Dr. Don Davis

Dizziness & Imbalance Isn’t All In Your Head

May 31, 2013 by Dr. Don Davis 1 Comment

If you have dizziness, vertigo or balance problems, you are not alone. In adults, about half report episodes of these problems to their doctor every year. In fact, among adults 65 or older, falls caused by vertigo, dizziness, and balance problems are the leading cause of injury and death. And it’s not just an issue of the inner ear or sinuses; these problems can be the result of a complex web of neurological, hormonal, immune, mechanical and nutritional problems.

These balance disorders are generally named from the symptoms they cause, like “the room is spinning” (vertigo), a feeling of clumsiness (ataxia), and seeing something that overwhelms the brain and gives the feeling of spinning (visual vertigo). There are also problems where inflammation will cause hearing loss, nausea and ringing in the ears (tinnitus). And of course we all know about the dizziness we get when riding in the back seat of a car.

The secret to improved balance and the freedom it gives you, is realizing that these disorders are a complex interaction of body systems of the brain, vestibular system, and multiple organ function. This is where you truly find the “cause.” Addressing only the middle ear will unfortunately leave most patients with continued symptoms.

In the past, treatment for dizziness and vertigo was limited to the drug Meclizine, a vestibular suppressant that had inconsistent results. But in the last ten years, the understanding of the brain has exploded. This research has shown that dizziness and balance is also related to other conditions such as panic attacks, anxiety, movement disorders, Parkinson’s, essential tremor and brain injury which can predispose premature fall risk. And as this information increased, it has lead to extensive new therapies and treatments.

To properly move through your life without dizziness, three senses must be intact and in very good working order: vestibular (inner ear), vision (shows you where you are in space) and proprioception from the neck (lets you feel where you are in space). Then your brain, using the cerebellum (that wiggly thing at the back of the brain) compiles all that information and creates a 3-D view we can use to jump, run and play. When one or more of the eyes, ears or neck are out of sync (including the frontal and parietal lobes of the brain), we get dizzy—the room begins to spin.

Reconnecting these areas is the only way to effectively solve the dizziness problem. I’ve found that the most successful approach to be functional-neurological rehabilitation—specific exercises that can be thought of as “activations” that re-synchronize the areas of the brain that are underperforming. Using extensive examination procedures like eye movement videography and functional neurological evaluation, and then creating an individualized treatment program that targets those findings leads to the best result possible.

Equally important is setting the stage metabolically so that the neurons involved are not being damaged by inflammation are not running out of fuel, so they can function properly. Essentially, this is a balancing act, making sure that the brain has the proper fuel (glucose and oxygen), the proper activation and the proper environment (no toxins). I can’t stress enough how important it is to investigate all these areas and scientifically design a treatment program that can address any areas of weakness. By implementing dietary alterations and targeted natural supplementation we can provide the support needed to activate weakened brain cells.

All together, the specific neurological activation and the metabolic improvement in the brain environment can bring balance to your body and brain.

Dr. Don Davis is a BOARD CERTIFIED CHIROPRACTIC NEUROLOGIST in Walnut Creek. He has been serving individuals with chronic problems for 30 years. For information about how you can get a free case review consultation, call (925) 279-4324 (HEAL). Visit us at WalnutCreekHealth.com.

Low Thyroid Disease: The Auto-Immune Connection

May 4, 2013 by Dr. Don Davis Leave a Comment

In a past article I went over the general aspects of thyroid disease and the options for successful treatment. In this article, I would like to concentrate on the most misunderstood cause of thyroid problems – an overly-active or over vigilant immune system attack on the thyroid gland. This particular autoimmune problem is called Hashimoto’s Disease. In the U.S., this is by far the most common cause of low thyroid function. In this condition the immune system, usually given the task of protecting you from foreign invader substances and organisms, falters and begins to attack the thyroid, slowly destroying tissue over time. This causes low thyroid function (hypothyroidism), leading to fatigue, hair loss, bowel problems, brain fog and a host of symptoms related to a general slowing of function in every cell in your body.

Genetics play a role here and can lead to susceptibility for thyroid disease and other autoimmune diseases as well. These diseases are known by the particular tissue the immune system attacks, like, rheumatoid arthritis (joints), celiac disease (small intestines), multiple sclerosis (central nervous system), psoriasis (skin), and, of course, Hashimoto’s disease (thyroid). It is really the immune system that is deranged and malfunctioning so it’s very important that it is evaluated and kept under control in order to decrease the potential devastating affects of this malfunction.

