Dr. Wendy Huang

Digestive system - the foundation of our health part 1 - GERD and Food sensitivity

2011-07-03T06:56:00.000-07:00

Happy July 4th. Let’s celebrate July 4th by claiming our Independence from the disease-based medicine, working to make holistic medicine a viable choice for Americans. Being one of the countries spending most for health care and being one of the unhealthiest nations among the developed countries speaks for itself how our current health care system doesn’t serve us well.

I have been wanting to write about our digestive system for the longest time. It’s true that we are only as young as our oldest system and as strong as our weakest organs. Every organ and system in our body is indispensable. The digestive system is still the most basic and plays more roles than we realize. The digestive system is where we assimilate our nutrition from outside; where we host a huge population of friendly bacteria to produce many essential vitamins and to detox our bodies; where we produce so many neurotransmitters as to win the title of “The Second Brain” (the book by Michael D. Gershon, MD); where our first line of defense takes place and contributes big time to our immunity over all; and, of course, where we remove waste. Since it’s such a big system, I would like to address a part of it each time. Today, let’s start from the top - the stomach, including gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD).

GERD medicines have been big sellers for many years, and they are used widely even in children now. GERD medicine decreases the acidity of our stomach, which encourages the growth of H. Pylori, yeast, and candida. The overgrowth of harmful bacteria decreases Vitamin B12 absorption and has other side effects. There are actually very effective natural, alternative treatments for GERD. More than 90% of my patients do not need GERD medicine after finishing the program.

First, we remove the food that bother our stomach from our diet. I usually do a food sensitivity test. Food sensitivities are a delayed IgG response, different from an immediate IgE reaction such as peanut butter anaphylactic shock. IgG food sensitivities take 2-3 days to show symptoms, thus escaping most people’s notice. The test is not expensive, but needs to be done by an out-of-network lab. This test shows our sensitivities to 110 common foods. It frequently yields information such that patients know what to eat. Avoiding sensitive foods benefits every symptoms of the GI tract, including GERD, bloating, indigestion, gas, leaking gut syndrome, constipation, and even allergies, eczema, and asthma.

The second is to give acid back to stomach. Most of people think GERD is due to too much acid. Many of my colleagues (Jonathan Wright, MD’s Why stomach acid is good for you ) and my clinical experience suggest most GERD patients have actually less than sufficient amount of acid when they eat. As a result, the gastroesophageal junction muscle does not sense the acidity and does not tighten the junction to prevent acid regurgitation. Most of us have less acid production as we age, which contributes to poor Vitamin B12 and other nutrition absorption and many lower GI tract problems, like over growth of candida which we will address in the future. The acid I prefer to use is raw unfiltered organic apple-cider vinegar, which not only provides acidity, but also provides fermented enzymes and helps the body to become more alkaline and to control sugar better.

The third will be a broad spectrum digestive enzyme. We need to put the enzyme back to our food because most of them are processed and their natural enzymes are destroyed. Digestive enzyme decreases bloating and gas and many mal-digestive symptoms. Apple-cider vinegar taken with a good digestive enzyme at the beginning of each meal, facilitates food digestion and decreases GERD symptoms. Two teaspoons is a good dose to start with and can be increased to the dosage at which patients feel best.

Do not try to stop your GERD medicine by yourself. The adjustment of medication need to be done under the supervision of a medical doctor. I will continue to discuss the other aspects of our digestive system in the next few newsletters. Our guts are the beginning and the end of many of our health problems. If you have a complicated health condition and don’t know where to start to heal yourself, our digestive systems is always a good place to start. Have a healthy and happy summer.

Japan Nuclear crisis and Iodine supplement

2011-03-22T08:53:00.000-07:00

The Japan nuclear crisis seems to be under control now. If a melt down ever occurred, the cloud could carry enough radiation to danger our health in US. Now come to think of many nuclear power plants we have here in continental US. Unthinkable natural disasters do happen, what’s the best way to protect ourselves?

Many stores run out of Iodine supplements in many area of the country during this crisis. This crisis taught us that we should be in charge of our own health. One of the important way is to eat healthy and take proper supplements. Iodine is the most deficient mineral for the whole globe population because only sea vegetables like kelp, seaweed and wild caught fish contain significant amount of it.

Iodine binds to many iodine receptors in our bodies. When we expose to radioactive iodine, the radioactive iodine will bind with any receptors that were not bound by regular iodine, and destroy the tissue around it. It can also damage the DNA of the nearby tissue and increase our risk of cancers. Most of the iodine receptors are in our thyroid, fat tissues, breast, uterus and prostate. It was even suggested that sufficient iodine intake may decrease the risk of breast cancers. But remember every cells of our body needs iodine to function properly.

What’s the best iodine supplements we can take? I check iodine level of all my new patients and almost all of them are low. I started them on the Iodine solution which has proper proportions of iodine and iodide with the dose pending on the test results. I will check the level few months afterward and adjust the dose accordingly. It tastes bad, but I have to say that it was one of the supplements patients felt most helpful and ask for refill on regular basis.

Dear patients, please do not forget to take the supplements after you feel better. The best way to protect yourselves against nuclear iodine and also for your better health is to take it with proper dosage regularly so all iodine receptors were bound instead of taking a large dose without testing when disaster happen.

You can also get more info from my blog at my website http://holisticmdwendy.blogspot.com. under thyroid and iodine. You are welcome to forward this to your families and friends. But iodine is not without side effects, especially if the dose was not followed by test levels. So please consult your physician before taking the iodine supplements.

My health recovery with Dr. Wendy Huang (Andropause and Ulcerative Colitis)

2011-03-22T08:49:00.000-07:00

My first appointment with Dr. Wendy was made to address andropause symptoms that I felt I had been experiencing/suffering through for roughly 1 year.

My primary physician had prescribed antidepressants for me which I did take for several months and experienced a worsening of my depression instead of relief.

My first visit to Dr Wendy she ordered a comprehensive blood test for me and used acupuncture to treat my andropause symptoms as well as to help me quit a 30 yr old cigarette habit.

Once blood results were obtained she addressed each problem area via vitamin supplementation and bio-identical hormone supplementation and acupuncture. This approach really helped alleviate my andropause symptoms.

In December of 2009, I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis and prescribed by a gastroenterologist three pharmaceutical formulations which were supposed to keep this condition under control.

I was informed that there was no known cure for U.C. and if the inflammation it causes wasn’t addressed I would be at a much higher risk for colon cancer than the general public.

The meds given me for the U.C. weren’t effective for me and I was told that I would have to switch to infusion therapy to control the symptoms and internal bleeding that I was enduring. If this treatment wasn’t effective I was told that I would have to have my colon removed to lessen my odds of getting that cancer

After researching the infusion procedure and the numerous adverse conditions that it can cause such as lymphoma, depressed immune system and really too many others to list.

I turned to Dr Wendy and asked her if she could help me. She suggested boosting my immune system and prescribed a combination of higher levels of vitamin D, physiological supplementation with Cortef (hydrocortisone) for adrenal hormone deficiency proved by test, iodine supplementation and using the amino acid L-Glutamine as this is being used by some gastroenterologist to help heal the gut.

She ordered periodic blood testing to assure that supplementation was at optimal levels. I’m at least 90-95% better under her care for U.C than I was under more traditional care and while I was taking the pharmaceutical meds. My colonoscope done last months showed 95% improvement with only small effected areas.

In my mind, what really sets her apart from more traditional physicians is that she will really listen to your concerns and encourages her patients to perform research themselves and will consider utilizing findings that you come up with if they are based on medically sound principals and/or have been shown to be effective in clinical studies.

She also is always attending scientific courses/seminars and becoming knowledgeable in anti-aging practices that are on the cutting edge of medicine and then utilizes what she learns to benefit her patients.

In closing, I fully recommend her to anyone that is unsatisfied with the traditional care being offered to them. She truly does a wonderful job incorporating traditional and holistic care.

Thank you Dr Wendy!
Kevin O’D

Effective holistic treatments for Type 2 Diabetes/So young and so many pills

2011-01-04T08:37:00.001-08:00

I hope all is well. Many people probably ate too much during the holiday season and snow-in days. So let’s talk about holistic treatments of type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (we will symbolize it as DM for the rest of the letter) which is 90% of the Diabetic patients.

Type 2 DM occurred in 1 out of 10 Americans now, and we have been seeing more and more children and teens with this life style disorder- eating wrong food, lack of exercise and overweight. Most people don’t know that Type 2 DM has very effective natural treatments and medication is rarely needed to control the sugar level.

No one can deny the most effective treatment for type 2 DM is weight control. Obesity contributes to insulin resistance which causes type 2 DM. Like every health problem, the treatment is always starting with eating right food. Patients should eat low carb diet, avoid the carb from refined grains or Gluten if Gluten sensitive. So carb from vegetables and not-sweet fruits, and small amount of brown rice, quinoa, millets or buckwheat is enough for most patients. Refine sugars, especially artificial sweeteners should be avoided at all cost.

Sufficient high quality protein contain all variety of amino acids is essential. Vegans need to get them from many kinds of beans, legumes, nuts and seeds because one single plant does not have all essential amino acids we need. But if do it right, vegetarian is still the healthiest diet for human.

Sufficient amount of good fat is also important with omega 3, 6, 9 and saturated fats and unsaturated fats balanced. Most people missed omega 3 from fish and saturated fat like coconuts oil. Fat taken at the right way is good for you, but fat-substitutes made from vegetable oils like margarines are bad. Just don’t take artificial substitutes of anything.

