You can print this article here.

Food allergies are often not included in a Medical Doctor’s diagnostic assessment of one’s problems. They are also often not included in dietary considerations. In spite of these two oversights, food allergies are often major contributors to a wide variety of unexplainable symptoms. The most allergic foods in the American diet are the foods we consume most frequently: wheat, dairy products, corn, eggs, citrus products, soy, and peanuts. Food sensitivities can also be triggered by chemicals in our food such as preservatives, pesticides, fungicides, insecticides and food spoilage chemicals such as sulfites.

No one wants to be sick, but where does disease really begin? Illness develops because one’s immune system is weakened. This is indisputable yet often not acknowledged. Integrative Medicine is based upon this premise. The disease itself represents a “red flag” that a person has sustained immune system deterioration for some time. To eliminate illness, the immune network needs to be strengthened. Integrative medicine equips the body with tools to restore its own immune system.

Any single vulnerable link in the immune system, such as food allergies and sensitivities, can create favorable conditions for a vast range of illnesses. More often, many factors bombard the immune system over time. While symptoms are not immediately apparent, the progressive weakening of the immune system can lead to chronic illness that is not attributed to one specific cause. Unlike most conventional disciplines, integrative medicine examines the whole person as a means to uncover informational clues necessary for proper therapy.

Five principal causes of immune system deterioration are: Heavy Metal Toxicity, Food Allergies, Parasites and Fungal Infections, Poor Diet and Nutrition, and Dental Problems. This article is the second of a series that address immune system weakeners individually.

In the old days, life was simple. Survival was dependent upon living in harmony with nature. Native people lived and ate what was available in nature and had a deep reverence for food and celebrated the changing seasons with the new harvested food. Over the past 100 years, that special reverence and respect for food has been rapidly diminishing, and replaced with mass marketed, highly processed fast food, and lately, genetically modified foods. No wonder heart disease and cancer became the number one and two killers in this country. Diabetes and obesity are also of epidemic proportion. All of these diseases are strongly linked to our diet.

James C. Breneman, M.D., past chairman of the Food Allergy Committee of the American College of Allergists, reported that many chronic illnesses are related to food allergies. He also said that even gallbladder attacks could be completely avoided by eliminating allergenic foods from the diet.

Food allergies and sensitivities not only cause a variety of gastrointestinal, respiratory, and skin problems, but also contribute to chronic fatigue, headaches, depression, sinus infections, palpitations, fluid retention, weight gain, behavioral problems, poor memory, and learning disabilities. (For a checklist of common symptoms of food allergies, see the next article, “Food Allergy Symptoms Checklist.”)

Once a diagnosis is made for the specific food allergens, avoidance of the offending food is the first step in a specific and practical treatment program. Avoidance of the allergens is just the first step because there are often multiple causes to illness. Other causes include leaky gut, fungal and yeast infections, heavy metal toxicity, parasites, and dental problems. Often when treatment of the underlying problems includes addressing the multiplicity of causes, food allergies can be reduced. Over time it is possible that foods that once caused allergic reactions may even be able to be eaten normally.

Skin testing for food allergies has not been consistently reliable, so I recommend the IgG ELISA blood test. This test determines delayed allergic reaction to one hundred of the most common foods in the typical American diet. Despite the lack of support from the medical community, I work with food allergy and sensitivity every day and I agree with Dr. Breneman’s statement, “Over 60 percent of illness involves food intolerance.” In these cases, food allergy testing and an elimination diet is the first step toward improving your health.

Addendum: Food Allergy Symptoms Checklist.

You can print this article here.

Your teeth and dental problems are rarely included in a Medical Doctor’s diagnostic assessment of one’s problems. If you see many doctors for your condition with an unsuccessful diagnosis and treatment, think of your mouth as the missing link to your illness. A mouthful of evidence, if properly analyzed, may uncover the root of your illness. Amalgams (silver fillings) and root canals are the likely causes of dental induced illnesses. They are often major contributors to a wide variety of unexplainable symptoms.

