The Center for Disease Prevention & Reversal Blog

Many of my patients complain of having "no interest". While a small percentage of the population identify as "asexual", the majority of us do not and losing one's sex drive altogether can be disquieting. Sex drive often wanes as we age but it should not disappear completely.

There are physical and psychological reasons for a diminished sex drive and or response.
Among the physical contributors are chronic inflammation, not enough exercise, excessive exercise, prescriptions medications, poor dietary patterns, and fatigue. These contributing factors can all be easily reversed.

Low cholesterol can lead to a decrease in DHEA and sex hormones, especially testosterone as cholesterol is necessary for the production of stress and sex hormones. Chronic stress can also lead to low DHEA and sex hormones as stress utilizes all the precursor hormone (pregnanolone) made from cholesterol to produce the stress hormones. DHEA or pregnanolone supplementation can be helpful but so is turning off the stress response. Reflex biofeedback can do this almost immediately.

Psychological factors that contribute to diminished libido include anxiety, chronic stress, depression, guilt, grief and shock. While therapy is helpful and often necessary, it may not restore libido if the autonomic nervous system is stuck with high sympathetic (fight and flight) tone. Sometimes people find themselves not being able to "turn of" and reflex biofeedback is a very quick way of bringing up the parasympathetic (rest and relaxation) arm of the autonomic nervous system. Other treatments that work are acupuncture, homeopathy, breath work, yoga, meditation, massage and so on. I have found that the RITM SCENAR, a reflex biofeedback device, works the quickest and has the longest lasting results.

A combination of exercise, eating a non-inflammatory diet, adequate sleep and meditation can achieve the balance desired for a healthy libido and sexual response. Sexual response is two-fold and involves both arms of the autonomic system; the parasympathetic system controls the arousal phase and the sympathetic controls the orgasmic phase.

I recommend staying "active" as it helps with balancing the autonomic nervous system. Whether my patients are in a relationship or not, I might recommend equipment. Just like having special equipment in order to enhance one's experience cooking in the kitchen, or in a sport, equipment in the bedroom can enhance the experience whether one is alone or partnered in the endeavor. For incredibly engineered and designed equipment, I recommend shopping at Lelo.com. Lelo is a swedish company (how surprising) that takes its' products seriously and has some the best designed products on the market.

Oxidative damage is something everyone has heard of but might not really understand.
The patients I see in my Chicago area office often show me the anti-oxidants they are taking with great delight. They know the supplements are somehow combatting the negative effects of bad things they might be exposed to.

Oxidative damage can come from many sources: radiation of all sorts which includes background radioisotopes that are always around, excessive solar radiation especially when the ozone layer is damaged or in high altitudes and specific foods and chemicals that have reactive oxygen. Heavy metals can be a big contributor.

Oxydation is necessary and our body creates compounds that lead to oxidation in specific situations such as in infections when our immune system uses oxidative compounds to its benefit in order to kill dangerous bacteria.

Our bodies also produce oxidative compounds with excessive exercise, but the overall benefit is positive as this also stimulates high amounts of anti-oxidants in the body as well given good nutritional status.

The caveat is chronic and repetitive oxidative damage causes illness. And oxidative damage in infants can lead to neurological and behavioral problems.

Studies have shown that casein( an ingredient in dairy), and gluten ( a compound in un-sprouted wheat, rye and barley) prevent the absorption of an amino acid called cysteine. Cysteine is a vital constituent in the formation of glutathione a very powerful anti-oxidant.

Gluten also leads to a leaky gut and a leaky brain. This and the reduced glutathione could be a major contributing factor in children with autistic spectrum disorders and could be the reason that these children do better off of gluten and dairy.

It's important to note that the receptors in the brain for casein and gluten are similar to the receptors in the brain for opiods such as morphine and heroin and therefore the desire for these compounds can be very strong despite that they might be doing harm. The intake of morphine and other opiod compounds such as those in prescription pain relievers also reduce cysteine and therefore anti-oxidant capabilities.

Reducing the inflammatory state that most pain patients are in via dietary changes and supplements and using an FDA approved prescription device called SCENAR which balances the autonomic nervous system input as well as altering the firing of pain fibers, is the most effective and immediate way to reduce the need for pain medication.

We are bombarded by commercials about statins to lower cholesterol levels. We're made to believe that cholesterol is a bad thing and needs to be reduced as much as possible.

Numerous studies show the benefit of a healthy cholesterol profile. In fact, a recent study looking at muscle mass gain from exercise, showed that those with higher circulating cholesterol gained more muscle mass than those with lower cholesterol or on cholesterol lowering medications.

Low cholesterol levels are increasingly associated with increased risks for depression, anxiety, cancer, infection suicidal ideation and low libido.