Exercise is one of the most effective ways to control DM by making tissue sensitive to insulin again and losing weight. Thirty minutes of moderate exercise, five times a week can do wonder to our sugar levels. Vitamins and mineral supplements are also important, especially Chromium, Vitamin D, B complex and alpha-lipoic acid. Certain herbs like Gymnema Sylvestre and cinnamon were found to be very helpful as well.

My clinical experience has shown a close connection between hormone imbalance and DM. I have found most DM patients have adrenal and thyroid hormones imbalance. Many of my DM patients see their sugar level improved with easier weight loss after bioidentical hormone replacement.

Diabetic medication has many side effects and can be avoided for most patients with the above program. An article in the Wall Street Journal (12.28.10) was titled, “So Young and So Many Pills.” This article pointed out that more than 25% of kids and teens in the U.S. take prescription drugs on a regular basis. Of those drugs, 424,000 prescriptions were given to non-insulin Diabetes at 2009, 5,224,000 prescriptions were for hypertension, and 94,000 were Statins for high cholesterol.

From the time I started my pediatric practice 25 years ago and the following ten years, I rarely seen any kids with those conditions. Now the children are getting those traditional adult onset chronic conditions their parents got at their 40th and their grand parents got at 60th. Within the past 10-15 years, three generations of our population developed those life style diseases around the same time, not the same age. These children will most likely take those drugs for the rest of their life and add more as they grow.

We have to really think what this will do to all of us, our health care system and our future. We need to stop this quick fix with a pill mentality and work hard to remove the problems from the roots. The problem is so profound now that it is not enough just to take care of ourselves; we need to help our families, friends and coworkers. We also need to do something at our legislation and government level. If not, we will have to pay it with our tax dollars, our retirement funds or even with our jobs - an unhealthy health care system like this can cripple our whole economy.

Let’s all work hard for a happier and healthier 2011.

Gluten-Free Diet

2010-09-22T16:55:00.000-07:00

My father who practiced internal medicine for 42 years in Taiwan used to tell us “ 90% of what I know about medicine, I learned them from my patients”. The longer I am on this path, the more I agree with him. Gluten-Free Diet is one of the examples.

Since I became open-minded to holistic medicine 15 years ago, I have many children with autism spectrum disorder came to my practice. Their Moms always told me how gluten-free diet helped their children. At that time, I was like most of the other physicians who only knew Celiac disease, but never heard of Gluten sensitivity. After a few years, I started to recommend Gluten-free diet to some patients whom I ran out of treatment options. Miraculously, many of their symptoms improved with some of them had life changing experiences. Some mothers had their own chronic fatigue or thyroid problems improved or even cured after they went to gluten-free diet with their children.

Cases after cases of improvements happened to my patients, I couldn’t help but take a serious look into this situation. I found Gluten sensitivity did not always have digestive symptoms like Celiac disease, but had vague symptoms that mimic many chronic conditions. Diseases that have strong association with Gluten sensitivity include but not limited to ADD/ADHD, Autism,atuto-immune disease, Asthma, Irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s Disease,Depression, Diabetes, Infertility, GE reflux, migraine/headache, thyroid diseases. obesity and osteoporosis. On top of this, the regular labs do not have reliable tests to diagnose Gluten sensitivity, Those reasons make Gluten sensitivity diagnosis a challenge.

Unlike peanut allergy which appears within few hours (an IgE response), gluten sensitivity is an IgG response that takes 2-3 days to show up and can be modified by our own immune system. Most of us eat Gluten on daily basis, so it’s almost impossible to recognize the symptoms associating with Gluten. The other reason that makes it hard to diagnose is that we need to stay 100% Gluten-Free for 6 weeks to see the full benefits of Gluten-Free diet. Even a slight amount of cheating will make the results not obvious.

Gluten is a protein very hard to digest. Gluten-rich grains appeared in humans diet only in the past 12,000 years which is a very short time comparing to 2.5 millions of diet consisting mainly fruits, vegetables, meat and fish since our ancestors were on the earth. It’s no wonder many of us can’t tolerate Gluten. One third of our population has Gluten sensitivities. Since I paid close attention to Gluten sensitivity, I found 50% of the patients walking through my door actually have their symptoms improved with Gluten free diet. Many of the changes are dramatic. I believe any patients with any neurological disorders, behaviour problems, any digestive symptoms, any auto-immune disease(include Diabetes), any thyroid conditions and any undiagnosed chronic conditions should give himself/herself a honest 6 weeks trial of Gluten-Free diet.

