Now back to why you are reading this page.  If you are looking for some latest nutrition articles, read on.  In the interest of time, instead of lengthy articles, I will share briefs from the 2009 clinical nutrition symposium.

When I attend scientific symposiums, I look for health and nutrition facts to share with my patients, and readers of my nutrition articles, blog and newsletter.  In particular, I look for health and nutriton info that empowers people to make well-informed healthy choices.  Here are briefs from the 2009 International and American Associations of Clinical Nutritionists (IAACN) Symposium.  Each section begins with the name of the doctor the statements are attributed to.

Mitchell Ghen, DO, PhD

• Here’s a simple at home test to check if your stomach is producing too little stomach acid (hypochlorhydria):  First thing in the morning, mix 1 egg, 4 oz beet juice and a glass of water in a blender and drink.  If after 4 hours there is any pinkness in the stool, you have hypochlorhydria.  Why is adequate stomach acid important?  Read my nutrition article on low stomach acid.
• Due to sprayed pesticides being recirculated in the air inside airplanes and exposure to ionizing radiation from thinner atmosphere at high altitudes, in an 8-hour flight, your body gets the equivalent DNA damage of smoking 200 cigarettes.  It would be impractical to never again get on an airplane for a trip for family, business or leisure reasons.  However, this should serve as another reason why having antioxidants in our diet and nutrition supplements is very important.
• The adequate blood vitamin D levels are 40 to 80 ng/ml.
• 50,000 to 70,000 deaths per year could be prevented if everyone has adequate blood vitamin D levels.
• The maintenance dose of supplemental essential fatty acids (found in fish and krill oil) for a healthy person is 2500 mg/day.  For anyone with heart rhythm abnormalities (arrythmia), it is 5000 mg/day.  For those with neurologic disorders (Parkinsons, Alzheimer’s), it is 10,000 mg/day.
• Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) is a measurement of how well a food absorbs damaging free-radicals.  The average person gets 1200 ORAC units/day.  3000-5000 are needed to raise tissue antioxidant levels.  Some products contain 21,000 ORAC units.  People with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) should not take extremely high ORAC unit products because they will often feel more fatigued.

Thomas O’Bryan, DC, DACBN, CCN

• Vitamin D controls a molecule made in our body (called “zonulin”) that allows potential immune-damaging substances in getting through our gut lining into our bloodstream.
• Gluten, found in many grains, signals our gut lining to activate zonulin.  If our vitamin D intake is too low, or our blood vitamin D levels are inadequte, too much zonulin is produced.   Therefore, adequate vitamin D is necessary to prevent damage from gluten-containing grains
• A recent study showed that elevated blood zonulin levels measured prior to the development of type 1 diabetes, were found in 70% of those who eventually developed type 1 diabetes (childhood onset diabetes); the study also showed the elevated zonulin levels preceeded the onset of type 1 diabetes by 3 1/2 years.  ¹
• Markers for elevated zonulin can also be found using special urine tests.  Measuring urine indicators for elevated zonulin provides early detection of potentially developing type 1 diabetes.  If detected, you can then decrease dietary gluten and increase vitamin D to prevent type 1 diabetes.  This could save many families from the discomfort, inconvenience and expense of childhood onset diabetes.

Steve Haltiwanger, MD, CCN

• Free-radical damage to the brain and a decline in the energy production of nerve cells preceeds symptoms of dementia by years.  Antioxidant protection is necessary to prevent and treat free-radical brain damage.  Therapeutic doses of lipoic acid, vitamin E, vitamin D, N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), vitamin C, and Ginkgo biloba are helpful for this purpose.
• All cells have energy producing structures called “mitochondria”.  Nerve and brain cells should normally have about 4000 mitochondria in each cell.  Deginerative brain diseases (Parkinson’s, Alzhiemer’s, etc.) have low energy produced by nerve cells and a decreased number of mitochondria.  To increase the energy produced by brain cells and restore mitochondria to prevent or treat deginerative brain diseases, supplemental Coenzyme Q10, NADH, phosphatidylserine, acetyl-L-carnitine in therapeutic doses are very helpful.

