Dr. Robert Brown

Take This Warning Seriously

August 7, 2017 by Dr. Robert Brown Leave a Comment

Let’s take a look at many diseases that are really symptoms and are truly warnings to us to correct our habits.

Arthritis: Proven by Colon Dong, over 50 years ago, to be treatable with diet.

Colitis and/or Chrones: Many causes, but commonly bad diet, food sensitivities, and change in intestinal bacteria.

Acne: Many times caused by dairy products.

Depression and Anxiety: Poor sleep, bad diet, untreated stress.

Obesity: Poor sleep, candida dominance in the intestine, poor diet, poor lifestyle.

All of the above can be covered up with drugs to ignore the WARNING.

Much of Western medicine is a result of junk science, teaching doctors to treat symptoms, not patients. It appears that the current medical establishment has a goal of forcing drugs on us to feed the monstrous cash cow. I was just informed that some medical insurance companies will not pay physical therapists for the use of microcurrent therapy or white laser to treat pain. Why should a treatment option without side effects be replaced by drugs with sometimes horrible side effects?

That is the reason that I wrote my last book, WHY? The Question that Could Save Your Life. To have the best chance for a wonderful, healthy and productive life, you must take a strongly proactive part in your healthcare. We don’t have to experience the morbidity associated with aging. Before I woke up to this subject about ten years ago, I was, like many others, having the usual stays in the hospital and going under the knife for very preventable diseases. That is all in the past now and I am experiencing the best health of my life.

At AODTC, my holistic TMJ and sleep apnea practice, we take time on our initial exam to learn as much about the many factors contributing to the patient’s vitality as possible. I have taken the time to study physiology at Cal, acupuncture at UCLA, endocrinology (hormones) at the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and many more. One example of how my patients benefit is in the case of migraines. My acupuncture training has helped me to find other potential reasons for the migraine symptoms rather than simply labeling it a migraine. I have had patients who were suffering for years, using prescriptions drugs with side effects for headaches, finally able to be free from this horrible pain, without medication!

When your body is crying out for help with warning symptoms, don’t let anyone say to it, “take this pill and stop crying”. You find out why it is crying and take away the cause. It could save your life. Alternative medicine, which includes ancient medicine, concentrates on the total body and mind. It is the future of healthcare.

If you are suffering from TMJ symptoms, headaches, popping in your jaw, or sleep apnea, we can help. Visit www.aodtc.com for more information, call 925-837-8048.

Prevention is Infinitely Better than Treatment

July 6, 2017 by Dr. Robert Brown Leave a Comment

The medical industry wants you sick. There is no profit in healthy people. Time after time, in my holistic practice, I see so many patients that are having their symptoms treated with medications, many times with side effects that have created or enhanced the symptoms that brought them to my office in the first place. To make matters worse, the cost of this treatment can be into the thousands of dollars, sometimes doing damage that cannot be reversed.

One factor that qualifies me to help these patients as well as to write this article is that I have been through this malpractice myself, not just by the medical profession, but by my own malpractice of poor diet and reliance on the medical profession to correct my self abuse.

In my first book, WHY? The Question that Could Save Your Life, I emphasize the importance of being proactive in your healthcare, studying how to achieve optimal health on your own. Never take a prescription without checking it out online. Is there an alternative? Could I change my diet and lifestyle to correct this condition?

I did just that and it changed my life to such an incredible extent that I will never go back. No more arthritis, psoriasis, indigestion, headaches or allergies—and I experience the energy I had as a kid!

Let’s take a look at the cause of the gradual breakdown of our bodies as we age and even when we were young. God created a wonderful creature in the human animal, capable of defending itself against diseases that now destroy us, so we invent drugs which further pollute our bodies.

The natural immune system is phenomenal but very delicate. Our cells are like a city. They require delivery of food, energy, water, bacteria and communication as well as a disposal system that takes away all pollution. Our internal ecosystem is not designed to be overloaded with pollution that did not exist during the millions of years of our evolution. That system also requires nutrients that are no longer in our food, especially processed and fast food. To add insult to injury, we add stress which produces fight or flight hormones that further mess up digestion and elimination processes.

We all think that modern conveniences are so wonderful, and some of them are. Every step we take away from our evolution has its problems. Refrigeration prevents the fermentation of veggies which previously kept us supplied with our flora and many nutrients that contribute to our health. One of these nutrients is SOD (super oxide dismutase), an antioxidant that is 3500 times stronger than Vitamin C, as well as being an anti-inflammatory and an anti-aging agent.