Gluten does appear on wheat, rye, barley, spelt, kamut, triticale, many of the sauces and processed foods. If making such a commitment is hard for you, we can also order IgG food sensitivity tests through holistic labs to get more definite diagnosis.

safe use of Cortisol

2010-09-22T16:46:00.000-07:00

"Cortisol has been a God-send for myself and also my son. I have had an underactive thyroid for years and was treated with a synthetic thyroid medication. However, I rarely felt well, even on the synthetic thyroid drug. Upon consulting with and being treated by Dr. Huang, she discovered I not only had an underactive thyroid (for which she is treating me with a natural thyroid medication, and I feel much better on it); but she also diagosed me with adrenal fatigue. I began feeling better almost immediately once Dr. Huang began treating me with cortisol for this adrenal fatigue. I regained the energy I hadn't had for years, began exercising again (prior to cortisol treatment, I couldn't even think of organizing my home or exercising), and even found the energy to put myself on a healthy eating plan, with Dr. Huang's help. After six months, I am now the person I once was years ago. My son was also diagnosed with adrenal fatigue and treated with cortisol. He was not able to attend his field trips and field days two years in a row due to an ever-decreasing energy level, among other health issues related to adrenal fatigue. He was finally able to attend those school functions after being on cortisol for only a week. Cortisol has proven to be the missing link in most of our health issues, if not all. I am very grateful for this course of treatment and do not know where my son or I would have been without it. Thank you." Karen M.

Effective holistic treatments for high cholesterol

2010-06-09T15:13:00.000-07:00

When I started my pediatric practice 24 years ago, I noted very few children had cholesterol problem. It was very scary to see how hypercholesteremia became a common problem in teens and quiet frequently in even younger children.

Statin drugs like Lipitor and Zocor became parts of the most commonly prescribed medications in US. Both have been proved to have lowered the cholesterol, but haven't been consistently proved effective to lessen the death rate. One of the reasons could be that statins decrease our Q10 level which is crucial to our health, especially to our heart health. Patients should definitely take good dose of Coenzyme Q10 if they have to use Statin drugs. The exact dose of Q10 can be monitored easily with blood work from labcorp or Quest.

The common side effects are liver, kidney damage and serious muscle problems from muscle inflammation to rhabdomyolysis (generalized breaking down of muscle)which can result in death. One of the side effects many patients were not familiar with is memory loss. This memory loss could be as extreme as amnesia which lasts for 6 to 12 hours. These types of problems are known as cognitive defects.

I have been treating many patients suffering from cholesterol problems by natural means with remarkable results. It’s definitely worth trying before we commit any patients to life long Statin drugs treatment. Here are some of my experiences:

1. Nutrition! Nutrition! Nutrition! Any holistic program has to start with good food to nurture our body. Low fat and high carb diet as preached by authorities is not the right way to go. On the contrary, low carb, and definitely minimal sugar and white carb and good quality of protein and fat are the best ways for our health. Many of my health-conscious patients do not eat enough fats. Healthy fats are necessary for brain developments as they are the building blocks for all sex hormones. I usually recommend virgin olive oil for salads and virgin coconut oil for baking and cooking. Lots of vegetables (6 servings a day) and 3 servings of fruits are a must.

2. Life style changes – moderate exercise 4-5 times a week.

3. Nutrition supplements – Neutraceutical grade omega-3 oil with all pollutants removed is the very important part of treatment It’s very effective when enough doses were used. Patients will ingest too many pollutants if they take the usual over the counter fish oil. High doses of vitamin B complex with Niacin are very helpful with lowering cholesterol. I checked the vitamin levels in patients’ blood to make sure they have enough vitamins and replace them scientifically. The non-flush Niacin does not work as well as regular Niacin. Good levels of Q10, Vitamin D and other nutrients and minerals are also important.

4. Balancing all hormones is a crucial part of cholesterol control. Low thyroid function(addressed in previous newsletters) as well as low sex hormones make it harder to maintain a good cholesterol level.

When order cholesterol test, it's not just the total level that matters, but the proportion of each lipoprotein. Homocysteine is also a good test to evaluate the overall cardiovascular risk for the future. Keep in mind that cholesterol is not the only reason that increases the cardiovascular risk. Inflammation is to blame as well. It is inflammation that damages the vascular wall and causes the atherosclerotic plaque to form. So all the causes and treatments of inflammation also need to be addressed .( Inflammation is the foundation of all chronic diseases which will be addressed in the future newsletter. Hypercholesteremia is just part of a bigger picture called "Metabolic Syndrome". We will discuss all of those conditions one by one in the future.

Fribromyalgia Syndrome (FMS)

2010-03-14T18:08:00.000-07:00

Wendy Huang, MD

About 2 % of US adult population suffer from this debilitating condition. When I started my holistic practice, I noted this used to be the condition I had problem treating until I found the hormone link between Fibromyalgia and Chronic fatigue Syndrome.

Fibromyalgia and Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) share many common features like fatigue, sleep problem, mood disorder, but fibromyalgia has the distinct feature of chronic pain. The pain usually is bilateral, chronic (at least 3 months without other known causes), involving both generalized areas and tender points (at least 11 of the 18 points). The pain is so intense,when tender points were touched, that deep massage becomes a torture for these patients.

Fibromyalgia and Chronic fatigue syndrome also share the most important pathology which is adrenal dysfunction. Adrenal glands secrete Cortisol which helps body handle stress including inflammation. Cortisol levels are supposed to go up with both condition, but they usually decrease after a long time and some people call it adrenal fatigue (please also read the previous newsletter on this topic).