No one wants to be sick, but where does disease really begin? Illness develops because one’s immune system is weakened. This is indisputable yet often not acknowledged. Integrative Medicine is based upon this premise. The disease itself represents a “red flag” that a person has sustained immune system deterioration for some time. To eliminate illness, the immune network needs to be strengthened. Integrative medicine equips the body with tools to restore its own immune system.

Any single vulnerable link in the immune system, such as amalgams and root canals, can create favorable conditions for a vast range of illnesses. More often, many factors bombard the immune system over time. While symptoms are not immediately apparent, the progressive weakening of the immune system can lead to chronic illness that is not attributed to one specific cause. Unlike most conventional disciplines, integrative medicine examines the whole person as a means to uncover informational clues necessary for proper therapy.

Five principal causes of immune system deterioration are: Heavy Metal Toxicity, Food Allergies, Dental Problems, Parasites and Fungal Infections, and Poor Diet and Nutrition. This article is the third of a series that address immune system weakeners individually.

Amalgams, usually called “silver fillings,” are available in a variety of compositions that always include mercury (typically 50%), silver (about 20% to 30%), tin, copper, and zinc. Since the mid-1800s, mercury has been known to be a highly toxic substance. The American Dental Association maintains that in the composition of an amalgam alloy, mercury is non-toxic. The International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology believes that it is not possible to create a “safe” mercury amalgam. For more information, see IAOMT’s Position Paper Against Dental Mercury Amalgam.

In 2020, the FDA issued a long-awaited warning that dental amalgam should not be used in children, pregnant or nursing mothers or those who plan to become pregnant, people with kidney or neurological disease, and those with an allergy or sensitivity to mercury.

The federal agency responsible for regulation of allowable levels of substances at the workplace has established 50 micrograms/cc as the maximum allowable level of mercury vapor in the workplace. The average level of mercury vapor in the mouths of people with amalgams varies between 50 and 150 micrograms/cc. When removed from your mouth, dental amalgam is considered a toxic waste by the Environmental Protection Agency and must be handled in a certain way to protect dental office personnel from mercury poisoning. This is the same stuff, unchanged, which just came out of your tooth! There are over 125 known symptoms of mercury toxicity.

Root canals are another major dental source of illness. A root canal, very simplistically, is the removal of the material in the middle of the tooth and down into the root of the tooth, in order to remove an infection. The problem with root canals is that, although their intention is to remove an immediate infection, the procedure itself leads to further chronic infection over time.

Dr. Weston Price, a renowned dental research specialist in the 1940s, determined that many types of degenerative diseases were caused by root canals. These include many forms of heart disease, kidney and bladder diseases, arthritis, rheumatism, mental diseases, lung diseases, and many forms of cancer. (Dr. Price’s work is summarized in a book, Root Canal Cover-Up Exposed by Dr. George Meinig, DDS.) For detailed examples of dental induced illness within the context of a comprehensive approach to wellness, and the positive outcomes of addressing the dental problems, see the “Outcomes” on my website.

Dental problems may be repaired by replacing amalgams with non-metal materials and correcting root canals. This requires a financial commitment, patience, and persistence. Correcting dental problems is one major step to reaping the rewards of eliminating chronic illness and restoring vigor to one’s health.

Biological dentists understand the dangers of the amalgams and root canals. Biological dentists play a vital role in the recovery from dental induced chronic illness. They work closely with integrative medical doctors who understand the importance of the dental-body connection. As a team, these practitioners look at the whole person in understanding the root cause of illness. (For a list of biological dentists in the St. Louis area, click here.)

You can print this article here.

Relax! My dietary recommendations have been updated and it is not complicated. Diet and Nutrition are the basic foundation for prevention, wellness and healing. A proper dietary program may help you lose weight and enhance longevity. So many dietary books are contradictory, confusing and illusive for many Americans. It is a challenge to give advice for my chronically ill patients who are overweight or malnourished and underweight. Following my own dietary discretion for the choice of foods, portion control and taste for sweets has been challenging for me. My dietary recommendations are offered not as an authority on nutrition, but as practical tips based on experience.

