Yeast Overgrowth Syndrome

Posted on January 2, 2013 by mcminnclinic

“I never got better until they treated the yeast.” I have heard this statement many times from patients suffering from various maladies such as headaches, brain fog, depression, irritable bowel, chronic sinusitis, weight gain, and fatigue. Due to the modern day world that we live in I am seeing more and more people suffering with yeast overgrowth. Old fashioned doctors used to say that “good health starts in the gut.” I think that they were right.

Poor gut health can manifest itself in many ways. Ideally we have a perfect balance in our guts with good bacteria, bad bacteria, and yeast. It is a symbiotic relationship. We can not live without our friends the “good bacteria.” Yet the modern American lifestyle tends to promote poor gut health. The standard American diet (or SAD diet) is full of sugar, simple carbs, and processed food, which is not good for the body, but which is ideal for the overgrowth of yeast. Yeast loves to feed off of sugar. When you combine this with the overuse of antibiotics in our society, it makes for a toxic environment in our guts, and that is often the beginning of a slippery slope to worsening health.

Chronic sinusitis is a classic example. We go to the doctor with a stuffy nose, and the standard response is to start antibiotics. However, according to the Mayo Clinic “fungus (yeast) is the likely cause of nearly all of these problems.” So in the long run, if we don’t treat the yeast, the antibiotics kill the bacteria, promote more yeast overgrowth and they can actually make the problem worse.

At McMinn Clinic we have Yeast Overgrowth Syndrome on our radar screen, and when appropriate we treat yeast overgrowth with a comprehensive and robust anti-fungal protocol. We have been blessed with many testimonials from our patients with stories of recovery, often after suffering with symptoms of yeast overgrowth for many years.

Call McMinn Clinic at 868-1313 and set up your appointment for a thorough evaluation for yeast overgrowth syndrome.

Integrative Medicine….The Next Frontier

Posted on May 3, 2011 by mcminnclinic

The patient, the patient, the patient! It’s all about the patient. As a physician, or for that matter any sort of healer, we must never lose our focus as to our most important mission. It is to use our knowledge, experience, listening skills, examination findings, referral network, and test results to help every patient reach his or her maximal potential in mind, body, and spirit. Mother Theresa had a wonderful saying: “one, by one, by one.” Also, in medicine, we must realize that each patient is unique and different, and what therapy one patient responds to, another may not.

Integrative medicine, also called complimentary medicine, attempts to do just that. It is individualized, patient focused, open minded, evidence based, and outcomes oriented. It has an expanded toolbox of therapies. Too many times in this world we tend to put up walls, which define traditional turf battles. The Hatfields hate the McCoys, The Tutsies battle with the Hutus. Alabama and Auburn fans aren’t always the best of friends on game day. Thereto in medicine, healers sometimes lose focus on what is important. Instead of an open- minded search for the best treatment for the patient, we tend to look at the possibilities through a narrowly focused set of glasses. To a hammer, all the world looks like a nail. Likewise, many healers can’t look past their own discipline, training, and bias to consider other modalities, which may ultimately produce the best result for the patient.

Traditional western medicine is a marvel of scientific endeavor. Were it not for this amazing medical discipline, I and many of my family members would not be alive today. I stand in awe of many of the modern high tech capabilities of today’s doctors. However, I and other integrative medicine practitioners also realize that there are also other modalities, which have been utilized for hundreds or perhaps thousands of years, which should also be considered while devising the patient’s treatment plan. These modalities may include nutritional therapies, detoxification, mind body therapies, massage, spiritual healing, breath work, hormone balancing, neurotransmitter adjustment, and acupuncture.
I have personally had patients who have responded well with Acupuncture, who had previously found no relief at vaunted medical institutions such as Mayo Clinic.