There are numerous studies showing this link but the authors are all hesitant to say stop taking your statins as most patients are diagnosed as having statin deficiencies by their physicians.

If we look at studies and healthy physiology carefully, we can find that healthy people (people who are still insulin sensitive) have large bouyant LDL particles. As people become more insulin resistant and therefore closer to being a diabetic, they develop smaller LDL particles that are dense. Small, dense LDL particles are atherogenic, meaning they can lead to plaque in the vessels.

The biggest risk factor for a sudden cardiac event or MI, is small dense LDL and elevated levels of C reactive Protein, not high levels of LDL. Yet, the majority of physicians do not even test for these things. The reason being high levels can be lowered with statins. The treatment for an elevated C reactive protein( or CRP) and dense LDL are not treated with a single pharmaceutical. And, since the pharmaceutical industry has spent billions "educating" physicians how to handle cholesterol issues, they focused on the single issue they had a drug for.

LDL levels can be affected by particle size which is actually more important than the number. Low cholesterol is often associated with small dense LDL. Particle size is dependent upon a few things, one of them being insulin resistance or IR.
IR is related to how much insulin is needed to handle a specific amount of carbohydrate or sugar. The more needed, for a certain amount due to resistance or attenuation, the greater the risk of triglyceride and VLDL formation and hence small dense LDL.

In my Chicago area office, I always use a Lipid subfraction test on my patients. A standard lipid profile is missing vital information.

I treat small dense LDL and elevated CRP levels with a combination of dietary and lifestyle changes. If the LDL is very small and dense, I might recommend a liver cleanse
as the IR occurs at the liver..

If you have not had a lipid subfraction test, you don't know your real cardiac profile or risks.

Over the last decade, we have seen acid blockers go from requiring a prescription to over the counter. The commercials for them depict them as benign in side effect and beneficial
as taking a vitamin C drink for the common cold.

While the packaging inserts for this classification of drug is enough to scare your socks off, no one is paying attention, especially the doctors who recommend them like they do drinking more water.

The normal PH of our stomach is highly acidic. This is to allow enzymes form our pancreas to work efficiently in breaking down proteins and for absorption of minerals that would otherwise not be absorbed. Another function of our stomach acid is to kill the normal bacteria that live in our mouths or that we might ingest.
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Stomach acid is also necessary for the absorption of vitamin B12, an extremely important vitamin. Deficiency of which leads to anemia and a whole host of diseases.

The small intestine, relative to the colon, is supposed to be almost bacteria free. The colon is home to billions of beneficial bacteria. The small intestine remains low on bacteria in large part due to the acidity of the stomach.

When an acid blocker is taken with any regularity, proteins are not digested, minerals are not absorbed and bacteria enter and flourish in the small intestines. One of the possible side effects of proteins being poorly absorbed is an increase in food allergies. One of the definite side effects of protein malabsorption is a decrease in muscle mass and therefore bone mass. Studies have shown that women who take acid blockers during pregnancy have babies with a 5 times greater risk for asthma.

When minerals are not absorbed, again we see a decrease in bone mass and strength.

When excessive bacteria in introduced into the small bowel, we see bacterial overgrowth with foul breath, gas and bloating as obvious and not so pretty side effects.

When the stomach has a decrease in acid on a regular basis, the bacteria H. Pylori is allowed to flourish. H. Pylori has been implicated as a trigger for stomach cancer.

While the pharmaceutical companies would have you believe that it is a normal daily function to take acid blockers, it is anything but. In addition, the acid blockers do not stop the reflux, in fact, they increase reflux do to the slower gastric digestion when acid is removed form the picture.

The blockers just remover the acid and hence the sensation of burning form the picture.

There are numerous reasons why people have acid reflux and there are many ways to determine the cause(s) and very simple treatments. I have successfully treated many patients with reflux in my Chicago area office and continue to do so.

What is most surprising is this went form being a common scenario in my adult patients, but in the last few years, I have seen this with increasing frequency in pediatric patients.

What I hope to see less of in the future is patients with osteoporosis, allergies, fatigue,
muscle waisting, gluten intolerance and H. Pylori associated stomach cancer because of this foolish and misguided daily practice.

Erectile dysfunction from non-pyschological issues is one of the first signs of a decrease in endogenous nitrous oxide production. Insufficient nitrous oxide (NO) production sets the stage for the progression of heart and vascular disease in general.

The implications of decreased NO spread father than vascular disease. Decreased vascular flow in the brain leads to dementia and Alzheimer's as well as hypertension and thrombotic events (stroke).

