I believe that Emotional Stress is one of the 4 major factors that affect your health. One of the best ways that you can reduce your emotional stress is by choosing to focus on things that make you feel good.  Directing your thoughts to what’s going right in your life and what have to be grateful for are quick and easy ways to change your emotional state and start you feeling better.
Good For Your Heart
A positive emotional state reduces your  stress,  which lowers your cortisol levels and in turn boosts your immune system.  It’s also good for your heart

Studies have shown that positive emotions increase heart rate variability. Heart rate variability (HRV) is an indicator of the functioning  of your autonomic nervous system and of your cardiac health.  An abnormally low HRV is associated with an increased risk of heart disease. [i]It is also an indicator of emotional stress and in my experience, often correlated with adrenal fatigue.

Research conducted at The Center for the Investigation of Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison shows that mind­ful­ness prac­tices such as meditation can even have positive effects on some of the acti­va­tion pat­terns in the frontal lobes of your brain.[ii]
See The Gift
Remember also that sometimes the things that we have to be grateful for don’t seem that way at first. Know that it is  in your darkest moments that the seed of gratitude is often born.  Believe me, when I was sitting at home in constant pain after my car accident, no longer able to practice Emergency Medicine,  I never believed that I would actually become grateful for that event.   It has led me to a whole new way of thinking about illness and health, and ultimately to a new, more effective and rewarding way of practicing medicine.

Robert Emmons is a Pro­fes­sor of Psy­chol­ogy at UC Davis and is Editor-In-Chief of the Jour­nal of Pos­i­tive Psy­chol­ogy. He has been studying gratitude for over 10 years and has written the book “Thanks: How the New Sci­ence of Grat­i­tude Can Make You Hap­pier”.  He has conducted studies on gratitude and based on his results, offers the following suggestions:

• Ask yourself before you go to bed and first thing when you awaken: “What do I have to be grateful for today?”

• Keep a gratitude journal.  Dr. Emmons  in his research found that a few hours writ­ing a grat­i­tude jour­nal over 3 weeks can cre­ate an effect that lasts 6 months or more. Benefits reported     included longer and bet­ter qual­ity sleep time.

• Call, write or meet and tell someone in your life how grateful you are for them and why.  The health benefits will be huge for you and for them.

I feel that emotional stress has such a profound impact on health that in the next few weeks Full Potential Healthcare will be announcing some new diagnostic tools to assess your stress levels and cardiovascular functioning  We will also have new treatment protocols.  In the meantime, start cultivating an attitude of gratitude.

I am personally grateful for your support  in allowing me the opportunity to share my message of health.  To our readers here in the US, I wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving.  And to all a life filled with gratitude and good health.

To Your Best Health,

Mike Bauerschmidt, MD, CCT

In the last newsletter I talked about iodine and breast health.  Today I want to make you aware of the other nutrient that I think is most important  for breast health: Vitamin D.
I believe that there is a worldwide pandemic that the World Health Organization is not recognizing.  It’s not swine flu. It’s not Ebola or flesh-eating bacteria.  It’s vitamin D deficiency.

Vitamin D deficiency has been found in 36% of young, otherwise healthy adults, 42% of black women between the ages of 15 and 49 and 57% of adults admitted to a general medicine ward.

Vitamin D receptors are found throughout your body.  The vitamin has long been known for its role in calcium metabolism and bone health.  Low levels of vitamin D result in poor intestinal absorption of calcium, rickets, osteoporosis, osteomalacia (softening of the bones) and increased risk of fractures.   It is now recognized that Vitamin D deficiency also increases your risk of breast cancer.
A study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology in 2009 showed that Vitamin D deficiency is common among women diagnosed with breast cancer. A study conducted by  the Women’s Health Initiative found that women who had adequate levels of Vitamin D lowered their risk of breast cancer by almost 50%.

Vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble pro hormones.   The two major forms of Vitamin D are vitamin D₂ and vitamin D₃. Vitamin D obtained from sun exposure, food, and supplements is biologically inert and must undergo two hydroxylation reactions in the liver and kidneys to be activated in the body. Calcidiol, AKA 25-hydroxyvitamin D,  is the active form of vitamin D found in the body.

Vitamin D deficiency is defined as low serum levels of 25-hydoxyvitamin D.  This is the primary circulating form of vitamin D.  Low levels are defined as less than 20 ng/mL.  Your Intestinal absorption of calcium is optimized and fracture risk is reduced by a daily vitamin D3 intake of 2200 IU in addition to usual sunlight exposure.