Twenty years ago, I wrote a general recommendation, “Peak Performance Diet,” based on the Zone Diet by Barry Sears, Ph.D., the Blood Type Diet by Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo, and the IgG delayed Food Allergy test. For some patients, if the allergy test is too expensive, I tell them to avoid dairy, wheat, gluten, corn, soy and peanuts. These are the most common food allergens positive on the test.

The recommended share of the macronutrients: protein, fat and carbohydrates, are based on your metabolism as a slow oxidizer or fast oxidizer. In general, I recommend 1/3 of calories from protein, 1/3 fat and 1/3 carbohydrates for slow oxidizers, similar to the Zone Diet by Barry Sears. For fast oxidizers, the recommendation shifts to 50% fat, 30% protein and 20% carbohydrates.

General food combination rules, glycemic index and sub-clinical hypothyroidism are also addressed in my “Peak Performance Diet” article. Micronutrient trace minerals assessment is based on hair mineral analysis by Analytical Research Labs, founded by Dr. Paul Eck. If my patients need more in-depth information about cooking and portion control, etc., I recommend they work with a dietician/nutritionist for further guidance. These basic recommendations have benefitted many patients over the years.

Since I wrote my Peak Performance Diet guidance about 20 years ago, there have been many new dietary books published. It is difficult to elaborate them all, covering the Paleo Diet, Ketogenic Diet, Microbiome Diet and a whole list of weight loss books.

There are several dietary books worth mentioning as most patients can benefit by reading and applying their principles. The Plant Paradox, by Steve Gundry, MD. covers the hidden dangers in “healthy” foods that cause disease and weight gain based on lectins and lectin incompatibility. It is entertaining to read, insightful and thought provoking. After reading his book, I switched to white bread instead of whole wheat bread. I don’t eat bread that often but his book will convince you to eat white bread and white rice rather than whole wheat bread or brown rice, and avoid tomatoes and many more surprises.

There are also books based on fasting, intermittent fasting or fasting-mimicking diet. Fasting is not the same as starvation. Fasting can save your life. Fasting has been a part of religious practice for spiritual health but is also good for overall health. When done right, it is an incredibly cost effective medical therapy that no medications, physicians or high tech hospitals can match.

Many people have written about the medical benefits of fasting. Fasting Can Save Your Life, by Herbert M. Shelton, describes the clear difference between a fast and a starvation, how to fast in nine steps, and how to break a fast properly. He has had many successful cases, which I described in my article, “40 Day Fast for Parasite Eradication.” The Complete Guide to Fasting, by Jason Fung, MD, provides many tools to help you get started on fasting in a scientific yet easy to read format, from a 24 hour Fasting Protocol to a 7-14 day Fasting Protocol.

The Longevity Diet, by Valter Longo, Ph.D., published in 2018, features a 5-Day Fasting-Mimicking Diet for the all the health benefits of fasting without the hunger. Backed by the latest science, it cuts through the confusion, based on 5 Pillars of the Longevity Diet: 1) Basic Research, 2) Epidemiology, 3) Clinical Studies, 4) Centenarian Studies and 5) the Study of Complex Systems.

The plant-based Longevity Diet is proven to help with weight loss, reducing abdominal fat without losing lean body mass, preventing age-related muscle and bone loss, and reducing risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s dementia and cancer.

I heard his lecture last year and tried the commercially available, prepared Prolon 5-Day Fasting-Mimicking Diet (Prolonfmd.com) with my wife, Kate, for three months. I was able to lose 8 pounds and Kate, even more. You still get hungry during the 5 days/month diet, but it is manageable and one is able to work. While convenient, one of the major drawbacks is that Prolon was quite expensive when you can do a 5-day fast at hardly at any cost following Herbert M. Shelton’s or Jason Fung’s Fasting protocol.

Using the Peak Performance Diet, based on the Zone Diet by Barry Sears, Blood Type Diet by D’Adamo, Food Allergy and Fast/Slow oxidation diet, and by adding Steven Gundry’s Plant Paradox and a modified fasting protocol by Shelton, Fung or Longo, you may achieve a higher level of success on your diet, nutrition, weight loss and longevity. It is not as complicated as you may think.

