Colorado Springs Functional Medicine

By

I Wrote A Book, It’s Probably Not For You

I wrote a book.  It’s probably not for you.  If you’re reading this, you’re more choir than congregation to my message.  This is why I haven’t promoted it that much to you.  There’s really nothing ground breaking in it that you probably haven’t heard me say or someone else say when it comes to health related content.

In fact, I didn’t set out to write a health book.  I actually set out writing a blog post as a call to action for leaders to focus on health outcomes as one of their greatest strategies to expand their effectiveness as a leader.  It just kept building until one day I looked up and tens of thousands of words had been written.  Much too long for a blog post.

Even more, it was mostly intended for pastors of small congregations or those small business entrepreneurs that have roles of being the CEO, accountant, IT department, marketing, and facilities.  It’s for the leader, no matter the size of the following that does it all and won’t stop until it’s all done (hello super moms).  These are the people that need to find rest before rest finds them.  These are the people that look a lot like my brother, who died at age 37, and my father, who developed Alzheimer’s by his late 60’s and is under 24 hour surveillance being a hostage to his own home.  Both great leaders with great aspirations, that ignored (at least in my eyes), the single greatest determining factor on their leadership effectiveness and longevity…their health.

I’ve seen too many of those leaders, both my family and clients, that face burn out or have faced burn out.  They are then coming to me with health conditions that could have been prevented with a little TLC of their health to keep leadership effectiveness strong.  If this is you, then I’m wrong, you will get value out of this book.  If you don’t think you’re a leader, then you’re wrong again.  If you have influence (good or bad) with even one other person, you are a leader.  And again, you will find value in these pages.

[Read more…]

By

Gluten Free Fail

Walk down the aisle of any grocery store and labels that brag about being ‘Gluten-Free’ will smack you in the face.  When this started, I thought it was awesome since we are a 95% gluten-free household.

Now I think it’s getting absolutely ridiculous.  For one, produce and other whole foods that would never contain gluten are now being marketed as gluten-free.  Have you seen the gluten-free apples?  They are so much better than the apples that contain gluten.  This just preys on the ignorant and I think this marketing is deceitful.

And for those anti-GMO labeling people, adding that ‘gluten free’ tag on the packaging didn’t raise the price at all.  Stop spreading your genetically altered crap that adding GMO labels to packaging is going to raise prices for consumers.  How many of your products already tote the labels of ‘all natural,’ ‘low-fat,’ and ‘low-calorie’ without increasing pricing?

Another reason is that products that are being marketed as gluten-free contain so many other ingredients and chemicals that if you looked at the ingredient list, gluten would be the least of your worries.  Again, the marketers have won because someone sees the gluten-free claim and then ignores all the other chemicals.

Gluten Free Paint

One of those ‘other’ ingredients is sugar.  The next time you see something gluten-free in a box, count how many ingredients that include sugar.  Most often those ingredients end in –ose.  These products get loaded up with sugar to make them taste half way edible.  Pixie Sticks are technically gluten-free, eat up.

This is why I have seen many people gain weight by going gluten-free.

Third, the FDA’s standard of Gluten Free isn’t really gluten-free.  The food must contain 20 or fewer parts per million.  The problem is that even at these small doses, the body can mount a reaction.  Just look at vaccines.  The antigen (the virus) is often diluted to less than 20 parts per million and the body still has a reaction to produce antibodies.  Don’t get caught thinking that such small amounts have no affect on the body.

[Read more…]

By

Conflict Resolution with Your Doctor

A bit back, I wrote a piece on how to find the right doctor.  Once you find the right doctor, just like with any relationship, at some point, conflict may happen.  Hopefully this piece will give you a glimpse at why conflict arises but better yet give you understanding on how to initiate conflict resolution with your doctor.

Conflict happens for 1 reason.

The sole reason is that expectations aren’t being met.  Mis-expectations can be broken down into 2 categories.  One, there is perceived threat.  Two, there is perceived negligence.

Or for you analytical minds.  Here’s a formula.  C=E÷2.  C (conflict).  E (expectations). 2 (perceived threat or perceived attack).

Conflict Resolution with Your Doctor

I get the stories all the time from new patients coming in dissatisfied with their previous doctor.

“He wouldn’t listen”…perceived negligence.  “She said if don’t take this drug, I will die,”…perceived threat.  “The staff never returns my phone call,”…perceived negligence.  “The practice will kick me out if I don’t vaccinate my kids,”…perceived threat.  I’m sure you have your own story.

I also get the stories from fellow practitioners.

“He never makes his visits”…perceived negligence.  “She’s hell-bent on ONLY using her insurance and if we don’t accept it, she is walking out”…perceived threat.  “The staff never gets their calls returned,”…perceived negligence.  “He has to check first with his regular doctor,”…perceived threat.

