The Power of Personalized
Lifestyle Medicine
There are different approaches to healthcare. The one that is perceived by most people to be legitimate and scientific is conventional allopathic medicine. This approach relies heavily upon the use of synthetic chemicals. The form of healthcare I practice is called Functional medicine. I am going to make a case for Functional medicine being the superior approach, grounded in science.
The diagram below illustrates how a person can be evaluated by a doctor (or multiple doctors) and get a separate "treatment" for each problem. The primary care doctor says, "You have high cholesterol. You need Crestor." The cardiologist says, "You have high blood pressure. You need HCTZ." The endocrinologist says, "You need to lose weight. I'm putting you on Alli." The psychiatrist says, "You have clinical depression. The solution is Lexapro." The rheumatologist says, "You have osteoarthritis. I am putting you on Celebrex."
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| Look Upstream for Causes |
Conventional medicine works within a paradigm of "naming and blaming"; labeling and drugging. In most cases the goal is to give a name to the patient's condition and then match that to a remedy (medication). The use of powerful synthetic chemicals is fraught with side effects. Even if the particular goal is achieved, is the patient really healthier for it? Is there more benefit than harm?
Prescription medicine is big business. It seems to me that the goal of creating most drugs is to be as effective as possible in changing one parameter while producing side effects that are "tolerable".
Celebrex, for example, powerfully inhibits the production of the pain-producing biochemical prostaglandin E2 by inhibiting the activity of the COX-2 enzyme. Celebrex is so powerful, in fact, that side effects can result from too much enzyme inhibition. Contrast this with natural products (i.e. herbs), which contain more than one active molecule. The natural products don't hammer the COX-2 enzyme as hard but they also lower other pain-producing chemicals to moderate degrees. With less intense swings in biochemistry, the natural products have a vastly superior safety profile. I doubt there were any deaths last year attributable to natural anti-inflammatory remedies. The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, on the other hand, kill about 16.500 people a year (largely from gastrointestinal bleeding). Another strike against the drugs is that while they are effective at reducing osteoarthritis pain, they actually impair joint healing.
Treating "numbers" with medication may be even worse. For example, a year-long study that used HCTZ for blood pressure reduction did indeed find participants experienced reductions in blood pressure. Mission accomplished. Pop the corks! Not so fast. More in depth evaluation found the blood vessels of the study participants were not any healthier after a year. What is the goal in taking HCTZ or any blood pressure drug? Is it to simply lower blood pressure? No. The blood pressure reduction is supposed to produce healthier arteries. The goal is to prevent cardiovascular disease progression and its complications (heart and stroke). HCTZ does not seem to be cardio-protective. Perhaps this is in part due to its effects of depleting Vitamin B1, potassium, magnesium, coenzyme Q10, and folic acid, while negatively impacting homocysteine levels and insulin function.
The diagram above shows how all these varied conditions can be the result of disturbed physiology and biochemistry. For example, insulin resistance may produce all of these conditions. Insulin resistance refers to the body's glucose (sugar)-regulating hormone not working properly. Insulin resistance tends to go hand-in-hand with high insulin levels. High insulin stimulates the liver enzyme that Crestor inhibits: HMG CoA Reductase. This causes the liver to make more cholesterol. With regard to blood pressure, insulin slows the detoxification of the body chemical ADMA. Build-up of ADMA slows the production of nitric oxide and this results in blood vessel constriction. When the blood vessels narrow, the pressure within them increases. Insulin is a fat-building hormone and interferes with the burning of fat. It's easy to understand the connection with obesity. Insulin resistance can alter brain metabolism and contribute to depression. Reduced uptake of tryptophan into the brain results in less raw material to produce the feel-good neurotransmitter, serotonin. This is one of several ways insulin resistance may contribute to depression. Lastly, with our examples from the diagram, insulin increases the activation of genes that encode for the production of inflammatory proteins. Actually, insulin impacts many more conditions in the body.
Now, what causes insulin problems? Genetics are a factor, as are in-utero development, birth weight, and early-life hardship. The more important factors, however, are modifiable. Some of these include stress, toxicity (including medications), nutrient deficiencies and excesses, inadequate sleep and exercise, inflammation (intestinal bacteria are a major source), and food sensitivities. How can your conventional medicine doctor begin to address these issues (if he wanted to) in a 10 minute office visit? I set aside 2 hours for my first consultation. Also, isn't it obvious that a handful of synthetic chemicals is woefully inadequate in addressing the real issues.
Rather than use a different medication (or natural remedy for that matter) for each diagnosis, a cause-focused approach will endeavor to balance the aberrant physiology by addressing the upstream lifestyle factors. This is best accomplished with the evaluation and guidance of a qualified healthcare professional (yours truly, for example). Each case of insulin resistance can have different factors making various contributions to the problem. For example, identifying and correcting arsenic toxicity can be key to improving insulin resistance (and all of its downstream effects) for one individual. For another, identifying and treating sleep apnea may be critical. For yet another person, weight training to build more muscle may be the most important factor. For an in-depth discussion of insulin resistance, see my recorded webinar entitled,
Reversing the Number 1 Cause of Illness, Obesity, and Accelerated Aging
There is some value in naming (diagnosing) the condition. What is more important for the best results, however, is learning about the nature of the abnormal physiology, what may have caused it, and what can be done to naturally bring it back into balance. The interventions with the most encompassing, comprehensive upstream input are things like diet, exercise, rest, and stress reduction. Natural supplements to help rebalance physiology are also important. Of course, this is most effective when tailored based upon comprehensive evaluation.
The approach to health with the best combination of effectiveness and safety is one that is naturally-based and scientifically-designed. This is not alternative medicine. This is personalized therapeutic lifestyle therapy. This is scientific medicine and is the future of healthcare.
For a real-life example of how powerful this approach is, take a look at this case study on my patient, Susan:
