| Hi Everyone! | February 2006 |
Welcome and Happy New Year!
Start the year off right and make better decisions about you health.
You can now listen to Drs. Michelle and Kevin Brannick on the "The Natural Path", available at http://www.thenaturalpath.blogspot.com and on iTunes.
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In this month's enewsletter ...
Diabetes mellitus (DM) type II is a disease characterized by high levels of blood glucose resulting from defects in insulin production, insulin action or both. Diabetes can be associated with serious complications and premature death. However patients with diabetes can make lifestyle changes to reverse the disease or in advanced cases control the disease and lower the risk of complications.
It usually begins as insulin resistance called Syndrome X, which a disorder in which the cells do not use insulin properly. As the need for insulin rises, the pancreas gradually loses its ability to produce enough insulin. Many years of over-consumption of refined carbohydrates, high sugar, low fiber, and hydrogenated oils results in insulin resistance: The pancreases has to produce more and more insulin to decrease the increased blood sugar. Contributing factors include poor dietary habits, poor quality of food, and sedentary lifestyle.
Type II diabetes is associated with older age, obesity, and family history of diabetes. Type II diabetes is being diagnosed at an alarming rate in children and adolescents. Children with DM will have a shorter life span along with a decreased quality of life. The average American consumes ½ pound of sugar per day with 28% coming from soft drinks. Today 1 in 4 children are obese and 1 in 2 are overweight.
Diabetes can affect many parts of the body and can lead to serious complications such as blindness, kidney damage, lower-limb, toe and finger amputations, heart disease, stroke, hypertension, and nervous system damage resulting in numbness in hands and feet.
People with diabetes are more susceptible to many other illnesses and have an adverse prognosis.
In 2002, 18.2 million people or 6.3% of the US population have DM and of that 5.2 million are undiagnosed. There are 1.3 million new cases of DM a year. The total cost of DM in 2002 was $132 billion. Type 2 diabetes may account for 90-95% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes.
DM can be reversed before permanent damage has set in. Even the advanced cases of DM can benefit from lifestyle changes to slow down the progression of the disease. Those who are at high risk for DM type II can prevent its onset. It is never too late to change dietary habits and begin an exercise class to improve health.
At the Brannick Clinic of Natural Medicine, we determined the status of a patient’s blood sugar through blood tests, a very through medical history intake and a physical exam. We may treat DM with the use of botanicals, clinical nutrition, and exercise to stabilize the blood sugar. We may also use other therapies such as massage and colonics to help with complications of the disease. In order to be successful in overcoming this disease patients need to work with a doctor in a comprehensive approach.
- Michelle Brannick ND, DC
Craniosacral Therapy started in the early 1900s as a way to feel restrictions in the cranial bones and fascia. By freeing the cranial bones and the fascia, the practitioner is able to assist the body in regaining normal function in the nervous, lymph, hormonal, myofascial, and gastrointestinal system. CranioSacral therapy is founded on the belief that the body knows exactly how to heal. The role of the physician is to facilitate the healing process. The primary goal in a CranioSacral session is to not only treat your condition, but maximize your health overall.
Our goal is to maximize your health and quality of life, (not just treat your symptoms). However, some of the most common conditions we help patients overcome include:
Anxiety/ Depression/ Hyperactivity & other mood challengesYes, CranioSacral Therapy has more research behind it than any other hands on therapy. CranioSacral Therapy started in the 1900's in osteopathic medicine (DO) with doctors working with the head-cranium and the tailbone-sacrum. Since then it has evolved to treat the entire body. Many controlled studies as well as retrospective studies have proved the effectiveness of CranioSacral Therapy.
CranioSacral Therapy is a gentle hands-on therapy that follows the subtle movement of your connective tissue and cranial bones. The physician will lightly place (less than a nickel weight of pressure) his/her hands on areas of restriction that facilitates the body to release fixations. During the session the person is fully clothed and the therapist evaluates restrictions in movement on different parts of the body. A session usually lasts one hour but that can vary depending on the condition. The body has an innate ability to heal itself. The goal of the physician is to facilitate removal of obstacles to cure and restore freedom in physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health.
There are over 25 million Americans with heartburn/acid reflux/GERD who spend over 2.5 billion dollars a year on antacids and proton pump inhibitors such as Nexium, or Prilosec. Are those medications treating the cause of the heartburn or just masking the problem by treating only the symptom?
The typical patient suffering from acid reflux takes acid reducing medications to reduce the irritation from the acid. Heartburn is rarely due to the common belief of over-production of stomach acid. The stomach acid balance(pH) needs to be between 1-3, very acidic, to properly breakdown food and absorb nutrients. The decrease in acidity from taking antacids results in raising the pH to a more alkaline environment. A pH above 4 starts to inhibit the digestive enzymes thereby inhibiting the breakdown of food. When food is not broken down properly it causes low grade chronic inflammation, thereby further worsening the nutritional problem of absorption of nutrients. The common GERD patient suffers from a dysfunctional lower esophageal sphincter which allows stomach acid to move into the esophagus.
To physicians who specialize in natural medicine, acid reflux/GERD is the result of a weakened digestive system caused by chronic dietary abuses of eating too fast, consuming high sugar, high fat, and poor quality of foods or by ingesting antacids.
With the above insults, the production of acid and digestive enzymes decreases and the whole gastrointestinal tract becomes sluggish resulting in symptoms such as burning in the throat, chest or behind the sternum, difficulty swallowing, gas or bloating etc.
