Spring 2007In This Issue:
Who Has Pain?Noel Peterson, N.D. What do all of these patients have in common? Nathan, a 12 yr. old boy gymnast with a torn ligament in his left knee; Jewell, a retired public relations executive with degenerative arthritis of both knees; Jayme, a 46 yr. old dancer with debilitating pain, degenerative arthritis and swelling in both knees; Amy, a computer software executive with degenerative hip disease; Boni, a 55 yr. old woman with chronic tennis elbow; Randy, a 49 yr. old lawyer with a hypermobile neck; Joel, a big concrete worker with degeneration of both knees and a history of 2 unsuccessful surgeries; Manda, a 52 yr. old woman with chronic neck pain and stiffness from osteoarthritis; and Mary, a former marathoner with a 18 yr. history of daily pain in her sacroiliac joints. All were taken off of pain medication and were given significant or total relief by a series of prolotherapy injections. What is Prolotherapy? Prolotherapy technique consists of using a fine needle to inject a proliferative solution (usually a combination of dextrose, glucosamine sulfate and procaine) into incompetent tendons, ligaments, and joints for the purpose of stimulating new growth and repair, thereby promoting joint stability and reduction of pain. When injected into the torn tendon or ligament, the dextrose and procaine solution induces a physiologic reaction that stimulates the healing processes to resume, and induces the migration of fibroblasts (the body’s repair cells) to the site of injection. Fibroblasts lay down new connective tissue and in so doing, enlarging and strengthening the damaged tendons, ligaments, and cartilage. Do Prolotherapy injections hurt? What kinds of injuries respond to Prolotherapy? What about conditions such as arthritis? How did these patients respond? It is amazing what the right therapy can accomplish. For more on prolotherapy and the nutritional management of Osteoarthritis, visit our website Could Your Symptoms Be Parasites?Lori Horan Soule, N.D., L.Ac. Recently I had a patient who had been treated for abdominal discomfort and alternating constipation and diarrhea for the past three years. She had been diagnosed with everything from heartburn to anorexia and was being treated with popular antacids. Her symptoms had not responded. When she arrived at my office, I suggested we run a GI Health Panel to get to the bottom of things. We found she had a parasite called Helicobacter Pylori, hookworms, and an abundance of pathogenic bacteria known as Gamma Hemolytic Streptococcus. She has a common history of many patients with parasites. We who have grown up with indoor plumbing and other modern sanitary conveniences, generally view worms and parasites as problems affecting people in far away, underdeveloped countries. However, ease and frequency of world travel, plus increased immigration into the United States has resulted in significant spread and incidence of parasitic infections. In 1987 state diagnostic laboratories evaluated over 200,000 stool specimens. This national survey showed a variety of pathogenic intestinal parasites that occur throughout the United States. Parasites were found in 20% of the stools. The percentage for protozoa, including Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba coli and Endolimax nana, Blastocystis hominis, Entamoeba histolytica and Cryptosporidium species, was highest. The most frequently identified nematodes were hookworms, Trichuirs trihiura, and ascaris lumbricodies. In a recent study of outpatients at a gastroenterology clinic, a 74% incidence of parasites was found. One leading diagnostic laboratory reports almost 30% of all specimens examined are positive for some type of parasite. Outbreaks of illness from drinking water are reported to the Center for Disease Control regularly. Giardia lamblia is the most common pathogen in these outbreaks and many of the outbreaks occurred in community water supplies that are adequately chlorinated but not filtered. Parasites Leach Nutrients Parasites Can Be Difficult to Find While parasitic worms are relatively easy to detect, many parasitic protozoa that live in the intestinal lumen are not readily detected by stool examination. Entamoeba histolytica, Giardia lamblia and others may go undetected and symptoms caused by these parasites are often misdiagnosed. These may be spread directly from person to person or indirectly through food or water. Testing for parasites is typically a disappointing process as parasites can be difficult to detect, often leading to false negative results. The GI Health Panel is by far the best way to test the body for any anomalies occurring in the digestive tract. It often finds answers that other tests miss because it is a very comprehensive screen that looks not only at stool samples, but also salivary antibodies to parasites, as well as testing for fungus, pathogenic bacterial overgrowth, occult blood, intestinal inflammation and immunity status, and enzyme production. If parasites are present, it is best to know what kind of parasites they are in order to get the appropriate treatment. If you are experiencing intestinal symptoms or abdominal discomfort and would like to get to some comprehensive answers, call Dr. Horan for your gastrointestinal health screening today.
