Underlying Root Causes of Health Conditions

If you answer "yes" to any of the questions below, you will benefit from making an appointment with us.

1. Do you need caffeine and/or sugar to make it through the day?

2. Are you exhausted by mid-afternoon?

3. Do you have difficulty getting out of bed in the morning?

4. Do you get short of breath while doing light exercise or walking?

5. Do household chores and daily functions feel more difficult to you?

These symptoms can be consistent with: unstable blood sugars, under active thyroid, hormonal imbalance, sleep disturbance (excessive sleep or insomnia), weight gain, chronic fatigue syndrome, yeast infection and adrenal fatigue. Often energy levels are decreased because of chronic stress causing improper function of the adrenal glands, typically causing extreme exhaustion or a constant feeling of malaise.

The symptoms you describe will help us individualize comprehensive diagnostic tests that will assist in identifying the condition affecting your energy levels. The treatment is then tailored based on these results. Controlling carbohydrates and consistent eating patterns will help enhance the immune system and improve energy levels.

If you answer "yes" to any of the questions below, you will benefit from making an appointment with us.

1. Do you have high cholesterol?

2. Do you have diabetes?

3. Do you have high blood pressure?

4. Are you overweight?

5. Do you get chest pain or shortness of breath?

6. Do you smoke cigarettes?

7. Do you have a family history of high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease?

Controlling carbohydrate intake can significantly decrease triglycerides, aids in weight loss and helps decrease blood pressure. Balancing healthy fats, avoiding trans-fats along with consuming adequate fiber and exercise can decrease LDL (bad cholesterol) and increase HDL (good cholesterol). However, these are not the only factors involved in good heart care.

A comprehensive blood work-up helps in the early detection and prevention of heart disease and should include a breakdown of HDL and LDL into sub particles*, homocysteine, lipoprotein a, C-reactive protein, fasting blood glucose and fasting insulin levels. An electrocardiogram (EKG) and a non-invasive heart scan also helps to give a more complete picture of heart health.

* Individuals with increased amounts of small dense LDL sub particles and low levels of HDL 2b sub particles are at a higher risk of heart disease than individuals with large LDL sub particles and higher levels of HDL 2b sub particles.

If you answer "yes" to any of the questions below, you will benefit from making an appointment with us.

1. Do you experience night sweats or hot flashes?

2. Have you gained weight recently or had difficulty losing your excess weight?

3. Is your libido increased?

4. Do you have excessive hair growth or been losing your hair?

5. Do you sweat excessively?

6. Do your have irregular menstrual periods?

7. Do you frequently have mood swings?

8. Do you have difficulty sleeping at night?

Unbalanced hormones (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone and DHEA) in women can lead to fatigue, weight gain, decreased sex drive, sleep disturbance, fertility problems, mood swings and hot flashes. In men, decreased testosterone and/or DHEA levels can lead to fatigue, weight gain and decreased sex drive. These symptoms are successfully managed by balancing hormones as well as controlling carbohydrates in order to control insulin and prevent fat storage. Increased amounts of insulin and fat can lead to high estrogen levels worsening hormonal imbalance. We measure and monitor estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and DHEA levels to ensure that you are getting the right balance of hormones.

f you answer "yes" to any of the questions below, you will benefit from making an appointment with us.

1. Are you unable to lose weight no matter how few calories you eat or how much you exercise?

2. Are you using prescription medications?

3. Do you crave foods or are consistently hungry?

4. Do you snore when you sleep or have sleeping difficulties?

5. Do you sweat excessively?

6. Do you have a family history or such as diabetes or heart disease?

7. Do you have trouble walking up a flight of stairs?

8. Are you peri- or post- menopausal?

9. Do you suffer from gas and bloating or from decreased energy levels?

Obesity can be a complex and multi-factorial condition. Treatment must be targeted to the underlying causes such as excess insulin production, an undiagnosed under active thyroid, a hormonal imbalance, yeast overgrowth, the use of prescription medications and heavy metal toxicity. Each of these causes can make it make impossible to lose weight even with strict calorie reduction or excessive time spent exercising. Unlike many health care professionals, we believe that lack of success is not your fault. We can help you.v

For example, you may benefit from a simple 10-minute breath test. This test allows us to determine exactly how many calories you burn in a day by calculating your resting energy expenditure (REE) and comparing it to normal values based on age, gender, height and weight.

Once, the underlying factor(s) to resistant weight loss is treated, balance is restored, weight loss will occur, and health goals can be achieved. Success hinges on the proper nutritional and medical prescription from a trained professional.