People suffering from any chronic pain often deplete their adrenal gland , and this is a must addressed issue as well as their mental condition like anxiety and depression. Their brain was conditioned to feel the pain all the time, and it takes a lot of effort to change that pathway.

Once I address the adrenal condition, I have much more success treating this difficult ailment. The rehab of adrenal gland usually takes herbal, relaxation skill, mindset changes,nutritional optimization, etc. And most importantly, patients got to be able to have a good night sleep (whatever it takes, we have to make sure of this), and need to stop anxiety and depression from draining their adrenal glands. Acupuncture is very effective to achieve those two goals and also to deactivate the tender points.

Exercise other than gentle walking may be too much for those patients. Many also suffered from low sodium due to low Aldosterone (another adrenal hormone). Drinking warm water with some sea salt first thing in the morning and throughout the day as needed would make them feel better. Patients also need a large amount of vitamin B complex to carry them through the day.

Other hormonal imbalance (thyroid is a common one) and underline chronic infection like E-B virus (Infectious mononucleosis) would also need to be taken care of to get patients completely better. Treating pain symptom of FMS without removing the underline cause will not heal the condition. It is still a long quest to overcome FMS, but we have seen more and more success with these integrated approach.

Dr. Huang is amazing!!

2010-01-22T06:12:00.000-08:00

Before my daughter was a patient of Dr. Huang, she use to have terrible allergies and would be susceptible to any of the latest germs circulating the school. She had to be on several medications just to keep the symptoms under control. Her coughing really became exhausting for all of us! I realized we were not getting to the root of the problem. It was also hindering her abilities at school.

Well, thank God for Dr. Wendy. Her wealth of experience and qualifications made us feel confident she could help. It is an understatement to say that we are very pleased. Our daughter is doing very well, and Dr. Huang has educated us on how to help the immune system do its job. Now our daughter is not a slave to medications that are sedating or have other unwanted or even unknown long term side effects.

We are so grateful to have met Dr. Wendy!

Thank you,
Kris B. little silver, NJ

Calcium does not help Osteoporosis

2009-11-03T09:05:00.001-08:00

The Harvard Nurse Study was a 12-year prospective study among 77,761 women aging from 34 to 59 in 1980, who had never used calcium supplements. They found no evidence that higher intakes of milk or calcium from food sources reduce fracture incidence. Women who drank two or more glasses of milk per day had relative risks of 1.45 for hip fracture (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.87, 2.43) and 1.05 for forearm fracture (95% CI = 0.88, 1.25) when compared with those consuming one glass or less per week. Likewise, higher intakes of total dietary calcium or calcium from dairy food were not associated with decreased risk of hip or forearm fracture.

CONCLUSION: These data do not support the hypothesis that higher consumption of milk or other calcium rich food by adult women protects against hip or forearm fractures.

A large scale Australian study also confirms that.

We should have known that , despite the US has the highest intake of calcium, its osteoporosis rates are (still) the highest in the world. Countries with lower calcium consumption have relatively lower rates of hip fracture and osteoporosis.

So how do we preserve our bones?

1. Balance and replace the lost hormones.
Women get osteoporosis after menopause, so replacing Estradiol and Progesterone builds healthy bones. Testosterone and DHEA are powerful bone builders for both men and women, with only bioidentical hormones in right dose and mimicking natural rhythms of the body, of course.

2. Train and exercise strenuously three times a week.

3. Alkalize your system by consuming more fruits, vegetables with less animal products or processed food.

4.Optimize your Vitamin D3 levels.
Other nutritions like Vit K, boron, magnesium etc. are also important.

If calcium supplement is required, I would suggest the whole bone concentrates rather than calcium itself , or, instead, patients can cook at home fresh bone soup three times a week.Enjoy the beautiful fall season and stay healthy!

H1N1 and what we can do holistically

2009-11-03T09:03:00.000-08:00

I firmly believe the decision of vaccination should be made by the patients after consulting their physicians basing on their age, immunity, the vaccine side effects and other risk factors. I am not encouraging any one of you to get vaccination or not.

Since the government is asking all health care professionals to get the H1N1 vaccines, I have to make it clear that I will not get it. Actually, I never took any flu vaccine for the past two decades of my professional career serving so many flu patients each year. Yes, I had flu many times, but I never took any day off just due primarily to that illness ,because I know how to keep a good immunity, what to do when I was exposed or infected. The immunity is what really counts.

So after discussing with your own physician, and you decided not to be vaccinated, here are some tips to protect yourself on top of good nutrition and gentle exercise.

1. Keep optimal Vit D3 level (60-80). Adults should take about 5,000 IU a day in winter, and monitor it by blood work.
2. Take daily Iodine/Iodide solution, in right dose and proper proportion as instructed. Yes, the thyroid is a major immune organ which accumulates enough Iodine and cleans the blood each time blood circulates through it. Iodine kills virus, fungus and any bacteria. Follow the blood level for correct dosing.
3. Irrigate your nose and sinus after work, school or returning from any public places.