More nutrition articles that you can apply right away will be posted in this blog.  Stay tuned for part 2.

http://www.drhusbands.com/blog/ Anti-Aging / Nutrition Articles Update: Briefs From the 2009 IAACN Symposium

• acid indigestion
• intolerance to certain foods (get gassy when eating certain foods)
• frequent belching, feeling full and feeling like the food just isn’t moving along after eating
• Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
• H. pylori infection
• frequently take antacid drugs
• fingernails crack easily
• vitiligo
• acne rosacea
• gum inflammation and receding gums (periodontitis)
• increased risk of heart attack

Millions of people suffer from the above and many are unaware that these could have this underlying cause: too little stomach acid… yes, too little, stomach acid production!  Low stomach acid alone may not be the sole cause or the major cause of these problems.  However, taking appropriate measures to restore proper stomach acid often results in significant improvement.  You will not only feel better, but also improve nutrient flow to the rest of your body.

Stomach acid, which is also called hydrochloric acid or HCL, is necessary for many bodily functions.  Low stomach acid is the condition where the stomach produces an inadequate amount of HCL.  This condition is also called hypochlorhydria.  Millions of people erroneously try to suppress HCL production by taking antacids.  This is a common error made by people who decide to take antacids on their own, or doctors who prescribe them to people.  This error has many dangerous implications for many systems of the human body.

I’ll provide a lot of information in this article which will cover the following:

• Why HCL production in the stomach is so important
• How it affects so many seemingly unrelated symptoms
• Why restoring proper stomach acid production is an important component for preventing some major health problems (included in the list above)

I’ll use a question and answer format so you can skip to the information you’re interested in.

Who is at high risk for low stomach acid (hypochlorhydria)?

Everyone knows that as we age, our body functions don’t work as well as as when we were younger.  Those over 50 years old are at high risk for low stomach acid.  It is estimated that about 75% of those over 60 have low stomach acid.

Those with allergies, asthma, and gallstones are also at increased risk for low stomach acid.  Most chronic illnesses result in low stomach acid.  In fact, in a recent study, the hydrochloric acid levels of “healthy” college students’ were measured, before and after getting the flu and periodically thereafter.  The study showed that it took an average of 2 months for their HCL levels to return to their pre-flu levels.

How is low stomach acid diagnosed or identified?

The gold standard for determining low stomach acid is the Heidelberg test.  This test has the patient swallow a tiny capsule, that contains a microtransmitter that measures the baseline pH (acid/alkaline level) of the stomach.  The lower the pH, the more acidic.  Next, the patient drinks a baking soda solution, and the transmitter measures the drop in acidity. The pH is recorded long enough to see how soon the stomach acid recovers to high acid levels.

There are comparison studies that compared symptoms of low stomach acid and blood tests with Heidelberg test measurements. The findings showed that symptoms of low stomach acid were often more important than Heidlelberg measurements in determining the need for HCL.  The symptoms are:

• loss of appetite for high protein foods
• “acid stomach” relieved by eating
• bad breath and body odor
• gas shortly after eating
• indigestion 30 minutes to an hour after eating that lasts up to 4 hours,
• frequent visible undigested food in the stools
• difficulty digesting fruits or vegetables
• acid and spicy foods cause stomach upset

Jonathan Wright, MD, a pioneer in natural health care, has tested thousands of patients with the Heidelberg test. He has noted the following additional symptoms:

• slow hair growth
• chipping or cracking fingernails
• leg cramping
• nutrient deficiencies of folic acid, B6, B12, magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc

How Clostridium is Detected

When I analyze the condition of a child with autism, I often order an advanced stool test called the Metametrix GI Effects Stool Analysis.   Metametrix Laboratory uses an advanced technique in which the feces sample is checked for levels of predominant bacteria, pathogenic bacteria, yeasts, parasites, and other protozoa, using DNA probes.  The use of DNA probes significantly increases the sensitivity and accuracy of picking up pathogens.

