Together Toward Health #2 - 9/20/18

Hello Friends in our 2018 Together Toward Health group!

Please feel free to post comments to this blog regarding things that were important for you in this gathering, additional thoughts, and questions.

Keep in mind that one of our members was unable to be with us. Please consider filling her in on what she was not present for.

In health, Dr. Young :)

Functional Medicine + Community = Together Toward Health

As James Maskell, founder of The Evolution of Medicine says, "Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh says that 'Community is the guru of the future.'"

Now, I didn't get that the first time, but what it means to me now, is that we are on a path of replacing our reverence for masters, with the understanding that a community carries more wisdom than a leader or teacher.

James and Thich Nhat Hanh are not alone. The Institute for Functional Medicine realizes and teaches that healing occurs better in a group setting than it does in a conventional doctor-patient setting.

The power of groups/communities is known around the world!

So, I recently launched a health group called Together Toward Health, what I refer to as an exploration of what you get when you mix functional medicine with community. 11 of us, interested in health. 2 hour sessions every other week for 4 months. Affordable: $25/session.

My first, central concern was to have everyone truly feel safe, comfortable, at ease in our group. My second concern was whether or not I could help us as a group feel the power that we have.

I don't want to keep you in suspense; that first group meeting was as much as I could ever have hoped for!!!

One member stated to the group that this was the most peaceful thing she has done in 3 years!

Another member with over 30 years of illness said, "I heard a lot of things that gave me hope."

One stated, "I couldn't hear it before, ... that diet can heal."

Many members stated to the entire group that they were grateful to each of the others for being there; and the sincerity was deep.

The quotes tell part of the story. The smiles, the caring looks, and the relaxed and relieved body language further communicated the depth of our experience.

And that was just meeting #1.

Google Reivew #30

Let me just tell you, there are parts of this job, being a Functional Medicine Chiropractor, that are just plain difficult.

And there are parts that balance that difficulty. For example, there is little as rewarding as an honest and appreciative Google Review.

Dr. Martinez made my day today with this review!

"Dr. Young is the best physician I have ever met, hands down. He understands the human body and the pathologic basis of disease at a much deeper level than the majority of MDs in practice. The best part of seeing Dr. Young is not necessarily the great treatment you receive while you are there, but the plan he helps you develop to live life to its fullest long after you leave the office. He is not only a skilled doctor but a shining example of what all humans should aspire to be - loving, caring, and compassionate. I highly recommend Dr. Young for anyone suffering from any kind of ailment - you will be amazed what you can learn from him in a single session." - Michael Martinez, D.V.M.

When I need a bridge over troubled water I just go to my Google Place and read the reviews written by my patients.

Chiropractor Ventura

Doctors Have All The Answers

Wouldn't it be nice if we doctors had all the answers?

Obviously, we don't. But, a much bigger problem is that we doctors don't ask enough questions.

Rather than complain about what I perceive as a dangerous shortage of doctor-asked questions, I will offer one.

How is it that a patient with a condition or conditions that led to concurrent prescriptions for lithium (mania), Wellbutrin (depression) and Buspar (anxiety); could be under the care of a psychiatrist, a family practice doctor, a doctor of oriental medicine, a doctor of chiropractic, a massage therapist, and a deep-tissue therapist; and yet arrive in my office completely unaware of the possibility that insufficient magnesium, insufficient vitamin D, and food intolerances, individually or in combination, might be causative factors of the conditions for which she is medicated?

Questions are good, a first step, and sometimes lead to answers. Even when they don't, they stir the pot. The pots of healthcare, and more generally, culture, need stirring so their contents don't stick and burn on the bottom.

PS - Both magnesium and vitamin D insufficiencies are documented as common in the  US population. In my 30 years of practice, I have yet to treat a patient that did not have at least one food intolerance or food allergy. All three problems are common, and potent in their ability to be causative factors in numerous specific diseases, and causative in the loss of health and vitality.


Ventura Chiropractor

Did Your Therapist Mention ...

Did your therapist mention that the food that you eat and the balance of nutrients in your body, influence your mind, mood and behavior? That they effect how you feel, how you feel about yourself, and how you feel about your life?

If not, let me mention it, otherwise you might keep going for therapy forever and never feel better. I am not suggesting that the challenges that we face in our lives, and for which we see therapists, are all caused by food reactions and nutrient imbalances. I am saying that it would be somewhere between not smart, and dangerous to not look carefully at the powerful effects of foods and nutrients on how we feel. Some call this holistic medicine. I call it Functional Medicine.

Try gluten on for size. It can cause depression, irritability, listlessness, and mood disorders. Click the link, read the source, and realize that this is one of hundreds if not thousands of resources on gluten's effects on mind, mood and behavior.

And what about vitamin D? There is much evidence that suggests an association between low vitamin D levels and depression.

These are just two powerful examples.

If your therapist didn't mention food and nutrients to you as factors that influence every part of your life, you could bring it up.


Chiropractor Ventura Chiropractor

I'm Not an Ophthalmologist, but ... Glaucoma

First of all, what's a Functional Medicine Chiropractor to do? I can't specialize in all things, but as word gets out that a bright generalist can often be of enormous help in understanding and resolving those stubborn symptoms and hopeless conditions, patients keep coming to me with; issues for which you might expect them to see a "specialist".