It sounds serious, and it is. You may be thinking, “Well if I have the gene for this, is there anything that I can do about it?” YES THERE IS! There are natural treatments that can rectify this situation and restore balance without resorting to drugs that only mask the symptoms, allowing the condition to worsen.

These genetic tendencies are both controlled and triggered by diet, stress and lifestyle. Once a gene is switched in the wrong direction you can alter these same factors, THAT YOU CONTROL, to markedly decrease the effect. This is most efficiently done by finding and fixing the things that are causing your immune over reaction. This can be difficult, but is usually possible.

Emerging theories suggest that most, if not all, immune conditions come as the result of problems with an unhealthy digestive tract. This is because it is associated with the largest total amount of immune tissue of your body.

From beginning (mouth) to end (you can guess), your digestive tract has a surface area of about two full tennis courts. This surface, if injured or inflamed by poor diet choices or toxic exposure, will allow the entrance of substances that the immune system sees as “foreign” (antigens). This triggers an antibody attack. While the digestive system is designed to extract nutrients and fluid from your dinner, it is also designed to protect the gut from antigens. Unfortunately, with poor dietary choices, the digestive tract can begin to break down and start letting harmful substances into your blood including bad bacteria, yeast and even parasites. This is called “leaky gut syndrome.” The antigens are identified as potentially harmful, and the war is “on.” Inflammation (cytokines) increases and spreads to other structures in the body including joints, organs, brain and thyroid. No wonder autoimmune conditions are so varied it their symptoms.

The thyroid is one of the most susceptible organs to the immune response. Therefore, you could use thyroid symptoms as an early indicator of an “out-of-whack” immune system. Making sure you are addressing this before more organs go off line becomes crucial to maintaining your health and quality of life. At our clinic we can use appropriate blood, hormone and gut testing to see what exactly caused the wayward immune attack and can direct a treatment program for correcting these problems. In this way, our Functional Medicine protocol produces the most effective natural approach to the thyroid/autoimmune problem so you can feel good again.

Dr. Don Davis, D.C., DACNB is a BOARD CERTIFIED CHIROPRACTIC NEUROLOGIST in Walnut Creek. He has been serving individuals with chronic pain for 30 years. For information about how you can get a free consultation with Dr. Davis, call (925) 279-4325 (HEAL). Visit us at WalnutCreekHealth.com or WalnutCreekThyroidInstitute.com

Got Stomach Acid? How to Handle Heart Burn

March 29, 2013 by Dr. Don Davis Leave a Comment

Have you ever had a pain in your upper abdomen and chest but really knew that it was your stomach talking? You’ve probably had the pain before and might have even taken Tums or Over-The-Counter medicine for a little help. When that stopped working you made your way to your doctor who gave you stronger medicine, but unfortunately the symptoms continued. Now you’ve got to take the drug all the time. Certainly, your stomach is not your friend.

This is a very common scenario. Unfortunately, it is much worse than it seems. While heartburn (acid reflux – or GERD) is no fun, the most common treatment–acid lowering drugs—actually make the problem even worse in the long run. The products used now days are drugs that neutralize the acid (antacids) or just stop it from forming in the first place (proton pump inhibitors). We’re told every day on the radio and TV that increased stomach acid is the cause of our pain. As it turns out, it is actually low stomach acid that is the real culprit.

The real reason we have heartburn, especially as we age, is because the acid will extend up into the esophagus instead of staying in the stomach. The true cause of heartburn is a faulty upper stomach sphincter that can’t properly prevent acid from entering the esophagus. Low stomach acid will increase bacterial overgrowth, which increases pressure to funnel the acid into the esophagus. In addition, under digested carbohydrates (from decreased pancreatic enzymes, creating gas) will increase this pressure with bloating driving the pressure out of the stomach.

We need stomach acid, and as we age the level of acid in the stomach decreases markedly. According to Dr. Jonathan Wright, by the time we are 45 our stomach acid had decreased a full 50%. Does that sound like we need to decrease our stomach acid? And it’s no surprise that heartburn increases as we age as well.

Forcibly decreasing the acid in the stomach with anti-acid drugs will drastically reduce the stomach’s ability to digest protein and will decrease the ability to control bacterial pathogens leading to increased infections. At least eight essential nutrients are dependent on adequate stomach acid in order to be properly digested, meaning that lowered acid can cause malnutrition even when eating a healthy diet. Low acid causes less absorption of antioxidant vitamins and activation of enzymes, hormones and neurotransmitters as well. This imbalance of acid also causes changes the lower digestive tract, contributing to Irritable Bowel Syndrome, now the second-leading cause of missed work, behind only the common cold. The drug rationale is to lower the acid in the stomach so when it gets to the esophagus it causes less irritation and pain. It’s too bad that this treatment causes additional problems and a return of symptoms.