The Treatment of GI Problems

The data provided by the test allows me to not only diagnose Clostridium overgrowth, but also to evaluate the balance of predominant bacteria and other microbes within the child’s GI tract.  It also tells me if the child has gluten intolerance, fat, protein, or carbohydrate malabsorption and bowel inflammation.  This allows me to evaluate whether the GI tract has an imbalance of microflora and how the GI function is affecting the child’s entire health.  By knowing all this, I then use therapeutic doses of specific probiotic strains customized to the child’s needs to restore the balance of microflora, as a component of significantly improving the autistic symptoms.  I also use dietary modifications appropriate for the child’s age to promote GI healing and proper growth and development.   Essential fatty acids in the form of either therapeutic doses of fish oil or flax seed oil are often used to help decrease inflammation and provide fatty acid support.  I may use herbal combinations of okra, deglycerrhizinated licorice or marshmallow root extract to assist with healing of the gut lining.  In some instances, depending on the child’s age, herbal anti-inflammatories such as curcumin, resveratrol, or boswellia may be used.  By utilizing these comprehensive protocols, improvement is accomplished in the child’s condition.

After the treatment plan has been implemented between 2-3 months, the same test is ordered to determine progress of rebalancing of the GI microflora, and repair of the GI tract.  In many instances, it takes months to fully repair a damaged GI tract lining, depending on whether the child was born via C-section or not, whether the child was/is being breast fed or not, or whether antibiotics have been used and how severely they have disrupted the GI microflora.

The most important aspect is to restore balance of function to the GI tract so that the child has a balanced immune system development, preventing many major diseases such as asthma, allergies of many types, and recurrent infections of the throat, ears and upper respiratory tract.  These are the side benefits of using this Functional Medicine approach towards resolving autism.

Dr Husbands is a Chiropractor, a Certified Clinical Nutritionist, an Anti-Aging Healthcare Practitioner and a Functional Medicine Doctor. For more information, visit http://www.drhusbands.com.

Copyright © 2009; Douglas Husbands, DC, CCN, ABAAHP. All rights reserved.

The microorganism Clostridium has been found in much higher levels in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract of children with autism.  The 2002 article in the Clinical Infectious Diseases journal indicated that autistic children had 9 species of Clostridium not found in children without autism.  The 2004 article in the Applied and Environmental Microbiology journal indicated that biofilms of Clostridium bolteae were 46 times higher in autistic children than non-autistic children.  The 2005 article in the Journal of Medical Microbiology indicated that autistic children had higher levels of Clostridium histolyticum than those without autism.

Based on these articles and other articles found online regarding autism and the digestive system, here are my conclusions and comments:

1. The deterioration of, or insufficient beneficial GI flora in children may be the cause or the major contributing factor for autism.  Note that some suggest that GI problems may be the consequence of autism. instead of the cause.
2. Whether it is the cause or consequence, to significantly improve the health of a child with ASD (autistic spectrum disorder), GI tract repair is a must.

GI tract repair means restoring proper GI function, including re-inoculation of the beneficial GI flora with probiotics.

If your child is suffering from autism, I recommend that you read more about the GI tract and then seek the help of a doctor to facilitate your child’s GI tract repair.  I’ll give you some information to start with below, and then you can do further reading online.

In the second article I cited, I mentioned biofilms.  Biofilms are groupings of either beneficial gastrointestinal tract (GI) bacteria, or harmful pathologic micro-organisms.  They secrete a protective slimy layer on mucous membranes.  Probiotic supplements are typically used to restore biofilms of beneficial GI tract bacteria.  Probiotics have the multiple health-promoting properties I’ve discussed in some of the Gastrointestinal Disorders section of my blog and my newsletter articles.