When you feel you are sick, triple your Vit D3 doses for 3 days and double your Iodine for two days. Also start your natural antibiotics in low dose as the one given before. Do it ASAP.

But if you feel you are getting very sick, start Mega dose Vit D3, which you can get from my office, for three days, double Iodine for two days and take high dose natural antibiotics.

Use common sense, of course, and seek medical attention if you are sick, but just don’t do home treatment.

Adrenal fatigue, Chronic fatigue syndrome

2009-09-28T13:19:00.000-07:00

Dear Patients,

I would like to share with you a piece of my good news. I passed, after an Anti Aging conference this month, the written board examination of American Board of Anti Aging Medicine ,and will take the oral board exam next April. With most of the baby boomers entering their 50s', people began to notice an interesting topic - How To Keep People Healthier And Younger For As Long As They Could , which has become one of the national priority tasks because , with the advent of so many scientific discoveries like stem cell, nanotechnology, bioidentical hormones and new neutraceutical products, we now don't have to age the way our parents did.

On the other hand, however, the not so good news is that the general population suffering from abnormal adrenal functions increased from 20% some ten years ago to 80% up to date, according to one of the doctor’s observations . I myself noticed a lot more patients suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome which made them feel, most of the time, so tired that it hampered their jobs and family lives. After the deadly 911 catastrophe and the two fatal financial crushes, most of us feel physically unsafe and financially insecure and this is not a surprise.

Adrenal glands secret Cortisol is a stress hormone to help us deal with stressful situation and make fight-or-flight decision. When we are under chronic stress, our adrenal glands secret Cortisol is constantly in high level and that makes us anxious. Our adrenal glands eventually become exhausted and can not produce enough Cortisol for our need, and we easily feel tired.This is how our adrenal fatigue starts.

The common symptom of an adrenal fatigue is difficulty waking up until 10am, with a bit better feeling by noon but then get almost exhausted around 4pm. Most of the patients feel best around dinner time only to be followed by an hardly-able-to-keep-awake by 9pm. For people who force themselves to stay awake, get a second lease of energy by 11pm for a little while.

Blood test may not be the best way to detect Adrenal fatigue because patients usually get nervous when a needle is pointed at them and Cortisol level raises temporally. Adrenal saliva test done at 8am, noon, 4pm and 10pm will be the best way to detect Cortisol level throughout the day. Other causes of fatigue also need to be ruled out.

The Fundamental treatments on adrenal fatigue include the following steps :
1. Remove the reasons that cause the disease at the first place.
2. Adjust our life style to eat healthy, exercise properly and sleep restfully
3. Live a healthy life style with positive mindset to decrease the stress.

Since the above steps take months to revive the adrenal gland, I usually give my patients some natural help , instead.

The first one is herbal supplements that strengthen the adrenal glands, with the second, the adrenal glandular products from reliable source to revive the glands ,and the third, a short course of bioidentical cortisol hormone to give Adrenal glands a break so it heals and resumes normal function. I usually reserve the Cortisol for the very sick patients or for the ones who do not response to the first two treatments. The dose and schedule also got to be guided by experienced physicians so as not to suppress the normal function of the Adrenal gland. The Cortisol needs to be weaned off in few months so our healed adrenal glands can resume their normal functions. For the very stressed out patients, a course of acupuncture will do magic to relieve anxiety, regain the body balance and revive the stamina.

All our hormones synchronize like a symphony, with adrenal glands being the king of the hormone glands that play a crucial role in balancing our hormones. If hypothyroid patients do not improve with proper thyroid hormone replacement, it may be attributed to the depleted adrenal glands. A depleted Adrenal gland can not meet the need of increased metabolism induced by increased thyroid hormones.

Since both adrenal gland and thyroid dysfunction can cause fatigue, and many patients have been depleted both, I usually correct their adrenal gland and supplement patients with proper Iodine before I give them thyroid hormone. It works best that way.

It’s the turn of the season again. Enjoy the beautiful foliage and get soaked with the little sunshine left. It’s the best time to come in for your quarterly acupuncture tune up to get ready for the long winter. Have a healthy autumn.

Holistic treatments of suboptomal thyroid function

2009-08-12T18:04:00.000-07:00

Aug.14, 2009

How are you all enjoying the summer?

I received many enthusiastic responses and got some new patients as a result of my June newsletter - Thyroid Hormone – The Difference Between Normal And Optimal, And Which Hormone To Test And Treat. This tells me that many people have this problem and they are either undiagnosed or not properly treated, so I would like to add a few details about the treatments that most patients requested.

After completing tests that demonstrate the patient has suboptimal thyroid function, we need to do some ground work before we start thyroid hormone replacement therapy.