Any way, a new patient came in last week for treatment of diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and glaucoma. That's right; she did not come to me for treatment of neck pain nor back pain. The conversation that I would like to begin in this post is an inquiry into glaucoma.

As stated in the title of this post, I am not an ophthalmologist, so please don't take any of my comments as a prescription for you; be sure to consult your eye specialist.

But while on the subject of warnings and disclaimers, I would warn you to be cautious of doctors (of any kind) who do not bring to your attention the importance of giving thought to the causes of your ailments, particularly if they are of a serious nature and could result, for example, in the loss of your  eyesight.

So, as we talked about her health and numerous interconnected ailments, our attention turned to her glaucoma. I asked if she knew what caused her glaucoma, or what causes glaucoma in general. She did not. I said that I was curious about whether gluten sensitivity has ever been seen to be connected to the development of glaucoma. I told her that I would look into it since gluten sensitivity has been shown to be associated with so many otherwise unexplained symptoms and conditions. I told her that I would bet $50 that food sensitivities, even if not to gluten, play a role in the development of glaucoma.

When I found the time, I did a Google search using the terms "glaucoma" and "gluten sensitivity". The first page that came up was a page owned by the University of Maryland Medical Center. If the information on this page can be relied upon, I won the bet! Now, I am not going to try, in this one post, to comment on the enormous amount of information contained on this page that in one way or another can be utilized to further a rational, scientific discussion of glaucoma and its causes, but let me draw your attention to the section entitled "Who's Most At Risk?"

***  People with the following conditions or characteristics are at risk for glaucoma:
    Over 60 years of age
    Family history
    African American descent
    Diabetes
    Myopia (near sightedness)
    Taking certain drugs, such as antihistamines or blood pressure medications
    Food sensitivities
    Stress
    Sedentary lifestyle
    Hypothyroidism                                               ****

It makes sense that food sensitivities could contribute to glaucoma. They up-regulate the immune system, increase systemic inflammation, often damage specific body tissues, and consistently contribute to all manner of chronic degenerative diseases. Gluten sensitivity is, of course, a food sensitivity.

The overwhelming majority of hypothyroidism in America is Hashimoto's autoimmune hypothyroiditis. There is much evidence linking gluten sensitivity as a causative factor in Hashimoto's. If this is true, then it would appear that gluten sensitivity may be a causative factor in glaucoma.

There is a lot more to talk about regarding glaucoma and this UMMC webpage. For now, let us remember, that even if we are not ophthalmologists, we can commit ourselves to understanding the causes of our departures from healthful vitality.

Ventura Chiropractor

Weighing the Risks

Front page Ventura County Star - Sunday, June 17, 2012 by Tom Kisken

Great, needed article, and I am ready to weigh in.

But first, I want to be clear that it is not my intention to speak against, nor unkindly toward anyone; those with weight problems (health problems more accurately), those who have had or are considering bariatric surgery, not anyone. Rather, my comments are intended to bring light to the known risks, and to advise those who don't know that there is enormous evidence that there are better and safer ways for most people to lose weight and become healthy.

Risks to the individual are substantial. According to the Mayo Clinic, longer term risks and complications of weight-loss surgery vary depending on the type of surgery. They can include:
    Bowel obstruction
    Dumping syndrome, causing diarrhea, nausea or vomiting
    Gallstones
    Hernias
    Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
    Malnutrition
    Stomach perforation
    Ulcers
    Vomiting
    Death (rare)

Additionally there are risks to our culture both by the promotion of a fix that doesn't address the cause of obesity, and by the lack of attention to the lifestyle, nutritional, physiologic and emotional causes of obesity.

In my general practice, spanning almost 30 years, I have advised many patients that food allergies often cause weight gain. Removing dairy products from the diet often results in weight loss without counting calories or measuring portions. It is well known that removing gluten (the dominant protein in wheat) from the diet often results in weight loss. It is important to note that the removal of dairy and gluten don't just result in weight loss for many, but also clearly and consistently improve health, energy and mood.

A 32 year-old female patient of mine lost 65 pounds in 9 months when, as I advised, she took gluten completely out of her diet. She had struggled with her weight her entire life.

Most Americans are deficient in vitamin D; the sunshine vitamin. Turns out that low blood levels of vitamin D have been shown to correlate with difficulty shedding unhealthy pounds. 

There is no single magic bullet for weight loss (the real goal is getting well, excess fat loss follows), but I can tell you that patient after patient that I treat for weight issues, has never been previously advised that dairy products, gluten and low vitamin D can be powerful factors in weight gain. These are just 3 examples of factors that most obese and overweight individuals have never had the opportunity to consider or to experiment with for themselves.

My friend, Mark Hyman, MD is a world-renowned expert on weight loss through a Functional Medicine approach. His most recent New York Times bestseller is entitled The Blood Sugar Solution. If you want to really look at smart and doable ways to lose weight through becoming healthy, please read his book! Dr. Hyman helped President Clinton gain the amazing health that he has today, through this plan.

For me, this discussion of the obesity part of our disease epidemic, is not about who is wrong, bad, or to blame. It is about our mutual future, that calls for us to work together in friendship for our common good, our common health.


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