Acid-lowering drugs may temporarily decrease the pain of esophagus irritation, but they do nothing to fix the underlying cause of low stomach acid. Taking them actually saddles the patient with a lifetime of use once you start. In fact, in America, we spend more than 13 million dollars for these acid -stopping medications each year.

When we cure a disease, by definition, the cause has been eliminated and the symptoms don’t return. But for the drugs used in treating heart burn and GERD, the symptoms return when the drug is stopped and many times they are worse than before treatment.

There are several tests we can use to test your normal amount of stomach acid but the best approach is to use a trial of stomach enzymes to find out your particular optimal level of acid. When this is done, the pain decreases, flatulence and bloating abates, proper absorption of nutrients occurs and you feel good again. This approach, along with a complete evaluation of small intestine and large intestine health, is necessary to fully bring the gastrointestinal system back on line.

Dr. Don Davis, D.C., DACNB is a BOARD CERTIFIED CHIROPRACTIC NEUROLOGIST in Walnut Creek. He has been serving individuals with chronic pain for 30 years. For information about how you can get a free consultation with Dr. Davis, call (925) 279-4324 (HEAL). Visit us at WalnutCreekHealth.com

The New Migraine – It May Not Be What You think

March 6, 2013 by Dr. Don Davis Leave a Comment

If you have ever experienced a migraine, you know that very few maladies compare to the severe pain, intensity and nearly total brain and body shutdown of a migraine. Even worse, research shows (JAMA) migraine to be a progressive brain disease and more and more people suffer from them. It’s not surprising that migraines are on the rise considering the hectic pace of life, worries about money, lack of time for work, play and family. But what concerns me even more is the dependency on drugs that don’t contribute to improved health but do lead to a long list of moderate to severe side effects from the long term use, and can result in an increase in the severity and frequency of subsequent episodes.

Looking for the causes (triggers) of migraine can be a daunting task. These include alcohol, missing meals, dehydration, hormone changes, low blood sugar, etc. Because the cause(s) can often be traced to diet and lifestyle, making appropriate changes can improve or even eliminate the condition for many people.

You may already know that migraines typically affect one side of the head and can be accompanied with nausea vomiting and vision changes. But the long held theory about the root cause of migraine—that changes in blood vessels are responsible for the throbbing brain pain with each heartbeat, is now changing.

The New Migraine: Studies now show that during your migraine, a slow excitation, electrical wave is followed by a wave “spreading cortical depression.” These waves of electrical excitation and depression cause blood vessel constriction and low oxygen, and are responsible for the “Aura” of migraine. This cycle may begin 24 hours before the attack and causes inflammation which then leads to irritation of cranial nerves in the brain (specifically the trigeminal nerve) and severe pain to the face and head. This nerve activation causes a release of brain chemicals called neuropeptides like substance P and serotonin. When this occurs, pain can spread to other places in the body. Many brain areas are involved in this process (the hypothalamus, raphe nucleus, locus coeruleus, substantia nigra, red nucleus and glia) and so we know that migraine is really a brain dysfunction rather than a vessel problem as previously thought. Either way, the migraine event can last for days with impaired thinking, mood changes, sleep disturbance and lingering pain.

WHAT DO YOU DO NOW?

Since we know that migraine is both neurological and inflammatory, it should be approached with holistic techniques that deal with those conditions. Our functional medicine/chiropractic neurology approach is to direct our attention toward the brain by balancing brain areas of decreased function. During a migraine episode blood flow changes occur in specific areas of the brain along with increased nerve sensitivity. This can be addressed with specific and precise neurological techniques to stimulate the areas of decreased function that are allowing blood vessels to expand and contract abnormally. Also eliminating mechanical triggers like spinal imbalance can stop headaches caused by nerve compression. In addition electrical stimulation at the front or back of the head has been shown to be helpful in reducing the migraine frequency.

The inflammatory aspects of migraine are even more complex. This is because many of the problems have been laying in wait for months or years. Inflammation, whether it is in the nerve or at the system level is not only a concern in regard to headache but for heart disease, Alzheimer’s, joint degeneration and autoimmune conditions. With the aid of both laboratory testing and neurological examination a non-drug brain strengthening protocol is implemented to stabilize the imbalances present and a natural metabolic approach to decrease brain inflammation. So, if your current level of health care frustrates you, consider our approach, which has been very successful decreasing the severity and frequency of migraine.

If you are interested in seeing if you are a candidate for our breakthrough procedures for treating Migraines and Chronic Headaches give us a call at (925) 279-4325 or visit WalnutCreekHealth.com to schedule a free consultation with Dr. Davis.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome – “It’s Just a Gut Feeling I Have”

February 5, 2013 by Dr. Don Davis Leave a Comment

If you have Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), you know the feeling even though you may not know the name. It may start with indigestion, bloating and gas and then progress to heartburn, reflux, GERD (Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease), abdominal pain and cramping, diarrhea, constipation or both, abnormal frequency or urgency, vomiting, hemorrhoids or any other gut symptom that you experience and causes you dismay.

You’ve probably traveled the disheartening journey from over-the-counter medications like Tagamet, Pepcid or Tums to your primary doctor for Prilosec, Nexium or possibly Propulsid and then to the gastroenderologist for colonoscopy, barium enemas, MRI’s and CT scans. Along the way, you have probably realized that some foods increase your symptoms and so now you may be afraid to eat. In the end, you continue to suffer and are now considering antidepressants.

The most effective approach is much simpler than you think, but it does require a plan. The first thing to consider is that the cause of gut problems is probably not a recent event. It is likely that this has been developing for quite some time and so it may be difficult to precisely put your finger on the exact cause, but the only way to expect a lasting solution is to get at what is the CAUSE of your problem. IBS is a problem of three fundamental conditions: bacteria, chemistry and inflammation. Each slowly leads to the next until the symptoms are out of control. This may take years to fully develop but you won’t realize it because the digestive tract has no pain receptors to let you know that troubles are on the way.

Drugs (with their predictable consequences and side effects) may temporarily decrease your pain or nausea but your system is not improved in any way and may actually result in decreased absorption of nutrients allowing your underlying condition to worsen. I’m sure you know that something is wrong but you don’t have to live with it.

GOOD BACTERIA

A healthy environment in the digestive tract is maintained by bacteria balance and dominance of good bacteria over the bad. The good bacteria set up an environment that properly digests food, maintains proper acid/base relationships, and produces and absorbs vitamins and minerals. Unfortunately, this balance is quite easily destroyed by antibiotics. Any dose will kill bacteria, and each time they are used it becomes more difficult to get the proper bacteria to come up to the right levels. This balance can also be destroyed by poor diet, alcohol, micronutrient deficiency, decreased digestive enzymes, prescription and self-medications (Advil, Motrin, etc.) or an autoimmune condition like thyroid disease.

Without the proper balance of good to bad bacteria the chemistry of the gut begins to change. Digestive enzymes decrease in the stomach and small intestine, which then prevents proper digestion of protein and fat, leading to malnutrition and severe inflammation that spreads through the entire body causing joint pain, skin problems and brain fog.

Other Causes of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

H. pylori infection. A bacteria that causes almost all stomach ulcers.
Stress which decreases stomach acid production, which then leads to decreased digestive enzymes.
Slow transit time (low thyroid conditions
Alcohol consumption.
The Western diet – highly processed, refined and cooked foods contain no enzymes.
Intestinal inflammation and auto-immune response (Gut associated lymphoid tissue)
Age – Evidence suggests that increased age is accompanied with decreased digestive enzyme production.

There is good news.

We can easily establish the bacterial balance and normal chemistry by supplying the nutrients and bacteria that have been destroyed. This can really been done! Gut testing can direct our approach so we don’t have to waist time hunting for the right combination of targeted supplementation, diet change, and lifestyle modification.

Digestion can also be improved by adding digestive enzymes to adjust the proper acid/base relationships to control indigestion, bloating and gas, again improving the chemistry where the bacteria live. Slowly, the environment begins to improve and the inflammation in the walls of the gut begins to decrease leading to an improved immune picture.

Dr. Don Davis, D.C., DACNB is a BOARD CERTIFIED CHIROPRACTIC NEUROLOGIST in Walnut Creek. He has been serving individuals with chronic pain for 30 years. For information about how you can get a free consultation with Dr. Davis, call (925) 279-4324 (HEAL). Visit us at WalnutCreekThyroidInstitute.com

The Latest “Secret” to Weight Loss – – LEPTIN

January 14, 2013 by Dr. Don Davis Leave a Comment

Or, Why Don’t I Lose Weight Even Though I Diet and Exercise

We all know at least a few things that are supposed to make us lose weight. Sayings like “eating less, exercising more” come to mind (turns out that this isn’t that effective). Some of you may have heard that decreased sleep or eating at night will lead to weight gain, while others remember that a healthy thyroid is the most important weight-controlling factor. How about “eat less fat” or “eat less carbs.” Well, it turns out that even though all of these things are important, it’s actually your brain that holds the secret to stable, long term weight loss.

Your brain communicates with all of your endocrine glands through feedback loops that control the actions of each organ. The weight loss success I’ve seen in my office is due to our ability to address errors in communication between the brain and body. This brain-body feedback — homeostasis, is what controls our fat forming or fat burning status.

The brain utilizes several feedback loops to control weight, or more specifically regulate fat. The most important are those that control and modulate the:

Thyroid gland
Adrenal gland
Sugar metabolism / pancreas
Liver / Gastrointestinal imbalances
Inflammation
Sex hormone imbalances

All of these must be functioning well if weight control is to be effective for the long run. To do this, one more feedback loop absolutely has to be managed, and that is the Leptin Loop.

Leptin, a hormone produced by the white adipose (fat) tissue was first discovered in 1994. At first the immense importance of this hormone was not fully apparent. Some scientists now feel that Leptin is the most important hormone in the body. Leptin acts on the central nervous system by suppressing food intake and stimulating energy usage. Essentially, it tells the brain when we are full. But research began to show that overweight individuals have far more serum leptin than normal weight people.

The question became “Why would Leptin, a hormone that normally maintains leanness be so high in those that are the most obese? The answer was found in diabetics.

Type II diabetics can produce plenty of insulin but it is not used because of constant high levels of sugar. The elevated sugar and insulin cause the cell receptors to “burn out” or to become resistant to insulin.

This same process occurs with Leptin, and if the levels are high, Leptin Resistance will result, confusing the brain and causing more weight gain rather than less. At that point it is almost impossible to get skinnier.

Like insulin resistance, Leptin resistance is inflammatory and leads to progressive weight gain and difficult plateaus of weight loss. But the beneath the “spare tire” lies a physiological dysfunction that dramatically increases your risk for chronic inflammatory and autoimmune conditions ranging from diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, to stroke and dementia.

Leptin only operates correctly when the thyroid, liver, adrenals, and blood sugar are normal. Because of this, attempts at developing a weight loss drug made with Leptin have been ineffective. And it’s also the reason we can turn your metabolism around. An anti-inflammatory, healing diet is the answer. This diet will reset the hormone system; normalize blood sugar; and support the thyroid, liver, gut, adrenals and lead to healthy functioning Leptin and insulin loop. The diet consists of eliminating inflammatory grains, moderating protein, increasing healthy fats, and incorporating sugar-stabilizing veggies.

Targeted supplements are usually required to increase the function of the other feedback loops we talked about earlier. Each individual has a different need and requires a different approach.

Short term effectiveness and long term stability of weight loss is hinged to the seven feedback loops. Remember it’s not only about the exercise or the calories. It’s about the evaluation where we find out by blood and hormone testing, what approach/feedback loop would be the most effective for you now and in the future.

Dr. Don Davis, D.C., DACNB is a BOARD CERTIFIED CHIROPRACTIC NEUROLOGIST in Walnut Creek. He has been serving individuals with chronic pain for 30 years. For information about how you can get a free consultation with Dr. Davis, call (925) 279-4324 (HEAL). Visit us at WalnutCreekThyroidInstitute.com

Insomnia: The 5 Problems and 5 Solutions to Perfect Sleep that You won’t Hear about on TV

December 6, 2012 by Dr. Don Davis Leave a Comment

Do you wake each morning wishing for more sleep? Are you tired of tossing and turning? Are you dependent on drugs to get you through the night? ’m sure you already know sleep medications can leave you feeling “out of it” in the morning. You also know that “forcing” your brain to sleep with medications is only a temporary solution to poor sleep.

Imagine what your life will be like when you can wake up refreshed and bubbling over with energy! There was a time in your life when you slept perfectly. Your mind and body awoke each day invigorated and you could look forward to a fresh new productive day. Along the way something changed. Unfortunately, it didn’t go back when the stressor left. Poor or inadequate sleep is one of the most frustrating and cruel things one can experience.

What’s so dangerous about insomnia is that it’s not easily seen like bruise or a broken bone. It’s usually a slow progression where you may not have any idea how this happened. Suddenly you realize that you aren’t the same person you used to be. You can’t control your emotions and certainly you can’t think clearly. Your memory is shot, you have no energy, have lost your sex drive and may be looking at some serious depression.

