"make contact with your n

"Make contact with your N.D., make contact with your self".
March 2011
In This Newsletter:
 Heartburn Meds-Are they Creating Bigger Problems?
 Diabetes - Why ND Medicine is KEY
 Dr. Liz's Upcoming Lectures DIABETES
 Lyme Disease in the news & Dr. Liz' Focus on Lyme
 Quick & Easy Roasted Root Veggies
Is Your Heartburn Medicine Slowly Killing You? Erin Holston
Singh, N.D.
Operating from naturopathic principles at all times, I have never been comfortable with my patients continuing to take heartburn medicines-whether prescription or over-the-counter. It goes against the grain of healthy digestion to either inhibit the proton pumps that secrete stomach acid or block that stomach acid altogether, since acid is normal and necessary for digestion, namely protein digestion. I have spoken with patients for years about this concern and typically been able to address their heartburn naturopathically, provided the patient was patient and willing to be aggressive when necessary. In most cases, however it is not a difficult problem to address. In some cases, however, the symptoms are severe or the problem has been longstanding, making a recovery more difficult. Also, in some cases, the patient’s M.D. insisted they continue on a pharmaceutical medication in order to prevent Barrett’s esophagus-a precancerous condition that may result from years of unmanaged heartburn. I was always suspicious of this type of “management” of chronic heartburn, and have always preferred to get more aggressive about the problem, when necessary. One of my old professors from NCNM has now given me some “evidence-based” fuel for my argument; Dr. Steven Sandberg-Lewis published an article reviewing the risks associated with Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPI’s) from research in the medical PPI’s (Brand names include Prilosec, Prevacid, Aciphex, Protonics and Nexium) :
-Possibly increase viral or prion-associated infections in the stomach. -Increase the risk of developing gastric polyps (which increases risk of gastric cancers). -Decrease intragastric Vitamin C levels, which in turn increases insulin resistance. -Possibly increase the absorption of medications, such as digoxin, across the gastric mucosa. -May increase food allergies (a result of lowered stomach acid alongside exposure to certain foods, triggers greater antibody production to those foods). -Delay the diagnosis of a gastric cancer due to suppression of symptoms. -May not correct bile reflux into the small intestine, which then, in turn is associated with increased gastric adenocarcinoma (cancer). The increased hormonal stimulation of gastrin from stomach cells from PPI’s may also lead to an increase in production of gastric cancer cells. (i.e. these medications are not only related to causing cancer, but also make the cancer worse!) -May increase fracture risk with long-term use in female patients over 50 years old. -Increase the risk of contracting pneumonia (and double the risk of recurrent pneumonia in elderly patients!) -Increase the risk of acquiring Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea In addition, PPI’s may have side effects that may not necessarily be related back to the drug. If you are taking a PPI and having other symptoms, be sure to check your package insert information to make sure your symptom isn’t listed. Also be aware that PPI’s can give altered results on many standard lab tests, which may end up leading your medical doctor to another prescription for you! For example, Prevacid can artificially increase or decrease cholesterol readings and Aciphex can increase glucose, albumin, cholesterol and PSA, among other things. Finally, long-term use of PPI’s may cause deficiencies of these critical nutrients: folate, B12, iron, zinc and calcium. Absorption of these nutrients is either dependent on gastric acid or is just outright disrupted by the drug. And just this week, the FDA has announced that low-magneisum levels can be associated with long-term PPI use. Read more about that here on th One of the nation’s largest epidemics, Type 2 Diabetes, is also associated with low magnesium levels, which makes one start to wonder about the interconnectedness of it all (i.e. is there a relationship between long-term PPI use and increased risk of Type 2 Diabetes because of depleted magnesium levels?). Read more on that topic Since stopping these medications can be difficult, and especially hard with a known rebound hyper-secretion of stomach acid which can last for up to 26 weeks after discontinuation, consider consulting with your naturopathic doctor on what you can do to successfully and permanently stop these potentially dangerous drugs. Dr. Erin and Dr. Liz both have a plethora of lifestyle, nutritional and botanical therapies awaiting your particular case of heartburn. Naturopathic medicine is about prevention and preventing cancer is part of the picture even in the case of a seemingly minor case heartburn. Diabetes –Why Naturopathy is the Key Support Liz Cavin,