I find there are endless lessons to learn from antiquity. Chapter IV of my next book is entitled Learning from Antiquity. There is so much knowledge to be found from ancient history that is being overlooked, and in the process we are losing this valuable resource.

For more information or comments, please contact me: www.aodtc.com

Prevention is Better than Treatment

June 7, 2017 by Dr. Robert Brown Leave a Comment

For more information or comments, please contact me: www.aodtc.com

The Importance of Deep Sleep

May 8, 2017 by Dr. Robert Brown Leave a Comment

There are many different treatment modalities for OSA (obstructive sleep apnea). It is well documented that over 40% of CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) owners are non-compliant and 17% of people that are diagnosed with OSA refuse to even consider CPAP therapy. Here at Advanced Oral Diagnosis and Treatment Center (AODTC), we find a much higher rate of compliance with dental appliances for OSA.

It is extremely important that OSA be treated and that your sleep hygiene is in such order that deep (delta sleep) is achieved. Delta is usually associated with deep, slow-wave sleep, where the body is at total rest. This allows a very important phenomenon to occur promoting the health of the brain.

Among our neurons are Glial cells of which there are several varieties, one of which has a special purpose to protect the other cells from damage, much like how styrofoam protects fine crystal in a box. Once the body ceases to have strong movement, these cells shrink to one tenth their size, thus allowing fluids to be exchanged and the brain to be cleansed of debris, such as dead cells, cellular waste, and harmful chemicals like MSG and accutane. This could easily explain the 200% increased chance of developing Alzheimer’s when OSA is not corrected.

Earlier I mentioned sleep hygiene. There are many factors that interfere with sleep in addition to OSA. For millions of years, when the sun went down, all we had for a light source was fire, which stimulates the production of melatonin, the opposite of serotonin. Now we have blue light in the form of TV, cell phones, computers, games and fluorescent lights. Between smart meters and wifi we are now flooded with EMF (Electromagnetic Frequency), which has also been found to mess up your sleep hygiene.

Eating too soon before bed can also cause poor sleep, especially if alcohol or sugar are added. In an earlier ALIVE article I mentioned that lights ought to be removed from soccer fields so that kids can get a family dinner with conversation, and achieve healthy sleep. It’s frightening to think what the youth of today may face in the form of mental health, as they age due to these many modern abuses.

I am fortunate to belong to several medically-oriented societies—especially alternative medicine—and I see a shift happening today in the medical community toward considering our evolution and ancient history more seriously in terms of health. Changing dietary, lifestyle and family practices, among other rituals, can have disastrous consequences. There was a lot of very useful knowledge in Plato’s time and before, that would serve present day man quite well.

At AODTC all of our methods come from a holistic approach. Our results demonstrate the benefits. For more information please visit www.aodtc.com.

Magnesium Deficiency

April 5, 2017 by Dr. Robert Brown Leave a Comment

ELUSIVE MAGNESIUM: VERY FEW OF US ARE NOT DEFICIENT

At UC Berkeley my major was in Physiology—a field I have followed ever since. If you have read much of my previous articles, you know that in both my sleep apnea and TMJ practices I take a very holistic approach to health maintenance. The pharmaceutical approach is like giving a pain killer for a thorn in your foot; you help the symptom, but the damage progresses.

Over seventy years ago, US Health authorities warned our country that, due to not replenishing the minerals in the soil, there would likely become mineral deficiency health problems. It has happened. One of the most serious mineral deficiencies is Magnesium (Mg). Due to the fact that only 1% of Mg is found in the blood, most doctors are not trained to test for it, and in most cases normal supplements don’t make up for this deficiency.

I belong to several physiology research organizations and try to stay up on what’s new. According to Norman Shealy, MD, PhD, a holistic pain and depression specialist, “Magnesium deficiency contributes to every known disease – from anxiety to depression, cancer, atherosclerosis, fatigue, hypertension, etc.”

Magnesium is responsible in a large part for the support of:

Blood sugar balance
Optimal circulation and blood pressure
Cellular energy production
Calming nerves and relieving headaches
Pain relief and muscle relaxation
Bone density and calcium balance
Joints and ligament flexibility
Promoting deep sleep
Supporting optimal cognition and strengthening memory
Regulating mood and stress and anxiety
Assisting in detoxification
Relieving cramping of muscles, leg cramps in your sleep and menstrual cramps

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

I have been recommending that my patients supplement with chelated or colloidal Mg with mixed results, sometimes great. There are some foods that contain higher concentrations of Mg which include; sprouted nuts and seeds, avocados, sprouted legumes, pink salt, sea vegetables, wild fish, raw cacao, pumpkin seeds and raw green and leafy veggies and pastured eggs. Of course all these foods need soil that contains Mg, in the first place.

