’t even know or believe this condition exists.  I can assure you, as a doctor who has seen it dozens and dozens of times, that it surely does.

The cause of her tremors, I ventured to say, was Hypoadrenia.  The Adrenals are known as your ‘stress glands.’ Please read my previous article called “Adrenal Stress Disorder (ADSD).”   Mandy fit perfectly into the category of  ADSD.  She was very fit and healthy by all appearances, but I knew her job was high stress, and she had several other symptoms of ADSD.  Here are some common findings of people whose Adrenals aren’t working properly:

1. Hard time falling asleep.  Mind racing.  The ‘tired but wired’ syndrome.
2. She woke up a few hours into sleep.
3. Eye sensitivity to sunlight.  Many people live in their sunglasses.
4. Lightheadedness or dizziness when getting up to quickly.
5. Recurrent injuries from minor activities.
6. Inability to heal quickly.
7. Chronic colds, flu’s and  allergies.
8. Tired or cranky if they miss a meal.
9. Hormonal issues.

Mandy had a good majority of these problems.  The adrenals produce a hormone called Cortisol.  If you’ve  heard of people getting injections of Cortisone, that is a synthetic version of cortisol.  Cortisol is an anti-inflammatory.  It cools the fire of an injury.  Not enough cortisol, and your body is perpetually inflamed.  I suspected this to be the reason for her ‘electrical tremors.’

I began her treatment with Combination Therapy on her neck.  Combo therapy is Ultrasound (a deep heater), and muscle stimulation which relaxes muscle spasm.  I also used acupuncture to relieve the pain and spasm in her neck, and to begin rebuilding her adrenals.  I sent her home with a nutraceutical for her Adrenals. 

I saw her a few days later for a follow-up appointment.  Her tremors and neck pain had diminished greatly.  Over the next few weeks, we adjusted her dosage and her treatments until they were just right for her.  She now comes in every few months for a tune-up.

I realize that neck pain and tremors aren’t the worst thing in the world.  But imagine how devastating it would be to be in chronic pain, and experiencing tremors of unknown origin.  People ask me all the time, “What is happening to me?”  This woman took great care of herself; eating well and exercising.  Why would her body start breaking down so suddenly?  There is usually a big event that pushes your adrenals over the edge, and things start to fall apart.  Fix them quickly and it’s no big deal.  Let them continue to deteriorate, and you’re looking for big trouble down the line.

You will see similarities in many cases.  I will provide a system by system approach to these studies.  If you follow along with them, you will not only the similarities between conditions, but also the differential diagnosis between them.

The first few articles are about two systems: The Digestive System, and the Adrenal Glands.  There is hardly a condition (besides a blatant injury) that doesn’t in some way involve one or both of these systems.  You will hear much about them in the forthcoming articles.  My hope is that eventually you will understand why.

Along the way, you will also gain insight into my medical philosophy.  Some of it you will agree with, some not.  I can also assure you that most of it will be new and different to you.  Good.   That is precisely the purpose of my writing them.  Did you know the word ‘doctor’ comes from the Latin root ‘docere’, which means ‘To Teach.’  If you understand what can and probably is going wrong in your body, you can actually do something about it.  You are not at anyone’s mercy.  You can take charge of your health and your life.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ Nausea and Vomiting

Mickey, 17 year old male

In 2005, Mickey was diagnosed with Epstein Barr Virus.  He began feeling fatigued almost immediately upon diagnosis.  He also began to experience mild nausea.  He was given courses of treatments, including antibiotics.  The fatigue and nausea became almost constant over the next several months.  Mickey began to miss school and also began vomiting daily when he woke up, and often several times throughout the day.   

Mickey’s mother was referred to my clinic in September 2009 after all other treatments had failed.  He had been vomiting EVERY day since 2005.  One of the greatest things about Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), is that the major portion of the diagnosis comes from a thorough history.  As many people can attest, “something is wrong with me, but all the tests are normal.” 

