Autoimmune Conditions
Examples of autoimmune conditions include the following: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) Type 1 diabetes Crohn's Disease Hashimoto's thyroiditis Neurological diseases Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Glomerulanephritis Pernicious Anaemia Goodpasture's syndrome Scleroderma Raynaud's Phenomenon Lupus (e.g., systemic lupus erythematosus [SLE]) Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)...
Blood Interpretation
Cholesterol Cholesterol values should only be analyzed after a 12 hour fast. Further, the physician must be aware that the patient's posture prior to the blood draw is significant. If the patient has been in a recumbent posture for more than 20 minutes, cholesterol values may be up to 15% lower than normal. Cholesterol is a blood fat which is the prime building block component to make...
Blood Sugar Dysregulation / Metabolic Syndrome
General nutritional support strategies for individuals with any dysglycemic response. i.e. Metabolic Syndrome (lnsulin Resistance and Hyperinsulinemia) Type II Diabetes Reactive Hypoglycemia. NOTE: "Type 1 Diabetes" see Autoimmune Section
Body Composition
All experts agree that obesity, even being overweight, contributes heavily to all degenerative disease. The United States Surgeon General stated that a failure to address excessive weight and obesity "could wipe out the gains we've made in areas such as heart disease, several forms of cancer, and other chronic health problems." Although attempts to lose weight are common in the...
Cardiovascular Disease
Definitions of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors Total cholesterol Cholesterol is a waxy fat like substance. Total cholesterol refers to the sum of the different sub-fractions of cholesterol that are measured in the blood. Total cholesterol is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The National Cholesterol Education Program says 240 is considered high. A person with this level...
Depression
Depression is a major problem in the United States. Nearly 15 million Americans will suffer true clinical depression each year. Depression is also a big business for drug companies, especially for the maker of Prozac-Eli Lilly and Company. The good news is that there are natural measures to deal with depression that are both safer and more effective.
Detoxification
Low-level, long-term exposure to toxins such as heavy metals (e.g. lead, mercury, PSP, and cadmium), pesticides, industrial compounds, and pollutants is associated with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS), fibromyalgia (FM), neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease and atherosclerosis as well as many types of cancers. Common signs and...
Female Conditions
Amenorrhea Absence of menstruation. Amenorrhea may be primary (the girl has never begun her periods) or secondary (the woman had her periods once and then stopped having them). Physiologic amenorrhea is the lack of menses before menarche, during pregnancy and early lactation, and after menopause (all considered normal). All other causes of amenorrhea are pathologic. Causes of Primary...
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and Celiac Disease
Lupus (Erythematosus)
This is a chronic, inflammatory, autoimmune (the body is attacking itself) disease that affects connective tissue (tissue that binds and supports various structures of the body and also includes the blood). Discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) is a less serious type, affecting exposed areas of the skin and sometimes the joints. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is more serious,...
Rheumatoid Arthritis
The Natural Approach Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory condition that affects the entire body but especially the synovial membranes of the joints. It is a classic example of an "autoimmune disease," a condition in which the body's immune system attacks the body's own tissue. Although rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic disease, it affects primarily the joints. The...
Skin Conditions
Acne Vulgaris An inflammatory disease most commonly seen in teenagers. It affects areas where sebaceous glands are largest, most numerous, and most active. Mild cases consisting of few residual signs except possibly dilated pores, and the development of the comedo, or blackhead, may progress through more pathological stages of ruptured sebaceous ducts, pustule formation,...