For arthritis relief, chronic muscle and ligament pain, and menstrual cramps, a transdermal application using a Mg oil spray works best. For increasing Mg absorption, the most recent research revealed Mg L-Threonate was the best. Amazon carries it. Only buy the best because some of the dishonest companies use contaminated sources. It is possible to overdose with Mg causing some nasty symptoms, so check with your heath care professional to find the appropriate dosage for your body.

Sugar: Health Enemy #1

March 5, 2017 by Dr. Robert Brown Leave a Comment

I always like to look back at our evolution to test what “modern medicine” has come up with. Many of the scientific findings today come from junk science and basing medical protocols on their findings can be fatal. Because of junk science findings, sponsored by sugar industry bribes, sugar has not been condemned as the poison it is.

Let’s go back to before the development of present day farming and distribution. Our only source of sugar was primitive fruits and berries, which were warm season treats. Even then they weren’t refined. Humans get their energy from sugars, fats and proteins. Cancer can only use sugar for its energy and dies without it. Thus, our primitive winter diet resulted in the death of almost all cancers in the human body.

Sugar also ranks high on the inflammatory index of foods. In other words, eating sugar puts your body in condition of inflammation, and as it turns out, inflammation is the single most important cause of nearly all diseases. So, instead of winter being a healthy season, it becomes the flu season plus whatever other diseases we invite in. Then, when you add empty-calorie junk food to inflammatory foods and poisonous additives, the immune system is left without the resources to fight back.

If this is not enough to get your attention, maybe vanity might bring some sense to the irresponsible. Crap food interferes with proper digestion causing fewer nutrients and healthy candida yeasts, resulting in more of the products to be stored as fat. Using vanity even further, bad foods create bad complexion, accelerated aging of the skin, and accelerated aging of the body.

To sum it all up, our irresponsible eating habits are taking away any chance of having a long, healthy, active and fulfilling life. The irresponsible have a saying: “Youth is wasted on the young,” when the truth is, we can continue to have youthful bodies and minds as long as we live responsibly and care for ourselves.

Another killer I have found in my practice that can seriously decrease the quality and length of life is legal, iatrogenic (medically caused) drug abuse. I use no drugs in my pain clinic and many times find that the patient’s pain is due to the side effects of prescriptive and over the counter drugs. The present popularity of treating the symptom and not the patient is resulting in not only the masking of possibly serious symptoms, but the creation of other health problems due to side effects, which almost all drugs have.

It is time that all of us, especially the medical industry, drop greed from our treatment plan and realize the magnificence of God’s creations and concentrate on what can be done to stimulate and encourage the body’s ability to heal itself.

Getting back to my first point: many f these problems would not exist without sugar!

What About that Pain or Sound in Your Jaw?

February 7, 2017 by Dr. Robert Brown Leave a Comment

For years we called it TMJ (temporomandibular joint) but now we refer to it as TMD or temporomandibular joint dysfunction which is certainly more descriptive of why treatment is necessary.

There is much confusion in the field of TMD, many times leading to incredibly expensive and unnecessary, sometimes invasive dental treatments. In previous articles I have reviewed many of these protocols from the use of electromyography, to pharmaceuticals, to full mouth reconstruction or even surgery.

In this article I want to share what you can do to help your TMD and what to avoid in order to prevent damage to this very complex joint. First, we can take a look at what makes up the TMJ. It is composed of the glenoid fossa of the temporal bone, the condylar head of the mandible, an articular disc and articular capsule. The purpose of the disc is to prevent bone to bone contact and, when functioning correctly, the disc and capsule provide a smooth, well lubricated, rotation and translation of the joint.

The elastic ligaments associated with the capsule are responsible for keeping the disc in place. Excessive stretching, like opening too wide to yawn, taking a big bite of a sandwich, or singing can stretch or even tear these structures. The disc then is allowed to become displaced, many times not returning back when the condyle reseats itself in the fossa. When the patient then opens their mouth, the condyle has to bounce over the back of the displaced disc, resulting in a popping sound, sometimes accompanied by pain and limited opening or a feeling that one’s bite is misaligned.