Mickey’s history showed a decline in his adrenal gland function (Hypoadrenia).  There is another article posted called “Adrenal Stress Disorder”, which will explain their function in more depth.  His symptoms of Hypoadrenia included: waking up in the middle of the night, eye sensitivity to sunlight, blood sugar problems, and loss of appetite. I also diagnosed him with a liver dysfunction.  Think of the liver as a big sponge.  It has to clean out your blood of all toxins, allergens, hormones etc.  If the liver is so backed up that it can’t clean the blood efficiently, anything including food would induce nausea.

I performed acupuncture to stimulate the adrenals and clean out the liver.  I prescribed some nutraceuticals which assisted the rebuilding of the adrenals and cleaning of the liver.

I saw Mickey a week later for a follow-up, and his nausea was gone, and he had not vomited at all.  I now see him every few months for a ‘tune-up’, and his problems have been eliminated.  Occasionally he will slip from his dietary recommendations, or stops taking his supplements, and his symptoms will start to return.  We get him right back on track, and he is now a healthy, feisty normal teenager!

Digestion begins in the mouth.  Chewing food mixes the foods with saliva and signals the brain to begin the digestive process.  The receptors on the tongue signal the brain regarding what follows in the way of food.  The hypothalamus then responds and initiates the hormonal signals to begin the production of all required enzymes and acids for the digestion of the food. 

Because many people do not fully chew their food enough to properly begin the processing of starch and carbohydrates, a greater amount of this material converts to fat rather than to energy.  Recall how many people you know who correctly chew their food that are significantly over-weight?  The answer is, not many.  Most people who fully chew their food have significantly less health problems than those who do not.

THE STOMACH

The initiation of protein digestion is the task of the stomach.  Additionally the stomach is responsible for insuring that minerals are broken-down for absorption across the small intestine barrier.  Improper protein digestion and incorrect breakdown of minerals is not only due to diets that are high in refined carbohydrates and fast-acting sugars but, almost always because of insufficient production of hydrochloric acid.  The most important element in the gastric juices is hydrochloric acid.

The production of hydrochloric acid is dependent upon the correct release of the hormone gastrin.  Hydrochloric acid is produced from specific cells inside the stomach.  Upon release from these cells, the hormone is absorbed into the blood stream and carried to the fundic cells causing them to release hydrochloric acid.  Besides stimulating hydrochloric acid secretion, gastrin evokes the secretion of pepsin and intrinsic factor from the stomach, stimulates enzyme secretion by the pancreas and increases bile flow from the liver.  Thus, insufficient gastrin production can result in improper protein digestion, pancreatic and gallbladder insufficiency and vitamin B-12 deficiency (inability to produce the intrinsic factor and inability to cleave the vitamin B-12 from its protein carrier).  Although many factors (vagus activity, antral distention, lack of negative-feedback mechanism, pituitary/hypothalamus dysfunction, etc.) can result in insufficient gastrin production, pituitary and/or hypothalamus dysfunction is the problem most commonly encountered (Cytozyme-PT/HPT) by the author.

In addition to the correct production of gastrin, hydrochloric acid production requires sufficient levels of many nutrients, most importantly amino acids, thiamine, zinc and chloride.  Hydrogen and chloride are found in the blood stream at a pH of approximately 7.4.  The reduction of these elements to a pH of less than 1.0 (the pH of hydrochloric acid as it is released from the fundus of the stomach) requires a great deal of energy.  The energy to complete this action is dependent upon many factors but, especially zinc and thiamine.  What are two of the first two nutrients lost in the refining of food?  Zinc and thiamine; therefore, you can see how the over-ingestion of refined foods has a dramatic effect on sufficient hydrochloric acid production.