Remember: half of what we eat keeps us alive, and the other half of what we eat keeps doctors, dentists, medical specialists, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies alive. We have a choice which half to eat. The future of our diet and specific supplementation will be based on genetic testing as an addendum, not as a replacement for the above dietary recommendations. It is still in its infancy, and we still have to make the right choices for what we eat every day.

You can print this article here.

If you suffer from unexplainable medical problems like chronic fatigue, headaches, muscle weakness, fibromyalgia, candidiasis, and anxiety, and your doctor told you every test result is fine, think of chronic parasite infections.

Parasite related problems are one of the most neglected areas of the medical fields. Few people recognize that parasites not only cause diarrhea, bloody stool or abdominal cramps but also have been associated with a whole list of symptoms such as anorexia, autoimmune disease, chronic fatigue, constipation, food allergies, gastritis, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, low back pain, Crohn’s disease, arthritis, headaches, rash, rectal itching, weight loss and weight gain, and many more.

No one wants to be sick, but where does disease really begin? Illness develops because one’s immune system is weakened. This is indisputable yet often not acknowledged. Integrative Medicine is based upon this premise. Parasites, which often go undiagnosed, can contribute to weakening the immune system which then allows favorable conditions for a vast range of illnesses. More often, many factors bombard the immune system over time.

Five principal causes of immune system deterioration are: Heavy Metal Toxicity, Food Allergies, Dental Problems, Poor Diet and Nutrition, and Parasites and Fungal Infections. This article is the fifth of a series that address immune system weakeners individually.

What are parasites? In the United States, the most common human parasites are of the microscopic protozoal variety (single cell amoeba-like) that can be transmitted by air, food, water, insects, animals, and other humans. The most common protozoal parasites are Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba histolytica, Dientamoeba fragilis and Crytosporidium.

The other types of parasites, commonly known as worms, include pinworms, roundworms, tapeworms, trichinia spiralis, hookworms, and filarial.

Doctor Leo Galland, M.D. from New York City, a specialist in parasitology, estimated that conservatively, a minimum of 10 percent of the American population might be infected by parasites. Worldwide, 25 percent of the population is infected by roundworms, and over 30 percent of the population is infected by protozoal parasites.

Many parasites go undetected for many years because they don’t produce classic diarrheal symptoms or abdominal cramps. Doctor Galland’s findings indicated that any person with chronic gastrointestinal complaints such as bloating, diarrhea, abdominal pain, flatulence, chronic constipation, multiple allergies and unexplainable fatigue should be screened for intestinal parasites.

Unfortunately, one of the main problems related to parasite infections is that most parasitology labs fail to find the majority of intestinal parasites in stool specimens submitted to them. Therefore, parasites are often undiagnosed and untreated. As a result, one is often treated for the wrong diagnosis.

The treatment plan for parasites includes dietary precautions, herbal parasitic remedies and prescribed medications as indicated. The patient should eliminate all uncooked, raw foods from the diet and cook all meats and fish well done. Vegetables should be well cleaned and all sugars should be eliminated including fruit juices and honey.

Herbal parasite remedies include citrus seed extract, Artemisia annua, wormwood, pumpkin seed, ginger root, black walnut hull extract, goldenseal root and gentian root, to name a few.

In my experience, herbal remedies are often not strong enough to address deeply embedded parasites. See Parasite Remedies: Guidelines for Taking Medications, for more.

Diagnosing hidden parasites is not a simple task. If you are not feeling well and in a chronic state of illness without definite diagnosis after multiple blood tests and other diagnostic tests, you must think about parasitic infection. You may be a victim of hidden parasites.

You  can print this article here.