The FIVE problems that can rob you of your well deserved sleep.

Problem / Solution #1: Your Brain
If the brain is not balanced because of physical, emotional or chemical stress the sleep/awake centers of the brain like the tuberomammillary nucleus (TMN) or the reticular activating system (RAS) function improperly. This can also happen when the cerebellum, responsible for coordination and posture, is not functioning well and doesn’t properly signal the pathway to the RAS, resulting in disturbed sleep. This can be tested and assessed with a “Functional Neurological” examination and can be dramatically improved with targeted brain stimulation.

Problem / Solution #2: Your Adrenal Glands
Your adrenal glands, small but important hormone producers, may not be producing cortisol at the right time. Cortisol, the stress hormone, should be high in the morning when you need it to wake up and decreased at night so you can sleep. Interestingly, the area in the brain that controls this daily cycle—the hippocampus, is also the area that is responsible for short-term memory. Many times this cycle is reversed so you feel tired in the morning and awake at night. We can accurately test for this with an Adrenal Stress Index.

Problem / Solution #3: Your Thyroid Gland
Thyroid function and the production of thyroxin (T3,T4) really sets the stage for sleep/awake cycles. The thyroid releases its hormone in the morning and decreases its production in the evening. Essentially it follows the same “cortisol” rhythm as your adrenal gland. Clearly, thyroid function should be optimal to sleep. This will also help with weight loss and will improve brain function (clear the brain fog).

Problem / Solution #4: Your Hormone Balance
Hormones like testosterone, estrogen, progesterone and others can play havoc with your sleep patterns and erratic sleep patterns can mess with your hormone levels. This should be evaluated as part of a comprehensive approach to solving your sleep difficulties.

Problem / Solution #5: Your Glucose (sugar) Regulation
Blood sugar dysregulation, either hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) or insulin resistance (high blood sugar) affects the sleep system because at night fluctuations will cause spikes in adrenalin that will make you wake up and unfortunately stay up.

All of the above problems can be tested and resolved. Here at Davis Chiropractic Neurology we specialize in neurological, immunological, and endocrine sleep disorders without the use of drugs or surgery.

Dr. Don Davis, D.C., DACNB is a BOARD CERTIFIED CHIROPRACTIC NEUROLOGIST in Walnut Creek. He has been serving individuals with insomnia for 30 years. For information about how you can get a free consultation with Dr. Davis, call (925) 279-4324 (HEAL). Visit us at WalnutCreekHealth.com.

Fibromyalgia / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – What to do When the Medications Don’t Work

November 2, 2012 by Dr. Don Davis Leave a Comment

Christine was only 36 but she felt like she was at least 60. “I wasn’t sleeping, I couldn’t exercise without increasing my symptoms and I didn’t have enough energy to take care of my two children.” In short, life was miserable for Christine. She had suffered increasing pain, fatigue and insomnia for five years. Her doctors had given up and she just couldn’t take the pain anymore. Christine, and thousands like her, suffer from fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), a condition that causes a cluster of symptoms that result in multiple vicious cycles that ultimately lead to a confusing constellation of problems. Mostly affecting females, it debilitates the patient physically, emotionally, socially and spiritually.

How many of these symptoms do you have?

Chronic muscle pain, spasms, tightness or headaches
Decreased energy
Insomnia or waking up feeling just as tired as when you went to sleep
Chronic stiffness
Difficulty remembering, concentrating, and performing simple mental tasks (“fibro fog”)
Reduced tolerance for exercise
Abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, and constipation alternating with diarrhea
Sensitivity to: odors, noise, bright lights, medications, certain foods, and cold
Feeling anxious or depressed
Numbness or tingling in the face, arms, hands, legs, or feet

Many women are surprised at how many of these symptoms they check off the list. After all, they have been trying to “cope” with widespread chronic pain for years, and have eventually tried to repress their pain and suffering for the sake of trying to appear “normal.” They have tried getting help from their own doctor, an assortment of specialists and even some alternative approaches without success. The patient’s dream, the perfect drug or supplement or hormone that will take it all away, doesn’t exist.

Many doctors don’t know much about fibromyalgia, so a typical office visit (if you’re lucky) consists of some reassurance, a brochure and prescriptions that cover up the pain or other symptoms without a real attempt at finding the cause of the problem and fixing it. Even though Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is accepted as “real” condition by the Society of Rheumatology, many doctors find it hard to believe that a person could be suffering from all those complaints—especially when “all the lab tests are normal.”

Extensive research done in the last decade shows clear relationships of Fibro/CFS to brain dysfunction, hormonal imbalances, gastrointestinal problems, inflammation, immune system abnormalities, and endocrine disorders (thyroid, adrenal gland, etc.). In fact, there is convincing evidence that certain areas of the brain (shown clearly on SPECT images) are abnormally active in the brains of fibro/CFS sufferers. Fibromyalgia patients also have higher levels of two substances; a nerve chemical called substance P, and nerve growth factor in the spinal fluid. There are also low levels of serotonin, the brain chemical that is low in people with depression and anxiety.

We have found that the best approach to help patients who suffer from Fibro/CFS get their lives back is to get as much information about the effected areas as possible by doing extensive testing (blood, saliva, urine, DNA)—almost never done by your regular doctor. We then formulate individualized treatment to normalize each area of concern, one at a time. My expertise in neurology, endocrinology and the musculoskeletal system is ideal for dealing with the brain, hormone and nerve issues inherent in fibro/CFS.

Back to Christine — after treatment at our office, she is now going back to work, dancing with her husband, and her kids feel like they’ve got their mom back.

Dr. Don Davis, D.C., DACNB is a BOARD CERTIFIED CHIROPRACTIC NEUROLOGIST in Walnut Creek. He has been serving individuals with chronic pain for 30 years. For information about how you can get a free consultation with Dr. Davis, call (925) 279-4324 (HEAL). Visit us at WalnutCreekHealth.com or FibromyalgiaWalnutCreek.com

Why Do I Have Every Thyroid Symptom if My Lab Tests are Normal?

October 9, 2012 by Dr. Don Davis Leave a Comment

Thyroid hormone is a major player in our health and in determining how we feel in general. It turns out that not only is it important in our overall function, but according to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE), about 1 in 8 women from 35 to 65 years of age has low thyroid function, as does 1 in 5 over 65. What’s more, this is the tip of the iceberg because about half of the 13 million Americans who have a thyroid disorder don’t know it.

If you have hypothyroidism and are taking a prescription for thyroid hormone, it may not be enough or the right kind of treatment to actually keep your symptoms at bay. Unfortunately, in traditional western medicine there are no treatment options beyond thyroid replacement. If you are still having thyroid symptoms like weight gain, fatigue, insomnia, hair loss, brain fog, and constipation, then your only option is to take additional drugs for each and every symptom. This could include antidepressants, sleeping pills and stool softeners that don’t add to your well-being, and certainly don’t do anything to improve the function of your thyroid.

Everything in the body affects everything else. In order to properly treat and manage any chronically sick or ill patient you must look at EVERYTHING, all at once. I have low thyroid myself, and know that to effectively manage your ‘thyroid’ condition we have to look at the entire body. We call this a whole-person functional approach. There’s a night and day difference between treating a symptom, or a diagnosis, and treating the PERSON. Treating the person requires understanding the whole body — the brain & nervous system, the immune system, gastrointestinal system, hormones.

Thyroid related illnesses are more often than not diagnosed and treated in a simplistic fashion. For instance, the number one cause of low thyroid function in the United States is “Hashimoto’s Autoimmune Thyroid.” Yet, this is rarely the correct focus by your primary doctor. Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune problem, and it’s not a thyroid specific issue, in that the thyroid is not functioning because it is sick, but the immune system is overactive and attacks the thyroid, slowly destroying it cell by cell over time. No thyroid medication will do anything for this attack. If you address the autoimmune side of things as well as support the thyroid gland you can really feel good again. With autoimmune thyroid we support the immune system and the organs that function with the thyroid. That is why we test extensively to see if, for instance, you have an autoimmune condition (thyroid antibodies) or if your gut function is faulty (Gastrointestinal ecology profile), or if the adrenal glands are producing enough cortisol or DHEA hormone (Adrenal Salivary Index) or if glucose levels are surging (Fasting glucose and Hemoglobin A1c) and if liver function is up to par (liver enzyme blood tests). All of these will significantly affect your thyroid function. Commonly, the nervous system is eventually affected and we’ll do neurological testing and Brain Based Therapy (BBT) to address brain fog, balance disorders or decreased memory.