The pharmaceutical industry has convinced the public that excess acid production is generally the reason for ulcers, reflux, upset stomach, etc.  Over-the-counter medications to neutralize acid have been very popular for years.  In the United States, histamine-blockers are now available without a script from the doctor.  The histamine blockers generally stop the production of hydrochloric acid.  It is interesting that several studies using gastro-telemetry equipment have indicated that most peptic ulcers are not due to a lack of hydrochloric acid; but are mainly due to a need for hydrochloric acid.  Remember, the lack of hydrochloric acid results in protein putrefaction and carbohydrate fermentation.  This results in the formation of lactic acid, pyruvic acid and sulfur compounds, which will burn the stomach.  So here we are, not enough acid will result in the formation of compounds that burn the stomach, which results in the use of over-the-counter digestive aides that further reduce the level of hydrochloric acid.  It is a vicious cycle and one that can only be overcome with the understanding that hydrochloric acid is a natural component of the stomach and is seldom present in excess.  According to the literature, the following are only a few of the problems that can be associated with hypochlorhydria:

                Addison’s disease                              Asthma                                  Celiac disease                                   Rheumatoid arthritis

                Dermatitis                                              Diabetes                                                Eczema                                                   Osteo arthritis

                Gallbladder dysfunction                    Grave’s disease                   Auto-immune disorders                 Pituitary dysfunction

                Hepatitis                                                Lupus                                     Myasthenia gravis                               Thyroid dysfunction

                Osteoporosis                                       Pernicious anemia             

Some of the subjective indications of hypochlorhydria are:

                Gas and bloating after eating.                                    Sleepiness after eating.

                Loss of taste for meat.                                                       Irritable Bowel Syndrome

                Bad breath and/or body odor.                                            Leaky Gut Synderome.   

                Food and/or environmental sensitivity.                            Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

                Asthma and other upper respiratory problems.                Fibromyalgia

                Intestinal parasites.                                                             Pancreatic or biliary dysfunction

Laboratory indications of hypochlorhydria:

                Total serum globulin increased above 2.8 or decreased below 2.3 (GP and The

                Endocrine Glands, Louis Rubel, M.D.).

                Serum gastrin below 45 pg/mL.

                Elevated urinary indican.

                Low mineral values on a hair-mineral analysis.

                Decreased serum phosphorus (below 3.0).

                Increased undigested meat fibers and vegetable cell fibers as seen on a stool analysis.

                BUN increased above 16.

Clinical Pearls for the use of hydrochloric acid:

                Studies conducted in 1984, 1989 and 1992, on over 500 patients to determine the need

                for hydrochloric acid indicated that the subjective indications for hydrochloric acid were

                as accurate, if not more accurate, than the laboratory findings (serum gastrin, total serum

                globulin and urinary indican were assessed).  Conclusion – If the patient has the

                subjective indications of hydrochloric acid need and the laboratory findings are

                normal, hydrochloric acid therapy should be initiated irrespective of the laboratory      

                findings.

If the use of HCl in the middle of the meal (Hydrozyme, HCL-Plus or Betaine Plus-HP) aggravates the subjective indications, do not assume that hydrochloric acid is not needed.  Often this clinical picture is due to long-standing inflammation or gastric erosion caused by the lack of hydrochloric acid (the formation of sulfur compounds, lactic and pyruvic acid).  If this is the case, a protocol to decrease gastric inflammation must first be used.

If the patient improves with HCl but, is unable to reduce the amount required to

ameliorate the symptoms (even with dietary changes), a need for chloride (Celtic Sea salt), zinc and/or thiamine should be considered (all of these nutrients are required for the production of hydrochloric acid).

                Heavy metals (especially aluminum, mercury, lead and cadmium) will block the release

of hydrochloric acid from the fundic cells, will oppose zinc, which is required for HCl production and will prevent the production of the energy required to produce HCl (mercury will inhibit the production of ATP).