Now there’s the rub.  In our industrialized society, most of us don’t get the daily dose of sunlight we need to metabolize Vitamin D in our skin.  Sunscreen further reduces your  UVB exposure. Therefore you may need supplementation in excess 2200 IU just to protect your muscuoskeletal system.

In addition, the RDA’s of vitamins are based on the amount required to prevent disease, not to create good health.  There is evidence that serum calcidiol levels of not  just 20 ng/mL but between 40-80 ng/mL are required for optimal health.  This level of serum calcidiol requires a daily oral intake of between 2750 and 5500 IU of vitamin D3, in addition to the production in your skin.  With low sun exposure, your daily requirement could be higher. I see best results in patients with serum D levels of 60-100 ng/mL.

Vitamin D3 is naturally found in oily fish such as sardines, salmon and mackerel.  One of the richest food sources  of vitamin D3 is cod liver oil.  Yet even cod liver oil contains only 400 IU per teaspoon.  Milk is fortified with only 400 IU per quart.  Therefore food sources alone do not provide enough Vitamin D3.

I feel so strongly about the role of vitamin D in preventing disease, that I have worked for many months with a vitamin formulator to develop an outstanding vitamin D formula.  It contains 5,000 iu of Vitamin D3 along with the bone-building factors strontium and vitamin K.  It also includes a blend of minerals, essential fatty acids, organic whole foods and a marine blend, along  with a package of support ingredients for digestive function to increase absorption.  I believe that this is truly the best vitamin D supplement available on the market today and one very simple thing that you can do every day to protect your health. We will be offering it for sale on our website very soon.  In the meantime, if you would like a bottle, call the office at 954-306-6497.

Iodine is an essential mineral.  After the thyroid, the breast is the second largest user of iodine. Scientific evidence connects inadequate dietary iodine with higher instances of breast cancer. Japanese women, who consume an average of 14 mgs of elemental iodine daily, have the lowest prevalence of breast and reproductive cancers in the world.

In the US, bread was a daily source of sufficient iodine until the 1960’s because the industry used iodine as a dough conditioner in bread and baked goods.  At that time, breast cancer risk in the U.S was one in 20 women.  Due to bromine being cheaper and easier to come by, it has been substituted for iodine by the food processing industry.  Since then, the breast cancer rate in the US has steadily risen and currently stands at one in eight women, increasing 1% per year.

In addition to bromine, our exposure to fluorine and chlorine also conspire to interfere with iodine absorption,  thyroid function and breast health.  Iodine, bromine, fluorine and chlorine are all in the same halide family in the periodic table of elements, meaning that they all share similar chemical structures and actions.  In the body, chlorine, bromine and fluorine displace iodine in the thyroid hormone and in your tissues. And your exposure is widespread and daily, from your morning shower to your computer:

Increased consumption of and exposure to bromine, chlorine and fluorine cause complications because they all displace what little iodine you do have, further lowering tissue iodine levels.  Why is this so important to your  breast health? Iodine stimulates the metabolism of the more potent estrogens estradiol and estrone into weaker estriol, which increases your cancer protection.  Also, when there is sufficient iodine in your system, bromine, chlorine and fluorine are eliminated from your body..

Remove the offending chemicals wherever possible.  Use filters to remove chlorine from drinking water and showers.  There are ionizers that can attach to pool filters that reduce the amount of chlorine required.  We have one on our pool filter and hot tub.

Look for breads without “potassium bromate”. Substitute sprouted grain breads as they don’t contain bromine.  Eat organic fruits and vegetables as much as possible, and be particularly aware of non organic strawberries as they are commonly sprayed with methyl bromide.

Fish are a source of iodine.  Beware of high mercury levels as an undesirable trade-off.  Sea vegetables such as red and brown seaweed will also add some iodine to your diet.  However, unless you eat them daily, additional supplementation may be required.

Before beginning an iodine supplementation program be aware that your thyroid may become enlarged or tender.  It has likely been deprived of the nutrient for so long that it may want to store extra.  This symptom will usually pass with time or with a slight reduction in dosage.  It is best if you work with a physician who understands thyroid physiology and can help guide you on a path to your best breath health and thyroid function.

Acupuncture’s effectiveness…for the relief of some types of pain and nause. There is evidence that acupuncture can have a small and short-lived effect on some types of pain. There is general agreement that acupuncture is safe when administered by well-trained practitioners using sterile needles.

