The Drugless Physician

Lets face it, pollution is never a topic that’s easy to broach, particularly since we’re often left feeling helpless about what we can do to avoid it.  To make matters worse, the impact it can have on our health is rarely acknowledged by health care providers, unless a known, acute exposure has occurred.  The reality is that we’re all exposed to environmental pollutants on a daily basis, and there are indeed resources available to help identify the most likely offenders.  For example, www.ewg.org provides reports about the local water supply, showing contaminants that are the most consistently elevated. Another invaluable resource is www.scorecard.org, which evaluates local air pollution, toxin levels (heavy metals, superfund sites, etc.), and industrial pollutants.  It’s also recommended that you have your own water tested through an independent laboratory, which will potentially identify hidden sources of various pollutants.

So, why is this important? Many of these pollutants have been linked to a host of degenerative diseases, including cancer, autoimmune diseases, and neurological conditions.  In my experience, the medical community tends to largely ignore these underlying causes, only treating the symptoms of the respective disease.  I can’t tell you how many patients have come to me with serious, debilitating symptoms, only to find out that they have high levels of contaminants in their system.  PCBs, pesticides, heavy metals, and solvents, just to name a few, can all be measured with laboratory testing, and eliminated from your system with the appropriate treatment protocols.

If you have a known exposure to environmental pollutants, or suspect that they are having a negative impact on your health, you shouldn’t feel like there’s nothing that can be done about it.  Talk to your doctor about the appropriate tests, and use some of the resources mentioned above to identify and prevent any future exposures.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) affects one in five adult Americans, and is responsible for up to 40% of referrals to gastroenterologists. While there are legitimate criteria used to diagnose IBS (alternating constipation and diarrhea, bloating, abdominal pain), the term is generally used to label patients who don’t have Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or other underlying “organic” diseases. Once patients have been labeled with having IBS, they are often given one or more medications to treat the symptoms, usually with little to no relief.

Fortunately for IBS sufferers, a multitude of underlying factors may be the real cause of digestive symptoms, making the likelihood of recovery much more promising. One condition in particular that’s often overlooked is small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). This is an abnormal colonization of bacteria within the small intestine by bacteria that are normally found in the colon, mouth, or pharynx. When left untreated, SIBO is not only mistaken with IBS, but has been linked to fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome as well. The cause of SIBO isn’t always clear, but patients who are at higher risk include those with chronic constipation, achlorhydria, diabetes, scleroderma, diverticulosis, and adhesions from prior surgeries.

Up to 78% of patients who are diagnosed with IBS may in fact be experiencing SIBO. Testing for this condition is performed by blowing into a tube that measures gases given off by the excessive amount of bacteria that are present in the small intestine. While these tests are typically offered by gastroenterologists, there are several commercial laboratories that offer test kits for home use, which are then mailed back to the laboratory for analysis. If diagnosed, SIBO can be treated initially with specialized antibiotics. Once the offending bacteria are successfully eradicated, measures should then be taken to improve the intestinal environment (probiotics, digestive enzymes, etc.), which should help to prevent recurrence.

A diagnosis of IBS does not mean all hope is lost. Explore the possibility of SIBO, and seek out a naturopath or other alternative practitioner who can focus on how the digestive tract functions, rather than just looking for a disease.

The Harvard School of Public Health sent a strong message to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and nutrition experts everywhere with the recent release of its “Healthy Eating Plate” food guide.  The university was responding to the USDA’s new MyPlate guide for healthy eating, which replaced the outdated and misguided food pyramid.

Harvard’s nutrition experts did not pull punches, declaring that the university’s food guide was based on sound nutrition research. The greatest evidence of its research focus is the absence of dairy products from the “Healthy Eating Plate” based on Harvard’s assessment that “…high intake can increase the risk of prostate cancer and possibly ovarian cancer.”  The Harvard experts also referred to the high levels of saturated fat in most dairy products and suggested that collards, bok choy, fortified soy milk, and baked beans are safer choices than dairy for obtaining calcium, as are high quality supplements.

In my practice, I try to emphasize to people how “duped” we’ve been by the dairy industry, and that dairy products aren’t indeed the most nutritious source of calcium, as we’ve been brainwashed to believe in our society. Of course, this report doesn’t mean that you should avoid dairy entirely, especially when you can acquire local or non-commercial organic sources. Mainly, the take-away message here is that both past and present food recommendations from the government have emphasized dairy as a requirement, and this is clearly not the case!