Rarely is the thyroid gland and thyroid metabolic physiology understood to clinically assess complete thyroid dysfunction. In today’s five-minute-doctor-visit-world, and with the insufficient thyroid panels that have become “standard”, the underlying cause of thyroid dysfunction is ignored or simply dismissed. Since the thyroid gland is connected to so many other systems like gastrointestinal dysfunction, immune function, adrenal hormone metabolism, stomach acid production, brain chemistry changes, and liver detoxification, its dysfunction can contribute to clinical symptoms throughout the body. These must all be addressed to lead to significant lasting improvement.

Dr. Don Davis, D.C., DACNB is a BOARD CERTIFIED CHIROPRACTIC NEUROLOGIST in Walnut Creek. He has been serving individuals with chronic pain for 30 years. For information about how you can get a free consultation with Dr. Davis, call (925) 279-4324 (HEAL). Visit us at WalnutCreekHealth.com or WalnutCreekThyroidInstitute.com

Peripheral Neuropathy – “How Can My Feet Be Numb and Hurt At the Same Time?”

September 3, 2012 by Dr. Don Davis 4 Comments

Peripheral neuropathy (PN) is truly a paradox. Everyday in my practice I hear many descriptions of pain, but when people describe their peripheral neuropathy symptoms they are both contradictory and very accurate descriptions of the underlying cause of the condition.

People frequently use unusual language to describe their symptoms:

“My toes are painful but feel numb at the same time.”
“Sometimes my feet are ice-cold but other times they burn.”
“I feel like I’m walking on sandpaper or marbles or rocks.”
“There are electrical shocks in my toes that turn to sharp stabbing pains.”
“It feels like my socks are folded over in my shoes.”
“I feel miserable one day and okay the next.”
“Why do my symptoms change when I’ve done nothing different?”
Peripheral neuropathy (PN) is a disease involving damage to the nerves that supply the legs and arms. Certain nerves carry temperature sensations (“my feet are ice-cold or hot”) and others carry information about sharp pain. Still others provide information about whether toe position is up or down, and some are there to feel vibration or control the sweat glands. There are also nerves that tell the muscles to contract or relax (“my legs feel weak”). The different sensations occur as the nerves are slowly damaged as the disease progresses. These symptoms begin because of a chemical/physical irritation that frequently can be stopped or reversed.

There are many causes of PN, and just for the record, it’s not just diabetics, post-cancer patients and MS that get neuropathy. PN is in fact a complex web of neurological, hormonal, immunological, mechanical and nutritional problems. The pain of PN is only one of the ways in which these imbalances impact one’s health.

The causes of PN fall into seven major and numerous subsidiary categories:
1. Mechanical conditions from injury, pressure on the feet, overworking a part of the body, low back disc conditions.
2. Vascular: Blockages or damage of vessels in nerves of the legs or feet.
3. Infectious conditions: Secondary to shingles, diphtheria, tetanus etc.
4. Toxic: From heavy metal like arsenic, mercury and lead; chemical from organic phosphates, drug or alcohol abuse.
5. Metabolic: From vitamin deficiencies, diabetes, pre-diabetes and other blood sugar issues, hemachromatosis (too much iron), and too many other imbalances to list in the space.
6. Electro/chemical imbalances in the parietal lobe of the brain.
7. Autoimmune and allergic responses to specific foods against the nerve tissues of the feet.
Unfortunately, even though the diagnosis of PN tells us there’s pain in the feet and hands, it doesn’t say which of the 20 or more causes need to be addressed; and most (not all) of the causes can be addressed without drugs or surgery. As you can see, there are multiple possible causes to assess and rule out in order to identify the appropriate approach to each individual’s problem. Furthermore, you can see from the list above that there is no “one size fits all” (Neurotonin, Lyrica, Tarsal Tunnel Release, Metformin, etc.) treatment for peripheral neuropathy cases because they may be from any or a combination of several of the above listed causes.

So to properly assess and treat PN, each system of the body and all potential causes must be reviewed and evaluated. Inflammatory triggers must be eliminated and imbalances in the brain, hormones, G.I tract and immune systems must be corrected. The various imbalances must be tested for and addressed in a fashion unique to that individual, in order to develop a coordinated non-drug metabolic and neurological approach for their specific cause.

What’s more, most of the common causes discovered with an orderly examination and history can be improved dramatically without drugs or surgeries. Often times, improvement can be achieved in three to six months.

Dr. Don Davis, D.C., DACNB is a BOARD CERTIFIED CHIROPRACTIC NEUROLOGIST in Walnut Creek. He has been serving individuals with chronic pain for 30 years. For information about how you can get a free consultation with Dr. Davis, call (925) 279-4324 (HEAL). Visit us at WalnutCreekHealth.com or WalnutCreekNeuropathy.com