• Neck and Shoulder Pain

• Sciatica

• Lower Back Pain

• Headaches

• Arthritis
  

• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
  

• Infertility and reproductive disorders

• Menopausal Syndrome

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome

• Fibromyalgia
  

• Shingles
  

• Allergies

• Smoking Cessation and Addictions

• Skin conditions

• Weight Management

• Digestive Disorders

• Immune Disorders

• Anti-aging and aesthetic improvement

I am delighted to announce that Rev. Jessie Keener, ND has joined the Full Potential Health Care team.  Dr. Keener is a nutritionist with a background in naturopathic medicine and herbology.  She treats nutritional stress, which in turn facilitates gentle, effective healing of the body.  Dr. Keener’s unique  toolkit includes Kinesiology muscle testing and Sclerology – analysis of the whites of your eyes as indicators of stress on your organs and systems.  Dr. Keener also provides nutritional counseling and natural supplement, herbal and homeopathic protocols.

I am also pleased to welcome Amy Shumway, DC.  Dr. Shumway practices chiropractic medicine.  She uses gentle manipulation of the spine in addition to other modalities such as manual therapy, trigger point therapy  and cranial therapy to align the body and relieve pain.

In our last issue I mentioned that Dr. Reina Carioti  would be bringing her acupuncture, Biopuncture and Natural Facial Rejuvenation treatments to FPHC.   I am  pleased to announce that the response has been so great that Dr. Carioti is now at FPHC full time providing these services.

At FPHC we have a  full range of natural modalities to get and keep you well -  no matter what health and beauty symptoms or challenges you might be facing.

Call the office at 954-306-6497 to make and appointment or to learn more.  The scheduling line for Drs. Keener and Shumway is 954-640 -9893.

It’s Breast Cancer Awareness month.  The article below includes some important information on real early detection in addition to a special offer.

To your best health,

Mike Bauerschmidt, MD

October is a beautiful time of year. The country’s temperatures cool and the landscape is painted in wonderful fall colors. South Florida also cools and while our colors don’t change we are subjected to “pinkwashing”.

I have lost count of the number of events that I have been asked to participate in and donate to on behalf of “Breast Cancer Awareness”.  Is there anyone who is not “aware” of breast cancer?  Who has not been touched by breast cancer because of a friend, relative or loved one? In 2006, 191,410 women were diagnosed with breast cancer and 40,820 women died from breast cancer.

Breast cancer does not discriminate.  It is the number one cause of cancer death in Hispanic women. It is the second most common cause of cancer death in white, black, Asian and American Indian women. And it touches women of all economic levels.

Breast Cancer Awareness month encourages screening. According to the American Cancer Society, women diagnosed with stage-one breast disease have a 100% chance of survival.   So why is it that in the United States, breast cancer is still the leading cause of cancer death among women between the ages of 20 and 59 and is the leading cause of cancer death for women worldwide?

Because the most popular screening method is mammography.  I don’t believe it  is the best or earliest detection method available.

Mammograms use ionizing radiation to look for a tumor. The tumor will be seen on the X-Ray as small clusters of calcium or a mass with a different density than the surrounding tissue. The problem is that by the time a mammogram detects a tumor it is years into its growth cycle.  For patients with breast cancers identified in later stages, there are fewer treatment options and the survival rates are much lower.

Infrared Breast Thermography can see the effects of breast cancers while they are still in their earliest stages of development by identifying and measuring metabolic changes in a patient’s physiology. For cancer cells to grow faster than the surrounding tissue they need additional blood flow. To get the additional blood flow, these cells tell the body to build new blood vessels and to supply the greatest possible volume of blood from the existing blood vessels. Infrared Mammography detects the increased blood flow needed by cancer cells early in their development by measuring the additional heat radiating from the skin.

Infrared Breast Thermography is entirely non-contact (no painful compression of your breasts between plates of glass), non-invasive (no injections of harmful dyes or contrast mediums into your blood stream), and involves no exposure to radiation.  Did you know that the radiation exposure of your yearly mammogram increases your breast cancer risk by 1-3%?

I was introduced to Infrared Breast Thermography while co-leading a workshop for cancer survivors called “What’s Next For My Life”.  In this workshop we help those fortunate enough to survive cancer to go forward after the devastating, life-altering experience of cancer and its treatment. I decided to incorporate this life-saving technology in my practice because I want to do everything that I can do to reduce the number of lives that are affected by breast cancer.

For the month of October we are offering $25 off of our Infrared Breast Thermography.   That is $225 for new patients and $175 for established patients.  At FPHC we use the “Cold Challenge Protocol” so unlike other thermograms you don’t need to return in a few months for a second set of images.  To take advantage of this offer call the office at (954) 306-6497.

In our next issue I will discuss other natural approaches to breast cancer prevention.

Custom-compounded BHRT is a practice almost wholly restricted to the United States. BHRT is a form of alternative medicine, and has been promoted as a panacea for many diseases rather than a means of relieving the symptoms of menopause and/or reducing the risk of osteoporosis (the goals of traditional hormone replacement therapy).