I do believe that integrative medicine is the wave of the future. Little by little, patients finding that the old model of “sick care” is not working for them. They get sick, go to the doctor, and get on pill after pill. They are awakening to a new approach, which is true wellness medicine. They are demanding a change, and the medical community is starting to listen. Ten years ago integrative medicine was not on the radar screen. Now you will find that Harvard, Duke, Mayo Clinic, Stanford, Vanderbilt, and Cleveland Clinic (just to name a few) all have integrative medical clinics. The tide is slowly turning toward a more open minded and inclusive form of medicine, and in the long run doctors and patients will both benefit.

Restorative Sleep

Posted on February 5, 2011 by mcminnclinic

Consistent deep restorative sleep is powerful medicine. Lack of sleep, on the other hand, will eventually take its toll on the victim. Sleep is often the first domino to fall. With chronic sleep deprivation, we then get fatigue as well as a host of diseases: obesity, depression and other mental illnesses, autoimmune diseases, high blood pressure, arthritic, fibromyalgia, heartburn, chronic pain syndrome, headaches, decreased sex drive, increased risk of diabetes, car accidents, industrial accidents, lost jobs, and failed marriages.

Sleep problems must be aggressively remedied. Here are some options:

• It starts with the discipline to get to bed on time.
• Sleep hygiene- setting the conditions right for sleep.
• “Natural Sleep Aids:” Kavinace, 5HTP, Natural bio-identical hormones (especially melatonin, and progesterone), herbs (such as passion flower, chamomile, valerian), L-theanine, phosphatidyl Serine
• Devices and techniques that may help: Neurofeedback, biofeedback, CES device (cranial electrical stimulation), Lifewave nanotechnology patch, magnets
• Medications: Klonapin, Xanax, Ambien, Elavil, Flexeril, Trazadone, Lunesta, Roserum, Doxepin, Xyrum
• Avoid sleep aids that block the deep restorative sleep such as benadryl (found in man of the “PM” such as Tylenol PM, Zanaflex, Ativan, Valium, Tranxene, Serax, Librium, and Restoril.
• Other modalities which may help promote a restful night’s sleep include relaxation techniques (such as deep breathing and biofeedback), a hot bath, and hypnosis.
• Exercise earlier in the day may help promote sound sleep, but don’t exercise too close to bedtime.
• Avoid drinking alcohol late in the evening. This may make you drowsy, but it may block the stage 4 sleep.
• Quit smoking. Nicotine is a stimulant.
• Acupuncture may also be quite helpful.

Sleep hygiene options include the following:

*Take a “mini-vacation” one hour before bed
*Avoid late meals
*Don’t drink too much water before bedtime.
*No caffeine after 3 PM.
*Do not use the bedroom for work.
*The bedroom is only for sleeping and intimacy
*Take a hot bath before bed (try some Epsom salts)
*White noise (such as a fan, air conditioner, or a “sleep mate”)
*Keep the bedroom cool
*No TV in the bedroom
*No TV watching or computer for 1 hour before bed.
*Keep the light’s low during the hour before bed.
*Once you go to bed, keep the room completely dark.
*If your partner snores, sleep in a separate room or wear earplugs,
*Put the bedroom clock out of reach and turned away from you.
*Consider a light snack before bed
*Avoid long naps
*Go to bed and awaken at the same time every day.

Sleep studies may be helpful to determine the cause of the problem. NeuroScience offers a “sleep kit” which tests the patient’s levels of the neurotransmitters and hormones in the middle of the night which may be contributing to the problem of insomnia. By better understanding the root of the problem, we are then able to design a program to remedy the issue.

Sleep apnea studies may also be helpful. These may be done in a sleep lab, or they may be done at home in the comfort of your own bed. Sleep apnea is a serious disease. It must be considered, and if present it must be adequately treated.

In summary, do not accept poor sleep in your life. It will take its toll. Aggressively get after it. In my practice most patients are able to overcome the problem with “natural” remedies, however, some need medications. At the end of the day, my motto is “Whatever it takes!”