Properties of Biofilms:

• They gather together in collaborative communities.
• They come from outside of our body and have to get in through various ways either during or after birth.
• They may be either beneficial or disease-causing.
• They protect themselves from our immune system acting on them by encasing themselves in a self-produced “slime”.
• They are distinct from their kind that live outside of the human body.
• They can be clearly seen using an electron microscope.
• They have powerful effects on either the health or disease processes in our bodies.

With my advanced training in gut function restoration through Functional Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, and many experiences in helping patients with restoring gut function, I can assist restoring proper GI function of your child.  Contact me if you have any questions.

An article in the December 2007 issue of the Journal of Theoretical Biology, says that:

The function of the human appendix has long been a matter of debate, with the structure often considered to be a vestige of evolutionary development despite evidence to the contrary based on comparative primate anatomy. The appendix is thought to have some immune function based on its association with substantial lymphatic tissue, although the specific nature of that putative function is unknown. …we propose that the human appendix is well suited as a “safe house” for commensal bacteria, providing support for bacterial growth and potentially facilitating re-inoculation of the colon in the event that the contents of the intestinal tract are purged following exposure to a pathogen.

In some of my blog posts and newsletter articles I have discussed the importance of having a healthy and balanced microflora in our GI tract.  They provide many important functions to maintain health.  Without them, our health will suffer greatly.  If you haven’t already read my blog post on August 31, 2009, I encourage you to do so.  In that blog post, I cover the importance of microflora.

This gives further evidience that we don’t have extra parts.  More importantly, this gives further evidence that our bodies are “fearfully and wonderfully made” by intelligent design, not evolution.

Dr Husbands is a Chiropractor, a Certified Clinical Nutritionist, an Anti-Aging Healthcare Practitioner and a Functional Medicine Doctor. For more information, visit http://www.drhusbands.com.

Copyright © 2009; Douglas Husbands, DC, CCN, ABAAHP. All rights reserved.

In my practice, I use a functional GI test called the Metametrix Gastrointestinal Effects, or GI Effects test for short.  It is a stool test that measures the state of health of your GI tract.  This test is an advanced functional test measuring the DNA of microbes.  This accurately detects disease-causing bacteria, such as Helicobacter pylori.  It also detects and identifies yeasts and parasites.  Furthermore, it identifies your drug or botanical resistance genes so that your doctor or clinical nutritionist can predetermine the drugs or botanicals that will be effective for eradicating any disease-causing bacteria, yeast or parasites.  In addition, it also identifies malabsorption of fats, proteins and carbohydrates.   Finally, it provides the levels of beneficial microflora in the gut, which are very important for proper digestion, absorption and elimination.

Who should get this test?  If you are suffering from some of the health conditions above, you should get this test.  Because of the connection between the Enteric Nervous System and the brain, anyone with anxiety attacks, insomnia, or difficulty concentrating may also be a candidate for this test.  In addition, any male or female with inexplicable hormonal irregularities would want to consider getting this test.

Though I run different types of advanced laboratory tests on my patients to determine the underlying causes of their health concerns, I often find GI dysfunction as a contributing factor of health challenges.  Check out the Gastrointestinal Disorder section of my blog for other posts where I discuss the GI tract function as a key for whole body health.

Dr Husbands is a Chiropractor, a Certified Clinical Nutritionist, an Anti-Aging Healthcare Practitioner and a Functional Medicine Doctor. For more information, visit http://www.drhusbands.com.

Copyright © 2009; Douglas Husbands, DC, CCN, ABAAHP. All rights reserved.

Research studies support this, including a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial reported in the Lancet, a leading medical journal. 