A major controversy in the treatment of hypothyroidism concerns the use of natural glandular concentrates or extracts containing thyroid hormone vs. Synthetic (laboratory-made) thyroid hormone. The synthetic product is promoted by pharmaceutical companies and most endocrinologists. Most closely resemble natural hormone thyroid hormone. At the proper dose, natural thyroid hormone works quite well and are preferred by nearly all “natural” or “alternative” physicians. Peer review journal articles have proven the benefit of ‘natural thyroid’ and T3 to improve general well being and decreasing depression.

Thermology is the medical science that derives diagnostic indications from diagnostic-quality infrared images of the human body by the use of highly-resolute and sensitive infrared (thermographic) cameras. Breast thermography utilizes the principles of thermology as a diagnostic technique in the early detection of breast cancer in a clinical setting or as a monitor of its treatment. Breast thermography is completely non-contact and imparts no form of radiation energy onto or into the body.

EDTA, a man-made amino acid, is the chemical substance used to bind the toxic metals. This substance is injected into the patient’s vein via intravenous chelation therapy. This procedure can take up to three hours and patients generally need up to 30 sessions. These sessions are administered throughout several weeks. Although intravenous chelation therapy is mainly used to treat metal poisonings, some also use it to treat heart conditions like arteriosclerosis, the hardening of the arteries. There are several practitioners who believe that intravenous chelation therapy can be used to removed calcium deposits and plaques from the arteries in order to prevent heart attacks and strokes. There are 60,000 miles of veins and arteries in the body and it is difficult for nutrients and oxygen to reach vital organs if the arteries and veins are clogged with toxic wastes and debris.

An Overlooked Cause of Depression & Brain Fog

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Anne is a lovely 57 year old.  She came to me after she had been everywhere and tried everything.  On bio-identical hormones since the age of 48, she confessed that she has struggled with brain fog, low energy, concentration problems and depression since she was 45. With every new doctor, the hormones made her feel good for a few months and then it was back to tired and depressed. She was finally diagnosed with ADHD and had been put on stimulants so that she could focus at work.  On top of that, one of the doctors who had prescribed her hormones had uncovered severe osteoporosis with minor spine fractures.  She had been treated with injectable Forteo.

An alarm went off when I heard about the osteoporosis.  You see, lead, a toxic heavy metal, is typically stored deep in the bones. At menopause or perimenopause many women are susceptible to osteoporosis.  The dissolving of the bones releases the stored lead.  This released lead can cause depression, brain fog, and fatigue.

Unfortunately most of us (men and women) who grew up while leaded gasoline was still around have elevated levels of lead stored in our bones.  I am increasingly of the belief that this lead-osteoporosis connection is an overlooked source of depression as well as dementia in aging women as well as men.

As expected, Anne tested very high for lead. She also showed elevated levels of mercury – in large part due to the many old silver fillings in her teeth.  This lead/mercury combination results in a synergistic effect, amplifying the signs and symptoms of both metals. So, the unfortunate Anne had the “Double Whammy”!  Anne has started chelation and is having her amalgams removed.  She says that she is feeling better than she has in years – the bio-identical hormones are finally working, she has consistent energy and is more buoyant.  “I knew it was supposed to be like this!”

What Can You Do?

Unfortunately, there aren’t any at-home remedies that I can in good conscience recommend for this condition.  Despite advertising claims, oral herbal and other chelators such as chlorella are not effective in removing metals from bone.  There are only three ways of removing heavy metals: Oral DMSA for lead and most heavy metals, oral DMPS which is only good for mercury and IV EDTA and DMPS. My major concern in starting oral chelation is that metals, particularly mercury, can reside in your GI tract. Using oral chelation initially can result in recirculating and possibly reabsorbing the metals through your liver. This can result in a detox reaction; something you want to avoid. So that is why whatever chelation form you decide on we always support your liver, kidneys and adrenals through out the process. Bottom line the metals must go!

You also can and should avoid osteoporosis.  The first thing is to eat a diet that is not overly acidic. (Above all eliminate all carbonated drinks!) When your diet is overly acidic, the calcium and phosphorous in your bones are recruited to act as buffering agents to normalize your blood pH.  The second thing in warding off osteoporosis is maintaining your vitamin D levels. Vitamin D is required in order for calcium to be deposited in your bones. I recommend a minimum level of 80. I have only a handful of patients that have tested that high on their initial visit. So if you think you have adequate vitamin D, get tested to be sure. Finally, balancing you hormones will go a long way towards keeping your bones and many other organs healthy.