We live in a world of stress, pent up emotions and pollutants in our air, water and food. Our bodies strive to remain in a balanced state of homeostasis but we often make lifestyle choices that render our bodies unable to compensate. Specifically, we don’t cope with stress, we don’t sleep enough, we eat nutritionally poor diets and we don’t exercise. These are some of the classic triggers in the development of chronic diseases. Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 (DMII) is one such disease, that particularly when a person is predisposed to it from their ancestors habits and weaknesses, easily develops under such circumstances. In fact, Type 2 Diabetes had become an epidemic in this country. It is estimated 21 million people have Type 2 Diabetes and 47 million more people are at significant risk for developing DMII. Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness and kidney failure in adults and is a key risk factor for developing heart disease. As bad food and lifestyles helped to create this widespread problem, this more common type of diabetes is preventable. Adequate prevention requires regular exercise, weight management, dietary changes and smoking cessation. Such preventive techniques are used by both conventional and naturopathic medicine to prevent and minimize the consequences of Type II Diabetes. At Options we take prevention techniques several steps further. Our approach to preventing diabetes is guided by our naturopathic principles of looking at the whole person, the individuality of the person and identifying and addressing the root cause of his poor blood sugar metabolism. We also take into consideration the health of the liver when we work to prevent diabetes since the liver plays a key role in sugar metabolism and production of antioxidants. We examine a person’s stress levels because high stress, through hormonal mechanisms, contributes to unregulated blood sugar levels. We support the health of the cardiovascular and nervous systems to enable the cells of these organ systems to protect themselves from cell damage. And of course, we always factor in a person’s mental and emotional well-being with methods to facilitate how that also contributes to his diabetes risk and ability to implement those lifestyle changes required for an ideal management of the condition. Addressing the concepts of Diathesis allows us to prevent and reverse the hereditary aspect of diabetes even further. Our naturopathic approach to diet differs dramatically from the American Diabetes Association recommendations-which are really inadequate. In short, we recommend much less carbohydrate intake, little to no sugar including fruits and consumption of numerous vegetables. We have found following stricter diet guidelines helps the body better utilize glucose and also leads to better health overall, rather than relying on medications to artificially lower blood sugar levels. Taking nutritional supplements to help your body better cope with cell damage is an important step in diabetes prevention. High blood sugar associated with diabetes and pre-diabetic states causes cell damage particularly in the nerves and blood vessels. Such cell damage can lead to blindness, kidney disease, heart disease and poor wound healing-serious business! We choose various supplements, herbs and homeopathic remedies to help balance the blood sugar metabolism and protect those critical organs. This allows a person to avoid or minimize the taking of medications that have side effects or don’t address the cause of the blood sugar Most importantly, working with a naturopathic physician to help manage diabetes-or “pre- diabetes”, often called “Metabolic Syndrome” will serve to help him feel better, prevent progression of the disease and provide a regular method of following though with his health. It takes a discipline and a level of commitment, and that is what we are here to support in our diabetic and pre-diabetic patient population. To learn more about our approach to this increasingly common problem, consider attending Dr. Dr. Liz's Diabetes Lectures !
This month Dr. Liz Will be lecturing on How to Prevent Diabetes Type II
Once for the general public in the basement of our building Medical Heights Building in
Cleveland Heights, Unit B
March 29th, 7-8:30pm FREE & open to the public
and ONLY for employees of Rockwell Automaton : March 31st, 12 to 1pm at Beta Drive
campus
Dr. Liz thoroughly enjoys public speaking. Please call to arrange Dr. Liz for events
at your workplace, church or child’s school.
LYME Disease in the news

A new study shows detectable differences in spinal fluid proteins between Chronic Fatigue and
Lyme. Read the full report
Many patients with Chronic Lyme Disease are under served in the United States. To extend her
focus in this area and allow her to serve our Lyme patient population more effectively, Dr. Liz will
attend Integrative Therapy Approaches to Treating Tick-Borne Disease, a seminar in
San Francisco this March. Be sure to check in with her if you have been diagnosed with this
condition to see how the latest approaches may serve you.
Quick & Easy Roasted Root Veggies
Looking for a easy dinner idea? Gather your unused veggies from this winter's
stores, chop them and roast them in the oven !
Cut 1-2 inch cubes of onion, beets, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots and whole garlic cloves. Put
in an oiled baking dish and brush with coconut oil. Cover and bake at 350 until tender
(Aprroximately 45 minutes, depending on size of vegetables and oven).
Brussel Sprouts are also a delicious addition!
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Erin H. Holston Singh, N.D. & Liz Cavin, N.D (& Fannie !) Options Naturopathic Clinic O:F

Source: http://www.optionsnaturopathic.com/newsletters/newsletters/mar11.pdf