The article states that pregnant women and infants who were given a specific strain of probiotics called Lactobacillus GG, had a 50% reduction in asthma, eczema and allergy in the children at 2 years of age.  In this 2-year study, 132 pregnant women were recruited from families with a history of eczema, allergic rhinitis, or asthma.  They were randomly given either placebo capsules or Lactobacillus GG capsules containing 2 billion organisms of Lactobacillus GG.  They took the capsules daily for 2 to 4 weeks before expected delivery.  After delivery, breastfeeding mothers took the capsules, or the capsule contents were mixed with water and given by spoon to their infants.  These infants were examined during the neonatal period, and on study visits to a department of pediatrics at ages 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months.  The outcome measure was atopic disease at 2 years.  Since chronic recurring atopic eczema is the main sign of atopic disease in the first years of life, it was the primary study endpoint.

The frequency of atopic eczema was reduced by half in infants given probiotics compared with those on placebo. The reduction in eczema was independent of the manner the infants received the probiotics, either breastfed or spoon-fed.  The authors of the study concluded that:  

Our results suggest that gut microflora have unique, yet largely unexplored, endogenous immunomodulatory properties. These properties might be indispensable in the fight against the increasing frequency of atopic, and possibly other, immunological diseases.

Parents of children, with eczema, allergic rhinitis or asthma, know very well the huge burden these conditions are to both the parents and the children.  Families dealing with these conditions may

1. suffer sleepless nights or interrupted sleep
2. incur the extra expense of special foods for substituting allergenic foods
3. incur the extra expense of prescription or over-the-counter medications and creams
4. buy laundry and other household products for sensitive skin to avoid additional irritants

Some believe that these conditions are genetically passed on to children.  Also, children that were born by c-section or not breastfed have been found severely deficient in beneficial microbes.  Thus, if the parents of children have a history of eczema, allergic rhinitis or asthma, or the children were born by c-section or are not breastfed, it is imperative to inoculate the children with certain strains of supplemental probiotics as early as possible.  A Certified Clinical Nutritionist or Functional Medicine doctor should be consulted for the proper strains and amounts for your child.  Giving a child the wrong strains and/or wrong concentrations could cause more problems than giving them none at all. 

If you need assistance with this, feel free to contact me at (650) 593-4447 to schedule either a phone consultation or in-office appointment. 

At the upcoming 17th Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine held in San Jose, CA on September 10th, I will be teaching on another GI topic.  Its focus is for women.  It is titled: “Optimizing GI Tract Function as a Therapeutic Component of Hormonal Regulation in Women.” 

What Are Probiotics?

Probiotics are the beneficial bacteria that reside in your small and large intestine (aka, your gut). There are different types of probiotics, which are referred to as different strains. Like humans, strains have first and last names. The first name of strains is the genus or family it belongs to. The last name is its species. For instance, the name of the most well known strain is Lactobacillus acidophilus, which is also called by its abbreviated name, L. acidophilus. Besides the acidophilus species, other species of Lactobacilli are L. rhamnosus, L. casei, L. bulgaricus, and L. plantarum.

Bifidobacteria is another family of probiotics. Other specias of this family are B. longum, B. breve, and B. infantis.

Lactobacilli and bifidobacteria are the most common beneficial bacteria. There is also a strain of yeast that is beneficial for maintaining the health of your gut. This strain is called Saccharomyces boulardii. Its use is becoming more popular because it is a good substitute in instances where it is not advisable to use the Lactobacillus strain.

Besides the various bacterial and yeast strains, there are enormous quantities and a great diversity of microbes that should reside in a healthy GI tract. Some of these strains, such as Streptococci, Enterobacteria, Staphylococci, Clostridia and Fusobacteria, could cause serious illness if they predominate in various parts of the gut. However, when they remain in balanced amounts they are very beneficial and necessary for good health, and even needed for keeping you alive.

Where Should They Be and In What Amounts?

A healthy digestive system contains literally trillions of bacteria and yeast strains throughout the esophagus, stomach, small and large intestines. The total amount of these microscopic organisms weighs about 6 pounds total.