As a patient, you want to know 3 basic things from your doctor in no particular order.  One, can the doctor help me?  Two, how long is it going to take?  Three, how much money is it going to cost?

As a doctor, you want to know 3 basic things from your patient in no particular order.  One, will the patient follow recommendations?  Two, is the patient able to pay?  Three, does the patient have the time?

Really the doctor and patient want to know the exact same things.  The problem is that expectations are vastly different.  It’s ok not to agree on things.  I have plenty of patients that don’t agree 100% with me on certain issues.  But this is also why I have the coolest patient base; they aren’t afraid to disagree but they also aren’t afraid of discussing it and looking at an issue from my side.  The same goes for them from me.  We have an unspoken ‘judgement free zone’ relationship.

If you’re a patient looking for a new doctor, I’d love to see if we would make a good team.  Book a free 15 minute phone consultation.  All expectations are met ahead of time.  You know how long it’s going to take.  You know how much it’s going to cost.  Just like me, you don’t know if I can help or not yet.  We start on an even playing field.

If you’re a fellow practitioner passionate about helping your community create More Health, Less HealthCare, let’s chat.  I often get inquires from people in other states looking for a doctor in their area that can help them in a drug free manner.  Nothing formal, just reach out.

By

TSH Chase

I think I’ve fielded more thyroid questions and concerns this past week from patients than ever before.  The running theme among them is that they are fed up with their doctor playing what I call the ‘TSH Chase.’

I also think one of the laziest healthcare practices is diagnosing and trying to manage someone’s thyroid condition just with a TSH score.  If you don’t have a thyroid problem, or don’t think you have one, the rest of this probably doesn’t pertain to you and may be a bit boring.  If you feel like crap and have been told your thyroid is fine due to a ‘normal’ TSH score, then you may want to consider to keep reading.

TSHLong story short, your thyroid is involved in basically every system in the body.  And as a result of that involvement, is the canary in the coal mine.  It’s very sensitive to dysfunctions in other systems in the body.  You can’t affect one system without affecting every system.  The minute your doctor tries to compartmentalize your internal systems is the minute you need to find someone else that looks at the body as a whole.

Did you know that your lipids (cholesterol, Triglycerides, etc) creeping up could indicate that your thyroid is imbalanced?

Did you know that digestive difficulties could be a sign your thyroid is dysfunctional?

Did you know thyroid hormones probably have more input into the brain and nervous system development of a fetus than just getting enough folic acid?

Did you know that women with miscarriages often have a misdiagnosed thyroid condition?

The thyroid is not just for metabolism function.  Therefore I feel it needs a thorough analysis on lab work, opposed to the lazy way out of just testing a TSH score and calling it good.  This would be like assessing your entire car’s function by just checking tire pressure.

Here’s the thing, let’s say your TSH is abnormal.  Yes, it could be an abnormal thyroid.  It could also be an abnormal pituitary.  It could be an abnormal hypothalamus.  It could be an abnormal conversion problem.  It could be inflammation interfering with function.  It could be an insulin resistance problem not allowing for proper receptor binding.  It could be an auto-immune problem.  It could be a sedentary living problem.  It could be an autonomic imbalance problem.  It could be an adrenal imbalance.  It could be a DNA receptor problem.  It could be a globulin problem.  It could be a toxicity problem.  It could be a methylation problem.  It could be a nutrient deficiency problem.  It could be an estrogen problem.  It could be a Vagus nerve/upper cervical spine problem.  Anything else?

Do you see how ridiculous it is to just test for TSH and chase the TSH value with Synthroid?  Or just supplement with uber amounts of iodine and call it good?

What specific thyroid tests do I like to see on lab work?  These are just to get the baseline.

TSH

Free and Total T4

Free and Total T3

T3 Uptake

Reverse T3

TPO (Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies)

TgAb (Thyroglobulin Antibodies)

Sex Hormone Binding Globulin

Diurnal Cortisol

Homocysteine

CRP

A1C

Remember you can’t separate one system from every other system.  These thyroid values are going to have to be put into context along with other factors that analyze the 5 pillars of illness:  Autonomic Imbalance, Adrenal Dysfunction, Immune Imbalance, Insulin Resistance, and Inflammation.

It’s also more than just having them tested but interpreted from a functional perspective.  The ‘normal’ lab values seen on lab work labels you, along with 95% of the population, as healthy.  You’re telling me that 9 out of every 10 friends you have is healthy?  Just look at your friend’s Facebook statuses.  You probably can’t find 3 out of 10.

Stop settling for the standard healthcare model of throwing you on Synthroid for the rest of your life to satisfy the TSH chase.  You want a different outcome?  Let’s do it.  You know how to find me.

