The Center for Disease Prevention & Reversal Blog

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.

Fibromyalgia, an elusive syndrome which leaves its victims in daily pain and discomfort is barely understood and poorly treated by the medical profession.

Patients with fibromyalgia walk around with hypersensitivity to pressure (allodynia) at specific points and often complain of fatigue and "brain fog".

Since the etiology of this disease is not well understood, patients often are placed on a whole host of medications from anti-depressants and mood regulators to stimulants and pain medications. Often, they are none the better despite the host of medications.

I have seen patients improve and even eliminate their fibromyalgia with a combination of dietary changes, homeopathy, hormone balancing and Scenar. In fact, I had a patient walk into my evanston office with the complaint of plantar fasciitis. Once treated with Scenar, she returned the following week to inform me that not only did the plantar fasciitis improve, so did her fibromyalgia. We performed another session of Scenar and she has been free of plantar fasciitis and fibromyalgia for two years.

One of my very first patients who came to me with the diagnosis of fibromyalgia had contracted it after several rounds of antibiotics for presumed sinus infections. After careful analysis I found her to have abnormal bowel flora and an overgrowth of potentially pathogenic yeast in her bowel. Once this was cleared up her fibromyalgia disappeared.

it is also common to see fibromyalgia post traumatically. One of the more current and better explanations for the disease is autonomic nervous system dysfunction. Post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD can occur as a result of the fight and flight part of our nervous system being activated without the ensuing down regulation.

One of the reasons that the "fight and flight" does not turn itself off is that the rest and relaxation arm of the system is often neglected in terms of lifestyle practices and has low tone.

Another reason the fight and flight or sympathetic nervous system could get stuck in a perpetual on mode is due to over exposure to stress, or poor response to stress. A common profile of a person with fibromyalgia is one of someone who is always taking on more as in a type A personality. Another profile is someone who suffered abuse or misfortune over an extended period of time.

Women are affected with fibromyalgia to a greater degree than men. And, often the involvement of bowel and bladder symptoms are noted with the main complaints of pain, discomfort and urgency.

There is no reason fibromyalgia patients have to endure pain or longterm use of medications. The underlying reasons for the syndrome can be explored, identified and treated effectively with creative medical, psychological and naturopathic tools.