Strategies for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Disease States

Many people suffer with chronic illness that have a name such as arthritis, chronic pain, cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, memory/cognitive impairment. Others suffer from chronic illnesses which are undiagnosed. Regardless of the disease state or the ability to give it a name, there are background conditions which can be identified and treated. This will usually result in an improvement in well being and the ability to reduce disability and improve well being.

1. Intoxications/Detoxification:

a.  Neurotoxins: low molecular weight, lipid soluble, chemicals that can come from chemicals in the environment, or biological sources, (molds, pfeisteria, etc.). Diagnosed by the Visual Contrast Acuity test. Treated with avoidance and the use of substances that bind neurotoxins such as Cholestyramine. (reference website: www.chronicneurotoxins.com)

b.  Heavy Metals: metals such as lead, mercury, arsenic and cadmium. Diagnosed by the EDTA/DMSA challenge test. Treated with chelating agents such as IV EDTA, oral EDTA, and oral DMSA.

c.  Gut Toxicity: Typically this is due to an imbalance of the organisms that live within our gut, sensitivity to foods we eat, or intolerances to foods we eat. We can do cultures of the stool for abnormal organisms, take supplements of healthy organisms and nutrients that support gut health and identify foods that make us ill and avoid them.

2. Hypercoagulable State: Individuals may have an increased tendency to form blood clots or to have thicker/stickier blood. A mild expression of this problem can lead to ‘sluggish’ blood flow. This can lead to poor perfusion of the capillary beds, which can result in increased inflammation, pain and hormonal imbalance. This can be due to hereditable conditions, (genetic), or environmental factors such as toxins, infections or medications. Diagnosed by a blood testing.  Treatment is with agents that reduce hypercoagulability such as aspirin, heparin, wobenzyme, and nattokinase. Detoxification, removal of offending medications, and dietary change may be useful. Treatment of offending infectious agents by directly treating the infections and by supporting immune function may me needed as well.  The website to visit is www.hemex.com.
   
   
3. Identifying Hidden Infections: Chronic cryptogenic, (hidden infections), can be a contributing cause to chronic disease states. Such infections can occur in the gut, the tissues or the blood. Infections in the gut may be bacterial, parasitic or fungal, (yeast). Infections in the blood may be bacterial or viral. There are a variety of cryptogenic infections:

   a.      tick born illnesses such as lyme disease, erlichiosis, babesiosis, and bartonella

   b.     mold and yeast overgrowth in the gut, sinuses or on the skin

   c.     the herpes virus family which can include Epstein Barr, Cytomegalovirus, Herpes simplex viruses

   d.     Chlamydia species

   e.     Mycoplasma species

Diagnosed by stool cultures in the case of the gut and by blood tests. Treated by:

a.    Specific prescription or non prescription antibiotics

b.   Immune system support

c.   Detoxification

1. Identifying Hormonal Imbalances: Subtle hormonal imbalance is often a consequence of chronic illness and sometimes the cause. Normalizing hormonal balance will promote the healing process. Read the articles on hormonal balance on our website.
   
   
2. Sleep Disturbance: Chronic sleep disturbance results in generalized fatigue, cognitive impairment, hormonal imbalance and immune dysfunction. Read the article on the web site regarding sleep disturbance and its treatment.
   
   
3. Depression:  Chronic depression can have many somatic, (physical), manifestations such as sleep disturbance, persistent pain, fatigue, cognitive impairment, sexual dysfunction, appetite disturbance and bowel pattern disturbance. Diagnosing and treating Depression is important in helping a person deal with chronic health problems.

An orderly way of approaching these issues must be employed. It can be time consuming and expensive. The benefits are worth the time, money and effort.