If Your Waist Is Bigger Than Your Hips, Watch Out For DiabetesLori Horan Soule, N.D., L.Ac. Dozens of previously published studies provide evidence that being overweight can increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. While body mass index generally has been the accepted method of calculating obesity, other specific body measurements, such as waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio are also considerations. In a recent study, researchers analyzed the incidence of diabetes in a group of 27,000 men ages 40-75. These men were tracked over a 13-year period, tracking body weight and height, physical activity levels, dietary intake and incidence of smoking at regular intervals. Men with waists larger than 29-34 inches were up to 12 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes during the 13-year span of the study, and when the waist-to-hip ratio was above normal, the risk of developing diabetes was seven times greater than for people with normal waist-to-hip ratios. According to the authors of the study, the size of your waist might provide important insight into the potential diagnosis of diabetes. If you have questions about ways to predict, prevent or treat type 2 diabetes, call for an appointment with Dr. Horan. Migraines: Problem SolvedNoel Peterson, N.D. “Thank you, Dr. Peterson! I have been completely headache free and off all my migraine drugs for three months. I feel like my self again. ” Four months earlier, S.W., an otherwise vibrant 28-year-old woman, had been at the end of her rope when she first came to see me. After 5 years of worsening headaches, her migraines were running almost back-to-back. She would just get over a migraine and then wake the next morning with another. She had tried all the drugs her neurologist had to offer, and was on Topamax, an anti-seizure drug often prescribed for migraines. The drug left her feeling muddled in her ability to think clearly, and she still had migraines. “It is ruining our lives,” she cried. “All of our activities are determined by the intensity of my headaches.” I go to work and try to finish the day. It doesn’t do any good to stay home; the pain is there no matter what, and I’ve just learned to endure it. I have no energy for exercise, or anything else beyond work and what I have to do to survive.” Migraine headaches come in many forms and many causes. As with every case I’ve treated, we first begin with a detailed history. We look for all the possible triggers, including allergic reactions to foods, chemical triggers, nutritional deficiencies, and structural causes. Often we find multiple migraine triggers in each person, and have to then put a treatment plan into motion that addresses each one of these triggers. In SW’s case, we found that food allergies and chemical reactions to tyramines were partly at fault. She was also deficient in magnesium, an essential nutrient for proper blood vessel function and muscle tone. She had a cyclic, hormonally induced aggravation of headaches every month. Most importantly, S.W. had active, painful and spastic trigger points in her neck and shoulders. Our strategy involved myofascial trigger point injection therapy, avoidance of her food triggers, and magnesium injections. After two months of being headache free, we were able to add many of the previous reactive foods back into her diet, and she now enjoys her workouts, her work, and her family again. I have worked with migraine patients young and old for over 28 years, and the results have been remarkable. We have a cure rate of over 80%! It seems like magic, but it is really just a rational, hard work approach to a complex problem. If you or someone you love has suffered long enough with migraines, encourage them to read this article. And if you know of children who suffer from this condition, read ‘Kids and Migraines” on our website, www.MyCTM.org. Heart Rate Recovery TestNoel Peterson, N.D. Heart rate recovery is a well researched and clinically effective way to measure your cardiovascular risk. Based on multiple scientific studies, your heart rate recovery can predict coronary artery disease as well as a cardiac treadmill test . Here is the basic procedure: calculate your max heart rate (220 minus your age). Example: 220 minus age 57 = maximum heart rate of 163 beats per minute. Exercise to your max heart rate. Exercise to that heart rate, then stop, sit down, and record your rate after 60 seconds and 120 seconds. Your rate should drop by more than 25 points every minute. Count your heart rate with a heart rate monitor. If you do not have access to a monitor, count your beats for 10 seconds and multiply by 6 to calculate your rate. The more and faster your heart rate drops, the better your cardiovascular condition and vascular health. Note that: In other words, the faster your rate drops, the better your cardiac vascular health. New Skin Treatments at the CenterOur doctors are now using the CryoProbe for skin treatments because of its excellent healing properties, high degree of patient acceptance, and the relatively painless treatment it offers. The CryoProbe is an instrument designed to provide precise control of a fine spray of liquid nitrogen. The instrument was named the most important discovery in cryotherapy in the last decade. The CryoProbe destroys cellular tissues of the skin by freezing. Unlike other forms of surgery, the fibrous structures of the skin remain intact. This means that abnormal and unwanted tissues can safely be removed with little or no scar formation. The CryoProbe provides the most cosmetically satisfying and painless method for the treatment of: What’s for Breakfast?
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