As with all holistic programs treating any health conditions, we have to start with nutrition and life style changes. On top of eating healthy, it’s crucial that we stop using table salt and instead, start consuming sea salts, like Celtic sea salt, RealSalt from www.realsalt.com or Himalayan salt (no financial interests in any).

The regular table salt has mainly sodium chloride with Magnesium carbonate added to make it move more freely. The added iodide in the table salt is not enough and not the right form of iodine for optimal thyroid function and health. It gives the table salt its notorious reputation like causing hypertension because it does not have the same balanced minerals as the real sea salt. The real sea salt has many minerals such as iodine,potassium and others that our bodies need to achieve a balanced state. The real salt is not bad; on the contrary, it is necessary for our bodies if consumed in proper amounts.

The second is to add iodine to our diet. Since most Americans do not eat seaweed or kelp on a regular basis, the easiest way is to take iodine as a supplement. I also discovered that if we only gave iodide (the salt form of iodine, used by many health practitioner), patients improved slightly. Patients really feel better when they use iodine and iodide in right combination as supplements.

Iodine is not for the thyroid only. There are many other body tissues that need iodine, especially breast tissues. One of the reasons women suffer from the cystic breast disease is iodine deficiency, and I have successfully reversed this condition for many women. This has probably saved them not just pain or discomfort, but the need for aspiration exam when the nature of the cyst is in question. Having more breast tissues may be the reason (why) women suffer more frequently from low thyroid function than men because they need more iodine for their breast tissues. Our ovaries, uterus, prostate, brain, and—for that matter—probably every cell of our body needs iodine for health.

For people with a mild suboptimal thyroid, proper use of iodine and iodide can improve its function. Some may benefit from adding other natural thyroid supplements, but not everyone needs thyroid hormone replacement.

Even for people who have severe hypothyroidism, I would still supplement thyroid hormones with iodine for them. For whose who have low iodine, hypothyroidism maybe a natural protective mechanism that slows down their metabolism in order to conserve iodine. Giving thyroid hormones to keep the body functioning at full speed without replacing iodine may further rob the needed iodine from other parts of our body.

Mild hypothyroidism can be treated with bioidentical thyroid cream made from wild yam with a customized T4/T3 ratio. More severe conditions may need to take thyroid hormone replacements orally for better and faster results.

Iodine and iodide supplements have their side effects. Sudden large doses have been reported to have further lowered the thyroid function of borderline patients in rare occasions. Large doses can cause toxicities. The initial loading dose should be reduced once the body is saturated; therefore, the safe use of the Iodine should be under the strict guidance of experienced physicians.

Enjoy the rest of the summer!

Thyroid hormone – the difference between normal and optimal, and which hormone to test and treat

2009-06-01T12:13:00.000-07:00

Many patients came to me with all the symptoms of low thyroid function, but they were diagnosed that their thyroid tests were normal and nothing could be done. The tests ordered usually included TSH and T4.

I would order their complete hormone panel including thyroid hormone tests like TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone), free T3 (thyroxin 3), free T4 (thyroxin 4), thyroid antibodies and reversed T3.

I noticed some patients have normal thyroid hormone test, but in the low range; and yet,they have many low thyroid function symptoms like cold extremities, low body temperature, fatigue, especially in the morning when they wake up, hair thinning or loss, constipation and yes, middle weight gain that’s impossible to loose. Those conditions were called “suboptimal thyroid function” or “subclinical hypothyroidism”. These patients usually improved significantly after I gave them bioidentical thyroid hormon that contains the physiologic combination of T3 and T4.

We have to understand that laboratories get their normal value by measuring certain amount of patients' blood and they call the middle 90-95% normal. We could easily understand that when one third of our population is over weight, the normal does not mean healthy, not even to mention “optimal”. So it makes sense that when a good portion of general public has low thyroid function, the normal does not mean healthy, and the optimal would be close to upper third range for T3 and T4, and below 1.5 for TSH . But most of the physicians do not agree with this approach.

Many physicians do not order T3 test and they only replace hypothyroid patients with T4 (Synthroid). T3 is the active form of T4, and some patients have problem converting T4 to T3. So patients will have picture perfect thyroid hormone test if only T4 and TSH was checked and still have all the symptoms of hypothyroidism when their T3 were low. These patients’ symptoms improved again with bioidentical T3, T4 combined hormones.

Some patients’ low thyroid function was very difficult to correct due to other imbalanced hormones. Since they share some common pathway, their thyroid hormones are hard to be right when their adrenal glands were burnt out. The same is true with estrogen and progesterone for women. All hormones of our body synchronize with one another in their specific rhythms. The melody would not be in harmony until all instruments were tuned.

One easy way to test hypothyroidism at home is to check early morning temperature. Get the thermometer ready (shaken down) next to your bed, and put it under your arm for 5 minutes when you wake up first thing in the morning. Women should do it before their ovulation like from day 3 to day 11 of their cycle. Check it for three consecutive days and if your basal temperature is below 97 degrees F, come in to have your hormones tested.