The greatest single change in human ecology during the last 100 years has been the ever-increasing chemical pollution of the earth’s environment. The Industrial revolution started with coal burning and later switched to petrochemical based industries. Coal and oil burning home heating and industrial equipment along with the widespread use of automotive products, solvents, synthetic drugs, dyes, heavy metals, plastics, and fabrics, plus detergents, pesticides and other toxic compounds has created an unparalleled chemical contamination of air, water, land, and food on the earth.

We are confronted with a bumper crop of unexplainable chronic illnesses that the medical professions have never encountered in human history. If you are suffering from chronic illness such as chronic fatigue, low sex drive, fibromyalgia, allergies, hypoglycemia, insomnia, irritability, indigestion, and yeast problems and your doctor said everything is fine, but you feel lousy, think of environmentally induced illness. Often, you are labeled as a hypochondriac or that your illness is not real but is only imagined. You may have gone from one doctor to another without any real diagnosis or clues. When these problems are not corrected in the early stages of illness but the symptoms are simply covered up with medications, you are likely to develop serious detrimental consequences to your health in later years.

Unfortunately, we live in a very toxic environment from which we cannot escape. We have poisoned our planet. Even our houses and the buildings in which we work have become contaminated. Many buildings are causing people to become ill and have created a new phenomenon called “Sick Building Syndrome.”

Is there any hope for environmentally induced illness? Remember that we are a part of all living organisms on the planet. We need to focus on cleaning up our environment – our air, water, land, and food – in order to quit polluting the internal ecology of our bodies. In addition to cutting off the sources of pollution in our environment, we need to clean up the internal environment of our bodies from the pollution that has already been thrust upon us. Our bodies require internal cleansing, detoxification, and nutritional support.

Here’s a quick starting plan for cleaning up your internal environment:

* First step: Drink more water. Water comprises 65-70 % of the human body and good hydration is essential for wellness. An average person should typically drink eight, 8 ounce glasses of filtered water. Drinking tap water is not recommended.

* Second step: Air pollution is a major problem all over the United States. High pollen and mold counts are a constant source of irritants for the sinuses and lungs. Use air filter systems to remove pollutants such as smoke, dust, and pollen.

* Third step: Nourish your body with whole foods. Organically grown produce is preferred. Avoid highly processed, industrialized fast foods, and genetically modified foods. A specific nutritional program should be individualized and based on your body metabolic type, blood type, and hidden food allergies.

* Fourth step: Learn how to cleanse your body using herbal cleanser, fasting, coffee enema, and colonics. Learn how to brush your skin and clean and detoxify your kidneys and liver.

* Fifth step: Exercise. Healing comes with movement of your body accompanied by proper breathing. Exercise in moderation such as walking, bicycling, stretching, Yoga, Tai Chi or gardening.

* Sixth step: With changes in eating habits, climate, population migrations, and environmental pollution, parasite infections are no longer a problem of only third world countries. Parasites are a major, often undiagnosed, and neglected problem of industrialized countries. Unsuspected parasite infections are one of the most neglected causes of symptoms from irritable bowel syndrome to chronic fatigue. Parasites are often one of multiple causes of many seemingly unrelated illnesses. Natural herbal and prescription parasite cleansing medications are safe but underutilized.

* Seventh step: Avoid sugar and artificial sweetener. Stop drinking soda and diet soda. Sugar and artificial sweeteners are poisoning the internal environment of our bodies.

* Eighth step: Remove heavy metals, i.e. mercury, cadmium, arsenic, nickel, aluminum, and lead. Chelation therapy has been proven to remove heavy metal toxicity.

* Ninth step: Proper dental care is a vital component of the treatment plan for environmentally induced illness. Be cautious about “silver” fillings since they contain approximately 50% mercury and are more appropriately described as mercury fillings. Also be very cautious with root canals, implants, and other allergenic dental materials that are often incompatible with our bodies.

* Tenth step: Avoid dead end situations. Control your stress level. Healing comes in harmony and balance with nature and the environment in which we live. One’s mind, body, and spirit are interconnected with the earth and the universe.

These are small steps to take when you are suffering from a vague multitude of so-called “incurable” symptoms resulting from environmentally induced illness. More details on the above actions can be found in the articles on my website.