By

Chiropractic Kids

So far my wife and I have 3 boys.  In the picture below, the oldest is 4, the next is 2, and the youngest 8 months.  Being the kids of a chiropractor, they are going to be raised a little different that most American kids.  Face it, chiropractors are weird.  I understand they are going to be outliers and that I’ll face the “so and so is doing this, why can’t I” battles later in life over the health type decisions my wife and I will make.  

Pediatric Chiropractor

One of those parental decisions that make our children outliers is that they get checked and adjusted regularly.  So far, both were checked and adjusted minutes after birth.  Once mom had some initial bonding, she handed the child to me to check him out.  If you think labor and delivery is hard on mom, imagine leaving paradise forcefully (the womb) and havings your head shoved through a much smaller space, to be welcomed into a cold world naked, where everyone makes funny sounds and goofy faces.  This might be where the fear of clowns start for many.

[Read more…]

By

The Not-So-Obvious Toxic Top 10

Health comes down to 2 primary categories, sufficiency and purity.  It’s easier to create sufficiency because you can keep adding good and necessary steps.  It’s tougher to create purity because you have to remove or avoid things that you most likely love.  Toxins are one of those things that are all around us and we have to be diligent to avoid.

Toxin: A substance (physical or energetic) that places a stress or challenge to the physiological systems of the body and whose net effect at a given time is inflammatory, poisonous, depleting, and/or disrupting to the harmonious functioning of a whole being. 

To make it easier, I’ve created a Toxic Top Ten of things that I feel people often overlook in their health journey.  Many focus on just the chemical toxins around us and get overwhelmed.  Start with these not-so-obvious toxic top ten to jump start your detox.   These are in no order of hierarchy.poison skull

Worry

Worry is a powerful stimulator of the fight or flight response.  If someone is constantly in fight or flight, the body will move into a series of events that rips the body apart.  Digestion, fertility, thyroid function, and immune function get thrown to the way side.  How do you combat worry?  You put things into perspective.

If I find myself worrying, I play worse case scenario of that event actually happening.  I just opened up a new office and there is a bit of worry that goes with a risk like that.   What is the worse case scenario if it flops?  Is my or my family’s life going to be in danger?  Nope.  Will my or my family’s health be in jeopardy?  Not likely.  Could we lose our house?  Maybe, but not for a year.   People live in foreclosed houses for months after foreclosures and in that time, I can go delivery pizza or something to make ends meat.

I would have life, I would have shelter, and I would have health.  There’s not much to worry about then is there?  The worry comes from comparison of your previous situation or future anticipation.  When you actually sit and take a moment to be thankful for what you have and realize, life is pretty good, worry is hard to do.  You can’t worry and have gratitude at the same time.  Someone in prison has all they need.  It’s the comparison of what they had or could have outside that jail cell that sparks worry and discontent.

Gossip

Dave Ramsey defines gossip as ‘discussing a problem with someone that can’t affect the outcome.’  If people stopped talking every time they were about to discuss a problem with someone that can’t affect the outcome, we would live in a quieter, more peaceful, and productive world. An end result would be a lot more solutions in this world.

Instead of gabbing about problems with someone that has no power, that person will take action and create change.  Less gossip, more action.  You don’t like the action?  Instead of sitting around talking about the most recent change with someone that can’t do anything about it, go make your own change.  Be the change you want to see in the world.

[Read more…]

By

The World Will Never Need Chiropractic

I’m sure my colleagues are ready to jump down my throat with that title.  It’s true, the world will never need chiropractic…but the world cannot exist without health.  With that said, chiropractic is a vital component to helping people experience health.  I say that being a chiropractor so you can take that as me being biased or not.  I get adjusted regularly, I have checked my boys since birth, and my would tell you it’s a huge factor in her health success.

If you have been in the chiropractic world as a practitioner or as a patient, you will see the drastic approaches to our profession.  I personally subscribe to the notion that chiropractic is a piece of a healthy lifestyle.  I get adjusted regularly but I also follow my own Fit, Fuel, feel principles of a healthy lifestyle.

This is why I have coined what I do as ‘Functional Chiropractic.’  The body is a self-healing, self-regulating organism.  Those capabilities are organized and coordinated through your nervous system.  If there is an interference in the nervous system, then the self-healing, self-regulating capabilities diminish.  You can assess and affect the nervous system through many realms, movement patterns, eating patterns, and thought/attitude patterns.

These can be examined through lab work, through history and listening, and through a physical exam with my personal favorites, Heart Rate Variability (HRV), EMG, and thermography.  What can your heart, muscles, and skin tell you about the function of your nervous system?  Many, many things.   You cannot affect one system without affecting all of them.  Like I said, every system is affected by how the nervous system is being coordinated and organized, not just the spine, and not just the spine on x-rays.

[Read more…]