THE SMALL INTESTINE

After the food has been acted on in the acid medium of the stomach, it passes through the pyloric cap into the small intestine.  Upon passing through the pyloric valve, hormonal messengers are released to stop the production of hydrochloric acid (enterogasterone) and to initiate the release of pancreatic enzymes (secretin) and bile (cholecystokinin) into the small intestine.  In order for these hormonal messengers to be correctly released, the pH of the food passing through the pyloric valve must be 5.0 or less.  You can now see why if the hydrochloric acid content of the stomach is not sufficient enough to completely acidify the food, the ability of the gall bladder and pancreas to neutralize the food (pancreatic enzymes and bile have a pH of about 8.0), are significantly reduced.  The result is a significant reduction in the amount of nutrients that are able to be correctly absorbed across the small intestine barrier.  The food (which is still acid) then creates inflammation in the small intestine, which results in any number of different problems such as allergy, colitis, etc.

The pancreas is further taxed in its ability to produce enzymes by the ingestion of excess amounts of refined carbohydrates (they lack the trace elements and enzymes required to produce pancreatic enzymes).

The ability of the liver to produce bile, which is stored in the gall bladder, is reduced by excess hydrogenated fats, cooked foods, refined foods in general and xenobiotics that reduce or com-promise the ability of the liver to detoxify. 

Some of the subjective indications of small intestine problems (biliary and pancreatic) are:

                An inability to tolerate greasy foods (gall bladder).

                Pain between the shoulder blades (gall bladder).

                Stools that are gray or light colored rather than brown (bile insufficiency).

                Headaches over the eyes (gall bladder).

                Tenderness in the web between the right thumb and fore finger (gall bladder).

                Bitter or metallic taste in the mouth (gall bladder).

                Bloating after meals may occur up to three hours after meals (gall bladder).

                Inability to tolerate fruits or vegetables, especially lettuce (pancreas).

                Particles of undigested vegetables seen in the stool (pancreas).

                Inability to tolerate sweets (pancreas).  Note:  This symptom is also associated with

                anterior pituitary dysfunction.

Clinical Pearls for the use of biliary and pancreatic support:

                Use Beta-TCP if the stools are not light colored and if the gall bladder has not been

                removed.  If the gall bladder has been removed or the stools are light colored (indicating

                a need for additional bile), use Beta-Plus. 

In any case where Livotrit-Plus, MCS or MCS-2 are used, always use Beta-TCP or Beta-Plus in conjunction with these two products.  The use of Livotrit-Plus, MCS or MCS-2 will result in increased release of toxins from the liver and increased Phase II detoxification in the liver.  If the bile is not sufficient or of the right consistency to remove the toxins, the toxins will simply be reabsorbed in the small intestine with a resulting increase in the patient’s symptoms. 

                With both pancreatic and biliary dysfunction, all fried foods, hydrogenated fats and oils

                and refined carbohydrates should be eliminated from the diet.  With pancreatic problems,

                red meat, raw vegetables and raw fruit (including fruit juice), should be restricted until

                the problem is controlled.  With severe pancreatitis, hospitalization with I.V. feeding is

                sometimes required to resolve the problem.

THE LARGE INTESTINE (COLON)

Problems occurring in the large intestine are often a result of a problem above the large intestine. For example, if the amount of hydrochloric acid is not sufficient to correctly acidify the food, it follows that the ability of the pancreas (enzymes) and liver (bile) to neutralize the acidity of the food will be compromised. The food that then passes into the large intestine has a lower pH than is normal.  This results in bacterial imbalance in the colon and bacteria that are normally symbiotic (exist cooperatively) become antagonistic to one another.  Bacteria and yeast such as E. coli, candida, moniliasis, etc., are then allowed to proliferate with resulting dysbiosis.  Remember, with any digestive problem; always look at the problem from north to south.  Often the problem that is manifesting itself in symptoms related to the colon (gas, diarrhea, constipation, etc.), are symptoms that are generated by a problem above (north) of the colon or small intestine (the stomach).