Carbohydrates have a direct impact on hormones, blood sugar, insulin and fat storage. Using a low carbohydrate nutrition plan will promote weight loss by burning fat and balancing insulin and other hormones.

We also believe exercise is an important part of achieving balanced health. Exercise has a multitude of benefits such as: increasing HDL (good cholesterol), reducing anxiety, preserving a youthful appearance and maintaining weight.

Exercise in conjunction with controlling carbohydrate intake helps the body switch to using fat instead of carbohydrates for energy. The body now can more easily burn body fat.

If you answer "yes" to any of the questions below, you will benefit from making an appointment with us.

1. Do you have irregular periods?

2. Do you have ovarian cysts?

3. Do you have excessive facial or body hair?

4. Do you have weight gain around the stomach?

5. Do you have acne?

6. Do you have high cholesterol?

7. Are you experiencing male-pattern baldness?

These are only some of the symptoms you might have if you have PCOS. Doctors often miss the diagnosis of PCOS because the symptoms vary widely.

The underlying problem in PCOS is insulin resistance (where insulin is unable to properly do its job of moving glucose from the blood into the cells). High levels of insulin in turn stimulate the ovaries to produce large amounts of the male hormone testosterone causing infertility, irregular periods, acne and excessive facial or body hair putting patients at higher risk for weight gain, diabetes and heart disease. The goal is to decrease the insulin resistance and correct the hormonal imbalance.

If you answer "yes" to any of the questions below, you will benefit from making an appointment with us.

1. Are you often fatigued or are your energy levels consistently low?

2. Have you experienced unexplained weight gain or find it impossible to lose weight?

3. Is your hair thinning or falling out? (Do you notice hair on your brush?)

4. Is your skin dry?

5. Do you experience frequent constipation?

6. Is your body temperature consistently below 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit?

7. Do you suffer from heat or cold intolerance?

8. Are you depressed?

9. Do you suffer from joint pain and muscle aches?

10. Do you have high cholesterol?

11. Is your libido low?

Thyroid hormone plays a major role in regulating metabolism, energy levels, body temperature and in keeping the brain, heart and muscles functioning well. An under active thyroid can lead to weight gain, low body temperature, depression, dry skin, hair thinning, decreased sex drive, joint pain and muscle aches, high cholesterol and fatigue.

To guide us in tailoring a medical plan specific for your needs, we use a simple 10-minute breath test to measure metabolism and to determine exactly how many calories you burn in a day.

If you answer "yes" to any of the questions below, you will benefit from making an appointment with us.

1. Are you hungry 1-2 hours after meals?

2. Do you wake up at night to urinate?

3. Are you excessively hungry or thirsty?

4. Do you crave "sweets" or carbohydrates?

5. Does anyone in your family have diabetes?

6. Do you gain most of the weight in the stomach?

7. Do you feel faint or lightheaded if you miss a meal?

8. Do you have frequent mood swings?

These are some of the symptoms consistent with unstable blood sugar, pre-diabetes, diabetes or hypoglycemia. The problem is that one hundred percent of carbohydrates are converted into glucose resulting in high blood sugar and high insulin levels. Controlling carbohydrate intake is the key to normalizing blood sugars and insulin levels. Type 2 diabetics who reduce carbohydrate intake can often decrease or eliminate the use of oral medications or insulin. Type 1 diabetics who lower carbohydrate intake can often help avoid large fluctuations in blood sugar. Because doses of insulin will need to be reduced, physician supervision is necessary.

If you answer "yes" to any of the questions below, you will benefit from making an appointment with us.

1. Do you experience constipation and/or diarrhea?

2. Are you prone to heartburn?

3. Do you experience abdominal pains or gas?

4. Do you get frequent yeast infections?

5. Do you have multiple food allergies?

Symptoms such as diarrhea/constipation, gas and bloating, gastric reflux, post-nasal drip, "brain fog", fatigue, headaches, rashes and multiple food allergies can all be caused by an overgrowth of yeast (Candida). Yeast, a normal inhabitant of our digestive system, tends to overgrow when the immune system is compromised and it thrives in a "high sugar" environment. Chronic illness, decreased immune system, stress, the use of medications such as antibiotics, oral contraceptives and steroids, high blood sugar, and excessive alcohol intake can all cause yeast to flourish. The treatment for yeast includes avoiding foods that contain sugar or are fermented. Supplements are used to boost the immune system and restore healthy digestive flora.