The decrease of acid and digestive enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract decreases the body's ability to absorb vital nutrients from the food we eat. The body pulls the nutrients it needs from the skeletal system to support other organs. This process leads to nutrient deficient conditions such as osteoporosis, herniated or bulging discs, etc.
Aruvedic, Chinese and Naturopathic medicine can tonify the digestive tract when the insults are removed or decreased.
Poor dietary habits need to be corrected and certain foods need to be eliminated and replaced with more nourishing foods. Nutritional deficiencies need to be replaced and of course, the gastrointestinal tract and mucous membranes need to be healed and restored.
At the Brannick Clinic of Natural Medicine, once the insults are corrected. we use acupuncture to tonify and restore the gastrointestinal tract. The entire process of restoring function and nutritional deficiencies takes anywhere from 2-6 months depending on the severity of the case and the compliance of the patient. Blood work is used to monitor progress of the treatments and restoration of deficiencies.
When people have been on acid reducing medications for many years, they are left with a worse situation which becomes a nutrient deficient condition for the body. It is time to forgo the symptoms and treat the cause!
- Michelle Brannick ND, DC
Colonic Hydrotherapy is a gentle infusion of freshly purified warm water into the large intestine using the Gravity Flow Method as an internal bath that helps to cleanse the colon of poisons, gas and accumulated fecal matter. In addition, it greatly increases the absorption of vital nutrients into your body by cleansing the glands in the lining of the colon.
Unlike the enema, it does not involve the retention of water. Colonic irrigations and enemas are among the oldest health care practices. Records of their use have been found in Egyptian artifacts over 4,000 years old!
Colonic hydrotherapy is considered an “alternate health option” to traditional Western medical practices as well as a safe, painless and inexpensive way to treat a number of bodily ailments and achieve optimal health.
A healthy colon is essential to a healthy body. The conventional diets of today comprised of refined, processed foods are high in saturated fats and low in fiber. Together with overeating, insufficient exercise and “ignoring the call of nature,” they contribute to a magnitude of intestinal problems. The elimination of undigested food and other waste products are just as important as the proper digestion and assimilation of foodstuffs.
No, one of the functions of the colon is to gather the flora needed to properly lubricate the intestinal walls to move waste swiftly through the elimination process. When the accumulation of feces in the bowel leads to fecal encrustation, it is difficult for the colon to produce the necessary intestinal flora. The resulting lack of lubrication creates a state of constipation and generates toxemia. This upsets the normal acid-alkaline balance and the growth of friendly bacteria is stunted. Cleansing the colon will help bring the acid-alkaline ratio back into balance. In this environment, the friendly bacteria will again thrive and disease-causing bacteria will find it difficult to develop.
Waste material allowed to remain too long in the digestive system results in fermentation and putrefaction of these substances and subsequent proliferation of bacteria and their toxins.
Colon hydrotherapy effectively removes stagnant fecal waste from the walls of the colon, expels poisons, mucus, gas, parasites, worms and cellular debris, allowing for better absorption of nutrients into the system. If you have constipation, colitis, suffer from fatigue, headaches, skin problems, bloating, gas pains, stomach aches, abdominal distention, arthritis or cancer, colonic hydrotherapy may very well be the outlet you’ve been looking for. You’ll feel rejuvenated, lighter and more energetic. The body can again assimilate food in the colon and better defend itself against disease while restoring its natural balance.
The normal colonic treatment lasts approximately 30 minutes. The client lies on a table below a temperature-controlled tank of purified water. A small, sterilized scope is gently inserted into the rectum. The water flow, always under the direct control of the therapist, flows into the colon via a small water tube and flows out through the evacuation tube carrying with it impacted feces and mucus. It is quite interesting to see what is expelled during a normal colonic treatment and the client is able to observe this through a special view tube in the evacuation tube. The client may experience sensations of warmth due to the presence of toxins in the expelling fecal matter. The therapist lightly massages various parts of the abdomen to help loosen and dislodge areas of fecal impaction. The client is well covered and their modesty is given top priority during the procedure
The number of treatments varies from individual to individual. The recommended series would be three colonic treatments per week with a follow-up of one per season to maintain a healthy colon.
Colonic irrigation is most effective when combined with aerobic exercise and a proper diet of non-mucus producing foods such as whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition, colonics are beneficial during the change of seasons when diet and exercise patterns also change as well as during cold and flu season.
No, one of the functions of the colon is to gather the flora needed to properly lubricate the intestinal walls to move waste swiftly through the elimination process. When the accumulation of feces in the bowel leads to fecal encrustation, it is difficult for the colon to produce the necessary intestinal flora. The resulting lack of lubrication creates a state of constipation and generates toxemia. This upsets the normal acid-alkaline balance and the growth of friendly bacteria is stunted. Cleansing the colon will help bring the acid-alkaline ratio back into balance. In this environment, the friendly bacteria will again thrive and disease-causing bacteria will find it difficult to develop.
- Ani Vazquez, CCT works at the Brannick Clinic of Natural Medicine in Riverside, IL, 708-447-2468.
(Please note: we're reprinting this recipe as last time the onion was omitted from the recipe.)
Red meat is a great source of vitamin B12
1-1 ½ pounds of organic, free range ground beef or sirloin
1 large organic egg
1 small chopped onion
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup of crushed rice crackers (Trader Joes)
¼ cup of organic rice milk
Combine and bake at 325 degrees for 45-60 minutes.
The next issue will feature articles about sports medicine, toxicity and more!