Clinical Pearls on the use of supplemental/dietary support for colon dysfunction:

                Insure the patient drinks at least eight (8) full glasses of pure water each day (well water

                and water containing fluoride and chlorine are not considered pure).

If the patient is constipated consider the following: MG-Zyme - 4 tablets at bedtime,                increasing by one tablet each night to bowel tolerance, Colon Plus Capsules - 4 capsules                 with each meal.  One-half of a small white potato (sliced and salted with sea salt) at bedtime.

If the patient has diarrhea consider the following:  Florastor or Bio0Doph-7 Plus – 1 capsule with each meal,

                Colon Plus Capsules – 4 capsules with each meal and IPS - 2 capsules with each meal.

                Clinical experience has shown that diary products (casein) and wheat (gluten) are

                the two food substances most detrimental to patients with either constipation or

                diarrhea.

Always rule out primary thyroid hypofunction or thyroid hypofunction secondary to anterior pituitary hypofunction with constipation.

GENERAL INFORMATION ON DIGESTIVE FUNCTION

To increase Phase I detoxification in the liver consider ADHS.  To decrease Phase I liver detoxification, consider grapefruit juice. Remember, if the patient is on a prescribed drug, increasing Phase I detoxification will often result in the patient being required to use more of the drug (the drug will clear the system faster).

For every case of digestive dysfunction where the colon or small intestine is found to be the major problem, you will find 10 times as many cases where the locus to the problem is the stomach (insufficient HCl production).

Sixty percent of the immune competent cells in our body begin their life cycle in the gut and this is probably a conservative estimate.

The adrenals are small walnut sized glands that sit on top of the kidneys. Clinically, they are known as the ‘stress’ glands. They contain your ability to adapt to your internal and environmental stressors by secreting different hormones such as epinephrine (adrenaline), and cortisol. It is estimated that approximately 85% of the population suffers from some degree of adrenal fatigue. This is not to be confused with adrenal failure, which is known as Addison’s Disease.

Adrenal fatigue, often gives feeling of ‘just being sick’. Most often patients appear completely healthy on standard physical exam and laboratory diagnosis. These are the people who often fall thru the cracks of medical treatment. Something is definitely wrong, but nothing can be found. Until now.

The adrenals weren’t meant to deal with the daily stress of our lives today. Chase a dinosaur, eat it, and rest. Nowadays, people have poor diets, and a very constant stressful lifestyle. The adrenals no longer have a chance to rest and recuperate. Picture them looking like shriveled raisins, rather than plump grapes.

Many (including me) believe this has a tremendous amount to do with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia. People come to see me every day with problems ranging from an annoyance, all the way to “something’s happening, doc, I’m falling apart and I think I’m dying!” The difficulty for most people with this syndrome, is that on paper, they are perfectly healthy. All the tests and labs are normal, but they are getting sicker by the day. There is a reason, it has just been overlooked.