NO declines with age, but this is believed to be largely due to increased insulin resistance.
The increase in circulating glucose, insulin and cytokines that occurs in diabetes type 2 or pre-diabetes have all been independently shown to impair NO activity in experimental models.

Insulin resistance is controlled with dietary and lifestyle changes that can be quite rewarding in their own right let alone the beneficial domino effect in the bedroom.

Under normal healthy conditions, when sexually stimulated, NO is produced in the penis and signals blood vessels to dilate and accommodate more blood flow and volume. Without this pathway functioning, erectile activity is reduced and or non-sustained.

Note, this is the same mechanism for erectile activity in women of the analogous organs and without clitoral enlargement orgasm is difficult or impossible to achieve. And for achievement oriented people, this can be frustrating or in the case of many of my patients, depressing.

Proper NO production is essential for maintaining normal blood pressure, preventing clots, and healthy sexual function. The inability to generate adequate NO is one of the first signs of a number of chronic disease we associate with normal aging but needn't be.

NO levels can be tested easily employing a simple salivary test performed in my Chicago area office. Treatment consists of lifestyle changes and very specific supplements that enhance nitrous oxide production. Levels are then re-tested a few weeks into treatment or can be implicated in patient reporting.

One of the many advantages to being a mature doctor is the vast experience one acquires along the way. In my Evanston medical office, I have repeatedly seen a link between lowered sexual function or drive, and impaired autonomic nervous system function.

Often this is the case of a woman going through menopause. The chief complaint might be weight gain, hot flashes, wrinkling skin or insomnia but low libido or sexual response often accompanies these symptoms.

I also see men who complain of poor sexual function or lowered libido and discover they actually have some other complaints concurrently that seem to be associated with autonomic nervous system dysfunction or ANSD.

Once the ANSD is addressed and treated, the sexual function improves enormously and the patient feels relieved to have a part of their self back that had seemed lost.

ANSD can be acquired from longterm stress, acute stress or trauma, physically or psychologically. Typically an increase in sympathetic (the fight and flight arm of the system) tone is noted, especially in men. In women, often the fight and flight or sympathetic arm is shut down and the patient feels depressed and fatigued.

In either case, the employment of a reflex biofeedback device such as SCENAR to assess and treat the sympathetic tone can be an essential ingredient in returning balance, calmness and libido.

In my work in post quake Haiti, I treated dozens if not hundreds of patients suffering from post traumatic stress disorder including many of the responders. I discovered improved mood and emotional function once the autonomic nervous system was balanced.

Both the parasympathetic and the sympathetic systems are needed for sexual arousal and orgasm and they must work together. If one is stuck in an on or off mode, the response is limited or non-existant.

in addition to a tempered response, the adrenals are often affected which can then lead to weight gain, anxiety and fatigue.

Scenar, acupuncture, and meditation are all fabulous adjuncts to nutritional therapies and exercise that can improve the relationship between the sympathetic and the parasympathetic systems.

The use of great diagnostic tools and treatment plans make for a speedy recovery and the return of a healthy sexual response.

Peyronies is a disorder of the connective tissue of the penis. It affects at least 5% of the male population, is disfiguring and can be painful or desensitizing in some cases.

I am writing about it in my blog as it pertains to aesthetics and lifestyle changes as well as overall health and wellbeing.

I have had male patients walk into my chicago area office complaining of many things they want to address, but one of the more difficult things for them to speak about are issues regarding sexuality and their genitalia.

It has been common for men to come in for lipodissolve for fatty breast tissue or love handles. And it has been common for men to come in complaining of low libido but only recently have I been seeing more and more men with a diagnosis of Peyronies.

As it turns out, the reflex-biofeedback that I have mastered is incredible for tackling this horrible disorder. Not only does it address pain or de-sensitivity, it appears to address the abnormal connective tissue problem immediately.

The reflex biofeedback I'm speaking about is Russian in origin and has been around for over 25 years. It is FDA approved as a prescription device for pain management. However, it is commonly used "off-label" for all kinds of problems and has research backing much of the "off-label" use.

I would not have known it was useful for Peyronies if one of my patients hadn't suggested trying it on him after I successfully treated a shoulder and hip injury of his.

To our amazement, he had a 90% improvement after only one treatment. The rest is history.

Most patients would be happy with just the aesthetic component of this disorder improved, however, having function and size improved is an added bonus that can not be overlooked.

The traditional "treatments" for Peyronies are painful and in almost all cases, a waste of time.

Information regarding SCENAR or INTERX can be found on my medical website at
www.disease-reversal.com
the link to SCENAR is in the top left corner of the home page.

I am in the process of setting up research with reflex-biofeedback in a neurobiology lab in Boston with returning veterans and different disabilities. I look forward to sharing the research with my readers.