Undiagnosed and untreated hypothyroidism, which affects the metabolism of every cell, undermines any health program and longevity.

Bioidentical Hormones

2009-02-01T13:32:00.000-08:00

Bioidentical Hormones Replacement Therapy

Bioidentical hormones (BIH) mean the hormones that are exactly the same structure as the hormones naturally found in our bodies.

Most of us have abundant hormones to keep our bodies functioning at their peak when we are young. However, hormone levels decline as time goes by and result in many aging signs .The most well-known period of our hormones’ sharp decline is called menopause for women and andropause for men. Symptoms may include anxiety, fatigue, migraines, depression, mood swings, hot flashes, GI discomfort , weight gains and sleep problems, etc.

Many of us would like to have our hormone levels restored in our mature age to achieve optimal health; but to make them work best for us, we want to make sure the hormones are bioidentical because non-bioidentical hormones have many unwanted side effects.

We also need BIH to be manufactured properly to make sure they are delivered, without harmed, to our body. In view of this, I want my patients to have their BIH prescriptions filled only at few selected pharmacies, for which I have already examined their product efficacy by documenting the hormone level changes for many of my previous patients.

The routes of hormone delivery are also very critical. Hormones are naturally secreted from our endocrine systems and circulated through the blood and other body fluids. They never go through our digestive systems. Taking hormones through our mouth is not just ineffective, but put burdens on our livers as well. Hormones should be delivered transdermally, sublingually or transmucosally (with the exception of human growth hormones).

The schedule on which we take BIH is also very important. We want to take BIH the way as our bodies naturally secrete them, i.e., in a rhythmic dosing. Women have their estrogen peak during the first part of their cycle ,and progesterone peak during the second. Static hormones dosing is not physiological and may not serve our bodies best.

I also believe our bodies and souls are parts of our bigger universe. I would dose BIH of post-menopausal women cycle with the moon and men with the sun as I found our bodies function best this way,with every patient’s dose and schedule customized to his or her need.

I also draw patients’ blood hormonal levels before and after treatment to scientifically document their hormonal levels and adjust the dosage accordingly, making sure all hormones are checked, and not just the sex hormones only, because every hormone interacts with each otherr. Since each hormone plays a certain role in our body, only when every hormone hums its happy tune will our life become a song of joy and harmony.

Though BIH is a wonderful anti-aging tool, it is not a cure-all panacea. Before I give patients BIH, I examine their diet, lifestyle, mental health, and dietary supplements to make sure their other health issues are well taken care of. Many patients will also benefit from acupuncture treatments to balance their meridians. To be healthy, we need every part of our body to function well. Have a wonderful day.

2009-01-01T06:19:00.000-08:00

Dear patients,

It has been two years since I started my holistic and acupuncture practice. I have always wanted to write a newsletter to my patients, but I just got a chance to do it the first time now.

First, I would like to thank all of you to believe in me and tried my alternative treatments against the traditional medical wisdom. I can’t say I have been able to help every patient walked though my door, but I had been helping more patients and more health conditions than I originally expected. I myself was pleasantly surprised by the demand of alternative treatments, the power of the acupuncture & holistic medicine and the harmony & cooperation between holistic patients and doctor (you and me).

The mid to end of January will be the time people suffered from depression most, partly due to lack of sun exposure, exercise, and Vitamin D deficiency. I would like to encourage you grabbing the rare opportunity to do outdoor exercise when the precious sun peaks out, and please make sure you take enough Vitamin D. Most adults would need 2000 IU twice daily in winter according to the blood work I do for most of my patients. I have been checking the vitamin D level of the majority of my patients before and after the Vitamin D supplement and found out that almost every one has insufficient level of Vitamin D unless they were properly supplemented.

Most of the physicians do not check their patients’ Vitamin D level. But even when they do, normal level of Vitamin D reported by most laboratories give such a wide range (around 30-100) that many physician would tell their patients they are fine even their levels are not optimal for their health (around 60-80).

I also want to bring to your attention that Vitamin D3 like the one I use in my office will be the one to use. Vitamin D3 is the active form of Vitamin D and many patients have problem converting D2 to D3 and make some supplement ineffective.

Researchers have found that Vitamin D is more than a Vitamin, but a hormone as well. It does not just benefit bones, but also immunity, mental health, and almost every part of our health. Vitamin D deficiency certainly contributes to the frequent infection and cold in the winter time. American Academy of Pediatrics just realized how important Vitamin D is and how insufficient of the recommended daily dose and increase the recommended Daily Vitamin D of infant to be 400IU.

In this challenging financial time, our mental and physical bodies get more stress than usual winter season, please take care yourself, and do not hesitate contacting me for your holistic health care. Chinese has a proverb “If we keep the mountain green, we will never run out of fire woods”. It means that if we keep our body healthy, we can handle all challenges and the money, job,love, luck and other things will eventually come back to us”.

Have a happy and healthy new year!