If your adrenal glands are producing too much cortisol, you may develop conditions such as weight gain, especially around the abdomen, depressed immune function with all of the consequences, such as accelerated aging and stomach ulcers. If the stressful situation continues, your levels of cortisol begin to decrease. The problem often becomes fatigue, exhaustion, sleep deprivation, chronic pain, vertigo and recurrent injuries.
Recently, a lot of attention has been directed to the effects of excess cortisol on weight gain and on the difficulty in losing weight. Collectively, the various diet plans being promoted by a long list of diet gurus have a failure rate of approximately 93 to 97 percent. There are several reasons for this. One is clearly the difficulty in achieving behavioral modification in the face of easy availability of the wrong kind of foods, and inherently sedentary lifestyles. Another reason is that our hormones work against us, in the weight loss perspective. High cortisol levels is one of the culprits.
Cortisol and Stress
Cortisol is elevated in response to stress. The adrenal glands are not particular, any kind of stress will do. The stress can be physical, environmental, chemical or imaginary. The human brain is hard wired with automatic responses to protect the body from harm. The classic work on stress was done by Hans Selye, M.D.
(1) In the “Fight or Flight” response, the adrenal glands enlarge and secrete large quantities of adrenal cortical hormones. These hormones suppress inflammatory responses and mobilize the body’s energy reserves. This puts the body on RED ALERT and diverts all of the body’s biochemical resources to immediate survival. The body’s self healing mechanisms are arrested (healing diverts energy and raw materials away from immediate survival), the immune system is suppressed, glycogen stores in the liver and muscle tissue are mobilized to raise the blood sugar level and digestion and assimilation are inhibited. The stomach lining becomes thin and ulcerated and the thymus gland and lymphatic tissue shrinks. This “Fight or Flight” response works well when dealing with man eating dinosaurs, but it is not suited for our modern lifestyle. Battling traffic, competing for parking spaces and watching the evening news produces the same physiological responses as running for your life. And the stimuli don’t stop and go away, leaving the body with chronic high cortisol levels.
(2) All forms of stress produce the same physiological consequences. This includes environmental stress (heat, cold and noise, etc.), chemical stress (pollution, drugs, etc.), physical stress (overexertion, trauma, infection, pregnancy, etc.), psychological stress (worry, fear, loss, grief, etc.) and biochemical stress (nutritional deficiencies, refined sugar consumption, etc.). All of these different sources of stress are additive and cumulative in their effects. As the body responds to this cumulative stress, it goes through three stages of response.
(1) The first stage is REACTION. The body experiences the symptoms from the trauma, infection, heat, cold, chemical irritation, etc. The endocrine system responds with the release of cortisol and other hormones to compensate for the trauma. The heart beats faster, the blood pressure rises, the pupils dilate, and the palms sweat.
(2) The second stage is ADAPTATION. After the adrenal glands have enlarged and released large quantities of adrenal cortical hormones, the symptoms disappear and the individual feels good, has energy, and is able to function in the presence of the stresses he/she is under.
(3) The third stage is EXHAUSTION. After an extended period in stage two, the body’s reserves of nutritional elements (raw materials) and resilience becomes depleted. The symptoms return and there is now no relief. The individual may collapse physically, suffer a nervous breakdown, become dysfunctional and/or experience an organ or body system failure.
It is also important to recognize that an individual in stage two has physiologically adapted and they feel asymptomatic, and are usually, therefore, not too concerned about or even conscious of what is happening. One of the consequences of this adaptation is suppression of the immune system. These individuals are more susceptible to infections, colds, allergies, etc. In the presence of new and dangerous infectious diseases, this can be a very important matter.
The adrenal glands release hormones that help balance the blood sugar (tired/cranky if miss a meal, diabetics), blood pressure (dizzy or lightheaded when get up quickly), pupillary dilation (eye sensitivity to sunlight), allergies, immune system weakness, ability to heal from an injury or infection, and repeatedly injuring oneself from minimal trauma. The question becomes what to do about it. Even for the most serious problems, the treatment is relatively simple. There are many things that you can do at home:
AVOID:
· Hydrogenated or Partially Hydrogenated Oils and Trans Fats
· Refined sugar in all its forms (anything ending in ‘ose’) –sucrose, fructose etc. Corn sweeteners
· All artificial sweeteners
· Coffee, tea, alcohol, chocolate. Anything containing caffeine and sugar
· All refined carbohydrates (the evil whites)- pasta, bread, refined flour, refined grains
DO:
· Light to moderate exercise. The key is: if you feel worse after exercising, you did too much
· Rest, meditate, yoga, Tai Chi
· Nutrition: B Vitamins (not high potency formulas), Vitamin C, Essential Fatty Acids/Oils,
· Adrenal Comlexes (supplements with glandular tissues work best to start.
· Eat a balanced diet: Your diet should consist of fruits, vegetables, meat, chicken and fish.
· Acupuncture: One of the best and fastest ways to boost your adrenals, energy and immune system.