Your esophagus and stomach should have primarily Lactobacilli in quantities of 1000’s to 100,000’s per gram of intestinal lining. In your small intestines, the Lactobacilli, Streptococci, Enterobacteria and Bacteroides strains should reside in increasing amounts from the beginning of your small intestine to the end. By the end of your small intestine, in the ileum, there should be anywhere between 1000’s to 1,000,000,000,000’s (trillions) per gram of intestinal lining of these microbes. Your large intestine should contain huge quantities of multiple bacterial and yeast strains. Strains such as Staphylococci, Klebsiella, Streptococci, Pseudomonas and Salmonella should be present in a healthy large intestine, in proper quantities and proportions. The quantity of microbes in the small intestines is between 10,000,000,000 to 1,000,000,000,000 per gram of intestinal lining.

Dysbiosis, the disturbance of gut microflora, is a serious condition when we consider what the microflora do.

What They Do?

• protect the intestinal lining from injury
• maintain the integrity, growth and repair of the intestinal cells (epithelium)
• stimulate the secretion of antimicrobials toward harmful pathogens
• contribute to the promote the secretion of secretory IgA, an important immune system immunoglobulin
• help in making vitamins K, B12, biotin, folic acid and vitamin B5
• compete with potential pathogens for space and resources
• digestion of plant/vegetable fibers that would otherwise not be digestible by the host (your body)
• absorption of simple sugars and triglycerides
• maintain the tight junctions of the intestines to prevent a “leaky gut” lining
• transform steroid hormones, drugs and carcinogens into less harmful forms

How Do You Get Them?

1. Through Natural Childbirth and Breastfeeding – When a newborn comes through the birth canal the baby gets their initial inoculation with some of these. While breastfeeding, the child gets more from their mother. Therefore, children that are born by c-section or not breastfed are severely deficient in the amounts of beneficial microbes. Consequently, they are far more susceptible to recurrent infections and many other associated problems throughout their lives. Therefore, it is imperative to begin inoculating the newborn or infant with certain strains of supplemental probiotics if they were born via c-section or not breastfed. A Certified Clinical Nutritionist or Functional Medicine doctor should be consulted for the proper strains and amounts for the child. This is very important because giving a newborn or toddler the wrong strains and/or wrong concentrations could cause more problems than giving them none at all.
2. Through Environmental Exposure and Certain Foods – As a child grows, they are exposed to increased microbes through the environment and foods. Some foods help the beneficial microbes grow in balanced concentrations. Therefore, these foods are termed “prebiotics”. The foods that have prebiotic properties are:
   • onions
   • garlic
   • Jerusalem artichokes
   • chicory
   • legumes
   • flaxseeds
   • oatmeal
   • tomatoes
   • spinach
   • bananas
   • leeks
   • barley
   • wheat

   It is important to mention that not just one food should be repetitively used to increase the beneficial microflora, but a variety of foods must be introduced in varying quantities to avoid predisposition to food allergies. For instance, many children are overfed processed wheat products. This predisposes to the large number of people with wheat/gluten intolerances, thus negating any prebiotic effect.

   The foods that actually contain many of the beneficial probiotic strains are:
   • yogurt
   • kefir
   • kombucha tea
   • fermented cabbage
   • miso soup
3. Through Supplemental Probiotics – In certain instances, taking supplemental mixed-strain probiotics in dosages of 5, 10, 20, or even more than 50 billion organisms each day is necessary to inoculate or repopulate the GI tract. It is absolutely necessary to use supplemental probiotics, in specific strains, in the following cases:
   • a child born by c-section
   • a newborn breastfed for less than 1 year
   • during and after any antibiotic use, either applied topically, taken orally or used through any other route
   • during and after any corticosteroid use, either applied topically, inhaled, injected or taken orally
   • in most cases of childhood diarrhea
   • in many cases of adult constipation and diarrhea
   • whenever prescription or over-the-counter antacid medications are used
   • in most cases where there are symptoms of acid reflux or GERD
   • in the elderly taking multiple prescription medications

Under these conditions, it is best to check with a Certified Clinical Nutritionist, Functional Medicine doctor, or other knowledgeable health practitioner for the proper strains, dosage and duration of use.

