I'll try to give you a clear idea of my background and how my natural treatment approach is different than other health professionals in this field. Every patient is treated as a unique individual - no two patients are alike.
When I consult with you, my initial role is to be a detective - searching for clues as to how you developed health problems in the first place and also clues as to why you're not recovering completely.
The "treatment" I use consists of two essential ingredients - a very specific program of foods, and a personally-tailored vitamin/mineral/herbal supplements program. Your food program and supplement program may change as your health changes. Have you noticed that a certain diet or vitamin helped you for ahwile and then it stopped working? And then when you stopped or made changes your health improved again? This is something I have learned and we have simple tests that tell me when it's time to change. Making these changes at the right times helps you continue to recover.
My interest in natural health started in 1972, I was in college when a friend convinced me to go on a vegetarian diet. Fifteen years later I realized that a vegetarian diet could be harmful for some. I had also taken classes in yoga, meditation, and T'ai chi.
In 1985 I got my start in chiropractic practice as an associate with Dr. Karl Hynes. I learned a tremendous amount from him. Since he taught courses to other doctors, they sent their difficult patients to our office for a second opinion. As a result I gained experience with patients who had very challenging health problems.
Here's my formal curriculum vitae - graduated in 1976 from the University of California, Davis with a bachelor's degree in botany. Graduated from the Pennsylvania College of Chiropractic in 1983. In private chiropractic practice with a strong nutritional basis since March, 1985. I have continued to read and study natural therapies. Many of the patients that come to me have tried many things so I have learned to sort out what has worked for them, and equally as valuable, what hasn't worked for them, and why.
We have five grown sons. They have never had any antibiotics and they have never had any immunizations. There is not an aspirin, ibuprofen, or any other pain pill or over-the-counter medication in our house - we have always used natural remedies to help relieve what ails us.
My approach is to use "body typing" for food/dietary guidelines and also for selecting the right vitamins. The fundamental concept of "body typing" is that people have different metabolic requirements - said more clearly, what works for one person may not work for another. This translates to that some people do well on a high carbohydrate diet and others will not be able to get over chronic health problems unless they eat a high protein diet. This approach, of treating people as unique individuals, is what I believe makes the difference in "nutrition" that only helps a little, and nutrition that can help you overcome serious health problems. (for more info. see article)
My "nutritional" approach is different than most "nutritionists" or naturally oriented health professionals because I focus on using food as the primary therapy. And I don't have a one-size-fits-all diet or supplement or treatment program. Foods have unique properties with different balances of vitamins and minerals that need to be tailored to your specific situation. Once you are on the right food program, all other treatments and therapies become more effective.
Mineral analysis using your hair as a tissue sample can be helpful as a screening tool to identify toxic minerals such as mercury, lead, and aluminum. This analysis can also help determine if you are taking the right or wrong vitamins. For example taking too much zinc can lead to a deficiency of copper - this relationship will show up on the mineral analysis. And a deficiency of copper can contribute to high cholesterol, osteoporosis, strokes, and bacterial infections. Hair mineral analysis can also be helpful in determining your need for calcium - if calcium metabolism is not balance with other minerals you can take a lot of calcium and still end up with osteoporosis. (see newsletter on calcium)
There are other functional diagnostic tests that you can perform with home test kits if necessary. Almost always we have a patient chart their axillary temperature so we can gain insight into thyroid function, since your thyroid gland is one of the major regulators of body temperature, energy, cholesterol, healthy mental function, and your immune system.
At the beginning of treatment I like to see (or talk to) a patient once a week for about one month. I have worked successfully with patients long distance. Ideally I like to see a patient face to face for an initial visit. The reason I can help people through phone consultations is this - most lifestyle changes are things that you do at home - the actual changes don't happen in the doctor's office. You have to change your diet and take your supplements. I like to be thought of as "your guide through the jungle of health information", helping you sort out, out of all the books and articles written about natural/alternative health and vitamins, what is right for you. Think of me as a coach. I encourage as much phone contact as possible. I have found that it is very important to stay in touch to provide you with the knowledge, encouragement, and motivation to keep going. The more I talk to patients the more they understand the "why" behind the recommendations I make.
We treat a wide diversity of problems, much the way a family physician sees people for many different ailments. We treat the same complaints that you would go to a family physician for, the major difference is that we only use natural methods - changes in diet, vitamins, minerals, and herbs. My major areas of specialty are fibromyalgia and cancer.
We treat acute, chronic, and very difficult patients, patients who are medical failures.
Many times we are successful at treating "failed back surgery" patients when the main cause is not structural but due to chemical or nutritional causes. Correcting the chemical causes of pain, through changes in diet and vitamin supplements, has helped many of our chronic pain patients find lasting relief.
We've helped Olympic gymnasts improve their performance and helped them speed recovery from their injuries. So, I've gained experience in working with high level athletes. I've also worked with swimmers and long distance athletes.
Allergies, asthma, colitis, migraines, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, menstrual and menopausal problems are some of the things we routinely help.
For many years I've helped many people overcome chronic health problems with natural methods. People often feel that they've exhausted all the possibilities and that there's no hope when there are still things that can be done. Don't give up. I'd be happy to talk to you and let you know whether or not I can help you. Send an email to me at (hyperbaricconsulting@gmail.com) or call my office ((866) 952-5483 or (207) 293-3328).