This pain is due to inflammation of the stretched or torn ligaments. When the disc continues to be displaced, or if clenching wears a hole in the disc, the condyle and fossa begin to touch, resulting in a sandy or gravely sound as the joint moves. At this point, arthritis and degeneration can develop.

What can you do to help?

Like any other joint, over use can be abuse, such as chewing gum.
Regularly patients show me their pop by moving the jaw laterally. Never do anything on purpose to cause a pop! Lateral jaw movement is not what the jaw was designed to do.
Learn to hide your yawns like you are in the front row of an important class.
Eat smaller bites and avoid big sandwiches.
Avoid hard, tough or crunchy foods, such as nuts, ice or beef jerky.
Never check to see if the popping is still there. If the joint is quiet, it is getting better.
Stress is a major factor causing us to keep our teeth together (clenching or grinding). Teeth are only supposed to meet when swallowing, as little as one minute per hour. Learning to control the stress in your life will help. My next article will address this subject.
Learn to follow an anti inflammatory diet. Google it.
If you are prescribed drugs, check out the side effects. You may possibly get professional help to correct what causes the need for that drug. Many of my patients are experiencing a greatly improved life by doing this.
Schedule a free consultation with my office. I treat TMD differently than most dentists. If needed, I make a custom appliance, in office, fit specifically to your bite, not made by an outside lab.

Don’t let the dysfunction and pain get out of control before you seek help. Occasionally I find something quite simple that is causing the problem.

Question Drugs for Depression

January 2, 2017 by Dr. Robert Brown Leave a Comment

Quite often, patients are referred to me that are already taking prescriptions for pain, headaches and the depression that goes along with these chronic conditions. Those of you who follow my articles know I feel that most drugs treat symptoms, not patients, and in some cases they may also be delaying diagnosis of a serious underlying condition.

When asked, none of the patients taking antidepressants have been given tests that evaluate nutritional levels, yet lack of some nutrients can cause many problems, including depression. The following are just a few nutrients, the lack of which, can cause depression: Omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin D, Magnesium, Vitamin B complex, Foliate, Amino acids, Iron, Zinc, Iodine and Selenium.

Needless to say, these deficiencies can and do have other, sometimes serious, consequences. Thus, in many cases, in the doctor’s rush to get you out the door with a prescription rather than attempt to improve your all over health and even prevent a stroke or heart problems, an opportunity has been missed. To make matters worse, some of the TCI’s (tricyclic anti depressants), like Nortriptyline and Dexepin, actually have the side effect of a serious heart condition called tachycardia. For example, I have a patient on two TCI’s who recently spent several days in the hospital to treat tachycardia and was sent home with another prescription for a drug to treat tachycardia.

The other family of antidepressants is SSRI’s, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibiters (Lexapro, Prozac, Zoloft and more). All of these have potentially serious side effects, especially when the patient is pregnant. To make the situation even worse, the presence of drugs in the patient can actually cause some of the symptoms and interfere with my ability to effectively control them.

My ultimate goal is to move the patient toward optimal health through diet, lifestyle changes, and supplementation. An example of the need for supplementation is the lack of minerals in our food. The farms rarely, if ever, replace them.

In spite of the resistance and pressure from the pharmaceutical industry and the FDA, new fields of medicine are developing, some redeveloping after 100 years, such as Integrative Medicine, Naturopathic Medicine and Anti Aging Medicine that treat patients, not symptoms. Though I am fully licensed to, I have not written a prescription in years. As a result, today my patients improve faster than when I did.

As I stated in previous articles, this method of holistic treatment has very serious side effects: a seriously improved all over health and a vitality that can last far beyond what present society thinks is possible.

Quality Sleep: A Must for Good Health

November 30, 2016 by Dr. Robert Brown Leave a Comment

HOW MUCH SLEEP IS RECOMMENDED?

Infants 12-17 hours

Toddlers (1-2) 11 – 14 hours

Preschoolers (3-5) 10 – 13 hours

School Age (6-13) 9-11 hours

Teens (14-17) 8-10 hours

Adults (18-64) 7-9 hours

Older Adult (65+) 7-8 hours

The above recommendations assume that the quality of sleep is good, but in many cases it is not. Lack of sleep, or poor quality of sleep, can be dangerous, causing car accidents or job related injuries due to the slowing of your reaction time; relationship problems; poor job performance; memory loss; health issues and mood disorders. Lack of quality sleep contributes to heart disease, obesity, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, cancer and many more ailments.

WHAT CAUSES POOR QUALITY SLEEP?

Bad habits: Do you have irregular bedtimes? Do you drink caffeine drinks late in the afternoon or evening? Do you smoke or consume alcohol in the evening? Do you fall asleep with the TV on? Do you allow time for digestion after dinner?
Mental Health: Depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder and the drugs used to treat these problems can all take away your ZZZZs.
Health problems: Chronic pain, arthritis, GERD, heart failure, thyroid problems, neurological disorders, hormonal imbalances and many medications can all interfere with sleep. Malnutrition can also play a role such as magnesium deficiency which can cause depression, mood changes and stress- like symptoms.
Sleep apnea and Restless Leg Syndrome: Not only seriously effects quantity and quality of sleep for the victim, but can also affect others.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Turn off the Tube. Additionally, video games and surfing the net late in the evening promote the “stay awake” mechanisms of the body.
Employ Bedtime Rituals. A warm bath and a book, a regular bedtime, peaceful music, learn relaxation techniques and meditation.
Exercise regularly, preferably not just before bedtime.
See your doctor. A sleep diary can help by keeping track of your bedtimes and waking hours, how long and well you slept, amount of waking times and how long you stayed awake, your emotions and stress level and a list of medications you take.
There are several types of therapy available such as Relaxation Training, biofeedback to help control breathing, heart rate, muscle control and mood and cognitive-behavioral therapy to ease worries.
Ask your doctor for a sleep test. Sleep apnea is treatable by applying a CPAP or dental sleep appliance. The change experienced, from the return of youthful energy and the return of memory, to better health and more, can all be as a result of correcting sleep problems.

At my office, the Advanced Oral Diagnosis and Treatment Center in Danville, we have delivered hundreds of dental sleep appliances with an amazing rate of success. Most medical insurances cover dental appliances for obstructive sleep apnea. Contact us today to learn more: www.aodtc.com and 925-837-8048.

Is Modern Medicine a Blessing or a Curse?

November 5, 2016 by Dr. Robert Brown Leave a Comment

We all understand that diet and lifestyle are immensely important for a healthy life, yet many of us seem to go out of our way to close our eyes, shut off our minds, and avoid our responsibilities. One very big factor is that we can go to the doctor and get something to cover the symptom or kill the germ that we have invited into our body. Some might reply, “I don’t invite germs into my body,” but that is exactly what you do when you get lazy or splurge with unhealthy foods.

The germ theory of disease is incorrect. If germs caused disease all by themselves, we would all be sick. The plagues of the past would have killed everyone. As science is finally admitting, inflammation can be the initial cause of most diseases. In addition, inflammation in one area of your body can focus your immune system on that area, allowing neglect and degeneration in another area, thus opening the door and giving an invitation to whatever germ may be around. Malnutrition can greatly affect the immune system, further exacerbating the problem.

Malnutrition can occur in the midst of plenty. Sugar, rice, and alcohol deplete the B vitamins bringing on cirrhosis and diabetes. Instead of changing to nutritious foods we grab a handful of supplements hoping to cover the effects of our destructive behavior.

When properly cared for, our bodies are magnificent and quite capable of remaining in wonderful health and vitality to a very old age. Medicine’s habit of suggesting pills with side effects that should frighten most, just to relieve a symptom, is an insult. I have had patients with as many as 25 prescriptions causing unbelievable side effects and degeneration.

There are many populations that do not have access to modern medicine. They eat nutritiously, haven’t heard of cancer and live to be quite old; in some cases over 100 years with no doctors to help. One ugly side effect of current practices is that these procedures are creating a whole population of elderly that are not healthy and are suffering multiple disabilities, such as hearing loss, loss of eyesight, arthritis, cancer, diabetes and many other problems that likely could have been avoided.

One of the benefits my patients have is, I too, have suffered. I used to take a medication to cover an illness while I had my stack of pancakes, cake and ice cream. My enthusiasm comes from no longer having arthritis, psoriasis, allergies or colds. My diet and lifestyle changes have resulted in the best health of my life with better memory, good hearing and good eyesight, without even one medication.

Many of my patients have followed my recommendations and are also experiencing similar results. As I mentioned in previous articles, we are now entering the so called flu season. It is more correctly called the deplorable diet season. Those flu bugs would love to share the holidays with you and your family, but you must invite them in.