Your microflora may be insufficient or imbalanced.  Microflora is the term describing the trillions of beneficial bacteria inhabiting a healthy gastrointestinal tract (GI).  These “good bugs” are your friends!  Microflora help produce some of the B-vitamins that you need.  They help protect against serious disease causing bacteria such as:

1. Vibrio cholera (cholera)
2. Helicobacter pylori (stomach ulcer and stomach cancer)
3. Klebsiella pneumoniae (pneumonia and ankylosing spondylitis)

Without microflora, too little microflora, or microflora in the wrong concentrations in the small and large intestines causes gastrointestinal problems, such as GERD, gas, acid stomach and bloating.  Imbalanced or insufficient microflora also causes food allergies and chronic fatigue.  This condition also causes the following upper respiratory infections:

1. frequent throat infections
2. ear infections
3. runny nose
4. watery-dark circles under our eyes
5. chronic cough
6. frequent sneezing
7. frequent colds or flu

Consequently, this produces a very poor quality of life.  You will feel, and look, about as vibrant as the zombies in that old classic horror movie “Night of the Living Dead”.

The most common causes of inadequate levels, depletion, or imbalances of microflora are:

1. antibiotic use
2. corticosteroid drugs, creams and inhalors
3. frequent aspirin use
4. antacid use
5. high sugar intake
6. low vegetable, fruit, beans and lentils consumption
7. acute or chronic stress overload
8. birth by C-section, premature birth, formula-fed baby

When a person shows signs of insufficient or imbalanced microflora, I typically order a laboratory test to determine that state of microflora in the person’s GI tract.  The treatment for insufficient or imbalanced microflora is repopulating with probiotics.

In my next blog post, I will discuss What Are Probiotics, What Do They Do, Where Do you Get Them, Where Should They Be and In What Amounts.

• turning up your adrenal glands into overdrive
• causing your thyroid to go out of whack
• causing your estrogens and progesterone to go haywire, and
• lead you into multiple hormonal imbalances 

There are so many women who have been misdiagnosed and have been unnecessarily prescribed the common thyroid prescription medication Synthroid.  This occurs because a lot of doctors use TSH and T4 for thyroid screening lab tests as primary diagnostic tools for hypothyroidism.  However, they are not looking deeper.  Very often, the adrenals go out of whack first.  More often than realized, recurrent use of antibiotics and/or corticosteroid inhalers or corticosteroid creams kill the beneficial GI microflora.   Since 60% of your immune system is in your GI tract, an imbalanced GI tract microflora causes immune system imbalances, which in turn, causes adrenal dysregulation.  Adrenal dysregulation alters thyroid function.  Thyroid problems cause sex hormone imbalances.  Consequently, you get multi-system dysregulation.  Quite often, doctors prescribe more and more medications as symptoms increase.  Ultimately, women that go through this never get better because the root causes are not properly identified and treated. 

In many of the other posts on this blog and articles in my newsletter archives, I’ve discussed components of the multi-system dysregulation.  In the upcoming conference, I am getting an opportunity to bring all this together before a large group of health care professionals.  I’m looking forward to discussing the research studies and scientific priniciples for using nutrition, lifestyle modifications, spinal manipulation and other natural means for resolving this multi-system dysregulation.  The title of my presentation is “Optimizing GI Tract Function as a Therapeutic Component of Hormonal Regulation in Women”.

By the way, the resulting multi-system dysregulation originating from gut problems is also applicable to men.  I’ve focused on women here because this has been on my mind lately due to preparing for my upcoming presentation.

Dr Husbands is a Chiropractor, a Certified Clinical Nutritionist, an Anti-Aging Healthcare Practitioner and a Functional Medicine Doctor. For more information, visit http://www.drhusbands.com.

Copyright © 2009; Douglas Husbands, DC, CCN, ABAAHP. All rights reserved.